What Teens Are Reading Now

Little Brother

by Cory Doctorow

I asked the high school librarian in our town what the students have been reading and this was the first on his list. I had not heard of it, but I chose it because the reviews were good. It is the story of Marcus, a smart 17-year-old computer geek who already knows how to work the system. After a terrorist attack, he and his friends are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and imprisoned for days. When they are released, he discovers that his city has become a police state and Marcus decides he must fight back. An interesting look at the surveillance world in which the author tries to depict opposing viewpoints. The book has two afterwords , one by a security technologist and one by a hacker. Also contains a bibliography for teens who are interested in learning more about intellectual freedom and information access.

Cirque Du Freak: Book 4: Vampire Mountain

by Darren Shen

According to the high school librarian, this series is very popular. Personally, I can't see why- first of all, the older covers for the series at the library were all really creepy. That was a turn-off for me right away. (But then again, I'm not a teenager who likes science fiction.) Second, it's another vampire series, which I'm not really into, other than Twilight, since it was more the romance than the vampires that I liked. Anyway, this story is another in the life of Darren Shan, who also happens to be the author. In this journey, his meeting with the Vampire Princes might restore his human side, or it may turn him more toward the darkness. I don't think I'm going to read it to find out.

Lock and Key

by Sarah Dessen

When I asked my daughters (grades 8 and 10) what everyone is reading, they both said anything by Sarah Dessen. I chose Lock and Key at the public library because it is one of her newer novels and because it is the story of a girl who is dropped unexpectedly into a rich lifestyle, which all the girls seem to love today. Ruby has been abandoned by her mother, father, and sister, until her sister learns she is living alone and comes to save her. Her sister's husband is wealthy, so Ruby suddenly has new clothes and a private school to attend. The problem is she doesn't know where she fits in anymore. A moving novel with well-developed characters.

Nutritious Books

Under the Persimmon Tree

by Suzanne Fisher Staples

I found this at the public library and I chose it because it was on one of the YALSA lists of best books for teens. This is the story of Najmah, a young Afghan girl whose mother and baby brother are killed in an air raid, and father and older brother are constripted by the Taliban. At a refugee camp, she meets Elaine, and American woman who is running the camp while her husband is missing. Their lives entwine as they both try to find the people they love. There is a lot of history and politics woven into the story, and also a glossary, map, and background notes. An important story for young adults and others to read since we know so little about that part of the world.

Open Your Eyes- Extraordinary Experiences in Faraway Places

edited by Jill Davis

I found this at the public library and I chose it because I liked the short-story format and the idea that it was about different cultures and countries. The editor has collected 10 travel stories from a range of writers, such as Lois Lowry, Jean Fritz, and Katherine Patterson. Each one shares an eye-opening and life-changing travel experience that they had as a young person. Some funny and some sad, they all convey the idea that if you are put into an unfamiliar culture or situation, you will need to think and grow and change.

Over a Thousand Hills I Walk With You

by Hanna Jansen

I found this book at the public library. I chose it because it is about the Rwandan Genocide, something that we as a country know very little about. It would be useful in a high school classroom since it is historical, thought-provoking, and about genocide. This is the true story of eight-year-old Jeanne, who witnessed her entire family being massacred during the 1994 genocide. She is then adopted by a German woman who helps this remarkable girl heal and tell the story of her life to the world.

Scary Books

Shattered Mirror

by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

I found this book at the public library. I didn't know that Atwater-Rhodes was a prolific young writer. This was her third book. I chose it because it's about something that is very popular today, teenaged vampires. Some of these vampires drink animal blood instead of human blood. Sound familiar? It was written before Twilight anyway, as far as I know. Hmm...

Sarah Vida, a witch and vampire killer, finds herself falling for a kind and gentle vampire. When she finds out that his twin brother is Nikolas, an evil vampire that her family has been trying to kill for decades, she must decide if she will risk her reputation or her life.

The White Witch

by Janet Graber

I found this book at the public library. I chose it because as a teenager, I read a book called Blackbriar about the Bubonic Plague and was fascinated by it. This story takes place in 17th century England during the Plague. Gwendoline is a pale young woman with white hair who has a special way with animals and plants. Because she is different, the other villagers suspect she is a witch. When the Plague reaches their town, Gwendoline's father hides her away in a secret room to protect her from both the Plague and the villagers, though she must eventually defend herself against an angry mob who think she is the cause of the Plague.

Midnighters

by Scott Westerfeld

I found this book at the public library and I chose it because it looked sufficiently spooky. The author was well-known to me also, since my daughter has read many of his Uglies, Pretties, etc. series. This book is about a teenaged girl who moves to a new town and discovers that she belongs in a group of people who were born at the stroke of midnight and can thus roam the earth during a mysterious 25th hour. It soon becomes apparent that she has extra powers the others do not, and her life is soon at risk since the others are scared of these unknown powers. This book is Volume 1 in a series of 3.

Science Fiction and Fantasy

Fairest

by Gail Carson Levine

We had this book at home and I chose it because my daughter had read and enjoyed Ella Enchanted (by the same author) and had enjoyed this one as well. This is the story of Aza, who is ugly but has the gift of a beautiful voice. She is lucky to live in a kingdom where song is revered, but when she travels to a wedding, the newly married queen discovers Aza's voice and wants to use it for her own evil purposes. Aza must overcome her lack of confidence to save herself and her land. Loosely based on the story of Snow White. It is timely because it shows that one can overcome their looks and prove their value through their actions.

Faerie Wars

by Herbie Brennan

I found this book at home, as my daughter had read it and liked it. I also chose it because it was the #1 YALSA Teen's Top Ten Picks in 2003. It is the story of Henry Atherton, an English teenager whose parents are divorcing, and Prince Pyrgus Malvae, a Faerie of the Light. Their worlds collide when Pyrgus' father sends him out of his realm to ours to protect him from evil. Henry finds him in his employer's shed and a friendship develops between the three as they all try to get Pyrgus back home. With humor, action, science, and a little bit of romance, this is book 1 of a series.

The Sight

by David Clement-Davies

I found this book at home on my daughter's bookshelf. I chose it because it is about a wolf pack and I generally like stories written from an animal's point of view. It takes place in 15th-century Translyvania. Larka the wolf pup is born with The Sight, the power to see through someone's mind and into the future. She embarks on a difficult quest that culminates in a battle that involves all of nature, including man. A Gothic thriller that includes magic, prophecies, the supernatural and the mysterious nature of wolves.

Romantic Books

Deep Down Popular

by Phoebe Stone

6th grader Jessie Lou Ferguson has been secretly in love with Conrad Parker Smith since 2nd grade, but they never speak to each other because Jessie Lou is a shy tomboy and Conrad is the school's most popular boy and soccer star. Things change, however, when Conrad develops a problem with his leg that affects his soccer-playing and popularity. He comes to school one day wearing a brace and their teacher asks Jessie Lou to help Conrad get his books and bicycle home since they live on the same street. Thus begins a year of changes for Jessie Lou, who learns what it means to be popular and to be a friend.

I chose this book because I had read good reviews about it and then remembered that we had it at home and my daughter had read it and liked it.

Guyaholic

A story of finding, flirting, forgetting...and the boy who changes everything

by Caroline Mackler

V is a troubled girl who deals with her mother's absence in her life by hooking up with a lot of different guys. But then she meets Sam and things change. She realizes things are different with him since he makes her feel beautiful and loved, and yet she makes the mistake of cheating on him at a party. V must now learn how to deal with the consequences and begin to try to fix the prolems in her life and hopefully win Sam back.

I found this at the public library. At first, I was turned off by the title (I thought the story would be shallow), but when I read a few pages, I found that the protagonist had a sense of humor and the book jacket promised readers "an unforgettable ride of missed exits, misadventures, and the kind of epiphanies that only come when you're on a route you've never taken before."

If We Kiss

by Rachel Vail

I chose this book because we had it at home and both of my daughters read it and liked it. It is the story of Charlotte, a high school freshman who has never been kissed until the day Kevin (someone she doesn't even like) pulls her outside and French kisses her. After she gets over the thought of all the germs they just shared and the mildewy taste in her mouth, she decides that she liked it. Immediately after, however, Charlotte and Kevin get pulled into the office because the principal saw the whole thing. It just gets worse from there, because Charlotte starts obsessing about Kevin even though he starts going out with her best friend, and to top it all off, Charlotte's mom and Kevin's dad start dating. Charlotte must decide how she will deal with this mess.

Funny Books

My Cup Runneth Over

by Cherry Whytock

I chose this book because who can resist a title like that! I found this one at the public library also. Another funny British novel written much along the lines of Rennison's Georgia series, this one stars Angelica Cookson Potts, who is overweight and surrounded by thin people. She loves to cook and eat and wants to become a chef. She tries to lose weight with a disastrous cabbage diet in order to catch the eyes of a certain few cute guys and also takes part in a fashion show. You'll be laughing while trying to keep up with Angelica who talks a mile a minute. The book also includes recipes and cute black and white illustrations of the characters throughout.

Girl, 15, Charming But Insane

by Sue Limb

I found this book at the public library. When I read a review that said that the main character was like Bridget Jones, I decided to go check it out. With her self-deprecating humor, Jess Jordan explains her crazy life, complete with all the usual teen angst. The author is British and so is the humor, which I find to be a plus. Will Jess' crush ever notice her, or will she fall for the 'boy next door'?

Estrella's Quinceanera
by Malin Alegria

I found this book at the public library and I chose it to highlight because my husband is from Colombia and we had a quinceanera (15th birthday party)for our older daughter last year. It is a very big deal for many Hispanic people. My daughter was excited for her party, but the character in this book is not. Estrella wants nothing to do with the 'mariachi band, cheesy decorations, or the hideous dress'. She would just like to go to a fancy restaurant with a couple of close friends, who have no idea she lives in the barrio. She also ends up falling in love with what her parents would call the wrong type of person. Estrella must use her sense of humor to come to terms with her life in this funny coming-of-age story.