West Bend Community Memorial Library

New YA Books (updated 10.25.2006)

June Books

Shug by Jenny Han - Han's heartfelt first novel persuasively expresses the woes of Annemarie "Shug" Wilcox during her first year of junior high. As the boys and girls at school start warming up to each other, flat-chested, freckle-faced Shug finds herself left out in the cold. Her best friend, Elaine, is "wrapped up" in her relationship with new boyfriend Hugh, while the boy Shug likes—longtime friend Mark—has started to act distant towards her. To add insult to injury, he asks another girl to the upcoming seventh-grade dance. Meanwhile, tensions mount in the Wilcox household as fights between Shug's parents (caused by her father's prolonged absences and her mother's drinking binges) intensify. Shug feels all alone, like she's the only seventh grader with problems, until she is assigned to tutor her nemesis, Jack, who, as it turns out, can relate to her troubles.

Fourth World by Kate Thompson - Danny is slower than other kids his age and prone to violent outbursts. When Danny runs off to find his biological mother, his stepbrother follows him. But nothing prepares the boys for what they learn when they locate Danny's mother at her laboratory, Fourth World.

Only Human by Kate Thompson - Christie and his friends continue their search for the missing link in the faraway Himalayas, where the answers may be found with the elusive and mysterious Yeti. Their journey leaves Danny battling his overwhelming longing for the sea, and Danny’s half-sister Sandy fighting for her father’s approval. The experience will bring out the best and worst in the group and eventually compel each of them to ask the ultimate question: What does it mean to be human?

Angel Monster by Veronica Bennett - In the spring of 1814, poet Percy Shelley enters the life of young Mary Godwin like an angel of deliverance. Seduced by his radical and romantic ideas, she flees with him and her stepsister to Europe, where they forge a hardscrabble life while mingling with other free-spirited artists and poets. Frowned on by family and society, persecuted by gossip, and plagued by jealousy, Mary becomes haunted by freakish imaginings and hideous visions. As tragedy strikes, not once but time and again, Mary begins to realize that her dreams have become nightmares, and her angel . . . a monster. Now the time has finally come for the young woman who would become Mary Shelley to set her monster free.

Scrambled Eggs at Midnight by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler - Alternating voices of Cal and Elliot tell a witty, offbeat story of unexpected but auspicious first love. Featuring unforgettable characters, colorful backdrops, and even a few recipes, the tale is as funny as it is romantic.

The Queens Soprano by Carol Dines - A powerful historical novel about a seventeen year-old girl who would sacrifice everything in order to be free to sing.

Firegirl by Tony Abbott - Tom and his classmates learn that Jessica, who has been badly burned, will be attending their school while getting medical treatments. Despite her startling appearance, Tom slowly develops a friendship with Jessica that changes his life.

Day of the Scarab by Catherine Fisher - In this epic tale, Archon returns to find that General Argelin has seized control. Whose new power is hidden in the sign of the Scarab? In the descent into anarchy, Mirany and the Archon must attempt a final journey through the Nine Gateways into death--and back.

Seeker by William Nicholson - An epic coming-of-age story about courage, friendship, desire, and faith launches a new Noble Warriors series with 16-year-old Seeker setting off to rescue his exiled brother and save the Nomana--and themselves--from destruction.

Pucker by Melanie Gideon - In this lyrical fantasy about a disfigured boy's struggle to find his place, Thomas Quicksilver, known to his classmates as Pucker, has a chance to be magically healed of the scars he received on his face after being burned, but at what price?

Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty - Things are looking up for Jessica Darling. She has finally left her New Jersey hometown/hell-hole for Columbia University In New York; she's more into Marcus Flutle than ever (so what if he's at a Buddhist college in California?); and she's making friends who just might qualify as stand-ins for her beloved Hope. But Jessica soon realizes that her bliss might not last. She lands an internship at a snarky Brooklyn-based magazine, but will she mesh with the uber-hip staff? As she and Marcus hit the rocks, will she end up failing for her GOPunk, neo-conservative RA; the hot (and marriedl) Spanish grad student she's assisting on a project; or the oh-so-sensitive emo boy down the hall? And what do the cryptic one-word postcards from Marcus really mean? With hilarious insight, the hyper-observant Jessica Darling struggles through three years of college--and the summers in between--while maintaining her usual mix of wit, cynicism, and candor.

Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn by Sarah Miller - Body image. Popularity. Virginity. Who would have guessed boys worry about this stuff? Stepping into this novel is like reading a guy's personal diary and discovering he's funny, sexy, wise, and a deep-thinker. Fifth Avenue

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan - Told in alternating chapters, teeming with music references, humor, angst, and endearing side characters, this he said/she said romance is a sexy, funny roller coaster of a story about one date over one very long night, with two teenagers who are just trying to figure out who they want to be.

Sweet Sixteen Princess by Meg Cabot - Princess Mia turns 16 in this gifty Princess Diaries novella--a perfect partyfavor.

LBD Friends Forever by Grace Dent - Like the first two LBD adventures, this latest installment delivers the sassy, classy goods in true LBD style that is sure to bring even more positive attention to this exciting, popular series. Ronnie, Fleur, and Claude (known to all as Les Bambinos Dangereuses, or LBD) have signed up for the summer of their dreams.They’re working at a seaside hotel, complete with all-night parties, nightclubs, beach blowouts, and an endless supply of gorgeous surfer lads—with no embarrassing parents in sight! But soon enough, the dream turns into a nightmare. The LBD’s archnemesis Panama Goodyear arrives at the hotel with her whole crew in tow. Not only do the LBD have to wait hand and foot on Panama, but they have to compete against her in the Miss Demonboard Beauty Contest. Will the summer be ruined? Not if the LBD has anything to say about it!

The Au Pairs Sun-Kissed by Melissa de la Cruz - Nothing's hotter than the summer before college, and Eliza, Mara, and Jacqui know how to get themselves into the maximum amount of trouble and have a blast doing it.

Demon Thief by Darren Shan - Kernel Fleck has always known he's weird. He sees lights. Strange, multi-colored patches of light, swirling through the air. But it's not until a window opens into a demon world, with horrific consequences, that Kernel discovers his powers. As a Disciple, his mission is to hunt vicious, powerful demons, to the death...

Playing it Cool by Joaquin Dorfman - Eighteen-year-old Sebastian Montero is known as a problem solver of the subtlest kind. Thanks to his intricate network of favors and debts Sebastian controls the world, manipulates it--and hides from it. It isn't until his best friend asks him to track down his long-missing father that Sebastian is forced to face the most challenging problem of all.

Specials by Scott Westerfeld - In this final book of Westerfield's trilogy, Tally has been transformed from a repellent ugly to supermodel pretty. Now she's a super-amped fighting machine. Her mission is to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid. But Tally's never been good at playing by the rules.

Lulu Dark and the Summer of the Fox by Bennett Madison - The last thing Lulu Dark needs is a mystery getting in the way of her Important Summer Plans which include snacking, sunbathing, and trash TV. But when Lulu's mother, B-list celebrity Isabelle Dark, drops into town to shoot a movie--and disappears--Lulu gets just that.

LBD: It's a Girl Thing by Grace Dent - Ronnie, Fleur, and Claude--collectively known as the LBD or "Les Bambinos Dangereuses"--are denied permission by their parents to attend a music festival. In true LBD fashion, the girls decide to stage a concert of their own.

Time's Memory by Julius Lester - In this powerful novel by National Book Award finalist Lester, Amma, the creator god, sends a young man to a plantation in Virginia where he becomes a slave on the eve of the Civil War. There, he is to find a way to bring peace to both the dead and the living.

Listen! by Stephanie Tolan - Recovering from the accident that shattered her leg is nowhere near as difficult as facing the solitude of a summer with a father who does nothing but work since her mother's death. For Charley, the summer holds a surprise in the form of a mysterious dog she connects with in the woods.

Happy Kid by Gail Gauthier - All cynical Kyle wants is to get through seventh grade unnoticed, but a self-help book from his well-meaning mother changes all that. Magically the book seems to know all about him and it wants to help him through his misery.

When it Happens by Susane Colastanti - In Colasanti's sweet debut, an unlikely pair of high school seniors fall for each other, and learn to handle the ups and downs that come with love. At the start of the book, overachiever Sara starts dating popular Dave, mainly because "after being a nobody for so long, it feels awesome to be a somebody." But when she gets paired up with smart slacker musician Tobey, they instantly connect and Sara realizes true love is "finally happening." Told through the couple's alternating perspectives, the story realistically captures the thrill of first love.

Bowery Girl by Kim Taylor - The Bowery, 1883: Gamblers and thieves, immigrants and Street Arabs, Do-Gooders and charity houses, impossible dreams and impossible odds. This is the story of two "Bowery girls"—the pickpocket Mollie Flynn and the prostitute Annabelle Lee, young women without family or education who must fend for themselves. Two young women whose survival depends on each other. After a chance encounter with Emmeline DuPre, a "Do-Gooder" who has recently opened a settlement house, Mollie and Annabelle are given the opportunity to better themselves. But the city offers many temptations, and on the streets of the Bowery, you do whatever it takes to survive. This vibrant, carefully researched novel shows how much—and how little—our world has changed.

Hit the Road by Caroline B. Cooney - Brit has had her driver's license only 11 days when her parents drop her off to stay at her grandmother's house for two weeks while they go on vacation. Little do they know Brit is headed for a three-state road trip with Nannie to pick up her college roommates, Florence, Aurelia, and Daisy, and bring them to their alma mater for their 65th--and most likely final--reunion. A reluctant recruit at first, Brit is anxious as well as annoyed when she finds herself responsible for her fragile passengers. But things change as she sits behind the wheel up front and listens to "the girls" in the backseat laugh and reminisce about their 65 years of friendship. Inspired by their lifelong loyalty, Brit is willing to do whatever it takes to get the former college roommates to their reunion safely.

Tallulah Falls by Christine Fletcher - When Tallulah Addy sets out on an impulsive cross-country trip to rescue her best friend, she doesn't anticipate getting stranded in rural Tennessee. Nor does she guess that rescuing a dog will land her a job in the local veterinarian's office.

Monster Blood Tattoo: Foundling by D.M. Cornish - The orphan Rossamnd--a boy with a girl's name--begins his journey through the perilous Half-Continent where the human race lives in perpetual conflict with monsters of every shape and description.

April & May Books

Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever by James Patterson -

Firebirds Rising edited by Sharyn November - This star-studded follow-up to the acclaimed "Firebirds" contains riveting, original stories by some of today's masters of science fiction and fantasy, including Fancesca Lia Block, Alan Dean Foster, Diana Wynne Jones, and Tanith Lee.

Wizards at War by Diane Duane - Nita and Kit join the front lines in an epic magical battle. Check out more with the rest of the Young Wizards series.

Runner by Carl Deuker - Living with his alcoholic father on a broken-down sailboat on Puget Sound has been hard on seventeen-year-old Chance Taylor, but when his love of running leads to a high-paying job, he quickly learns that the money is not worth the risk.

Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos - The author of "Remix: Conversations with Immigrant Teenagers" pens a moving story about two teenage sisters, originally from Bangladesh, whose family lives illegally in New York City. After 9/11, immigration regulations change, forcing the family to seek asylum.

Bass Ackwards and Belly Up by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain - This smart first novel about four best friends who decide to postpone the standard college route to pursue their creative dreams is written by two writer-producers of the Emmy Award-winning FX series, "The Shield."

The Black Room by Gillian Cross - A sequel to The Dark Ground (Dutton, 2004). Sheltered in an underground cavern, Lorn and her band of miniaturized humans struggle to survive in a cold, dangerous, and hostile world. Above their heads, Tom, a normal-sized human boy, walks his dog in a park near his home, observes Rob, and ponders his old friend's recent personality changes. As chapters shift between the small, vulnerable people and the young adults interacting above them, Tom learns that Rob had consciously entered a tiny double of himself, and that Lorn and her friends came to his rescue in a landscape made alien by Rob's relative size in The Dark Ground (Dutton, 2004). Back to his normal size, he is trying to help Lorn and her friends as best he can. Tom's chance encounter with a mentally retarded boy leads Rob and Tom to an underground black room, where the boy's horribly abused sister, Hope (clearly Lorn's double) is imprisoned. Shifting perspectives, cliff-hanger chapter endings, and fast-paced action paired with believable, sympathetic characters make this a compelling read.

What Gloria Wants by Sarah Withrow - Gloria and Shawna have high school all planned out. Shawna will be the first to have a boyfriend, and Gloria will have to wait for her best friend to find her someone to date. As ninth grade begins, things don't work out according to plan, as Gloria lands the hottest guy in the class. Jealousy rages and relationships begin and end. The protagonists are characters with whom most teenage girls will relate. The plot is fast moving and deals with common adolescent issues: love, boyfriends who want more than the girl is willing to give, loyalty, school, and popularity. The major lesson learned is that true friendship can overcome any obstacle put in its way.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen - Annabel Greene seemingly had everything: cool friends, close family, good grades, and a part-time modeling career in town. But it all came crashing down, and Annabel has spent the summer in shaky, self-imposed exile. She finds herself dreading the new school term and facing, well, everyone again. The last thing she wants to do is revisit old friendships while the losses are painful, the secrets behind the rifts are almost unbearable. Her solid family seems fragile, too. What happened to cause the stiff silences and palpable resentments between her two older sisters? Why is no one in her loving but determinedly cheerful family talking about her middle sister's eating disorder? Annabel's devastating secret is revealed in bits and snatches, as readers see her go to amazing lengths to avoid confrontation. Caught between wanting to protect her family and her own struggles to face a devastating experience, Annabel finds comfort in an unlikely friendship with the school's most notorious loner.

Between Mom and Jo by Julie Anne Peters - This new novel by National Book Award finalist Peters follows the emotional struggle of Nick, who has been raised by two moms. But everything changes when his birth mom and her wife Jo start to have problems. Suddenly, Nick is in the middle.

Klepto by Jenny Pollack - Julie Prodsky, a freshman at the High School of the Performing Arts in New York City, makes fast friends with Julie Braverman, a popular girl with an impressive designer wardrobe. Soon Julie B. teaches her the essentials of shoplifting and the pals begin 'getting' at stores throughout the city. Julie P. is delighted with her new friend, although her conscience begins troubling her.

The Tenth Power by Kate Constable - In the final book of the Chanters of Tremaris trilogy, the true Singer of All songs is revealed as a sickness infects the priestesses of Antaris. It is up to Calwyn to find a way to mend her broken world.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - Zusak has created a work that deserves the attention of sophisticated teen and adult readers. Death himself narrates the World War II-era story of Liesel Meminger from the time she is taken, at age nine, to live in Molching, Germany, with a foster family in a working-class neighborhood of tough kids, acid-tongued mothers, and loving fathers who earn their living by the work of their hands. The child arrives having just stolen her first book–although she has not yet learned how to read–and her foster father uses it, The Gravediggers Handbook, to lull her to sleep when shes roused by regular nightmares about her younger brothers death. Across the ensuing years of the late 1930s and into the 1940s, Liesel collects more stolen books as well as a peculiar set of friends: the boy Rudy, the Jewish refugee Max, the mayors reclusive wife (who has a whole library from which she allows Liesel to steal), and especially her foster parents.

The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima - Before he knew about the Roses, 16-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high-schoolers. Then one day Jack skips his medicine. Suddenly, he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before. And it feels great until he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts. Soon, Jack learns the startling truth about himself: He is Weirlind; part of an underground society of magical people who live among us. At the head of this magical society sit the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing The Game a magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death. The winning house rules the Weir. As if his bizarre magical heritage isn’t enough, Jack finds out that he’s not just another member of Weirlind he’s one of the last of the warriors at a time when both houses are scouting for a player. Jack’s performance on the soccer field has alerted the entire magical community to the fact that he’s in Trinity. And until one of the houses is declared Jack’s official sponsor, they’ll stop at nothing to get Jack to fight for them.

Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hyde - This deeply affecting novel by the author of Pay It Forward begins with the intersection of two nearly-lost lives. Jordan, 17, is hustling sex to earn a living in New York City after coming out to his parents and nearly getting killed by his homophobic father. In the horrific opening scene, he's squatting in the cellar he calls home when he realizes a girl is being raped in the alley outside. The victim is an 18-year-old waif whose life so far has been so unrelentingly brutal it doesn't register with her to complain about the rape. The instantaneous bond they form (Jordan gives her the name Chloe) has its origins in the most heartbreaking of circumstances: neither had a parent they could count on. When a second violent incident makes them fugitives, the two wind up on an exhilarating coast-to-coast journey looking for joy and beauty in what so far has been a grim existence.

As Simple as Snow by Gregory Galloway - It is said that Anna (Anastasia) Cayne was born in a thunderstorm. A slightly spooky and complicated high school girl with a penchant for riddles, shortwave radios, Houdini tricks, and ghost stories, Anna spends much of her time writing obituaries for every living person in town. She is unlike anyone the narrator has ever been with, and they make an unlikely, though happy, pair. A week before Valentine's Day, Anna disappears, leaving behind only a dress placed neatly near a hole in the frozen river, and a string of unanswered questions. Desperate to find her, or at least to comprehend what happened and why, the narrator begins to reconstruct the past five months. And soon the fragments of curious events, intimate conversations, suspicious secrets, and peculiar letters (and the anonymous messages that continue to arrive) coalesce into haunting and surprising revelations that may implicate friends, relatives - or even Anna herself.

A Summer of Kings by Han Nolan - Increasingly resentful of her forced role as the dim, responsible one in her gifted, well-to-do New York family, Esther acts out with increasing bitterness in a struggle to earn some respect and elbow room. Her rebellion begins to gain traction after King-Roy, the 18-year-old African-American son of her mother's childhood friend, travels up from Alabama to escape accusations that he murdered a white man. As he becomes a radicalized, tough-talking supporter of Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam, Esther counters by studying the words of James Baldwin, Dr. King, and Mahatma GandhiâÇôand finds an epiphany in Gandhi's challenge to "be the change we want to see in the world."  In the end, Esther's family is persuaded by her passion to join her in the famous 1963 march in Washington, DC, and King-Roy heads back home in the wake of uglier events. What sets Esther apart from everyone else in the story, is her ability to see the differences between her own expectations and those that are imposed from outside. Her genuineness is not only wholly admirable, but it also drives King-Roy and her parents crazy, adding a leavening of humor to her narrative's powerful mix of triumph and tragedy.

Rich Girls (Confessions of a Teenage Nanny) by Victoria Ashton - Liz Braun and Adrienne Lewis return in this second novel about the agonizing trials, embarrassing tribulations, and wild parties involved with being a teenage nanny.

King Dork by Frank Portman - In this coming-of-age, rock-and-roll, "Da Vinci Code"-style tale, high school loser Tom Henderson discovers his deceased father's copy of "The Catcher in the Rye" and finds himself in the middle of several interlocking conspiracies and at least half a dozen mysteries.

Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox - Laura Hame and her cousin Rose, 14, live in a recognizable early-20th-century society, realistically portrayed but for one thing: the Place, discovered about 20 years earlier by Lauras father. It lies outside geographical boundaries, and only select people are able to enter and experience dreams there. These dreamhunters then perform their received dreams for large theater audiences, and those in attendance go to sleep and experience them. At the time of this story, dreams have become big business and are embroiled in issues of social control (especially the control of prisoners) and power politics. When Lauras father disappears, the girl takes enormous risks first to try to find him, and then to complete his mission.

Surrender by Sonya Hartnett - I am dying: it's a beautiful word. Like the long slow sigh of a cello: dying. But the sound of it is the only beautiful thing about it. As life slips away, Gabriel looks back over his brief twenty years, which have been clouded by frustration and humiliation. A small, unforgiving town and distant, punitive parents ensure that he is never allowed to forget the horrific mistake he made as a child. He has only two friends--his dog, Surrender, and the unruly wild boy, Finnigan, a shadowy doppelganger with whom the meek Gabriel once made a boy-hood pact. But when a series of arson attacks grips the town, Gabriel realizes how unpredictable and dangerous Finnigan is. As events begin to spiral violently out of control, it becomes devastatingly clear that only the most extreme measures will rid Gabriel of Finnigan for good. Surrender is a mesmerizing psychological thriller from extraordinary novelist Sonya Hartnett.

The Dreamwalker's Child by Steve Voake - Fifteen-year-old Sam Palmer’s life is dull—until a bizarre bicycle accident leaves him in a coma. Sam awakens in Aurobon, a world eerily similar to his own, only to discover that his “accident” was part of an elaborate abduction by a ruler with a deadly agenda. Now Sam must team up with a fearless girl pilot to outwit the enemy. Otherwise, dark forces will invade his own world on insects the size of fighter jets. But that’s if the terrifying marsh dogs don’t kill him first.

The Year the Gypsies Came by Linzi Glass - As twelve-year-old Emily Iris explains it, her mother and father have always been eager to take in travelers and vagabonds, relying on the presence of outsiders to ease the tension between them. Emily has her gentle older sister, Sarah, and Buza, the old Zulu nightwatchman, for company and comfort. But her parents’ continuing discontent leads them to welcome some peculiar strangers. One spring, a family of wanderers—a wildlife photographer, his wife, and two boys—comes to stay, and their strange, compelling, and dangerous presence will leave the Iris family infinitely changed.

Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata - With remarkable insight and clarity, the Newbery Medal-winning author of "Kira-Kira" explores an important and painful topic through the eyes of a young Japanese-American girl living in California just as the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor.

Crossing the Wire by Will Hobbs - The end was coming, but I didn't see it coming. In the mountains of central Mexico, fifteen-year-old Victor Flores has been scratching out a living for his family by farming ever since his father died. Days after Victor's best friend, Rico, runs away from home to seek a better life in the U.S., Victor learns that he may not be able to sell his corn this year. As his family teeters on the brink of disaster, Victor heads north in an attempt to "cross the wire" into the States, find work, and send money home. Unlike Rico, Victor has no experienced men to travel with and no coyote money to pay the smugglers who sneak illegal workers across the border. He resorts to jumping trains. For a while Victor travels with Julio from Honduras, then the mysterious Miguel, and finally with his childhood friend, Rico. Victor's journey is fraught with danger as he faces freezing cold, the scorching heat of the Arizona desert, hunger, and dead ends. It's a gauntlet run by millions attempting to cross the border. Through Victor's often desperate struggle, Will Hobbs brings to life one of the great human dramas of our time.

Nailed by Patrick Jones - Sixteen-year-old Bret's life is becoming intolerable, both at home and school. He's ignored at home for not being just like his older brother (who "does oil changes for a living"), and tormented at school for not being a jock. Bret, who narrates, is not interested in working on cars or playing sports. Instead he'd rather act onstage or make music with his band, Radio-Free Flint (inspired by "hometown antihero Michael Moore"). As he grows frustrated at being harassed by the school's bully, he writes an essay expressing empathy towards the Columbine gunmen: "I... pointed out that how they had been treated at their school was wrong, too. I said they were the first victims." Teens will applaud Bret's spunk as he goes up against the school principal.

Magic Lessons by Justine Larbalestier - In the second volume of Larbalestier's Magic trilogy, Reason Cansino has learned the painful truth: she must make the choice to use the magic that lives in her blood and die young or refuse to use the magic and lose her mind.

Eva Underground by Dandi Daley Mackall - In 1978, Eva Lott has an active social life and a lot to look forward to . . . until her dad decides they're moving to Communist Poland to help with a radical underground movement.

Nothing but the Truth and a Few White Lies by Justina Chen Headley - Headley makes an impressive debut with this witty, intimate novel about a self-described "bizarrely tall Freakinstein cobbled together from Asian and white DNA," trying to find her niche. Patty Ho, the 14-year-old narrator feels conspicuously out of place whether she is socializing with her white classmates or among her mother's Taiwanese friends. Headley immediately conveys her heroine's sense of humor when she opens with a "Belly-Button Grandmother" who tells Patty's future by probing her belly. When the woman predicts that Patty will marry a white man, Patty's distraught, divorced mother—who would like nothing more than for her daughter to meet a nice Taiwanese boy—sends Patty to math camp at Stanford University. Despite some misgivings, Patty there finds adventure, romance and a level of freedom and acceptance that she has never experienced before. Guided by her outspoken Asian roommate, a compassionate counselor and an open-minded aunt who lives near the campus, Patty begins to view herself in a new light—not as an oddball, but rather as someone who has inherited the best of two different worlds.

TTFN by Lauren Myracle - The winsome threesome from the "New York Times" bestseller "ttyl" are back in this new novel that follows Maddie, Zoe, and Angela through their next year in high school, 11th grade.

Skin by Adrienne Maria Vrettos - Told from teenage Donnie's point of view, this brilliant debut novel shows how everything changes when Donnie's less-than-perfect family realizes that his sister Karen has an eating disorder.

Invisible Threads by Annie and Maria Dalton - Naomi was never going to be like her mother. The crazy highs and underground lows. Naomi was in control. When the time came she would be the perfect mother-nothing like her own. On the day Carrie-Anne turned 16, she surpassed her. The girl-woman who gave away her own child. Her biological mother. Carrie-Anne got to 16 without making that mistake. That's what she was, really-a mistake. And now the invisible threads tying her to the past are driving her to find out why and how it happened. After all, if you don't know where you come from, how can you know where you belong? But sometimes asking questions is harder than hearing the answers. And sometimes the answers don't matter at all.

Prom Anonymous by Blake Nelson - Laura, Jace, and Chloe were best friends growing up, but once high school hit, they grew apart and found new (very different) friends. Now theyre juniors, and Laura has decided that nothing would be better than to go to the prom with her two oldest friends. A flurry of planning ensues. Freaky Chloe doesnt have a date or a dress, and isnt sure she wants either–after all, the only thing freakier than Chloe is Chloe in a dress with a blind date. Laura is determined to find her an appropriate date. Jace the jock wants to go with the cute new tennis star, but has a difficult time asking him. And Laura is so caught up in planning the perfect evening that she ignores the fact that her relationship with her boyfriend, with whom she had had sex over a hundred times in their 14 months together, is falling apart. Of course, all works out in the end.

Poison Ivy by Amy Goldman Koss - "IVY: I told Ms. Gold about how The Evil Three have been after me, feeding off me since fourth grade. MARCO: It isn't a very pretty story, so if you're looking for 'nice' you better ask someone else. ANN: We just have to come up with some witnesses for our side. Think! Does anyone owe you any favors? BRYCE: I figure, Dude, why not make a little spare change on the side? A buck a bet. All's I has to do was explain that liable was civil for guilty, and they swarmed like flies." Eight first-person narrators give different versions of the same event. Lessons about the inner workings of the judicial system pale beside the insights into human nature. With pathos and a great deal of humor, Amy Goldman Koss keeps you turning pages.

Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart - At the Manhattan School for Art and Music, Gretchen Yee wishes that she could be a fly on the wall in the boys' locker room just to learn more about guys. This is the story of how that wish comes true.

Party Princess by Meg Cabot - Princess just want to have fun. This spring, Mia's determined to have a good time, despite the fact that the student government over which she presides is suddenly broke. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) Grandmère has an elaborate scheme to simultaneously raise money, catapult Mia to theatrical fame, and link her romantically with an eligible teen bachelor, not her boyfriend. It's no wonder that Michael, the love of her life, seems to think she's a psycho, or worse: not much fun. Is it possible that Mia, soon-to-be star of the stage, president of the student body, and future ruler of Genovia, doesn't know how to party?

Scorpia by Anthony Horowitz - Now in paperback--the latest entry of the "New York Times" bestselling series featuring teen spy Alex Rider. Alex learns that his father was an assassin for Scorpia, the most powerful terrorist organization going. Now Scorpia wants Alex on its side.

Stay with Me by Garret Freymann-Weyr - Sixteen-year-old Leila Abranel loves her older half-sisters--from her father's first marriage--but does not know them well. When her sister Rebecca commits suicide, Leila wants to know why and begins navigating her family's breakdown.

Forbidden by Judy Waite - For most of her life, Elinor has known nothing but the world of the True Cause followers, safe from prying Outsiders. But when she has a chance encounter with a familiar-looking boy, Elinor starts to question what she has been taught in this look inside a dangerous cult.

Endgame by Nancy Garden - A new town, a new school, a new start. That's what fifteen-year-old Gray Wilton believes as he chants his mantra, It's gonna be better, gonna be better here. But things don't go as Gray had hoped. He quickly learns that there are bullies in every school, and for some reason they latch on to him his very first week at Greenford High School. Their brutal words and hurtful actions escalate, and Gray feels trapped in a world where he has no control, no support systems, no way out. The teachers turn their heads--boys will be boys; the students laugh--glad they're not the ones being picked on; and even Gray's father is unsympathetic to his torture--you need to toughen up, son. One by one, Gray's escapes are taken away...first his beloved drums, then his dog, and finally his only friend...until Gray feels pushed beyond control. Until that fateful day when he decides that he will show them all that he's not a wuss and enters the school with his father's semi-automatic. In the blink of an eye, lives are shattered throughout the community of Greenford because one boy was pushed to the breaking point. With power and outrage, Nancy Garden questions where to place the blame...on the students, on the teachers and administration, on the parents...and ultimately on Gray Wilton himself.

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini - Like many smart, ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan’s prestigious Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. So with single-minded determination, Craig aces the entrance exam and gets accepted. And, that’s when everything starts to unravel. Once Craig begins attending classes, he realizes a shocking truth: He is just one of the many brilliant kids who attend the school. In fact, he isn’t even brilliant, he is just average. As Craig starts getting so-so grades, he sees his once-perfect future crumbling away. His anxiety mounting, Craig begins to have trouble eating, sleeping, doing simple things that used to be routine. He eventually realizes he is clinically depressed. So begins Craig’s battle with depression -- which will involve seeing a myriad of specialists, taking medication, and at one desperate point, checking himself into a psychiatric hospital. At the hospital, he meets a motley crew of patients, among them his roommate, who is afraid to leave their room, a transsexual sex addict, and a girl who has irreparably scarred her face with a pair of scissors. As a hospitalized patient, Craig is finally forced to disengage from all the pressure in his life and learn how to cope again.

Search and Destroy by Dean Hughes - The acclaimed author of "Soldier Boys" now pens a taut and thoughtful novel set in 1969 during the Vietnam War that captures the sights and sounds of war.

No Right Turn by Terry Trueman - In this forceful novel, a Michael L. Printz Honor author powerfully exposes the fragile and resilient spirit of a boy desperate for a lifeline to hold on to after his father commits suicide.

Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman - A first-time novelist pens a Jane Austen-inspired romantic comedy of errors as two girls get a part in the boys' school musical. What follows is a series of misinterpreted--and missed--signals, dating mishaps, and awkward incidents.

March Books

Thicker Than Water by Carla Jablonski - Trying to escape the everyday horror of her life, 17-year-old Kia falls in with a group of "vampires" who spend all night in dark clubs, wear goth outfits, and even wear fake fangs. When Kia meets Damon, she wonders if a true vampire exists among them.

Sweet 16 by Kate Brian - No one's Sweet 16 party will be as glamorous and decadent as obnoxious rich girl Tegan Phillips' party. However, a nasty spill sends Tegan back in time, where she'll be forced to face the choices that led her to be the person she now is.

Twins by Marcy Dermansky - On the eve of their thirteenth birthday, identical twins Chloe and Sue agree to get matching tattoos to prove their bond is stronger than DNA. So begins Twins, Marcy Dermansky's comic and disturbingly honest debut novel, the extraordinary story of two blond, beautiful, and tormented twin sisters trying to survive adolescence - and each other. Told in alternating voices, Twins introduces two new unforgettable heroines on the verge. The obsessively defiant Sue, four minutes younger, resents and idolizes her seemingly perfect twin, Chloe. All Chloe wants, however, is to please her sister and - only if Sue will allow it - find a friend of her own. Neglected by their wealthy parents and cynical older brother, burdened by a loving dog they can't properly care for, and bewildered by a complex social universe they somehow don't fit into, Chloe and Sue are left to fend for themselves. Over the course of five years, Chloe and Sue overcome breakups, unhappy Hawaiian vacations, unicycle lessons, eating disorders, pill abuse, and their first painful explorations of love and sex. They desperately seek comfort in unusual places, choosing often inappropriate friends and lovers, including the daring Lisa Markman, an aspiring fashion model; her famous father, a professional basketball player; James, a good-natured slacker; and a young Indian writer named Smita. Navigating this hilarious and heartbreaking world, the girls must overcome apathy and despair to return to each other. Twins brings us into the wounded hearts of audacious teenagers, where the line between hatred and love is blurred and where everyone - including the family pet - is vulnerable to devotion.

On the Head of a Pin by Mary Beth Miller - From the author of "Aimee"--an ALA Best Book for Young Adults--comes this novel that offers a eye-opening view into a faithful boy's private hell, when the promise he makes to God is shattered the moment his friend picks up a rifle at the end of a drinking party.

The Queen of Cool by Cecil Castellucci - The author of "Boy Proof" returns with a funny, incisive look at a teenage girl who becomes bored with her popularity and dares to take off her tiara and do something really cool with her life.

Club Dread by Walter Sorrells - In this follow-up to "Fake ID," Chastity and her mother have just settled in San Francisco, where Chass is starting her own band. When a pop star is murdered, Chass gets involved in the dangerous underground club scene to solve the murder.

A Brief Chapter in my Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt - Simone's starting her junior year in high school. Her mom's a lawyer for the ACLU, her dad's a political cartoonist, so she's grown up standing outside the organic food co-op asking people to sign petitions for worthy causes. She's got a terrific younger brother and amazing friends. And she's got a secret crush on a really smart and funny guy-who spends all of his time with another girl. Then her birth mother contacts her. Simone's always known she was adopted, but she never wanted to know anything about it. She's happy with her family just as it is, thank you. She learns who her birth mother was-a 16-year-old girl named Rivka. Who is Rivka? Why has she contacted Simone? Why now? The answers lead Simone to deeper feelings of anguish and love than she has ever known, and to question everything she once took for granted about faith, life, the afterlife, and what it means to be a daughter.

The King of Mulberry Street by Donna Jo Napoli - In 1892, nine-year-old Dom's mother puts him on a ship leaving Italy, bound for America. He is a stowaway, traveling alone and with nothing of value except for a new pair of shoes from his mother. In the turbulent world of homeless children in Manhattan's Five Points, Dom learns street smarts, and not only survives, but thrives by starting his own business. A vivid, fascinating story of an exceptional boy, based in part on the author's grandfather.

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner - Fans who've been waiting for six long years for the sequel to The Queen of Attolia and The Thief can finally rejoice. Eugenides, the former Thief of Eddis, is back and just as clever as ever. As King of Attolia after literally stealing and marrying the Queen, he must convince the rest of her court and her subjects that he deserves his title. The Attolians think he's an idiot who's being used by the Queen. They refuse to believe that he and Irene could honestly love one another, considering that she's responsible for having his hand cut off. His attendants and guards mock him behind his back and play pranks on him, all the while thinking that hes too spineless and incompetent to protest. That is, until a guard named Costis punches him in the face and knocks him down. Beheading is the usual penalty for such a transgression but Eugenides devises a better punishment. It is through Costis eyes that readers see how he and the court consistently underestimate the shrewd young man.

Listening at the Gate by Betsy James - Taking a look at the evolution of legends and what happens to people when the myths on which they have founded their culture start to come true, this novel is a sweeping epic of love, identity, and change.

Circle the Soul Softly by Davida Wills Hurwin - The author of the acclaimed "A Time for Dancing" returns with this new novel. Katie radiates confidence and success, but she's plagued by nightmares of her past. Katie needs to come to terms with what happened--if only she could remember.

Sun Moon Stars Rain by Jan Cheripko - Danny Murtaugh narrates the events that take place after he drops out of college. Barely 18 and a music student overwhelmed by a failed romance, he has come home to the small community where his widowed mother is dating the town cop and the only diner has a new and attractive waitress. He gets permission from the local recluse to take photographs of the woods and river on the old man's property–an area where Danny's father died and that has long been threatened with seizure in a case of eminent domain.

Stranded in Boringsville by Catherine Bateson - Following her parents separation, 12-year-old Rain moves with her mother to the country. There she befriends the unpopular boy who lives next door and also seeks a way to cope with her feelings toward her father and his new girlfriend.

An Innocent Soldier by Josef Holub - Adam is conscripted by Napoleon's army, which is gathering strength for its campaign against Russia. A young lieutenant requisitions Adam as his personal valet in this tale that explores the importance of friendship in persevering against overwhelming odds.

Escaping into the Night by D. Dina Friedman - Halina Rudowski, 13, fled Berlin for her mother's Polish village, only to be herded into a ghetto. Now she suspects her mother has been killed, and Halina must escape again—this time with her friend Batya. A tunnel beneath the synagogue takes them beyond the ghetto walls, where they travel at night with three brothers until reaching an encampment of several hundred Jews living in ziemlankas—underground caves. Strangers become instant bunkmates, and eating means stealing food from the peasants around them. Halina struggles with the morality of this, and ponders Batya's zealous devotion to a God who seems to have deserted them.

Worlds Apart by Lindsay Lee Johnson - Winnie is devastated when her family moves from Chicago to the grounds of a mental institution in small-town Minnesota where her physician father goes to work. In 1959, these facilities are alien and frightening places to most people, and Winnie is appalled at her circumstances. Rejected at school by the local kids, she misses her previous friends, the cliquey Starlings. Her mother is not handling the move any better than she and is no help. But Winnie perseveres as she volunteers to work the hospital snack cart, makes a friend, and adopts a pet goat. Along the way, she evolves into a more thoughtful and sensitive person. When drastic changes in the family dynamic cause Winnie to speak up and ask for the truth about the move, she displays her growing ability to distinguish solid virtues and true friendship.

The Killer's Tears by Anne-Laure Bondoux - Young Paolo Poloverdos complex life is recounted in this translation of the winner of the French Prix Sorcieres. Set in a remote location in Chile, the story begins when a boys parents have their throats cut by a vagrant. In a rare moment of compassion, the murderer, Angel Allegros, decides not to kill the child. Paolos response to these events is curiously distant, as is the entire narrative. The boy is vaguely upset by, yet matter-of-fact about, his parents deaths. A second visitor, Luis Secunda, eventually appears and Paolo dispassionately asks Angel not to stab the man because he does not feel like digging another grave. The three settle into an uneasy routine, with the adults vying to be Paolos father figure. A necessary trip to buy livestock is the catalyst for a number of tragic and perhaps inevitable events, including betrayal, an attempted suicide, and capital punishment.

True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet by Lola Douglas - Morgan Carter, Hollywood child-star-rehab-has-been, is sent to Fort Wayne, IN. In the guise of Claudia Miller, high school junior transfer student, she is in the custody of a recently divorced, close family friend. Morgan/Claudia's journal entries slowly reveal the painful details of her life: hitting rock-bottom after nearly dying from a drug overdose, rehab in a cushy facility, and being raped by a costar. Her banishment is intended to provide time and space for her to stay clean and sober to lead up to a triumphant comeback. Struggling with school life, she meets a somewhat geeky, yet likable group of students. She also learns how to shop, dress, and act like a normal teenager. As Morgan's feelings for her new friends grow, she finds herself having to keep careful note of who knows what–fact or fiction–about her prior life.

Warrior Girl by Pauline Chandler - Left mute after her mothers death at the hands of English raiders, Mariane de Courcey is sent to live with the family of her cousin Jehanne, the girl who will become known as Joan of Arc. Mariane becomes aware of Jehannes visions and becomes involved in her plans to travel to the Dauphin, Prince Charles, and convince him to rally the French to chase the English out of France. In her travels, Mariane realizes that her uncle, Sir Gaston de Louvier, was behind her mothers murder. She searches for her deceased fathers lost seal and travels to her familys estate to establish her claim as its heir. Through letters, Mariane relates Jehannes efforts to motivate the French forces, and she eventually rejoins her cousin during her trial and execution.

Sir Thursday by Garth Nix - Following their adventures on the Border Sea, Arthur and Leaf head for home. Arthur discovers someone had assumed his identity and is taking over his life. Before he can take action, Arthur is drafted by Sir Thursday and forced to join the Glorious Army of the architect. Keys to the Kingdom

The Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks - Blood runs thick when two brothers leave their London home on a journey to the ghostly moors of Devon to hunt down the truth about their sister's savage death.

Blue Noon by Scott Westerfeld - This third book of Westerfield's acclaimed series is a tale of pulse-pounding danger, electrifying power, and a race against time that may require the ultimate sacrifice. The Midnighters

~Young Adult Librarian ~
Kristin Lade
klade@west-bendlibrary.org
262.335.5151 x128

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Updated October 25, 2006

"Organized education gives us information, but there are things we have to learn ourselves" ~ Lauryn Hill