Books for Boys

Well, technically, this post should be "books for guys!" I've come across many great books for teen guys recently, that I'd love to share! (P.S. - I'm almost at my 100 books for the year - 6 more to go! See J. Kaye's Book Challenge - link on the left).

First up, and one of my favorites of the year, is The Vast Fields of Ordinary, by Nick Burd. This is the story of a gay teen in Midwest Iowa who is struggling with telling his family he is gay, standing up to bullies, and being true to himself. Sounds like any other teen book, but honestly, it's just beautifully written and must read for any YA librarian. The words are just so carefully chosen - each line is to be savored. The characters are well-written and the only mar is the very end, where he appears to have written the book you're holding in your hands (a little trite/overdone).



I just finished this book the other day. A great graphic novel, honored by YALSA and Library Journal, Life Sucks is funny, poignant, and best of all, doesn't end "happily ever after" (but the ending isn't too sucky, which is nice).












This was the perfect book to read at this time of year (Christmas season). I haven't read these authors previous endeavors (shame on me!), which include Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. While the story started out great, and was good enough that I couldn't put it down, I was slightly disappointed in Lily's character and thought that Dash made a big change - maybe too big for his character. I really wished that Lily had been more offbeat and less innocent, like it appeared she was in the notebook's first entries. Still, a fun, nice, easy read for the holidays!







I just finished this book yesterday. Crazy by Han Nolan (a woman) beautifully captures the mind of a teen boy, whose biggest fears are losing his "crazy" father, and becoming crazy himself. He battles voices in his head (characters that he has made up and really has pretty good control over) and the idea of making friends (and thus letting them in to his abnormal, perhaps embarrassing life). I thought the author did a good job of not only portraying a teen boy's emotions and thoughts, but especially of how someone deals with death and mental illness. Excellent book, overall.







This was one of the few non-fiction books I read this year. The Duel: The parallel lives of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr by Judith St. George is a fast read that nicely summarizes while also revealing interesting details. It was fascinating to see how the two lives intertwined and I refreshed my history along the way (smile).

Well, that's it for now - I'll be back in January for my summation of 2010 (my favorite picks) and my goals for the new year! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Hope you get some books in your stocking!

Redemption

I was excited by the prospect of The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin, even after a few recent duds, mostly because of its promising cover. I was determined to find a novel of hers that I felt was worth reading. This book almost met the challenge. The basic premise is that a teen is acquitted of killing his girlfriend and goes to live with his aunt and uncle, who lost one of their daughters not too long ago in a suicide. However, as he comes to terms with his past, he learns that his other cousin may understand him more than he realizes. It is a haunting ghost story, in part, and a little thrilling. The mystery, as usual, is not too difficult to uncover, which seems to be Werlin's standard fare. However, I did enjoy the open-ended conclusion and bits of the mystery left unresolved.

Meanwhile, I was eager to read Impossible, also by Werlin, which has won scads of awards, which is a realistic fiction interwoven with fantasy. I was FINALLY truly impressed! Basically, a teen finds out that the women in her family are cursed by a fairy king, to become pregnant at seventeen, and go insane directly after their child's birth. However, the protagonist (Lucy) believes she can break the curse by attempting the three impossible tasks. Although parts were a little rushed, the ending was beautiful and well-deserved. As for the covers, I thought that for once, the hardback version kicked the paperback's butt (see here, left; paperback below).

In the meantime, these are several other decent, excellent, and so-so books I've plowed my way through.

The Firefly Letters, by Margarita Engle is a beautiful verse book about women's rights and slavery in Cuba.

Half World by Hiromi Goto is an otherworldly (pun intended) story of life, death, and a creepy man called Mr. Glueskin. Very original and wonderful ending.

Bruiser, by Neal Shusterman is an incredible blend of realistic fiction and fantasy; a story of bullying, victims, and love. Told in two voices.

Stick Figure: A Diary of My Former Self, by Lori Gottlieb is a moving account of anorexia in a young teen. This autobiography may not be the newest thing on the shelf, but the feelings, the attitudes, and the desire to be, "the thinnest," are hauntingly present-day.

The Enemy by Charlie Higson is a dystopian, sci-fi novel about zombies. Yep, zombies. And I loved it. I'm not a sci-fi fanatic, I'm not a zombie person at all, but I loved this book. Great to recommend to your guy readers!

Diary of a Witness, by Catherine Ryan Hyde is a heart-breakingly realistic tale of teen boys who, after being teased one too many times, decide to tackle their bullies in a violent way. The ending is fitting and I appreciated that it wasn't too depressing.

The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade is one of my favorite books of the year. I just loved the main character - how brave, and modest, and strong of heart and mind he was. The steampunk setting was fabulous, too! A little gore, a little adventure, a tiny bit of romance. The opening scene was so horrific, I almost put the book down, but I'm glad I didn't!

The Miles Between, by Mary E. Pearson was another one that I wasn't sure I would like at first. The opening scene seemed so contrived and easy, but as the story unraveled, it was a truly original concept. I loved the mix of fantasy and reality and the ending was very surprising (and sad!).

The Maze Runner, by James Dashner was another fabulous book that took a little time to get going. I was fairly annoyed at Thomas's repeated, "what is this place?" line of questioning and the 'trying to be mysterious' lack of answers. But the concept as a whole was again, very original and thrilling! Loved the ending (although there will be a sequel, this was still satisfying enough).

Num8ers, by Rachel Ward was one of the best books I've read all year so far. I was blown away by the concept of being able to see people's "dates of expiration" and I loved the main character's fortitude. Her hesitation to make connections was worth the possible loss when she met Spider, and what an amazing couple they made!

One Piece: Romance Dawn by Eiichiro Oda is the first in a popular manga series. It would be the last thing I'd normally pick up, but I'm doing my best to expand my horizons. This was actually very cute. A fun series for younger teens, about a boy who dreams of being "king of the pirates" but accidentally eats the fruit of the "Gum Gum tree" and becomes made of rubber but loses the ability to ever swim again (he'll drown/sink). Still, he goes on to conquer his dream with plucky determination. Readers will enjoy how things just keep managing to go his way.

Last but not least, Crimson Hero, volume 1, by Mitsuba Takanashi is another original manga series. This time, it's about a girl who loves volleyball more than anything else, but her mother is determined to have her follow in her footsteps as the hostess of a tea place (not sure of the proper terminology). I've read worse plots, but I really had a hard time keeping the characters straight with the black and white illustrations. Many of the guys looked similar and even some of them looked like girls! Otherwise, a decent book.

I'm Back!

After 3 months of maternity leave and 1 month back on the job, I finally can sit back, breathe, and think about posting again! Also, I have a little time to read now. You'd be surprised how much you can get read during a midnight nursing. It's great for keeping you awake, too, so you don't fall asleep with baby!

Over the summer, I read a few "older" YA novels that had been on my To Read list for a while. Among them, Double Helix, by Nancy Werlin, Define Normal, by Julie Anne Peters, Flipped, by Wendelin Van Draanan, and King Dork, by Frank Portman.

I was slightly disappointed by most of these, in particular Double Helix. This was given to me by a good friend of mine, and fellow young adult lit reader. It was not much of a difficult mystery and resolved much too quickly and easily. I guess it's a great short read for reluctant readers, but otherwise I wasn't impressed, which is unfortunate because I know what a great author Werlin is purported to be. In fact, I met her at a YA Lit conference a year or two ago, and everyone was very enthusiastic about her work. I look forward to reading Impossible and Rules of Survival, two more of her highly recommended and recent novels.

Otherwise, King Dork was the only one I would call a great read. A riff on Catcher in the Rye, which I hated, it poked fun at The Catcher throughout, while simultaneously being a similar story of teen angst with a rather random plot. This is not a book to skim, quick-read, or bring to the beach. Every line is meant to savor and laugh at. Hidden sarcasm, great characters (Little Big Tom - "Rock on!") and a satisfying while inconclusive ending made this something I would actually read again (had I the time!) just to catch more of the author's great lines. The band names and song titles at the end, along with the glossary of terms, really cracked me up.

Now I'm in the process of reading many excellent titles for our Cafe Book program, where public librarians like myself visit middle schools for book discussion groups. I've actually read several "guy books" with lots of blood, gore, and death, and not minded! Here are some that I think you might like (not all are guy books specifically, but could appeal to all types):

Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins is a must read but of course you have to start the trilogy with The Hunger Games and then continue on to Catching Fire before you pick up this amazing conclusion.

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher is an incredible fantasy that I couldn't put down. The worlds are intricate and she is consistent with the details, the way fantasy writers need to be.

Girl in the Arena, by Lise Haines is a great action book with a girl protagonist. Brought up in an era eerily present-day, 18 year-old Lyn is the daughter of seven Gladiators. A celebrity lifestyle and media frenzy are things she has learned to live with, as Gladiator fighting (to the death) is a popular sport. Although Lyn has become a skilled fighter (unusual for a girl, as they typically become Glad wives) she has no desire to continue in her mother's footsteps, remarrying after each husband's death, but chooses pacifism instead.

I'm looking forward to some more new YA titles on my To Read list, including The Killer's Cousin, by Werlin, because everyone deserves a second chance.

New Year, New Outlook

While 2009 was the year of reading as much as I could (155 titles, including some adult and audiobooks, but mostly print YA), I think that 2010 will be the year of reading the best books I can, and of a wider variety. I completed three of J. Kaye's Book Blog challenges last year, but this year it'll be just one. While I read more graphic novels and fantasy in 2009 (I usually tend towards realistic fiction) I still shied away from "boy" books - adventure, action, gore - the stereotypical boy stuff anyway. Even the graphic novels, manga, and comics I read were girl-based. I also tended to read more high school based stuff, perhaps because so much of the YA lit is geared towards older readers (gritty and/or content that might not fly with 7th and 8th graders that I mostly work with). That said, here's what I've read already in the first week of the year!

As you can see from the above picture (Blogger isn't cooperating with me at the moment to cut and paste the image here), Wondrous Strange, by Leslie Livingston is my first read of the year. It's a great YA fantasy that I just couldn't put down, despite the exhaustion of pregnancy. It's really pretty strong fantasy, based on the faerie kingdom of Shakespeare's plays, including Auberon, Puck, and other fairy royalty. I loved it because while it had a strong girl protagonist, it also shared viewpoint with a strong male, which I think my guy readers will be able to relate to. At any rate, there was plenty of action, a little romance, and a great story line (Kelley, the girl, is stolen from the faerie world and hidden from her true life - as a faerie princess, while the main boy, Sonny, is a boy stolen and made half-faerie). The ending isn't too neatly tied up, but you can finish without expecting or needing a sequel (by pet peeve recently). Great book. Three and a half out of four stars ***1/2.

Completed All Challenges . . . and Then Some!

It's hard to believe that the year is coming to a close already. 2010 is around the corner. Wow! In that time, this challenge has been a great incentive to read, read, read, as much as I can. Of course, being sick and then in my first trimester of pregnancy (yahoo!) has given me lots of time to lay around and read...because that's all I really can do and it helps take my mind off of how crappy I feel. Anyhoo, I've read 50 books since the last post, bringing me to 135 books (including audio, manga, graphic novels, YA and Adult titles, but not children's) and there is no way I can blog about them all now - so sorry! But I'll at least list them and maybe chat about some recent favs... Here goes!

When I last left you, the YA book, The Cabinet of Wonders, by Marie Rutkowski was on my nightstand, waiting to be read. Well, it was a thoroughly pleasurable read. In fact, I couldn't put it down! I great mix of fantasy, historical fiction, action, and adventure. In fact, this made it onto our school outreach book club list! It could definitely be read by tweens, too. The main character, Petra, is a wonderfully strong girl and it leaves you itching for a sequel. The best characters are certainly the tin animals, though, like Astrophil, the spider. What imaginative creations! I can't recall my rating system, but let's give it 5 stars out of 5. *****
Another star book this year was, Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater. A little bit, Blood and Chocolate, but not so graphic, lustful or adult, and a little bit Twilight, but more thoughtfully written, this werewolf book will have you crying by the end. Well, it had me crying at any rate. The descriptions are beautiful - they actually have you shivering with the cold. The exciting news is that Ms. Stiefvater is coming to our library to talk with our writer and readers club in December! Also, we've gotten news that the entire Wolves of Mercy Falls series has been bought for film rights!
Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia is another YA book that had me thinking this year. Although the ending was a little rushed, strange, and dangling, I loved the way that she showed the different viewpoints of the girls involved in this story about race, gangs, girls and bullies. Williams-Garcia does an excellent job creating her three main characters through first person narrative, and you get perspective and personality with a punch. A quick book and definitely a good pick for reluctant readers.
Mare's War, by Tanita S. Davis, was not at all what I expected. A great story about two teen sisters, who rarely get along, and their grandmother, Mare, an eccentric, fun-loving and anti-stereotypical 80 year-old. The girls' parents force them to spend weeks during one summer, traveling with Mare on a cross-country road trip for a family reunion. Along the way, they learn about Mare's past as a member of the Women's Army Corp during World War II, and about her struggles with overcoming poverty and race boundaries. But don't be scared - this is hardly didactic and the chapters alternate between the girls' points of views and Mare's. Mare is a wonderful character and the teens learn to appreciate all that she went through and why she acts and thinks the way she does.
Last, I loved this "oldie but goodie": Annie on My Mind, by Nancy Garden. It is a story of first loves and strong, enduring love, and yes, it is about two teen girls. Nancy herself didn't come out until much later in life, but she states how important this book was for GLTBQ literature. So much of the older stuff, she says, had depressing endings, with the main characters dying or even "becoming straight." She wanted a dignified story with a positive ending and a message about the "love" side of gay relationships that often gets lost or less attention. First published in 1982, the new edition that I read contained a great interview with Ms. Garden that explained her thought process behind the story and about the times. The book itself isn't too dated to be relevant today, and demonstrates just how far the GLTBQ community has come in the way of rights, respect and recognition.

So, that about wraps up this blog post. I hope to have my entire list of books on here before the end of the year and by then, I'll be ready for another 100+ books in 2010! :)
(Here's what I've read since August - ratings out of 4 stars max):

1. The Cabinet of Wonders, by Marie Rutkoski (CB – fantasy in historical setting – great!!) ***
2. The Possibilities of Sainthood, by Donna Freitas (CB – good!) ***
3. The Books of Umber: Happenstance Found, by P.W. Catanese (CB - fantasy/sci-fi-ish; great!!) ***
4. Scat, by Carl Hiassen (CB - not so great) **1/2
5. Anything But Typical, by Baskin (CB – good!) ***
6. The Rock and the River, by Kekla Magoon (CB – good!) ***
7. The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer (audio) **** excellent!!
8. Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia, by Marya Hornbacher (wow!****)Adult-non-fiction
9. Miki Falls – Book 1- Spring, by Mark Crilley (manga) **1/2. Not bad; kind of shallow.
10. Word Nerd, by Susin Nielsen (CB ’09) – awesome! ****
11. Dramarama, by E. Lockhart (Books 4the Beast) **** - very good!
12. Science Fair, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (CB ’09) - *1/2 – blah, story itself a bit funny
13. Miki Falls – Book 2 – Summer, by Mark Crilley (manga) **1/2; not bad, same as first one; reminds me of Twilight – forbidden love!
14. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, by Jeff Kinney (#3 in series) ***1/2. Still very funny!! J
15. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation: Volume 1: The Pox Party, by M.T. Anderson (audio) **** - excellent! For older readers/listeners; very mature – wow – historical fiction
16. Good as Lily, by Derek Kirk Kim and Jesse Hamm (graphic novel) ***
17. Miki Falls 3 – Autumn, by Mark Crilley (graphic novel/manga) **1/2
18. Eon: Dragoneye Reborn, by Alison Goodman (CB - **** - awesome!)
19. Alabama Moon, by Watt Key (*** -decent; kind of stretched out….)
20. Dope Sick, by Walter Dean Myers (for CSK mock awards; decent ***?)
21. Skim, by Tamaki and Tamaki (graphic novel; Books 4 the Beast; great! ****)
22. Coretta Scott, by Ntozake Shange and Kadir Nelson (ill). (CSK mock – not good enough for author award; maybe for illustrator?)
23. The Luxe, by Anna Godbersen (Books 4 the Beast **** - awesome!)
24. Burnout, by Rebecca Donner and Inaki Miranda (graphic novel-OK-**1/2)
25. Elijah of Buxton, by Christopher Paul Curtis (***good! Historical fic)
26. Miki Falls – Winter, by Mark Crilley (not a bad series! Graphic novel; **1/2)
27. Token, by Alisa Kwitney and Joelle Jones (graphic novel) *** - good!
28. Jumped, by Rita Williams-Garcia (CSK mock awards) ****- very good!
29. Would You (audio) by Marthe Jocelyn (****very good! Sad/death)
30. Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey, by Margaret Peterson Haddix (**** - great!)
31. Peace, Locomotion, by Jacqueline Woodson (for CSK mock awards – not bad! ***)
32. Sophomore Switch, by Abby McDonald (aspired to be more, but some of it just silly - **1/2)
33. The Way We Roll, by Stephanie Perry Moore (CSK mock awards; terrible *, not realistic actions/overreations/exaggerations/quick conclusions and changes)
34. Seedfolks, by Paul Fleischman (***1/2 – great!)
35. Twilight Prisoner, by Katherine Marsh (sequel to Night Tourist – not bad but not as good; ***)
36. Sorcerers and Secretaries volume 1 (graphic novel) – (OK! **1/2)
37. Sorcerers and Secretaries volume 2 (graphic novel)- OK **1/2
38. Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater (**** - amazing! I cried!)
39. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Stevenson (audio – excellent! Husband enjoyed this one w/me! ***1/2)
40. The Wednesday Wars, by Gary Schmidt (audio – excellent! Very funny and easy to listen to ****; ending a little too perfect)
41. Hot, Flat, and Crowded, by Thomas Friedman (wow! Very, very good; **** - global warming; pg 118 to mark when I give this to others!)
42. Just Another Hero, by Sharon Draper (**1/2 – OK – some unrealistic dialogue/ teachers)
    
43. Life in the Fat Lane, by Cherie Bennett (***- decent; mom a little too stereotyped; liked that the ending wasn’t all pat; makes you think!)
44. Down Sand Mountain, by (our own local Steve Watkins!) (***-good, took me a little while to read it, but not the book’s fault)
45. Shooting Star, by Fredrick McKissack, Jr. (***1/2 – great book!-CSK mock awards)
46. In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan (audio) - very good – not completely veg-friendly ***
47. Mare’s War, by Tanita s. Davis (***1/2 – excellent) CSK mock awards
48. Annie on My Mind, by Nancy Garden (****-excellent – older book but still important and very well written)
49. The Girls (audio) , by Amy Goldman Koss*** - decent – short and well-written; diff viewpoints
50. Black Angels, by Linda Beatrice Brown (for CSK mock awards - ** - only OK – jumped around a lot between viewpoints w/out warning, even within a paragraph; ending a little too dragged out/sappy)
    

Three Great Titles

I was thrilled to read not just one, but three great YA books on a recent vacation. I really don't read much on vacations, except in the car, a talent that I'm coming to realize is quite useful. Not only does it whittle away the many long and often boring hours, but it gives me huge stretches of time in which I can finish entire books. Being able to be absorbed into a story without being distracted by traffic, music, and even my husband talking (which can go awry when he's asking for directions or needs change for the tolls), is a beautiful gift, especially when I know so many people who get carsick or headaches when they try to read in this environment.

At any rate, I had time to finish three entire books (OK, I had already read more than half of Heroes of the Valley, which is pretty long), all of which I will be voting "yes" for during our Cafe Book selection (Cafe Book is a popular public to school library connection program, where we read and discuss YA books during middle school lunch time). The Chosen One, by Carol Lynch Williams (pictured above), is a beautiful but disturbing story of family and survival. Thirteen year-old Kyra lives on the Compound, a religious community whose leader dictates the word of god, including polygamy. Kyra finds out that she must marry not only a 60 year-old man with 6 wives already, but the man who is also her uncle. Instead of making this disgusting all over, Williams portrays the love and unity that Kyra finds in this community, showing how hard it is for people, especially children her age, to break free when things go terribly wrong, as it soon does for Kyra. Four stars ****. This wasn't too graphic, dealt with the religious aspect carefully and honestly, and touched on women's rights as well.

The Tomorrow Code, by Brian Falkner, was another four star **** hit for me. This sci-fi YA novel deals with time travel (in a way), humankind's relationship with the earth, love, family, animal rights, the past and the future in one mesmerizing story. The science part of the book isn't too complicated to understand, and is explained fairly well - it's believable. The ending was perfect - not too tidy, not too tragic and leaves the reader with hope. It had me racing through the pages, a nail-biting end. The only fault I could find with it was the beginning, where they are so easily let into the facility on the island, and the ending, where the main characters seemed to let go of their families a little too easily. Otherwise, loved it! There will be lots of topics for discussion with this book.

Last, and certainly not least, Heroes of the Valley, by Jonathan Stroud also left me happily satisfied. It is the story of legendary heroes who created a valley of families, who beat back the Trows (vicious creatures) and then vowed to live without fighting and battles. Yet they are stuck behind their stone walls, not leaving the valley for fear of the Trows beyond the walls. Halli, our young star, is born short and stubby and certainly not attractive. He grows up on the stories of the heroes and thinks the farming life in the valley is boring and restrictive. This four star **** fantasy was a little slow in starting, but once Halli started taking action instead of being sneaky and playing tricks, it flew by. I loved the way that Halli's character developed, especially as he realized the faults of the legends, and the limitations of his own dreams. A strong girl character, Aud, helps draw in female readers. The ending was superb - surprising but satisfying. Great high fantasy - may not appeal to non-fantasy readers, though.

21 more to go and Audiobook Challenge Complete!

It's hard to believe that I haven't blogged since January - ugh! My regular blogs are so much easier to keep up with...anyway, I have a good excuse...I've been reading!! :) Graceling is one of my favorites of the year and I just discovered this YouTube book trailer the other day. It's pretty good!

Meanwhile, I'm excited to announce that I've almost finished the 12 Audiobooks Challenge! I just finished Frances Mayes's Bella Tuscany the other day, number 10 for me. With my very short commute, it typically takes me a month or so to get through a book. Since I read and loved, Under the Tuscan Sun, and I was in the mood to for some armchair travel (I don't get much vacation time since I left teaching), this seemed like just the thing. However, the moment I put the first tape in, I groaned aloud. The lilting southern voice of the author rang out...and continued to read the entire book. There is nothing more jarring than hearing a southern accent read about life in Italy. It just didn't sound right! Her Italian is actually very good and her accent of that language didn't make me cringe a bit. After one or two tapes, though, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn't notice her accent as much and was drawn into the story. Although there is a lot of repetition when compared to Tuscan Sun, I still couldn't get enough of the descriptions of the people, the land, the food (I tuned out the rabbit's head and goose stew descriptions - blech!), and even the home rennovations. The only problem I had after that was when she commented on a, "retarded man dancing with his mother." That was pretty offensive. Who uses that term anymore? Three stars out of four ***. Here are some of the other titles I've been reading furiously:
Looks, by Madeline George (four stars! like poetry and playwriting together)

Forever Changes, by Brendan Halpin (four stars - amazing! I had tears rolling down my face)

What I Saw and How I Lied, by Judy Blundell (three stars - very good!)

Airborn, by Kenneth Oppel (this was one of the audiobooks - the full cast was great!)

Antsy Does Time by Neal Shusterman (hilarious! four stars - really creative characters)

Rapunzel's Revenge, by Shannon and Dean Hale (two and a half stars out of four - just not impressive, although I think it's been rated higher by YALSA)

The Other Side of the Island, by Allegra Goodman (three stars - decent! reminded me of the Mysterious Benedict Society)

Princess Ben, by Catherine Murdock (the actual title is longer; two and a half stars; good premise but some parts were blah)

What I Talk ABout When I Talk AboutRunning, by Haruki Murakami (audiobook - not as good as I thought it would be; three stars ***)

A Child Called It, by David Pelzer (disturbing! not the best written book but a compelling topic - child abuse - and the most severe I've ever heard, except for The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls, which is way worse and much better written)

Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson (four stars - amazing! great, different take on slavery during the American Revolution - juxtaposing her desire to be free with the American colonists' fight for freedom...oh yeah, except slaves...)

Bog Child, by Siobbhan Dowd (just learned the author died this year(?); four stars - wow!; - teen readers will have to have knowledge of the IRA and Ireland vs England)

Beanball, by Gene Fehler (two stars; (written in free verse – many viewpoints – very short – not very deep/ a little predictable)

Artichoke's Heart, by Suzanne Supplee (three stars; good look at overweight/obesity and teens dealing w/this – great character but a little too easily solved)

The Leanin' Dog, by K.A. Nuzum (Wow! four stars; Beautiful and powerful; a bit quiet and more for younger teen readers)

How to Build a House, by Dana Reinhardt (four stars - great tale of maturity- definitely for older readers)

The Dead and the Gone, by Mary Beth Pfieffer (not that great- not enough action and characters didn’t seem too upset by all that was transpiring – reactions of the rest of the world not realistic – blah *1/2 stars - heard that her first one (Life as We Knew It) was much better)

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (four stars - incredible! one of the best books I've read this year; unusual; great story of growing up; good for older children readers but also for all teens and even adults - can see why it won the Newbery!)

The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart (audiobook- I know this is a somewhat older title, but it was on my must-read list! loved the audiobook version - one reader did an awesome job of distinguishing the different characters; four stars!)

Puddlejumpers, by Mark Jean and Christopher C. Carlson (three stars; good in parts but rushed ending and faulty plot)

The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls (audiobook - see previous comments)

When the Black Girl Sings, by Bill Wright (**1/2 stars– not bad)

Janes in Love, by by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg (**1/2 – not bad – still stereotyped like its prequel, The Plain Janes, esp bad is the jock Jane and their gay guy friend)

Melting Stones, by Tamora Pierce (this is the first Pierce novel I've read - I think - three stars- not bad! still, found myself wanting to read the previous novel because it was referred to so much and the action sounded much better)

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins (four stars!! deserves the Printz! runaway hit of the year; original; like Survival for teens)

Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow (great sci-fi similar to post 9-11; good for high school four stars!)

Hattie Big Sky, by Kirby Larson (four stars - audiobook; great reader, great story!)

The Bone Magician, by F.E. Higgins (four stars...if you haven't read The Black Book of Secrets; this is a paraquel, not quite as good as Black Book, but still mysterious and creepy; Dickens-esque)

Ink Exchange, by Melissa Marr (****stars! great fairie fantasy; I hadn't read much faerie stuff before and really enjoyed this one; local author!)

Sovay,by Celia Rees (two stars; really disappointed in this one; I expected a really strong girl character and lots of great stage coach hold-ups, but this plot idea faded quickly and overall the plot went everywhere and no where; characters were hard to distinguish)

Me, the Missing and the Dead, by Jenny Valentine (three stars; great!)

Savvy, by Ingrid Law (orginal! three stars!)

Well, that's it for the moment. I've got lots more to post about. I'm on book number 80 right now (Heroes of the Valley) and looking forward to a small road trip to get more reading done. YA lit continues to amaze me!