Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. 2009.
Audience: Grades 8+; ages 13+
My Rating: 5*s of 5
Summary: “Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls. “Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another. I am that girl. I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through. I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.
Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit.
Comments: Wintergirls is as close to perfect as a book can come. The hook is immediately gripping, pacing is just right, Lia is frustrating and fascinating, and Cassie is mesmerizing. Some passages made me shiver, some made me physically revolted, they all made me want to read more. The new devices Anderson includes (strikeout type, font changes, numbering the 33 times Cassie called, punctuation play) all combine deftly and perfectly to tell this story. Perhaps most importantly, the message of the book is that eating disorders require a hard look at the brain, not just the body. If Wintergirls is not a Printz or other big award winner, I will be sorely disappointed at the oversight.
Awards: better be!
Read-alikes: Speak by Anderson

Suddenly Supernatural: School Spirit by Kimmel

School Spirit (Suddenly Supernatural book 1) by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel. 2009.

Audience: Grades 4-6th; ages 8-13

My Rating: 4.5*s of 5

Summary: Like her mother, a professional medium, 7th grader, Kat, has been able to see dead people since turning thirteen, and although they would prefer to be normal, Kat and her best friend come to terms with their own talents while helping free the spirit of a girl trapped at their middle school.

Comments: This book jumped into my hands off of the "new" shelf and I couldn't put it down! Great storytelling and a surprising depth to the characters and story. Kat is someone you can easily follow through a book series. The supernatural elements felt believable and even had a few scary moments that serve as a teaser to continue the series. A great recommendation for younger fantasy/horror readers. I can't wait to read more in the series.

Awards:

Read-alikes: Savvy by Law, Allie Finkle series by Cabot (sans the supernatural, of course)

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Summer lovin'. Combine West Side Story and Grease and you have Perfect Chemistry. Brittany who has it all is smart, beautiful, a good girl and a cheerleader who lives on the rich side of town. Alex who is not expected to even finish high school is gorgeous, tough, and a gang member who lives on the wrong side of town. What gets these two together? For starters they are lab partners in Chemistry, they are both uncomfortable in their own skin and they both experience a love they can not deny, no really I mean it.

Ages: 16 and up.

Comments: Overall, this was probably over the top. But putting that aside, my daughter read it in one night. Give this one to reluctant readers or hopeless romantics. Warning: sex included.

Danger in the Dark: A Houdini & Nate Mystery by Tom Lalicki

Twelve-year-old Nate and his mother live with his father's well to do aunt in NYC. Aunt Alice has a new friend who holds seances so she can have contact with her husband and Nate's father. Mr. Trane the new friend uses these fake seances to turn Aunt Alice against Nate and his mother. His hope is that the Aunt will throw them out so he can steal her money. Speaking of money, Nate is sent to on an errand to collect from a certain man named Houdini who ordered a hat but failed to pay for it. Nate meets Mrs. Houdini and they become instant friends, She invites him and his mother to Houdini's next performance there he befriends Houdini. With Houdini's help and the surprising help of Mr. Winchell, a store employee who despises Nate and his connection to wealth, Mr. Trane is the one who is turned out onto the street.

Ages: 9-12

Comments: A young patron recommended this to me. The last part of the book has edge-of-your-seat action. This series can serve as a historical fiction assignment. The author includes historical information about Houdini and how he spent time "unmasking" fraudulent schemers who preyed on innocent people pretending to be able to have contact with the dearly departed. Captivating!

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith

Ida Mae Jones, age 18 from Louisiana is an African-American girl with light enough skin to pass as a white girl. She is also a pilot. Her father taught her to fly his dust cropping plane. When she finds an article about recruitment for the WASP (Women Air force Service Pilots) during WWII, she removes her dead father's picture from his pilot license, replaces it with hers and retypes the information and heads to a recruit office. Throughout the book, she struggles with staying true to who she really is and letting nothing stop her from reaching her goal, one she could never obtain if her true identity is revealed. Ida makes lifelong friends during her time in the armed forces and has an opportunity for romance.

Ages: 13 and up

Comments: The books tells how many blacks tried to marry whites to better their chances for a brighter future. I felt afraid at times for Ida who was so brave and who risk so much, her life, her relationship with friends and family to fly planes to help out during the war. Not only was Ida an African-American woman but in general women's abilities to fly were not recognized nor respected. Some of the women in the book really existed. Their place and mark on history adds authenticity and depth to the story. And a story it is, it is a wonderfully told historical fiction.