Librarina: Great books for Tweens & Teens

This story was pretty scary — mostly because it was true. Katie Tarbox was a pretty, normal girl from New Canaan, Connecticut. She had a relatively stable home life (her biological father left when she was a baby, but her step-father David was a consistent father figure since he married her mother when she was only 4 years old). She did well in school. She was even on the local swim team. But, since she didn’t have much time for friends, she ended up starting an online friendship with an older guy named “Mark.” From that point on, her life would never be the same. Her relationship with Mark started out innocently enough, with discussions about school and family life. But, it soon became an unhealthy obsession. She would call Mark in the middle of the night and talk for hours.  And then, she agreed to meet him in person. Since I have seen numerous news specials about internet predators, I knew the warning signs, and I was immediately suspicious of Mark’s intentions. As an outsider looking in, it was hard to see how she could not have realized something was very wrong with this secret relationship. Still, I had to remind myself that I was seeing this from the logical standpoint of an adult while Katie was viewing the relationship through the lens of a naive/overly-trusting teenager. I will not give away exactly what happened, but I will say this much: Katie is very lucky to have such a happy ending compared to what could have happened. Happy Reading!

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Audiobook List:
Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything by E. Lockhart
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Waves by Sharon Dogar
An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It by Al Gore
The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher
Once Upon a Time in the North by Phillip Pullman
King Dork by Frank Portman

Book List:
Cheated by Patrick Jones
Meth: America’s Drug Epidemic by Elaine Landau
Re-Gifters by Mike Carey [Graphic Novel]
Breaking Point by Alex Flinn
Sixteen Short Stories By Outstanding Authors for Young Adults edited by Donald R. Gallo
Body Drama by Nancy Amanda Redd
Deathnote: Volume 1 by Tsugumi Ohba
Every Man for Himself: Ten Short Stories About Being a Guy edited by Nancy E. Mercado
Many Stones by Carolyn Coman
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet adapted by Richard Appignanesi
Fat Hootchie Prom Queen by Nico Medina
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star by Nikki Sixx

While I am not usually such a big fan of the “urban lit” genre (mostly because improper grammar makes my skin crawl), I really liked this book. There were so many “issues” for such a short book — foster care, racism, fatherless children, homosexuality, and more — but Woodson wove them into the story without being heavy-handed and preachy. I think the best part of this story, nevertheless, was how D Foster’s life story could affect me so differently than it affected her friends. They saw D as a free spirit — who didn’t have a mother hounding her all the time and was allowed to go wherever she pleased. I saw a poor young girl whose mother abandoned her and who was stuck in the foster care system. All three of these girls were fans of Tupac Shakur’s music, but only D really knew where he was coming from. She knew what it was like to feel such strong love for a mother whom others might consider a failure. She knew what it was like to have people judge you without really knowing you. It was like Tupac was singing her story.

Happy Reading!

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Audiobook List:
Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything by E. Lockhart
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Waves by Sharon Dogar
An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It by Al Gore
The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher
Once Upon a Time in the North by Phillip Pullman
King Dork by Frank Portman

Book List:
Katie.com: my story by Katherine Tarbox
Cheated by Patrick Jones
Meth: America’s Drug Epidemic by Elaine Landau
Re-Gifters by Mike Carey [Graphic Novel]
Breaking Point by Alex Flinn
Sixteen Short Stories By Outstanding Authors for Young Adults edited by Donald R. Gallo
Body Drama by Nancy Amanda Redd
Deathnote: Volume 1 by Tsugumi Ohba
Every Man for Himself: Ten Short Stories About Being a Guy edited by Nancy E. Mercado
Many Stones by Carolyn Coman
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet adapted by Richard Appignanesi
Fat Hootchie Prom Queen by Nico Medina
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star by Nikki Sixx

One day, I was feeling especially lazy and didn’t have the energy to actually choose an audiobook before I left for the day. I asked my teens which audiobook I should check out, and they said that this book looked like a “good one.” So, I brought it home and started listening without so much as glancing at the description on the back. I am not sure what I expected, or if I expected anything, but this book certainly was a bit different than my usual, light reading. It’s all about a lost spirit who wanders around, attached in some way to her various human hosts. She keeps praying that she can go to heaven someday, but she can’t remember enough about her life to understand why she could possibly be denied for so long. One day, a student (at the school where her current host teaches) notices her. She is shocked and a little frightened — because no one has ever seen her before. Why can he see her? And why doesn’t he seem afraid? The two begin to talk, and she finds out that they have something unusual in common. What is it that binds these two together? Will this friendship give her any comfort, or can she find some other way to escape the life she knows? A very thought-provoking story with a bit of mystery woven in… I highly recommend this story to anyone with an interest in philosophy!

Happy Reading!

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Audiobook List:
Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything by E. Lockhart
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Waves by Sharon Dogar
An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It by Al Gore
The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher
Once Upon a Time in the North by Phillip Pullman
King Dork by Frank Portman

Book List:
After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
Katie.com: my story by Katherine Tarbox
Cheated by Patrick Jones
Meth: America’s Drug Epidemic by Elaine Landau
Re-Gifters by Mike Carey [Graphic Novel]
Breaking Point by Alex Flinn
Sixteen Short Stories By Outstanding Authors for Young Adults edited by Donald R. Gallo
Body Drama by Nancy Amanda Redd
Deathnote: Volume 1 by Tsugumi Ohba
Every Man for Himself: Ten Short Stories About Being a Guy edited by Nancy E. Mercado
Many Stones by Carolyn Coman
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet adapted by Richard Appignanesi
Fat Hootchie Prom Queen by Nico Medina
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star by Nikki Sixx

So, I have been thinking about the layout of my blog, again, and I have had an epiphany. The typical age for “tweens” is 9 or 10 to 12 years old, and my “teen” programs include 6th-12th grade students; so “tween” and “teen” actually overlap for my purposes… Therefore, I have decided to stop splitting books into the “tween” and “teen” categories on this blog. From now on, I will just review books with a quick summary and what I thought of them rather than hedging about which category to place them in. If you really need to know an age group for the book, you can always check out the professional reviews in library journals or the book description at an online book store. Thanks for bearing with me through my many changes!

Happy Reading!

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Audiobook List:
A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything by E. Lockhart
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Waves by Sharon Dogar
An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It by Al Gore

Book List:
After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
Katie.com: my story by Katherine Tarbox
Cheated by Patrick Jones
Meth: America’s Drug Epidemic by Elaine Landau
Re-Gifters by Mike Carey [Graphic Novel]
Breaking Point by Alex Flinn
Sixteen Short Stories By Outstanding Authors for Young Adults edited by Donald R. Gallo
Body Drama by Nancy Amanda Redd
Deathnote by Tsugumi Ohba
Every Man for Himself: Ten Short Stories About Being a Guy edited by Nancy E. Mercado
Many Stones by Carolyn Coman
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet adapted by Richard Appignanesi
Deathnote: Volume 1 by Tsugumi Ohba

TEEN

This was seriously one of the funniest stories I have read in a loooooong time… It all starts when 17-year-old, out-and-proud Jonathan Parish ends up having sex with a girl! It wasn’t because he was so drunk that he didn’t know what he was doing or anything like that. It’s because she was one of his best girlfriends and she wanted to share her first time with someone really special. So, she chose her best gay guy friend. Interesting enough, but it doesn’t end there. Everyone in school ends up finding out, and the “queen bee” decides that she has to be the first girl to date the totally hot, formerly gay, most popular guy to talk about right now. The problem? He’s NOT straight! But, she doesn’t care. She is willing to pay Jonathan off with an all-expenses-paid trip to Europe to see his favorite pop star, Kylie Minogue, in concert — and all he has to do is pretend to be her straight boyfriend. Sounds easy enough, but can Jonathan manage to play it straight long enough to get to the concert?!?

P.S. I am totally looking forward to reading Nico Medina’s next book, Fat Hoochie Prom Queen… It just came out May 6th, and I am so on the waiting list for this one!

Happy Reading!

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Audiobook List:
A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything by E. Lockhart
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Waves by Sharon Dogar
An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It by Al Gore

Book List:
After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
Katie.com: my story by Katherine Tarbox
Cheated by Patrick Jones
Meth: America’s Drug Epidemic by Elaine Landau
Re-Gifters by Mike Carey [Graphic Novel]
Breaking Point by Alex Flinn
Sixteen Short Stories By Outstanding Authors for Young Adults edited by Donald R. Gallo
Body Drama by Nancy Amanda Redd
Deathnote by Tsugumi Ohba
Every Man for Himself: Ten Short Stories About Being a Guy edited by Nancy E. Mercado
Many Stones by Carolyn Coman
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet adapted by Richard Appignanesi
Deathnote: Volume 1 by Tsugumi Ohba

TWEEN

When Stephanie’s uncle dies, she is devastated. Most of her family, nevertheless, is more concerned with what he may have left them in his will rather than the fact that he is gone. When the rest of the family finds out that Stephanie inherited most of her uncle’s estate, therefore, a lot of people are very displeased. At the funeral, and again at the reading of the will, Stephanie notices a strange man. Skulduggery Pleasant wears a trench coat, gloves, scarf, and hat — even indoors — despite the warm weather; it also looks like his hair is just a really bad wig. Stephanie is not sure what to think about Skulduggery until he comes to her rescue one night as she attempts to spend the night alone in her new home (which used to belong to her uncle). Suddenly, Stephanie is drawn into a world of magic beyond belief; a world in which Skulduggery reveals himself as a walking, talking skeleton! Will Stephenie be able to help Skulduggery recover a magical “Sceptre of the Ancients” her uncle died trying to protect, or is it already too late to save the world from the clutches of evil?

Happy Reading!

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Audiobook List:
A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything by E. Lockhart
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Waves by Sharon Dogar
An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It by Al Gore

Book List:
The Straight Road to Kylie by Nico Medina
After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
Katie.com: my story by Katherine Tarbox
Cheated by Patrick Jones
Meth: America’s Drug Epidemic by Elaine Landau
Re-Gifters by Mike Carey [Graphic Novel]
Breaking Point by Alex Flinn
Sixteen Short Stories By Outstanding Authors for Young Adults edited by Donald R. Gallo
Body Drama by Nancy Amanda Redd
Deathnote by Tsugumi Ohba
Every Man for Himself: Ten Short Stories About Being a Guy edited by Nancy E. Mercado
Many Stones by Carolyn Coman
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet adapted by Richard Appignanesi
Deathnote: Volume 1 by Tsugumi Ohba

TEEN

Kyle Kingsbury is rich, popular, and dates only the best looking girls. When a strange new girl shows up in one of his classes, he assumes he never noticed her before because she’s not attractive or popular… He has no idea that she is a witch who is about to test just how shallow he can be. When he breaks his promise, to bring this girl to homecoming, she puts a curse on him — turning him into an ugly, hairy beast. He needs to find true love within 2 years to get back to his former self, and his profile on MySpace, apparently, won’t do the trick. We are first introduced to Beast and a few other fairy tale creatures [little mermaid, frog prince, etc.] via a therapy chat room for those who have been or are considering becoming “transfigured.” Only two words can accurately describe my feelings for this book — freakin’ awesome!

Happy Reading!

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Audiobook List:
Dunk by David Lubar
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything by E. Lockhart
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Waves by Sharon Dogar
An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It by Al Gore

Book List:
The Straight Road to Kylie by Nico Medina
After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
Katie.com: my story by Katherine Tarbox
Cheated by Patrick Jones
Meth: America’s Drug Epidemic by Elaine Landau
Re-Gifters by Mike Carey [Graphic Novel]
Breaking Point by Alex Flinn
Sixteen Short Stories By Outstanding Authors for Young Adults edited by Donald R. Gallo
Body Drama by Nancy Amanda Redd
Deathnote by Tsugumi Ohba
Every Man for Himself: Ten Short Stories About Being a Guy edited by Nancy E. Mercado
Many Stones by Carolyn Coman
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet adapted by Richard Appignanesi

TEEN

I think the audiobook format really helped me to get into this story because I got to hear exactly how grating the bozo’s “chain saw” voice could be. I have never seen a dunk tank on a boardwalk, so I had no idea what to expect from the bozo — I have only ever seen dunk tanks at small school carnivals where no actual money was exchanged and the teachers were just praying that all of the students had bad aim.

From the first moment he hears the bozo, Chad is enthralled. He can’t believe how great this guy is! The more he watches, the more Chad realizes he wants a chance to work in the dunk booth. He asks if he can get a job at the dunk tank, and he is ecstatic when the answer is yes. The problem, of course, is that he wasn’t very specific — and he soon finds out that the guy only needs someone to collect all the balls people are throwing. The more time he spends at the dunk tank, the more he convinces himself that he would be great at it… Until he starts spending a lot of time with the bozo, and realizes just how much goes into the job.

While the bozo’s comments were often based on insults, I appreciated the fact that he made a conscious effort not to be outright mean. (There was a very explicit set of rules by which he operated.) I’m sure I never would have really thought about it before, even if I had seen a “real” dunk tank on a boardwalk… But I think that a job in a dunk tank is probably way too hard for me. On first glance, it seems like a fun job — getting to speak your mind and taunt anyone who walks by while safe behind the bars of the tank and kept anonymous by your clown makeup. But, after further reflection, I realize that it requires a whole lot of quick wit and a fair amount of courage.

Happy Reading!

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Audiobook List:
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything by E. Lockhart
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Waves by Sharon Dogar
An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It by Al Gore

Book List:
The Straight Road to Kylie by Nico Medina
After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
Katie.com: my story by Katherine Tarbox
Cheated by Patrick Jones
Meth: America’s Drug Epidemic by Elaine Landau
Re-Gifters by Mike Carey [Graphic Novel]
Breaking Point by Alex Flinn
Sixteen Short Stories By Outstanding Authors for Young Adults edited by Donald R. Gallo
Body Drama by Nancy Amanda Redd
Deathnote by Tsugumi Ohba
Every Man for Himself: Ten Short Stories About Being a Guy edited by Nancy E. Mercado
Many Stones by Carolyn Coman
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet adapted by Richard Appignanesi

TEEN

Leo Caraway is about as far from punk as you can get.  He is a straight-A student, member of the Young Republicans Club, and about to head off to Harvard on scholarship.  So, how does he end up working as a roadie for infamous punk band Purge on their summer reunion tour?

It all started with the false accusation of cheating on a math test, which caused him to lose his scholarship, leaving him with little hope of attending Harvard.  A while back, Leo accidentally found out (when he needed his birth certificate to attend a class trip) that the dad he has always known is not actually his biological father.  That honor, apparently, belongs to a man named Marion X. McMurphy.  Leo has never known Marion X. McMurphy, and he never cared to know him.  But he discovers that Marion X. McMurphy is also known as “King Maggot” — the lead singer of Purge!

Could meeting, and working with, his biological father be the key to paying for Harvard?  He’ll have to make it through the summer alive if he wants to know the answer to that question!

Happy Reading!

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Audiobook List:
Dunk by David Lubar
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything by E. Lockhart
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Waves by Sharon Dogar
An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It by Al Gore

Book List:
Beastly by Alex Flinn
The Straight Road to Kylie by Nico Medina
After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
Katie.com: my story by Katherine Tarbox
Cheated by Patrick Jones
Meth: America’s Drug Epidemic by Elaine Landau
Re-Gifters by Mike Carey [Graphic Novel]
Breaking Point by Alex Flinn
Sixteen Short Stories By Outstanding Authors for Young Adults edited by Donald R. Gallo
Body Drama by Nancy Amanda Redd
Deathnote by Tsugumi Ohba
Every Man for Himself: Ten Short Stories About Being a Guy edited by Nancy E. Mercado
Many Stones by Carolyn Coman
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet adapted by Richard Appignanesi

TEEN

Michael Kerrigan is a good kid… Never been in trouble with the police. Loves running track. Has a good job writing obituaries for the local newspaper. All of that changes during a random drug sweep at his school. Four joints were found in his locker and, though the principal is sure they aren’t Michael’s, Michael refuses to place the blame on anyone else. Were they really his? Is he just covering for a friend? And how will this effect the rest of his life?

Happy Reading!

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Audiobook List:
Born to Rock by Gordon Korman
Dunk by David Lubar
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything by E. Lockhart
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Waves by Sharon Dogar
An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It by Al Gore

Book List:
Beastly by Alex Flinn
The Straight Road to Kylie by Nico Medina
After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
Katie.com: my story by Katherine Tarbox
Cheated by Patrick Jones
Meth: America’s Drug Epidemic by Elaine Landau
Re-Gifters by Mike Carey [Graphic Novel]
Breaking Point by Alex Flinn
Sixteen Short Stories By Outstanding Authors for Young Adults edited by Donald R. Gallo
Body Drama by Nancy Amanda Redd
Deathnote by Tsugumi Ohba
Every Man for Himself: Ten Short Stories About Being a Guy edited by Nancy E. Mercado
Many Stones by Carolyn Coman
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet adapted by Richard Appignanesi