Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman

Year Published: 2002
Publisher: Little, Brown & Co.
ISBN: 0786815930
Pages: 262
Classification: Fiction
Media Type: Book
Interest Level:9-12
Reading Level: 4
Subjects: Organized crime, Fiction

Reader's Annotation: Seventeen-year-old Vince's life is constantly complicated by the fact that he is the son of a powerful Mafia boss, a relationship that threatens to destroy his romance with the daughter of an FBI agent.

Summary: Vince Luca becomes more aware about his family business as he goes through high school. From his discovery of a body in his trunk, football players scared of him and many other unfortunate events, Vince opposes the illegal activities of his family. Vince meets Kendra Brightly, the FBI investigator’s daughter, and falls in-love with her. A Romeo and Juliet plot with mafia and FBI twist ends with a happy ending with Vince and Kendra surviving their relationship against all odds.

Personal Notes: Hilarious novel for teens. Recommended for reluctant readers specially boys.

Reviews and Awards: ALA Best Books for Young Adults, ALA/YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Voice of Youth Advocates, Wilson's High School Catalog, Wilson's Junior High Catalog

Author Information: Gordon Korman was born October 23, 1963 in Montreal, Quebec in Canada. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from New York University in 1985, studying film and television production before switching to dramatic writing. He has over 50 middle grade and young adult novels to his credit.
In addition to writing, Korman enjoys music, travel, and sports. He travels approximately 40,000 miles each year visiting schools to talk with students about reading and writing.
He lives with his family on Long Island.

Author website: www.gordonkorman.com

The Pact by Jodi Picoult

Year Published: 1998
Publisher: Avon Books
ISBN:0061150142
Pages: 496
Classification: Fiction
Media Format : Book
Genre: Drama
Interest Level: 9-12
Reading Level: 6
Subjects: Teenagers, Death, Fiction

Reader's Annotation: Emily is dead at seventeen from a gunshot wound to the head, inflicted by her childhood soul mate, Chris as part of an apparent suicide pact, while families struggle with the question of whether they really knew their children.

Summary: Chris and Emily are inseparable since birth. They become so close in their teenage years that they even made a suicide pact and planned to carry it out except Chris did not die. Chris had to live through the investigation and the emotional court scene that puts him in the center stage for Emily’s death.

The truth is revealed in the flashbacks of Chris and Emily’s life from birth to the night of Emily’s death. Emily had suicidal thoughts because of her childhood molestation and her untold pregnancy.

Reviews and Awards: Kirkus Reviews, New York Times Book Review, Publishers Weekly

Author Website: www.jodipicoult.com

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

Year Published: 2001
Publisher: Dell
ISBN: 0-440-22970-7
Pages: 294
Classification: Fiction
Interest Level: 7-12
Reading Level: 4.5
Subjects: Friendship, Jeans, Conduct of Life

Reader's Annotation: Lena, Tibby, Carmen and Bridget share the magical traveling pants on their first summer apart and begin the adventure of self-discovery on love, life and growing-up.

Summary: Lena, Tibby, Carmen and Bridget share the magical second-hand pants. They all fit the jeans which begins a pact to stay connected even if they are many miles apart. They all have their turn to wear the pants and pass it to each other until the summer ends. This begins the adventure of self-discovery on love, life and growing-up of four best friends on their first summer apart. This book will take you to a journey of laughter and tears. It shows there are no boundaries when it comes to friendship. An easy read book.

Personal Notes: A great young adult summer read. Recommended for summer reading program for the topics that most teens can relate.

Awards: ALA Best Book For Young Adults, ALA/YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, National Council For Social Studies Notable Children's Trade, NCTE High Interest-Easy Reading, NCTE Your Reading, Publishers Weekly, Voice of Youth Advocates, Wilson's High School Catalog, Wilson's Junior High Catalog

Author Information: Ann Brashares grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She and her siblings attended Quaker school in the Washington, D.C. area. Ann studied Philosophy at Barnard College in New York City.
Ms. Brashares worked as an editor for many years before making the transition to writer. She is best-known for Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants.
The author lives in New York City with her artist husband, Jacob Collins, and three children.

Author website: www.annbrashares.nt

The Second Summer of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

Year Published: 2003
Publisher: Delacorte Press
ISBN: 9780385729345
Pages:373
Classification: Fiction
Interest Level: 9-12
Reading Level: 6
Subjects: Friendship, Jeans, Conduct of life

Reader's Annotation: Lena, Tibby, Carmen and Bridget share the magical traveling pants on its second summer as they learn more about the older women in their lives and themselves.

Summary:
This is the second book of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Lena, Tibby, Carmen and Bridget continues their pact of sharing the magical traveling pants on their 16th summer. The pants take us to the teenager’s interesting summer as they learn more about the older women in their lives. They also learn more about the friendship of their mothers and how they all became best friends since birth. Cute and romantic events happens to most of the girls this summer that will surely entertain the readers. This book is ideal for a mother-daughter book club that can open a great and lively discussion for teens and parents. This book is highly recommended.

Review and Awards: Kirkus Reviews (4/15/03), School Library Journal (5/03), Booklist (4/15/03), The Hornbook (5/03)

Author Information: Ann Brashares grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She and her siblings attended Quaker school in the Washington, D.C. area. Ann studied Philosophy at Barnard College in New York City. Ms. Brashares worked as an editor for many years before making the transition to writer. She is best-known for Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants. The author lives in New York City with her artist husband, Jacob Collins, and three children.

Author website: www.annbrashares.nt

Girls in Pants by Anne Brashares

Year Published: 2005
Publisher: Delacorte Press
ISBN: 9780385729352
Pages: 338
Classification: Fiction
Media Type: Book
Interest Level: 9-12
Reading Level: 6
Subjects: Best friends, Friendship, Jeans (Clothing), Conduct of Life

Reader's Annotation: Lena, Tibby, Carmen and Bridget graduate from high school and learn more about themselves and each other, with the traveling pants as a witness, on the summer before college.

Summary: The magic of the traveling pants continues on this third book of the Sisterhood of the Traveling pants. Lena, Tibby, Carmen and Bridget graduate from high school and this summer bring more exciting events on each of the teen’s life. While some of them are away from home, some stay and still have an adventure that they can share to each other. Some of the minor characters in the previous books will reappear in this book. These characters will bring more interest and take the readers on twist and turns revealing the characters growth in their emotions and actions. They learn more about themselves and each other, with the traveling pants as a witness, on the summer before college. This is the most romantic book among the Sisterhood of the Traveling pants series.


Reviews and Awards: Kirkus Reviews (12/15/04), School Library journal (1/05), Booklist (12/15/04), The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (3/05), The Hornbook

Author Information: Ann Brashares grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She and her siblings attended Quaker school in the Washington, D.C. area. Ann studied Philosophy at Barnard College in New York City. Ms. Brashares worked as an editor for many years before making the transition to writer. She is best-known for Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants. The author lives in New York City with her artist husband, Jacob Collins, and three children.

Website : www.annbrashares.nt

Keeping You A Secret by Julie Anne Peters

Year Published: 2003
Publisher: Little Brown
ISBN:9780316009850
Pages: 250
Classification: Fiction
Genre:Drama
Interest Level:
Reading Level:
Subjects: Interpersonal relations, Lesbians, High schools, Stepfamilies, College choice

Reader's Annotation: Holland starts a difficult last semester of high school, and she finds herself puzzled about her future but intrigued by a transfer student who wants to start a lesbian and gay club at school.

Summary: Holland Jaeger is the girl every high school student would envy. She has a gorgeous boyfriend, student body president, straight A’s student, and a great swimmer. She is also a good-looking teen but feels very discontented with her life. Then she meets Cece, a lesbian transfer student, and she feels a strong gay attraction to her. Cece helps her to learn more about her sexuality. Holland struggles with her coming out to her friends and family.


Reviews and Awards: Wilson's Senior High School, ALA Book Links, Booklist, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Horn Books,Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.)

Author Website: www.julieannepeters.com

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

Year Published: 1952
Publisher: HarperColins
ISBN: 0064471071
Pages: 271
Classification: Fiction
Media Type: Book
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Action
Interest Level: 4-9
Reading Level:5
Subjects: Narnia (Imaginary place)

Reader's Annotation: Two English children, accompanied by their peevish cousin Eustace, sail to the magic land of Narnia, where Eustace is temporarily transformed into a green dragon because of his selfish behavior and skepticism.

Summary: Lucy and Edmund, the two younger Pevensie, returns to Narnia with their cousin Eustace. They arrive in Narnia and meet King Caspian and help him in their quest to find the seven lost Lords of Narnia. They visit different islands to look for each of the Lords. First, they visit Lone Islands where they get captured for slave trading but later finds one the lords. They fight and reclaim the island for Narnia. Then they visit another island where Eustace turns into dragon after leaving the group and gets greedy with the treasures he found in the dead dragon’s cave. Aslan turns Eustace back to a boy and Caspian finds the bracelet that once belonged to Lord Octesian, one of the seven lost lords. They speculate that the dragon killed Octesian-or that the dragon was Octesian. They make stops at Burnt Island, at Death Island, at the Duffer’s Island and at the Dark Island. Finally, they find out that in order for them to awaken the three lords, they have to sail to the edge of the world and sacrifice one member of the crew by leaving him there. King Caspian is left behind and Edmund, Eustace, Lucy and Reepicheep continue. In the end they see Aslan and receives final instructions.

Reviews and Awards: New York Times Book Review, Wilson's Junior High Catalog

Author Information: C. S. (Clive Staples) Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland November 29, 1898. He died in Oxford, England on November 22, 1963. Nicknamed Jack as a boy, Lewis had only one joint in his thumbs. As a result, he was not good at sports or crafts. The author graduated from University College, Oxford with honors and became a professor at Oxford and other English universities. One of his best friends at Oxford was his fellow professor, J.R.R. Tolkien.
Lewis is particularly known for his children's fantasy series, the Chronicles of
Narnia.

Author website: www.narnia.com

Saving Zoe by Alyson Noel

Year Published: 2007
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
ISBN: 978031235516
Pages: 230
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Interest Level: 9-12
Reading Level:
Subjects: Grief, Death, Sisters, Interpersonal relations, High schools, schools, Fiction

Reader's Annotation: Instead of a fresh start, high school provides more grief and isolation to Echo, whose older sister died a year earlier, but insights gained from Zoe's diary--a fifteenth birthday gift from Zoe's boyfriend--about her sister's life and death change Echo in ways she could have never expected.

Summary: Fifteen-year-old Echo is coping with the death of her sister, Zoe. Echo also begins her freshman year in a high school, where her sister is well –known. She meets her sister’s former boyfriend, Marc and he gives her Zoe’s diary. Echo learns more about her sister,which helps her to rebuild her life over and learns to love her even more even when she is long gone.

Author Website: www.alysonnoel.com

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Year Published: 2007
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN:0-7434-9673-6
Pages: 455
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Drama 
Interest Level: 9+
Reading Level: 6+ 
Subjects: Bullies, New Hampshire, School shootings, Lawyers, High School Students, Women Judge
Reader's Annotation: Peter Houghton, an alienated teen who has been bullied for years by the popular crowd, opens fire on his school killing 10 people.

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Peter Houghton decides to retaliate from verbal and physical abuse in his school by opening fire, killing students and teachers. Peter survives and lives through the investigation and emotional court scenes. The truth is revealed about the Peter’s reason for the act of violence in his school through the characters' narratives and flashbacks.


Warning: Some contents may not be appropriate for minors.

Reviews and Awards: Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Wilson's Fiction Catalog, Wilson's High School Catalog

Author Information: www.jodipicoult.com

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Year Published: 1991
Publisher: Harper & Row
ISBN: 0397001517
Pages: 296
Classification: Fiction
Media Type: Book
Interest Level: 9-12
Reading Level: 8
Subjects: Fathers and daughters, Southern States, Race relations, Girls, Trials (Rape), Fiction

Reader's Annotation: Set in a small southern town, this American classic follows the adventures of Scout Finch, her brother Jem, and Atticus, their lawyer father.

Summary: Six-year old Scout Finch , a daughter of a lawyer, tells about her life in Maycomb, Alabama. She witnesses the hearing of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white girl. Atticus Finch, Scout’s father, defends Tom in the court. Scout talks about the struggles that their family had to go through with the case including the revenge of Bob Ewell , the father of the alleged rape victim, to their family. Bob attacks Scout on their way home from the Thanksgiving pageant. Boo Radley, Scout’s mysterious neighbor, rescues Scout from Bob.

Awards: Pulitzer Prize Winner

Author Website: www.harperlee.com

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

Year Published: 1951
Publisher: HarperColins
ISBN: 0064471055
Pages: 238
Classification: Fiction
Media Format: Book
Interest Level: 4-9
Reading Level: 5
Subjects: Narnia (Imaginary Place), Fiction

Reader's Annotation: Four children help Prince Caspian and his army of Talking Beasts to free Narnia from evil.

Summary: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia when summoned for help by a Telmarine prince, Caspian. Narnians work together to fight for their existence against the Telmarine leader, Miraz. For years, the talking animals and beast were banished by the Telmarines and forced to live underground and unseen by humans. Narnians with the leadership of Prince Caspian and the Pevensie fight against Miraz soldier but they were too great in number. At some point they were too desperate to get some help to defeat Miraz and his army that they almost brought the White Witch to life but with Edmund's courage, he stopped that from happening by breaking the ice wall.

Finally, Peter challenges Miraz on a one-man-fight. Mirz is defeated but his army still attacked the Narnians. Meanwhile, Susan and Lucy went to search Aslan for help. Aslan helped as well as the Talking trees defeating the Telmarine armies.

Aslan gave a chance for some Telmarines to go back to their ancestral home by crossing to the other side of the tree. For the ones who want to start a new life, they choose to cross while others remain and live in harmony with the Narnians with Prince Caspian as their new ruler. The Pevensies also crossed the to the other side of the tree, returning to the railway station, in England, where all the adventure began.

Reviews and Awards: New York Times Book Review, Wilson's Junior High Catalog

Author Information: C. S. (Clive Staples) Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland November 29, 1898. He died in Oxford, England on November 22, 1963. Nicknamed Jack as a boy, Lewis had only one joint in his thumbs. As a result, he was not good at sports or crafts. The author graduated from University College, Oxford with honors and became a professor at Oxford and other English universities. One of his best friends at Oxford was his fellow professor, J.R.R. Tolkien.
Lewis is particularly known for his children's fantasy series, the Chronicles of Narnia.

Author website: www.narnia.com

How to Ruin My Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles

Year Published: 2006
Publisher: Flux
ISBN: 0738709611
Pages: 234
Classification: Fiction
Interest Level: 7-12
Reading Level: 4
Subjects: Family, Father-daughter relationship, Jews, Israel, Fiction

Reader's Annotation: When sixteen-year-old Amy, a spoiled American, goes to Israel for a three-month summer vacation with a father she barely knows, she is not prepared for his Jewish family and the changes they bring about in her life.

Summary: Amy Nelson is a stereotypical spoiled American teen who has stereotypical plans for her summer vacation: shopping, friends, boyfriend. Suddenly,her long-absent father calls to inform her that the grandmother whom she has never met is ill and that Amy needs to go to Israel to meet her.They travel to Israel and goes through a culture shock. She shares a room with a cousin who hates her for being a spoiled American, lusting after a brooding older boy on the verge of his mandatory military service, and learning more than she ever thought possible about her faith, her family, their history, and their present. Amy gets a new perspective of her father, her culture, life and boys.

Author Website: www.simoneelkeles.net

Elsewhere by Garielle Zevin

Year Published: 2005
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN:9780374320911
Pages: 275
Media Type: Book
Classification: Fiction
Interest Level: 9-12
Reading Level: 5
Subjects: Future life, Death

Reader's Annotation: After 15-year-old Liz Hall is hit by a taxi and killed, she finds herself in a place that is both like and unlike Earth, where she must adjust to her new status and figure out how to live.

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Liz Hall dies when she gets run-over by a taxi. She goes to this new place called Elsewhere. She watches her family in friends from Elsewhere and gets really depressed about not being able to experience life. Things change after she gets to know her grandmother. She starts to enjoy her job, her friends and even falls in love. In Elsewhere, everyone ages backwards until they are released back to earth to be born again.

I think that Zevin writes a more upbeat opposite of the book, Giver by Lois Lowry. Elsewhere is a place where everything is perfect, everyone gets an assignment but they age backwards. It even gives a twist of the process of the the Release. Instead of dying, she makes it as a process of living and new beginnings.

Reviews and Awards: School Library Journal

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Eight Seconds by Jean Ferris

Year Published: 2000
Publisher:Harcourt Inc.
ISBN: 0152023674
Pages: 186
Classification: Fiction
Media Type: Book
Interest Level: 9-12
Reading Level: 5
Subjects: Homosexuality, Prejudice, Rodeo, Fiction

Reader's Annotation: Eighteen-year-old John must confront his own sexuality when he goes to rodeo school and finds himself strangely attracted to an older boy who is smart, tough, complicated, gorgeous, and gay.

Summary: John Ritchie spends a week at rodeo school where he meets Kit, a handsome and graceful rodeo. After returning from the rodeo school, John finds out that Kit is gay. They meet often during summer and they become close. John realizes that he is develops deeper feelings for Kit and discovers that he is gay. John struggles about his sexuality. He beats up Kit to prove to his friends that he was not gay. John looses his friendship with Kit but accepts sexuality.

Author Information: Jean Ferris was born in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas on January 24, 1939. She received a Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree from Stanford University in speech pathology and audiology. She worked as a secretary and as a clinical audiologist. She and her husband have two grown daughters. She enjoys travel, long walks and author visits.She is best known for her young adult novels.

Awards: Nominee 2000 YALSA Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Award Nominee 2000,ALA Michael Prinz Award,ALA Best Book For Young Adults 2002,New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age 2001 Winner, San Diego Book Award for Juvenile Fiction
Author Website: www.jeanferris.com

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

Year Published: 2000
Publisher: Pocket Books
ISBN: 0671776126
Pages: 405
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Drama
Interest Level:
Reading Level:
Subjects: Trials (Infanticide), Teenage girls, Amish, Detective and mystery stories, Legal stories, Fiction

Reader's Annotation: A young unmarried Amish woman is accused of killing her newborn baby, but fate brings to her Ellie Hathway, an urban lawyer who befriends and protects her.

Summary: A young Amish girl, Katie, conceives, gives birth in secret and leaves the baby to die. When the dead baby was discovered and the details of the baby’s death, Katie had to be tried in the modern court. Ellie Hathway, an urban defense attorney takes the case for Katie and finds out more about the Amish way of living and the real reason for Katie to kill the baby.

Warning: Mature Readers Book. Contents may not be appropriate for younger teens.

Reviews and Awards: Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal

Author Information: www.jodipicoult.com

Forever in Blue by Ann Brashares

Year Published: 2007
Publisher: Delacorte Press
ISBN: 9780385729369
Pages: 380
Classification: Fiction
Media Type: Book
Interest Level: 9-12
Reading Level: 4
Subjects: Best friends, Friendship, Jeans (clothing), Conduct of life

Reader's Annotation: Lena, Tibby, Carmen and Bridget, four friends have their final summer adventure apart and the magical traveling pants bring their friendship even closer.

Summary: Lena, Tibby, Carmen and Bridget, four friends are farther apart on the final summer adventure with magical traveling pants. The pants bring their friendship even closer. In this fourth book, the characters face more adult issues such as pregnancy, attraction to a married man, loss of virginity, posing and painting in nude. All the characters go through adult transition as they try to handle the challenges in the adult world. This is an interesting conclusion of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants that entertains teens about friendship, relationships, family and life. The book should be read with adult guidance for issues that may not be very clear for some teens to understand.

Reviews and Awards: Kirkus Reviews (11/15/06), School Library Journal (2/07), Booklist (12/15/06), The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (5/07)

Author Information: Ann Brashares grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She and her siblings attended Quaker school in the Washington, D.C. area. Ann studied Philosophy at Barnard College in New York City. Ms. Brashares worked as an editor for many years before making the transition to writer. She is best-known for Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants. The author lives in New York City with her artist husband, Jacob Collins, and three children.

Website: www.annbrashares.nt

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Year Published: 2007
Publisher: Scholastic Book Service
ISBN: 0545010225
Pages: 759
Classification: Fiction
Media Format: Book
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Interest Level: 5-9
Reading Level: 6
Subjects: School stories, Magic, Wizards, Fiction

Reader's Annotation: Burdened with the overwhelming task of finding and destroying Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes, Harry struggles to follow the path set before him.

Summary: This is the final book for the Harry Potter series. Harry finds out the truth about Dumbledore’s death and searches for the three objects from the legend of the Deathly Hallows. Voldemort gains more strength as more faithful followers join him to defeat the good wizards including Harry. Meanwhile Harry finds out more about his family and other characters mentioned on the other Harry Potter books. The final battle happens in Hogwarts where all the truth is revealed. Harry’s friends and professors join him to fight the evil Voldermort and his allies.

Reviews and Awards:School Library Journal, Starred Review for Publishers Weekly, Starred Review ALA Booklist, Voice of Youth Advocates, Wilson's Children's Catalog, Wilson's Junior High Catalog

Author Information: J. K. Rowling was born on July 31, 1965 in Chipping Sodbury, England. She was educated at Exeter University and has worked as a teacher. The author's full name is Joanne Kathleen Rowling. She is married to Dr. Neil Murray and has two children, a girl named Jessica and a boy named David. Rowling is best known for writing the Harry Potter series. She received an American Book Award in 1999. The first five books in the Harry Potter series have all been ALA Notable Children's Books.

Author website: www.jkrowling.com

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Year Published: 2007
Publisher: Warner Books
ISBN: 0-316-16020-2
Pages: 629
Classification:
Genre: Fiction
Interest Level: 9-12
Reading Level: 4.5
Subjects: High schools, vampires, werevolves, interpersonal relations, school stories, Washington (State)
Reader's Annotation:
Bella is torn between the Edward, a vampire and Jacob, a werewolf but series of events in Washington lead both parties to work together to protect Bella and the people that she loves.

Summary: Picking-up where New Moon left off, this book continues the tortured love story of a human teen and her vampire boyfriend. Having returned from a quick trip to Italy to retrieve an errant Edward, Bella finds herself severely grounded by her father and at odds with her friend Jacob, a werewolf and mortal enemy of Edward as well as being inconveniently in love with her himself. Adding to these complications are Bella's impending graduation and vampire transformation and a wild pack of vampire newborns on a killing spree. As in the two previous installments, it is Meyer's effective and intense portrayal of first love in love, making a commitment, and chosing a future is literally a life-or-death situation and they constantly discuss, anaze, and describe their feelings for each other, giving readers a deep connection to them. Upping the emotional ante is an injection of heightened sexual tension and sensuality that hasn't been present in the series before. The story is slowed down in the middle by both the origin stories of the werewolves and vampires Rosalie and Jasper, and the vampire newborn subplot seems to be a convoluted add-inn. However, all of these stories contribute in some way to Bella's epiphanies about her future. Meyer knows what her fans want: thrills, chills, and a lot of romance, and delivers on all counts.

Reviews and Awards: ALA Booklist, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Voice of Youth Advocates, Wilson's High School Catalog, Wilson's Junior High Catalog

Author Information: Stephenie Meyer was born in Connecticut in 1973. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor's degree in English.Ms. Meyer cannot write without music. She writes young adult novels.She lives with her husband and three sons in Phoenix Arizona.

Author website: www.stepheniemeyer.com

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Year Published: 1953
Publisher: Ballentine Books
ISBN: 0345342968
Pages: 179
Classification: Fiction
Media Type: Book
Interest Level: 9+
Reading Level: 4
Subjects: Book burning, Fiction

Reader's Annotation: Orwellian-like fantasy about a society in which all books must be burned.

Summary:

Personal Notes:

Warning:

Reviews and Awards: ALA Best Book For Young Adults, Wilson's Fiction Catalog, Wilson's High School Catalog

Author Information:

Spider's Voice by Gloria Skurzynski

Year Published: 1999
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780689821493
Pages: 200
Media Type: Book
Classification: Fiction
Interest Level: 8-12
Reading Level: 6
Subjects: Abelard, Peter, Heloise, France history Medieval period, Mute persons, People with disabilities

Reader's Annotation: Because he is a young mute person who can hear, Aran becomes involved in the adventures of Eloise and Abelard, France's most famous lovers, who lived during the twelfth century.

Summary: The twelfth-century love story of Abelard and Heloise (here called Eloise) is the centerpiece of this young adult novel. Virgin lovers Abelard, a teacher and philosopher, and Eloise, the most educated woman in France, fall madly in love. Eloise becomes pregnant, and her uncle, in a fit of fury, castrates Abelard.Spider, a young mute, who is saved by Abelard after being mutilated by a man who sells human grotesques. Spider witnesses the love affair and the couple's struggle. Details of Spider's adventures as he roams the French countryside serving Abelard and trying to quell his own demons.

Personal Notes: This historical fiction takes you to a journey behind the Medieval French romance that you will never forget. This story helps me to understand the Abelard-Eloise love story that French people value so much.

Warning:

Reviews and Awards: Wilson's Senior High School (10/01/00), School Library Journal starred (3/1/99). Publishers Weekly starred (1/18/99), Wilson's Junior High School (9/1/01), Books for the Teens NYPL (4/1/01), Kirkus Review starred (1/15/99), Voice of Youth Advocates VOYA (4/1/99)

Author Information: Gloria Skurzynski was born in Duquesne, Pennsylvania on July 6, 1930. She has five grown children, Jan and Lauren are engineers, Joni is a fashion designer, Serena is a doctor and Alane is a writer. The author is also known as Gloria Joan Flister Skurzynski.
Skurzynski is known for nonfiction on science and nature topics and for fiction, particularly the Mysteries in Our National Parks series. "Robots," "Get the Message" and "Zero Gravity" were Outstanding Trade Science Books. "Goodbye, Billy Radish" and "Tempering" were SLJ Best Books. "Manwolf" was a Notable Social Studies Trade Book. "Bionic Parts for People" was a Golden Kite Honor Book in 1979. "Tempering" was a Golden Kite Winner in 1982.

Author website: www.gloriabooks.com

Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Year Published: 2002
Publisher: Little, Brown & Co.
ISBN: 0316168815
Pages: 328
Classification: Fiction
Media Format : Book
Genre: Mystery, Romance, Adventure
Interest Level: 9-12
Reading Level: 6
Subjects: Murder victims families, Teenage girls, Crimes against,

Reader's Annotation: While adjusting to life in Heaven, a fourteen-year-old girl watches the effects of her death on those she left behind.

Summary: Susie Salmon takes a shortcut home from school. She takes the cornfield route and meets George Harvey. He tricked her to go to the underground den, traps her, rapes her, kills her, dismembers her body and drops them in a sinkhole. Only Susie’s hat and elbow is found. Investigators did not find suspects for the death of Susie so they drop the case. Susie’s family falls apart. Her father goes through depression, her mother having an affair with one of the detectives and her sister feeling abandoned and confused with her sister’s disappearance. As years go by loved ones and friends find clues, sometimes with the help of Susie, from her personal heaven. It took years for them to figure out who killed Susie and by then Harvey is free to harm other girls. His final attempt to rape another lady in a bus depot lead to a freak accident. Harvey got knocked out by a fallen icicle and tumbled down on a ravine to his death.

Personal Notes: For mature readers. Some contents may not be appropriate for young teens.

Reviews and Awards: Library Journal, New York Times Book Review, Publishers Weekly, Wilson's High School Catalog

How to Ruin My Teenage Life by Simone Elkeles

Year Published:
Publisher: 2007
ISBN: 0738710199
Pages: 281
Classification: Fiction
Media Format: Book
Interest Level: 7-12
Age Level: 4
Subjects: School stories, Father-daughter relationship, Interpersonal relations, Chicago (Ill.), Jews. United States, Identity (Psychology), Israelis. United States. Fiction

Reader's Annotation: Living with her Israeli father in Chicago, seventeen-year-old Amy Nelson-Barak feels like a walking disaster, worried about her "non-boyfriend" in the Israeli army, her mother, new stepfather, and the baby they are expecting, a new boy named Nathan who has moved into her apartment building and goes to her school, and whether or not she really is the selfish snob that Nathan says she is.

Summary: Amy Nelson Barak, introduced in How to Ruin a Summer Vacation (Flux, 2006), is back. She's living in a Chicago high-rise with her Israeli-born father, a security consultant and workaholic, and a dog named Mutt, a gift from her summertime Israeli "non-boyfriend," Avi. Amy has been enjoying a new religious education and exploration of her heritage, which got a running start during her trip to Israel, but the list of annoyances potentially ruining her life is almost too much for her. Dad needs a date and a life, so she signs him up for a Jewish online dating service using his credit card without mentioning it. Her mom and step dad are expecting a baby, which freaks Amy out. Avi is out of touch while doing basic training in the Israeli army. Perhaps the biggest insult is from Nathan, a geeky-looking but intriguing new guy who completely rubs her the wrong way, but she kisses him anyway. A retaliation kiss from him in the cafeteria is hard to explain when Avi shows up for a surprise visit.

Reviews and Awards: School Library Journal, Voice of Youth Advocates

Author Website: www.simoneelkeles.net

Dead Girls Don't Write Letters by Gail Giles

Year Published: 2003
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689866240
Pages: 126
Classification: Fiction
Media Format: Book
Interest Level: 7-12
Reading Level: 4
Subjects: Sisters, Death, Fiction

Reader's Annotation: Fourteen-year-old Sunny is stunned when a total stranger shows up at her house posing as her older sister Jazz, who supposedly died out of town in a fire months earlier.

Summary: Sunny's older sister has been presumed dead for several months when Sunny receives a letter from Jazz explaining that she was away working in a repertory theater when her apartment burned to the ground. Then Jazz, or Not-Jazz as Sunny calls her, returns home. Her mother has become addicted to sleeping pills and Dad has fallen back into the bottle since his daughter's "death." Sunny and her father soon realize that the young woman is indeed not Jazz, even though she knows a great deal about their family history and secrets. As Sunny investigates, she begins to discover who this impostor is and how she knows so much about their family.

Reviews and Awards: ALA Booklist, ALA/YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Voice of Youth Advocates

Author Website: www.gailgiles.com

Pool Boy by Michael Simmons

Year Published: 2003
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
ISBN: 0761318852
Pages: 164
Classification: Fiction
Media Format: Book
Genre: Drama
Interest Level: 7-12
Reading Level: 4
Subjects: Father-son relationship, Wealth, California, Prisoners, Fiction

Reader's Annotation: Fifteen-year-old Brett Gerson looses everything after his father gets sent to jail for illegal stock trading. Brett is forced to help the family living by cleaning pools in their old neighborhood. Brett learns his lesson about life, responsibility and family as he worked cleaning pools

Summary: Fifteen-year-old Brett had it all: good looks, a winning personality, and a lot of money. That is, until the police busted his dad for money laundering and insider trading. Now the teen's posh lifestyle-like his dad-has gone to the dogs, and Brett, his mom, and sister move into their great-aunt's humble two-story on the other side of the tracks. Forced to help out in making ends meet, the teen takes a job cleaning pools in his old upscale neighborhood. Dubbed "pool boy" by the new owners of the house that his own family lost, Brett stubbornly comes to terms with forgiving his father for being a criminal and losing the family fortune. Bret learns his lesson about life, responsibility and family as he learns from his boss and partner in cleaning pools.

Reviews and Awards: ALA Booklist, Horn Book, School Library Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review for Publishers Weekly, Starred Review for Bulletin of the Center for Children's Book, Wilson's Junior High Catalog

All American Girl by Meg Cabot

Year Published: 2002
Publisher: HarperColins
ISBN: 0061479896
Pages: 398
Classification: Fiction
Media Format: Book
Interest Level: 7-12
Reading Level: 5
Subjects: School stories, High schools, Washington (D.C), Interpersonal relations, Heroes, President, Fiction

Reader's Annotation: A sophomore girl stops a presidential assassination attempt, is appointed Teen Ambassador to the United Nations, and catches the eye of the very cute First Son.

Summary: While waiting for her ride home from an after-school art class, Samantha Madison, a sophomore at John Adams Preparatory School in Washington, DC, inadvertently saves the President's life by jumping on the back of a would-be assassin. Suddenly, she is a celebrity, invited to the White House for dinner, named the teen ambassador to the U.N., and revered by her fellow classmates. Yet, even her new star status doesn't allow her to get what she really wants-a date with her sister's boyfriend, Jack. Hoping to make him jealous, she asks out the President's son. The plan backfires, but Samantha discovers who she really is in the process. Cabot uses vision as a metaphor for how a budding artist grows to "see" herself and others more clearly. The first-person narrative contains Samantha's top-10 lists between chapters, adding to the hilarious plot. The setting is used to interject a few historical facts about the White House and its former residents without intruding on the entertaining story. Readers will enjoy Samantha's interactions with the other delightful characters, especially her sisters. Cabot fully understands teens, their language, and their world. There are at least 10 reasons why libraries will want to own this book, but the most important one is that it simply will not stay on the shelves.-Linda L. Plevak, Saint Mary's Hall, San Antonio, TX Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.


Personal Notes:

Reviews and Awards: ALA Booklist, ALA/YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, School Library Journal, Starred Review for Publishers Weekly, Voice of Youth Advocates, Wilson's Junior High Catalog

Author Information: Meg Cabot was born February 1, 1967 in Bloomington, Indiana. She was educated at Indiana University and once worked as an assistant manager in an undergraduate dormitory. The author enjoys watching TV, walking, and writing. While writing, Cabot enjoys listening to "really loud" rock music. She also writes under the names Jenny Carroll, Meggin Cabot, and Patricia Cabot. Her husband, Benjamin, is a poet.

Author website: www.megcabot.com

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

Year Published: 1999
Publisher: Warner Books
ISBN: 0446608955
Pages: 240
Classification: Fiction
Genre:
Interest Level: 9-12
Reading Level: 5
Subjects: Teenage boys,javascript:void(0) Children of clergy, Beaufort (N.C.), Fiction

Reader's Annotation: A middle aged man looks back on his first love at age seventeen

Summary: Landon Carter gets caught violating school rules and as a punishment, he has to do community service. Some of them includes after-school tutoring and performing in the school play. He was forced to work with Jamie Sullivan, a smart minister's daughter. Landon and Jamie as they work together in rehearsing for the play. Landon falls in-love with Jamie Sullivan but Landon's friends did not approve the relationship. A prank was made to Jamie and Landon ends up fighting with his friends and stopped hanging out with his popular friends and chose to be with Jamie. Meanwhile, Jamie's terminal illness was progressing and when she finally she had to confess to Landon that she is dying. Landon stayed with Jamie through her struggle with her illness. Landon's father even paid for her home care. Landon worked on giving all Jamie's list including getting married in the church where her parents got married. Jamie passed away. Four years later, Landon returns to Jamie's father to return the book/diary Jamie gave Landon. Landon reflects on how much his life had changed with Jamie.

Author Website: www.nicholassparks.com

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Author: Meyer, Stephenie
Year Published: 2005
Publisher: Little Brown
ISBN: 9780316160179
Pages: 498
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure, Action
Interest Level: 9-12
Reading Level: 5
Subjects: Vampires, High schools, School stories, Washington (State), Fiction

Reader's Annotation: Bella moves to Forks, Washington with his father, discovers that there are supernatural people and experiences extra-ordinary events, after meeting handsome classmate, Edward Cullen.

Summary: Twilight has a Romeo and Juliet love-story plot. Isabella Swan moves to Forks, Washington and meets a handsome and smart guy, Edward Cullen. Bella finds out about Edward's real identity but still pursue their relationship. They struggle to keep their relationship as they face the challenges of being accepted by both sides - vampires and human and even the werewolves.


Reviews and Awards: Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal,Booklist, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books


Author Information: Stephenie Meyer was born in Connecticut in 1973. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor's degree in English. Ms. Meyer cannot write without music. She writes young adult novels. She lives with her husband and three sons in Phoenix Arizona.

Website: stepheniemeyer.com

Friction by E.R. Frank

Year Published: 2003
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689853858
Pages: 197
Classification: Fiction
Media Type: Book
Interest Level: 7-12
Reading Level: 4
Subjects: Coming of age, Child sexual abuse, Teacher-student relationship, Fiction

Reader's Annotation: When a new girl at the private school Alex attends starts rumors about Alex's favorite teacher, Alex and her eighth-grade classmates are not sure how to act around him or with each other.

Summary: Forest Alternative school is the ideal school for Alex. She is comfortable with her classmates and friends. She also looks forward to school because of her inspiring teacher and coach, Simon. Everything changes when the new girl, Stacy. Stacy misinterprets the kindness of Simon towards Alex and spreads rumors about Simon. The rumor escalates until Simon looses his job in the Alternative school. Alex finds out the truth about Stacy and her family. She also learns to discern what is right from wrong as she writes her letter to Simon.

Reviews and Awards: ALA Best Book For Young Adults, ALA Booklist, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal Starred Review, Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews, Voice of Youth Advocates, Wilson's Junior High Catalog

Hanging on to Max by Margaret Bechard

Year Published: 2002
Publisher: Roaring Book Press
ISBN: 9780761315797
Pages: 142
Media Type : Book

Classification: Fiction
Genre:
Interest Level: 9-12
Reading Level: 5
Subjects: Teenage parents, Teenage fathers, Father-son relationship

Reader's Annotation: When his girlfriend decides to give their baby away, 17- year-old Sam is determined to keep and raise him alone.

Summary: At 17, Sam Pettigrew has an unusual responsibility - his baby son, Max. Sam and Max live with Sam's father. Sam attends a high school with on-site childcare and watches Max in his school hours. Sam's father will support Sam and Max until Sam finishes high school. After that, Sam must work for a construction company owned by  family friend. Although Sam is a good student, the idea of college angers his father, who sees it as an abrogation of Sam's responsibility. When Sam meets old friend, Claire, also a teen parent, he begins to emerge from the social exile he's felt since taking on Max, and he discovers a home situation more supportive than his own. Eventually, Sam makes some important decisions about the future, which angers Claire but allow others to move beyond the past. It's unusual to find a boy in the teen single-parent role, but this story is both realistic and perceptive and the characters are fully realized, speaking and acting with authenticity and individuality. - Booklist 2002 

Personal Notes:

Warning:

Reviews and Awards: Kirkus Reviews (4/15/02)

       School Library Journal (5/02)

Booklist (5/1/02

Author Information:

Romiette and Julio by Sharon Draper

Year Published: 1999
Publisher: Antheneum Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780689821806
Pages: 236
Classification:
Media Type: Book
Genre:
Interest Level: 9-12
Reading Level: 6
Subjects: Internet, School stories, Hispanic Americans, African Americans, Fiction

Reader's Annotation: Romiette, an African-American girl, and Julio, a Hispanic boy, discover that they attend the same high school after falling in love on the Internet.

Summary: School Library Journal - 09/01/1999 Gr 6-10-A contemporary retelling of the Romeo and Juliet story with a happy, upbeat ending. Sixteen-year-old Julio Montague's parents have moved their family to Cincinnati, OH, in order to get their son out of his gang-ridden high school in Corpus Christi, TX. Romiette Cappelle, also 16, is the daughter of successful African-American parents and the granddaughter of college professors. When these two young people, both from proud heritages, begin a romance, they must deal not only with their parents' prejudices but also with the threats of a local gang called The Family. At times, Romiette and Julio effectively parallels and contemporizes the original story. The young couple meet, not at the Capulets' feast, but in an Internet chat room. Julio's friend, Ben Olsen (read Benvolio), who looks like a punk rocker, has an optimistic and irreverent attitude that balances Julio's passion and volatility. At other times, the allusions to the play are obvious and heavy-handed. Nonetheless, this novel is more than simply a carefully plotted teenage romance. Draper gives a realistic portrayal of the interactions among high school students as well as their relationships with their parents. The book also examines how gangs can gain power and take control. All of the characters have unique voices and the writing style shifts according to the action. Romiette and Julio would be a wonderful curriculum tie-in book, but it also stands alone as a first-rate novel about contemporary teens.-Jane Halsall, McHenry Public Library District, IL Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information. - Copyright 1999 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Personal Notes:

Warning:

Reviews and Awards: Kirkus Reviews (07/15/99), School Library Journal (09/99), Booklist (09/15/99)

Author Information: Sharon M. Draper was born in Ohio August 21, 1948. She earned a B.A. from Pepperdine University and a M.A. from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Ms. Draper taught junior high and high school students for more than thirty years. She is a public speaker who addresses educational and literary groups of all ages, both nationally and internationally. Ms. Draper was awarded the Coretta Scott King Award in 1998 for Forged By Fire and in 2007 for Copper Sun. She received the Coretta Scott King Author Honor in 2004 for Battle Of Jericho and in 2008 for November Blues.The author and her husband reside in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Website: sharondraper.com

Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

1989

Viking Penguin

ISBN:0-14-303809-5

Pages: 288

Classification: Fiction
Genre: Drama
Interest Level: 9-12
Reading Level: 6
Subjects: Mother-daughter relationship, mothers, death, female friendship, Chinese American Women

Reader's Annotation: Chronicles the lives of four Chinese women, their 40 year friendship and how the death of one brings her daughter into the fold and a new understanding for each other.

Summary: Four Chinese American immigrant families start a club known as “the Joy Luck Club.” They get together and have a feast, tell stories and play a Chinese game called Mahjong. Each of the character shares about their struggles in their lives in separate chapters with lessons to teach. Some of the stories include mother and daughter stories.

Reviews and Awards: ALA Best Book For Young Adults, New York Times Book Review, Voice of Youth Advocates, Wilson's Fiction Catalog, Wilson's High School Catalog

Author Website: www.amytan.net