When the Black Girl Sings
by Bil Wright
Published 2008 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781416939955

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Lahni Schuler is an African American, and her adoptive parents are white. When she finds out her parents are separating, Lahni finds solace singing in a church choir, which gives her the confidence to compete in her school's vocal competition. Lahni Schuler is the only black student at her private prep school. She's also the adopted child of two loving, but white, parents who are on the road to divorce. Struggling to comfort her mother and angry with her dad, Lahni feels more and more alone. But when Lahni and her mother attend a local church one Sunday, Lahni hears the amazing gospel choir, and her life takes an unexpected turn.It so happens that one of Lahni's teachers, Mr. Faringhelli, has nominated her for a talent competition, and she is expected to perform a song in front of the whole school. Lahni decides to join the church choir to help her become a better singer. But what starts out as a way to practice singing becomes a place of belonging and a means for Lahni to discover her own identity. In this moving book, acclaimed author Bil Wright tells the story of one girl's search to find a home where she truly belongs.

Publishers Weekly 01/21/2008

Wright ("Sunday You Learn How to Box") grabs hold of hard-hitting issues in a realistic and poignant novel that fully commands the audience's attention. Fourteen-year-old Lahni Schuler attempts to come to terms both with her status as the only black student in a school for privileged girls and with the news that her white adoptive parents are separating. This heavily freighted narrative evolves into an inspiring story as Lahni discovers a talent for singing and hidden inner strength. Instead of further dramatizing the negative aspects of Lahni's situation, Wright focuses on his character's efforts to surmount thema strategy that enables readers to feel empowered alongside Lahni. The other major charactersthe passionate gospel choir director, Marcus Delacroix III, and the charismatic soloist, Carietta Chisolmmay look like round, brown, salt and pepper shakers with hair, in blue robes with red satin stoles the first time she sees them at the front of the church where they sing, but they practically jump off the page with their positive energy and purpose, further amplifying the novel's vivacious spirit. In the end, Lahni is still a work in progresswhich, as Wright illustrates, is the point. Ages 12-up. "(Jan.)" Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

01/01/2008 School Library Journal

Gr 69In her eighth-grade year at a private girls' school in Connecticut, African-American Lahni Schuler transitions from feeling like an outsider to achieving self-confidence and self-acceptance. Her adoptive, white parents are separating, and an intimidating white boy is harassing her. Selected to compete for a school music award, Lahni is reluctant to perform or to tell her distracted parents about the competition. When her mother takes her to an interdenominational church, Lahni is captivated by the soulful exuberance of the gospel singing of Carietta Chisholm. She joins the choir and responds to the vocal inspiration of the flamboyant, talented director and organist, Marcus Delacroix III. As Lahni finds her own musical voice, she also begins to accept her parents' divorce, and she confronts her stalker in an outburst of ethnic pride. Lahni is an appealing heroine. Her repartee with insensitive peers, her distress over parental discord, her candid self-assessments, and her attraction to African-American singing ring true. Her white friend, Katie, and a racially mixed cast of supportive adults help Lahni to express her true self. Readers will enjoy the distinctive characters, lively dialogue, and palette of adolescent and racial insecurities in this contemporary, upbeat story."Gerry Larson, Durham School of the Arts, NC" Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

Uninvited
by Amanda Marrone
Published 2007 by Simon Pulse

Paperback, English. ISBN: 9781416939788

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Jacket Notes:

After Jordans boyfriend Michael dumps her and sleeps his way through half the student body, he then kills himself. Only he didnt commit suicide, and hes not dead. Hes a vampire, and he appears at Jordans window every night, begging her to let him in. When rejection comes back to bite you... Jordan's life sucks. Her boyfriend, Michael, dumped her, slept his way through half the student body, and then killed himself. But now, somehow, he appears at her window every night, begging her to let him in. Jordan can't understand why he wants her, but she feels her resistance wearing down. After all, her life -- once a broken record of boring parties, meaningless hookups, and friends she couldn't relate to -- now consists of her drinking alone in her room as she waits for the sun to go down.Michael needs to be invited in before he can enter. All Jordan has to do is say the words....

11/01/2007 School Library Journal

Gr 9 UpJordan is a wreck. Toying with the need for rehab, she is coming to terms with the fact that she is becoming known as the school slut when under the influence. To make matters worse, she spends her nights awake in her bedroom, terrified because her dead ex-boyfriendnow a vampireis outside begging to be invited in. Her self-esteem drops low enough that she actually weighs the merits of joining the ranks of the undead. Vampire novels have timeless appeal for teens, and, without being heavy-handed or didactic, Marrone raises the bar by creating a protagonist who has an effective self-realization of moral issues. "Uninvited" is a fast-paced vampire novel with soul."Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL" Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Jumped
by Rita Williams-Garcia
Published 2009 by Amistad Press

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780060760915

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An acclaimed Coretta Scott King Honor author delivers a fast-paced, gritty narrative about the intertwined lives of three girls during one violent day in an urban high school. Told with refreshing honesty, this is an insightful look at high school dynamics and a revealing portrait of bullying. The wrong angle Trina: "Hey," I say, though I don't really know them. The boyed-up basketball girl barely moves. The others, her girls, step aside. It's okay if they don't speak. I know how it is. They can't all be Trina. Dominique: Some stupid little flit cuts right in between us and is like, "Hey." Like she don't see I'm here and all the space around me is mines. I slam my fist into my other hand because she's good as jumped. Leticia: Why would I get involved in Trina's life when I don't know for sure if I saw what I thought I saw? Who is to say I wasn't seeing it from the wrong angle? Acclaimed author Rita Williams-Garcia intertwines the lives of three very different teens in this fast-paced, gritty narrative about choices and the impact that even the most seemingly insignificant ones can have. Weaving in and out of the girls' perspectives, readers will find themselves not with one intimate portrayal but three.

Publishers Weekly 02/02/2009

Alternating among the perspectives of three girls at an urban high school, Williams-Garcia ("Like Sisters on the Homefront") shows once again her uncanny ability to project unique voices. Benched by the basketball coach for her low grades, Dominique is trying to bite back her rage when some stupid little flit comes skipping down B corridor like the Easter Bunny.... Skipping. In all that pink and walks between Dominique and her girls, like she don't see I'm here and all the space around me is mines. That's itDominique vows to kick her ass at exactly 2:45. Her intended victim, Trinaalready full of herself over her looks, and pumped up because she's about to hang her latest masterpiece of art in a hallway)does not hear, but Leticia does, and she can't wait to tell her best friend (That would be something to see.... Trina getting stomped on school grounds). And when Leticia's friend argues that Leticia ought to warn Trina, the plot quickens rather than taking a simple path around should-she/shouldn't-she. So well observed that the characters seem to leap off the page, the novel leaves a strong and lingering impact. Ages 12up. "(Mar.)" Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

03/01/2009 School Library Journal

Gr 810All Leticia wants to do is to mind her own business. She's too busy stewing about being assigned to early-morning math tutoring to worry about anyone else's problems. Sure, she's intrigued when she overhears bad-girl basketball player Dominique threaten to beat up bubbly, self-obsessed Trina for bumping her in the hallwaywho wouldn't be excited to get the inside scoop on juicy gossip like a girl-on-girl fight after school? But she doesn't feel the need to get involved, even after she realizes that Trina didn't hear Dominique's threats and thus has no idea that she's going to get jumped. Will she follow best friend Bea's advice and warn Trina of the danger she faces, before a potential tragedy can unfold? In alternating chapters narrated by Leticia, Trina, and Dominique, Williams-Garcia has given her characters strong, individual voices that ring true to teenage speech, and she lets them make their choices without judgment or moralizing. Even the hostile, defensive Dominique is drawn in an evenhanded way that leaves this thought-provoking tale without a clear-cut villain. Teens will relate to Leticia's dilemma even as they may criticize her motives, and the ethical decision she faces will get readers thinking about the larger issues surrounding community, personal responsibility, and the concept of "snitching.""Meredith Robbins, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School, New York City" Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.Gr 810All Leticia wants to do is to mind her own business. She's too busy stewing about being assigned to early-morning math tutoring to worry about anyone else's problems. Sure, she's intrigued when she overhears bad-girl basketball player Dominique threaten to beat up bubbly, self-obsessed Trina for bumping her in the hallwaywho wouldn't be excited to get the inside scoop on juicy gossip like a girl-on-girl fight after school? But she doesn't feel the need to get involved, even after she realizes that Trina didn't hear Dominique's threats and thus has no idea that she's going to get jumped. Will she follow best friend Bea's advice and warn Trina of the danger she faces, before a potential tragedy can unfold? In alternating chapters narrated by Leticia, Trina, and Dominique, Williams-Garcia has given her characters strong, individual voices that ring true to teenage speech, and she lets them make their choices without judgment or moralizing. Even the hostile, defensive Dominique is drawn in an evenhanded way that leaves this thought-provoking tale without a clear-cut villain. Teens will relate to Leticia's dilemma even as they may criticize her motives, and the ethical decision she faces will get readers thinking about the larger issues surrounding community, personal responsibility, and the concept of "snitching.""Meredith Robbins, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School, New York City" Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

The Demon's Lexicon
by Sarah Rees Brennan
Published 2009 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781416963790

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Jacket Notes:

Sixteen-year-old Nick and his brother, Alan, are always on the run from the deadly magicians who use demons to work their magic. Alan is Nick's partner in demon slaying and the only person he trusts. So things get very scary when Nick begins to suspect that everything Alan has told him about their past is a complete lie. Nick and his brother, Alan, have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered, and their mother was driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick's mother stole -- a charm that keeps her alive -- and they want it badly enough to kill again. Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to the Ryves family for help. The boy wears a demon's mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase...and when Alan also gets marked by a demon, Nick is des-perate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so long.Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspect that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians' Circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.This is the Demon's Lexicon. Turn the page.

Nightschool, Volume 1: The Weirn Books
by Svetlana Chmakova
Published 2009 by Yen Press

Paperback, English. ISBN: 9780759528598

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Jacket Notes:

Normal schools may close for the night, but the Nightschool offers an education for a very different crowd--vampires, demons, and weirns, a special breed of witches. When Alex, a young weirn, enrolls to learn what has become of her sister, will she be prepared for what she finds there? NIGHTSCHOOL answers the age-old question: Where do demons get their diplomas? Schools may close for the night and the lights may be off, but the classes still run. The Nightschool is education for a different crowd -- vampires, demons and weirns, a special breed of witches. When Alex, a young weirn, enrolls in a Nightschool to learn what has become of her sister, will she be prepared for what she finds there?

Killer Pizza
by Greg Taylor
Published 2009 by Feiwel & Friends

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780312373795

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Jacket Notes:

When Toby McGill lands the perfect summer job at a place called Killer Pizza, there's more to cooking than just pies. Toby and his friends are shocked when they find out the shop is a front for an underground monster-hunting organization. Pizza you'll "die "for! Toby McGill dreams of becoming a world-famous chef, but up until now, his only experience has been watching the Food Network. When Toby lands a summer job at Killer Pizza, where pies like "The Monstrosity "and "The Frankensausage "are on the menu, things seem perfect. His coworkers, Annabel and Strobe, are cool, and Toby loves being part of a team. But none of them are prepared for what's really going on at Killer Pizza: It's a front for a monster-hunting organization! Learning to cook pizzas is one thing, but killing hideously terrifying monsters? That's a whole other story. Still, if Toby quits Killer Pizza, will monsters take over his town?

Publishers Weekly 06/15/2009

In screenwriter Taylor's entertaining, if ephemeral, debut novel and B-movie takeoff, 14-year-old Toby Magill gets a summer job at the new Killer Pizza franchise in town (specialties include the Fangtastic Hawaiian and Vampire Stakes), where he hopes to hone his own cooking skills to fulfill his dream of becoming a famous chef. After a few enjoyable weeks, he and his fellow employees, the intelligent Annabel and the gruff Strobe, learn that Killer Pizza is a front for a secret organization that hunts monsters. The teens soon embark on a training course to become Monster Combat Officers, learning the ways of the strange creatures known as guttatas that are terrorizing their small town. Taylor keeps the action coming at a brisk pace, though there's never a real sense of true dangereven the teens mutated by the guttatas in the opening scenes are rescued. Older readers might question some plot holes (not to mention the idea of recruiting young kids to fight monsters), but most will find the book a fun diversion. Ages 1014. "(June)" Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

Along for the Ride
by Sarah Dessen
Published 2009 by Viking Children's Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780670011940

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Following her parents' bitter divorce, Auden has the chance to spend the summer with her dad and his new family in a charming beach town. There she meets Eli, and together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree life she's been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend. Itas been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parentsa divorceaor since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live. A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life sheas been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend. In her signature pitch-perfect style, Sarah Dessen explores the hearts of two lonely people learning to connect.

Publishers Weekly 04/27/2009

Studious good girl Auden, named for the poet, makes a snap decision to spend her summer before college at her father's beach house rather than with her mother, a professor whose bad habits include male grad students. Auden's parents divorced three years earlier, a split she's not yet over. Her remarried father has already produced another heir, a colicky baby named Thisbe (after a tragic figure from Shakespeare), with his young wife, Heidi, who owns a boutique. Feeling sympathy for stressed-out Heidi, Auden agrees to do the shop's bookkeeping, providing her with an instant social circlethe teenage clerks plus the boys from the neighboring bike rental, including hunky, wounded Eli. Both night owls, Auden and Eli bond when he coaxes her to experience childhood activitiesbowling, food fights, learning to ride a bikethat her insufferable parents never bothered to provide. Auden's thoughtful observations make for enjoyable readingthis is solid if not top shelf Dessen: another summer of transformation in which the heroine learns that growing up means propelling yourself forward, into whatever lies ahead, one turn of the wheel at a time. Ages 12up. "(June)" Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

06/01/2009 School Library Journal

Gr 8 UpIt's the summer before college and Auden goes to her father's house in the small coastal town of Colby for some well-earned R&R. Having no plans other than to preread textbooks for her first-semester classes at Defriese University, the would-be bookworm's solitude is quickly disrupted by Thisbe, her colicky new half sister. Strolling the boardwalk with a fussy baby and late night coffee runs at the Gas/Gro lead to chance encounters with the locals, whose main pastime revolves around Colby's bike park. Auden's curiosity is piqued by Eli, a bike-shop worker whose reserved, solitary nature seems to match her own. Her social sphere widens when Heidi, her sleep-deprived stepmom, asks for some bookkeeping help in her fashion boutique, and Auden is drawn into the circle of girls who work and hang out there, including Maggie, the clerk also bound for Defriese in September, and sidekicks Leah and Esther. Auden joins in on evening rituals of "store-going," eating junk food, and house parties while keeping her budding relationship with Eli to herself. Even Dessen's minor characters are multifaceted and interesting. Readers will be most absorbed by Auden and Eli's romantic friendship, the type soul mates are born of, played out in the bike shop, Colby's all-night Laundromat, and coffee shops. This summer vacation-themed story will be savored."Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY" Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

Slob
by Ellen Potter
Published 2009 by Philomel Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780399247057

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Jacket Notes:

Twelve-year-old Owen Birnbaum is the fattest kid in school. But heas also a genius who invents cool contraptionsa like a TV that shows the past. Something happened two years ago that he needs to see. But genius or not, there is much Owen canat outthink. Like his gym coach, whoas on a mission to humiliate him. Or the way his Oreos keep disappearing from his lunch. Heas sure that if he can only get the TV to work, things will start to make sense. But it will take a revelation for Owen, not science, to see the answeras not in the past, but the present. That no matter how large he is on the outside, he doesnat have to feel small on the inside. With her trademark humor, Ellen Potter has created a larger-than-life character and story whose weight is immense when measured in heart.

Kissing Booth
by Lexie Hill
Published 2009 by Scholastic

Mass Market Paperbound, English. ISBN: 9780545078658

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Jacket Notes:

Lisi has never been kissed. Sure, she could practice on her guy friend, Johnny, but he's like a brother to her! So when it comes time to pick a theme for the Spring Carnival booth, Lisi suggests a "Kissing Booth," hoping it will give her the chance to get a cheek-kiss from her crush, the handsome, popular Brett. But on the day of the carnival, as rumors fly and kisses are stolen, Lisi discovers that the person she should really kiss may have been right in front of her all along.

04/01/2009 School Library Journal

Gr 79How can Lisi win the sought-after first prize at the annual spring carnival andmost importantlyscore a kiss from her crush, Brett? The answer is a kissing booth, of course. Only Lisi's best friend since second grade, Mo, knows that the girl would love for Brett to change her "NBK" (never been kissed) status, but since Mo returned from spring break with a hip new look, she has inexplicably avoided her old pal. This pits Lisi and her other two friends, outlandishly flirtatious Bella and mellow, wannabe-filmmaker Johnny, against Mo and her new clique, the "fly girls" (Northside High's answer to cheerleaders). Readers may find themselves drawn into this fast-paced tale, but the predictable plot and an over-the-top confession scene at the end will most likely disappoint. Sophomoric language interspersed with IM/text language and acronyms yield tedious results. The underdeveloped characters fall into one of two categories: annoying and unlikable, or one-dimensional, and may leave readers wondering about their motivations."Tara Kehoe, Plainsboro Public Library, NJ" Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

Freaked
by J T Dutton
Published 2009 by Harper Teen

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780061370793

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Jacket Notes:

In this masterful coming-of-age story, Scotty Loveletter's passion for the Grateful Dead is really a metaphor for finding something to believe in when nothing else is working and discovering what his life is really all about. At a grateful dead concert you need: Acid: two windowpanes taped to chest

"checked" Tape deck for recording shows

"Checked" Wad of cash

"Checked " PB&J sandwiches for the munchies

"Missing " Tickets to the show

"Missing " .45 handgun

"What? " Scotty Loveletter is in big trouble. He's about to be expelled from school, but all he cares about is getting to Freedom to see Jerry Garcia--even though he doesn't have tickets. But if dedicating his life to Jerryism has taught him anything, Scotty knows he's got to keep on trucking and smile, smile, smile. In a stunning debut novel, J. T. Dutton crafts a brilliant story about an unforgettable teen finding himself in the music of one of the world's most beloved bands.

06/01/2009 School Library Journal

Gr 10 UpThis debut novel takes place over 24 hours in 1993, as sophomore Scotty Loveletter makes his way from Stillwater Academy in Connecticut to a Grateful Dead concert in nearby Freedom, NY. He and his drug-dealing roommate start out together, but then Todd abandons him in Grand Central Station, and he makes his way on his own. Subplots involving Scotty's unresolved emotions for his soon-to-be ex-stepfather and his collapsing friendship with Todd (symbolized by a handgun the boys wield with impunity) add tension but ultimately go nowhere. Pervasive drug use and references, raw language, and some callous references to homosexuality make this title appropriate only for older teens. However, they may not relate to the Dead Head culture, particularly references to Jerry Garcia's allure, song lyrics, and bootleg tapes. Most troublingly, the novel glorifies drug culture and Scotty's irresponsible ways. He claims to seek the "karmic serenity" of Jerry Garcia, but he belittles, frightens, or inconveniences everyone he meets along the way. "Freaked" aims to be a "Catcher in the Rye" at a Dead show, but unfortunately this long, strange trip is just a muddle."Amy Pickett, Ridley High School, Folsom, PA" Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

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

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781599903330

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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.

Royal Blood
by Ellen Schreiber
Published 2009 by Harper Teen

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780061288876

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Jacket Notes:

Summer break is over, and it's time for Raven to return to Dullsville High, ending her romantic nights with vampire boyfriend Alexander. When Raven is invited to meet Alexander's parents, the next turn of events could change everything, for all eternity. Summer break is over, and Raven is hardly eager to be returning to Dullsville High. Not only does school mean daily interaction with preppy pest Trevor Mitchell, but her sleep-filled days and romantic nights with her immortal boyfriend, Alexander, must come to an end. Plus the shock of morning classes isn't the only change in store. An unexpected letter turns up at Alexander's mansion--announcing his parents will be coming to town. And once they arrive, just about everyone has had a sighting of the macabre couple except Raven. What could be delaying Alexander from introducing Raven to them? Could Alexander be hiding something about his parents' homecoming? When Raven is finally invited to the most thrilling dinner party of her life, the next turn of events could transform her entire future with Alexander. The sixth book in Ellen Schreiber's bestselling Vampire Kisses series takes an unusual twist in the continuing romance of Raven and Alexander.