Me (Moth)

by Amber McBride

This is a beautifully written novel in verse about a girl, Moth, and a boy, Sani, who find each other in a very trying time in each of their lives. Moth has just lost her entire family in a terrible car accident where she is the only survivor. Sani is a musician who wants to go to Juilliard. He has the talent, but not the confidence. The two end up on an emotional road trip, both trying to find themselves. My only complaint about this novel is that is bogs down in the middle a little. The writing is lovely, but it's a bit too frilly for my liking, so much so that I almost quit. Something compelled me to keep reading, though, and I'm glad that I did. The ending gave me about three rounds of goosebumps, and was really satisfying. This is a book lovers book, and I'm glad I gave it a chance. 

 

Sweet

by Emmy Laybourne

Laurel is nervously excited about getting to go on a celebrity cruise paid for by her wealthy friend's dad. Nervous because it's a cruise designed to promote a new weight-loss product, and because her childhood tv crush is hosting the footage of the trip, Ryan Seacrest-style. The product, Solu, is a sugar substitute touted to bring on rapid weight loss, and it works. Laurel, due to an extreme bout of sea-sickness, doesn't partake. Neither does Tom, her celebrity crush, because he's already in great shape and doesn't want to mess up his process. These two, and the few other cruisers who don't take the product, very quickly see that there's something a little off about Solu, and things take a dark and dramatic turn.

The characters in this book are a little shallow and one-dimensional, but the story is so fun you won't really care. And endings to books like this are hard to do right--this one is total greatness, down to the very last line. Lots of fun!

The Fade

by Demitria Lunetta

Haley's family has moved from Chicago to rural Wisconsin, into a creepy old house with a sordid past. She immediately begins to feel a presence there, and soon learns that several years ago, a whole bunch of pretty girls went missing from her house and some of the surrounding homes. She knows they want something, but can't figure out what, and soon enlists the help of Coop, a cute local boy she meets at a party.

Dumplin'

by Julie Murphy

Aw, Willowdean! You can't help but smile and nod your head as you read this book. Will's dad isn't around, and she has spent her whole life with her mom and her very overweight Aunt Lucy. When we meet her, Lucy has just died of a heart attack, and Willowdean is reeling. She shared a special bond with Lucy, and she misses her terribly. Willowdean has weight issues of her own, and it's never really bothered her before, but then she meets Bo. He's gorgeous, and even though she thinks he's way out of her league, he likes her. All of a sudden, her insecurities rear their ugly heads. She can't bring herself to tell her best friend, Ellen, that Bo has been kissing her behind the dumpster at work, and the secret makes her feel farther and farther away from her tiny, beautiful friend. One day, while going through her Aunt Lucy's things, Will finds an application for the local beauty pageant, and gets a crazy idea--one that will turn just about all of her relationships on their heads.

The best part of this book has to be the characters, and while it's probably billed more as a romance, it's the friendship story of Ellen and Willowdean that steals the show. The group of misfits that Will hangs out with are hilarious and believable. Her flawed but loving mother is perfectly drawn. In fact, the only character who feels a bit flat to me is Bo. Even Mitch, the other third of Will's love triangle, is just so spot on. This book definitely deserves all the praise it's been getting recently!

(This one won't be in our middle school library, but you can find it at the public library or at a bookstore.)

Olive's Ocean

by Kevin Henkes

Martha Boyle's life is rocked when she hears a knock at her front door the day before she leaves for summer vacation. A woman introduces herself as Olive's mother, a girl Martha's age who was hit by a car and killed a few weeks before. The mom found an entry in Olive's diary that said that she hoped she and Martha could become friends, and that Martha was the nicest person in school. The diary page haunts Martha. Olive was a strange girl--an outcast--and Martha barely knew her. When she arrives at the coast to visit her grandmother, Olive is never far from her mind, but she's also got her own issues to deal with. The group of five brothers who live down the beach provide some interesting distractions, as does her deepening relationship with her grandmother. This is a beautiful coming of age story, with a lovable main character, and colorful extras. I think Martha's story will be with me for a long time.

Heap House

by Edward Carey

Welcome to Heap House, a sprawling, dark, dingy mansion, situated in the middle of a vast pile of junk. It's home to the Iremongers, a strange and reclusive extended family. They intermarry to preserve their bloodlines and consider themselves almost royalty. People with partial Iremonger blood are their servants. Their identities are tied to "birth objects," commonplace things that represent and shape who they are from birth. Clod Iremonger is 15, with a bath plug for a birth object. He is unhappily engaged to his cousin Pinalippy. Clod has a skill that makes him seem odd in the eyes of the other Iremongers; he can hear the birth objects speaking. They only speak their names, but their voices are always with him. He is resigned to his dreary life until he meets Lucy Pennant, an orphan who is told she has a little Iremonger blood and forced to work at Heap House. Lucy changes the way Clod sees his world, but her arrival sets off a chain of events that might mean the end of Heap House. Black-and-white illustrations are as deliciously unsettling as the text. Characters are rich with personality, from Clod's frightening Granny who has never left her bedroom, to his bath plug, who manages to be sassy even though the only thing he says is "James Henry Hayward." Stories don't get much weirder, but that's precisely what makes it so magical.

Forget Me

by K.A. Harrington

Morgan's boyfriend Flynn Parkman got hit by a car, while she watched, and now he's dead. A few months later, she decides to put a photo of him on FriendShare (a fictional Facebook), as a tribute, and it asks if she wants to tag him as Evan Murphy. When she looks closer at the picture of Evan, she's horrified to see that Evan looks exactly like Flynn. Questions begin to arise in her mind--how well did she really know Flynn, and could he actually still be alive? Her search for answers leads her through an exciting and dangerous chain of events, with twists and turns galore. This book was fun, fun, fun! Great characters, a mystery you won't figure out, and a fast read. I think you all will love it!

Princess Academy

by Shannon Hale

Miri lives in the tiny town of Mount Eskel. The citizens here barely eek out a living mining and selling linder, a beautiful stone only found on their mountain. Few know how to read, and their main contact with the outside world are traders from the city, who are only interested in getting linder for as cheap as possible. When a divination states that the next princess will be from Mount Eskel, the big-city Danlanders are horrified that their future queen might be a country bumpkin, so all girls of a certain age are required to attend the Princess Academy. The Academy will teach them history, poise, manners, and diplomacy, etc., so that any girl chosen will be prepared for royal duties. Miri isn't sure if she wants to be a princess, but knows that becoming a royal would improve her family's standing. She's excited to learn, and to meet the prince, but her growing feelings for Pater, her childhood best friend, complicate her emotions. She does know, beyond a doubt, that she wants to be Academy Princess, which is reserved for the girl who gets the best marks (sort of like the Princess Academy valedictorian!)

This story is so full of twists and turns and magic and adventure and romance that I can hardly begin to describe it all here! Why, oh why, didn't I read this book sooner? From the title, you might think this is another sappy, Disney-esque princess book, but it's so far from that. Miri is funny, and strong, but full of self doubt. Her voice is real, and the writing is so beautiful. You will never forget her.

I also must mention that I listened to this as a Full Cast Audio production. Each character had a different actor doing the voice work. It was absolutely incredible, and I wish all audio books were recorded this way!

This is What Happy Looks Like

by Jennifer E. Smith

When Graham Larkin accidentally hits one key too many and sends Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig by mistake, she can't pass up the opportunity to respond. They begin an email friendship that quickly turns flirtatious, and pretty soon, they're emailing every chance they get. They never exchange numbers, or even names, for fear of ruining the magic, but they know they live all the way across the country from each other--Graham in California, Ellie in Maine. There's something Ellie doesn't know about her pen pal, though. He's a movie star. Like, the hottest teen star in the country.

Graham finds out that his newest film project needs to be set in a quiet beach town, and suddenly he knows just the place. He suggests to the producers that they work in Ellie's hometown, and when he gets there, he sets out to try to find her. When he does, the connection is immediate, but Ellie has a secret of her own. Will they be able to get past all the drama in their lives and be able to be together?

This is not normally my kind of book, but I had heard so many good things about it I just had to give it a try. I'm so glad I did! Funny, sweet, and hopeful in all the right ways.

The Tragedy Paper

by Elizabeth LaBan

When Duncan goes back to his small private boarding school for his senior year, he can't believe his misfortune. He's been assigned the worst possible room on the boy's hall. Each year, the senior who lived there the previous year leaves a "treasure" for the new resident. Sometimes it's cash, sometimes a puppy, sometimes it's nothing more than junk. Duncan finds a pile of CDs, and thinks his treasure falls into the junk category, until he begins to listen.

Tim, the previous resident of Duncan's room, has recorded his story. How he came to the school in his last semester, and how he fell in love with one of the most popular girls in the class in the airport on the way there.

We hear the story from two viewpoints, Tim's and Duncan's, but it's Tim that I most connected with. He is an albino, which means he has no pigment in his skin or hair. He struggles mightily to not let this condition define him. As a reader, you can feel his love for Vanessa, who unfortunately is in a relationship with a boy who doesn't treat her well. She loves Tim, too, but we wonder if she will ever be able to see past Tim's albinism.

As Duncan listens to the CDs, we begin to realize that something horrible happened at the end of Tim and Vanessa's senior year. The suspense waiting to find out what it is was almost unbearable. I loved this book. The writing, the characters, the story, were all spot-on, and I think it will stick with me for a long, long time.

Shadow and Bone

by Leigh Bardugo

Alina and Mal grow up together as orphans, thinking they are just average kids. Alina soon discovers, though, that she is a member of the Grisha, an elite group with magical powers. She's a "sun summoner," and the Darkling, leader of the Grisha, needs her power, so takes her under his wing.

Of course, there is a love triangle. And Alina is insecure, goes back and forth on who she wants to be with, and claims to despise the attention she gets from men.

I was so disappointed in this book, especially since it was on this year's Lone Star list, but I truly found little here to recommend. A worn out plot, a whiny, wishy-washy female protagonist that we are supposed to think is "strong," and two guys, neither of whom would make a good boyfriend in any world. There is action, and the plot moves along at a decent clip, which makes for an easy read, but I just did not find this one to live up to the hype.

Flipped

by Wendelin Van Draanen

When Bryce moves into Juli's neighborhood in elementary school, she immediately falls head over heels in love with him. She comes on a little too strong, though. Bryce can't stand her perky personality, and that fact that she practically drools over him every time he walks by. Juli doesn't realize how she's coming across. She just wants Bryce to like her. One day, though, she realizes that Bryce isn't who she thinks he is. He's just a pretty face. He hasn't been kind to her. And she's done, just like that. Unfortunately for Bryce, this is right about the time he realizes that he's been wrong about Juli, and can't stop thinking about her.

What a sweet, fun, romance! In the beginning you ache for Juli, and at the end you want to cry for Bryce. You'll have to read it to find out if they are able to work it out!

Where She Went

by Gayle Forman

This is the follow up to Forman's If I Stay. I can't say much about the plot, for fear of spoilers, but I will say I loved this one almost as much. It beautifully answers the issues left unresolved in the first book. Told from Adam's viewpoint, it allows us to explore him as a character, and sort of see If I Stay through his eyes, without repeating the story.

This one, and If I Stay, are both found only in our high schools, but should be available at the public library.

The Essence

by Kimberly Derting

In this second installment of Derting’s Pledge novels, Charlie is now the unlikely queen of Ludania, but the former, evil queen Sabara is not gone. Her spirit, or essence, resides within Charlie. The new queen, while inexperienced and uncomfortable in her role, has been able to make some sweeping changes across the country, including the banning of executions, and allowing freedom of speech. She still has much to learn, and sets off to a conference where she will meet the queens of the surrounding nations. At the conference, Sabara makes her sinister presence more and more clear. Her desires for the immortal Niko cloud Charlie’s own feelings for Max, creating a strange, and extraneous, kind of love triangle. Max, her love interest in the first novel, gets little page time, except as a foil for Charlie/Sabara’s feelings for Niko. While the majority of the story is told from Charlie’s perspective, intermittent point of view changes make the narrative choppy. Pair this with an undeterminable setting, along with too many supernatural/dystopian/fantasy elements mish-mashed together, and you’ve got a book with no real sense of direction.

Blood Red Road

by Moira Young

Saba and Lugh are twins, born in a bleak future. They couldn't be more different. She's dark, he's light. But they love one another fiercely. Their mother died in childbirth, but little sister Emmi survived, so for years it has been the three kids and their Papa, barely making ends meet. One day some bad men come, and take Lugh away. Saba swears to find him. The journey is grueling, and along the way Saba is captured and forced to cage fight to the death with other young women. During this time she meets a group of girl warriors, who vow to help her find Lugh.

I'm kind of on a streak of books I don't like right now. The quote on the cover says this is "better than Hunger Games," but I have to disagree. It's written in an odd sort of dialect that I found very distracting. To be fair, it was a good adventure, and Saba's cage fighting days were emotionally charged. The romance felt forced, though, and if I read one more book where the girl pushes the guy away meanly even though she's dying to have him, I might scream! If you're a fan of dystopian literature, you might like this, but I found it pretty painful.

The Tension of Opposites

by Kristina McBride

When Tessa is in middle school, her best friend Noelle is abducted by a stranger. There were no clues left behind except for Noelle's red bicycle, lying in the street. Then one day, Noelle's little brother gets a phone call. It's from Noelle. She's alive, and is taking her chance to escape. Tessa can only imagine what it's going to be like to have her best friend back, but is sorely disappointed when Noelle returns. She doesn't want to speak to Tessa, much less see her. Tessa realizes she has to move on with her life, and meets a new guy, Max, in her photography class. When he shows interest, she's so hung up on renewing her friendship with Noelle that she pushes him away. Eventually she and Noelle speak, but it's not easy. Noelle has been through terrible things, and no one understands why she didn't just run away. But Noelle has her reasons.

There have been several real-life headlines about cases like Noelle's recently. The kidnapped person isn't tied up, and is allowed to walk around in the community, and sometimes even make friends. But for some reason or another, he/she doesn't tell the police that they are being held against their will. Sometimes they are suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, a condition where the kidnapped person begins to sympathize with his/her captor. Others, like Noelle, are afraid that the captor will take it out on their families.

I enjoyed seeing Noelle's perspective, and it was heart-wrenching as Tessa struggled to regain what she'd lost. I think the added element of Tessa's romance with Max was sort of unnecessary to this story, but other than that, I really liked this one.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

by Laini Taylor

Karou lives in Prague, studies art, and tries to fit in to the world as we know it. She knows she's not normal, though. Her hair is blue, she speaks 17 languages, and her family isn't human. They're chimaerae, otherworldly creatures that some might describe as demons. Brimstone, her father figure, sends her on magical errands to collect teeth, but she has no idea why--she just does as she's told. She's happy with the way things are until an encounter with Akiva, an angel, who is so handsome it almost hurts to look at him. When he tries to kill her, she begins to ask questions about her past that Brimstone wishes would remain a mystery.

You almost feel like you're in a dream when you read this book. The language is beautiful, the romance is steamy, and the story is edge-of-your-seat adventure. I want to BE Karou. Would wouldn't want blue hair?

Song of the Sparrow

by Lisa Ann Sandell

Elaine lives with her father in a world of men--King Arthur's army camp. She sews, and mends, and cooks, and cleans, but loves her life. Handsome Lancelot is her close friend, but her heart also pounds every time he is near. Is it love? Could he possibly love her back? She doesn't get a chance to tell him before he leaves for his latest mission, but vows to herself that she will let him know how she feels when he returns. But he comes back with Gwynivere, who is intended to be King Arthur's new bride. She knows she shouldn't be threatened by this lady in fine clothes, but she sees a look pass between Lancelot and Gwynivere, and realizes there is more to their relationship than meets the eye.

A story told in verse, this is a lovely retelling of Tennyson's The Lady of Shalott. It's a fast read, with a sweet and satisfying ending.

Divergent

by Veronica Roth

In a future Chicago, the city has divided itself into five factions, each representing a different human virtue. Unfortunately, they place no value on any virtue but the one they've chosen, and discord is growing. At 16, each person is given an aptitude test to determine if the faction of their birth is right for them, or if they would be better suited for another.  At Beatrice's evaluation, something unusual happens. Her outcome is inconclusive--she has traits from several different factions. The test administrator tells her she is Divergent, which is rare, and very dangerous. The choice Beatrice makes is not an easy one, and leads her into a world more corrupt and dangerous than anything she ever imagined.

I started this book on Saturday and finished on Sunday. I didn't want to like it--I feared it would be just another Hunger Games rip-off. But this book stands on its own. No rip-offs here. I absolutely loved this story, and Beatrice, who is eventually known as Tris, is smart, endearing, flawed, and unpredictable. There's non-stop action, and sizzling romance. I just found out the sequel, Insurgent, came out this week, and I can't get to the bookstore fast enough!

Texas Gothic

by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Amy Goodnight is a coed at UT, but she's gone home to Barnett for the summer to care for her Aunt Hiacynth's farm while her aunt is away. Her sister Phin is there to help, too, but the Goodnight Farm is no ordinary Texas ranch. Aunt Hiacynth is a kitchen witch, and her dead husband still hangs around the house in ghost form. The discovery of centuries-old bones on neighboring land brings a group of anthropology students from UT, and Amy and Phin can't resist checking out what they've found. Their interference doesn't please Ben, the hot cowboy whose family owns that land, and the sparks fly between him and Amy. Add to the tension an old legend of a ghost called Mad Monk, and the fact that Amy's being haunted, and you have quite the mystery on your hands.

The story started out slow for me, but picked up quickly. This is a light, fun, mystery with great Texas references scattered throughout. (The author is from Arlington, so she got it right!) Definitely a good choice for CSI fans, who want a little drama and a little romance with their forensics!