Tyrell

  As this was a Virginia Reader's Choice from a few years ago, I decided I should read it. Tyrell is a teen aged boy living in a homeless shelter in the Bronx with his mother and little brother. His father is in prison. Tyrell's mother doesn't do anything to better their situation and urges Tyrell to join his friends who are dealing drugs. Tyrell doesn't want to end up like his father so decides to find a better way to make some money. This book details the life of a kid trying to do the right things by his family and girlfriend in a world where that isn't always easy. There are some graphic parts to the book, but all-in-all was a good read.

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick

  This was a new book we received from Junior Library Guild. It was recommended to me by a student who is an avid reader. He said it was the funniest and best book he ever read. Based on his comment, I just had to read it. I do admit, it was funny...although not the BEST book I have ever read. Perry's family hosts an exchange student, Gobi, from Lithuania. She is a quiet girl, rather homely and dresses in traditional Lithuanian style. When Perry's parents force him to take Gobi to the prom, Perry is bummed and figures it will be the worst night of his life. When they arrive at the prom, Gobi and Perry are harassed by the bullies of the school and Perry is surprised to see Gobi defend herself with martial arts skill. As they leave the prom, Gobi persuades Perry to take her into New York City, even though Perry is nervous to take his dad's Jaguar into the city. Once they arrive at a famous club, Gobi disappears into the bathroom and emerges in a slinky black dress and full make-up. Perry is stunned at her beauty. What follows is a race around NYC as it is revealed that Gobi is not really an exchange student at all, but a trained assassin who is avenging her twin sister's death from the human trafficking world she was kidnapped into. Although the book is filled with violent acts, they are treated as light-hearted and humorous. Those who get killed, deserved it and Gobi is no amateur. It was a quick read and again, very funny!

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

   I ventured into my first taste of zombies with this novel. It was recommended by another librarian and someone else told me it was a cross between the Hunger Games and Twilight. Never having read Twilight, but the Hunger Games is my all time favorite, I figured I'd give this one a try.  As the story opens, an unexplained disaster has turned much of the human race into mindless, cannibalistic undead. They roam the forest of the title, seeking to destroy a band of survivors barricaded inside a walled village deep in the woods. However, the fence that protects these villagers also imprisons them within a dystopian society marked by violence, secrecy, and repression. The forest thus profoundly influences all the action of the novel. Mary lives in a town ruled by the Sisterhood, and the Guardians. The village is surrounded by fences, beyond lies forest. There are only three ways through the fence—gates that open on paths that are themselves enclosed by fencing, expelling those who've been infected. Where the two paths lead, no one knows, for the Sisterhood says the village is the only human habitation left on Earth.
Mary has been raised on stories passed down from her great-great-great-grandmother about life before the coming of zombies. She is especially fascinated by the ocean and believes if she could reach it, she'd be free. The book mainly tells the story of Mary and a handful of others who are forced to flee their town and travel down the paths through the forest. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is not for the faint of heart. There are many graphic descriptions of the zombies and their actions. Be forewared!!

Boot Camp by Paul Strasser

  Boot Camp by Paul Strasser is one of those books that will stay with you for a long time.  In the middle of the night, Garrett is taken from his home to Harmony Lake, a boot camp fror troubled teens.Maybe some kids deserve to be sent there, but Garrett knows he doesn't. Subjected to brutal physical and psychological abuse, he tries to fight back, but the battle is futile. He won't be allowed to leave until he's admitted his "mistakes" and conformed to Harmony Lake's standards of behavior. And there's no way to fake it. Beaten, humiliated, and stripped of his pride, Garrett's spirit is slowly ebbing away. Then he hears whispers of an escape plot. It's incredibly risky -- if he's caught, the consequences will be unthinkable -- but it may be his only way out. If you are a fan of happy endings, this might not be the book for you...that's all I'm sayin'.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

 Uglies is a 2005 science fiction novel by Scott Westerfeld. It is set in a future post-scarcity dystopian world in which everyone is turned "Pretty" by extreme cosmetic surgery upon reaching age 16. It tells the story of teenager Tally Youngblood who rebels against society's enforced conformity, after her new found friends Shay and David show her the downsides to becoming a "Pretty". They show Tally how being a "Pretty" can change not only your look but your personality. Written for young adults, Uglies deals with adolescent themes of change, both emotional and physical. It took me a while to get into Uglies, but once I was enjoying it, I was really enjoying it!! As soon as I finished, I picked up the sequel, Pretties, and devoured that! I'm waiting for the third book, Specials to be returned to the library so I can check that one out! If you like troubled teens in the future, thrills, and excitement, you'll like the Uglies series.

13 Little Blue Envelopes

 Another book I recently enjoyed was 13 Little Blue Envelopes. I ventured into the electronic age and borrowed a nook from our library on which this book was downloaded.  As skeptical as I was about e-readers (I love the smell of books and turning the pages! That feeling of accomplishment when you see how much you've read and are nearing the end.) I really enjoyed reading this book on the nook. So much so, that I read another book on it as soon as I finished the first one. But onto what the book was about...After her eccentric artist aunt passes away, Ginny receives a package from her. It contains 13 numbered envelopes, each with a task to complete. They lead Ginny on a wild adventure across Europe where she learns more about her aunt and more about herself. This was a quick read and the end left you wanting more. I believe there is a sequel out now called The Last Little Blue Envelope. You'll have to read 13 Little Blue Envelopes to find out why the last one is so special.

Chaos Walking Series

          I have been negligient in writing about all the books I have been reading. So I'll start with what I am reading now, and try to catch up. I am currently on Book 2 of the Chaos Walking series which started with The Knife of Never Letting Go.  The story takes place in a futuristic society of only men where your every thought is transmitted for others to hear. Todd is about to turn 13, the age of becoming a man, when he is forced to flee his home. As the story unfolds we learn that there are many secrets to this society and the only way for Todd to remain safe is if he doesn't figure them out. Along the way, he meets Violoa, a girl his age whose aircraft crashed and killed both her parents. They travel together, always on the run for the evil that follows them. The end of Book 1 is rather dramatic and definitely left me hanging and hungry for more. I picked up the second book right away and am about 3/4 of the way through. The second book starts in the new settlement that Todd and Viola have fled to. Unfortunately, it has been taken over by the government they have been running from. A war erupts between the mayor and his army and the women he has been torturing and trying to kill. I don't know how it ends, but I'm betting I'll have to read the final book, Monsters of Men to find out!

    
 

Angus, thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

What a fun little book this was! Georgia Nicolson is a typical 14-year old girl living in England. The first book in this many volumed series depicts her life for one year. Told through her diary entries, and covering such dramatic events as her cat Angus trying to eat the poodle next door, the shaving off of her eyebrows (accidentally, of course!), boy stalking, friends and unfriends, and everything else you'd expect from a 14-year old, this book is a fun, quirky story. Georgia has a strange vocabulary, so don't forget to look up the British slang in the glossary at the back of the book!  A Printz Award for Excellence Book

Hush by Eishes Chayil

This book was recommended to me by a friend. Inside the closed community of Borough Park, where most Chassidim live, the rules of life are very clear, determined by an ancient script written thousands of years before down to the last detail—and abuse has never been a part of it. But when thirteen-year-old Gittel learns of the abuse her best friend has suffered at the hands of her own family member, the adults in her community try to persuade Gittel, and themselves, that nothing happened. Forced to remain silent, Gittel begins to question everything she was raised to believe.A richly detailed and nuanced book, one of both humor and depth, understanding and horror, this story explains a complex world that remains an echo of its past, and illuminates the conflict between yesterday's traditions and today's reality.