Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan, 2010.
Audience: Grades 8 & up
My Rating: 4.99999* of 5
Summary: Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy?
Comments: The Nick & Norah magic is back! Plus Christmas in NYC as a feel-good bonus backdrop! Would have been perfect if not for a Cohn chapter that was unpleasantly and obviously more Norah than Lily. Lexiphile Dash is on the verge as unbelievable as a teen unless you were one or knew one yourself.
Read-alikes: Nick & Norah's infinite playlist, Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List, Will Grayson, Will Grayson by Green/Levithan

When You Reach Me (audio)

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. 2009.
Audience: Grades 4-7th; ages 9-14
My Rating: 4*s of 5
Summary: As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1980s television game show, "The $20,000 Pyramid," a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space.
Comments: I kept seeing reviews for this book and decided to give it a listen. It is a great puzzle-read with a well written girl protagonist. It was very satisfying to keep track of each subtle clue as it clicks into place. More than anything, though, it is a book about relationships. A passage about racism is deftly but clearly handled. I enjoyed this clever story and find myself thinking about it from time to time.
Awards: Newbery medal!
Read-alikes: A Wrinkle in Time (more of a companion book than a read-alike), Chasing Vermeer by Balliet

Jinx by Meg Cabot (audio)

Jinx by Meg Cabot. 2007.
Audience: 7th Grade and up; 12 and up
My Rating: 4*s of 5
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Jean "Jinx" Honeychurch, the descendant of a witch, must leave Iowa to live with relatives in Manhattan after the first spell she casts goes awry, but she will have to improve her skills to stop her cousin from practicing black magic that endangers them and the boy they both like.
Comments: With a mediocre narrator, this book was slow to hook me. But once the magic kicked in, I was hooked. Jinx herself reminds me of the character from Dairy Queen in that she often cannot manage to speak her mind or insist that she be treated with respect or fairness. This clearly becomes purposeful at the end of the story when she *finally* stands up for herself and comes into her own.
Awards:
Read-alikes: Avalon High by Cabot

Antsy Does Time by Shusterman

Antsy Does Time by Neal Shusterman. 2008.

Audience: 6-10 Grade; Ages 11-13

My Rating: 4.5*s of 5

Summary: Fourteen-year-old Anthony "Antsy" Bonano learns about life, death, and a lot more when he tries to help a friend with a terminal illness feel hopeful about the future.

Comments: A laugh out loud funny story with very real characters. Shusterman reading with his Brooklyn accent is perfect. The turn for the poignant toward the end of the book adds just enough weight to balance the laughs and is dished out in just the right portion--the perfect dessert to the meal that is this story. I especially appreciate the portrayal of Kjersten. As the "pretty girl" love interest her character is rounded out with flaws, neurosis, and motivation.

Awards: Lone Star List 2009-2010

Read-alikes: The Schwa was Here by Shusterman