Love Is Hell
by Melissa Marr
Published 2008 by Harper Teen

Paperback, English. ISBN: 9780061443046

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Jacket Notes:

In this new collection in the vein of "Prom Nights from Hell," some of today's hottest authors--Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfield, Justine Larbalestier, Laurie Faria Stolarz, and Gabrielle Zevin--contribute stories of love gone supernaturally wrong. Sure, love is hell. But it, s totally worth it. In these supernatural stories by five of today's hottest writers--Melissa Marr ("Wicked Lovely"), Scott Westerfeld ("Specials"), Justine Larbalestier ("Magic or Madness"), Gabrielle Zevin ("Elsewhere"), and Laurie Faria Stolarz ("Blue is for Nightmares")--love may be twisted and turned around, but it's more potent than ever on its quest to conquer all. From two students who let the power of attraction guide them to break the hard-and-fast rules of their world to the girl who falls hard for a good-looking ghost with a score to settle, the clever, quirky characters in this exciting collection will break your heart, then leave you believing in love more than ever.

Publishers Weekly 11/17/2008

Supernatural romance is the well-chosen theme of five original stories by as many authors. After her family moves into a house where a boy was murdered, Laurie Faria Stolarzs protagonist finds herself falling in love with his ghost; Gabrielle Zevin introduces a high school student who may (or may not) be overidentifying with the book she is reading; and Scott Westerfeld looks into a future where hormonal balancers tamp down teen romances and bioframes obviate sleep and dreams. Melissa Marr and Justine Larbalestier reinterpret folklore conventions, Marr writing about selkies and Larbalestier about faeries. Theres enough variety to round out the central theme, and consistently supple storytelling will lure readers through all five entries. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the national nonprofit organization College Summit. Ages 14up. "(Dec.)" Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.Supernatural romance is the well-chosen theme of five original stories by as many authors. After her family moves into a house where a boy was murdered, Laurie Faria Stolarzs protagonist finds herself falling in love with his ghost; Gabrielle Zevin introduces a high school student who may (or may not) be overidentifying with the book she is reading; and Scott Westerfeld looks into a future where hormonal balancers tamp down teen romances and bioframes obviate sleep and dreams. Melissa Marr and Justine Larbalestier reinterpret folklore conventions, Marr writing about selkies and Larbalestier about faeries. Theres enough variety to round out the central theme, and consistently supple storytelling will lure readers through all five entries. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the national nonprofit organization College Summit. Ages 14up. "(Dec.)" Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
Published 2008 by Scholastic Press

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780439023481

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Jacket Notes:

The acclaimed author of the "New York Times"-bestselling Underland Chronicles series delivers equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance, in a stunning novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to the present.

Publishers Weekly 11/03/2008

Signature

"Reviewed by" Megan Whalen Turner

If there really are only seven original plots in the world, it's odd that boy meets girl is always mentioned, and society goes bad and attacks the good guy never is. Yet we have "Fahrenheit 451", "The Giver", "The House of the Scorpion"and now, following a long tradition of Brave New Worlds, "The Hunger Games".

Collins hasn't tied her future to a specific date, or weighted it down with too much finger wagging. Rather less "1984" and rather more "Death Race 2000", hers is a gripping story set in a postapocalyptic world where a replacement for the United States demands a tribute from each of its territories: two children to be used as gladiators in a televised fight to the death.

Katniss, from what was once Appalachia, offers to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, but after this ultimate sacrifice, she is entirely focused on survival at any cost. It is her teammate, Peeta, who recognizes the importance of holding on to one's humanity in such inhuman circumstances. It's a credit to Collins's skill at characterization that Katniss, like a new Theseus, is cold, calculating and still likable. She has the attributes to be a winner, where Peeta has the grace to be a good loser.

It's no accident that these games are presented as pop culture. Every generation projects its fear: runaway science, communism, overpopulation, nuclear wars and, now, reality TV. The State of Panemwhich needs to keep its tributaries subdued and its citizens complacentmay have created the Games, but mindless television is the real danger, the means by which society pacifies its citizens and punishes those who fail to conform. Will its connection to reality TV, ubiquitous today, date the book? It might, but for now, it makes this the right book at the right time.

What happens if we choose entertainment over humanity? In Collins's world, we'll be obsessed with grooming, we'll talk funny, and all our sentences will end with the same rise as questions. When Katniss is sent to stylists to be made more telegenic before she competes, she stands naked in front of them, strangely unembarrassed. They're so unlike people that I'm no more self-conscious than if a trio of oddly colored birds were pecking around my feet, she thinks. In order not to hate these creatures who are sending her to her death, she imagines them as pets. It isn't just the contestants who risk the loss of their humanity. It is all who watch.

Katniss struggles to win not only the Games but the inherent contest for audience approval. Because this is the first book in a series, not everything is resolved, and what is left unanswered is the central question. Has she sacrificed too much? We know what she has given up to survive, but not whether the price was too high. Readers will wait eagerly to learn more.

"Megan Whalen Turner is the author of the Newbery Honor book" The Thief "and its sequels, " The Queen of Attolia "and" The King of Attolia". The next book in the series will be published by Greenwillow in 2010." Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

09/01/2008 School Library Journal

Gr 7 UpIn a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 14 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives. Collins's characters are completely realistic and sympathetic as they form alliances and friendships in the face of overwhelming odds; the plot is tense, dramatic, and engrossing. This book will definitely resonate with the generation raised on reality shows like "Survivor" and "American Gladiator." Book one of a planned trilogy."Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK" Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

Wounded
by Stephen Cole
Published 2005 by Sleuth RazorBill

Mass Market Paperbound, English. ISBN: 9781595140418

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Jacket Notes:

Kate Folan comes from a family of werewolves. She'll only become fully 'wolf herself when she mates with a male werewolf. But she vows that will never happen. The last thing she wants is to give in to her evil heritage.

Then she meets Tom Anderson. Tom is a wereling-a werewolf who retains his humanity even in his wolf form. He was "turned" by Kate's mother, who chose wisely.

Tom and Kate can't help falling for each other. But if they give in to their feelings, Kate will become the thing she hates most. Unless they can find a cure. . . .

04/01/2005 School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up -While on a family vacation, 16-year-old Tom Anderson has a terrifying run-in with a bear that sends him hurtling down rapids in a river, barely escaping with his life. When he wakes up, he discovers that he is being cared for by Marcie, a nurse who lives in the remote woods. Soon the teen starts to sense that something strange is going on. Not only is he feeling weird (heightened senses and a strange craving for raw meat), but also Marcie's daughter, Kate, seems to be trying to tell him something. And then one night he learns the shocking truth: the Folans are werewolves, and they have been trying to turn him into a mate for Kate. After a violent scene that leaves Kate's little brother dead, Tom and Kate flee for their lives. They must reach a witch doctor in New Orleans who can turn him back to human, but they must hurry, because the countrywide network of werewolves is hot on their trail and won't rest until Tom is dead. This story has fast-paced action, horror, intrigue, plot twists, and a touch of romance. Cole has done a good job of taking a popular subject and making it fresh and exciting. This first in a trilogy is sure to please horror fans." -Anna M. Nelson, Collier County Public Library, Naples, FL" Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publisher's Marketing Text:

Kate Folan comes from a family of werewolves. She'll only become fully 'wolf herself when she mates with a male werewolf. But she vows that will never happen. The last thing she wants is to give in to her evil heritage.
Then she meets Tom Anderson. Tom is a wereling-a werewolf who retains his humanity even in his wolf form. He was "turned" by Kate's mother, who chose wisely.
Tom and Kate can't help falling for each other. But if they give in to their feelings, Kate will become the thing she hates most. Unless they can find a cure. . . .

Burned
by Ellen Hopkins
Published 2006 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781416903543

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Jacket Notes:

The critically acclaimed author of "Crank" returns with a gripping, masterful novel told in verse that weaves a riveting story about a teenage girl who is raised in a religious--yet abusive--family. Young Adult. I do know things really began to spin out of control after my first sex dream.It all started with a dream. Nothing exceptional, just a typical fantasy about a boy, the kind of dream that most teen girls experience. But Pattyn Von Stratten is not like most teen girls. Raised in a religious -- yet abusive -- family, a simple dream may not be exactly a sin, but it could be the first step toward hell and eternal damnation.This dream is a first step for Pattyn. But is it to hell or to a better life? For the first time Pattyn starts asking questions. Questions seemingly without answers -- about God, a woman's role, sex, love -- mostly love. What is it? Where is it? Will she ever experience it? Is she deserving of it?It's with a real boy that Pattyn gets into real trouble. After Pattyn's father catches her in a compromising position, events spiral out of control until Pattyn ends up suspended from school and sent to live with an aunt she doesn't know.Pattyn is supposed to find salvation and redemption during her exile to the wilds of rural Nevada. Yet what she finds instead is love and acceptance. And for the first time she feels worthy of both -- until she realizes her old demons will not let her go. Pattyn begins down a path that will lead her to a hell -- a hell that may not be the one she learned about in sacrament meetings, but it is hell all the same. In this riveting and masterful novel told in verse, Ellen Hopkins takes readers on an emotional roller-coaster ride. From the highs of true love to the lows of abuse, Pattyn's story will have readers engrossed until the very last word.

07/01/2006 School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up -Once again the author of" Crank" (S & S, 2004) has masterfully used verse to re-create the yearnings and emotions of a teenage girl trapped in tragic circumstances. Poems in varied formats captivate readers as they describe a teen -s immobilizing fear of her abusive father, disgust with a church hierarchy that looks the other way, hope that new relationships can counteract despair, joy in the awakening of romance, and sorrow when demons ultimately prevail. Pattyn Von Stratten is the eldest of eight sisters in a stern Mormon household where women are relegated to servitude and silence. She has a glimpse of normal teenage life when Derek takes an interest in her, but her father stalks them in the desert and frightens him away. Unable to stifle her rage, Pattyn acts out as never before and is suspended from school. Sent to live with an aunt on a remote Nevada ranch, she meets Ethan and discovers -forever love. - Woven into the story of a teen -s struggle to find her destiny is the story of her aunt -s barrenness following government mismanagement of atomic testing and protests over nuclear waste disposal. Readers will become immersed in Pattyn -s innermost thoughts as long-held secrets are revealed, her father -s beatings take a toll on her mother and sister, and Pattyn surrenders to Ethan -s love with predictable and disturbing consequences. Writing for mature teens, Hopkins creates compelling characters in horrific situations." -Kathy Lehman, Thomas Dale High School Library, Chester, VA" Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Furies of Calderon
by Jim Butcher
Published 2004 by Ace Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780441011995

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Jacket Notes:

In the realm of Alera, where people bond with the furies-elementals of earth, air, fire, water, and metal-fifteen-year-old Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. But when his homeland erupts in chaos-when rebels war with loyalists and furies clash with furies-Tavi's simple courage will turn the tides of war.

Publishers Weekly 09/27/2004

At the start of Butcher's absorbing fantasy, the first in a new series, the barbarians are at the gates of the land of Alera, which has a distinct flavor of the Roman Empire (its ruler is named Quintus Sextus and its soldiers are organized in legions). Fortunately, Alera has magical defenses, involving the furies or elementals of water, earth, air, fire and metal, that protect against foes both internal and external. Amara, a young female spy, and her companion, Odiana, go into some of the land's remoter territories to discover if military commander Atticus Quentin is a traitor--another classic trope from ancient Rome. She encounters a troubled young man, Tavi, who has hitherto been concerned mostly with the vividly depicted predatory "herdbanes" that threaten his sheep as well as with his adolescent sexual urges (handled tastefully). Thinking that Amara is an escaping slave, Tavi decides to help her and is immediately sucked in over his head into a morass of intrigues, military, magical and otherwise. Butcher (Storm Front, etc.) does a thorough job of world building, to say nothing of developing his action scenes with an abundance of convincing detail. This page-turner bodes well for future volumes. Agent, Jennifer Jackson at Donald Maass Literary Agency. (Oct. 5) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publisher's Marketing Text:

In the realm of Alera, where people bond with the furies-elementals of earth, air, fire, water, and metal-fifteen-year-old Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. But when his homeland erupts in chaos-when rebels war with loyalists and furies clash with furies-Tavi's simple courage will turn the tides of war.

Girl Stays in the Picture
by Melissa de La Cruz
Published 2009 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781416960966

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Jacket Notes:

If you can't be a mega teen superstar sensation then maybe you'll be lucky enough to join her entourage. Devon -- one name only, please -- is the latest and jail-bait-est pop star to hit number one on the Billboard chart, and she's making her big-screen debut in Juicy. But after her stint in rehab, the studio isn't so sure she's their girl anymore. If they cut any more of her lines, she'll be a silent film actress! Can Devon regain her star status? She needs to watch her back and make sure that flash doesn't catch her causing a scene, and we don't mean the kind you can yell "Cut!" after.Livia has lost the weight and gained the attitude in the Hollywood party scene. Her dad's an Oscar-winning producer, and with a hot Beverly Hills boyfriend on her arm as well as her photos all over the pages of Gosizzle.com, Livia looks like she has a perfect life. But looks can be perfectly deceiving....And there's fresh-faced Casey, who left a job bagging groceries at the Piggly Wiggly to play personal assistant to her best friend...and Devon's rival. She's got the biggest crush on the biggest star of the film -- a hot Brit known for loving and leaving. Will Casey stay true to herself while trying to find a place in his universe?Stars. They're just like us. But what does that mean for the rest of us? Stay tuned, people.

The Chicken Dance (Special)
by Jacques Couvillon
Published 2007 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781599900438

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Jacket Notes:

This achingly funny debut novel takes readers on a laugh-out-loud journey to the place where comedy and tragedy meet, as a young boy who raises chickens discovers his familys secrets. On his birthday, Don Schmidt spends the day waiting patiently for his big surprise--"a cake, presents, maybe a Chinese clown" . . . . But instead, his batty parents get into their monthly argument. This time it's because his mother has to feed the chickens. It ends with her shouting the same thing as always about their Louisiana chicken farm: "I hate it here!"

What follows is Don's journey from obscurity to fame and back again, when he becomes the youngest kid to ever win the Horse Island Dairy Festival chicken-judging contest. Gradually, his mom notices that something strange is going on--everyone knows her son!--but once she realizes that Don has become the town celebrity, she sees that there may be benefits to living on a chicken farm. What she doesn't seem to see are the benefits of having a son like Don.

For Don, the contest is the beginning of a big, big adventure. It involves trips to New Orleans and Baton Rouge, fair weather friends, a missing sister, and one big secret. Readers will cheer for Don, who goes out of his way to see the good in everything.

11/01/2007 School Library Journal

Gr 69A funny, sometimes poignant novel set in the late 1970s. Eleven-year-old Don, a loner, gains local fame when he wins a contest judging chickens based on their wing shape, comb texture, and other exhibition standards. His poultry skills bring him new friends and the first bit of self-confidence he's ever had, but also set him up for surprises and disappointments and accelerate his parents' marital troubles. At the same time, he uncovers hidden truths about his older sister, who supposedly died when he was a baby. Don's matter-of-fact narrative often jumps from one topic to another, while the tone remains consistent whether he's relating humorous conversations with his imaginary brother or sad revelations about his mother's neglect. His town of Horse Island, LA, is a delightfully quirky place in which a grocery store also sells furniture, nearly everyone has alliterative names, and chicken knowledge turns a kid into a celebrity. There aren't many jokes in this novel, but it's funny throughout, and Don is interesting and likable. At the same time, it's a perceptive family story. The mother's antics are wild and the father's passivity is frustrating, but they still ring true, especially in the ways they affect Don. His transformation into a kid who can make a tough decision about his future develops subtly but convincingly. With strong characters, interesting concepts, and a deft comedic touch, this novel should appeal to fans of Louis Sachar and Jack Gantos."Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library, OR" Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Say the Word
by Jeannine Garsee
Published 2009 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781599903330

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Jacket Notes:

After her estranged lesbian mother dies, 17-year-old Shawna Gallagher's anger from being abandoned 10 years before resurfaces. As she confronts family secrets and questions from the past, Shawna realizes there's a difference between doing the perfect thing and doing the right thing. Dredging up the past can knock the present right off balance.The world expects perfection from seventeen-year-old Shawna Gallagher, and for the most part, that's what they get. She dates the right boys, gets good grades, and follows her father's every rule. But when her estranged lesbian mother dies, it's more than perfect Shawna can take. Suddenly, anger from being abandoned ten years ago is resurfacing along with Shawna's embarrassment over her mother's other family. As she confronts family secrets and questions from the past, Shawna realizes there's a difference between doing the perfect thing and doing the right thing. Shawna's honest and relatable voice will draw readers in and hold them until the last page in this coming-of-age story. Jeannine Garsee has delivered a compulsively readable second novel, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Laurie Halse Anderson.

Publishers Weekly 02/23/2009

Garsee's ("Before, After, and Somebody in Between") second novel hits the ground running and doesn't let up. Shawna Gallagher, a high school senior trying to live up to her domineering father's expectations, is awakened one night by a phone call: her estranged mother, who left Shawna and her father years earlier for a woman, Fran, has had a stroke. Following her mother's death, Shawna must confront her feelings about her mother and her own prejudices (she has particular issues with gay people, which are further complicated when her best friend comes out). Shawna's father, learning that one of Fran's sons is in fact his child by Shawna's mother, fights for (and gains) custody of the boyfinally spurring Shawna to defy him. The novel overflows with story lines and plot twistsShawna's romance with her stepbrother (and her father's with her former babysitter), her ailing grandfather and the ridicule she faces in school. Nevertheless, Garsee presents a compelling portrait of a young woman growing up and coping with an overwhelming array of problems. Ages 14up. "(Mar.)" Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

06/01/2009 School Library Journal

Gr 8 UpSeventeen-year-old Shawna Gallagher is the poised daughter of a high-powered physician and a mother who abandoned the family 10 years earlier. Raised to be a fine hostess, excellent student, and future doctor, Shawna finds her "perfect" world unraveling when she gets a fateful phone call from her mother's Jewish lesbian partner, Fran. Shawna's mother has had a stroke and is near death. The teen is thrown into a tumultuous period during which everything she has believedabout herself, her demanding father, her "crazy" mother, her mother's partner, and their familyis open to question. Drawn reluctantly into Fran's family story, Shawna finds herself torn between her father, who is always right and always in control, and these strange people whom she does not want to know, but who somehow speak to her sense of fairness and, even more strangely, family. Shawna's actions seem to bear out her own "split personality," as the consequences of her forbidden involvement with Fran reverberate throughout their lives. Garsee has created an intense, frank novel with fragile, resilient, believable characters. Some relationships almost border on the contrived, but, overall, this is a mature and gripping coming-of-age story."Roxanne Myers Spencer, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green" Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

Truancy Origins
by Isamu Fukui
Published 2009 by Tom Doherty Associates

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780765322623

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Jacket Notes:

Fifteen years ago, the Mayor of the Education City was presented with twin six-month-old boys, but he had no way of knowing that they would change the city forever. One will try to destroy the City--the other will try to stop him. Fifteen years ago, the Mayor of the Education City was presented with an unwelcome surprise by his superiors: twin six-month-old boys. As the Mayor reluctantly accepted the two babies, he had no way of knowing that they would change the city forever....Raised in the comfort of the Mayoral mansion, Umasi and Zen are as different as two brothers can be. Umasi is a good student; Zen an indifferent one. They love their adoptive father, but in a city where education is absolute, even he cannot keep them sheltered from the harsh realities of the school system. But when they discover that their father is responsible for their suffering, affection turns to bitterness. Umasi and Zen are thrust onto two diverging paths. One will try to destroy the City. The other will try to stop him.