The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

by E. Lockhart

Summary: Frankie Landau-Banks, a quirky girl who attends an exclusive boarding school, has stumbled upon a mystery. The boys at this school have a secret society, The Loyal Order of the Bassett Hounds, who have been responsible for pranks and various other mischief around campus for decades. Her father was a Bassett, her boyfriend is a Bassett, and none of them know that she knows the club even exists. When she realizes that she'll never be accepted as a member, simply because she's a girl, she hatches a plot so grand it will change Alabaster Prepratory Academy forever.

My thoughts: I love, love, love this book! It's funny, witty, super-smart, and extremely well-written. Frankie is a respectable heroine for girls everywhere, but this is not just a girl book. Guys will enjoy reading about her crazy pranks, too, and everyone will love watching the Bassetts squirm as Frankie bests them again and again!

Saving Zoe

by Alyson Noel

Summary: Echo loved her big sister Zoe, but they couldn't have been more different. It isn't until after Zoe is tragically murdered that she really begins to understand who her sister was. Zoe's ex-boyfriend, who at one time was a suspect in the murder, gives Echo Zoe's diary. Chapters flip between Zoe's diary entries and Echo's story, which also slowly reveals the answer to the mystery of Zoe's brutal murder.

My thoughts: Your heart breaks for Zoe in this all too real tale of MySpace gone bad. Any teenage girl can relate to her desire to be different, and to be noticed. Yes, it's a warning of the dangers of Internet predators, but it's not preachy or cheesy--just sad. This story will make you think about what you reveal online, who your real friends are, and the importance of family.

Amulet: Book One, The Stonekeeper

by Kazu Kibuishi

Summary: As Emily and her parents travel to pick up her little brother, they have a horrible accident. Kibuishi illustrates a gut-wrenching scene of terror as Emily's father, trapped inside their car, slides off a cliff to his death. When Emily, her mother, and brother Navin move to a quiet home to start over, their mother is almost immediately eaten by a terrible tentacled creature. Emily finds an amulet that is supposed to help her and Navin find and save their mother, but it may not be all that it appears.

My thoughts: The opening scene of this graphic novel is dramatically illustrated and extremely haunting. If you like Bone, you'll love this book.

Evernight

by Claudia Gray

Summary: Bianca is upset when her parents decide to take teaching positions at the Evernight Academy. The students there are clique-ish and snobby, and she doesn't feel she fits in at the exclusive boarding school. When she meets Lucas, she's terrified by him at first, then quickly develops a huge crush on her fellow outsider. But Bianca isn't what she seems, and neither is Lucas.

My thoughts: I made it halfway through this novel without catching on to what was REALLY going on, and when there was finally no mistaking it, I was totally shocked! I thought I was over vampire novels, but this one has re-sparked my interest!

The Arrival

by Shaun Tan

Summary: This is an immigration story that is told entirely in pictures. That's right--this book has no words. The pictures at first invoke a feeling of a historical time period, but the reader soon notices the strange creatures running around that look nothing like anything from our world. The main character is befriended by a dog-sized alien creature, who helps him navigate this strange new world. This man has left his family to find work here, and the reader experiences his joys and his failures all depicted through beautiful artwork.

My thoughts: The Arrival took me much longer to "read" than I thought it would. I assumed I would flip through each page quickly. After all, it's just pictures. The pictures are so rich and complex, however, that you want to linger on every page. A beautiful and original story, that you almost sort of write yourself!

Right Behind You

by Gail Giles

Summary: How do you live with yourself if you intentionally kill a child by burning him to death? What if you were only a child yourself when it happened? When Kip gets out of the juvenile facility at the age of 14 after serving his time for this crime, he and his family must move and assume new identities so the community won't harrass them. No one would want their child to go to school with Kip, to be his friend. In his new town and new school, Kip struggles with his own massive guilt, and whether or not he can ever be himself or be honest with anyone if he doesn't reveal his terrible secret.

My thoughts: Right Behind You is extremely disturbing. Kip's crime, and his reason for committing it, is tough to swallow. His internal struggle is painful to read, but it's a great story about learning to forgive yourself.

Graceling

by Kristen Cashore

Summary: In Katsa's world, children born with two different colored eyes are both feared and revered. The condition is called a "Grace," and its affected are "Gracelings." Katsa has the Grace of killing. No person has ever been able to best her in a fight, so the king uses her as his personal guard and weapon. When Katsa meets Po, a Graceling from a neighboring kingdom, she has almost met her match, since he is Graced as a fighter. His grandfather has been kidnapped, and as he and Katsa set out to try to rescue him, they learn exciting secrets about their own (and each other's) Graces along the way.

My thoughts: This is a difficult book to summarize because there are many exciting plotlines going on! Cashore is a new author, but is so skilled that she keeps the reader interested in them all without causing confusion. The tension between Katsa and Po is enough to keep every girl reading, but is so NOT sappy that boys will keep reading, too. This is one of my favorite books of the year! Katsa is a strong female character. Sometimes authors pair strong girls in books with stupid boys (a trend that really bugs me), but Po has his own mind and is a strong male character in his own right. This is his story, too. Watching Katsa and Po grow up together is very cool!