Almost Perfect- Brian Katcher

This second book by Brian Katcher is so far my favorite; however, I do not think I will be putting it back on my middle school library shelves.  Sage is a transgender high school student who moves to rural Missouri to make a new start for herself as a girl.  Logan, just coming off a broken relationship, quickly falls for Sage.  His world is completely rocked when Sage is honest with him and tells Logan that she is actually a girl trapped in a boy's body.  Most of the book is Logan dealing with this information and the feelings his still has for Sage inspite of the knowledge that she isn't truly a girl.  Again I think Brian Katcher captures the voice of a high school boy so well, which is why I have a hard time putting this book in a middle school library.  The language and obviously sex discussion (hard to have a book about a boy falling in love with a transgender girl) makes it fine for high school, but not middle school.  I do think this topic is handled well and needs to be addressed as there are teenagers dealing with this issue, but not always out in the open.  Katcher lists some organizations and places teenagers can go to for help and support with transgender issues.  This book is very honest and does a great job with a sensitive topic.

Dead End in Norvelt- Jack Gantos

This book won the 2012 Newbery medal, and as usual I hadn't read it yet, but had to put it on hold at the library as soon as I heard it won.  I'm so glad I did!  This book is the mostly true, but probably some fictional, story of Jack Gantos during a summer of his life where he gets grounded and as punishment has to help an elderly neighbor write obituaries of the dying original members of the town.  Being a person that find obituaries themselves fascinating, I was intrigued by this "punishment".  Through these obituary writings Jack is lead on one adventure after another in this small, somewhat dying town.  Everything from the Hell's Angels to a possible murder colors his odd, but interesting, summer.  The young teenage boy voice is dead on in this book (I guess I can say that although I have never been a young teenage boy).  I read an excerpt where he goes deer hunting with his dad to my own son and we both laughed so hard we had tears.  I would highly recommend this book to any upper elementary/middle school kid.  The boys will love the main character, but I also think girls would get a kick out of it.  Great choice for the Newbery this year!

Unbecoming of Mara Dyer- Michelle Hodkin

I'm am always so glad to find a new favorite author, and that is what I feel like I've discovered in Michelle Hodkin after reading this first book of hers.  Mara Dyer thinks she is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after she is in an accident that kills 2 of her friends and her boyfriend and leaves her hospitalized.  Her family moves from Rhode Island to Miami, Florida in an effort to help her make a fresh start and deal with the aftermath of the accident.  Her first day at her new private school brings encounters with Anna and Aiden, school bullies, Jamie, her new found friend, and Noah, the guy she falls for despite the warnings everyone gives her.  The romance between Noah and Mara is wonderful, but Mara also feels pulled deeper into what she thinks is her pychosis.  She begins remembering parts of the night of the accident that she had previously blocked from her memory, and in doing so realizes that she has a power that she doesn't necessarily want.  The biggest surprise to me was that this is the first book in a series.  I can't wait until the next book comes out!  Sounds like it may be coming in fall of 2012.

Everlost- Neal Shusterman

OK, I have no idea how this trilogy escaped my notice when I have been a big fan of Neal Shusterman for years.  Too many authors/books, too little time I guess.  So, the first in this trilogy is not new, but it is fantastic.  It opens with Allie and Nick getting into a car accident and dying.  On their way to the light at the end of the tunnel, they bump each other and end up in Everlost.  A world that is between life and death where other children and even buildings have ended up.  They quickly befriend a young boy they name Leif and the three of them set off to explore Everlost and find answers to their many questions.  They meet many legendary Everlost characters, including some "monsters" and find that Allie has the power to "skinjack" living humans.  She is able to go into living people's bodies and control them.  The first book ends with the characters going their separate ways and possibly becoming "monsters" themselves.  I cannot wait to get a hold of the second and third one in this trilogy.  Shusterman has done another fantastic job with this series!

Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands- Susan Carol McCarthy

This wonderful little book reminded me so much of one of my all time favorite books, To Kill a Mockingbird.  Reesa is a young girl growing up in Florida during the 1950's.  Her father owns and operates a large citrus farm with the help of some black people that are also their good friends.  The book begins with the murder of Marvin Cully, a black teenage boy that is the son of Reesa's parents good friends and best help on the farm.  The Ku Klux Klan is very active in this part of Florida at this time, and Marvin's murder is just the beginning of crimes the KKK is responsible for.  Reesa's father gets involved with trying to get the FBI to put a stop to the KKK, but it is tricky because unless it involves a federal crime, the FBI  is unable to help.  Of course, the local and state law inforcement are card carrying KKK members themselves.  I loved Reesa's character, and her father and grandmother make me proud that at least there were some people back then that knew the poor treatment of blacks was wrong and weren't afraid to do something about it.  This book is somewhat of a memoir, in that the author truly did grow up on a citrus farm in Florida during this time period.  She admits to altering some of the details, but the basic story is true, which  makes this story all the better to me.  I would recommend this to high school students (great companion to To Kill a Mockingbird) or adults.

Dust & Decay

OK, I first have to say that I loved the first book in this series (at least I'm hoping it's not finished with two books), so I was so excited to finally get Dust & Decay.  I was not disappointed.  This book picks up 6 months after the first one was finished leaving our main characters to a calm life in town learning from Tom how to be "warrior smart" when fighting zombies.  They are planning to leave town soon though to go looking for where the jet they saw may have come from.  The moment they enter the Rot & Ruin things go bad.  They have a run in with a rhino and Preacher Jack that leaves them getting separated and hurting.  The entire book is following Chong, Lyla, Nix & Benny, and Tom as they fight for their lives alone and eventually together attempting to take down Gameland forever.  The book ends with them still wanting to travel east to where they saw the jet go, which is why I'm thinking (hoping) that a sequel will be following.

Bumped- Megan McCafferty

This book has one of the most interesting premises of a book I have read in a long time.  There has been a fertility virus that has struck all adults and the only members of society that can conceive are teenagers.  If that isn't a scary thought, then I don't know what is!  :-)  Enter into the scene Harmony and Melody, identical twins that were separated at birth.  One was rasied in the "Church" where girls are raised to be married at 13 and submit to God's (or the Elders') will for their lives.  The other girls was raised with two parents that have spend her whole life prepping her for a "bump" that will bring them money and fame.  The girls come together and life is turned upside down for both of them in a major way.  The end of the book leaves you hanging, so there is not surprise that the sequel (Thumped) will be coming out in April 2012.  I for one, can't wait to read the conclusion this spring!  Here is a video where the author explain the book even further.

Megan McCafferty video

Stoner & Spaz- Ron Koertge

I have to admit my interest in this book came about when I read an interview with the in School Library Journal this month.  He has written a second book about 10 years after this first one was published.  I figured I might as well read the first one first.

Ben Bancroft has cerebral palsy and is dubbed "spaz" by his classmates.  He lives with his grandmother and has always been on the outside of every social circle.  He spends his time watching old movies at the Rialto Theater.  Enter Colleen, a stoner is his high school.  From the first night they spend at the Rialto Colleen turns Ben's life upside down.  These two unmatched high school students learn a lot about life from each other.  This book reminds me of Terry Trueman books (Stuck in Neutral).  This is a great book for high school students- even ones that don't like to read.

Where the Truth Lies- Jessica Warman

I have now read all three Jessica Warman books, and I really enjoyed them all.  I especially thought it was clever how she tied a character from Breathless loosely to this book.  Emily Meckler seems to have the perfect life.  She lives and attends Stonybrook, an upscale boarding school in Conneticut where her father is the headmaster.  She has a great group of friends that live together in a suite in a small dorm, and though she doesn't have quite the money or brains of all the students, she fits in and has a good time.  Enter into the picture Del Sugar.  He has bounced around the foster care system and now has been adopted by parents who are enrolling him Stonybrook.  He is incredibly smart, yet doesn't play by anyone's rules.  When he and Emily fall in love nothing but trouble can follow.  Despite her parents and friends' warnings, Jessica lets herself get involved with Del and it leads where she never thought she would go.  Del is the catalyst for her discovering more about herself than she ever wanted to know and forces her to face up to the nightmares she has been struggling with since she was a little girl.  This book, like Warman's others, have some twists that although you are kind of prepared for are still enjoyable.  Her portrait of boarding school life is very accurate, although because of that this book is much better suited to a high school collection instead of middle school.

Identical- Ellen Hopkins

As all of Ellen Hopkins books have been for me, I couldn't not put this one down.  I usually read her books in one setting, so it helps to have a little bit of time carved out if you are going to start any of them.  This book follows identical twins that are dealing with the aftermath of a horrible accident, and the devastasting effects of their father's sexual abuse.  There is a twist at the end that I felt like I should have seen coming, but didn't.  I love her books in that way.  They are addictive and feel like an addiction would...you have to have it, yet hate that you do.  If you have never read Ellen Hopkins, you definitely need to give her books a try.  Their sparse poetry form is amazing.  They are like works of art that are so hideous you need to look, but are sickened by at the same time.  She is a one of a kind author for sure.  Definitely would not put this book in a middle school collection though (or any of hers in my opinion).

Breathless- Jessica Warman

Katie Kitrell appears to have the perfect life as she lives it up at boarding school.  She is captain of the swim team, has a gorgeous boyfriend, and is best friends with the most popular girls.  She spends her weekends partying with her rich, popular friends, yet none of them would ever guess the secret Katie is keeping about her brother.  Only Mazzie, her roommate with her own set of problems, knows the truth about Katie's family.  As Katie pretends all is fine and goes through high school spending all her time at school and the summers swimming at Yale, she never suspects that one day all the secret keeping will catch up with her.  This is an enjoyable book, definitely for the high school crowd (much drinking, drugs, and some sex).  This book didn't keep me guessing as much as her later books, but for a first novel I thought it was great.

Between- Jessica Warman

Elizabethz Valchar has everything going for- she's beautiful, rich, a talented cross country runner, and the most popular girl in her high school.  The only problem is she is now overlooking her dead body and has no idea how she ended up face down in the lake by her father's yacht.  As Liz realizes she is dead, she also meets up with Alex, another high school student from her small Conneticut hometown that was killed a year ago in a hit and run accident.  As Alex and Liz travel invisibly throughout their town and back and forth from the present to the past through their memories, Liz is able to piece through downward spiral that lead to her death.  This book had me guessing to the end, and even when I was beginning to figure it out I was more than happy to follow along with Liz as she pieced her memories together.  I'm looking forward to reading the other two novels that Jessica Warman has written.  This book is more aimed at high school students- not completely suited to middle school due to the drinking, drugs, sexual content.  It isn't explicit, but enough that I would rather it not be in my middle school collection.  Fantastic read!

Matched- Ally Condie

Cassia has been waiting for her Match Banquet for 17 long years.  She can hardly wait to see the face that shows up on the screen as her match for life.  When it turns out to be her best friend, Xander, she feels happy.  It is unique to be best friends with your soul mate, but at least she knows Xander and would be happy with him.  She decides to view his information on the computer, yet it is not only his face that comes up on the screen, but another boy also.  Ky, an aberration, that is not supposed to be matchable.  Cassia struggles with living under her society's rules that dictate everything from what she eats to who she will marry, what she can read, and ultimately when she will die.  This book is excellently paced and Cassia is a very real character.  You feel right along with her as she develops her relationship with Ky, yet feels awful about hurting Xander.  I get tired of books that do not stand alone, but in this case I find myself hoping for a sequel.  I want to know what happens to Cassia, her family, Ky, and Xander.  I'm rooting for her to be strong enough to go against her society and exercise her own freedom of choice!

Cinderella Ate My Daughter- Peggy Orenstein

I have to say that I think every mom and/or dad of daughters really should read this book.  I know for myself it is so easy to let your daughters slip into the girlie girl culture of today's society.  In many ways Peggy articulated so much of what has bothered me about the princesses, Disney Channel culture, and marketing to girls that I couldn't put into words myself.  I have a 6 and a 9 year old girl and this book caused me to look at what I encourage them to do, wear, watch, etc.  It is very thought provoking and also quite funny at times.  This is a very readable book and must for parents of daughters!

Alice Bliss- Laura Harrington

This book was heart-wrenching, yet wonderful.  Alice is a very likable 15 year old that is dealing with her father going to Iraq.  The book is part her dealing with not having him and part her growing up.  It takes you back to that age in an instant.  It reads more like an adult book than YA, even though Alice is 15.  I feel like bringing a certain maturity that comes from being an adult adds to the story, but I could see some teenage girls liking it also.  My only warning is be prepared to cry- and I'm not a crier!

Adventurers Wanted: Slathbog's Gold- M.L. Forman

I think I could sum up this book in two words: The Hobbit.  I felt like I was rereading Tolkien the whole way through.  Yes, there are some differences in plot; however, I feel like for the differences The Hobbit was much better.  For fantasy lovers that need another book with elves, dwarfs, wraiths, and a quest this would work, but it doesn't really offer anything special or different.

Without Tess- Marcella Pixley

Lizzy's older sister, Tess, is everything to her.  She is the inventor of a magical world where the sisters become pegasus, selkies, werewolves, anything they can imagine.  All seems like well until Tess seems to take the imagining farther and farther, trying to drag Lizzie along with her.  The pills and trips to doctors do not seem to cure Tess and she finally ends up dead.  You learn in this book as Lizzie goes through Tess's journal full or poems and drawings, how twisted Tess's world was and how difficult it is for Lizzie to pick up the pieces of her now seemingly empty life even five years later.  It does end on a more hopeful note and Lizzie begins to deal with Tess's death.  This book is very artfully written.  The characters are beautifully descripted.  I think adults and teenagers would both love this!

The Butterfly Clues- Kate Ellison

Penelope is troubled.  Her brother is gone, her parents are basically checked out of life in general, and she is having a hard time controlling her "urges".  Urges to steal things, urges to tap, bow, say certain words, and always in 3's, 6's or 9's.  She spends most of her time outside of school wandering and finds herself in "Neverland", the run-down part of town, and she overhears a murder.  'Lo becomes obsessed with solving the mystery of this murder.  The murder of Sapphire, a 19 year old dancer in a club called The Tens.  It is in following leads on the murder that she meets Flynt.  Finally someone who gets her and all her quirks, yet who he really?  She finds herself falling in love with Flynt, yet holding back as she tries to understand who Bird is in Sapphire's journals, the truth behind her brother's death, and unwind the web that left Sapphire dead.

I couldn't help but love Penelope as a character.  She is so flawed, yet so real.  The murder mystery is very suspenseful, but I think the character development is what makes the book outstanding.  I hope this author has many more books to come.  

Bull Rider- Suzanne Morgan Williams

Cam's brother, Ben, has always been the bull rider in his family- following in the footsteps of his dad and grandfather.  Cam's thing is skateboarding.  It is what he loves to do with his best friend, Mike, despite the fact that he lives on a ranch in the Nevada desert.  Everything changes when Cam's brother decides to enlist in the Marines and is sent to Iraq.  Ben is severely injured and his coming home to recover is harder than Cam ever imagined.  Cam feels he has to do something big to inspire his brother to not give up on life, but big becomes riding the bull, Ugly.  A bull so mean no one has ever rode him for 8 seconds, but there is a lot of prize money to be given to a bull rider that is able.  There is a lot of bull riding in this book, which I realize will not be every kids' thing.  However, there is a lot of other more universal themes about war, love between siblings, the power of family, and how a boy becomes a man.  I enjoyed it, even if it wasn't my favorite book ever.

Rot & Ruin- Jonathan Maberry

Benny is 15 years old, and it is time for him to get a job or he will no longer get the rations he needs to survive.  After failing at multiple jobs he decides to become an apprentice to his older half-brother, who happens to be a zombie bounty hunter.  Benny first trip with Tom out into the great Rot & Ruin proves to be eye-opening experience that changes Benny's view of Tom and his entire world since the "First Night" forever.  With the help of two girls, Nix and Lilah, they set out to begin making the Rot & Ruin and their world a better place.  I never thought I would enjoy a book about zombies, but I fell in love with these characters and their world.  My only hope when finishing it was that there would be a sequel, and much to my delight there is...Dust & Decay came out about a week ago.  I only hope it is as good as the first one.