A YA Lit Chick

Umbrella Summer

2011-05-02T10:23:00.002-05:00

Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff

After her brother Jared dies, ten-year-old Annie worries about the hidden dangers of everything, from bug bites to bicycle riding, until she is befriended by a new neighbor who is grieving her own loss.

My Thoughts - This is a touching story about how one girl struggles with recovering from the loss of her brother. The story made me cry. I would recommend this to anyone dealing with grief or anyone who just wants a story they will remember for quite awhile.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Pies and Prejudice

2011-01-06T12:29:00.004-06:00

Pies and Prejudice by Heather Vogel Frederick

With Emma and her family living in England, the Mother-Daughter Book Club continues by videoconferencing. While tackling "Pride and Prejudice" and coping with new romances, the three other daughters start a pie business with a goal of earning enough to bring Emma home for a visit. Put when the plan falls short, they wonder if they will ever be able to get together again.

My Thoughts - I love the Mother-Daughter Book Club series! Since I read the first book a couple of summers ago, I have eagerly awaited each one! I even had the pleasure of meeting the author at the Texas Book Festival two years ago! This installment didn't disappoint either! The girls are growing up, but they are still friends and still having fun together. This year includes world travel to England and Jane Austen country. After reading this installment of the Mother-Daughter Book Club, I want to visit Jane Austen country too!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

The Brillian Fall of Gianna Z.

2011-01-06T12:01:00.002-06:00

The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. by Kate Messner

Gianna has less than one week to complete her leaf project if she wants to compete in the upcoming cross-country sectionals, but issues like procrastination, disorganization--and her grandmother's declining health--seem destined to keep her from finishing.

My Thoughts - This is a story that has depth. Gianna is dealing with some hard issues, like her grandmother's failing mind, and some typical issues, like procrastinating on a big science project. There is humor and sadness and Gianna has to learn to deal with both as part of life. I liked that the story moves quickly. It would make a great read aloud for a class too!

* Summary taken from CIP data.

Only the Good Spy Young

2010-11-02T12:57:00.000-05:00

Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter

Cammie Morgan questions the loyalty of her classmates and friends after she learns that one of her most trusted allies is actually a double-agent, and now danger follows her everywhere.

My Thoughts - I loved this next book in the Gallagher Girls series! At the beginning of the book, I was a bit confused and had to stop and remember what had happened in the previous book. But I quickly got back on track and couldn't put this book down! I look forward to Ally Carter's next book!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Ashes

2010-05-13T11:44:00.001-05:00

Ashes by Kathryn Lasky

In 1932 Berlin, thirteen-year-old Gaby Schramm witnesses the beginning of Hitler's rise to power, as soldiers become ubiquitous, her beloved literature teacher starts wearing a jewelled swastika pin, and the family's dear friend, Albert Einstein, leave the country while Gaby's parents secretly bury his books and papers in their small yard.

My Thoughts - I tend to enjoy historical fiction set in this time period. I imagine that Gaby's feelings and reactions to what was happening around her were typical of young people at that time. I liked this story, especially the twist with Albert Einstein and another twist with Gaby's sister.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

City of Ashes

2010-04-30T11:53:00.000-05:00

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Sixteen-year-old Clary conintues trying to make sense of the swiftly changing events and relationships in her life as she becomes further involved with the Shadowhunters and their pursuit of demons and discovers some terrifying truths about her parents, her brother Jace, and her boyfriend Simon.

My Thoughs: This was a fast-paced page turner! I'm ready for City of Glass, the last book in The Mortal Instruments trilogy! I can't wait to find out what happens with Clary and Jace! I can't say more because I don't want to spoil any of the story for you.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Four Perfect Pebbles

2010-04-12T13:14:00.001-05:00

Four Perfect Pebbles: A Holocaust Story by Lila Perl and Marion Blumenthal Lazan

The author tells the story of her family's experience as Jews in Hitler's Germany, tracing their horrifying journey from their home country to Holland and back again, living in refugee, transit and prison camps, including Bergen-Belson.

My Thoughts - This is another powerful story narrated by a mother and daughter as they tell their story of survival.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

City of Bones

2010-04-12T13:06:00.001-05:00

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Suddenly able to see demons and the Shadowhunters who are dedicated to returning them to their own dimension, fifteen-year-old Clary Fray is drawn into this bizarre world when her mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a monster.

My Thoughts - Get ready for a fantastic ride through this story that twists and turns and leaves you hanging and running for the next book in the series!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Cold Hands, Warm Heart

2010-04-02T15:31:00.000-05:00

Cold Hands, Warm Heart

After sixteen-year-old Tyler convinces his parents to donate the organs of his fourteen-year-old sister, who died during a gymnastis meet, he writes letters to the recipients, including Dani, who finally has a chance at normalcy after living fifteen years wiht a congenital heart defect.

My Thoughts: An interesting story from two points of view: Tyler's and Dani's.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

In a Heartbeat

2010-04-01T08:01:00.000-05:00

In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth

Told in their separate voices, Eagan, who has died in a figure-skating accident, becomes a heart donor for Amelia, who then begins taking on some aspects of Eagan's personality.

My Thoughts: I stayed up late into the night to finish this captivating story! It makes me wonder if it is possible, which the author addressed in an end note saying that there are reports from patients that this can happen but nothing has been scientifically proven. I felt sad for Eagan and her mom. I felt happy for Amelia and the new opportunity for life that this brings to her.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Slob

2010-03-31T15:27:00.000-05:00

Slob by Ellen Potter

Picked on, overweight genius Owen tries to invent a television that can see the past to find out what happened the day his parents were killed.

My Thoughts: I liked this story that shows what middle school is really like from the point of view of the person who is bullied. It has lots of sadly funny situations that made me keep reading!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Swindle

2010-03-29T16:02:00.000-05:00

Swindle by Gordon Korman

After unscrupulous collector S. Wendell Palamino cons him out a valuable baseball card, sixth-grader Griffin Bing puts together a band of misfits to break into Palamino's heavily guarded store and steal the card back, planning to use the money to finance his father's failing invention, the SmartPick fruit picker.

My Thoughts: Wow! What a page turner! This story is full of fast paced adventure with all sorts of twists and turns! Great read!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Heist Society

2010-03-26T12:24:00.001-05:00

Heist Society by Ally Carter

Fifteen-year-old Kat schemes her way into the best boarding school, hoping to leave the thieving antics of her family behind her, but Hal, a former co-conspirator, appears on campus to tell Kat that a powerful mobster believes her father stole art from a priceless collection, and in order to save him, Kat will have to recover the paintings.

My Thoughts: I LOVED this book! It played like a movie in my head as I read it. The intrigue was great, it kept me reading straight through to the end! I was left with questions still unanswered, so I hope there is another book coming!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

The 6th Grade Nickname Game

2010-03-11T09:25:00.000-06:00

The 6th Grade Nickname Game by Gordon Korman

Eleven-year-old best friends Jeff and Wiley, who like to give nicknames to their classmates, try to find the right one for the new girl Cassandra, while adjusting to the football coach who has become their new teacher.

My Thoughts - Jeff and Wiley are great! They have fun finding nicknames but have trouble finding the right one for Cassandra because they like her so much. Their new teacher, the football coach, is hilarious! I would like to see him in real life!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Babymouse: Skater Girl

2010-03-10T16:30:00.000-06:00

Babymouse: Skater Girl by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm

Babymouse is sad because everyone has a special talent and she doesn't know what hers is, so she starts ice skating and is excited when an Olympic coach notices her skills.

My Thoughts - Babymouse learns that if you really want something, you have to work hard at it. And if working hard at it is hard for you, you have to decide if what you are working for is really worth it to you! Funny and pink as always!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Paisley Hanover Acts Out

2010-03-04T08:58:00.000-06:00

Paisley Hanover Acts Out by Cameron Tuttle

Paisley is beginning her sophmore year in high school and trying to work her way up the social food chain. But the first day of school puts her plan in jeopardy. Will she be a Pop or an UnPop? Paisley begins to see the downside of being popular and takes some anonymous jabs at the social food chain in The Fly, the school newspaper. This is a funny satirical look at cliques in high school!

My Thoughts: I liked to see Paisley struggle with what is right versus what is popular and try to make her way through. I thought it was a funny page turner! What story wouldn't be funny with a statue of a hornet in the school quad?

The Book Whisperer

2010-02-11T13:51:00.001-06:00

The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child by Donalyn Miller

Sixth grade teacher Donalyn Miller describes the instructional approach she uses to turn children into readers, based on a combination of individual choice, a program of independent reading, a collection of high-interest books, and appropriate and authentic reading behavior modeling.

My Thoughts: I so enjoyed this book! It was so inspiring! I wish I taught at a school full of reading teachers that all subscribed to Donalyn Miller's ideas and methods. I am left thinking of how I can impact readers in the library.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

The Global Achievement Gap

2010-02-11T13:48:00.000-06:00

The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner

The subtitle of this book is "Why Even Our Best Schools Don't Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need--And What We Can Do About It"

Charges that the failure to teach young people critical thinking skills, creativity, and effective communication is quickly making American schools obsolete and leaving students unprepared to compete in the global job market, offers advice on how to overhaul the U.S. education system, and includes examples of uniquely successful schools.

My Thoughts: I thought this book was right on target! It inspired me and frustrated me at the same time. I was inspired because I agree that what Wagner is saying about the teaching in our schools is correct and I want to be able to change the system. I was frustrated because I am at the bottom of the system, so I have very little influence to change it. In the end, our children and our country will pay the consequences for not addressing what our children need in order to succeed in today's world.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

In Defiance of Hitler

2010-02-05T15:57:00.000-06:00

In Defiance of Hitler: The Secret Mission of Varian Fry by Carla Killough McClafferty

This book chronicles the efforts of American journalist Varian Fry, who flew to Mareseilles, France, in 1940 to help artistic and intellectual refugees flee the Nazi regime, but ended up staying for over a year to assist as many people as he could before he was evicted.

My Thoughts: This is a true story of one very courageous man and his efforts to save the lives of those that Hitler deemed unworthy. A true adventure tale!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Survivors

2010-02-05T15:50:00.000-06:00

Survivors: True Stories of Children in the Holocaust by Allan Zullo and Mara Bovsun

A collection of nine true stories of children who lived through the Holocaust of Nazi Germany, and describes how each was able to survive.

My Thoughts: I was touched by the stories in this book. They all show that survivors of the Holocaust had to have a very strong desire and will in order to survive this horror.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Anne Frank

2010-02-05T15:45:00.000-06:00

Anne Frank: Hidden Hope by Rita Thievon Mullin

A well researched and well written biography of Anne Frank, this book has lots of added photos, maps, diagrams and quotes to help the reader really get to know who Anne Frank was. Many quotes from Anne's diary add to the author's words. I especially liked the information about the chestnut tree that still stands outside the annex. This is a must read!

Babymouse

2010-02-05T15:34:00.001-06:00

Babymouse: Queen of the World by Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm

An imaginative mouse dreams of being queen of the world, but will settle for an invitation to the most popular girl's slumber party.

My Thoughts: Babymouse is fabulous! I've wanted to read her books for quite awhile. (Who wouldn't? They all have lots of pink!) Babymouse knows how to be a real friend. I can't wait to read more of her stories!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Truce

2010-02-05T15:25:00.000-06:00

Truce: The Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting by Jim Murphy

This is a well researched acount of the Christmas Truce of 1914 during the first winter of World War I. The author did a great job explaining how the war began and how the armies came to be involved in trench warfare on the Western front. Photographs and paintings illustrate the true story.

My Thoughts: I loved the pictures and photos! This was very well written and easy to understand how this unforgettable event unfolded.

Purge

2010-01-21T15:37:00.002-06:00

Purge by Sarah Darer Littman

When her parents check sixteen-year-old Janie into Golden Slopes to help her recover from her bulimia, she discovers that she must talk about things she has admitted to no one-not even herself.

My Thoughts - I enjoyed this powerful, moving story! The characters were great! If you liked Wintergirls or Jane in Bloom, try this book next!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Sent

2010-01-08T08:48:00.000-06:00

The Missing Book 2: Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Jonah, Katherine, Chip and Alex suddenly find themselves in 1483 at the Tower of London, where they discover that Chip and Alex are Prince Edward V and Richard of Shrewbury, imprisioned by their uncle, King Richard III, but trying to repair history without knowing what is supposed to happen proves challenging. Author's note includes historical facts about the princes and king.

My Thoughts - This was a thrilling sequel to the first book in the series, Found! I can't wait to read the next book to see if we find out who Jonah is!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Donut Days

2010-01-06T13:49:00.000-06:00

Donut Days by Lara Zielin

During a campout promoting the opening of a donut shop in a small Minnesota town, sixteen-year-old Emma, an aspiring journalist, begins to connect an ongoing pollution investigation with the turmoil in the evangelical Christian church where her parents are pastors.

My Thoughts: I really related to this story and Emma's fight for what is right, which can be difficult to determine in life!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Willow

2009-12-15T15:25:00.000-06:00

Willow by Julia Hoban

Sixteen-year-old Willow, who was driving the car that killed both of her parents, copes with the pain and guilt by cutting herself, until she meets a smart and sensitive boy who is determined to help her stop.

My Thoughts - This was a powerful, unforgettable story!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Emmanuel Ringelblum

2009-12-14T13:30:00.001-06:00

Emmanuel Ringleblum: Historian of the Warsaw Ghetto by Mark Beyer

This is a facinating biography of a man dedicated to recording a history of what happened in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. Emmanuel had been a historian before the events of World War II began to unfold. As he began to see what happened when Hitler gained power and what life was like in the Warsaw Ghetto, he recorded the events in his journal, determined to preserve a record of what happened so that future generations would know. He and a group of people he trained illegally kept journals, recording their observations and interviews with people. Before the Warsaw Ghetto was destroyed, they buried their journals, papers, photos and records within the ghetto, hoping they would be found and stand as a record of what happened to the Jews under Hitler's rule.

Alexander Graham Bell: Giving Voice to the World

2009-12-04T09:42:00.001-06:00

Alexander Graham Bell: Giving Voice to the World by Mary Kay Carson

A brief biography of inventor Alexander Graham Bell that profiles his life and works which included the invention of the telephone.

My Thoughts: This was a great biography! I learned so much about his contribution to the world as well as his true passion in life: helping to deaf to be able to communicate. This was a very interesting book!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Gorgeous

2009-12-04T09:32:00.000-06:00

Goregeous by Rachel Vail

Ninth-grader Allison Avery has always been the least attractive among her sisters, but when she allows the devil to possess her cell phone in exchange for appearing to be gorgeous, she must confront the power and deceptiveness of appearances.

My Thoughts: This is the story that comes after Lucky by Rachel Vail. It was interesting to see Allison's perspective on life in the Avery family. I could really identify with her on her views of gorgeousness. I'm looking forward to the next book in the trilogy about Quinn!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Marie Curie: Mother of Modern Physics

2009-12-04T09:22:00.001-06:00

Marie Curie: Mother of Modern Physics by Janice Borzendowski

A biography of Marie Curie, whose discovery of radium changed science and the world, and describes her childhood, education, and the hardships she faced in her professional life.

My Thoughts: I found this to be a facinating story! I knew that Marie Curie was a famous scientist, but I had no idea of the hardships she faced or the importance of her contributions! This was a fabulous true story!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Beastly

2009-10-20T13:21:00.002-05:00

Beastly by Alex Flinn

A modern retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" from the point of view of the Beast, a vain Manhattan private school student who is turned into a monster and must find true love before he can return to his human form.

My Thoughts: It was really interesting to get into Kyle's head as he was turned into the Beast. It makes a person think about what is truly important when making friends and just interacting with other people. I couldn't wait to get to the end!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

The Cupcake Queen

2009-10-13T11:06:00.002-05:00

The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler

While longing to return to life in New York City, thirteen-year-old Penny helps her mother and grandmother run a cupcake bakery in Hog's Hollow, tries to avoid the beastly popular girls, to be a good friend to quirky Tally, and to catch the eye of enigmatic Marcus.

My Thoughts: This is a fun girl read! This story has mean girls, cupcakes, pranks, a cute boy, art, and friendship!

*Summary from CIP data.

Next to Mexico

2009-09-28T09:09:00.002-05:00

Next to Mexico by Jennifer Nails

Outspoken, impulsive Lylice has skipped fifth grade, but she finds that getting along at Susan B. Anthony Middle School is more difficult than she expected, until she befriends another newcomer to sixth grade.

My Thoughts - As a teacher, I really liked Lylice (although I'm still not sure how to say her name!) and thought some of the situations she got into were totally unfair, but realistic. The story gave the reader a glimpse into the middle school type groups with the in kids and the out kids and showed that everyone has problems.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Poor Little Witch Girl

2009-09-28T09:04:00.002-05:00

Poor Little Witch Girl by Marie Desplechin

Eleven-year-old Verbena thinks her hereditary witchcraft is a curse that will keep her from having a normal life and marriage one day, but her mother and grandmother, who help tell the story, are eager to start her training.

My Thoughts - Verbena is certainly and interesting name! Having different narrators tell different parts of the story was nice because you got to see everyone's point of view.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Diamond Willow

2009-09-25T13:56:00.003-05:00

Diamond Willow by Helen Frost

Diamond Willow lives in a very remote town in Alaska and she loves helping her dad take care of their dog sled team. Willow is anxious for the day when she will be allowed to take the dog sled team out on her own. But tragedy strikes and Roxy, the prized lead dog, is severely injured. Can Willow do what it takes to save her?

My Thoughts - This was a great dog story! It was so interesting how the author wrote the story in the diamond shapes. I liked the parts where Willow's ancestors helped her. Everyone should read this book! It is a very fast read!

Vibes

2009-09-25T11:36:00.004-05:00

Vibes by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Kristi hears other people's thoughts and it nearly drives her crazy! It started a couple of years ago when her dad left for Africa. It helps her avoid her mom, the surgeon who works all the time. But it also hurts to know that the hottest boy in school thinks she's sick and her former best friend, who is now a "mean girl", thinks she's a goth freak. But when Kristi's dad comes home and her new friendship with Mallory goes wrong, Kristi begins to question her abilities. Has she been wrong all along? Is she crazy? Or can she really read minds?

My Thoughts-I liked Kristi a lot! She showed how easy it is to assume things about people. I liked her creative sewing! I wish I could see her creations in real life!

The Luxe

2009-09-23T11:58:00.002-05:00

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

In Manhattan in 1899, five teens of different social classes lead dangerously scandalous lives, despite the strict rules of society and the best-laid plans of parents and others.

My Thoughts - This was a fun historical romance with a cliff-hanger ending!

Wintergirls

2009-09-14T09:11:00.002-05:00

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Lia and Cassie have been friends since they were little girls. When Lia learns of Cassie's death from an bulemia, it only strengthens her resolve to weigh less as she hides her own relapse of anorexia. Lia is obsessed with calories, exercise and her weight. She asserts an iron will over her thoughts of food and every bite that passes her lips, despite the pleas of her family. Lia vows to remain strong, even as she is haunted by Cassie's death. But can she survive at her goal weight? Does she even want to survive?

My Thoughts: This was another powerful story about eating disorders and how they impact the lives of many young women. It helped me understand a bit about how someone can starve themeselves to death as way to deal with the pain in their lives.

Jane in Bloom

2009-09-14T07:58:00.003-05:00

Jane in Bloom by Deborah Lytton

Lizzie is the perfect older sister in the family and Jane lives in her shadow. Even on Jane's twelfth birthday, Lizzie captures the family's attention when her eating disorder spirals into a fatal end. It takes a camera, a puppy, a grandmother, and a boy to help Jane bloom into her own person in the midst of the grief.

My Thoughts: This was a fabulously powerful story that made me cry more than once! I loved Jane and how she was able to deal with the loss of her sister Lizzie! A must read!

Somebody

2009-09-11T15:40:00.003-05:00

Somebody by Nancy Springer

She is tired of always moving, always getting a new name, always changing her hair color, never having any friends. She doesn't even know her real name or birthday anymore. Why does her Dad keep making them move? What is he hiding? One day she decides to find out and she goes to the library to search on the Internet. Will she be able to deal with what she finds? Whill she be able to get back to the person she is supposed to be? Will she be Somebody or nobody?

My Thoughts: This was a quick fun read that pulled me in from the very first page! I had to see what she found out and what decision she made! If you liked The Face on the Milk Carton, you will love this book!

Bull Rider

2009-09-04T13:39:00.002-05:00

Bull Rider by Suzanne Morgan Williams

When his older brother, a bull-riding champion, returns from the Iraq War partially paralyzed, fourteen-year-old Cam takes a break from skateboarding to enter a bull-riding contest, in hopes of winning the $15,000 prize and motivating his depressed brother to continue with his rehabilitation.

My Thoughts - This was a great story that had me turning the page to the very end! (In fact, I was really tempted to peak and make sure things turned out ok!) I think that boys will really like this one!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Along for the Ride

2009-09-04T13:33:00.005-05:00

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Auden gets a chance to recapture the carefree teen life she missed while her parents were going through a divorce when she goes to spend the summer with her dad and his new family in a charming beach town and meets fellow insomniac Eli, an intriguing loner fighting demons of his own.

My Thoughts - I loved this book! It made me laugh! It made me cry! I thought that Sarah Dessen did a great job of showing how confused Auden was at times when there was disagreement amoung the characters. I liked Auden's courage! That was the best! She showed the reader that it really is ok to take risks in life and to just take things one step at a time!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

The Case of the Missing Marquess

2009-08-17T13:55:00.002-05:00

The Case of the Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery

Enola Holmes, much younger sister of detective Sherlock Holmes, must travel to London in disguise to unravel the disappearance of her missing mother.

My Thoughts: This is the first of a series of mysteries. It is a great start to a story that could continue for quite awhile! If you like codes, this story will excite you as you see how Enola solves a series of puzzles and codes to try and find her mother.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

The Sweetheart of Prosper County

2009-08-17T13:50:00.002-05:00

The Sweetheart of Prosper County by Jill Alexander

In a small East Texas town largely ruled by prejudices and bullies, fourteen-year-old Austin sets out to win a ride in the next parade and, in the process, grows in her understanding of friendship and helps her widowed mother through her mourning.

My Thoughts: I wanted a rooster after reading this story! Austin's story is funny and interesting and I couldn't wait to read more!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Also Known as Harper

2009-08-17T13:48:00.003-05:00

Also Known as Harper by Ann Haywood Leal

Writing poetry helps fifth-grader Harper Lee Morgan cope with her father's absence, being evicted, and having to skip school to care for her brother while their mother works, and things look even brighter after she befriends a mute girl and a kindly disabled woman.

My Thoughts - Harper was an endearing character that showed so much strength! I really enjoyed getting to know her! Her story is amazing to me because I don't know how I would handle her life situation.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Suck it Up!

2009-08-12T16:08:00.004-05:00

Suck it Up! by Brian Meehl

After graduating from the International Vampire Leage, a scrawny teenaged vampire named Morning is given the chance to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a superhero when he embarks on a League mission to become the first vampire to reveal his identity to humans and to demonstrate how peacefully-evolved, blood-substitute-drinking vampires can use their powers to help humanity.

My Thoughts - I liked this vampire story that wasn't anything like Twilight! It was funny!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Being Nikki

2009-08-12T16:04:00.002-05:00

Being Nikki by Meg Cabot

Studious, socially conscious Emerson Watts learns startling news about the family of Nikki Howard, the teen supermodel into whose body Emerson's brain was transplanted by the nefarious Stark corporation.

My Thoughts - I liked this book almost as much as I liked Airhead! Meg Cabot did a great job of showing the struggles Em has trying to be supermodel Nikki Howard. There was some heartbreak in the story and a teaser at the end for the next book in the series: Runaway, to be published in May of 2010! So long to wait!!!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period

2009-08-12T16:00:00.003-05:00

If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko

Kirsten and Walk, seventh-graders at an elite private school, alternate telling how race, wealth, weight, and other issues shape their relationships as they and other misfits stand up to a mean but influential classmate, even as they are uncovering a long-kept secret about themselves.

My Thoughts - This wasn't what I expected! It had a surprise mystery to solve as Kirsten and Walk see how their lives are connected. I listened to this book on CD and really enjoyed it!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree

2009-08-12T15:54:00.004-05:00

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis

A quirky and utterly logical seventh-grade girl named Emma-Jean Lazarus discovers some interesting results when she gets involved in the messy everyday problems of her peers.

My Thoughts - I loved Emma-Jean! She has such a wonderful heart and she certainly means well. I laughed at her plans to help people! I actually listened to this book on CD. The narrator was great!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

The Dead and the Gone

2009-07-24T08:44:00.002-05:00

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

After a meteor hits the moon and sets off a series of horrific climate changes, seventeen-year-old Alex Morales must take care of his sisters alone in the chaos of New York City.

My Thoughts - This was a gripping, tradgic story! It was frightening in that the reader began to wonder if this was possible and how would people really survive.

If you like this title read Life as We Knew It also by Susan Beth Pfeffer. It is the story of the same event from the point of view of someone living in a rural community!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Secrets of My Hollywood Life

2009-07-22T11:34:00.003-05:00

Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita

Kaitlin Burke is a Hollywood star! She has a starring role in a weekly tv show and a blooming movie career. But all she wants is to experience life as a normal teenager. Is that even possible with her famous face? Kaitlin and her best friend Liz hatch a plan for Kaitlin to have that normal teenage life. She will enroll in Clark Hall, the high school Liz attends, in disguise! Will anyone believe that mousy Rachel Rogers isn't really Kaitlin Burke?

If you like this book, try the others in the Secrets of My Hollywood Life series: On Location, Family Affairs and Paparazzi Princess!

My Thoughts - This was a great story about Hollywood and high school! If you liked Meg Cabot's Airhead you will love this series!

Ranger's Apprentice

2009-07-21T13:38:00.004-05:00

Ranger's Apprentice: Book One - The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

When fifteen-year-old Will is rejected by battleschool, he becomes the reluctant apprentice to the mysterious Ranger Halt, and winds up protecting the kingdom from danger.

My Thoughts - This was a great adventure story! I loved getting to know Will and seeing his special talents develop. This is just the first in a series, so look for the other stories to follow.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Unwind

2009-07-20T13:16:00.004-05:00

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

In a future world where those between the ages of thirteen and eighteen can have their lives "unwound" and their body parts harvested for use by others, three teens go to extreme lengths to uphold their beliefs--and perhaps, save their own lives.

My Thoughts - Great book! I couldn't put it down!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

The Boy Who Dared

2009-07-17T13:43:00.002-05:00

The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

In October 1942, seventeen-year-old Helmuth Hubener, imprisioned for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets, recalls his past life and how he came to dedicate himself to bring the truth about Hitler and the war to the German people.

My Thougts - A powerful story that makes me think about bravery, what it means to stand up for the truth and what it can cost. Read this book with Hitler Youth: Growing up in Hitler's Shadow, also by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

The Compound

2009-07-17T11:11:00.002-05:00

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

Fifteen-year-old Eli, locked inside a radiation-proof compound built by his father to keep them safe following a nuclear attack, begins to question his future, as well as his father's grip on sanity as the family's situation steadily disintegrates over the course of six years.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

The Rag and Bone Shop

2009-07-16T11:12:00.002-05:00

The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier

Could you confess to something you didn't do? Could somebody make you admit that you did something horrible even if it wasn't true? Jason learns one day that little Alicia was murdered one hot summer afternoon. He was the last person to see Alicia alive...except for the killer. The police want his help to find the murderer or do they? Do they think Jason killed Alicia because he was the last one to see her alive? Jason knows he didn't hurt Alicia, but can the interogator get him to confess?

The Graveyard Book

2009-07-16T08:36:00.005-05:00

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

It all begins with the murder of a family, except that a little toddler escapes. He walks off into the night and into a graveyard. A ghostly couple take him as their own son to raise and he is given the Freedom of the Graveyard by all of its inhabitants. He becomes Nobody Owens, Bod for short and grows up surrounded by ghosts and other denizens having many a hair-raising adventure!

Graceling

2009-07-14T12:23:00.004-05:00

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace of killing and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king.

My Thoughts - This book was fabulous!!! I loved the adventure and suspense! I loved how Katsa discovers the power of her Grace and how to be her own person!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

The Breakup Bible

2009-07-14T12:20:00.002-05:00

The Breakup Bible by Melissa Kantor

After a breakup with her boyfriend, school newspaper features editor Jen Lewis receives a book from her grandmother that provides basic commandments for getting over an ex and sets out to recover from the loss of the romance.

My Thoughts - This was a great story about getting over a boyfriend and a breakup with lots of funny moments thrown in!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Suite Scarlett

2009-07-13T13:08:00.004-05:00

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

Scarlett Martin lives with her mother, father, brother and two sisters at the Hopewell, a small family owned hotel in New York City. On her fifteenth birthday she receives a special gift that is part of the family's tradition: a key to the Empire Suite and a job. Scarlett is in charge of the Empire Suite and is responsible for serving any guest who stays in the grand old suite. When Mrs. Amberson arrives, life picks up for Scarlett who has been left in the city while all of her school friends pursue jobs outside of the city for the summer. Mrs. Amberson appropriates Scarlett as her personal assistant and so begins the wild ride that is Scarlett's fifteenth summer complete with a-far-off-Broadway production starring her brother, a financial crisis and a possible boyfriend. What could go wrong?

Artichoke's Heart

2009-07-06T14:01:00.003-05:00

Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee

When she is almost sixteen years old, Rosemary decides she is sick of being overweight, mocked at school and at Heavenly Hair--her mother's beauty salon--and feeling out of control, and as she slowly loses weight, she realizes that she is able to cope with her mother's cancer, having a boyfriend for the first time, and discovering that other people's lives are not as perfect as they seem from the outside.

My Thoughts - Rosemary is wonderful! She will stay with me for awhile! I liked the way she learned how to handle her problems throughout the story. She taught me some things too!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

North of Beautiful

2009-07-06T13:53:00.003-05:00

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

Terra, a sensitive, artistic high school senior born with a port-wine stain, struggles with issues of inner and outer beauty with the help of her Goth friend Jacob.

My Thoughts - This was a powerful story that challenged me to think about what it means to be yourself, what makes something beautiful and how to deal with the hard things in life. There were some characters in the story that I hated and some that I loved dearly!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Dead is the New Black

2009-07-06T13:46:00.003-05:00

Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez

While dealing with her first boyfriend and suddenly being pressed into service as a substitute cheerleader, sixteen-year-old Daisy Giordano, daughter and sister of psychics but herself a "normal", attempts to help her mother discover who is behind a series of bizarre attacks on teenage tirls in their little town of Nightshade, California.

My Thoughts - This was a fun, quick read! I liked Daisy! This is the first of a series so look for more titles: Dead is a State of Mind and Dead is so Last Year!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Eva's Book Addiction

2009-06-30T19:11:00.001-05:00

Eva's Book Addiction

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Beauty Shop for Rent

2009-05-01T14:49:00.002-05:00

Beauty Shop for Rent by Laura Bowers

Abbey Garner lives with her great grandmother, Granny Po. She is driven by a goal - to be earn a million dollars by the time she is thirty-five. Abbey is determined not to make the same mistakes the women of her family have made, like having a baby at sixteen. She is well on her way to reaching her goal, with her work at Granny Po's beauty shop. Granny Po hopes to retire and slow down one day so she has a sign out front "Beauty Shop for Rent ...fully equipped, inquire within". The sign has been there for years! Abbey's life begins to change when somebody knocks on the door and wants to rent the shop. Will Abbey get to keep her job? Then something bigger happens - Abbey's mom shows up! She dropped Abbey off at Granny Po's four years ago saying she would be back to get Abbey soon. Now she is back and she has a plan for Abbey to come and live with her. But what will this plan cost Abbey?

Thoughts: I loved this book! I loved Abbey, Granny Po, the Gray Widows, and Gena! And I loved the lesson Abbey learned about family!

Absolutely Maybe

2009-05-01T14:13:00.003-05:00

Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee

Maybelline "Maybe" Chestnut is not a beauty queen! And it drives her alcoholic mom crazy! Her mom is a former beauty queen who runs a charm school for aspiring beauty queens and is constantly trying to beautify Maybe, who resists all efforts. Maybe's mom throws out a surprise one morning before school that gets Maybe thinking of her birth father. Maybe doesn't even know his name! But a few days later, after her mom's surprise announcement that she is getting married again for the seventh time, Maybe decides to go find her dad. She leaves Florida and sets out on a cross country to Los Angeleswith her friends Hollywood and Ted. Maybe is determined to find her dad and get some stability and normality in her life. She risks everything even being homeless to get it. What will she find in Los Angeles? Who knows but she is going to have an adventure every step of the way! From dying her hair with Kool-Aid in the Burger King bathroom, to camping out every night in a college dorm lobby, to getting a job on a taco truck, the adventure is always something else!

Lucky

2009-05-01T14:04:00.004-05:00

Lucky by Rachel Vail

This is the first book in a trilogy about the Avery sisters. This book is Phoebe's story. It is the end of her eighth grade year, and Phoebe and her small group of friends are busy planning their fabulous graduation party! It is going to be the party of the year! The whole school is buzzing about it. But Phoebe's life changes drastically one day when she comes home and finds her mom home unexpectedly early. Her mom's job is in danger and that means that Phoebe's whole existence may change. Will her family loose their big, beautiful house? Their maid? Her mom's Porsche? Will Phoebe have to cancel her graduation party?

Phoebe has to find out what is important in life and fast!

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

2009-05-01T13:48:00.005-05:00

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

In the not-too-distant future, where biotechnological advances have made synthetic bodies and brains possible but illegal, a seventeen-year-old girl, recovering from a serious accident and suffering from memory lapses, learns a startling secret about her existence.

Thoughts - I liked the way this book was written with flashbacks and poetry that reads like journal entries. The story of Jenna raises the question about what the essence of a person is and what is necessary for a person to exist in a body. The author kept me reading to the very end! I was actually tempted to turn to the end to see how things turned out more than once!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Thirteen Reasons Why

2009-04-27T15:50:00.003-05:00

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Hannah Baker is gone. She committed suicide, but nodoby is sure why. When Clay Jensen comes home to find a package addressed to him on his front steps. It contains 7 audio tapes recorded by Hannah Baker. She left these 7 tapes to explain to 13 people how they are each one of the reasons why she decided to end her life. In one night, Hannah's voice leads Clay around town narrating a painful journey back in time over their high school years, explaining how each of these 13 people impacted her life, many in ways that they wouldn't realize until it was too late!

Thoughts - This was a powerful, gripping story! It made me think of how what we may see as small incidents in life may actually be momentous to others. This is a book that once you have read it, you will never be the same!

Peeled

2009-04-27T15:41:00.005-05:00

Peeled by Joan Bauer

Hildy Biddle, a passionate reporter for her high school newspaper, lives in the small apple farming town of Banesville, New York. There are some pretty spooky things going on around town with a new psychic moving in and a ghost lurking around an old mansion. Hildy uses her journalism skills to try to get to the bottom of things, but that is a difficult mission. The truth is being distorted and suppressed by various people in town. Will Hildy be able to bring the truth to light before it is too late?

A light, fun, quick read!

The Possibilities of Sainthood

2009-04-27T15:35:00.002-05:00

The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas

While regularly petitioning the Vatican to make her the first living saint, fifteen-year-old Antonia Labella prays to assorted patron saints for everything from help preparing the family's fig trees for a Rhode Island winter to getting her first kiss from the right boy.

Thoughts - A first kiss is important! How will Antonia know who the right boy is for this special kiss?

* Summary taken from the CIP data.

Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover

2009-04-27T15:25:00.004-05:00

Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

Cammie is ending her summer before her junior year with a visit to her friend Macey in Boston, who is on the campaign trail with her father. The visit takes a terrifying turn when Cammie and Macey are nearly abducted from the roof of a hotel. Something is up, but Cammie can't quite figure it out and nobody is trying to help her either. The school year begins and Macey comes returns to the Gallagher Academy with a Secret Service body guard in tow! Cammie and the rest of the girls set themselves up as Macey's bodyguards on the campaign trial because someone really is after her! But who? Can Cammie, Bex and Liz keep Macey safe?

This third book in the Gallagher Girls series is a fast, fun read!

How Not to Be Popular

2009-03-10T17:59:00.002-05:00

How Not to be Popular by Jennifer Ziegler

Seventeen-year-old Sugar Magnolia Dempsey is tired of being dragged all accross the United States by her hippie parents! Every few months she has to move to a new place and a new school. She has to leave all of her new friends who quickly forget her each time. Now Maggie is on her way to Austin, Texas. Her boyfriend has just broken up with her via text message! She can't take it anymore this making friends and trying to fit in, just to pack up and leave again in four months! So Maggie comes up with a plan! She will not be popular! She sets out to do everything she can to prove she is a supreme dork - carrying a Star Trek backpack and lunch box, wearing the weirdest clothes from the thrift shop where her dad works, and shunning all of the popular kids. Will her plan work?

This is a laugh-out-loud funny story about being the new kid at school!

Jennifer Ziegler will be visiting Stafford Middle School in the fall of 2009!

Escaping into the Night

2009-03-10T17:49:00.005-05:00

Escaping into the Night by D. Dina Friedman

Thirteen-year-old Halina Rudowski narrowly escapes the Polish ghetto and flees to the forest, where she is taken in by an encampment of Jews trying to survive World War II.

This is a great but little known story of how some of the Jews survived the Holocaust by escaping into the forest and living in small groups away from the Nazi soldiers.

*Summary taken from the CIP data.

Darkness Over Denmark

2009-03-10T17:34:00.003-05:00

Darkness Over Denmark: The Danish Resistance and the Rescue of the Jews by Ellen Levine

This non-fiction book is the true account of the Danish Resistance to the Nazi's during World War II. The stories of the many people who worked and risked their own lives to save their friends and neighbors is told. The true story is captivating! If you liked this book, try "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry.

Number the Stars

2009-03-10T17:25:00.002-05:00

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

When the Nazi's occupy Denmark, life slowly changes for Annemarie and her Jewish friends. People are grim and life is not as happy. When the Nazi's plans to round up the Jews is discovered, Annemarie wonders if she has the courage and bravery to do what she can to help her friends escape.

This story is based on real life events and the Danish people who resisted Nazi rule in their country during World War II. If you like this book, try "Darkness Over Denmark" by Ellen Levine. It tells the true stories of the real people of the Danish Resistance.

Death by Bikini

2009-03-10T17:13:00.003-05:00

Death by Bikini by Linda Gerber

Sixteen-year-old Aphra Behn Connolly has much to investigate at the secluded island resort she and her father run! Who killed the rock star's girlfriend on the beach? Why has her dad allowed a mysterious family to stay at the resort with no reservation or notice of their arrival? What about their good looking son? What is he hiding? How do they know Aphra's mom who left four years ago? This mystery has lots of suspense and danger to keep you reading! Look for the next book "Death by Latte"!

Pieces of Georgia

2009-01-16T13:41:00.002-06:00

Pieces of Georgia by Jen Bryant

Georgia is a thirteen-year-old budding artist who loves to draw and has lots of time everyday to fill her tablets of drawing paper. Her dad works long hours in construction and her mom died a few years ago, something that still causes Georgia pain. She has to go talk to the counselor at school about her mom's death, something she hates! The one thing that the counselor does do that is helpful is encourage Georgia to keep a journal. In her journal, Georgia ends up writing letters to her mom. New things come into Georgia's life, like Tiffany the new girl who moved into the large house down the way from Georgia's little trailer. And one day an anonymous gift membership to an art museum arrives in the mail that opens up a whole new world of art for Georgia!

Matthew Henson: Quest for the North Pole

2009-01-16T13:32:00.003-06:00

Matthew Henson: Quest for the North Pole by Kathleen Olmstead

This is a biography of Matthew Henson, an African-American who accompanied Admiral Robert E. Peary on his many expeditions to the Arctic. Henson was there when Admiral Peary reached the North Pole. This book traces Henson's life from childhood past his death in 1955 to his legacy as an arctic explorer who reached the top of the world. A fabulous and fast read!

Found

2009-01-16T13:24:00.003-06:00

The Missing: Book 1 Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Thirteen years ago a plane suddenly appeared at the gate at the airport. It wasn't scheduled to be there and nobody knew where it had come from and where it was going. When the brand new gate agent went to investigate, she found a baby in every seat and nobody else. Today Jonah is getting strange letters in the mail telling him he is one of the missing. Then his new friend Chip starts receiving the same letters. What is going on? Who is coming for these boys? Are they really in danger? Does it have anything to do with Jonah's adoption thirteen years earlier? Jonah, Chip and Katherine, Jonah's younger sister, start to investigate but what they uncover could change the course of time forever!

I.Q. Book One: Independence Hall

2009-01-16T13:09:00.003-06:00

I.Q. Book One: Independence Hall by Roland Smith

Q - short for Quest - is beginning a new chapter in his life and it is a thriller! His mom has just remarried is working with her new husband to become the newest singing duo megastars. Q's new stepsister Angel and he will be joining their newly married parents on a whirlwind bus tour to kick off their new album. Q and Angela will be attending school via the Internet. But strange things start happening before the first day on the road ends when their tour bus mysteriously breaks down in the middle of nowhere. The next morning an old roadie just appears and is able to help them out by fixing the tour bus. But is this old, scruffy guy and his mangy dog really what they appear to be or is something else going on? Over the next week Q and Angela realize they are being pursued by multiple international intelligence organizations. They have to figure out who can be trusted and who cannot and their lives are depending on their choices!

Zen and the Art of Faking It

2008-12-04T09:15:00.002-06:00

Zen and the Art of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick *

When thirteen-year-old San Lee moves to a new town and school for the umpteenth time, he is looking for a way to stand out when his knowledge of Zen Buddhism, gained in his previous school, provides the answer - and the need to quickly become a Zen master.

My thoughts: San has to decide if it is better to be himself or pretend to be something he isn't, which is something that we all have to decide at some time or another.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Weedflower

2008-12-04T09:10:00.001-06:00

Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata *

After twelve-year-old Sumiko and her Japanese-American family are relocated from their flower farm in southern California to an internment camp on an Indian reservation in Arizona, she helps her family and neighbors, becomes friends with a local Indian boy, and tries to hold on to her dream of owning a flower shop.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

The View from Saturday

2008-12-04T09:06:00.002-06:00

The View from Saturday by E. L. Koinigsburg *

Four students, with their own individual stories, develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, a paraplegic, who chooses them to represent their sixth-grade class in the Academic Bowl competition.

* Summary taken from CIP data.

Deliver Us From Normal

2008-12-04T08:55:00.006-06:00

Deliver Us From Normal by Kate Klise *

With a mother who buys Christmas cards in August and a younger brother who describes the Trinity as a toasted marshmallow on a graham cracker, life for eleven-year-old Charles Harrisong is anything but normal in Normal, Illinois.

* Summary taken from CIP data.

A Crooked Kind of Perfect

2008-12-03T16:16:00.002-06:00

A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban *

Ten-year-old Zoe Elias, who longs to play the piano but must resign herself to learning the organ, instead, finds that her musicianship has a positive impact on her workaholic mother, her jittery father, and her school social life.

My thoughts: I loved Zoe! She has a wonderful sense of humor about the turn her dream to learn to play the piano and be onstage at Carnegie Hall took.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Jumping the Scratch

2008-12-03T16:12:00.002-06:00

Jumping the Scratch by Sarah Weeks *

After moving with his mother to a trailer park to care for an injured aunt, eleven-year-old Jamie Reardon struggles to cope with a deeply buried secret.

My thoughts: This was a great story that was both funny and suspenseful!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Yellow Star

2008-12-03T16:05:00.003-06:00

Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy *

From 1939, when Syvia is four and half years old, to 1945 when she has just turned ten, a Jewish girl and her family struggle to survive in Poland's Lodz ghetto during Nazi occupation.

My thoughts: This was a powerful and moving story told in free verse poetry. Syvia was one of only twelve children to survive the Lodz ghetto, that at one time held over a quarter of a million people.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Tangerine

2008-12-03T15:47:00.004-06:00

Tangerine by Edward Bloor *

Twelve-year-old Paul, who lives in the shadow of his football hero brother Eirk, fights for the right to play soccer despite his near blindness and slowly begins to remember the incident that damaged his eyesight.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Airhead

2008-12-03T15:37:00.006-06:00

Airhead by Meg Cabot *

Sixteen-year-old Emerson Watts, an advanced placement student with a disdain for fashion, is the recipient of a "whole body transplant" and finds herself transformed into one of the world's most famous teen supermodels.

My thoughts: This was a fabulous read that lets you see things from both points of view: the nerd and the supermodel!

*Summary taken from CIP data.

How to Ditch Your Fairy

2008-12-03T15:32:00.004-06:00

How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier *

In a world in which everyone has a personal fairy who tends to one aspect of daily life, fourteen-year-old Charlie decides she does not want hers - a parking fairy - and embarks on a series of misadventures designed to rid herself of the invisible sprite and replace it with a better one, like her friend Rochelle's shopping fairy.

*Summary taken from CIP data.

Every Soul a Star

2008-12-01T09:04:00.004-06:00

Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass

One summer, the lives of Ally, Bree and Jack intersect at Moon Shadow Campground just in time for a total solar eclipse. Each of them is facing major changes in their lives, most unwelcome and unwanted. As their lives converge, they are each forced to examine themselves and find out who they really are. Three teens who on the surface seem to have nothing in common become friends and allies as they await a total solar eclipse that may change each of their lives forever!

The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney

2008-10-29T11:36:00.003-05:00

The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney by Suzanne Harper

As the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, Sparrow Delaney has been gifted with strong psychic abilities. But she has kept this gift a secret from everyone, especially her family! They are weird enough as it is. She doesn't want to join the "family business" and be a psychic. She keeps telling her spiritual guides, three ghosts who have appeared to her since early childhood, that her only wish is to be normal. So when she has the opportunity to attend a new high school where nobody knows her or her family, especially her six older sisters, she jumps at the chance! She can start fresh and be totally normal. But in her first class on the first day of school, she sees a ghost. She uses all of her well practiced tricks at avoiding ghosts, but he won't let her be! He keeps appearing to her and pleading with her to help him. But Sparrow is stubborn and she wants not part in his plan, whatever it is!

Gym Candy

2008-10-29T11:34:00.001-05:00

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker

Mick Johnson’s life is all about football. His dad, Mike, introduced Mick to football when he was a very little boy. Mike had been a football hero in his day and he wants Mick to follow in his footsteps, making big plays and big headlines. And it could happen. Mick is good, he has real talent and he works really hard. Most importantly, playing football is fun and exhilarating for Mick. He loves the game! In the spring of his eighth grade year, the high school coach invites Mick to come and go through spring training with the varsity team. Mick is ecstatic! After a rough first day, Mick works hard, improving daily and working his way up the depth charts. The following fall, he makes the varsity team as a ninth grader and has a fantastic season. Then comes spring training with a new coach and a new eighth grader who challenges Mick for his spot on the team. Mick knows he has to work hard training all summer to keep his spot on the team. His dad arranges for him to go to a private gym and work out with a personal trainer who offers to give Mick some extra help. But will this “extra” help really work in the end? How far is Mick willing to go to keep his spot on the team? Will it be worth the cost?

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie

2008-10-29T11:33:00.002-05:00

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

Steven has a mostly normal life for a thirteen year old. Yes, Steven is a self admitted skinny geek and the most beautiful girl in school won’t even look at him. Yes, he has a pesky, although very cute, younger brother, but some things you just have to bear even when they annoy you to no end. (Isn’t this normal for lots of thirteen year olds? Can life be “normal” when you’re thirteen?) But Steven has a passion: playing the drums. And he is a talented drummer, good enough to make the All-City Jazz Band.

“Normal” life ends one morning in October when Steven’s little brother Jeffrey gets sick. In the months that follow, Jeffrey spends weeks in the hospital, Mom takes a leave of absence from her job to take care of Jeffrey, and Dad hardly speaks a word to him. Steven becomes a “microwave Hot Pockets poster child”, while totally checking out on his school work and focusing all of his attention on practicing for the Spring Jazz Concert. But life, with all of its troubles, can’t be avoided forever.

Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf

2008-10-29T11:31:00.001-05:00

Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff by Jennifer L. Holm

Just like everyone else, Ginny Davis’ life has ups and downs, good times and bad. She tells the story of her seventh grade year through a collection of stuff, including birthday wish lists, class assignments, text messages, bank statements, post-it notes and receipts. Lots of big things can happen in a year: your mom can get married, your brother can be sent to military school, your science project can even be eaten by your dog! Read this book for yourself and you decide: Is middle school really worse than meatloaf?

Schooled

2008-10-29T11:30:00.001-05:00

Schooled by Gordon Korman

Capricorn Anderson, also known as Cap, has led a sheltered life and that is an understatement! He has lived with just his grandmother Rain on a farm commune. His world is rocked when Rain falls out of a tree and breaks her hip. Social services removes Cap from the commune and plants him in the real world. That means a living in a house not held together with duct tape and enrollment in the local middle school. Everyone knows being the new kid is tough, but what if the new kid has never seen a television, heard of an iPod or Starbucks? What if he only wears homemade shoes and tie-died t-shirts? What happens? Caps becomes the object of a diabolical plan devised by the most popular kid in school to make him the class president and torture him all year long! How could anyone, least of all Cap, survive that?

The Truth About Forever

2008-10-29T11:29:00.001-05:00

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Macy’s father died a couple of years ago and since then she has strived to live perfectly. She has bottled all of her feelings away and tried to live up to her mother’s expectations: being a good student, having the perfect smart, high achieving boyfriend, following all of the rules. In Macy’s mind, living perfectly means that everything is safe. This summer is starting just as planned. Macy’s boyfriend is going away to Brian Camp, which is just summer camp for really smart kids, and Macy is staying home. She is going to spend the summer improving her vocabulary for the SAT and filling in for her boyfriend, Jason, at the library. But then some unexpected things happen. Macy is offered a new opportunity to work for Wish, a catering business. She makes some new friends and slowly begins to see what she is missing by living perfectly. Then Macy’s sister starts visiting with plans to remodel and redecorate the family beach house, which hasn’t been visited since Macy’s dad died. Both of these things challenge Macy’s perfectly constructed safe life and force her to reconsider the choices she has made since her dad’s death. Will Macy step out and live life or will she stifle her new thoughts and feelings and continue to live ‘perfectly’?

Dairy Queen

2008-10-29T11:27:00.002-05:00

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

D.J. Schwenk comes from a football family in Red Bend, Wisconsin. He dad has always loved the game, so much so that all of the cows on their diary farm are named for famous players or coaches. Her two older brothers were stars of the local football team. This summer finds D.J. hard at work on the family dairy farm because of her dad’s recent hip surgery. She is doing it all. Then one day Brian Nelson, the quarterback from Red Bend’s biggest rival shows up at the farm. D.J. has agreed to train Brian, he could use some improvement and she knows the game as well as her brothers after having trained with them for years. As D.J. teaches Brian the value of hard work and a good attitude, Brian teaches D.J. the importance of talking and voicing her thoughts. Each of them learns something valuable about themselves during the summer. In D.J.’s case, she remembers how much she loves playing football and that inspires her to try out for the football team this year.