Say What You Will

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: September 15, 2014

Review

For her senior year in high school, Amy, who has Cerebral Palsy and uses a wheeled walker and computerized communication device, persuades her overprotective parents to hire peer helpers for her, replacing the selection of adult aides who have traditionally filled the role. Matthew, who she's known since elementary school, is one of the classmates selected, and though he's long been hyper aware of Amy and his attraction to her, he's nervous about the job and is somewhat intimidated by her willingness to ask difficult questions. Matthew is struggling in vain to hide his worsening Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and over the course of the year, Amy challenges and encourages him to seek help. Told in the third person, McGovern switches narrative perspective between Matthew and Amy and intersperses conversations they have via e-mail, including strings of those written but not sent, to very effective end. There are some teen problem novel tropes at play in places, including an unplanned pregnancy and disapproving parents, but the characters are refreshingly well developed, intelligent and insightful, making this a standout.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

McGovern, Cammie

Publisher: Harper Teen/Harper Collins Publishers

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062271105

Price: 17.99

Never Ending

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: May 10, 2014

Review

An emotionally rich, at times almost grueling, novel about a British teen who blames herself for her brother Declan's death while they were on a holiday in Greece. Plagued by drastic personality changes and fits of rage that she doesn't later remember, 16 year old Shiv (Siobhan) agrees to inpatient therapy at a new treatment facility that employs unusual methods to help a group of teens who are each overwhelmed by guilt and grief surrounding the deaths of there respective loved ones. Chapter by chapter, the intense relationships formed between patients are juxtaposed against Shiv's memories of the vacation she and her family took during which Declan died. Bedford takes his time in revealing the details of what actually happened the night Declan died, effectively drawing out the suspense. Readers will be rapt by the drama, the remembered romance that brewed between Shiv and an older teen during the trip and her psychological turmoil. This is a gripping, poignant read filled with multilayered characters.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Bedford, Martyn

Publisher: Wendy Lamb

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: mystery, romance

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780385739917

Price: 16.99

Guy in Real Life

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: September 15, 2014

Review

Sophomore Lesh Tungsten and junior Svetlana Allegheny, students at the same high school, have never met before she collides with him the weekend before school starts. Wobbling drunkenly out of a heavy metal show, he weaves in front of Svetlana's bike, causing her notebook of sketches and game plans (she's a Dungeon Master for a D&D Tabletop Rollplaying group) to fly into a puddle. Lesh emerges unscathed, but smitten by her height, mane of almost white hair and the glimpse he gets of her art. Somewhat prim Svetlana, however, at least at first, feels otherwise: she dubs him a miscreant. As school begins, though Lesh has previously eschewed all efforts by his best friend Greg to involve him in the MMORG with which he's obsessed, the grounding-for-life punishment imposed by his parents after they discover he'd been drinking leads the homebound Lesh to give it a try. He stumbles into creating an avatar in the game -- a tall, white blond elf priestess - who he names Svetlana, setting off a chain of events that he doesn't expect. Brezenoff has crafted a very funny love story about two misfits who are drawn to one another despite being different in many ways. Observations about class, gender conformity, social dynamics and more are effortlessly worked into the novel, told in alternate narration by them both. Readers will likely spot one of the culminating plot points before the characters do, but this won't lessen the overall effect of this novel. A smart, engaging and heartfelt romance with enough edge to pull in non-romance fans.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Brezenoff, Steve

Publisher: Balzar + Bray/Harper Collins

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: romance

Audience: grades 7-9, grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062266835

Price: 17.99

Tease

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 5, 2014

Review

A complex, emotionally taut novel about a young woman who commits suicide after being bullied by a group of her high school classmates, this debut is narrated by Sara, one of the teens accused of being one of the bullies in a lawsuit brought the girl's family. Chapters set in the present detail Sara's current existence as one of a social pariah in a sort of holding pattern between summer school classes where she meets Carmichael, a boy who eventually becomes a source of support for her, her lawyer's office, her therapist and her strained family life. These alternate with flashbacks to the school year before, when Sara and her best friend, Queen Bee Brielle viciously targeted newcomer Emma Putnam, calling her a slut, stalking her in person and online and even physically assaulting her because they resented her hooking up with many of the boys in their social circle, including with Dylan, Sara's boyfriend. Sara is not a likable character, at the onset angrily rejecting that her behavior was in any way to blame for Emma's suicide. However, she is ultimately able to grasp how she may have contributed to the other girl's struggle and the development of her character unfolds with nuance and intelligence, and includes a heartbreaking portrayal of how reliant she was on Brielle's much stronger personality to buoy her dismal self image. Likewise, this novel allows for a very realistic window into the feelings of powerlessness many young women experience about sex and their romantic relationships. Secondary characters are not as strong, including Brielle, who is very much popular and wealthy 'mean girl' prototype and little else; Carmichael, a misfit with a heart of gold; and Emma herself, about whom little is revealed other than her physical beauty and tendency toward relationships with guys at school. Despite this and an overly tidy ending, this is still a powerful, worthwhile read inspired by the 2010 case of Massachusetts teen Phoebe Prince. Author's note and a list of anti-bullying resources are included.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Maciel, Amanda

Publisher: Balzar & Bray/Harper Collins

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062305305

Price: 17.99

The Crossover

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 10, 2014

Review

Josh "Filthy" and Jordan "JB" Bell are twins whose love of basketball is inspired and shared by their dad, who almost went pro before an injury he decided not to treat surgically destroyed his chances. Despite having pretty different personalities, the two brothers are close, until their eighth grade year, when JB gets a girlfriend, and Josh finds himself odd man out. It's also during this time that their father's health problems - hypertension and heart disease - begin spiraling out of control. Written in short, vibrant free verse poems, this moving novel told from Josh's perspective is engaging and there is enough basketball action described to pull in some of its major fans without alienating those in it for the family drama. While abundant foreshadowing of the climactic event ensures it will come as little surprise to readers, this doesn't lessen its emotional resonance. Readers who love basketball and/or are dedicated readers of contemporary fiction, will find plenty to keep them in thrall.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Alexander, Kwame

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 7-9

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780544107717

Price: 16.99

The Devil's Intern

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 10, 2014

Review

Eternal 17-year-old Mitchell Johnson has been in hell for four years since he was hit by a bus after he ran out into the street for a reason he now can't remember. He's made good friends with other damned souls there, including his best-friend-or-maybe-more-than-friend Melissa (called Medusa due to her unruly hair), who died in the late 1960's; Elinor, who died in the 1600's in the Great Fire of London; and Alfarin, a Viking warrior who was killed in battle. Upon discovering the existence of a time-travel device called a Viciseometer, he and his friends join together to travel to various points in history to stop each of their respective deaths. However, they find, as is so often the case with time travel stories, that they cannot undo events without causing a ripple effect that none of them wants. Comic details abound in this intricately (at times overly) plotted fantastical novel and readers who enjoy the banter that exists between love interests who protest a bit too strongly that they are only friends will find plenty to like here. Though the central mystery is resolved by the end, the conclusion seems to hint at a possible follow-up. Fans of paranormal romance who like their stories snarky and action-oriented rather than swooning will be the best audience for this one.

Overall Book Score: good

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About the Book

Author:

Hosie, Donna

Publisher: Holiday House

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: fantasy

Audience: grades 7-9, grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780823431953

Price: 16.95

Anatomy of a Misfit

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 8, 2015

Review

Despite her supposed friendship with Becky, a popular mean girl, Anika Dragomir feels like an impostor at her high school in 1980's Nebraska, like "spider stew" among her normal peers. When fellow misfit Logan emerges from summer vacation with a new allure and begins offering her rides on his scooter, she's won over despite worrying what Becky will do if she finds out. Anika's quirk is well-balanced by her decency and intelligence and her much truer friendship with Shelli, who also lives in fear of Queen Bee Becky, is funny and touching; their frank discussions about sex and boys are refreshingly realistic. When another guy, the very popular, but possibly disingenuous Jared also begins pursuing her, it adds another layer into the already tense social dynamic, perfectly capturing the intricate unspoken rules of social status that will be recognizable to many teen readers. It is clear from the beginning that this offbeat story will end in tragedy -- brief chapters are interspersed throughout that foreshadow it -- but the tension is nicely sustained throughout. A darkly comic, emotionally rich novel that will appeal to fans of John Green, A.S. King and Rainbow Rowell.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Portes, Andrea

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Harper Teen

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: romance,realistic fiction

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062313645

Price: 17.99

Night Sky Dragons

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 13, 2015

Review

Yazul, a young boy who lives with his family along Asia's Silk Road, is a dreamer -- he and his grandfather create beautiful kites out of silk and bamboo, much to the chagrin of his father, who is charged with protecting their han. Disgusted by what he sees as his son's idleness, he puts him to work doing menial tasks in the kitchen, until bandits are poised to cut off access in and out of the han and it is Yazul who divines a creative way out of the predicament. This short story moves quickly, but never skimps on artful phrasing - "Fear filled Yazul like a winter sickness." A kite that doesn't make it up into the sky "tumbled and dangled against the gates like a huge, wounded bat." Detailed, muted watercolor illustrations are punctuated with the vibrant colors of the kites and their layout expands into full-page spreads for dramatic effect. Readers will be captivated and moved by Yazul's struggle to be accepted by his stern father and the action of outwitting the bandits will draw in an even wider audience.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Peet, Mal

Illustrator: Benson, Patrick

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Book Type: picture book fiction

Genre: historical fiction

Audience: grades k-3,grades 4-6

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780763661441

Price: 15.99

The Wrenchies

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 13, 2015

Review

A gang of kids struggle to survive and save a world destroyed by demons and zombie-like creatures in this riveting graphic novel that runs the gamut between touches of heart-wrenching sweetness to nightmarish horror. Constructing a narrative that moves freely back and forth in time, Dalrymple's intricate, exsquisite drawings, colored in a darkly lush pallet, are remarkably effective in creating the unsettling tone. Arcing away from the titular gang to focus on the back stories of two characters - Sherwood, whose encounter as a kid with a demon in a cave originally summoned the monsters forth; and Hollis, a misfit raised by a religiously conservative mother - there are various ways to read this multi-layered work, made only more so by the meta aspect involved in the story which features a comic within its pages also called The Wrenchies. Whether readers engage with it as apocalyptic adventure story or as metaphor, however, this is an epic tale shouldn't be missed by serious graphic novel fans. The gobs of messy violence won't be for everyone, but they are without doubt effective in illustrating how darkness can overwhelm people's lives. Readers who favor apocalyptic horror, like Cormac McCarthy's The Road or Andrew Smith's The Marbury Lens will be mesmerized.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Dalrymple, Farel

Illustrator: Dalrymple, Farel

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: First Second

Book Type: Choose Book Type

Genre: fantasy,science fiction,graphic novel

Audience: grades 10-12,adult / professional

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 97815961434219

Price: 19.99

Exile

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 7, 2015

Review

A high school dedicated to supporting and producing talent for the southern California music scene and beyond is the backdrop for this promising first novel in the Exile trilogy, which appealingly blends a coming-of-age romance with a mystery involving a gifted teen musician named Caleb who has just discovered he's the son of a long dead legendary lead singer for a fictional band called Allegiance to North. Told from the perspective of Summer (her middle name, which she uses as she hones her considerable skill as a band manager, though she's known by her super straight parents who disapprove of her music business aspirations by her first name, which is Catherine). Summer's a smart and sympathetic protagonist and her romance with Caleb is believable and sweet. It's effectively juxtaposed against a mystery concerning hidden tapes of lost songs recorded by Caleb's famous, but seriously drug addicted and mentally ill dad before he died and plenty of band scene drama. Readers will likely have to be fairly serious music fans to appreciate this one, but for those that are, they'll quickly identify with the earnest descriptions of the emotional power of chord progressions and moody, clever lyrics and will be pulled in by the quest to find the lost tapes. Fans of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist should love this one.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Emerson, Kevin

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books/Harper Collins

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: romance,realistic fiction

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062133953

Price: 17.99

Remember Me

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 10, 2015

Review

This second offering in Bernard's Find Me series is a fast-paced, at times grisly thriller that takes off when a dead woman with the words "remember me" carved across her chest is discovered during a political fundraiser that the main character, Wick, attends with her newly adoptive foster mother. This follows on the heels of Wick being blackmailed by a menacing police detective to install a GPS tracker on someone's cellphone. Though readers are rapidly brought up to speed in the opening chapters about the events of the first novel, including about Wick's sad family history (she's the daughter of a drug kingpin), this is still a difficult story to follow and it's hard to determine how much of that is due to it not working well as a stand-alone and how much of it may be due to a very complicated plot that involves many characters with questionable motives. Wick is a sympathetic narrator and her predicament of being stuck in the middle of a situation not of her own making will resonate with teen readers, as long as they don't find the plot too unwieldy, and don't mind the ending being somewhat unresolved, as a third in the series must be forthcoming.

Overall Book Score: fair

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About the Book

Author:

Bernard, Romily

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Harper Teen

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: adventure,mystery,realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062229069

Price: 17.99

Hellhole

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: March 10, 2015

Review

This Faustian tale features a winning narrator, Max, who inadvertently summons a tracksuit wearing demon when he steals a tacky cat statue from the store where he works to give to his ailing mother. Dialogue-driven chapters are divided into two parts - Across and Down - a nod to Max's love of crossword puzzles. Max's geeky, anxious inner monologues and his often rambling social interactions are laugh out loud funny and readers will root for him as he struggles to find a home complete with hot tub for the demon - all part of a deal he strikes to try to win back his mother's health. While much of the novel is played for laughs, this still bears the hallmarks of a cautionary tale. Lore, a girl that Max asks for help due reveals that her own dabbling with evil forces resulted in tragedy and Max agonizes about his own sense of morality as he navigates the complicated waters of keeping the demon a secret while taking care of his very ill mother and still carrying on as a normal high school student. Hilarious quirky elements abound, such as the demon's obsession with junk food (In demanding that Max procure Hot Pockets for him at one point, he threatens, "Oh, and don't you DARE try to pull one of those Lean Pocket shitmuffins on me. I'LL KNOW."), and these work particularly well because Damico has taken the time to construct authentic and vulnerable characters. Despite the ending being a bit abrupt, this should appeal widely to teens in seventh grade and up who appreciate good, thought-provoking fantasy with plenty of witty situational comedy.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Gina, Damico

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: fantasy

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780544307100

Price: 17.99

King Dork Approximately

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: March 10, 2015

Review

This sequel to 2006's King Dork is a similarly character-driven tale of high school life as it is endured by protagonist Tom Henderson, a self-professed loser loner. Newly emerging from an accident with a tuba that left him with a serious head wound at the end of the first novel, this second installment finds he and his alphabetically situated best friend Sam Hellerman split apart when, owing to the events in King Dork, their high school must close and the two must attend two different schools. Without the mystery that formed the core of King Dork, this offering knocks around quite a bit plot-wise, but Tom's snide, ironic, music and girl obsessed narration is wildly funny and his rejection of all things conventional around him will be embraced by teen readers who find themselves in similar outsider positions. Portman's original novel has a sizable cult following (at least among adults), possibly in part due to his having fronted seminal 90's punk band The Mr. T Experience, but it's not just his name that makes these books interesting. Though Tom has plenty of acerbic things to say about adults who revere The Catcher in The Rye, it's hard not to compare him to Holden Caulfield - he's a character whose intelligent and true insights exist despite - or maybe because of - his spectacularly contrarian nature. Fans of the first won't want to miss this, and readers will likely want to pick up the original King Dork before it if they haven't already read it.

Overall Book Score: good

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About the Book

Author:

Portman, Frank

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Delacorte/Random House

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780385736183

Price: 17.99

Jasmine and Maddie

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: May 6, 2015

Review

Two eighth grade girls alternate first-person narration in this poignant work of realistic fiction that effectively juxtaposes the two seeming opposites. To self-conscious, disorganized Maddie, Jasmine seems to be everything she wants to be. Beautiful, tough and stylish, Jasmine sweeps into school as a new student and is immediately showered with attention by popular girls. Howewver, Jasmine's polished exterior conceals her desperate grief over her father's death and she's deeply ashamed about living in a trailer park in their new town. It's hard for her to understand Maddie's struggle of feeling lost and out-shined in her large, caring, wealthy family. Things eventually come to a head in a tangled situation that involves both girls lying and stealing - a scenario that rings true to the way that many teens externalize their difficult emotions, if making for somewhat complicated reading. A poetry project interjects Emily Dickinson's words into the story, which is a great touch and poetry written by both girls is heartfelt. The portrayal of the prickly, ever-present class awareness that Jasmine experiences is spot on as is the prejudice she faces because she's poor. This will appeal to established fans of realistic fiction in grades 6-8 who have appreciated titles like Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor, Tell Us We're Home by Marina Budhos and Bluefish by Pat Schmatz.

Overall Book Score: good

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About the Book

Author:

Pakkala, Christine

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Boyds Mills Press/Highlights

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 7-9

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9781620917398

Price: 16.95

The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: May 11, 2015

Review

An exuberantly playful, informative short biography about musician Sun Ra that celebrates his eccentricity ("Sun Ra always said that he came from Saturn. Now you and I know that this is silly. No one comes from Saturn. An yet. If he did come from Saturn, it would explain so much...") and presents his remarkable cross-genre contributions to music through this lens. Raschka moves through the facts of the musician's life rapidly, touching on his experience as a teen composer, conscientious objector during WWII, the formation of his band the Arkestra and includes some great bits of trivia - that Sun Ra rarely slept for more than a few hours at night but sometimes dozed during rehearsals, for instance.

Raschka's fluid, bold, bright illustrations fit beautifully into this fascinating biography, sometimes laid out 3 or 4 per page spread, but somehow never seeming cramped, and at times seamlessly include details, such as the names of all the musicians in the Arkestra, within them.

An endnote and list of selected recordings complete this picture book biography that provides an engaging and accessible introduction for young readers who are unfamiliar with his music.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Raschka, Chris

Illustrator: Raschka, Chris

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Candlewick

Book Type: picture book nonfiction

Genre: biography / autobiography

Audience: grades k-3,grades 4-6

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780763658069

Price: 15.99

Animal Kingdom

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library , Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: May 12, 2015

Review

A fun miscellany of facts about animals, loosely organized into random tabbed categories (Species, Senses, Record Breakers, Food and Drink, Family, Habitats, Killers, Man's Best Friend). Employing a conversational tone, the author provides quick, readable anecdotes about a variety of animal life, focusing for the most part on the odd and superlative. Bright, stylized graphics illustrate each page and despite their sometimes busy presentation, the type and images work well together in terms of organizing each page. Besides a note on the title page that the book was researched by Simon Rogers, there is no sourcing and no back matter, which will disqualify it for use in many academic settings, but it is an engaging and distinctively browsable fact book that will catch the eyes of many an older grade or middle schooler.

Overall Book Score: good

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About the Book

Author:

Blechman, Nicholas

Illustrator: Blechman, Nicholas

Illustration Quality: good

Publisher: Big Picture Press/Candlewick

Book Type: picture book nonfiction

Genre: graphic novel

Audience: grades 4-6,grades 7-9

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780763671228

Price: 17.99

A List of Things That Didn't Kill Me

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Library, 207 Main St., Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 9, 2015

Review

This memoir by debut author Schmidt recounts his experiences growing up with an emotionally and physically abusive father who moved him whose rejection of mainstream ideals did not extend to acknowledging his cultural power as an adult and his son’s inherent vulnerability as his child. Moved from home to home frequently, Schmidt vividly recollects his father’s arrest during a drug raid when he was 3, which lands him in his religious grandparents’ home for a turn. After he rejoins his father, he struggles as an elementary and middle schooler to find friends and find people with whom he's comfortable. After his father comes out as gay, Schmidt is provided with support at home by one of his live-in boyfriends, but things unravel rapidly when the AIDS crisis of the early 1980's hits and his father becomes HIV positive. Often agonizing, this employs a matter-of-fact, at times almost sardonic tone, as it describes distressing abuse in which a kid truly functions as an adult out of necessity. Troubling, moving and unflinchingly honest, this memoir will be best appreciated by older teens and adults who are fans of the work of Augusten Burroughs and the like.

Overall Book Score: good

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About the Book

Author:

Schmidt, Jason

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Book Type: Choose Book Type

Genre: biography / autobiography

Audience: grades 10-12,adult / professional

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780374380137

Price: 18.99

Vanishing Girls

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 9, 2015

Review

After 17 year old Nick seriously injures her younger sister in a car accident for which she’s responsible, she struggles to come to terms with the changes in their relationship and with the way it has affected their family life – already strained by their parents’ ugly divorce. Older sister Nick has always been the responsible one, while Dara has been the impulsive, wild child – routinely experimenting with drugs and alcohol and teasing her sister for not having yet had sex with her boyfriend of several months – so part of the discord is due to the unfamiliarity Nick has with having wronged her sister, who has avoided her religiously since the accident. Alternating narration between the two sisters and interspersing flashbacks with the present-day chapters makes for an interesting if complicated read that requires attentive focus and another separate plot-line about a 9 year old girl’s disappearance weaves its way throughout. The dark, moody atmosphere suits the subject matter well and Oliver’s dreamy, vivid writing is evocative. However, seasoned readers will spot the big twist at play in this suspense novel early on, leaving them in the position waiting for the other shoe to drop for the duration.

Overall Book Score: good

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About the Book

Author:

Oliver, Lauren

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Harper Collins

Book Type: Choose Book Type

Genre: mystery,romance,realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062224101

Price: 18.99

Cemetery Boys

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 9, 2015

Review

Horror tropes abound in this story involving a small town's folklore about horrific bird monsters that periodically demand sacrifices to appease them. After his mother is institutionalized following a descent into mental illness, Stephen and his father are forced due to financial straits to move back to his father's hometown of Spencer, Michigan, where they move in with his awful, mean-spirited grandmother. They are barely in town for a day when Stephen begins to sense that all is not right in the insular, unwelcoming town. People speak of Spencer going through "a bad time" and Stephen soon meets Devin, whose gang of friends seems to know plenty about both the bad time and what they think will be the remedy. They court Stephen to be one of them, enticing him to the cemetery at night (which they call "The Playground") to drink and engage in various hijinks. Meanwhile, Stephen is busy falling hard for Devin's sister, Cara. Featuring writing that is often clunky and predictable scares, this will nevertheless appeal to fans of Brewer's Slayer Chronicles series.

Overall Book Score: fair

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About the Book

Author:

Brewer, Heather

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Harper Teen

Book Type: Choose Book Type

Genre: mystery,horror

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062307880

Price: 17.99

The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: July 7, 2015

Review

A well-researched, engaging picture book biography about veterinarian Harry Colebourn, whose story begins when he buys a black bear cub that would later inspire A.A. Milne's classic "Winnie-the-Pooh" stories off a train platform while on route to a military training camp in Quebec. Using simple but effective phrasing ("Winnie was a good sailor. Harry wasn't."), Walker recounts the journey of Colebourn and his bear, who he named "Winnipeg" for his company's hometown and eventually shortened to "Winnie," to England and their separation at the height of World War I, when Colebourn was moved to the battle front in France and found a home for Winnie at the London Zoo. It was at the zoo that the fateful encounter between Winnie and Christopher Robin, A.A. Milne's son, took place. Detailed, lovely watercolors in a muted color palette move with the story and set a gentle, almost sweet tone, which suits the text well. Walker, whose previous stellar non-fiction includes "Written in Bone" and "Blizzards of Glass" includes an informative author's note and a short bibliography, including website and video references. Young children who are fans of Winnie-the-Pooh will find this fascinating and it would work well paired with Milne's stories in a classroom setting.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Walker, Sally

Illustrator: Voss, Jonathan

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Book Type: picture book nonfiction

Genre: biography / autobiography

Audience: grades k-3

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780805097153

Price: 17.99

Exposing Torture: Centuries of Cruelty

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: July 7, 2015

Review

This slim, informative volume offers a solid overview of historical and current uses of torture in a variety of societies, examples of specific torture techniques, and chronicles the philosophical underpinnings of the unified social movement that condemns it, eventually explaining how the Geneva Convention came to be. Also provided are examples of arguments for and against the continued use of torture -- or its euphemism "enhanced interrogation" -- in the context of counter-terrorism. Finally a short section at the end lays out some ideas for readers to consider in forming their own critical view on the subject. Marcovitz employs a matter-of-fact tone in discussing this grim subject and doesn't shy away from including accounts of torture occurring in both developing and developed countries, including the United States. Photos and images are interspersed throughout and while some are certainly troubling -- an image of a hooded prisoner at Abu Ghraib, a spiked chair used to torture Medieval prisoners -- none depict graphic violence. Extensive back matter, including a glossary, lengthy bibliography, list of source notes and an index make this an excellent resource for upper middle and high school students.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Marcovitz, Hal

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: 21st Century/Lerner

Book Type: chapter book nonfiction

Genre:

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: library binding

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9781467750493

Price: 34.65

Charmed

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: July 14, 2015

Review

An enjoyable sequel about teen witch Indigo Blackwood, whose best friend, Paige, was abducted by The Priory (evil sorcerers pitted against The Family, the organization of witches and warlocks of which Indigo is a new member) at the end of the first novel, HEXED (2014). Beginning just days after those events, Indigo is hard at work practicing her new found magical skills under the tutelage of warlock Bishop, her boyfriend, so that she might embark on a rescue mission to save her friend. When she discovers that Paige is being held in a parallel universe - a sort of apocalyptic Los Angeles called Los Demonios, she vows to save her. Fans of paranormal romance will find plenty to like in Indigo and Bishop's sometimes steamy relationship, though its predictability, including repetitive descriptions of his cliched bad boy appearance, may feel stale to some. A romantic sub-plot involving Indigo's attraction to a new guy she meets feels underdeveloped. The novel's pace picks up when Indigo travels to Los Demonios; these action-packed sections will draw readers in and the full-scale battle taking place at the conclusion is frantic, unpredictable and Indigo's tough first-person narration is full of witty one-liners. Charmed is not a stand-alone - readers will definitely want to have read the first, but for teens looking for stories similar to Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series or Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey novels, this and its prequel should offer real appeal.

Overall Book Score: good

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About the Book

Author:

Krys, Michelle

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Delacorte

Book Type: Choose Book Type

Genre: adventure,fantasy,romance

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780385743396

Price: 17.99

Feral Pride

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: July 24, 2015

Review

This final installment in the FERAL NIGHTS trilogy wraps up its tale of shape shifters, demons and angels. Set in the same Austin, Texas alternate universe introduced in Leitich Smith's TANTALIZE series, werecats Kayla and Yoshi and werepossum/lion hybrid Clyde are some of the various paranormal beings that exist alongside humans, viewed by many people as being an underclass that should be shunned or cured. Beginning where the events of FERAL CURSE left off, the three plus Clyde's girlfriend Aimee are all on the run following a video being made public of Kayla in the process of shifting. Additionally, a creature claiming to be a weresnake has abducted the state's governor, creating an even more hostile environment for the shifters. This is an engaging and quickly-paced adventure, blending nuanced themes about prejudice with a biting, often sarcastic humor that will appeal to teen readers. Though the plotting feels over complicated at times and the alternation of the narrative voice contributes to this dizzying effect, those who've enjoyed the earlier novels in this series will be a natural audience for its conclusion and they won't be disappointed. Overall, an intelligent, steamy, witty finale that will appeal to those who like authors such as Kristin Cashore and Libba Bray.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Smith, Cynthia Leitich

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Candlewick

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: fantasy,science fiction,romance

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780763659110

Price: 17.99

Cat & Bunny

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: July 14, 2015

Review

Gentle, muted pencil and watercolor illustrations are the star of this picture book about friendship, jealousy and inclusion that tidily resolves the conflict between Cat and Bunny in its final pages. Using short, simple sentences paired with each drawing, children in an array of animal suits encroach on the best friendship of Cat and Bunny (also children wearing the costumes of, well, a cat and a bunny) - or at least Cat thinks they do. Having always only played together ("Just us!" said Cat), Cat is quite dismayed when one day others ask to join in the game. Bunny answers, "Yes, of course!" and eventually Cat runs away, feeling left out. Only when a real cat appears and the two start a new game does Cat receive the opportunity for magnanimity, allowing others to join in. When Bunny asks to play and Cat says yes, the story comes full circle. Clearly, there's a message here and though it doesn't feel overly didactic, there never seems any real question that Cat will come round. The whimsical element of all the children in their sweet costumes and the quiet, restrained, lovely illustrations will appeal to young children in the mood for a quiet one-on-one read.

Overall Book Score: good

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About the Book

Author:

Lundquist, Mary

Illustrator: Lundquist, Mary

Illustration Quality: very good

Publisher: Balzar & Bray/Harper Collins

Book Type: picture book fiction

Genre: fantasy,realistic fiction

Audience: preschool

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062287809

Price: 17.99

The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 6, 2015

Review

From the moment fourteen-year-old Adam meets Robyn in their support group for teens with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), he knows she's the one for him. They grow closer as they and their peers in the group playfully don superhero personas (he becomes "Batman" to Robyn's "Robin"), visit Adam's church looking for spiritual support and begin to learn more about each person's specific issues. However, for Adam, his secrets include his mother's hoarding and a series of anonymous, hateful letters she's been receiving - both hugely stress-producing and things his mom has forbidden him to talk about. This poignant debut novel is both an honest and nuanced portrayal of a young person's struggle with OCD and a warmly real first love story. Adam is a likable narrator and his interactions with his wise and supportive therapist and his family, particularly with his adoring younger half-brother, are sweetly funny. His internal monologues, often punctuated with compulsive prime number counting and bitterly self-deprecating thoughts, are palpable in their anxiety. Fans of other realistic fiction like The Fault In Our Stars, Say What You Will, and Eleanor and Park will fall easily for these characters.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Toten, Teresa

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Delacorte

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780553507867

Price: 17.99

Rivals in the City

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 6, 2015

Review

The clever fourth and final novel in Lee's series The AGENCY, about Mary Quinn, a young British woman in the Victorian era who in the first installment is rescued from the the gallows by two women who run a boarding school for young women that is the cloak for a covert organization of female spies. As RIVALS IN THE CITY opens, Mary and her love interest, James Easton, have newly opened a detective agency of their own and are engaged to be married. All of this must be put on hold, however, when a villain from their past emerges again as a threat and they sever ties in an effort to keep one another safe. Readers of the others in this series will find plenty to like here - Mary is a smart, strong character whose vulnerabilities are part of her strength and she continues to examine the nuances of her ethnic identity in this volume (she discovered earlier in the series that her father was Chinese). The romance between she and James, somewhat lessened in this final volume due to their purposeful avoidance of one another, is still filled with witty banter and an ever deepening respect for one another that keeps it fresh. Though the mystery's pacing loses steam in places, this conclusion should satisfy readers of the series, a must-read for fans of Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart mysteries.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Lee, Y.S.

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Candlewick

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: mystery,historical fiction

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780763659141

Price: 16.99

The Bunker Diary

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 6, 2015

Review

This 2014 Carnegie Medal winner for children's literature is a difficult but gripping thriller told from the first person perspective of a diary kept by sixteen-year-old Linus, the runaway son of a wealthy father, who is the first of six people kidnapped and held captive in an underground bunker by an unseen, sadistic villain. The successive arrival of the remaining five victims, including 9-year-old sweet-natured Jenny; a young, selfish woman named Anya; a man named Fred who is suffering from heroin withdrawal; and two older men - Bird and Russell, who is terminally ill, unfolds quickly, setting the stage for a brutal clash of motives and interests among the group. An elevator without any controls is the only way in or out of the bunker and the six are being watched via a camera system but have no interaction with their captor, who over the course of the novel introduces various hazards to the group - poisoned food, an attack dog - and contrives to turn them against one another. Readers will sympathize deeply with Linus's understated desperation and be touched by his protectiveness of Jenny and others. Brooks has crafted an exceedingly readable narrative that for all its horror will spur the audience on. Philosophical questions abound, but the novel remains plot-oriented which will allow teens to choose their level of engagement. Sophisticated readers who favor writers such as Melvin Burgess and Andrew Smith will find plenty they like here -providing they can make peace with the bleak ending.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Brooks, Kevin

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: mystery,horror,realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9781467754200

Price: 17.99

The Night We Said Yes

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 17, 2015

Review

Ella and her friends have just graduated from their Florida high school as this novel and are looking forward to their final summer together before moving on to their respective colleges. The last thing she's expecting is to re-encounter Matt, the boy who broke her heart the summer before when he moved away and unexpectedly cut off contact. In a dialogue-driven narrative that alternates chapter by chapter between the present and the same day a year ago, readers slowly gather the details of Ella and Matt's backstory, which involves a night of drinking on the roof of the high school and making out onstage at a concert among other hijinks. Ella is a sympathetic character that romance fans will root for - she is understandably hurt when Matt disappears after its clear that they have real feelings for one another. However, an abundance of relationship drama between their friends Meg and Jake seems extraneous and the flashback/flash forward conceit is interesting but in the end can be somewhat confusing. Readers looking for a light romance may appreciate the banter and the emotional tension, but this title is unlikely to appeal broadly.

Overall Book Score: fair

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About the Book

Author:

Gibaldi, Lauren

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Harper Teen

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: romance,realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: Choose Binding Type

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062302199

Price: 17.99

Code of Honor

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 3, 2015

Review

In this gripping and fast-paced thriller, seventeen-year-old Iranian American Kamran is eagerly anticipating attending West Point, just as his Army Ranger brother, Darius, did before him. However, the lives of Kamran and his family are thrown into upheaval when the U.S. Embassy in Turkey is attacked and Darius, who'd been stationed in Afghanistan, appears on television claiming responsibility for it. Amidst a nightmare of near-constant surveillance by homeland security, Kamran and his parents watch as recordings of a rambling Darius play again and again on the news networks, until Kamran realizes that his brother seems to be working in references to imaginary games they played together as children. He believes that Darius is trying to send him some kind of code but cannot convince his mom and dad before he's wrenched out of his bed in the middle of the night, sedated and taken to a secret military facility. There, he finds an unexpected ally and eventually must break out to prevent further acts of violence about which Darius is trying to warn him. Kamran's harrowing situation is convincingly and realistically depicted in short, action-filled chapters that move the story along. Gratz explores issues of racism and stereotypes and of trust and doubt and strikes an appealing balance between these weightier themes and the novel's rapid-fire plot. If Kamran's ability to face down and evade skilled soldiers seems a bit far-fetched at times, most readers will be firmly enough entrenched in the story to suspend disbelief. In all, a smart, engaging and exciting adventure that muses on some fascinating questions.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Gratz, Alan

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Scholastic

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: adventure,realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780545695190

Price: 17.99

Autumn's Kiss

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 7, 2015

Review

Cuban-American Autumn returns for this second in the "Autumn Falls" series that began when her beloved father died in a car accident and Autumn and her younger brother and mom went ahead with a planned move to Florida, where they are closer to Autumn's grandmother. In the first, Autumn discovered a magical diary that seemed to make her wishes actually occur, albeit not in ways she always would have expected. As this installment opens, she's perplexed and sad to find that the diary no longer seems to work particularly because her grandmother had suggested that her father's spirit was behind the magic. Conveniently, she then discovers a map that instantly transports her to any location she writes on it, and she uses it primarily to help her friends and her own romantic prospects come together. Teen author Thorne is an actress, and this novel very much reads like a romance situational comedy. Younger teen romance fans will enjoy her run-ins with a fictional teen heart-throb and will thrill to the love triangle predicament Autumn finds herself in here. The map gimmick assists in moving the plot along and often results in funny mishaps which are sometimes exacerbated by Autumn's dyslexia, but its mechanisms are vaguely explained only as being attributable to the Caribbean Taino people. Autumn's grandmother and her tight-knit group of friends are real characters and provide plenty of levity but an ongoing joke about a friend who starts a petition to change the school's football team from the name "Indians" only to abandon it when she's informed the activism won't look as good on a college application as she'd hoped simply isn't funny. Readers will want to have read the first in the series before picking this one up.

Overall Book Score: fair

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About the Book

Author:

Thorne, Bella

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Delacorte

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: fantasy,romance,realistic fiction

Audience: grades 7-9

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780385744355

Price: 18.99

The Ghosts of Heaven

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 9, 2016

Review

This collection of four stories from different points in time - the first a free verse tale told from the perspective of a young cave dwelling woman; the second about a girl accused of witchcraft in historic England; the third set in the early 1900s in an asylum; and the fourth far in the future aboard a space craft - are loosely linked together with the employ of a recurring spiral symbol. Meditating on larger questions of the human condition and featuring lovely, evocative phrasing, this is a work epic in its themes but concise in format - not a single word seeming out of place or wasted. Winner of a 2016 Printz Honor Award, it will be best appreciated by sophisticated teen readers and adults.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Sedgwick, Marcus

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: science fiction,realistic fiction,historical fiction,fiction in verse / poetry

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12,adult / professional

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9781626721258

Price: 17.99

The Sleeper and The Spindle

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: May 11, 2016

Review

This short, intricately illustrated tale riffs on fairy tales and folk literature, turning Sleeping Beauty on her head in unexpected ways. A queen of a small kingdom, ambivalent about her impending marriage, sets off with three dwarves to save the land from an insidious sleep sickness that is spreading, leaving those effected by it in a sort of trance from which they never wake. Evenutally pursued by the sleeping in scenes reminiscent of zombie hordes, the group makes its way to a tower where they find a sleeping young woman and an old crone. What follows is a cleverly triumphant reworking of traditional tales that nods to both Sleeping Beauty and Snow White and one that constructs a satisfying sense of agency for each of the women involved. Teen and adults who favor fairy fale reboots will love this and its succint evocative writing will spur the audience on. Riddell's lovely and precise black and white line drawings are embellished with gold accents and compliment the tone of this short story. Previous knowledge of the traditional tales that are referenced will add some depth for readers, but is not a necessity. A playful and wise offering, beautifully illustrated by Riddell and written by master storyteller Gaiman.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Gaiman, Neil

Illustrator: Riddell, Chris

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Harper Collins

Book Type: Choose Book Type

Genre: fantasy,folklore,graphic novel

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12,adult / professional

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062398246

Price: 19.99

Burn Baby Burn

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: July 7, 2016

Review

In the summer of 1977 in Queens, NY as serial killer Son of Sam terrorizes the city, Cuban-American Nora yearns for her upcoming eighteenth birthday and the chance to escape. She shares a cramped apartment with her mother and brother, whose increasing violence is often directed at Nora and their mom, who continually makes excuses for him. Nora's intelligent resourcefulness has not escaped the notice of her boss at a neighborhood deli and teachers at her high school, who are clearly rooting for her. Her social activist neighbor Stiller and her best friend Kathleen's caring family also provide some respite, but Nora is still stretched in a difficult position between her desire to make a life for herself and her feelings of responsibility to her family. Medina excels both at developing nuanced, sympathetic characters and creating a detailed setting in time and place in this work of relatively recent historical fiction. The heat and tension of the city are palpable and readers will ache for Nora's struggle and hope that she won't lose her shot at a relationship with a cute co-worker due to the complications that arise with her attempts to keep her family's secrets. This is a smart, multi-layered coming-of-age tale that also explores issues of ethnicity and class that older teens who've enjoyed titles such as Rainbow Rowell's ELEANOR and PARK and Benjamin Alire Saenz's ARISTOTLE and DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE will favor.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Medina, Meg

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Candlewick

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction,historical fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780763674670

Price: 17.00

Tru and Nelle

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: July 7, 2016

Review

This winning historical novel imagines the friendship between authors Truman Capote and Nelle Harper Lee as it might have been in 1930's Alabama when they were at the ages of seven and six, respectively. Weaving in details that will be familiar to readers of Lee's classic TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, Neri also impressively includes plenty of adventure that will appeal to younger kids as they are drawn into this story of two misfits with considerable family difficulties playing sleuth, standing up for one another and eventually facing down the KKK.

A funny and suspenseful tale that also includes several short stories as they might have been written by the young characters and an author's note, this short novel will find an audience with younger readers who appreciate a good mystery, as well as with those of all ages familiar with Capote and Lee's history.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Neri, G.

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction,historical fiction

Audience: grades 4-6,all ages

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780544699601

Price: 16.99

The Journey of Seeds

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: July 12, 2016

Review

A concise non-fiction picture book about seed propagation, employing simple vocabulary that preschool and very young grade school kids will understand and featuring muted but appealing watercolor illustrations. Examples of where seeds can be found in different plants, and the methods by which they spread -- such as by wind in the case of dandelions and maple seeds and by being carried both on the coats of animals (when they cling to coats as prickers/burrs) and being deposited in their dung, are among those concepts discussed. Concluding with those seeds that reach the soil growing and producing new seeds, the cycle is very basically explained. Including a short list of questions and writing prompts at the end, this is a solid offering that will work well in homes and classrooms for very young children, though it covers territory that is already well explored in children's picture books, such as Diana Hutts Aston's gorgeous "A Seed Is Sleepy."

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Choi, Soo-bok

Illustrator: Jang, Wal-goong

Illustration Quality: very good

Publisher: Big & Small/Lerner

Book Type: picture book nonfiction

Genre:

Audience: preschool,grades k-3

Binding Type: library binding

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9781925247435

Price: 26.65

Twenty Questions for Gloria

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: July 12, 2016

Review

Fifteen-year-old Gloria is questioned by DI Ryan, a sympathetic but persistent police detective after she emerges after disappearing for weeks with Uman, a boy who'd mysteriously appeared as a transfer student at her conservative English high school, amicably challenging the teachers on their rules and immediately making it clear that he was interested in Gloria, who is smart and curious, but has been sleepwalking through the past few years of her life.

As DI Ryan puts a series of twenty questions to her over the course of several days, readers learn that Gloria and Uman disappeared together but only Gloria has returned and are unsure until the very end what happened to Uman, who the police suspect had abducted her, or at the very least manipulated her into running away.

Told as a series of flashbacks from their time together, this is a suspenseful and thoughtful novel about the nature of growing up, first love and the fear many teens have of losing some part of themselves as they age. Gloria and her family are realistically painted characters and her emotional attachment to and easy, clever banter with Uman is believable and sweetly real. As they stumble into increasingly dangerous situations, which is compounded by the racism Uman faces due to his Turkish Arabic background, readers will hope for their safety even as they fear the worst.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Bedford, Martyn

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Wendy Lamb/Random House

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: adventure,mystery,realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: Choose Binding Type

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780553539394

Price: 16.99

My Brilliant Idea (And How It Caused My Downfall)

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 4, 2016

Review

Serious goof-off Jack Dawson dreams up a fabulous idea for an app that he's sure will help students avoid being caught spacing out in class. To make it a reality, he needs to enlist the help of the only student at his high school with the coding know-how to help him create it. The problem is that she hates him and so Jack embarks on a hijinks-laden plan to convince her that becomes increasingly complicated with each step until the plot almost collapses under its own weight. Funny and snarky UK-flavored witticisms (the Scottish author is also a musician who was part of the rock band Belle and Sebastian) abound and will be appreciated by Anglophile teens. A lack of character development will distance readers, however, and this rift will only be widened by Jack's not entirely sympathetic persona. Die-hard fans of UK comedy may favor this one, but it's unlikely to garner wide appeal.

Overall Book Score: fair

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About the Book

Author:

David, Stuart

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780544699618

Price: 17.99

Saving Montgomery Sole

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 9, 2016

Review

Sixteen-year-old Montgomery "Monty" Sole lives with her sister and two moms in a small California town that she finds generally uninspiring. She has two good friends, Thomas and Naoki, and the trio have a Mystery Club at school, where they discuss phenomena such as lucid dreaming and clairvoyance. Monty's internal monologues about her often homophobic, image-focused peers are dotted with genuinely funny observations that balance the expertly depicted rage she feels at those whose cruelty threatens her family and friends. When a hate-spouting evangelist reverend moves to their town and crosses begin appearing on lockers at school, Monty's sense of alienation grows to overwhelming proportions as Tamaki slowly parses out the backstory of the pain caused by her grandparents, who've continually rejected her family. Events come to a head when Monty orders a supposed supernatural ornament online and it seems to cause bad things to happen to those who anger her, creating a moral quandary. Detailed characters with strong relationships that allow them to challenge one another's perceptions make this a tale that will inspire empathy in readers even as they grapple with many of the issues that arise.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Tamaki, Mariko

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9781626722712

Price: 17.99

The Fall of Butterflies

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: September 13, 2016

Review

Sardonic, smart Willa Parker is pressured by her well-to-do, famous and largely absent mother to leave What Cheer, Iowa, were she lives with her devoted but poor dad, to attend Pembroke, an exclusive, all-girl boarding school on the East Coast. Feeling lost and alone, Willa fully intends to commit suicide after arriving at Pembroke, but instead encounters extraordinarily wealthy, magnetic Remy Taft, and is drawn into a close friendship with her and all that comes with it -- a sense of kinship and belonging but also an emerging understanding that wanting for nothing has come at a price for Remy and others -- including Remy's lifelong friend Milo, who emerges as Willa's love interest.

Willa's practiced flippancy is believable and often expressed through witty observations and readers will sympathize with her and appreciate her wry, outsider commentary about the world of extreme privilege that surrounds her at Pembroke. Some may spot that drug addiction is behind Remy's mysterious and abrupt absences before Willa does. Early on, the two use the drug Ecstasy together, but it's quickly clear that Willa is far warier of the possible repercussions - since unlike Remy, she has lived a life in which she actually has experienced consequences.

Much of the territory of this novel has been explored before, but Portes has crafted genuine characters and her spot-on portrayal of Willa's stumble into greater understanding of herself and the world through heartbreak is engaging and poignant. Teens who are fans of writers like E. Lockhart and Rainbow Rowell will find much they like here.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Portes, Andrea

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: HarperTeen

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062313676

Price: 17.99

Longbow Girl

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: September 15, 2016

Review

Fifteen-year-old Welsh teen Merry Owen, a skilled long bow archer, must save her family's ancestral home in this suspenseful novel involving time travel and a centuries-old rivalry between her family and the aristocratic de Courcys, whose castle looms over the Owens' farm.

Merry, who wears an eye patch following an accident with her bow several years before, is a tough, resourceful protagonist and her close friendship with James de Courcy is believable despite the strife between their families. The first chapters of this novel take their time building to the action, but most readers will be carried along with the story, guessing at the motives of various characters, and then will be swept up as the pacing picks up.

Interesting historical details, plenty of adventure, a touch of romance and a fascinating setting add up to cross-genre appeal. This would be a great suggestion for readers who liked Buckley-Archer's Gideon the Cutpurse or Spradlin's Youngest Templar trilogy.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Davies, Linda

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Chicken House

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: adventure,fantasy,historical fiction

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: Choose Binding Type

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780545853453

Price: 17.99

Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: September 20, 2016

Review

Fifteen-year-old Jazz Jennings knew as a preschooler that she was a girl and she begins this engaging memoir by describing some of her earliest experiences and then progresses forward chronologically, occasionally adding in some of her present-day thoughts about her younger years. Along the way, she introduces readers to her loving family and describes the process by which they began to understand that she was transgender and how they could best support her. This eventually grew into her mom and dad starting an advocacy project for transgender youth and sharing Jazz's story in the media (she and her family are now the subjects of a reality show on TLC) in order to raise awareness and increase visibility for other kids who are transgender.

In an upbeat tone, Jennings relates experiences with school, friends, romance and family that are laced with humor. She matter of factly describes some of the discrimination she has faced along the way, including her elementary school's insistence that she not be allowed to use the girls' bathroom and the Florida State Soccer Association's unwillingness to allow her to play on a girls' team. She tells stories of cruel remarks and treatment from her peers, but makes clear that she won't allow these to define her or effect her happiness and confidence. She also talks openly and honestly about struggling with depression, which runs in her family.

Though her advocacy work has brought her fame - she was named one of Time Magazine's Most Influential Teens for two years running and discusses meeting public figures like Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters and President Obama - Jennings voice is down-to-earth and accessible and this memoir is a poignant and interesting read.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Jennings, Jazz

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers

Book Type: chapter book nonfiction

Genre: biography / autobiography

Audience: grades 7-9

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780399554643

Price: 17.99

The Light Fantastic

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 6, 2016

Review

A plot to convince a high school student in each state to stage a school shooting on the same day is masterminded through an online forum in this richly atmospheric fictional offering which interweaves clever literary and pop culture references, but features a few too many narrative voices. A young woman named April, who has a neurological anomaly that allows her to remember all of the details of her life in full, draws readers into the story by linking together events in her childhood to horrific events such as the Oklahoma City bombings and the World Trade Center attacks. The menacing tone is set and pervades as others begin to tell their stories, including a boy who April knew in childhood who moved away and is now involved in a relationship with an emotionally distant through beautiful girl, a downtrodden though caring teacher, a girl who is deeply unhappy, a group of people who've barricaded themselves in a closet as shooting begins at the their school and an awkward but intelligent boy who is obsessed with a girl he tutors. Each of these characters, plus many others, take their narrative turn as the story slowly unfolds and teens will need to be patient as they begin to piece together the various parts, which are on their own discomfiting and only become more so as events take shape. Sophisticated readers who favor authors such as A.S. King and Andrew Smith will find plenty they like here, but it may not appeal across a wide audience. A note at the end by the author includes contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Combs, Sarah

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Candlewick

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780763678517

Price: 17.99

The Ebola Epidemic: The Fight, The Future

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 6, 2016

Review

This gripping, informative non-fiction volume provides a solid epidemiological overview of the Ebola virus, its history from the first known cases in 1976 in what was then Zaire to its most recent 2014-15 outbreaks in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and a brief look at the work underway to develop more reliable testing and preventative medicine for this incredibly destructive disease. Featuring interviews with healthcare workers, researchers and survivors, Goldsmith achieves a nicely balanced chronicle -- at once sensitive to the human implications and respectful to those who've lost loved ones to the virus, clear about the economic, political and social forces that often impact prevention and care of Ebola, and concise in exploring the science behind the disease itself. Photos, charts and maps compliment the text, which is both well sourced and engaging. Source notes, a glossary, an index, and a bibliography are included, as well as an extensive list of suggested resources that provide further information. Middle and high school students interested in the medical field or biological sciences will find this an excellent source for school, but this would also be a great recommendation for fans of narrative non-fiction just looking for a good read.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Goldsmith, Connie

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books/Lerner

Book Type: chapter book nonfiction

Genre:

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: library binding

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9781467792448

Price: 35.99

The Raven King: Book IV of The Raven Cycle

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 11, 2016

Review

Stiefvater's stellar Raven Cycle series involving a group of contemporary teens on a quest to wake Welsh King Owen Glendower, who was legendarily magically laid to sleep hundreds of years in the past, concludes in this fourth and final volume. As in previous installments, an appealing blend of magic and realism weaves throughout the stories of its incredibly appealing characters as they are beset upon by a demon that overtakes Cabeswater, the supernatural forest that exists on the powerful ley line that runs through their small town of Henrietta, Virginia. This triggers a confluence of events that ultimately lead to a climax which has been foretold since the first novel, and though this foreshadowing does little to lessen its impact, its resolution may leave some readers craving more details.

The writing of both primary and secondary characters is typically spot on - their banter is funny and authentic and their relationships to one another are varied, complex and endlessly fascinating.

This wrap-up of an unusual, smart, stand-out series is not to be missed, though readers will need to have read the previous three novels before taking this one in.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Stiefvater, Maggie

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Scholastic

Book Type: Choose Book Type

Genre: fantasy

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780545424981

Price: 18.99

Bioluminescence: Nature and Science at Work

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 12, 2016

Review

An engrossing overview of the science behind bioluminescent organisms and how they function, including an explanation of their basic workings, information about scientists who have contributed to the ever growing body of research involving them and the way in which their study is being applied in other fields, from medical diagnosis and treatment to space exploration. Though this is a compact volume, dramatic photography embellishes the text throughout and the layout is eye catching without being busy. Diagrams, a glossary, source notes, a selected biography, list of further resources and an index round it out, making this a good title for younger teens looking for a source on this topic for an academic project.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Zimmer, Marc

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books/Lerner

Book Type: chapter book nonfiction

Genre:

Audience: grades 7-9

Binding Type: library binding

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9781467757843

Price: 34.65

Glow: Animals with Their Own Night-Lights

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 12, 2016

Review

A simple but fascinating non-fiction picture book on the topic of bioluminscence, this pairs vivid photography of the animals (and fungi) discussed with concise, easily understandable text about each image, with a narrative thread running throughout that tells a story tying it all together. Presented entirely on a black background, the light given off by the subject of each photo is allowed to take center stage, and kids with an interest in the natural world will want to study some of these up close, even when they are a bit creepy in appearance, like the deep-sea dwelling dragonfish. The author explains within the body of the story that most bioluminescent organisms are found in the ocean, and an afterword points out that due to their habitat, photographs of these animals can be difficult to take, so some may not be as clear as more traditional photos. However, this does not detract from the overall dramatic effect and older preschool and younger grade school science-minded kids will be rapt. A bibliography and further information on each organism is included in the back matter.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Beck, W.H.

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Book Type: picture book nonfiction

Genre:

Audience: preschool,grades k-3

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780544416666

Price: 17.99

Girl In Pieces

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 7, 2016

Review

Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis has been living on the street since her mother kicked her out, heartsick and desperate following the near death of her best friend Ellis, who like Charlie, cuts herself to cope with her experiences of dissociation. After Charlie's sexually assaulted and sustains serious injury while self-harming, she is transferred to a mental health program from the hospital.

This raw, moving, evocative novel is divided into three parts - the first about Charlie's experience with a group of other young women and a kind therapist at a treatment program in Minnesota; the second set in Tucson, where she winds up after her health insurance abruptly dries up, struggling mightily with her demons even as she falls for a much older guy who is an alcoholic and drug addict; the third detailing what happens when Blue, another discharged patient from the mental health facility arrives to stay with her in Arizona and her life takes another trajectory.

Charlie's a talented artist who is deeply sympathetic and her narrative voice is piercingly vulnerable and intelligent. Secondary characters are also painted with a detailed brush, which allows Charlie's confessional tone to expand outward, balancing against it feeling overly insular.

Not an easy read, but gripping, finely written, honest and ultimately hopeful, this is a title that will find an audience with older teens and young adults who like authors like Ellen Hopkins, Laurie Halse Anderson and Adam Rapp.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Glasgow, Kathleen

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Delacorte

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12,adult / professional

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9781101934715

Price: 18.99

Please Don't Tell

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 8, 2016

Review

Identical twins Joy and Grace, though very different, have always been close until a rift -- the cause of which centers around a handsome but smug classmate named Adam -- began to form between them in the summer before their senior year of high school. As the novel opens in the fall of that year, Adam has been found dead at the bottom of a quarry that serves as a party site in their small New York town and Joy, who hated Adam and went to the party blind drunk, fears she may have had something to do with his death.

This gritty, sprawling thriller involving blackmail, sexual assault, alcoholism and mental illness mines the secrets of small towns and the price paid by those who keep them. Tims takes her time spinning out both the central mystery of Joy's possible culpability in Adam's death plus many other threads that will keep readers engaged, if at times struggling to keep track of the multitude of plot lines.

Alternating first-person narration between Grace and Joy works fine, though the style of their voices, tinged with sarcasm and biting yet vulnerable, are very similar. The arrival of Adam's half-brother Levi, in town provides a love interest for Joy and provides yet another character whose motives will be examined by readers. The twins' parents are oblivious to the struggles being experienced by both their daughters, and about the seriousness of Joy's alcohol abuse and Grace's eating disorder, which can be a bit hard to believe, though it allows the action to unfold uninterrupted and tips this story firmly into the category of suspense rather than problem novel. A final couple of twists at the very end will prove surprising to many and older teens who've enjoyed authors like Adele Griffin, Lauren Oliver and Nova Ren Suma will find plenty to like here.

Overall Book Score: good

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About the Book

Author:

Tims, Laura

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Harper Teen

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: mystery

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062317322

Price: 17.99

100 Days

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 14, 2016

Review

Best friends Moira and Agnes look out for one another at their high school. Both are outcasts for different reasons -- Moira discovered years before that she could repel the cruel attacks about her weight heaped upon her by her peers by adopting a tough, Goth-inspired exterior while Agnes lives with progeria syndrome, a degenerative condition that causes her to age prematurely and remain physically small. In middle school, they'd been friendly with a boy named Boone, who eventually bowed to peer pressure rather than defend them, but who now reappears in their lives.

Each of this trio of characters share in the narration and are multi-dimensional and thoughtful. Their struggles, including Boone's frantic efforts to make ends meet at home and cover up for his mom's longstanding depression following the death of his abusive dad, are believable and readers will easily empathize with them. The differences in the home lives of each of the main characters are dramatic and their relationships with their families are as interesting as their friendships with one another, making this an insightful and emotionally-resonant read with a heartbreaking conclusion.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

McInnes, Nicole

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780374302849

Price: 17.99

Pushing Perfect

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 6, 2015

Review

Kara, an overachieving teen whose anxiety disorder prevented her from finishing the SAT is convinced by her new friend Alex to try a drug that is in trials but not yet legal that Alex tells her will help her manage her anxiety so that she may score well during the re-take. Kara's attempts to conceal both her panic attacks and a skin condition she developed during middle school have caused her to distance herself from her friends, which has left her feeling isolated, so Kara is as much interested in Alex's friendship as she is in the drug, and is also smitten with Alex's pal Raj, who sells her the pills. However, when Kara begins receiving text messages from an unknown number and becomes embroiled in a web of blackmail, she soon discovers she's not alone.

This intricately plotted story will appeal to fans of Ally Carter's Heist Society series and other whodunnit style mysteries. There are plenty of twists and turns and a large cast of characters to keep the audience guessing and the eventual reveal of the blackmailer will likely come as a surprise to many. Kara is a somewhat uneven character - readers will feel sympathy for her initially, but her shunning of her old friends seems a bit hard-hearted, despite the reasons behind it. Additionally, her anxiety seems to be conveniently much easier to manage as the story progresses, despite the fact that she swears off the drug and is dealing with some pretty intense stress around the blackmail issue, making it an unrealistic presentation of anxiety disorders.

Established teen mystery fans may well enjoy this one, but it's not likely to appeal widely.

Overall Book Score: fair

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About the Book

Author:

Falkoff, Laura

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: HarperTeen

Book Type: Choose Book Type

Genre: mystery,realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062310538

Price: 17.99

The Weight of Zero

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 13, 2016

Review

Seventeen-year-old Catherine struggles with her diagnosis of bipolar disorder, living in constant dread of the feeling of "zero" returning, where in the past she was crushed beneath the hopelessness that occurs when her illness is at the height of its depressive phase. Having survived attempted suicide, Catherine is also wracked by guilt at the stress and fear she has caused her overworked and dedicated mom, who watches her like a hawk, desperate to keep her safe. However, Catherine has carefully squirreled away whatever medications she's can obtain and feels that killing herself is her only option and the only thing that will release her mother from the predicament. Fortunati imbues Catherine with an acerbic wit and intelligence and describes a very realistic treatment plan that includes medication and both individual and group therapy, all of which Catherine initially views with a great deal of skepticism. As the novel progresses and she begins to grow close to Michael, a boy from school and finds a friend in Kristal, who also attends her therapy group due to an eating disorder, she gradually, almost without realizing it, begins to feel some hope. There is of course some risk in her extending herself in these new relationships, and they are not without their own messiness, but their resolution suggests an auspicious future. Teens who have loved ones or friends with bipolar disorder, or those who may be bipolar themselves, will be inspired by this engaging and informative novel.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Fortunati, Karen

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Delacorte/Random House

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: library binding

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9781101938911

Price: 20.99

Watched

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 14, 2016

Review

Eighteen-year-old Naeem's father emigrated to New York City from Bangladesh soon after his mother died when Naeem was five. Though he intended to send for Naeem as soon as he was settled, a new marriage and baby and setting up of a new business meant that it was years before Naeem finally rejoined his family. Though Naeem adores his new brother and cares deeply about his much younger step-mother, he struggles with feeling as if he never quite measures up to be the son his father wants. These feelings push him to act up at school and in his neighborhood and to find solace in a peer named Ibrahim, who he knows is not really to be trusted, but whose friendship buoys him up and provides distraction from his failing grades and unhappy relationship with his dad. When a shoplifting attempt that Ibrahim orchestrates and for which he frames Naeem lands Naeem in hot water with the police, Naeem is offered an out if he engages in surveillance in his predominantly Muslim community for the authorities. This nuanced novel is both suspenseful and thought-provoking. Naeem is a sympathetic and flawed narrator and his internal monologues are multi-layered as he tries to make difficult decisions. Evocative writing brings his neighborhood to vivid life and juxtaposes well against the tension of Naeem's first person narrative. An intelligent and engaging thriller that recognizes there are no easy answers.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Budhos, Marina

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Wendy Lamb/Penguin Random House

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780553534184

Price: 17.99

The Boomerang Effect

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 6, 2017

Review

After nearly being expelled from school for a pot-fueled prank, high school junior Lawrence is roped by his school counselor into acting as a mentor for a socially awkward fellow student, which eventually lands him in yet more hot water. Lawrence's lack of belonging in his family -- his parents are wealthy but self-involved -- will garner him sympathy among readers, and his seeking acceptance in a group of friends who care more about getting stoned than about each other is realistic. So, too, is his reticence to be earnest in any of his interactions with his peers and reluctance to admit his attraction to a girl whose participation in live action role playing means she's far from being considered "cool." As this comic novel progresses, Lawrence begins to transform and many of the madcap scenarios -- the most extreme of which involves him being entrapped in an enclosed space with a particularly aggressive chicken -- are quite funny.However, stereotypical characters - such as Lawrence's family's soap-opera obsessed Latina housekeeper, who is more of a parent to him than are his own mom and dad, and a running gag about everyone assuming a male friend who is a cheerleader is gay, are discomfiting and detract from this novel's appeal.

Overall Book Score: fair

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About the Book

Author:

Jack, Gordon

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: HarperTeen

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062399397

Price: 17.99

The Other Boy

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 18, 2017

Review

A funny and heart-wrenching debut about twelve-year-old Shane, who after moving to a new community with his mom several years before the beginning of the novel, began living as the boy he actually is, though he was born biologically female. Interspersed throughout are appealing panels of a graphic novel Shane has been writing and illustrating and he shares a love of baseball and video games with his best friend Josh, whom he worries he'd lose if Josh knew that he is transgender. He's also newly interested in a girl at school, Madeline, who seems to like him. His earnest, kind mom is more informed and supportive than his dad, but his dad does eventually come to a new place of understanding. Just as things are seemingly going so well for Shane, a bully finds out and emails a photo of him from before he began transitioning to the entire school.

Shane's earnest first-person voice rings true in this moving work of realistic fiction that takes its time developing the characters. Readers will easily empathize with Shane and will appreciate the believable, auspicious ending and spot on depiction of the dynamics of middle school.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Hennessey, M.G.

Illustrator: Monster, Sfe R

Publisher: HarperCollins

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 4-6,grades 7-9

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062427663

Price: 16.99

The Singing Bones

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 6, 2017

Review

A stunning photograph presentation of sculptures by visionary artist/illustrator Shaun Tan paired with very short excerpts from fairy tales collected by the Grimm Brothers, this fascinating work features a foreword by Neil Gaiman and an introduction by Jack Zipes. A note in the end matter lists the primary materials involved in the sculpture as papier mache, air-drying clay and paint - seemingly deceptively simple media for the remarkably textured and varied finished pieces featured in the collection. Managing to convey a mood both playful and eerie, sweet and menacing, Tan's artwork is full of movement and captures the essential mood of of the tales it is exploring.

Readers need not be familiar with the particular fairy tales excerpted throughout, though a short synopsis of each is included at the end, as well as a brief afterword by Tan about the process by which he created the sculptures.

This would pair well with novels that are fairy tale reworkings or as an inspirational work for an art class, but will also draw in teens and adults who are just interested in browsing its pages.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Tan, Shaun

Illustrator: Tan, Shaun

Illustration Quality: excellent

Publisher: Alfred A. Levine/Scholastic

Book Type: picture book fiction

Genre: folklore

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12,adult / professional

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780545946124

Price: 24.99

Girl Mans Up

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 8, 2017

Review

As she begins eleventh grade, Pen faces hard decisions about her longstanding best friend, Colby, who has become increasingly disrespectful and cruel toward the many girls he plays and uses his friends for various things - including scoring weed and helping him hit on girls. Pen also must contend with ongoing verbal abuse from her Portuguese speaking parents, who blame her appearance and genderqueer presentation for the bullying that she's encountered throughout her childhood, often with her brother Johnny as her only protector. When Blake, the latest girl Colby sets in his sights, turns out to be interested in Pen instead, it forces a series of raw and ugly confrontations with Colby, which are further exacerbated by Pen's befriending of Olivia, who Colby hooked up with over the summer and who is now facing an unwanted pregnancy. Pen is a vividly drawn, relentlessly honest character whose struggles will be deeply felt by readers. The portrayal of the brutal social dynamics at play between her friends and her conflicted loyalties is spot on as is the sweetly real first love she develops with Blake. Heart wrenching, inspiring and filled with gritty, authentic dialogue, this character-driven novel shines due to its endearing, realistically flawed and brave protagonist.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Girard, M-E

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Harper Collins

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062404176

Price: 17.99

Uprooted: The Japanese American Experience During World War II

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 8, 2017

Review

This thorough and broadly focused examination of the detention and internment by the United States of over 100,000 Japanese immigrants (called "Issei" meaning "first-generation") and their second generation Japanese-American children (or "Nisei") during World War II is both searing and informative. Marrin takes his time exploring socio-political forces at play during the era, providing readers with an expansive understanding of how this shameful event in U.S. history came to be. He unflinchingly examines military conquests, governmental policies, war atrocities and propaganda across various cultures, including those of Japan, while still making it clear that the camps were a crime committed by the U.S. government against those imprisoned within them, the majority of whom were U.S citizens. Woven throughout this historical presentation are the personal narratives of survivors of the camps and their relatives, some of whom served in the U.S. military during the war even as their loved ones were imprisoned. A concluding chapter that touches on Muslim Americans in the wake of the September 11th, 2001 attacks does not shy away from drawing parallels and ends with the hope that our democracy can keep an injustice like this from happening again. Featuring plentiful black and white photographs, this is an engrossing and well-researched non-fiction offering that could be paired with fiction titles like Cynthia Kadohata's "Weedflower" and Matt Faulkner's graphic novel "Gaijin." Backmatter includes source notes, a list of suggested reading, and an index.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Marrin, Albert

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf/Random House

Book Type: chapter book nonfiction

Genre:

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780553509366

Price: 17.99

Uprooted: The Japanese American Experience During World War II

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 8, 2017

Review

This thorough and broadly focused examination of the detention and internment by the United States of over 100,000 Japanese immigrants (called "Issei" meaning "first-generation") and their second generation Japanese-American children (or "Nisei") during World War II is both searing and informative. Marrin takes his time exploring socio-political forces at play during the era, providing readers with an expansive understanding of how this shameful event in U.S. history came to be. He unflinchingly examines military conquests, governmental policies, war atrocities and propaganda across various cultures, including those of Japan, while still making it clear that the camps were a crime committed by the U.S. government against those imprisoned within them, the majority of whom were U.S citizens. Woven throughout this historical presentation are the personal narratives of survivors of the camps and their relatives, some of whom served in the U.S. military during the war even as their loved ones were imprisoned. A concluding chapter that touches on Muslim Americans in the wake of the September 11th, 2001 attacks does not shy away from drawing parallels and ends with the hope that our democracy can keep an injustice like this from happening again. Featuring plentiful black and white photographs, this is an engrossing and well-researched non-fiction offering that could be paired with fiction titles like Cynthia Kadohata's "Weedflower" and Matt Faulkner's graphic novel "Gaijin." Backmatter includes source notes, a list of suggested reading, and an index.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Marrin, Albert

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf/Random House

Book Type: chapter book nonfiction

Genre:

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780553509366

Price: 17.99

The Incident On The Bridge

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: March 7, 2017

Review

An unusually structured, riveting mystery told from multiple points of view about Thisbe, a smart young woman last seen standing on the side of the Coronado Bridge in California, and presumed by many to have jumped to her death when she turns up missing.

Careful pacing stretches out the suspense and both Thisbe's back story and those of a cast of secondary characters are spun out incrementally, including Thisbe's loyal and determined sister, Ted; a newcomer, Fen, who spotted Thisbe on the bridge that night; a guy, Jerome, in whom Thisbe was interested; and many more. Though readers are privy to more information than those featured in the story, the tension is still effectively maintained throughout and the novel plays out as a puzzle whose pieces are artfully slotted into place. The portrayal of Thisbe as a perfectionist teen shaken to her core after being played by Clay, an opportunistic guy in her class, is spot on, though even Clay is a multidimensional character instead of being presented only as a villain.

This gripping thriller will be appreciated by older middle school and high school fans of writers like Adele Griffin and Lauren Oliver.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

McNeal, Laura

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Knopf

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: mystery,realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780375870798

Price: 17.99

Beast

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: March 8, 2017

Review

This story of first love between Dylan, a very smart and nearly seven foot tall, extremely hairy 15-year-old uncreatively nicknamed "Beast" by his classmates at his Catholic private school and pretty, talented, transgender Jamie, is a poignant and realistic novel that gives only the briefest of nods to the fairy tale that might be presumed by some readers to be its inspiration.

Dylan meets Jamie in a support group for self-harming teens to which he's referred by a doctor who treats him for a broken leg after he falls off a roof. Though it seems clear that Dylan was not actually trying to hurt himself, his bitter disparaging of his appearance alarms the doctor and his caring, if overbearing, mother insists that he try the group. In the very first session of the group, Jamie speaks clearly about being transgender but Dylan is characteristically so lost in his own self-pitying thoughts that he spaces out during it, setting up a premise where she believes he knows she is transitioning and is unfazed by it when in actuality he does not. The reveal happens fairly early on - and is further complicated by it involving Dylan's popular, opportunistic best friend J.P., who has used Dylan for years as a violent heavy to play the role of debt collector in his inethical money-making schemes - but a relationship has already progressed between Dylan and Jamie that has them both hooked.

Deeply painful, transphobic reactions transpire, and readers hearts will ache for resiliant, honest Jamie. Dylan, however, is not an easy character to like, and while the cruelty he's faced for much of his life about his size and the grief that he and his mother feel about his father's death from cancer many years before will garner sympathy, it is likely that even as he begins to transform and admit to himself that Jamie is still the same person, that some readers will hope Jamie stays clear of him. Yet, many others will be swept up by their often sweet interactions and obvious attraction and be moved by Dylan's real and complicated internal monologues about his feelings for Jamie as well as his struggle to change and better understand his relationships with both J.P. and his mother.

An honest and often heart-wrenching romance with multi-dimensional characters, this is a smart first YA novel from picture book illustrator and author Spangler.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Spangler, Brie

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: romance,realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9781101937167

Price: 17.99

Replica: Book One

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: May 8, 2017

Review

Formatted as two separate stories narrated by two different young women with distinctly different voices, this thriller presents a unique take on the trend of dual perspective narratives, allowing the reader to decide which protagonist's tale to begin first.

Lyra and Gemma, whose histories are inexorably intertwined with a mysterious medical research facility called Haven, have never met and have led drastically different lives. Lyra has grown up at Haven with virtually no privacy, raised by doctors and nurses whose cold indifference has been the norm. Gemma's wealthy parents are overbearing -- she endured many medical procedures as a child and they regard her as fragile.

Beginning at different places, it eventually becomes clear how their backgrounds intersect and along the way both are propelled in different directions to take new risks. Smartly paced and gripping, this series opener will be appreciated by fans of the blend of sci fi, romance and action in Oliver's Delirium trilogy.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Oliver, Lauren

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Harper Collins

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: adventure,science fiction,romance

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062394163

Price: 19.99

Gem & Dixie

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: September 25, 2017

Review

Sisters Gem and Dixie live with their mom in Seattle and struggle to get their basic needs met amidst difficult family circumstances that include their mom's substance use disorder and neglect. As young children, older Gem often played the role of caretaker for younger Dixie, but their relationship has become strained as they've aged and Dixie's appearance and ability to navigate social situations has allowed her to play others for what she wants and needs, while Gem's at times bitter edginess has resulted in her increasing isolation. When their estranged father unexpectedly returns and claims he wants to rejoin their family, it sets off a chain of events in which the sisters embark on a clandestine journey across the city; one that is mirrored by their sorting of their many years of emotional baggage.

Narrated by Gem, this is a novel that is achingly real in its presentation of how fractured families can become and the complicated dynamics which arise. Each sister is fully depicted with nuance and compassion and readers will easily empathize with them as they struggle to create a future. Smart and heartbreaking, this should appeal widely to teens who favor contemporary fiction.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Zarr, Sara

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Balzer & Bray

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062434593

Price: 17.99

Hearts & Other Body Parts

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 10, 2017

Review

Placing Frankenstein's monster (or in this case, Frank N. Stein, who goes by his middle name, Norm) in a current high school sets the stage for this fantastical, campy tale, that also involves three witch sisters, Esme, Katy and Veronica, also students at Middleton High. When a handsome vampire transfer student named Zack Kallas arrives with his father, pitting the three sisters against one another and girls from the town begin to go missing, it's up to smart Esme, her talking cat, Kasha, and kind-hearted Norm to sort out the truth. A decidedly silly reworking, the clever details will be best appreciated by teens who've read Shelley's Frankenstein and Stoker's Dracula, but may not appeal widely and often get in the way of the storytelling, which suffers from slow pacing and underdeveloped characters.

Overall Book Score: poor

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About the Book

Author:

Bloom, Ira

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Scholastic

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: fantasy,romance

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9781338030730

Price: 17.99

Just A Girl

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 10, 2017

Review

Smart and incisive, constantly making anagrams out of cool words in her head, but a lousy student, high school senior Rianne is at loose ends about what to do after high school. Her family is unsupportive - her mom has stipulated that she must leave home immediately after she graduates and though her dad is newly back in their small Minnesota town, he's been mostly absent from her life for years. Rianne's reputation as an easy hook up follows her and though she has a group of friends who are frank about their own sexual experiences, Rianne knows that she's judged by them and often feels like an outsider. Then Luke, a popular guy she's casually seeing, makes it clear he'd like things to be much more serious between them just as Rianne meets a Russian student from the local university and to whom she is drawn. Complex and richly-drawn characters shine in this contemporary novel and the experience of the rural setting will ring true to many Maine teens.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Mesrobian, Carrie

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Harper

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062349910

Price: 17.99

Release

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 6, 2017

Review

A thought-provoking, moving dual narrative that alternates between one day in the life of 17-year-old smart, gay, self-aware Adam; whose evangelical Christian family's conditional love has led him to conceal much of his life from them, and the experience of Katherine, a young woman with a substance use disorder from Adam's same small Washington state town who was murdered by her boyfriend, and whose ghost, in the company of a massive faun, revisits the scene of the crime and the people tied to it.

The day explored here is a particularly eventful one for Adam - in which he must contend with bombshells dropped by both his brother and his best friend, Angela; deal with being sexually harassed by his adult supervisor at work; and prepare to put on a good face to say goodbye to his ex-boyfriend who is moving away. Also in the course of the day, he visits and has sex with his current boyfriend, in a scene both instructional in the spirit of Judy Blume's Forever, and also imbued with a similar sense of sweetness and emotional resonance as that classic teen novel. The speculative elements of this otherwise realistic fiction novel are gloriously weird and appealingly matter of fact in their presentation and though readers will likely connect more fully to Adam's nuanced, introspective story, Katherine's spirit's entanglement with what seems to be a sort of ancient and sacred spirit provides an interesting balance between the two. The simple, yet evocative writing style suits characters both well.

Ness has stated that this story is also influenced by Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway and while readers familiar with it and Blume's Forever will enjoy spotting the references and parallels, it's not necessary to have read them to appreciate this.

An unusual, smart and engrossing coming of age novel that stands out for its inventiveness and its characters.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Ness, Patrick

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: HarperTeen

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: fantasy,realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062403193

Price: 17.99

The Last Message Received

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 7, 2017

Review

A dramatic and interesting, if at times tonally repetitive, collection of final communications shared by those who received them, published by a teen who also runs a Tumblr dedicated to the same purpose. From bitter break-up texts to messages between estranged family members or left before the senders died by suicide or in unexpected accidents, each is recorded here and presented with a simple and stylized design using drawn graphics and a limited color palette that melds well with, and does not distract from, the content. Some include brief commentary from the person who received them and due to the their nature, many elucidate the heartbreak, anger, regret and grief felt by their recipients. While these anonymous messages pack an emotional punch, it's possible that their presentation in this collected form may cause some to disconnect a bit, which may lessen their impact. However, it's clear from several messages included at the end of this book thanking Trunko for her Tumblr that there are plenty who find them illuminating and validating of their own experiences. Included in the back matter is a helpful list of online health and advocacy resources, books and crisis hotlines, this will definitely find a niche among teen readers.

Overall Book Score: good

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About the Book

Author:

Trunko, Emily

Illustrator: Ingram, Zoe

Publisher: Crown

Book Type: chapter book nonfiction

Genre:

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780399557767

Price: 14.99

Exoplanets: Worlds Beyond Our Solar System

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 7, 2017

Review

This slim volume provides an accessible overview of recent scientific research about planets beyond our solar system, with a focus placed on those considered to be in what is termed "The Goldilocks Zone" -- planets that are not too cold or not too hot to potentially host life.

In short chapters embellished with artists' renderings, graphs and telescopic images, the author explains how this field of astronomical research has progressed from Carl Sagan's relatively recent (1997) supposition that there was no evidence to support hypothetical life elsewhere in the universe to a growing consensus that its confirmation is really only a matter of time. Science-minded middle and high school students will find this useful for class work, as will teens who favor non-fiction about the natural world. Concise explanations of how this branch of astronomy was and is studied and a round up of significant discoveries are included in the narrative, which culminates in a list of source notes, a glossary, a bibliography, a list of resources for further information and a thorough index.

A review of this title in Kirkus makes note that its tally of accepted exoplanets is already outdated and also mentions that a nearer Earth-like planet has been discovered since the time of its publication. However, for a field of study clearly moving at rapid speed, this gives teens a readable and solid background.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Latchana Kenney, Karen

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books/Lerner

Book Type: chapter book nonfiction

Genre:

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: library binding

Binding Quality: very good

ISBN: 9781512400861

Price: 35.99

Word on Bathroom Walls

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 12, 2017

Review

An irreverent, poignant and funny novel about 16-year-old Adam, who struggles to keep his newly diagnosed schizophrenia a secret at the private Catholic school he's begun attending after friends who learned of his illness responded with rejection and fear.

In addition to taking an experimental (but fictional) medication that helps him to distinguish his hallucinations from reality, Adam also meets regularly with a therapist, but refuses to speak during the sessions. Instead, he writes in journal format to answer weekly questions and each chapter is told in this epistolary format, with the current adjustment in the dosage of his medication noted at the top. Witty and insightful observations about his peers, the school, faith, religion and his family abound.

Adam vividly describes his hallucinations, which often take the form of people who speak to and interact directly with him, making his efforts to conceal them all the more difficult. He's most concerned that fellow student Maya will notice something amiss, as they quickly fall for one another, meet each other's families and grow closer and closer, becoming one another's first love and sexual experience (which in a particularly funny and sacrilegious turn, takes place in a storage room at school while Adam is still partially costumed as Jesus from a Christmas play). Adam's feelings, including his sweetly real adoration for Maya, his persistent guilt for worrying his supportive mom and step-father and understandable frustration with the psychiatric and medical professionals handling his treatment render him an enormously sympathetic narrator.

Readers will come away with a better understanding of his experience and the incredible stress that the stigmatizing of mental illness puts on the many who have it.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Walton, Julia

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: romance,realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780399550881

Price: 17.99

The Authentics

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 13, 2017

Review

A pitch perfect blend of drama and comedy, this engaging novel set in Los Angeles employs a light touch in its exploration of issues of ethnicity, class, sexual orientation and more.

Soon to be sixteen year old Daria dreads the huge birthday party that her parents insist she must have, with all its status symbol trappings and the inclusion of many of her Persian American peers who disdain her rejection of these image-conscious norms. After a falling out with her ex-friend Heidi, who is now part of a clique Daria refers to as "The Nose Jobs," Daria is part of a tight knit group of friends who refer to themselves as "The Authentics." Though she dislikes the custom of the massive, phony sixteenth birthday bash (as the novel opens, she is forced to attend Heidi's, where the pink color scheme carries through to the hors d'ouvres and dyed pink goldfish in bowls that are part of the decor), Daria loves her Iranian heritage. When a school project on family history brings long concealed information about her own history to light, she searches for answers and must rethink her own identity even as she has a romance with a new guy, becomes an aunt when her brother and his husband’s new baby is born and learns that the other Authentics have secrets of their own. Daria’s wit and poignantly portrayed emotions will keep readers firmly in her corner as she navigates many complicated questions and this realistic novel features both mystery and romance that will keep them engrossed. Secondary characters are well imagined and historical details about the 1979 Iranian revolution are woven seamlessly into the narrative. A smart, very funny family and friend drama that is filled with heart, this should appeal widely to teens who favor contemporary fiction.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Nazemian, Abdi

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Blazer and Bray

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062486462

Price: 17.99

Neighborhood Girls

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 13, 2017

Review

A searing, intelligent novel about high school junior Wendy Boychuck, whose former police officer father is serving a seventeen year sentence after being prosecuted for corruption and abuse charges - a scandal that has made her family’s name known throughout Chicago for all the wrong reasons. When Wendy and her classmates learn that their private Catholic all-girl school is soon to close, Wendy is the only one among her mean girl group of friends that mourns its demise. Generations of women in her family have attended the school and this serves as a sort of catalyst for a reckoning between her and the cruel friends she has chosen — in the hopes that their Queen Bee, cut-throat image will help protect her from the ridicule directed at her because of her dad. This beautifully written, rich novel from Printz Honor winner Foley mediates on themes of faith and family strife and though it features a nicely built romantic subplot, keeps the focus firmly on Wendy and her friends and her struggle to find the courage to be true to herself. Details of her working class neighborhood, her school, her job at a Polish deli and depictions of other parts of the city of Chicago help bring the setting to life. Poignant, lovely and heartbreaking, this is not to be missed and should appeal to fans of authors like John Green, Andrew Smith and Rainbow Rowell.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Foley, Jessie Ann

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Harper Teen

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062571854

Price: 17.99

Sparrow

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 10, 2018

Review

Fourteen-year-old Brooklyn dweller Sparrow struggles to cope with worsening social anxiety in this poignant, smart novel filled with literary and music references. Opening just after Sparrow is hospitalized after she's mistakenly assumed to have been contemplating suicide when she is discovered near the edge of the roof of her school's building, this realistic take on living with an anxiety disorder moves at first between flashbacks and the present, bringing readers up to speed about how Sparrow developed a coping mechanism in which she dissociates from her surroundings and imagines herself as flying with groups of birds during episodes of profound stress. Her embarrassment and fear of being labeled crazy prevents her from explaining this to anyone and her profound grief over the unexpected death of her school's librarian, one of the few who really saw her and who'd pulled her into a group of misfits who also loved to read, has brought her isolation to a head. Though her mom adores her, Sparrow often feels pressed beneath the weight of the expectation she feels from her mother to be "normal" even as she feels persistently judged by her peers, one of whom calls her an Oreo because she sees Sparrow, who's black, as having white interests. In three parts, this heart-wrenching, character driven story explores how Sparrow is able, through therapy with a somewhat irreverent psychologist who introduces her to a host of excellent, and mainly punk, singers and bands, to begin to imagine different ways to manage her anxiety and eventually, in the culminating section, to try attending a rock camp for girls. Honest and moving, this compelling debut novel introduces a sympathetic and witty narrator with a unique and authentic voice whose experience will engage and inspire middle and high school readers.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Moon, Sarah

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9781338032581

Price: 18.99

The Closest I've Come

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 13, 2018

Review

This smart, poignant, often funny debut novel tells the contemporary story of Marcos, a sophomore at his high school in Tampa, who is selected by his teachers to take part in a program for bright students who they think are academically under-performing.

Though he has a tight knit group of friends from his vividly described poor neighborhood, Marcos is constantly dodging the abuse of his mother's boyfriend at home and his withdrawn, unhappy mom displays an achingly sad indifference to her son. In the new program at school, Marcos meets tough, punk Amy, for whom he falls hard, and Zach, an aspiring actor with his own difficulties at home, who Marcos is surprised to find becomes a friend. Marcos himself is multi-dimensional, sympathetic and portrayed authentically as struggling, sometimes messily, to figure himself out in a world that has made him painfully aware of its myriad injustices and his many insights about this will keep readers firmly in his corner all the way to the satisfying realistic conclusion.

A unique and moving coming-of-age story that is not to be missed.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Aceves, Fred

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: HarperTeen

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062488534

Price: 17.99

All The Crooked Saints

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 14, 2018

Review

This work of fantasy set in 1960s rural Colorado by Printz Honor winner Stiefvater is an enjoyable, if at times overly clever, tribute to the magical realism genre that has at its center cousins Beatriz, Joaquin and Daniel Soria who are descended from a line of miracle workers. Replete with characters whose lives exist in a sort of tall tale universe -- like Marisita, whose wedding dress is seemingly permanently covered with live butterflies and who, since she left her groom at the alter, has been literally followed by a rain cloud; Tony, an arrogant disc jockey who actually grows into a giant; and a pair of arguing twins who are connected by a two headed snake, this fantastical tale also involves a pirate radio station housed in a van, a rooster named General MacArthur rescued from a cock fighting ring, magical owls who appear when miracles are afoot, and plenty of family drama. Stiefvater's usual marvelous gift for wickedly funny and perceptive dialogue is present, though at times it seems to overcrowd this narrative, already packed full of so many wild details, and sometimes creates a feeling of too purposeful quirkiness. However, patient readers will be rewarded with a story that is heartfelt and lyrical, if unlikely to inspire the same kind of intense fandom that has sprung up around the author's Raven Cycle series. Sophisticated teen readers who appreciate authors like Melina Marchetta, Frannie Billingsley and Laura Ruby will be a natural audience for this stand alone novel.

Overall Book Score: good

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About the Book

Author:

Stiefvater, Maggie

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Scholastic

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: fantasy,romance,historical fiction

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780545930802

Price: 18.99

And She Was

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 12, 2018

Review

A young woman meets her extended family for the first time after discovering that her mother is a transgender woman in this nuanced and poignant work of contemporary fiction. Aspiring tennis star Dara has long been stung by her otherwise supportive single mom's seeming disinterest in her goal of breaking into the pro circuit. When she goes searching for documents she needs to get a passport so she can compete in a tennis competition in Canada, she finds photos and a birth certificate that at first make her think her mom adopted her. When Dara confronts her, however, the truth comes out: Dara's mom is transgender and was her biological father; her biological mother died soon after she was born. Enraged and hurt that her mom has kept this history from her, Dara, in the company of her best friend Sam, takes off to find her birth mother's parents. Strong, multi-dimensional characters firmly anchor this story and a developing romance between Dara and Sam proves an engaging enough subplot. However, the center stage narrative that takes shape as Dara meets her warm-hearted aunt and caring but bigoted wealthy grandparents, all the while receiving emails from her mom that explain her backstory, is the focus here and it's compellingly told. Dara herself is somewhat self-centered, though readers will stick with her through this journey, as she gradually comes to understand the degree to which her mom was threatened by her in-laws. A worthwhile and thoughtful novel that will be appreciated by teen fans of realistic fiction, particularly those who favor neatly wrapped endings.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Verdi, Jessica

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Point/Scholastic

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 971338150537

Price: 18.99

Nice Try, Jane Sinner

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 12, 2018

Review

Pushed to finish her high school diploma after she flunks out of her senior year at her Canadian high school, seventeen year old Jane enrolls at the local community college and -- desperate to get away from her deeply religious family -- lies about her age on an application for a reality online show called The House of Orange that will provide her with a place to live in the spirit of MTV's The Real World. Jane's story is told mainly in epistolary format via her journal and her dryly witty voice and appealing competitive determination will bring readers firmly into her corner. Though the overarching tone is comedic, the secrets that Jane slowly reveals about herself and the reasons behind all that happened during her senior year are serious ones that meditate on topics like depression and faith. The drama that plays out between all of the participants in The House of Orange is similarly packed with funny antics and rife with betrayal, a juxtaposition that will keep readers on their toes. Though in the end it goes on a bit too long, teens who are fans of authors like John Green and AS King will enjoy this thought-provoking and unpredictable debut novel.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Oelke, Lianne

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Clarion/Houghton Mifflin

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780544867857

Price: 17.99

Honor Code

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 12, 2018

Review

A young woman is eager to attend a prestigious boarding school called Edwards Academy, but is dismayed to find that the wealthy students there abide by a code that encourages faculty and students alike to turn a blind eye to activities ranging from hazing to rape. Fourteen year old Sam and her roommate Gracie are both new to Edwards and establish a tight friendship right off the bat. However, when theyfall for the same upperclassman and he seems to reciprocate Sam's interest, it drives a wedge between the two girls. However, when he sexually assaults Sam, she must decide whether to stay quiet or risk upsetting the privileged, insular community. While predictable, the premise of this novel reflects the reality of the culture of many a private school. Readers will be deeply sympathetic to Sam's heartbreaking experience, though its treatment through the second half of the novel becomes more sensational than the initial set up. Sam's contact with a reporter who takes over narrating toward the end, a courtroom fight and an eleventh hour twist are all part of this story.. An engaging and important premise that loses its way in overly clever plot devices, this will still find a readership among teens who favor serious drama.

Overall Book Score: fair

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About the Book

Author:

Burkhart, Kiersi

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab/Lerner

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9781512429961

Price: 17.99

Honor Code

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 12, 2018

Review

A young woman is eager to attend a prestigious boarding school called Edwards Academy, but is dismayed to find that the wealthy students there abide by a code that encourages faculty and students alike to turn a blind eye to activities ranging from hazing to rape. Fourteen year old Sam and her roommate Gracie are both new to Edwards and establish a tight friendship right off the bat. However, when theyfall for the same upperclassman and he seems to reciprocate Sam's interest, it drives a wedge between the two girls. However, when he sexually assaults Sam, she must decide whether to stay quiet or risk upsetting the privileged, insular community. While predictable, the premise of this novel reflects the reality of the culture of many a private school. Readers will be deeply sympathetic to Sam's heartbreaking experience, though its treatment through the second half of the novel becomes more sensational than the initial set up. Sam's contact with a reporter who takes over narrating toward the end, a courtroom fight and an eleventh hour twist are all part of this story.. An engaging and important premise that loses its way in overly clever plot devices, this will still find a readership among teens who favor serious drama.

Overall Book Score: fair

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About the Book

Author:

Burkhart, Kiersi

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab/Lerner

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9781512429961

Price: 17.99

Dread Nation

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 6, 2018

Review

An alternative history that re-imagines that the dead began rising from the grounds of the battle of Gettysburg, changing the course of U.S. history and giving rise to compulsory schools that train African American and Native American young people to become bodyguards for wealthy whites, defending them from the undead hordes, called shamblers. Tough, clever Jane McKeene is close to finishing her training to become an attendant at Miss Preston's School of Combat for Negro Girls when she becomes mired in a sinister plot that takes her from her school in Baltimore to a colony in the west. Action-packed sequences propel this novel forward and careful plotting keeps readers on tenterhooks as they puzzle out the many pieces. Well-constructed characters and incisive analysis of the politics of ethnicity and agency establish this as a standout.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Ireland, Justina

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Balzar & Bray/Harper Collins

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: adventure,horror,historical fiction

Audience: grades 7-9,grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780062570604

Price: 17.99

Winner Take All

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 7, 2018

Review

A driven young woman becomes entangled in a troubling relationship with her academic rival in this unsettling, thought provoking thriller. Ambitious and competitive Nell is the daughter of the first female head of a prestigious private school that would likely be unaffordable for her modestly earning family if not for her mother's position. Surrounded by extremely wealthy peers and under a significant amount of pressure from her image conscious mother, Nell has long loathed Jackson, whose easy charm and affluence seem to effortlessly gain him everything he wants. Despite or perhaps in part because of this animosity, their relationship takes a turn for the near obsessive when during the summer before their senior year, they morph from rivals into a secret couple. Nell's intensity and sharp edges, particularly when they are on display with her flawed but caring best friend, Lia, render her difficult to like at times. However, readers will both recognize the double standard and empathize with Nell's experience of being shamed for being female and sexually assertive and will feel for her as she copes with what seem like anxiety attacks. This won't be for every reader, but fans of authors like Sara Zarr, Carrie Mesrobian and Courtney Summers will form a natural readership for this propulsive novel.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Devore, Laurie

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Imprint/Macmillan

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9781250082886

Price: 17.99

Children of Blood and Bone

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: September 18, 2018

Review

This lushly imagined West African-inspired epic fantasy series opener tells the story of a young woman, Zelie, and her brother Tzain, who live hand to mouth with their father since their mother, a maji, was murdered years before when the ruler of Orisha, King Saran, ordered all adult maji killed in an effort to ensure the continued dominance of the ruling class by eradicating magic. Though Zelie, whose white hair marks her as a maji, has the potential to work magic, it is only when a series of seeming coincidences throw her together with the fleeing Princess Amari, who carries with her a stolen scroll, that she learns there may be a way to bring magic back to her people. As Zelie, Tzain and Amari embark on this quest, they are urgently pursued by Amari's brother Inan and the soldiers he commands, who are intent on stopping them. Multilayered characters grapple with issues of agency and power, loyalty and shame as the novel is narrated in the first person alternately by Zelie, Amari and Inan. Vivid descriptions of the setting and the concepts of the magi balance nicely with well-paced battle and action sequences and heart wrenching violence will leave readers aching for the main trio of characters — all of which will leave readers anxiously awaiting the second volume.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Adeyemi , Tomi

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: adventure,fantasy,romance

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9781250170972

Price: 18.99

The Ruinous Sweep

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 3, 2018

Review

A badly injured teen, Dono (Donovan) clings to life in a hospital bed, wading through an eerily nightmarish otherworldly existence as he tries to communicate clues about what happened to him - and to his father, who was murdered - to his tenacious girlfriend, Bee (Beatrice). In a thriller that makes particularly good use of alternating narration, readers piece together the backstory of Dono's troubled relationship with his father, who has a longstanding alcohol use disorder, and Dono's struggle to manage the flashes of explosive rage he experiences when confronted with other peoples' bullying or cruel behavior. At Bee's urging, he'd been planning to tell his father he wouldn't visit him anymore, but something went terribly awry, and now two police detectives are hanging around the hospital, asking Bee what she knows. Inspired by Dante's Inferno, Canadian YA author Wynne-Jones tells this story in two parts. He balances Dono's heavily atmospheric internal narrative with plentiful action, ratcheting up the tension as he slowly matches up details between Dono's experiences, including with a gang of drug traffickers, a seemingly unstoppable brute who pursues him through the woods and a woman, seemingly death personified, who tries to seduce him, with the current going-ons in Bee's world. The second part of the novel is straightforward realistic fiction and will elucidate some of the questions from the beginning. This unusual structure will demand patient readers but also presents the possibility of it being paired with its inspirational text in a high school setting. An engrossing and chillingly effective novel filled with characters both monstrous and humane.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

Wynne-Jones, Tim

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: fantasy,mystery,realistic fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9780763697457

Price: 18.99

Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 3, 2018

Review

An historical fiction account of the six wives of Henry VIII from their perspectives, each written by a well-known YA author (Candace Fleming, Stephanie Hemphill, Lisa Ann Sandell, Jennifer Donnelly, Linda Sue Park and Deborah Hopkinson, with M.T. Anderson writing as the King, as well as a short vignette at the end from the perspective of Elizabeth I). Evocative writing brings each of these historical figures to life and though they are portrayed very differently from one another, there are unifying themes of betrayal and grief throughout. As Henry's obsession with producing a male heir to the throne progresses throughout their stories, he grows increasingly self-pitying and unhinged and it's made clear how each of his wives, particular to their own circumstances and temperaments, endured and attempted to thwart his cruelty. Court gossip and political maneuvering intricately weave themselves throughout these deeply introspective first person narratives, and the inclusion of vengeful exchanges and the sexual details of what happens between the king and his wives will likely spur readers on. A fascinating and carefully imagined collection of backstories of a group of fabled women, this should appeal mightily to teens and young adults who are history buffs.

Overall Book Score: very good

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About the Book

Author:

M.T., Anderson

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random House

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: historical fiction

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9781524716196

Price: 18.99

White Rabbit

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 9, 2018

Review

This propulsive whodunnit takes place all in the space of one night, when just as Rufus is confronted by his ex-boyfriend Sebastian at a party, he receives a troubling phone call from his half sister, April, who begs him for help. In short chapters that alternate between flashbacks and the present, readers are pulled into the provocative and pulpy mystery, which begins with Rufus and Sebastian (who has a car and insists on driving Rufus, who's on foot) finding a drugged April covered in blood and holding a knife next to the body of her murdered boyfriend at his wealthy family's summer house. The house is littered with alcohol and drugs, including pills called white rabbits, known for sometimes producing violent behavior in their users. As the pair track down one after the other of April's friends, the backstory of their relationship is slowly pieced together, the details of which are both steamy and heartrending. Clever dialogue that is authentically peppered with the foul language and sexual references that would be characteristic of many older teens melds well with the breakneck pacing and the mystery will keep readers guessing until the very end. Though some characters are more fully explored than others, the dynamics of sexual orientation, class and more are nuanced and realistic. Readers who've enjoyed books by Gillian French and Karen McManus will be a natural audience for this one.

Overall Book Score: excellent

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About the Book

Author:

Roehrig, Caleb

Illustrator: ,

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan

Book Type: chapter book fiction

Genre: mystery,romance

Audience: grades 10-12

Binding Type: trade edition

Binding Quality: fair

ISBN: 9781250085658

Price: 17.99