Looking for Alaska

by John Green

~Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after tragedy strikes.~

On page 50 and loving it.

"I wanted to be one of those people who have streaks to maintain, who scorch the ground with their intensity. But for now, at least I knew such people, and they needed me, just like comets need tails." p.49

Magic or Madness

by Justine Larbalestier

~From the Sydney, Australia home of a grandmother she believes is a witch, fifteen-year-old Reason Cansino is magically transported to New York City, where she discovers that friends and foes can be hard to distinguish. ~

There is an interesting premise here. While there have been plenty of books with magic as a central theme, this one felt unique. That isn't an easy thing to do.

One of the books greatest strengths, unfortunately, is also its greatest shortcoming. The level of suspense and mystery and the length for which is maintained is nearly masterful. The author managed to leave me in the dark for nearly half of the book yet still keep my interest. Until the halfway point I really didn't know WHAT was going on but I did feel that I would know soon and it would be worth it. The clues were subtle, something I appreciate. The second half is spent trying to figure out the who, why and how of it all. There were no big surprises, only more detail. Because most of the story is clouded with mystery, there is very little time spent on resolution. What about tying up loose-ends? What about my unanswered questions? Where is the payoff, Larbalestier? It certainly wasn't in the last few pages of this book, that's for sure.

I hate reading a book with such promise only to put it down at the end and feel nothing but disappointment.

The Secret Under My Skin Part 2

While Secret is still a perfectly decent book, I'm sorry to say I was a little disappointed with the ending. It felt rushed and a little too tidy. The conclusion was very "happily ever after" in my opinion. For such a interesting and suspenseful build, I was expecting more of a BANG. Make me yell "What?!" or "Holy crap!" I didn't even get a moderate "woah" of it.

Like I said, still a good book but I don't see it being Printz-worthy.

The Secret Under My Skin Part 1

by Janice McNaughton

~In the year 2368, humans exist under dire environmental conditions and one young woman, rescued from a workcamp and chosen for a special duty, uses her love of learning to discover the truth about the planet's future and her own dark past. ~

I just began this one yesterday and I'm having a hard time putting it down. McNaughton describes characters and settings in ways that give them life without slowing down the pace of this suspenseful novel. The key here is quality, not quantity. Although set in the year 2368, Secret is not mired down by futuristic gadgets and language. Details are revealed gradually, providing richness and interest, not beating you over the head with a hammer and yelling, "Hey! This is the future! Look how futuristic is it! "

Blay's character is both vulnerable and intelligent, giving the sense that she could be heroic if she can find the courage when she'll need it most. I'm reminded of the main character in The Giver, but find Blay far more interesting as a person. She has had to endure terrible tragedy throughout her entire life. Essentially she has a survivalist nature and, generally one does not become a survivor by standing up to great danger. Halfway through the book, I'm wishing Blay would reveal the truth about Marrella to the Master. Yet I understand that her instinct towards self-preservation trumps all else. She is in the Master's house because of Marrella. If Marrella gets the boot, it's back to the work camp for Blay. Also Blay seems to be seeing something in Marrella that evokes feelings of compassion. She's a nicer person than I because all I see is a nasty, bald-headed entitled little witch. Oh I do hope Marrella gets hers.

Sexy

by Joyce Carol Oates

~Sixteen-year-old Darren Flynn, a popular, good-looking high school athlete who lacks self-confidence, learns that his jock friends are hatching a revenge act against their English teacher for failing a member of the swim team. ~

Oh man. This is gonna be a long one. I'm only on page 19 and I feel as if I've suddenly developed Attention Deficit Disorder. And what is up with the writing? Is Ms. Oates above verbs? I don't care if it's supposed to be a stream-of-consciousness type thing; I have to hide my red pens to keep from correcting it.

Update: I won't be finishing this one. I don't like it at all. The phrasing is halting and awkward to me. The man character (Darren?) is insipid, pathetic and stupid.

24 Girls in 7 Days

by Alex Bradley

~Jack Grammar, average American senior, has no date to the prom. Or so he thinks. Percy and Natalie, Jack's so-called best friends, post an ad in the classified section of the online version of the school newspaper. They figure it couldn't hurt. After all, there's not much in this world sadder than Jack's love life. Soon Percy and Natalie have assembled a list of girls eager to go to the prom with Jack, including one mysterious girl known only as FancyPants. He has just seven days to meet and date them before he will ask one special girl to the prom. ~

Charming, witty, entertaining. I was impressed with the author's ability to describe each girl in a way that they seemed like actual people with distinct personalities. Moreover, the girls were actually described as being attractive because of certain aspects of their personalities or certain talents they had, not because they were perfect physical specimens.

24 Girls manages to deliver both entertainment and wisdom without being ridiculous or didactic. Yes, you can survive humiliating ordeals and even learn a few things from them. When Jack learns to stop seeing every opportunity as a risk, everything begins to fall into place.

A fun, satisfying read.

Touching Darkness (Midnighters #2)

by Scott Westerfeld

~As they continue to battle evil creatures living in an hour hidden at midnight, Jessica and her new friends learn about Bixby, Oklahoma's shadowy past and uncover a deadly conspiracy that reaches beyond the secret hour. ~

I loved it so much I don't want to talk about it right now. If that makes any sense.

Uglies

by Scott Westerfeld

~In Tally's world, a 16th birthday brings an operation, transforming one from a repellent Ugly to an attractive Pretty. Turning Pretty is all Tally has ever wanted. Her friend Shay would rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally must make a terrible choice. ~

I love you, Scott Westerfeld for bringing us the goodness that is the Midnighters series but does this story really need to be a trilogy? Throw another 30 pages in there for a resolution and I would have been satisfied.

Let's see... this is futurist science fiction with your usual allotment of futuristic gadgets and stuff. My biggest complaint is that I was annoyed with Tally lying through the majority of the book or, at the very least, that she couldn’t come up with better lies. Also, I feel like I can predict the basic events of the next two books. That can't be good.

Still, Uglies does raise interesting questions for discussion. Are people really that obsessed with beauty that they believe it would solve society's problems? How far are we from this culture that teaches people from a very young age that they are not attractive but COULD be? Where the hell did David's mother get the ingredients for that magic lesion-healing pill?

Overall this book has good pacing and pure entertainment value. It's a decent premise with some big flaws. Maybe if he finished one trilogy before starting another he could have tightened up this plot.

Prom

by Laurie Halse Anderson

~Eighteen-year-old Ash wants nothing to do with senior prom, but when disaster strikes and her desperate friend, Nat, needs her help to get it back on track, Ash's involvement transforms her life. ~

I don't have much to say about this book. It was okay. Good but not great. There is nothing specific I can say without turning this into a spoiler. However, I would like to say this...

Am I the only person who didn't have some kind of magical prom experience? My date and I were bored, left early, got McDonalds and rented The Omen which I feel asleep watching. What a waste of good money. Then again maybe my prom was extraordinarly lame compared to most.

Anyway... Anderson's Prom was entertaining even if mine was not.

Boy Proof

by Cecil Castellucci

~Feeling alienated from everyone around her, Los Angeles high school senior and cinephile Victoria Denton hides behind the identity of a favorite movie character until an interesting new boy arrives at school and helps her realize that there is more to life than just the movies.~

This author has an excellent grasp on how a young person's fear of rejection can lead to self-imposed alienation. In Boy Proof the main character, takes on the persona of her favorite sci-fi character, Egg, pretending to be just as smart, tough and unforgiving. Ultimately its a ploy to control the possibility of rejection. By making oneself unapproachable being alone isn't so bad. It's a choice. Reject them before they can reject you. Many teens choose to submerge themselves in a fantasy, taking on a persona to shield themselves from real life. In the end though, being alone is lonely, regardless of how it happens.

Egg's voice, feelings and actions ring true at every turn. The Hollywood backdrop, far-too-interesting parents and nearly perfect love interest manage not to detract from the believability of the story and, instead, make it even more engaging.

10 Things to Do Before I Die

by Daniel Ehrenhaft

~Just after his best friends make a list of things sixteen-year-old Ted should do to live it up, he learns that he has injested poison and will be dead in twenty-four hours--which might be enough time to do everything on the list. ~

SLJ says, "There are several great scenarios here, but the stitches needed to gather them into one story don't bear up to even casual scrutiny." I tend to agree. For most of the book I was able to suspend disbelief because most of the events in the book are interesting enough to ignore the implausible circumstances that led up to those moments. The conclusion left me feeling a little unsatisfied even though I kinda liked the message the author was trying to convey.

Running with the Reservoir Pups

by Colin Batemen

~When his parents divorce and his mother moves with him to Belfast, Northern Ireland, twelve-year-old Eddie contends with the Reservoir Pups, a gang of children who rule his neighborhood.~

Bad. Ugly cover. Silly kiddie crap.

The Serious Kiss

by Mary Hogan

~Relates the angst-ridden life of fourteen-year-old Libby Madrigal as she tries to deal with her unhappily married alcoholic father and overeating mother, moving to a new town, and finding the perfect boy to "seriously" kiss. ~

A reviewer for SLJ says, "The plot moves along with many surprising turns that keep readers guessing; there is never a dull moment." I have to disagree. This is yet another book I didn't finish but the parts I read were chock-full of dull moments. I couldn't relate to the Libby. At all. This probably had something to do with the book being fairly juvenile despite the main character's age (14 years old). It wasn't written for high-school age kids.

Despite my complaints I may give this one another try because Edith said it gets better.

Trick of the Mind

by Judy Waite

~The struggles of several young people who confront family problems, emotional problems, unrequited love, mystery, and violence, is told from the viewpoint of Matt, who is known for his unusual behavior but who has unusual gifts, and Erin, who tries to use her proficiency with magic to attract Matt. ~

Blech. Another book I didn't finish. Although the plot sounded very interesting, I disliked the characters so much that I closed the book and tried to pretend I'd never "met" them. If I wanted to waste time with weird and/or sad losers, I'd spend all day riding the city bus on the Park Center route.

Confessions of a Closet Catholic

by Sarah Littman

~To be more like her best friend, eleven-year-old Justine decides to give up Judaism to become Catholic, but after her beloved, religious grandmother dies, she realizes that she needs to seek her own way of being Jewish. ~

I only got 1/4 of the way through this book, if that. For me, it didn't go anywhere fast enough. I'm beginning to wonder if this trend of diary-format books has become as popular as it is because it helps to disguise poor plot development. In Confessions the young heroine, Justine, tries to find identity through faith by giving up Judaism for Lent. She plays at being Catholic, taking homemade communion and confession to her teddy bear in her closet.

Confessions just didn't have enough for me although I suspect the plot was about to get more substantial with the impending death of Justine's beloved (and devoutly Jewish) grandmother. There are two possibilities as to why I put it down:

1. The author didn't pull me in to the story enough to get me to care about the characters.
or...
2. The target audience was fairly young (late elementary/early middle school), making the work too juvenile for my tastes. I didn't like juvenile books when I was that age and I definitely don't like them now.

Despite my complaints the book MAY, in its entirity, actually adresses issues like pre-teen identity crisis and questions of faith in a light-hearted and accessible manner. I wouldn't know. I don't plan on finishing it unless I hear some rave reviews from kids and coworkers.