Luminous by Dawn Metcalf - OPTIONAL

Metcalf, Dawn Luminous, 367 pgs. Dutton, 2011. Language - PG-13 (43 swears, 1 "f"), Sexual Content - PG-13; Violence - PG-13; After an embarrassing episode at the store, Consuela is relaxing in the tub when she finds out she can take off her skin. She enjoys the feeling of being a free skeleton for a moment before discovering she can make a replacement skin of air, water, and more. Consuela finds herself in a whole new world and takes a role in saving other peoples' lives, but there is a killer in this world, too. Will any of them survive his wrath? 

When Consuela first took off her skin, it freaked me out and I almost jumped out of my own it scared me so much. After that first time, though, it was easy to accept it as part of her and continue on with the story. However, there were some more frightening parts throughout the book. I do not recommend this to the faint of heart. Luminous isn't all horror, there were some very funny and heart-warming scenes as well. Overall, it was a very good read. 

HS - OPTIONAL. Reviewer: CCH

Don't Stop Now by Julie Halpern OPTIONAL

Halpern, Julie Don't Stop Now, 224 pags. Feiwel and Friends, June 2011. Language--PG-13 (30 swears); Sexual Content--PG-13; Violence--PG.

Lillian's sort-of friend, Penny, fakes her own kidnapping on the day after high school graduation. Lil and her best friend Josh decide to take the situation into their own hands, and instead of telling the police, decide to take a road trip to Washington to figure out what she was thinking. Most of the book is from Lil's POV, but Penny does have a few paragraphs every couple of chapters to give background and perspective.

I usually really enjoy "road trip" books. But this one, I didn't get. Periodically I'd ask myself, "What is the point of this novel?" and I never had an answer. By the end of the story I decided it was Lil and Josh's relationship, since that is the question asked on the cover. But even at the last page, where their relationship stands is still up in the air, so again, I had to ask, "What was the point?" And going after Penny seemed a really flimsy excuse behind the road trip. I found it a rather pointless book.

HS--OPTIONAL. Rebekah, youth services librarian

The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman - OPTIONAL

Shulman, Polly The Grimm Legacy, 325 pgs. Putnam, 2010. Language - G, Sexual Content - PG; Violence - PG; Elizabeth is excited to get a job in hopes that she will finally be able to gain friends. However, she finds a whole lot more than that. Magic and a mystery are now part of Elizabeth's formerly boring life and she's knee deep in trouble, too. With everyone pointing fingers and arguing, it's hard to get anything accomplished, can they over come their differences long enough to save each other and the magic? 

Once you get into it, this book is intense, but everything seems to be worked out too fast and easily. It's still cute and exciting with new magic at every turn. 

MS, HS - OPTIONAL. Reviewer: CCH

My Life, the Theater, and Other Tragedies by Allen Zadoff - OPTIONAL

Zadoff, Allen My Life, the Theater, and Other Tragedies, 282 pgs. Egmont, 2011. Language - PG (45 swears, 0 "f"), Sexual Content - PG-13; Violence - G; Adam has family issues, social issues, and self-confidence issues. Adam is a behind-the-scenes guy--literally and figuratively. He can't bring himself to stand up to his brother or Derek, no way is going to get up and stand up to himself and admit he needs to make changes. Adam needs to get his act together and stand up for something in his life, but how can he when everything is falling to pieces? 

Adam's inner conflict causes most of his outer conflicts; I love how real Adam's story is and how you can relate to it. Getting lost in the chaos and drama of Montclair High's thespians is easy and overwhelming. I loved being apart of Adam's growth and gaining some of his strength myself. I only wish I didn't have to be apart of Adam's typical teenage boy thoughts. 

MS, HS - OPTIONAL. Reviewer: CCH

Cold Case by Julia Platt Leonard - OPTIONAL

Leonard, Julia Platt Cold Case, 281 pgs. Aladdin, 2011. Language - PG (3 swears, 0 "f"), Sexual Content - G; Violence - PG; Oz doesn't like his older brother being his boss, but when he has to get up at six in the morning to go into work Saturday morning, is no exception. That's when Oz stumbles upon a crime scene in the restaurant. Oz's older brother is suspected of the murder and is taken to jail, while Oz and Rusty work to solve the mystery--or at least give reasonable doubt--without being killed themselves. 

I enjoyed this murder mystery, but it went by too fast. There were so many things intertwined that it shouldn't have been solved so fast. Plus, when the murderer finally explained to Oz what happened, it was too much information to take in at once and became confusing. 

MS - OPTIONAL. Reviewer: CCH

The Dark City by Catherine Fisher - OPTIONAL

Fisher, Catherine Relic Master: The Dark City, 372 pgs. The Penguin Group, 2011. Language - G, Sexual Content - G; Violence - G; Raffi is the pupil of a reckless keeper, Galen Harn. Although they should stay in hiding, Galen leads them into another risky situation, and this one is a trap. Half by force of their trappers and half of their own will, Raffi and Galen are going to the city where their enemies rule. What could go wrong? 

Adventure, despair, betrayal, and surprises, this book has it all. I was not captivated in the beginning, but it has a way of drawing you in slowly. By the end of the book, I was caught hook, line, and sinker. Now I just need the second one. 

MS, HS - OPTIONAL. Reviewer: CCH

Evil Roots by Andrew Nance - OPTIONAL

Nance, Andrew Return to Daemon Hall: Evil Roots, 240 pages, Henry Holt and Company, 2011. Language: PG (less than 5 swears, 0 "F") Sexual content: PG, Violence: PG 13. It's been a year since the contest that changed Wade's life forever. A year since the horrifying night spent in one of the most haunted locations in the world. But now there's a new contest. New players, new location. Wade is sure that this time, with Daemon hall burned to the ground, it will be a safe one, but he couldn't be more wrong, and this time, there may be more than just one tragedy.

This book honestly chilled me to the bone. It had a lot of twists that kept me reading until the end, and terrified of the dark long after I turned the last page. Return to Daemon hall was extremely well written and captivating, and Nance did well to keep it, for the most part, teenager friendly. But overall, the plot was much too demonic and had a bad energy to it, especially for someone who believes in evil spirits. As much as I loved the stories and the way it was written, the dark feeling almost makes me want to hide the book in the back of my basement and never think about it again. Of course, for someone who doesn't believe in or is not affected by spirits or demons, it would be an awesome read.  

MS, HS - OPTIONAL Student reviewer: BT

Peas on Earth by Todd Doodler - OPTIONAL

Doodler, Todd H. Peas on Earth. Robin Corey Books, 2012 $6.99. Content G- BOARD BOOK. There’s a bit of a social commentary and encouragement to do the right thing mixed throughout the book. The peas give examples of what “peas on earth” would look like as everyone gets along and no one gets hurt.  The book has a cute message if you want to teach your kids that life could be perfect if you make the effort. If you want your kids to get used to disappointment so they will have the coping skills later in life, this might not be the book for you. 

Pre-K, EL - OPTIONAL. Shauna, reading teacher.

Sharpshooter by Chris Lynch - ADVISABLE

Lynch, Chris Sharpshooter (Vietnam 2), 185 p. Scholastic, 2012.  $17.  Violence: R.  Once there were four friends – but that was before the war.  Now they are each somewhere, somewhere they can’t be together.  Ivan has always been the one eager for war – and straight he goes into the Army and straight into training as a sharpshooter.  On the ground in Vietnam is much different than picking off targets, but Ivan is in pursuit of his sniper dream.  On his days off, however, he heads out voluntarily with an elite group of marksmen – and what he does there will change him forever.  

Right up to the last seven pages, I was happy – gritty, but happy – and then my dreams were dashed.  Lynch made that step from implied violence to graphic violence – the step that takes this particular book from the upper elementary right past it older middle school or high school.  This may be a good series for your struggling high school readers, but war is a hard subject to make palatable for the younger ones.  MS - OPTIONAL; HS – ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library Teacher

Blizzard of Glass by Sally M. Walker - OPTIONAL

Walker, Sally M. Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of 1917, 140 p.  Henry Holt (Macmillan), 2012.  NON-FICTION.  In 1917, a ship loaded with munitions for the war in Europe collided with another boat and exploded – strewing debris and leveling building through large swaths of Halifax, killing nearly 2000 people.  But students today know nothing about this devastation. 

If you have a solid non-fiction collection or regional interest, this piece of WWI history is well worth the investment.  A bit dry leading up to the actual explosion – events are riveting afterwards.  MS, HS – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher

The Very Little Princess: Rose’s Story by Marion Bauer - OPTIONAL

Bauer, Marion Dane  The Very Little Princess:  Rose’s Story  122 pages.  Random House, 2011.  $12.99  Content: G.  Rose is a young girl that finds a 3 ¼ inch porcelain doll in her family attic.  She finds that the little doll can turn into a real 3 ¼ inch person.  Rose’s brother Sam also knows of the live doll and he and Rose take care of her.  They eventually buy her a doll house and one day Rose leaves her in there and comes back to find that she can’t get the doll  to wake up. 

I did not like this story because there wasn’t a storyline and there was no explanation to the ending.  The main character was irresponsible, lied to her mom, and called other little girls names because she wasn’t friends with them.  EL (4-6)-OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Unforsaken by Sophie Littlefield - OPTIONAL

Littlefield, Sophie Unforsaken (Hailey Tarbell Series #2), 288 pgs. Random House Children's Books,  2011 (October). $11.98. (Language-PG (Swear count: I don’t remember any, Violence-PG13; Sexual Content-PG) Hailey is descended from a long line of healers who came to the United States from Ireland.  This story continues from the first book, Banished.  Hailey, her aunt Prairie, and her little brother Chub have fled from General Prentiss who is trying to force them to use their powers to create zombies from those that have just died.  The three have gone to Milwaukee, changed their names and assumed new lives.  For the first time in Hailey’s life she seems normal – regular clothes, regular friends, a regular life.  But Hailey misses her boyfriend Kaz who is a seer.  They devise a plan to stay in touch with each other.  They are careful, just not careful enough.  Their scheme is found out; the General is after them.

 The story is told primarily in Hailey’s voice.  However, other voices show up throughout the story.  The story is built around the conflict of Hailey & Kaz fighting to be free from the General and his evil plans.  While I think girls will like the story I didn’t really connect to the characters until the final scenes.  There are some scenes that contain some moderate violence – bombing, shootings, etc. and that is why I gave it a PG13 for violence.

 HS – OPTIONAL. Reviewer: W. Child - Cyprus High Library Media Specialist

The Selection by Kiera Cass - OPTIONAL

Cass, Kiera The Selection, 336 p. HarperCollins, APRIL 2012.  Language: PG (11 swears, 0 “f”).  $18.  America Singer, 17, has already found the love of her life and she has NO desire to try to win the hand of Prince Maxon.  In post-apocalyptic USA, America’s family are 4’s, artisans who can make a decent living for themselves, while Aspen, her boyfriend, is only a 5, barely able to stay alive.  Aspen insists that she enter, however, and America finds herself in the top 35 and moving into the palace – into a place she never wanted to be, with 34 girls she never wanted to meet, and competing for the hand of a prince she has no desire to love.  Rebels and enemies of Illea make life in the palace dangerous, but so do the other girls, some of whom are willing to do whatever it takes to win.  

Cass has taken the premise of The Bachelor, moved it to a future America and tried to add in a dose of Hunger Games.  While it doesn’t work as well as the reality show nor the novel, I do admire America.  If you pay too much attention to plot, you swiftly realize that it is pretty fluffy – not  a lot of deep thought going on here.  Oh, the author tries, but the clothes and the selection process occupies too much of the novel.  If this were in paperback, I would be much more enthusiastic about recommending it.  I am holding out hopes for a sequel with more meat.  MS – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher

A Plague Year by Edward Bloor –OPTIONAL

Bloor, Edward A Plague Year, 320 pgs. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2012. $12.79. (Language-PG, Violence-PG13; Sexual Content-PG; Drinking & Drug Use.)
Tom is a teen that lives in a small town. He works hard at school so that one day he can go to an out of state college. Tom thinks its unfair that he has to work at his dad’s grocery store –for free. When he starts to take part in a therapy group for teens and they start discussing drugs, it opens Tom’s eyes to the drug problem in his community. Meth has started to take over; theft at the grocery store reaches epic proportions and even people he knows start to become zombie’s from it. This is the story of how one community struggles against a plague of addiction.
I think drug use and its expanding effects are an important topic. I really wanted to like this book, having known a meth addict -and seeing how it effected his life. But this book was sort of bleak, boring, and had an extremely dated feeling. I am not sure what I was supposed to take away from this book, but I think there might be some murky lessons hidden somewhere. I was rather irritated reading some of the solutions/coping mechanisms the characters and the community came up with. For example: if your store carry’s items that are continually stolen for meth –keep selling them, and allowing theft without prosecution, until eventually you get an employee shot in the process. The bottom line is that teen readers would be bored to tears, especially with the main character, and I am not sure they come out of reading this any different than they were before.
OPTIONAL Reviewer: Stephanie MLS graduate.

Melody Burning by Whitley Strieber - OPTIONAL

Strieber, Whitley Melody Burning, 215 p. Henry Holt (Macmillan), 2011.  Language: R (70 swears, o ‘f’); Violence: PG-13.  Many years ago, Breseford was with his father at the top of a new building and was witness when the strange man pushed the father to his death.  Since that day, he has hidden with the passages, shafts and ceilings of the high-end condominiums, existing quietly off of the residents.  Melody is a rising singing star – with a stage mother who is bent of controlling Melody’s every move.  But Melody can hear Breseford within the walls of her home and is duly freaked out by his quiet presence.  When the two meet however, it begins not only an unlikely romance, but also a deadly man-hunt, as the building’s owner – the original murderer – is determined to hunt down Breseford for his own nefarious purposes.  

While there are some very tender, sweet moments here, the premise is so from left field that in the end it is almost hard to take seriously.  I can totally see this as a Disney TV movie – so much drama and saccharine.  This would be great in paperback as a summer beach read. HS – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher

Dreamless by Josephine Angelini - OPTIONAL

Angelini, Josephine Dreamless, 496 p. HarperCollins, MAY 2012.  Language: R (70+ swears, 0 ‘f’); Violence: PG-13.  Every night, Helen descends into the Underworld, searching for a way to free her family, her friends, her love, from the curse of the Furies – the curse that demands that they kill on sight any rival family member.  As Helen’s life is becoming harder, her rock, her would-be mate, Lucas, has pushed her away in the damaging fashion.  Into her journey, however, comes Orion, another similar to Helen who can descend into the Underworld.  Together they start figuring out pieces of the puzzle – and draw closer together.  There is plenty of danger, obstruction and betrayal – including a deeply laid plot that has been centuries in planning.  

Okay – I just have to get this out of my system – I HATE THE COVERS OF THESE BOOKS!  Every time I look at them I think – oh, I need to read this book – because the covers are so different from the contents of the books that I can’t relate them.  These books deserve MUCH BETTER covers.  

Helen is a rock star, her extended family are heroes and your students really need to read these books.  I certainly wish for a lower swear count so that I could include these in a middle school library.  HS – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher

Last of the Gullivers by Carter Crocker - OPTIONAL

Crocker, Carter Last of the Gullivers, 224 p. Philomel (Penguin), 2012.  $17.  Content: G.  Michael, 12, is headed straight to trouble.  His first try to enter the local gang and he is caught red-handed.  As penance he goes to work for the local grocer, and a chance delivery leads him to meet the village oddity – Lem Gulliver – who introduces him to the Lilliputians, who have lived for generations in the Gulliver’s backyard.  Problems are brewing  - in the village, as the gang tries to exert control over Michael and among the Lilliputians, as a seedy character tries to take control.  Everyone has huge decisions to make.  

As much as I enjoyed the essence of this book, there are too many people over too short of a book so it feels very crowded and complicated.  On the other hand - I think this would make a great movie!  Somebody alert Jack Black!  EL – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher

The Edumacation of Jay Baker by Jay Clark

Clark, Jay The Edumacation of Jay Baker, 288 pgs. Henry Holt and Co, 2012. $12.40. (Language-PG13 –Creative dirty words mostly, Violence-G; Sexual Content-PG13)
Jay Baker is a high school freshman who is brainy, wordy, and has a nasty case of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. He is mostly in love with his best friend, Cameo. Everything gets complicated when trouble between his parents causes some drama. Then everything gets complicated with Cameo. Then there is the exotic Caroline and that gets complicated. Will Jay ever get his life straitened out?
This book is like a giant explosion of pop culture references. The bottom line is that its almost un-decipherable unless you are a true product of pop culture from the 1980’s going forward. These superfluous references are used in every way –from creative word combinations to being put to work as verbs. Although I was pathetically proud to be privy to this secret language, it was over the top, to the point of being downright annoying. Also, maybe I am just getting tired of the cliché of the geeky guy having the hot girls lining up, which is also popular in the movie industry right now. Teens will either love or hate this book, I am thinking more will lean towards the latter.
HS – OPTIONAL Reviewer: Stephanie MLS graduate.

The Ghost Box by Catherine Fisher - OPTIONAL

Fisher, Catherine The Ghost Box, 67 p. Stoke Books (Lerner), 2008, 2012.  $7.  Content: G.  Sarah and her step-brother Matt do not get along at all.  But since their parents married each other, they have to at least pretend to get along. Then Sarah has a strange dream about a boy, a tree and a silver box and Matt seems over interested when the box appears in Sarah’s room.  Even though the antiques dealer downtown tells her that it is a box that should never be opened, the strange boy has become insistent and violent and Sarah doesn’t know where to turn for help.  

Fisher packs a lot of story into a very short book.  It’s a very decent entry for a hi-lo reader who likes ghost stories.  It is just so small, I am afraid I will lose it on the shelf.  MS – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher

Anna Hibiscus’ Song by Atinuke - OPTIONAL

Atinuke Anna Hibiscus’ Song, illustrated by Lauren Tobia  Kane Miller, 2011. PICTURE BOOK  $15.99  Anna Hibiscus lives in Africa and when she wakes in the morning she tries to find ways to describe how happy she is, so she goes from her grandparents, aunts, cousins and parents to ask them how they express their happiness.  Towards the end, Anna decides that the way she expresses her happiness is through singing.  

Great illustrations with cute storyline.  Sometimes the story feels choppy, but it has a good message.  EL (K-3)-OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.