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

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.

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.

How to Die of Embarrassment Every Day by Ann Hodgman - OPTIONAL

Hodgman, Ann How to Die of Embarrassment Every Day, 208 pgs. Henry Holt, 2011. $16.99.  Language G(0swears), Sexual Content G; Violence G; Ann, an girl who has lived a very interesting life, discloses her embarrassing moments in this story. All about toys that were cool and adventures she had playing outside, about growing up and experiencing new things. Funny stories punctuated by pictures from Ann's childhood. To tie it up she includes instruction on how to avoid the situations that have been told in her own autobiography. 

I thought it was filled with only a few embarrassing stories and a bunch of just normal stories. Not very funny, and kind of a let down. You wanna hear about embarrassing stories try my life. Disappointed with how the title and short disclosure of the story prepared me for moments of embarrassment but the book was clean out of any of those stories. EL - OPTIONAL. Student Reviewer: KU

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews –ESSENTIAL FOR PUBLIC ONLY

Andrews, Jesse Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, 304 pgs. Harry N. Abrams, 2012 (March). $11.17. (Language-R (Swear count: I gave up after 100 and some are too creative to categorize, Violence-PG; Sexual Content-R)
Greg is a high school senior who has survived and thrived on a complex set of social rules –that include skirting the edges of all the social groups. Greg loves films and has been making his own for years with his friend Earl. He hates all the films they have made and no one else is allowed to see them. When Greg’s mom forces him to reacquaint himself with a girl named Rachel, because she has leukemia, he has to start breaking all his rules.
That is a pathetic description of a wildly entertaining book that is one of my new all time favorite books. I will be buying all books by this author. It went beyond accurately portraying a main characters world view –I felt like I was in Greg’s head –and it was a fun place to be. It was: laugh out loud, read excerpts to friends, relive and laugh some more, downright FUNNY. Did I mention that it was whitty and interesting and unique? I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that it’s probably not appropriate for most school libraries. But that being said –I think it a must have for public libraries!
HS – ESSENTIAL FOR PUBLIC ONLY Reviewer: Stephanie MLS graduate.

The Rites and Wrongs of Janice Wills by Joanna Pearson - OPTIONAL

Pearson, Joanna  The Rites and Wrongs of Janice Wills 224 pages Scholastic, 2011. $16.99 Content: Language: PG-13 (16 swears; 13 God); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG.  Janice is a Junior in high school and is a self-proclaimed anthropologist.  Her observations about fellow classmates seem to be factual to her, until her best friends point out to her that she is overly critical and maybe her observations are judgmental.  Janice has a change of heart after a boy she liked ends up being mean to her and she fights with her best friend.  In the end it was interesting, but my biggest complaint is the author seemed to be writing a middle school novel and then half way through it turned very high school with some mature content.  HS-OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

The whole story of half a girl by Veera Hiranandani –OPTIONAL

Hiranandani, Veera The whole story of half a girl, 224 pgs. Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2012. $12.67. (Language-G, Violence-G, Sexual Content-G).
Sonia is a sixth grader navigating public school for the first time, having been to a fun alternative school for the rest of her education. Everything is different. She even starts to feel uncomfortable about her heritage for the first time (she’s half Jewish and half India Indian). At home, there are many changes too. Her father lost his job and is depressed, while her mother seems worried and stressed. Sonia tries to find her way through the changes.
The voice of Sonia is very juvenile, she seems years younger than she is supposed to be. For example I found it hard to buy into a 12 year old with half Indian heritage questioning if they are “black”. It seems like a question a much younger child would be asking of their parents. I think there are a lot of great tidbits to be found here, such as the ambiguity of friendship, and understanding your own parents. But I think the presentation of the book is muddled enough that student readers would be bored and miss most of the possible lessons.
ELEMENTARY – OPTIONAL Reviewer: Stephanie MLS graduate.

Brendan Buckley's Sixth-Grade Experiment by Sundee T Frazier - ADVISABLE

Frazier, Sundee T.  Brendan Buckley's Sixth Grade Experiment, 278 pages.  Delacorte Press (Random House), 2012.  $16.99.  Language: G; Sexual Content: G; Violence: G.  This is a sequel to Frazier's Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It, which I have never read.  Brendan is now on his way to the sixth grade and middle school, and he is very concerned with how he looks to his friends as all middle schoolers are.  So when he meets Morgan, who was home-schooled up until this year, at a rock expedition he promises to be her friend at school to help her feel more comfortable.  But when he gets to school and he sees how terribly she fits in, he isn't quite brave enough to live up to his promise.  The book then chronicles Brendan's science project/experiment, his Tae Kwon Do practice, and his misunderstandings with his very-different-from-him father.  I enjoyed this book.  Since I never read the first one, I knew nothing about the characters coming into reading the book.  At first, I had a hard time relating to Brendan because he is a science guy and I am an arts guy, but after not too long I was able to care about Brendan, Morgan, and everyone in the book.  I think that many brainy kids, or kids of mixed race, or kids who aren't like their father might be able to relate to Brendan, his world, and this book.  EL, MS - ADVISABLE.  Brent Smith, Reading Teacher

Loser/Queen by Jodi Lynn Anderson - ESSENTIAL

Anderson, Jodi Lynn Loser/Queen, 259 pgs. Simon and Schuster, 2010. $9.99. Language G (0 swears), Sexual Content G; Violence G; When in high school you just follow the status quo and don't try to change your situation, once a loser always a loser right? Sure if you want the school to remain intact, but what would happen if a loser found a way to become queen of the school? Well Cammy found just how hard that could be to achieve. When a phone call and a box cause her to have the ability to take the current high school queen down, she takes the chance just as any other loser would. But when she finds her actions have consequences can she take the results of her actions? Too many secrets and too fragile a school equals disaster. 

       This book was touching and quite funny as Cammy struggles to find her place; whether that's as a loser or the queen, humor was a constant. It was surprisingly relatable to everyone who is or ever has gone through high school. I loved all the detail and care to create this character with all her quirks and real life struggles. Wonderfully refreshing and true. HS MS - ESSENTIAL. Student Reviewer: KU

The Fat Boy Chronicles by Diane Lang - ADVISABLE

Lang, Diane The Fat Boy Chronicles, 217 pgs. Sleeping Bear Press, 2009. Language – PG (16 swears, 0 “f”), Sexual Content – PG-13; Violence – PG; Jimmy is an obese freshman in high school who gets ridiculed a lot. Jimmy never thought there was anything wrong with his weight until this year. Now he is made fun of everyday and even considers suicide, but he doesn’t really want to die. That’s why he decides to become less fat, but as Jimmy takes control of his life, his few friend’s lives fall to pieces. How will they all survive high school? I loved and hated reading this book because it is so true! I was just a freshman and I can tell you from experience that no one can possibly be more mean then high school students. It makes me happy that Jimmy finally learned to ignore the jerks and be his own person. You can always take control of your own life and I love how Jimmy’s story shows that everyone can survive high school. MS, HS – ADVISABLE. Reviewer: CCH

Middle School: The Worst Years of my Life by James Patterson - ESSENTIAL

Patterson, James Middle School: The Worst Years of my Life, 281 pgs. Little, Brown and Company, 2011. $15.99 Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG. Rafe's world turns upside down as he begins his middle school incarceration. Staying focused on earning good grades is not Rafe's forte but earning points while breaking as many school rules as possible is! From infatuations for Jeanne Galleta, and war with Miller the Killer, to problems with his family on the home front, Rafe finds out just how challenging middle school can be based on the decisions he decides to make! Good: I laughed a lot while reading this story. Middle school is depicted accurately but in the most extreme ways possible. The story is written well and leads the reader to want more! Bad: There was nothing negative about this story...the truth was stretched just enough so as to allow the reader to laugh while continuing the healing process from their own middle school years experience. MS – ESSENTIAL.  Reviewer: Kevin R. Moray

Frost by Marianna Baer - OPTIONAL

Baer, Marianna Frost, 402 pgs. Balzer + Bray, 2011. Language – R (107 swears, 9 “f”), Sexual Content – PG-13; Violence – PG; Leena has been looking forward to senior year all summer long, and when she ends up in the dorm she wanted she’s really excited. But she has a weird roommate and can’t get along with her best friends as well as they use to. Leena’s life is falling apart, but if she stays in her closet where everything feels okay, will she really be okay? This is a very odd book. The whole story was weird and it tried too hard to be suspenseful and then didn’t fully end. It was way too slow for me and when it finally got to the interesting part, it freaked me out. HS – OPTIONAL. Reviewer: CCH

Principal for the Day (Frankly Fannie Series) by AJ Stern -ADVISABLE

Stern, AJ Principal for the Day (Frankly Fannie Series), 128 pgs. Grosset & Dunlap, 2011. $4.99. (Rating: G in all categories)
Frannie (aka Frankly) the little girl with a whole lot of personality is back. She has a knack for getting into trouble without even realizing it. When she becomes Principal for the day at her school, Frannie is excited to expand her resume and take charge. This hasn’t worked out well in the past. Hilarity and life lessons ensue.
It’s no secret I adore this series! Sometimes children’s book can be a dull read for adults –containing simple characters, plots, and wording. But this series manages to break those mold’s –it’s a fun, entertaining read with a fledged out characters, quirky adventures, and creative dialogue. Students will love Frannie and this is a great series for any school library. Each book can function easily as a stand alone.
Elementary –ADVISABLE Reviewer: Stephanie MLS graduate.