Cara and Zoe were best friends when they were younger, until Cara's family moved away in fifth grade. Now 17, Cara comes home from track practice one Cara and Zoe were best friends when they were younger, until Cara's family moved away in fifth grade. Now 17, Cara comes home from track practice one day to find that Zoe is in her bedroom, on the run from a troubled situation at home involving her stepdad. Cara agrees to hide her, and at first it's great to renew their friendship. Cara has tried over the past several years to stay out of the way of the popular girls at school, especially Alexis and Sydney, who make fun of her, and having Zoe around bolsters her self-esteem. But then Sydney dies-- an apparent accidental drowning in the pool. And not too soon after, Alexis disappears. Cara feels more and more uncomfortable around Zoe, who vacillates between wanting to help Cara become more popular and resenting the time Cara spends with anyone other than herself. As Zoe's behavior becomes more and more bizarre and possessive, Cara becomes convinced that her old friend knows more about what happened to Sydney and Alexis than she's letting on. This dark roller-coaster of a story will have readers grabbing their seats as they race to the finish... with a surprise loop-de-loop at the end.
The story that Shawn Goodman tells isn't a happy one, but it is ultimately hopeful. 17-year-old Shavonne spent her early childhood with her crack-addiThe story that Shawn Goodman tells isn't a happy one, but it is ultimately hopeful. 17-year-old Shavonne spent her early childhood with her crack-addicted mother and, when she was six, was the primary caretaker of her infant brother. After an unspecified incident involving her brother, for which she blames herself, Shavonne spent time in foster homes, psychiatric wards, and ultimately, a juvenile detention center. The bulk of the story takes place in this center, where Shavonne has learned to survive by trusting nobody. After yet another fight, she is sent to a new counselor, the fat, messy Mr. Delpopolo. Although she tries to put up the same walls with him that have worked with everyone else, he sees past them and slowly, slowly convinces Shavonne to start opening up about the things that she is ashamed of in her past. Even more slowly, he helps her understand that she is not to blame for these things-- the rapes, the cigarette burns, the other indecencies that have caused her to build her protective wall. He shows her that the adults in her life have not protected her, and her anger and fear and lack of trust are normal reactions to a very abnormal childhood. Not all of the adults in the juvenile detention center are as caring as Mr. Delpopolo: many are exhausted and jaded, and a few, such as the female guard Ms. Choi, are downright cruel, taking pleasure in taunting the girls so that they can punish them. But Shavonne eventually comes to believe that her life can change, and to recognize the people in her life who are willing to help her bring about this change. The first person narrative is spare and powerful. ...more
Karou is a 17-year-old art student in Prague. When she’s not at school with her friends, she lives with Brimstone, a chimera who has raised her for asKarou is a 17-year-old art student in Prague. When she’s not at school with her friends, she lives with Brimstone, a chimera who has raised her for as long as she can remember. Brimstone is a collector of teeth, although you don’t find out why until later, and Karou will do various errands for him, going through doorways that take her all over the world, to collect these teeth. Angels are traveling the world leaving scorched handprints on various doors. We meet Akiva, one of the angels who is doing this, and when he sees Karou, he is unexplainably drawn to her. There is, however, the slight problem that Karou's beloved caretaker Brimstone is a mortal enemy of Akiva. An amazing fantasy with overtones of Romeo and Juliet.
Sam is your typical twenty-ish fast-food-working college dropout-- and he's okay with that. But circumstances bring him to the attention of Douglas, aSam is your typical twenty-ish fast-food-working college dropout-- and he's okay with that. But circumstances bring him to the attention of Douglas, a well-tailored necromancer with no sense of humor to offset his evil propensities. Turns out Sam is a necromancer, too... and Douglas is trying to decide if he should train Sam in his evil ways or just kill him outright. Part of that decision-making involves turning one of Sam's fast food coworkers into a talking head (literally... a la decapitation), introducing Sam to a knockout hybrid werewolf named Brin, and generally making Sam's life painful. The characters are all wonderfully drawn, the premise is fresh, the action doesn't stop, and Lish McBride achieves just the right mix of menace and hilarity. ...more
It's the summer of 1986 and 13-year-old Drew isn't looking for any surprises... She'll spend her days helping her mother in the newly opened Cheese ShIt's the summer of 1986 and 13-year-old Drew isn't looking for any surprises... She'll spend her days helping her mother in the newly opened Cheese Shop. But the escape of Drew's pet rat leads to Emmett, a boy unlike anyone Drew has ever met. Together, they explore what being a friend really means and learn that maybe miracles do still exist. Reinhardt creates fully-developed characters and a lovely, practically perfect story of imperfect people. Can't wait to introduce this Virginia Reader's Choice nominee in the fall....more
Oh my goodness... such a compelling and evocative story. The island of Thisby is a hard and lonely place most of the year, but in October, things heatOh my goodness... such a compelling and evocative story. The island of Thisby is a hard and lonely place most of the year, but in October, things heat up for the annual Scorpio Races along the dangerous shorelines. More than a horse race, this is the island's celebration of mastering the capaill uisce-- the bloodthirsty water horses that can occasionally be lured from the sea. There is plenty of fight-to-the-death action, as riders and their mounts prepare for the annual November 1 race, but the real story is about so much more: family and love and not backing down from what you believe in. Stiefvater's pacing is impeccable as she draws readers in to Puck's and Sean's developing relationship. Beautifully written: read it, read it, read it....more
A powerful story of a Lithuanian family taken prisoner by Stalin's troops during World War II and transported to a camp in Siberia. While most young aA powerful story of a Lithuanian family taken prisoner by Stalin's troops during World War II and transported to a camp in Siberia. While most young adults are familiar with the atrocities of Hitler during this time period, Sepetys writes of a little-known piece of history that affected thousands of Europeans in and around Russia. But through the horrors, incidents of love and hope are seen, like rays of sun "between shades of gray."...more
This atmospheric melodrama introduces us to the teenage Victor Frankenstein, who lives with his well-to-do family in the old Frankenstein chateau outsThis atmospheric melodrama introduces us to the teenage Victor Frankenstein, who lives with his well-to-do family in the old Frankenstein chateau outside of Geneva. Exploring the house one day, Victor and his twin brother Konrad and their beautiful cousin Elizabeth accidentally stumble on a secret passage from the library, which leads down to an ancient room full of old books devoted to alchemy. Their father warns them to stay away from the Dark Library, but when Konrad falls ill and the doctors can't help him, Victor is determined to seek a cure for his brother himself. He and Elizabeth and a neighbor Henry return to the forbidden library, and there find a book that promises the Elixer of Life. They begin a dangerous quest with the assistance of the reclusive Polidori who had practiced alchemy in the past and nearly been hanged for it, and it quickly becomes a race not only for Konrad's life but for their own. An imaginative and thought-provoking look into how the seeds might have been sown in the teen Frankenstein who would become the adult in Mary Shelley's classic. ...more
You know how some books get so much hype that when you finally read them you're left with a vague disappointment, because they didn't live up to the bYou know how some books get so much hype that when you finally read them you're left with a vague disappointment, because they didn't live up to the build-up? This is not one of those books. Heart-peelingly beautiful....more
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