Every Day

Title: Every Day
Author: David Levithan
Pages: 322
Language: PG13
Content: PG13
Level: High School
Recommendation: Okay Read

Summary: There’s never a warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.  It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

Review: Risky book.  This book doesn't adhere to the status quo when it comes to romance - this book covers all types of people and is not for conservative readers.  Anyone who reads this book needs to have an open mind with the incredibly new twist the author uses to touch on relationships of every type.  An interesting concept that left me wondering what will really happen to A.

Miles From Ordinary

Title: Miles From Ordinary
Author: Carol Lynch Williams
Pages: 197
Language: PG
Content: PG
Level: Middle/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: Thirteen-year-old Lacey wakes to a beautiful summer morning excited to begin her new job at the library, just as her mother is supposed to start work at the grocery store. Lacey hopes that her mother's ghosts have finally been laid to rest; after all, she seems so much better these days, and they really do need the money. But as the hours tick by and memories come flooding back, a day full of hope spins terrifyingly out of control...

Review: With nearly the entire book taking place in basically just one day, Lacey pulls on our heart strings.  It was an emotional story and found myself feeling sorry for Lacey and her situation. Williams really got inside the mind of this girl. A haunting story about a girl fighting an uphill battle.

Stung

Title: Stung
Author: Bethany Wiggins
Pages: 304
Language: PG
Content: PG
Level: Middle School/High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: Fiona doesn't remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered-her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right wrist-a black oval with five marks on either side-that she doesn't remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. And she's right. When the honeybee population collapsed, a worldwide pandemic occurred and the government tried to bio-engineer a cure. Only the solution was deadlier than the original problem-the vaccination turned people into ferocious, deadly beasts who were branded as a warning to un-vaccinated survivors. Key people needed to rebuild society are protected from disease and beasts inside a fortress-like wall. But Fiona has awakened branded, alone-and on the wrong side of the wall . . .

Review: A fun twist on the dystopian genre.  This book had an original storyline and I didn't feel like re-reading a book.  The characters were believable and I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen to Fiona.

Don't Turn Around

Title: Don't Turn Around
Author: Michelle Gagnon
Pages:310
Language: PG13
Content: PG13
Level: High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary:  Sixteen-year-old Noa has been a victim of the system ever since her parents died. Now living off the grid and trusting no one, she uses her computer-hacking skills to stay safely anonymous and alone. But when she wakes up on a table in an empty warehouse with an IV in her arm and no memory of how she got there, Noa starts to wish she had someone on her side.

Enter Peter Gregory. A rich kid and the leader of a hacker alliance, Peter needs people with Noa's talents on his team. Especially after a shady corporation called AMRF threatens his life in no uncertain terms. But what Noa and Peter don't realize is that Noa holds the key to a terrible secret, and there are those who'd stop at nothing to silence her for good.

Review:  This novel has a lot of chase scenes, and street-wise Noa uses her brain and hacking skills to get away!  She is headstrong and truly independent.  The plot was interesting, with a new disease to conquer, but I didn't  have a lot of emotional connection to either of the main characters.   YA readers who want a novel with a bit more mystery and excitement would enjoy this book.  There is  a little language (no "F"s) and a few graphic images that are discussed.

Never Fall Down

Title: Never Fall Down
Author: Patricia McCormick
Pages: 224
Language: PG (sh** a lot)
Content: PG13
Level: High School
Recommendation: Good Read

Summary: The only way to truly survive is to "never fall down." Arn learns this lesson at the age of eleven when his village in Cambodia is invaded by Khmer Rouge troops. The entire population is marched into the countryside and forced to live in labor camps. Arn finds ways to use his "smarts" and some luck to escape the worst problems. He manages to make friends, learns to play an instrument, protects others and survives against all odds. But he has plenty of struggles after the regime is conquered as he deals with his horrific memories, the guilt of many of his actions, and adjusting to a new life in America. Despite being teased and having difficulty learning English he again rises above his circumstances to become an advocate for his homeland and his people.

Review:  Tough but important subject matter, this book is a great way to learn about the Khmer Rouge.  Though there are still plenty of instances of violence, rape, and murder the worst takes place off-page or is handled deftly conveying the horrors without dwelling on them. Well-written but heartbreaking, and not for the faint of heart.

Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl

Title: Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl
Author: Jesse Andrews
Pages: 295
Language: R - too many swears to even count
Content: R
Level: High School
Recommendation: Not in this library

Summary: Greg is a high school senior who has survived and thrived on a complex set of social rules –that include skirting the edges of all the social groups. Greg loves films and has been making his own for years with his friend Earl. He hates all the films they have made and no one else is allowed to see them. When Greg’s mom forces him to reacquaint himself with a girl named Rachel, because she has leukemia, he has to start breaking all his rules.

Review:  I was excited to read this book, until I began reading it.  The storyline intrigued me, but the writing turned me off completely.  There are too many swearwords to count (SERIOUSLY!!) and the author is completely BLUNT about things that I can't imagine really happen in high school.  Maybe this book would be great in a less conservative area,but I am afraid it won't fly in a rural, conservative town.