BookSnog -- WPL Teenspace Books and News

Word Nerd by Susan Nielsen

2009-01-28T14:04:00.003-05:00

Ambrose is a misfit, he's quirky, a nerd. He is tormented by a few kids at school, and the last stunt they pulled nearly killed him. You see, Ambrose has a peanut allergy. The kids told him to close his eyes, and then put a peanut in his sandwich. After this incident, everyone thought it best if Ambrose enrolled in correspondence-school, which means he takes his classes at home, on-line. This is when things start to get interesting for Ambrose. He meets his landlords’ son, fresh out of prison. His overprotective mother insists he keep away from him, but Ambrose is a curious kid. He always asks the question you’re thinking, but are too afraid, or too polite to ask; he has no filter. Isn’t it great having a friend like that? Well, it’s great having a narrator like that too. This book is a funny story about a kid who’s different.
Recommended for grades 6-9

2009-01-26T09:54:00.003-05:00

Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan

Welcome back to the quirky and charming imagination of the author/illustrator of the (rightfully)award-winning The Arrival. This collection of very short stories and inspired illustrations will go down easy and leave you thinking. From Eric,the unusual exchange student, to the annual celebration of the Nameless Holiday, Outer Suburbia will seem eerily similar to your neighborhood--turned inside out and viewed through a funhouse mirror. Recommended for grades 7 and up.

2009-01-26T09:42:00.003-05:00

Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka

Celeste, Nanette and Taviana live in Unity--a religious compound in which it is believed that salvation for men results from having at least three wives and salvation for girls and women depends on becoming one of those wives. Celeste is about to turn 15 and is rebelling at the thought of being given in marriage to someone as old as her father. Her younger sister, Nanette, on the other hand, can hardly bear to wait another year before she's deemed ready. And Taviana is not of Unity, but has found refuge there from a terrible life outside. When Taviana is expelled from the community and Celeste falls for a boy her own age, all three girls must choose what they are and aren't willing to sacrifice for their future happiness. For high school.

2008-12-15T10:21:00.003-05:00

Everything Beautiful in the World by Lisa Levchuk

Edna (yeah, she hates her name) is numbed by her mother's recent cancer diagnosis. She can't even bring herself to call, never mind visit the hospital. In the meantime, she uses her crush on her handsome art teacher to distract herself from the fear. But it turns out the crush is mutual and Edna falls headlong into a physical relationship with Mr. Howland. Pretty soon, though, it's clear that Mr. Howland isn't an answer to her problems. He's one of them. Recommended for high school and up.

2008-12-15T10:14:00.004-05:00

Appetite for Detention by Sloane Tanen, photographed by Stefan Hagen

To say too much would be to give the 'plot' away, but just remember that all the funniest books have chickens in them. Share the misery of their typical(?) teen experiences in this hilarious photo essay. Recommended for high school and up.

2008-10-10T11:38:00.000-04:00

My Bonny Light Horseman by L.A. Meyer

Jacky Faber continues her misadventures in book six of the Bloody Jack series. Sixteen isn’t so sweet for Jacky when she’s trapped into becoming a spy for the British Crown. Separated, yet again, from her true love, Jacky first finds herself in a tutu and then back in man’s clothing as a soldier in Napoleon’s Grand Army. It’s a test of loyalties for Jacky: betray the men she’s leading or the country of her birth (which honestly hasn’t been that good to her). Recommended for high school.

My Most Excellent Year

2008-04-08T14:19:00.004-04:00

My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins and Fenway Park by Steve Kluger

Augie and Andy are in love but they don't know it. T.C. wants Ale to love him, but he's going about it all wrong. Hucky is a deaf 6 year old orphan who stumbles into their lives and makes them at things a little differently. This is the story of four high school students and their passions and families told through journal entries, e-mails and text. Grades 7 and up.

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The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

2008-04-07T19:52:00.004-04:00

It was the great title and the great cover that drew me to this book and the story did not disappoint! Frankie comes from a somewhat well to do family that sends her to Alabaster Preparatory Academy like her sister and father before her. At home Frankie is ordinary, and never a worry to her parents. After a fairly typical freshman year at Alabaster, Frankie returns for her sophomore year having filled out and looking quite pretty. She attracts the attention of a very popular senior and begins to date him. Once she becomes welcome into his circle of friends, she decides she never wants to leave; only her boyfriend is pretty selective about her involvement. He and his pals are part of an all male secret society. Frankie wants in, but that can’t happen, at least it can’t for an ordinary girl. People always underestimated Frankie; they won’t anymore. Find out how a girl goes from reputable to disreputable.
Recommended for grades 8 and up.

2007-08-15T09:48:00.000-04:00

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Dylan Scott

Twins, Sophie and Josh were just your average teens, working to save money to buy a car until Dr. John Dee showed up to steal an ancient text with all the secrets of life from Nick Fleming, Josh's boss. Now it appears they are destined to save the world or destroy it unless Dr. Dee's golems (men made from clay), or Morrigan's crows, or countless other creatures they've only read about in books or imagined in nightmares don't destroy them. For lovers of fantasy and mythology grades 6 and up.

2007-06-16T14:34:00.000-04:00

What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones
Have you read What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones? It’s the story of Sophie, and how she falls in love with the guy at school that everyone thinks is a loser. Well, there’s a sequel! What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know is the continuation of Sophie and Robin’s story, only this time Robin, the boyfriend, is telling the story. It’s a great read, even if you haven’t read the first one, though, you’ll probably want to.
Recommended for High School Teens

In The Belly of the Bloodhound

2006-12-21T15:20:00.000-05:00

by L.A. Meyer

Hurray! Another installment of the Bloody Jack series. Mary aka “Jacky” Faber can’t go a week without getting into a pickle (see Bloody Jack). With a price on her head for piracy and dark memories of the bloodshed at Trafalgar (see Under the Jolly Roger), Jacky heads back to Boston hoping to lay low among the girls of the Lawson Peabody School. Never mind that when she was last in Boston, the school was in flames (see Curse of the Blue Tattoo). Happily, her old friends are truly delighted to see her. Others, of course, immediately begin sharpening their oh-so-ladylike claws. Before the drawing room gets too bespattered, though, the girls of Peabody Lawson are most foully kidnapped. Lucky for them, Jacky’s on board, because only she could possibly spring them from the dark hold of a slave ship that has set course for the harems of the Barbary Coast.

All I can say is, how fast can Mr. Meyer crank these babies out? I need volume five, NOW!

2006-10-03T10:46:00.000-04:00

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin

Matthew lives in fear everyday, he tries to gage his mom’s moods to protect himself and his sisters; but she is unpredictable. When he gets a taste of what a normal life feels like, he can’t do it anymore, he needs to change things. Does he have the time to wait for help from the adults who are aware, but are afraid too?
Riveting, gripping, absorbing, all those words you use to describe a book that you can’t put down, go ahead and fill in the blank like a Mad Lib, because this book is it.
Recommended for grades 8 and up.

2006-04-25T09:54:00.000-04:00

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Miles Halter has decided he needs to do something to shake up his uneventful life. He’s a guy who enjoys reading biographies, and has a thing for remembering famous last words. He’s inspired by the last words of the dying poet, Francois Rabelais, who said, “ I am going to seek the Great Perhaps”. Preferring to seek his “Great Perhaps” while still breathing, Miles decides leave his Florida high school and attend Culver Creek boarding school in Alabama, his Dad’s alma mater.
Shortly after arriving he meets his roommate, (The Colonel) and is dubbed “Pudge” due to his scrawny physique. Next he meets Alaska (actual name), a girl whose impact on those around her is strong and lasting.
Recommended for High School Students
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2006-04-18T11:31:00.000-04:00

Dear Zoe by Philip Beard

Dear Zoe is a novel of letters written by Zoe’s sister Tess. You see, 3-year-old Zoe was killed by a car on September 11th and Tess has a lot she needs to say to Zoe. While the world reels from the tragedy of 9/11, Tess and her family have their own private grief to deal with.
Time invested with Tess and her letters to her sister will be well spent.
For Grades 9-12

Bad Boys Stink

2006-04-12T19:33:00.000-04:00

A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone

Ever had your heart broken? Josie’s smart and pretty, but just a freshman, or freshmeat as the jock pals of her new senior boyfriend like to say. When she stops short of doing the deed, she finds herself dumped and despondent. The worst part is she knew all along that this wasn't going to end happily and yet she let herself believe. She gets her self-esteem back when she decides to spread the word about T.L. (aka Total Loser) and his callow behavior in the back of the library’s copy of Forever. Nicolette, who always thought she was tough, is the next to fall victim to T.L.’s considerable charms. And then there is Aviva. And a quick perusal of that copy of Forever shows that they aren’t the only ones . . .

This should be on every girl’s ninth grade reading list for life. “Forewarned is forearmed. Forever.”!!!!!!!
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A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life

2006-03-21T11:34:00.000-05:00

by Dana Reinhardt.

It’s no secret that Simone’s adopted, but she doesn’t think about it much. After all, she’s got great parents, a loving brother and good friends. Plus, she’s busy with school and trying to get to know the amazing Zach a little bit (or rather, a lot) better. Does she really need any more than that in her life? Nope. So when her birth mother, Rivka, calls, Simone resists getting to know her. When her normally cool parents insist, though, Simone realizes something’s up. The truth is that Rivka is dying and this is the last and only chance Simone will have to ask her the questions she’s kept buried for so long. She realizes she must take that chance. As she comes to love Rivka and better understand her surprising Hasidic heritage, Simone discovers that all the pieces of her life together have created a strong, beautiful and thoughtful young woman.

Copper Sun

2006-03-17T12:55:00.000-05:00

Her family murdered and village destroyed, Amari, an African teen, is dragged into slavery. Author Sharon Draper spares us none of the details of the horrific Middle Passage, where the dying are thrown overboard to the sharks, young girls are raped, and suicide is a constant temptation. After surviving that ordeal, Amari is then sold to a vicious man who intends her to be a “gift” for his son, an equally vile character. Copper Sun goes much deeper than cardboard villainy, though. At the plantation Amari finds a complex mix of people, all of whom are trapped in untenable situations. There is the kind mistress of the plantation who is hiding a deadly secret, the white indentured servant girl who unexpectedly befriends Amari, and the cook whose young son is both her joy and her weakness. The story of Amari and her ultimate hope of freedom, is so much more than just one girl’s tale. It is a nail-biting dissection of the entire system of slavery and how it warped all who were caught in it. You will never forget this book.

2005-12-06T15:04:00.000-05:00

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

When Steven’s cute but annoying little brother, Jeffrey, get sick, life, as he knows it is completely altered. Steven tells the tale of tuning out in class, finding escape in his drumming, and basically trying to act normal around his friends until circumstances force him to be open about what he’s going through. Steven’s sneering sense of humor will have you laughing as you’re reaching for the tissues. This book will stay with you long after you put it down.

POISON

2005-12-06T12:57:00.000-05:00

I don't usually dig books with even a whiff of the metafictive, but this one I can still recommend with a clear conscience. Chris Wooding hasn't quite reached his peak as a novelist (and that's a good thing), but he is clearly a master of the otherworldly setting. Who else could write about a giant spider's lair and make you forget Tolkien ever existed? This tale of a bad-tempered swamp girl who goes head-to-head with the King of Phaerie is even more evocative than The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray. Turn the page and you'll swear you heard some bones cracking right behind you.

floating away . . .

2005-12-06T12:39:00.000-05:00

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
Shoulda worn a helmet, Liz. Poor girl, run down on her bike by a taxi and now she's on the cruise to ELSEWHERE. It isn't easy coming to terms with being dead and it's even worse to learn that you'll now be aging backwards in order to be born again. That's it. For Liz that means no driver's license, no career, no first love, no future. Or does it? Luckily, her grandmother (breast cancer), her favorite rock star (heroin overdose) and her new best friend (drive-by) are there to help her negotiate the complications of the afterlife. Like what happens when you fall for someone who is now seventeen, but once was older, and then, just to make things really difficult his middle-aged wife shows up.

2005-10-31T20:01:00.000-05:00

Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins

Pick up Criss Cross, and you may not put it down until the end. Not because it’s a full of excitement page turner, but because there is something so familiar about it, that you’ll find yourself smiling or nodding in agreement, thinking yeah, I felt that way too. It’s the story of a group neighbors and friends who over the course of a summer find themselves one step closer to who they’re really meant to be.

2005-10-12T20:34:00.000-04:00

The Book of Mordred by Vivian Vande Velde

Love to judge a book by its cover? Try The Book of Mordred.
King Arthur had a son or, no, was it his nephew? Even grosser, Mordred is both. In this retelling of the famous legend of Camelot, Mordred is no longer characterized as a bloodthirsty fool, but as a mysterious man. We find out about his softer, more noble side through the eyes of three women who loved him. Along the way you will fall for Mordred and his heroic deeds and will mourn his death in the end.

If you liked Harry Potter . . .

2005-10-05T15:09:00.000-04:00

simply can't wait for book the last and have a high tolerance for obviously derivative fiction, pick up The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. It's the first in a series called Percy Jackson & the Olympians. Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson discovers that he is the son of one of the ancient Greek gods, who, surprise, surprise, are still around and living in America. Well, over it. You now access Olympus through a secret elevator in the Empire State Building. Anyhoo, Percy is unaware of his own special powers until a bat-winged pre-Algebra teacher tries to slay him. He narrowly survives a second attack by fleeing to a special summer camp for half-Olympian kids. Do I even need to tell you that evil is afoot and Percy is the one the prophecy says will save the day? Yeah, you have seen this plot before. Percy even has two sidekicks whose names are not Hermione and Ron, but could be. Despite the scorn I heap upon this flagrant piece of plagiarism, however, I can't deny that I read and enjoyed every last word of it. Mr. Riordan is to be congratulated for taking a can't-lose formula and adding a genuinely fresh twist to it.

Paula Anderson