Wintergirls
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Published 2009 by Viking Books

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School Library Journal:

Gr 8 Up The intensity of emotion and vivid language here are more reminiscent of Anderson's "Speak" (Farrar, 1999) than any of her other works. Lia and Cassie had been best friends since elementary school, and each developed her own style of eating disorder that leads to disaster. Now 18, they are no longer friends. Despite their estrangement, Cassie calls Lia 33 times on the night of her death, and Lia never answers. As events play out, Lia's guilt, her need to be thin, and her fight for acceptance unravel in an almost poetic stream of consciousness in this startlingly crisp and pitch-perfect first-person narrative. The text is rich with words still legible but crossed out, the judicious use of italics, and tiny font-size refrains reflecting her distorted internal logic. All of the usual answers of specialized treatment centers, therapy, and monitoring of weight and food fail to prevail while Lia's cleverness holds sway. What happens to her in the end is much less the point than traveling with her on her agonizing journey of inexplicable pain and her attempt to make some sense of her life. Carol A. Edwards, Denver Public Library Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. 

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School Library Journal:

Gr 7-10 In the mid-1970s, when her engineer father loses his job and leaves India to look for employment in America, 16-year old Asha; her 17-year old sister, Reet; and their mother move in with their uncle's family in Calcutta. Beautiful Reet attracts many suitors, and her uncle soon begins to look for a suitable marriage proposal. But impulsive Asha, who promised her father that she would take good care of her sister, manages to publicly humiliate the first serious candidate. Asha hopes to become a psychologist, but her aspirations are curtailed by her lack of finances and concern about the family's reputation. She finds solace writing in her diary, the "secret keeper," on the roof of the house. Here she befriends Jay, who watches her from a window in the house next door. He wants to become a painter and, to Asha's surprise, he takes a liking to her. Since conventions would not allow them to meet in public, he draws her portrait from a distance. Well-developed characters, funny dialogue, and the authentic depiction of spunky Asha's longing for romance and female self-determination, set in a culture that restrains women's choices, make this book an attractive pick for teenage girls. In the end, a surprising sacrifice by Asha demonstrates her emotional maturity and her love for her sister. Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. 

Publishers Weekly:

With the Traveling Pants series all wrapped up, Brashares introduces a new group of BFFs and addresses a slightly younger crowd. Living in the same town as the semilegendary Sisterhood girls, Ama, Polly and Jo have tried to share a pair of jeans and settled on a joint-property scarf (plus an induction ceremony), but their rituals are lame, and so, they suspect, is their trio. Only socially backward Polly thinks she'll miss the others when all three disperse the summer before high school. In typical Brashares fashion, each girl faces unexpected tribulations: intellectually ambitious Ama, who is afraid of heights, has won a spot in a prestigious scholarship program which sends her mountain climbing. Jo, newly told that her parents are divorcing, submerges her feelings in the excitement of being friends with a popular girl and having an older boyfriendor so she thinks. Polly, sold out by Jo in the pursuit of cool, learns that her single mom is alcoholic. Fans will like the tidiness in the controlling metaphor, willow tree cuttings planted after a third-grade project, and for all the fidelity to formula, Brashares gets her characters emotions and interactions just right. Ages 12up. "(Jan.)" Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. 

School Library Journal

Gr 7- Up  Lebanese-Australian Jamilah has two lives. At school she is blond-haired, blue-eyed (thanks to contact lenses) Jamie. At home she is Jamilah, a rebellious, but dutiful, daughter of a strict, widowed father. She keeps both her Muslim and Lebanese identities a secret at her high school because the most popular students make fun of anyone who is even vaguely "ethnic." The warm, nurturing nature of her home life (even with its limitations) is often contrasted to the cold environment in the homes of some of her friends. Not surprisingly, over the course of the book, her perspective changes. By the end, Jamilah decides to be herself in a very public and satisfying way. Fans of Abdel-Fattah's "Does My Head Look Big in This?" (Scholastic, 2007) will snap this title up, but the book will also appeal to teens who like stories about outsiders finding their place in the world."Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH" Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information 

 School Library Journal:

Gr 8 - Up  Nicole, a high school senior, falls in love with Zin the first time she sees him dance at a New York City club. But Zin is keeping a terrible secret, one that won't allow him to love her, or any mortal, for he is a Jiang Shi, one of a select few who have survived for centuries by absorbing the souls of the dying. So now Nicole must decide whether to be turned or to live out her mortal life. But immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be. And even the Jiang Shi have enemies. The romantic tension builds steadily as Nic's soulful relationship with Zin gains momentum and she is confronted with the startling realities of his existence. Peppered with sometimes strong language and vivid descriptions of the moves performed by the Toprocks (the break-dancing group to which she and Zin both belong), Nic's narration is believable, honest, and riveting. This darkly compelling read will find a niche with teens who like their fantasy well seasoned with the gritty reality of life, from the glitzy flash of the club scene to the darker, crueler side of survival on the streets. Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal:

Gr 5-7 Postapocalyptic fiction and faeries seem an unlikely combination. However, Simner weaves these strands together to produce a thought-provoking and thrilling story about a girl at war with herself and her own magical abilities. In her world, the cities are dead, and the towns and villages have reverted to a preindustrial farming economy. Society has been devastated by a war between humans and faeries. The natural world has turned against people and exhibits a malign intelligence that it uses to ensnare unwary humans. As the story opens, Liza, 15, tells of how her baby sister, who showed the clear hair strands of those with faerie powers, is left on a hillside by her father and killed by wild animals. After her death, Liza's mother leaves the family. When Liza realizes that she is able to see into the past and the future, she runs away to avoid hurting anyone else with her powers. She is joined by her neighbor Matthew, who turns out to have magical abilities of his own. Together they undertake a perilous journey as they search for Liza's mother, and, in the process, gain a greater understanding of the war and the possibility of a new beginning. Simner perfectly captures the sense of danger with her stark prose and ratchets up the tension as readers slowly begin to unravel the terrible truth of what happened to the land of Faerie during the war. The characters are well drawn, and the resolution is deftly handled, being both satisfying and firmly grounded in Liza's emotional reality. Fans of Lois Lowry's trilogy, which includes "The Giver" (Houghton, 1993), will thoroughly enjoy this novel. Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. 

Jacket Notes:

"Mr. Cruse, how high would you like to fly?" A smile soared across my face. "As high as I possibly can." Pilot-in-training Matt Cruse and Kate de Vries, expert on high-altitude life-forms, are invited aboard the "Starclimber," a vessel that literally climbs its way into the cosmos. Before they even set foot aboard the ship, catastrophe strikes: Kate announces she is engaged--and not to Matt. Despite this bombshell, Matt and Kate embark on their journey into space, but soon the ship is surrounded by strange and unsettling life-forms, and the crew is forced to combat devastating mechanical failure. For Matt, Kate, and the entire crew of the "Starclimber," what began as an exciting race to the stars has now turned into a battle to save their lives. Award-winning and bestselling author Kenneth Oppel brings us back to a rich world of flight and fantasy in this breathtaking new sequel to "Airborn" and "Skybreaker."  

 School Library Journal:

Gr 8 Up This sequel to "Dead Is the New Black" (Harcourt, 2008) follows Daisy and her family, residents of Nightshade, CA, where the murder of a popular teacher has the town on alert. The underground "City Council" that governs all things supernatural is working on solving the crime along with Daisy's mom, a well-known psychic. The teen is learning how to use her new powers inherited from her mom and is bonding with her sisters. Trouble is brewing in the local shape-shifter community, but no one will tell Daisy what is going on. Then, during prom, the killer is revealed. A third book will clear up some loose ends. This paranormal teen drama is a quick, light read and is similar to Ellen Schreiber's "Vampire Kisses" series (HarperCollins). Fun for reluctant readers, but not satisfying for readers of more epic series like Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" (Little, Brown)."Corinda J. Humphrey, Los Angeles Public Library" Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.