Every Day by Levithan

Every Day by David Levithan (audio, read by Alex McKenna)

Audience: Grades 8 & up

My Rating: 3.5* of 5

Summary: Every day 16 year old A wakes up in a new body. When A wakes up as Justin and falls for his girlfriend, Rhiannon, everything changes. But how can you love someone when you are in a new life every morning?
Comments: I enjoyed this book’s interesting premise and the difficult questions it makes the reader consider.

Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge

Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge.

Audience: 7th grade and up

My Rating: 4.5* of 5

Summary: Paige Turner has just moved to New York with her family, and she's having some trouble adjusting to the big city. In the pages of her sketchbook, she tries to make sense of her new life, including trying out her secret identity: artist. As she makes friends and starts to explore the city, she slowly brings her secret identity out into the open, a process that is equal parts terrifying and rewarding. Laura Lee Gulledge crafts stories and panels with images that are thought-provoking, funny, and emotionally resonant. Teens struggling to find their place can see themselves in Paige's honest, heartfelt story.
Comments: Picked this up on a whim and was wowed by the Agents of Whimsy! A quintessential representation of the teen, self-absorbed, but working through the process (in this case artistic) of self-awareness and expression. Artwork is outstanding--conveying as much if not more than text--ranging from funny to profound. My only complaint was that the slight conflict between Paige and her friend Jules never really seemed resolved.

How to Rock Braces and Glasses (galley)

How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston (galley). Poppy; Oct., 2011.

Audience: 5th-6th grade

My Rating: 3* of 5

Summary: Uber-harsh, and uber-stylish Kacey Simon is the undisputed social dictator of Marquette Middle School. That is, until an eye infection and a visit to the dentist leave her with coke-bottle glasses, a mouth full of metal, and...a littttthsp! Dissed and dismissed by her popular friends, Kacey is forced to hang out with a boy who wears skinny jeans and jams in his own band. Could rocking braces and glasses be the best thing to ever happen to her?

Comments: Kacey begins the book as an unlikable character of Massie proportions! So much so that I almost put the galley down for good. But after a few chapters, and the entrance of intriguing rocker, Skinny Jeans. It takes most of the book for Kacey to finally do the right thing and the romance thread is left a bit unresolved...perhaps for a sequel. All told, a fun and surprisingly unpredictable ride.
Read-Alikes: Clique series

The Last Little Blue Envelope (ARC) by Johnson

The Last Little Blue Envelope (ARC) by Johnson due May, 2011 from Harper Teen.
Audience: Grades 7 and up
My Rating: 4* of 5
Summary: A mysterious boy contacts Ginny, saying he found her backpack with the 13 blue envelopes in it. Ginny heads to London and embarks on a new adventure, filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Comments: Thank you, Jennie, for bringing this from ALA Midwinter. MauJo's nearly flawless galley starts with a much-needed recap of the previous book (2005 was a while ago!) and then quickly reinserts Ginny into another London adventure. More poignant than the playful prequel, we get a closer look at Ginny's relationships with aunt Peg, (uncle) Richard, Keith, and new mystery man Oliver. While all concludes satisfactorily, MauJo still leaves enough loose threads should she decide to revisit Ginny in another 6 years!
Read-alikes: 13 Little Blue Envelopes and other titles by Johnson

Reckless by Cornelia Funke

Reckless by Cornelia Funke, 2010.
Audience: Grades 5-8
My Rating: 4.5* of 5
Summary: Jacob and Will Reckless have looked out for each other ever since their father disappeared, but when Jacob discovers a magical mirror that transports him to a warring world populated by witches, giants, and ogres, he keeps it to himself until Will follows him one day, with dire consequences.

Comments: I reluctantly picked this one up as I have read a few Funke titles and didn't love them. Reckless, however, is a different story. The allure of the magic mirror as a portal to the dark underbelly of Grimm's fairy tale world quickly drew me in. The relationships are surprisingly grown up and realistically reflect the complications of romance, family, and loyalty (though nothing is inappropriate for middle/high school readers). What's missing from Reckless is the dense, over told story (a la Inkheart) that has always turned me off of Funke. Instead, there is a tantalizing sense of negative space left to the reader's imagining and future Reckless adventures to fill.

Read-alikes: The Grimm Legacy

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

Monster High by Lisi Harrison (ARC)

Monster High by Lisi Harrison. Poppy, 2010.

**NEXT BIG THING ALERT!** This is gonna be a huge tween hit! It is way voltage!

Audience: Ages 12+ (though younger are going to want to read it bc of the dolls)

My Rating: 4* of 5

Summary: Created just fifteen days ago, Frankie Stein is psyched to trade her father's formaldehyde-smelling basement lab for parties and prom. But with a student body totally freaked out by rumors of monsters stalking the halls, Frankie learns that high school can be rough for a chic freak like her. She thinks she finds a friend in fellow new student Melody Carver-but can a "normie" be trusted with her big secret?

Comments: Leave it to Lisi to make a Clique + Twi-tween mash-up of monstrous proportions! The beauty is that MH offers infinitely more concept, fun, and substance than the girls of OCD ever could. Frankie is exceedingly likable and her "normie" foil, Melody is likewise. "Coming out of the casket" references abound, but rather than elicit zombie groans they crackle with Frankie's enthusiasm toward her cause of monster acceptance. An appealing and quality read that backed by some evil genius marketing (uh-dorable dolls by Mattel, Monsterhigh.com video shorts and games, and stinking cute Halloween costumes rtg) is going to explode by October!
Awards:

Read-alikes: Clique, Alphas

Delcroix Academy: The Candidates (book 1)

Delcroix Academy: The Candidates by Inara Scott (ARC). Hyperion 08/2010.

Audience: Ages 13+, Grades 7-10

My Rating: 3*s of 5

Summary: Dancia Lewis' otherwise mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just...happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. When recruiters from the prestigious and mysterious Delcroix Academy show up in her living room to offer her a full scholarship, Dancia's days of living under the radar may be over.

Comments: A debut novel with a strong premise and love triangle (do I smell a "Team Cam" and "Team Jack" campaign!?) that keeps the sometimes sluggish pace afloat. My biggest stumbling block...the names. "Delcroix" and "Dancia" sound so awkward to me that they tripped up my eyeballs every time. There are some interesting developments at the end of book 1, but not a major cliffhanger as I anticipated.

Awards:

Read-alikes: Twilight, etc., Vampire Academy

Will Grayson, Will Grayson (collecting quotes while I listen)

Loved this book enough the first time to now experience the audio fabulousness (complete with singing!) and collect a few choice cuts this time. [owg=Green; wg=Levithan]

owg: "You like someone who can’t like you back because unrequited love can be survived in a way that once-requited love cannot."

wg: “...because Isaac has become the one the songs are about.”

owg: "i know it sucks, but in a way, it’s good....love and truth being tied together, i mean. they make each other possible, you know?

owg: “She kisses like a sweet devouring, and I don’t know where to touch her because I want all of her."

wg: "when things break, it's not the actual breaking that prevents them from getting back together again. it's because a little piece gets lost. the two remaining ends couldn't fit together even if they wanted to. the whole shape has changed."

owg: [discussing Schrödinger's cat with Jane] "It seems to me that all the things we keep in sealed boxes are both alive and dead until we open the box. That the unobserved is both there and not...I chose the closed box."
Jane: "They eventually figured out that keeping the box closed doesn't actually keep the cat alive and dead...keeping the box closed just keeps you in the dark, not the universe."

owg: "It's hard to believe in coincidence, but it's even harder to believe in anything else."

wg: "i just want to be myself and i wanna be with someone who's just himself, that's all. i want to see through all the performance and all the pretending and get right to the truth."

wg: "this is why we call people 'exes' i guess because the paths they cross in the middle end up separating at the end. it's too easy to see an ex/x as a crossout--it's not. because there is no way to cross out something like that. the ex/x is a diagram of two paths."

owg: "Since when is the person you want to screw the only person you get to love?"

Tiny: "Love is the most common miracle. Love is always a miracle...everywhere...every time."

[curtain]

Franny Parker by McKinnon

Franny Parker by Hannah McKinnon. 2009.

Audience: Grades 4-8th; ages 10 and up

My Rating: 3*s of 5

Summary: Franny Parker's life revolves around her family, their farm, and their dusty Oklahoma town. Then the Dunns move in next door, harboring painful secrets. From the moment Franny meets Lucas, the two begin a friendship that introduces Franny to a larger world.

Comments: A nicely written coming of age story (and debut novel). Readers will especially enjoy the animal rescue elements and the dangerous mystery of Lucas and his family. Franny's mother is a particularly appealing character.

Awards:

Read-alikes: Dairy Queen

Forever Princess by Meg Cabot (audio)

Forever Princess (Princess Diaries, book 10, Finale!) by Meg Cabot. 2009.
Audience: 12 and up
My Rating: 4.5*s of 5
Summary: Mia, who is finally a senior at Albert Einstein High, faces difficult choices about boys and her status as princess while her future, and Genovia's, hang in the balance.
Comments: I heart Meg Cabot. It is official. I have now read enough of her books to safely say that she never disappoints. As she does so well, Cabot gives us another character who, for much of the book, cannot seem to make the right choices (veeeery similar to the way her target audience might think/behave? Bless my adult, fully formed pre-frontal lobe!). The love triangle between Mia, J.P., and Michael is delicious as are the interspersed excerpts from Mia's senior project, a medieval romance book called Ransom My Heart (published under Meg Cabot as an adult romance! Clever Meg). My only prior Princess exposure was part of book 1, but I still completely enjoyed this royale finale.
Awards:
Read-alikes: duh

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

The Schwa Was Here

The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman. 2004/2006 reissue.
Audience: 6-10th Grade; Ages 11-15
My Rating: 4.5*s of 5
Summary: A Brooklyn eighth-grader nicknamed Antsy befriends the Schwa, an "invisible-ish" boy who is tired of blending into his surroundings and going unnoticed by nearly everyone.

Comments: Antsy wins me over again. He is a delightful and fun narrator who Shusterman told me (eeeee!) is based on "his alter ego...a kid who says out loud everything [Neal] wanted to but couldn't." As with Antsy Does Time, death/loss is dealt with in a humourous, but never mocking way. I read the two Antsy stories out of order and they stood alone very nicely.

Awards: Lone Star list 2006, lots of journal lists
Read-alikes: Antsy Does Time by Shusterman and according to the author, eventually Antsy Floats (to feature another gramatical charcter...Tilda)

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

Savvy by Ingrid Law

Savvy by Ingrid Law. 2008.

Audience: 10-13, Grades 4-7

My Rating: 4*s of 5

Summary: Recounts the adventures of Mibs Beaumont, whose thirteenth birthday has revealed her "savvy"--a magical power unique to each member of her family--just as her father is injured in a terrible accident.

Comments: I wish, wish, wish I had read this book instead of listening to it. The narrator was mediocre and her reading made the language quirks of the book (repeating words in threes, "sure as sure" formula, etc.) seem more annoying than charming. I wonder if, had I read the book, they would have blended into the overall recipe of the story and added to the delight rather than detract. Otherwise, I greatly enjoyed the characters and plot (though it could have been taken out of the oven a bit sooner in my opinion). The "savvy" concept is excellent and I'm sure will excite young readers who wish to find their own special talent.

Awards: Newbery Honor Book 2009; Bluebonnet nominee 2009-2010; Boston Globe-Horn book honors 2008

Read-alikes:

Wicked Lovely

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. 2007.
Audience: 14+

Summary:
Aislinn sees faeries. She has always seen faeries. She knows not to trust them. She has spent a lifetime developing strategies to avoid them. So when a faerie starts stalking her, she knows this cannot be a good thing.

She slowly learns that the stalker is Keenan, the Summer King, who believes Aislinn to be the queen he has sought for nine centuries. She is destined (he believes) to help him finally bring an end to the constant winter imposed by the evil Beira. The problem is that Aislinn doesn’t want to become a faerie queen; she wants to have a normal life: finish high school and hang out with her almost-boyfriend, the wonderfully sweet Seth.

Oh, and the other thing. If she does accept him, but she turns out not to be The One, she will become the new Winter Girl, immortal, but with a literal icy touch, and bound to the Summer King until he can find someone else willing to join him. Not much of a choice, right? But have you ever tried to turn down a faerie?

Comments: I liked this one more than I thought I would – I nearly turned off the audiobook when I realized it was about faeries-with-an-e, but it’s a long drive to work with no audiobook, so I gave it the whole drive and by the time I there, I was interested enough in the story to keep going. It wasn’t perfect, some things happened a little too easily, the ending was a little weird, but mostly it was fun to listen to – and gave me something to recommend to Twilight fans.

Read-alikes: Twilight, Blue Bloods