Back to Teen (YA) Books
Teen Reads (YA Fiction, mostly)
Just about every last daggone YA fiction title I've read since 2001
Acampora, Paul Defining Dulcie Nice ideas but a bit thin. Dulcie’s janitor father died in a freak accident involving cleaning products; now she’s working at the school, living with her grandpa, mad at her mom for moving to CA, and befriending a girl who’s mom abuses her.
Alexie, Sherman The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Allen, M.E. Gotta Get Some Bish Bash Bosh Skimmed it – pretty cute, sarky book about early teen dating, from boy’s point of view.
Almond, David. The Fire-Eaters Superb. Dyna: “In 1962 England, despite observing his father's illness and the suffering of the fire-eating Mr. McNulty, as well as enduring abuse at school and the stress of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Bobby Burns and his family and friends still find reasons to rejoice in their lives and to have hope for the future.”
Anderson, Laurie Halse Prom A sound and engaging story about “normal kids” (Anderson says “normal kids” have told her over the years that nobody ever writes a book about them.) Ashley (18) and her big, loud, supportive family are great characters, and so is the Russian grandmother of her best friend next door. Ash has almost too many detentions to graduate and no interest in the prom, but ends up helping out and deciding her boyfriend (who’s a skeeze) isn’t good enough for her.
Anderson, M.T. Burger Wuss –fast food, HS, Adrian Hegemanish.
Anderson, M.T. Feed –futuristic HS story: society as corporate consumerism run amok. Great HS discussion book (w/ swearing)
Armstrong, Jennifer, and Nancy Butcher The Fire-Us Trilogy “In 2007, a small band of children have joined together in a Florida town, trying to survive in a world where it seems that all the adults have been killed off by a catastrophic virus.” Post-apocalyptic friendlier Lord of the Flies meets Peter Pan and Wendy. Good.
Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia Demon In My View Written by a 15-year-old goth girl, and feels like it, but still pretty inventive vampire story.
Atkins Alt Ed A Breakfast Club for 2003. Fat girl, jock, popular girl, punk/”slut” girl, redneck, and gay boy get together with teacher for revealing chats (otherwise they’d be expelled). Told by fat girl. Pretty good at depicting HS hierarchies and an underdog gaining confidence, but unbelievable that the teacher would let them discuss the things they do (including gang rapes) without ratting on them.
Avi Crispin: the Cross of Lead Boring Newbery winner.
Bauer, Joan Best Foot Forward Sequel to Rules of the Road. Didn’t quite come to life—various themes put forward (second chances, Al-Anon, integrity in the face of profiteering, salesmanship, expectations of family) but none thoroughly explored. The whole thing read like her outline for the novel.
Beale, Fleur I Am Not Esther “After her mother unexpectedly leaves her with her uncle's family, members of a fanatical Christian cult, Kirby tries to learn what has become of her mother and struggles to cope with the repressiveness of her new surroundings and to maintain her own identity.” Good.
Benduhn, Tea Gravel Queen Aurin hangs out with buddies Kenney and Fred, meets Neila and falls in love with her, rearranging friendships somewhat. Reasonably good- lots of metaphorical sensory details (“sparks of frozen fizzle warm”).
Booth, Teena Falling From Fire –house burned down – family life
Bradley, Alex 24 Girls in 7 Days Surprisingly good (for a book with such an off-putting title). Jack Grammar is a real character whose friends feel he should have a date for his senior prom and so create an online personal ad on his behalf that nets him more dates than he can handle- but is everything on the up-and-up? Witty, sweet, realistic. Good HS read.
Brashares, Ann The sisterhood of the traveling pants(2001. 294 p.)
“Four best girlfriends spend the biggest summer of their lives enchanted by a magical pair of pants.”
Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood Good soap opera.
Forever In Blue: the Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood Brashares really knows girls and young women, and describes their crises of confidence, intense friendship, magical thinking, and experiments with love and sex perfectly.
Brenaman , Miriam Evvy’s Civil War
Brennan, Herbie Faerie Wars “Troubled by family problems, Henry finds his life taking a whole new dimension when he and his friend, old Mr. Fogarty, become involved with Prince Pyrgus Malvae who has been sent from the faerie world in order to escape the treacherous Faeries of the Night.”
Brooks True Confessions of a Heartless Girl Spare. Canadian. I didn’t love it as much as everyone else seems to have, but it was okay.
Burgess, Melvin Doing It
Burgess, Melvin Lady: My Life as a Bitch
Burgess, Melvin Sara's Face A freaky offering from Burgess. Sara covets fame at any price, but despite being beautiful, hates her own body to the point of injuring it. She gets taken into the household of a super-famous reclusive rock star who has pushed plastic surgery farther than it's ever gone before, including implanting a dog's muzzle on his face, but now his face is ruined and he wears a mask. Why does he want Sara, who looks strangely like his young self, and should she agree to plastic surgery by his in-house doctor?
Burgess, Melvin Smack
Cabot, Meg. Princess Diaries Quite fun.
Cappo, Nan Willard Cheating Lessons -When her team is announced as finalists in the state Classics Bowl contest, Bernadette suspects that cheating may have been involved. Fairly fun to read but didn’t really wash.
Card, Orson Scott Speaker for the Dead Ender Wiggin book 2.
Xenocide Ender Wiggin book 3.
Carey, Mike Re-Gifters
Cart, Michael (ed.) Love & Sex: ten stories of truth (2001)
Best stories: “Fine and Dandy” by Louise Hawes; “Secret Shelf” in verse by Sonya Sones; “The Cure for Curtis” by Chris Lynch; “The Acuteness of Desire” by Michael Lowenthal; “The Welcome” by Emma Donoghue
Castellucci & Rugg The P.L.A.I.N. Janes ygn - Jane's familiy moves from Metro City after she's injured by a sidewalk bomb. She finds suburbia stultifying but starts doing guerrilla art with a group of other "misfits," all named Jane.
Clement-Moore, Rosemary Prom Dates from Hell
Cohn, Rachel & David Levithan Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist Totally great punk NY 18-year-old lust and love story, insecurities, joyful discoveries, snappy badass dialogue, loud music and all.
Cohn, Rachel Pop Princess I expected more from this author of Gingerbread. Okay novel about a girl going the Britney Spears route and then leaving the madness and finding herself, all before age 17.
Corrigan, Eireann Ordinary Ghosts Absorbing tale of a modern Holden Caulfield whose mother recently died of cancer, whose brother helped her get the pills for the overdose and has since disappeared, whose father is cold and distant, and who sneaks onto the gracious prep school campus at night to explore buildings with a master key, plan a prank, and hang out with the girl who, mysteriously, works late at night in the pottery studio.
Corrigan, Eireann You Remind Me of You Free verse first person “poetry memoir” of author’s adolescence, consisting of her near-fatal anorexia and her co-dependent boyfriend who tried to kill himself and the aftermath. Riveting voice, I thought.
Crutcher, Chris The Sledding Hill Very disappointing from Crutcher. Didactic “novel” that’s basically an essay on why adults shouldn’t censor books for teens. Readable.
Davis, Jill (ed.) Open your eyes: extraordinary experiences in faraway places
De Mari, Silvana The Last Dragon Peculiar, translated from the Italian flavor. The last elf, Yorsh, falls in with some humans and ends up raising the last dragon and helping to save some orphans and ragtag people from an oppressive, feudal-style dictatorship.
Dodd, Quentin Princess of Neptune Hilarious silliness! Like Hitchhikers’ Guide for 11 year olds. When Theora and her brother Verbert find out the local Burger (Boy?) is run by giant lunar cockroaches, it isn’t long before they are whisked off to an intergalactic beauty contest on Neptune to solve a mystery.
Donnelly, Jennifer A Northern Light Mattie lives in the North Woods (Adirondacks) in 1906. Her ma died, she hopes to get to college, she loves words and books, she works at an inn on the lake, her pa was a riverman/logjack but now is a grieving farmer; many subplots. Unfolds alongside the based-on-fact story of the drowning of (pregnant) Grace Brown by her lover. Enjoyable, full of historical nuggets and quirky words.
Douglas, Lola True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet Teen movie star Morgan Carter retreats to Fort Wayne, IN, to attend H.S. anonymously after months of rehab. Things get complicated (duh) but most characters are believably complex, Morgan (aka Claudia) doesn’t become angelic, and the story is totally fun.
Duane, Diane So You Want to Be a Wizard Science, ethics, magic, 13-year-olds with serious internal resources. Lovely.
Dunkle, Clare B. The HollowKingdom Another dopey faerie novel. Actually goblins. Skip this one and read The Perilous Gard.
Earls, Nick 48 Shades of Brown (Australian.) While his folks are in Geneva for a year, almost-17 Dan moves in for the year with his young (22), hip university-student aunt Jacq, and creates elaborate plans to win the heart of Jacq’s love-goddess roommate, Naomi. Clever; all about Dan’s thought processes; a bit overwritten for my taste but pretty good. Gr. 10 & up.
Farmer, Nancy The House of the Scorpion
Farmer, Nancy The Sea of Trolls
Farmer, Nancy The Land of the Silver Apples sequel to The Sea of Trolls. Good adventure story, lots of early Christianity meets Norse religion meets Old religion.
Fletcher. Shadow Spinner –about a girl who helps Shahrazad track down stories
Frank, E.R. America
Frank, Lucy Just Ask Iris
Fredericks, Mariah The True Meaning of Cleavage Jess & Sari – best friends since 7th grade – when the enter high school Sari gets stupidly obsessed with senior boy- as reader I lost all respect for her & all interest in dumb story.
Freymann-Weyr The Kings are Already Here Very formal piece about two serious (and seriously scheduled & determined) youngsters, a ballet dancer & a chess player. Okay, not all that engaging. Too much in the head, I thought.
My Heartbeat Ellen (14) is in love with her older brother Link’s best friend James. Yet James & Link seem like a couple. Told in Ellen’s intelligent, spare voice, this book is realistic about the subtle shades of relationship, love, family dynamics, and sexual orientation.
Friend, Natasha Perfect Decent book told from the point of view of Isabelle (“Belly” to her sister) who reacts to her father’s death and her mother’s subsequent falling-apart with bulimia.
Gallo, Donald (ed.) First Crossing: stories about teen immigrants Good.
Destination Unexpected Short stories about teens learning something surprising along the way, on journeys real and metaphorical. Especially good: “Something Old, Something New,” by Joyce Sweeney; “The Kiss in the Carryon Bag, by Richard Peck; and “Mosquito,” by Graham Salisbury.
Gallo, Donald R. (ed.) On the Fringe –stories about alternative/outcast high school kids. Good.
Gardner, Sally I, Coriander In 17th century London, Coriander lives a charmed life as the daughter of a wealthy merchant and his beloved wife (of fairy blood). Their fortunes turn several times against the backdrop of Cromwell’s London. The voice is solid and lyrical, and the storytelling is very good in the family but drops the ball in the hazy fairyland and especially when she falls in love with the beleaguered fairy knight for absolutely no reason and in about a paragraph.
Gilmore, Kate The Exchange Student (1999, 217 p.)
When her mother arranges to host one of the young people coming to Earth from Chela, Daria is both pleased and intrigued by the keen interest shown by the Chelan in her work breeding endangered species.
· Wildlife conservation, Endangered species, Extraterrestrial beings
Going, K.L. Fat Kid Rules the World Fabulous! I loved the genuine and claustrophobic view from the inside of someone excruciatingly self-conscious (and self-loathing); and the punk perfection of Curt, addicted to prescription drugs and guitar god; and their strangely adolescently brutally tender interaction. A gorgeous, unique-voiced book.
Going, K.L. Saint Iggy Remarkable voice. Iggy has a crappy life—drugged out parents (mom on meth and currently missing); fighting and failing school; dangerous (and totally inadequate) public housing; his only advocate a drop-out law student whiny stoner rich kid. Iggy’s trying to do good so he can get his life back on track, but the circumstances of poverty and drug culture conspire against him. Tragic. Highly discussable.
Singing the Dogstar Blues (Alison Goodman)“In a future Australia, the saucy 18-year-old daughter of a famous newscaster and a sperm donor teams up with a [teenage alien] from the planet Choria in a time travel adventure that may significantly change both of their lives.” Heroine Joss is a rebel familiar with gritty underground subcultures—kinda Guy Noirish. Fun read.
Green, John An Abundance of Katherines Just terrific. Witty, warm, thoughtful, with beautifully rendered characters. “Having been recently dumped [by his 19th] Katherine, recent high school graduate and former child prodigy Colin sets off on a road trip with his best friend [a smart, funny Muslim kid named Hassan] to try to find some new direction in life while also trying to create a mathematical formula to explain his relationships."
The Witch's Boy (Michael Gruber) "A grotesque foundling turns against the witch who sacrificed almost everything to raise him when he becomes consumed by the desire for money and revenge against those who have hurt him, but he eventually finds his true heart's desire." On one level a convincing fantasy with remarkable writing (and familiar fairy tale cameos), and on another an exploration of the complicated love between parent and child.
Sweetblood (Pete Hautman) “After a lifetime of being a model student, 16-year-old Lucy Szabo is suddenly in trouble at school, at home, with the "proto-vampires" she has met online and in person, and most of all with her uncontrolled diabetes.”
Headley, Justina Chen Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies) Okay but overwritten novel about a half-Chinese, half-white high school girl whose demanding single (Taiwanese) mother sends her to math camp. All about learning biracial girl pride.
Hoffman, Mary The Falconer's Knot: a story of friars, flirtation and foul play A lively mystery set in 1316 Italy. 16-year-old noble Silvano da Montacuto, framed of murdering the husband of his crush, is sent to a Franciscan friary for sanctuary. Chiara, a commoner, was dispatched by her brother to its sister convent of the Poor Clares. Who knew the two teens, whiling away their time grinding color for painters in nearby Assisi, would get caught up in a mysterious morass of monastic murders?
Holt, Kimberly Willis Keeper of the Night A poem of a book told in small, gem-like chapters with revealing titles, in the voice of Isabel, whose mother recently killed herself. Set on Guam, it’s the story of a family stunned with grief (& guilt & anger) trying to put itself back together somehow. Father “Tata” vanishes into grief and fishing; brother Frank cuts the walls and himself; little sister Olivia wets the bed but dances in the daytime; Aunt Bernadette is wise and steady; responsible Isabel tries to be the glue to keep everyone together. Lovely, clean lines, against the lush backdrop of Guam. Sad but full of the messy strength of family and life too.
Hooper, Mary The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose Great flavor of 17th-century London. Eliza has been kicked out of her house by her stepmother for being a “cuckoo in the nest”; she goes to London to try to find her father, goes hungry, steals a pasty, and ends up in the Clink, where the story starts. It’s not long before she’s taken in by a procurer of bawds, rescued by Nell (aspiring to be Charles II’s mistress), working in the theater, and befriending a highwayman. Convincing full sensory descriptions of the time and place, plus rich characters with mores quite different from those of today.
Howe, James The Misfits Excellent story of 4 smart, interesting, not “in” kids in middle school twho invent a new political party: The No-Name Party, to put the kibosh on name-calling. Bobby (narrator) happens to be fat, Joe is gay, Addie is too tall and outspoken and political, and Skeezie is sort of a 50’s greaser. All feel very real, as do supporting characters of teachers and principal and Bobby’s dad.
Totally Joe Sweet middle school story of a gay boy and his good friends and nice family. Gimmick is he’s writing his “alphabiography” for class (each chapter about a different letter).
Jenkins, A.M. Out of Order A popular jock picks on people, moons after his smart girlfriend, tries to hide his fear over being “stupid,” tries to get laid, and is basically a high school asshole seen from the inside. Also develops beginnings of friendship with alternagirl. Pretty good.
Jenkins, A.M. Damage
Jinks, Catherine Pagan’s Crusade Jerusalem, 1187. Pagan Kidrouk—orphan, 16, raised in a monastery, scrappy kid versed in the ways of the streets, used to work the city night patrol, strapped for cash—applies for work with the Templars. He is assigned to squire for Lord Roland, an absurdly good Templar knight. Meanwhile, Saladin's armies close in on the HolyCity. Told in Pagan’s irreverent voice, with a bit of Monty Python (yet historically accurate) flair.
Jocelyn, Marthe How It Happened in Peach Hill Annie & her con artist mother, who earns her living as Madame Caterina, spiritualist, arrive in Peach Hill, where Annie pretends to be an idiot so as to listen in on relevant gossip. But the idiot role chafes, and as Annie begins to grow apart from her controlling mother, everything breaks apart in surprising ways.
Johnson, Angela The First Part Last “Bobby's carefree teenage life changes forever when he becomes a father and must care for his adored baby daughter.”
The Bermudez Triangle (Maureen Johnson) Excellent. Three HS girls have a long-standing best-friendship. Then Nina goes to pre-college for the summer, and Avery and Mel fall in love. But it doesn’t end there. It goes through the whole school year with Mel solidifying her sense of herself as gay, Avery still questioning, all three struggling with their friendship and with everything senior year throws at them. Witty and solid.
Jones, Diana Wynne The Pinhoe Egg Vintage DWJ. Totally fun.
Jones, DW Conrad’s Fate A play on Upstairs/Downstairs, with a satisfying hullabaloo at the end. Vintage (if not extraordinary) DWJ. Tag coda (6 years later) annoying and unnecessary.
Jones, D W The Game “Sent to a boisterous family gathering in Ireland by her overly strict grandmother, orphaned Hayley feels out of place until her unruly cousins include her in a special game involving travel through the mythosphere, the place where all the world's stories can be found, and where some secrets of her past are revealed.” Her aunts turn out to be the Pleiades and the Hesperides…
Jones, D W Witch Week Still a marvel of plotting and characterization, and totally fun.
Jones, DW The Merlin Conspiracy Good. Not fantastic, but good.
Juby, Susan Alice, I ThinkRead out loud. Still hilarious!
Juby, Susan Alice MacLeod, Realist at Last This 3rd in the series is still brilliantly hilarious.
Kira-Kira (Cynthia Kadohata) Japanese-American family in the 60’s in Georgia. Told by younger sister who adores older sister, who dies of lymphoma. Fabulous prose.
Klages, Ellen The Green Glass Sea Comprehensively realized picture of life on The Hill, as the secret Los Alamos scientists’ colony during WWII was known. The story of two girls, Dewey and Suze.
Knox, Elizabeth Dreamhunter Very unusual flavor. “In a world where select people can enter "The Place" and find dreams of every kind to share with others for a fee, a fifteen-year-old girl is training to be a dreamhunter when her father disappears, leaving her to carry on his mysterious mission.” First of a “duet.”
Knox, Elizabeth Dreamquake Fantastic sequel to Dreamhunter. Dreamhunters “catch” dreams in the mysterious, unchanging Place and perform them for patrons of dream theaters. Politician Cas Doran seems to be in cahoots with some unscrupulous dreamhunters, using powerful dreams to sedate people with contentment and influence their votes and opinions. How can he be stopped, and what is the Place?
Koertge, Ron Boy Girl Boy 3 friends grow apart during senior year, but they might run off to California together anyway, who knows?
Shakespeare Bats Cleanup 14-year-old first baseman Kevin Boland, struck down with mono in the middle of baseball season, begins fooling around with his writer dad’s poetry book and starts writing. Thoughtful, if spare, and fun and real. Good.
Koja, Kathe Buddha Boy Justin spends time with Jinsen, the unusual and artistic new student whom the school bullies torment and call Buddha Boy, and ends up making choices that impact Jinsen, himself, and the entire school.
Koja, Kathe Talk Hoping to escape from himself for awhile, Kit auditions for a controversial school play and discovers his talent for acting, struggles with coming out, and both he and his costar face crises in their view of themselves and in their close relationships. Told from two points of view.
Korman, Gordon Jake, Reinvented New HS senior Jake Garrett hosts some incredible parties & thus gains fame at his new school. Turns out he reinvented his former-nerdly self to woo the girl he used to math tutor. Everybody turns on everybody. Not much fun.
Son of the Mob 17-year-old Vince's life is constantly complicated by the fact that he is the son of a powerful Mafia boss, a relationship that threatens to destroy his romance with the daughter of an FBI agent. More thoughtful than you might think, and funny, of course. Quite good.
Langrish, Katherine Troll Fell When 12-year-old Peter’s father dies, he is snatched up by his diabolical, identical-twin uncles and brought to live in their dismal mill, where he tries to find a way to stop their plan to sell the him and a neighbor girl to the trolls. Very atmospheric—Norse villages in the cold lonely mountains. Good.
Langrish, Katherine Troll Mill 3 years later. In the first few pages Bjorn’s wild-eyed wife Kersten hands off her baby to Peer and flings herself—wearing her sealskin—into the sea. Bjorn is wild with grief, Peer’s angry that Bjorn would—did he really?—imprison a selkie woman, and meanwhile, ominous things are afoot at night with the mill. Eerie, fast-paced, tangibly atmospheric, with a loving family and friends at the heart of it all.
Larochelle, David Absolutely, Positively Not “Chronicles a teenage boy's humorous attempts to fit in at his Minnesota high school by becoming a macho, girl-loving, "Playboy" pinup-displaying heterosexual.” Totally sweet coming out (to self and family) story.
Lat Kampung Boy
Lat Town Boy Richly detailed, hilarious comic memoirs
Leavitt, Martine Keturah and Lord Death “When Lord Death comes to claim sixteen-year-old Keturah while she is lost in the King's Forest, she charms him with her story and is granted a twenty-four hour reprieve in which to seek her one true love.” Stylized but with a surprising ending.
Les Becquets, Diane Love, Cajun Style One hot Louisiana summer Lucy, 17, follows the mysterious love lives of her mother (and, she hopes, her father), Tante Pearl, and two best friends, while falling for the nice new boy and having the moves put on her by the new drama teacher. Good.
Levine, Gail Carson Fairest An interesting twist on the Snow White story, involving a kingdom where the people are passionate about singing and a very insecure young queen. Good.
Levithan, David Boy Meets Boy (Totally fun, surreal high school romance book in an almost-reality where the varsity quarterback is a drag queen and no one thinks twice about it.) Totally cute. Funny, sweet, thoughtful, bizarre. Paul meets Noah and falls for him, meanwhile trying to untangle things with his ex, “architect” the school dance, hang with his big circle of friends, and spend time with a friend whose Christian parents think he’s damned for being gay. Extraordinary for being so normal, and at the same time a fabulously surreal look at high school life in a town that is basically gay-friendly, to the point that the Boy Scouts seceded from the national organization and became the Joy Scouts, and a drag queen is the varsity quarterback. And yet it feels like real high school at the same time.
Limb, Sue Girl, 15, Charming But Insane A Teen Girl Book. Okay, not great.
Lockhart, E. Fly On the Wall: how one girl saw everything Gretchen Yee, a student at the ManhattanSchool for Art and Music, doesn’t get boys. Then she wishes she were a fly on the wall of the boys' locker room... Smart writing, idiosyncratic, complex characters. Good!
Lockhart, E. Dramarama Sarah renames herself Sadye and she and her best friend Demi leave Ohio and head to drama summer institute. Demi – black, gay, flamboyant, talented—finds his first real home, but Sadye struggles and finds not so much a community as herself. (Lockhart suggests, but never shouts, that Sadye’s talents lie in directing; I’d be interested to read a sequel.) Good.
Lowry, Lois Gathering Blue - Enh.
Lubar, David Dunk HS boy wants to be a “Bozo,” the clown that shouts insults to lure people to spend money throwing balls at the dunk tank. Pretty lamely written; a major skimmer.
Luddy, Karen Spelldown “In 1969, the town of Red Clover, South Carolina, led by an enthusiastic new Latin teacher, supports thirteen-year-old Karlene as she wins her school spelling bee and strives to qualify for the National Bee, despite family problems and a growing desire for romance.”
McDonald, Janet Chill Wind Companion novel to Spellbound.
McGowan, Anthony Hellbent Witty in a scatological, adolescent British boy way. Conor is run over by an ice cream truck and he’s now in a corner of Hell specifically designed for his maximum torture. I only read the first 35 pages.
McKinley, Robin Dragonhaven Excellent!
Medley, Linda Castle Waiting: Volume One: The Lucky Road ygn MEDLEY Strange, engrossing, intimate fairy story of some of those background fairytale characters. Jain, pregnant, flees her nasty husband and takes refuge in the isolated Castle Waiting, where she makes friends with the quirky denizens, who are excited to welcome a baby into their midst.
Melling, O.R. The Hunter’s Moon Dopey faerie novel set in Ireland. Skimmed it.
Meyer, Stephanie Twilight Limping, deeply irritating vampire/romance story. His lips twitched about 8500 times, and his eyes were often cold, and he treats her like an idiot and for some reason she likes that. Absolutely skip this and read Sunshine or War for the Oaks or The Blue Sword instead.
Moriarty, Jaclyn Feeling Sorry for Celia Quite similar to her “The Year of Secret Assignments.” Pretty fun read -- letters between wry and witty pen pals at neighboring schools, who shore each other up through a best friend who's always running away, crushes, uncertainty about sex with a boyfriend, increased confidence through long distance running. In both Y and Adult, and on cassette. Definitely a girl book. Quite good, and funny, but not fantastic. Feels more Y than adult.
The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie
Murdock, Catherine Dairy Queen Excellent! A fantastic voice. D.J.’s father broke his hip so now she’s basically running the dairy farm. Meanwhile she works on making up her flunked English class, training snotty Brian for football season, and decides to try out for the H.S. football team herself.
Murdock, Catherine The Off Season Sequel to Dairy Queen. Still very good (and the voice is excellent), if a trifle overcrammed with developments. DJ's pro football playing brother breaks his spine in a game, and somehow she is the only one available to nurse him. Also, she dates Brian for a while, but he's embarrassed to allow her into the rest of his life, so she eventually realizes he's not mature enough for her.
Myers, Walter Dean Handbook for Boys
Nicholson, William Firesong –3rd in Wind on Fire Trilogy. Good! (My fave was the 2nd one, Slaves of the Mastery, which is funnier than the other two. All three are distinctive and lyrical and plain and delightful.)
Nix, Garth Abhorsen Sequel to Sabriel and Lirael. Very good.
- Across the Wall: a tale of the Abhorsen and other stories Uneven. Title story is good; the rest vary widely in style and quality. I didn’t even finish it.
- Mister Monday (The Keys to the Kingdome: Bk 1) “Arthur Penhaligon is supposed to die at a young age, but is saved by a key that is shaped like the minute hand of a clock. The key causes bizarre creatures to come from another realm, bringing with them a plague. A man named Mister Monday will stop at nothing to get the key back. Arthur goes to a mysterious house that only he can see, so that he can learn the truth about himself and the key.”
Oates, Joyce Carol. Big Mouth and Ugly Girl
Oppel, Kenneth Airborn A terrific read! Really good galloping adventure tale, set in an alternate history, perhaps 150 years ago, when airships (zeppelins) are the primary form of air transportation. Great characters too, male and female, youth and adult. Just named a Michael Printz Honor book. For good readers in 6th-10th grade who like adventure and mystery. Jacket copy includes: "In a swashbuckling adventure reminiscent of Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson, Kenneth Oppel, author of the best-selling Silverwing trilogy, creates an imagined world in which the air is populated by transcontinental voyagers, pirates, and beings never before dreamed of by the humans who sail the skies.” 1/05
Oppel, Kenneth Skybreaker Excellent swashbuckling. Ghost ship in the sky. Pirates. Icy corpses. Giant electrifying air jellyfish. Derring-do.
Paolini, Christopher Eragon Quite readable, hideously trite in parts, but also has some really creative ideas (I like how he describes magic as draining through the body and once you start a piece of magic it has to pass through you until it’s done).
Pattou, Edith East Lovely strange lyrical imaginative retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Paulsen, Gary Hatchet
Paulsen, Gary Brian’s Winter
Paulsen, Gary The River
Peck, Richard Here Lies the Librarian Peewee idolizes Jake and wants to be an auto mechanic just like him. But they’re dirt-poor and in 1914 paved roads haven’t made it to their little Indiana town yet. Their luck turns when some strong-minded Indianapolis library school students adopt their town’s tiny library and befriend them.
The River Between Us “During the early days of the Civil War, the Pruitt family takes in two mysterious young ladies who have fled New Orleans to come north to Illinois.” Good. Young soldiers and rural living and octoroons from N.O. and a small town’s tiny piece of the view of a great big messy war.
Perkins, Lynne Rae Criss Cross Excellent. 1960s. Small town. Various POV. Young teens figuring out themselves and wishing for love.
Peteres, Julie Anne Keeping You a Secret Annoying, limply written cliché novel about the senior class president who is bored with her boyfriend and then falls hard for a girl and discovers she is gay- gasp! But actually she’s okay with it, it’s her mom who freaks and kicks her out brutally so by the end she’s living in transitional housing with her oh-so-loyal girlf. Left me utterly sick of the phrase “she curled a lip.”
Portman, Frank King Dork The Catcher Cult, hilarious imaginary bands, the powers of mispronunciation, dead-on descriptions of the hell that is high school. Tom (main character, king dork himself) derides Catcher in the Rye while actually following in its narrative tradition. Clever.
Powell, Randy Three Clams and an Oyster During their humorous search to find a fourth player for their flag football team, three high school juniors are forced to examine their long friendship, their individual flaws, and their inability to try new experiences.
Pratchett, Terry The Wee Free Men
Reeve, Philip The Hungry City Chronicles: #1 Mortal Engines, #2 Predator's Gold
Reeve, Philip The Hungry City Chronicles: #3 Infernal Devices
Rosoff How I Live Now Amazing story of teens caught up in war. It sounds like this: “Then she showed me a bunch of sheep with long tangly coats and some chickens that lay blue eggs and she found one in the straw that was still warm and gave it to me and even though I didn’t know what to do with an egg straight from a chicken’s bottom I thought it was a nice thing to do.” (p13)
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Number 5. I liked it better than Goblet of Fire- Harry is more adolescently unreasonable and grumpy, and Things are Revealed.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Fabulous! She’s back in stride! Much better than the last two!
Ryan, Sara The Rules for Hearts
Rylant, Cynthia God Went to BeautySchool Lovely, startling, not-actually-irreverent poems about a very personified God. (God Made Spaghetti. God Took a Bath.)
Sanchez, Alex Rainbow Boys (2001. 233 p.)
Three high school seniors, a jock with a girlfriend and an alcoholic father, a closeted gay, and a flamboyant gay rights advocate, struggle with family issues, gay bashers, first sex, and conflicting feelings about each other.
Rainbow Road A weaker entry in the Rainbow series. Skimmed it.
So Hard to Say Very nice early coming out novel about an 8th-grade boy. Nice to have something for the younger set. A little tentative kissing happens, among various characters of various genders, but mostly it’s about friendships and feelings and figuring your young self out.
Scieszka, ed. Guys Write for Guys Read
Sheldon, Dyan Planet JanetJanet’s diary, recounting how everyone and everything irritates her, and inadvertently (on her part, not on the author’s) revealing what a selfish, obtuse twit she is. Reasonably enjoyable nonetheless. Very British in flavor. For mid-teens—14 and 15 maybe—or those who won’t be shocked by frequent references to sex and sometimes drugs (she and her pal try hash once, and an acquaintance has sex with a stranger while drunk, but the core group is basically clean). Oh, and her aunt’s a feminist vegan lesbian. And her Nan is a conservo Christian.
Sheldon, Dyan My Perfect Life –sequel to Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. Not as good.
Sheth, Kashmira Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet Jeeta, 16, lives with family in Mumbai, India. Mom values tradition and is busy marrying off her 2 oldest daughters via arranged marriage. Jeeta and her friend Sarina are more modern in their views, and J tries to sort out respect for family and being true to herself, while watching her sisters’ disparate fortunes in marriage.
Shreve, Susan Blister (2001, 153 p.)
When her baby sister is stillborn, ten-year-old Alyssa’s family falls apart. She changes her name to "Blister,” changes schools, moves to an apartment with her depressed mother while her father gets his own place, and tries to believe her grandmother, who tells her she is "elastic" and can handle it all.
Slade, Arthur. Dust “11-year-old Robert is the only one who can help when a mysterious stranger arrives, performing tricks and promising to bring rain, at the same time children begin to disappear from a dust bowl farm town in Saskatchewan in the 1930s.” Started out eerie and spare but then got a little confusing and rushed. Decent.
Soto, Gary Accidental Love Boring – only read half.
Spinelli, Jerry StargirlHigh school iconoclast and the town that isn’t ready for her happiness and highjinks.
Stroud, Jonathan Ptolemy’s Gate Bartimaeus #3. Good. Surprising ending.
Tashjian, Janet. The Gospel According to Larry
Thompson, Kate The New Policeman “Irish teenager JJ Liddy discovers that time is leaking from his world into Tir na nOg, the land of the fairies, and when he attempts to stop the leak he finds out a lot about his family history, the music that he loves, and a crime his great-grandfather may or may not have committed.”
Tolan, Stephanie S. Surviving the Applewhites “Jake, a budding juvenile delinquent, is sent for home schooling to the arty and eccentric Applewhite family's CreativeAcademy, where he discovers talents and interests he never knew he had.” Cute painting of an eccentric family- a la Hilary McKay but not quite as engaging. Plot tension minimal.
Townley, Roderick The Great Good Thing “Twelve-year-old Princess Sylvie's storybook kingdom really is a storybook, where nothing ever changes, even the character's mad scramble to reach their places whenever the book is opened, until Sylvie discovers she can enter new worlds with the Reader, and find new adventures.” And her original reader grows up and dies, and she has to enter the mind of her granddaughter to survive. Pretty freaky.
Trueman, Terry Cruise Control “Companion” to Stuck in Neutral. Very good. Paul, super-accomplished brother of Shawn (impenetrably disabled boy), has a LOT of anger to deal with, sort of b/c he feels like he can never leave home to pursue college and scholarships b/c he has to stay and take care of family. Sort of Chris Crutcher/Rich Wallace like.
Vande Velde, Vivian Heir Apparent “While playing a total immersion virtual reality game of kings and intrigue, fourteen-year-old Giannine learns that demonstrators have damaged the equipment to which she is connected, and she must win the game quickly or be damaged herself.”
Waite, Judy Forbidden Elinor is lucky, so lucky. That’s what she and other members of the cult True Cause repeat to themselves over and over as they live in sheds at the foot of their Master Howard’s mansion. Elinor is slated to become a Bride of Howard, but faint memories of another life tug at her, and then there’s that boy she saw in town…
Wallace, Rich Losing is Not an Option More Sturbridge tales. Short stories following the life of Ron, a cross-country runner and general guy. Okay, but not great.
Westerfeld, Scott Uglies SF tale in which future generations have decided people will treat one another fairly only if everyone looks the same, within genetically defined parameters of what we all think is “pretty” (young and healthy looking). Everyone has an operation at 16 to go from “ugly” (normal adolescent) to “pretty.” Spunky heroine is Tally who (like everyone) can’t wait to be a pretty, even after she meets Shay who knows of rumors of an “ugly” resistance out in the hills… (the Smoke, because they have to burn trees for fuel, which seems shocking). Lots of hoverboarding (a descendant of skateboarding).
Westerfeld, Scott Pretties 2nd in SF series. Tally agrees to have the surgery to turn pretty so as to be the guinea pig for the new cure (turns out turning “pretty” also means having your brain altered toward compliance). But now she’s a pretty and doesn’t remember much about her old life… More desperate adventure.
Westerfeld, Scott Specials 3rd in SF series. Tally’s been captured and turned into a “Special Circumstances” operative—basically a surgically enhanced psychotic killing machine. Boyfriend Zane now looks week and pitiful to her. She and Shay (also now a special) have an assignment: track down the Smokies (the wild-living resistance) and bring them in for bubblehead (pretty) surgery. But what if the Smokies now have their own city? Cities don’t mess with each other…do they? And surgically changed people can’t rewire their own brains… can they? Very good, and rather raw.
Westerfeld, Scott Peeps Very booktalkable vampire story positing that vampirism is caused by a parasite (those afflicted are “parasite positive” or “peeps”). Narrator Cal, 19, was infected but turned out to be the 1 in 100 who is a carrier, developing plenty of hyped senses and abilities but not afflicted with cannibalism, antipathy to things he previously loved (“anathema” - for example, to the sun) or insanity. On the other hand, he can’t kiss anyone ever again, because the parasite is easily transmitted by saliva – and the parasite, wanting to be spread, causes him to REALLY WANT to kiss someone… Short, even-numbered chapters discuss plenty of other disgusting (real) parasites and tie them in with the story. Particularly booktalkable is Ch. 22, “Snakes on a Stick,” p.276.
Wilce, Ysabeau Flora Segunda : being the magickal mishaps of a girl of spirit, her glass-gazing sidekick, two ominous butlers (one blue), a house with eleven thousand rooms, and a red dog Excellent!
Wittlinger, Ellen Zigzag Roadtrip coming-of-age helping-cousins-grieve novel. Perfectly nice but unremarkable.
Wittlinger, Ellen. Razzle
Wolff, Virginia Euwer True Believer (2001, 264 p.)
**Sequel to Make Lemonade.
Living in the inner city amidst guns and poverty, fifteen-year-old LaVaughn learns from old and new friends, and inspiring mentors, that life is what you make it--an occasion to rise to.
Wrede, Patricia C. and Caroline Stevermer. Sorcery and Cecelia or the enchanted chocolate pot : being the correspondenceof two young ladies of quality regarding various magical scandals in London and the country (Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer) Delightful fluff a la Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen: droll, quick-witted, early feminist heroines (cousins) correspond through letters about their battles with pushy aunts and nasty wizards.
Yolen, Jane Pay the Piper: a rock’n’roll fairy tale Cardboard-ish retelling of Pied Piper as an exiled Faerie prince. (Authored with her son Adam Stemple)
Zarr, Sara Story of a Girl “I was 13 when my dad caught me with Tommy Webber in the back of Tommy’s Buick… Tommy was 17… I’m not even sure I liked him.” Deanna’s dad has barely spoken to her in the 3 years since and she’s stuck with the role of “school slut” because Tommy told everyone. Her brother got his girlfriend knocked up, and her dad’s been out of work since he was laid off. Can this dysfunctional family get over its past? Very good story of the complex emotions, sexuality and social dynamics of middle & high school.
Zusak, Markus I Am the Messenger Terrific!! Strange and inventive use of language. Slightly forced ending. After acting bravely during a bank holdup, Ed Kennedy begins receiving cryptic instructions to deliver “messages” to strangers in ways (not always easy or pleasant for Ed) that improve their lives.
Zusak, Marcus The Book Thief Amazing storytelling and writing style but I couldn’t finish it because I got too stressed out about all the terrible things that happen in the small German town as Liesel’s foster family hides a starving Jew in the basement. Wonderfully narrated by Death. I stopped on p. 336.
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