Teen Books Red: The Next Generation of American Writers--Teenage Girls--On What Fires Up Their Lives Today by Amy Goldwasser Published 2007 by Hudson Street Press Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781594630408 Find this book in our catalog. Jacket Notes: A strikingly honest, vividly written collection of personal essays by teenage girls, this work offers a glimpse into the lives of todays MySpace generation. While psychologists have tried to explain the teen girl in recent years, no book since "Ophelia Speaks" has given her the opportunity to speak for herself--until now. Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen Published 2008 by Viking Children's Books Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780670010882 Find this book in our catalog. Jacket Notes: Ruby knows that the game is up. For the past few months, she's been on her own, knowing that her mother will probably never return. Bestselling author Dessen explores the heart of a gutsy, complex girl dealing with unforeseen circumstances and learning to trust again. REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 02/18/2008 Dessen (Just Listen) inverts a familiar fairy tale: what if Cinderella got the prince, the castle and all its accoutrements, but wasnt remotely interested? After her mother abandons her, Ruby Cooper is flying below the radar of officialdom and trying to make it to her 18th birthday, when shes busted by the landlord and turned over to social services. Ruby gets taken in by her estranged sister, Cora, who left for college a decade earlier and never looked back, and Coras husband, Jamie, the wealthy founder of a ubiquitous social networking site. Resentful, suspicious and vulnerable, she resists mightily, refusing the risky business of depending on anybody but herself, and wearing the key to her old house around her neck. All the Dessen trademarks are herethe swoon-worthy boy next door who is not what he appears to be; and the supporting characters who force Ruby to rethink her cynical worldview, among them the frazzled owner of a jewelry kiosk at the mall. The author again defines characters primarily through dialogue, and although Ruby and her love interest, Nate, sound wiser than their years, they talk the way teens might want to - from the heart. A must for Dessen fans, it will win her new readers, too. Ages 12-up. The Missing Girl by Norma Fox Mazer Published 2008 by Harperteen Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780066237763 Find this book in our catalog. Jacket Notes: In this suspenseful and compelling story, Newbery Honor author Mazer ("After the Rain") offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a predator. REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 12/17/2007 A stranger stalks the five sisters of a closely knit family in this taut drama. Alternating the viewpoints of the predator, who cultivates the anonymous appearance of "any respectable, ordinary man," and the Herbert girls, who cross his path each day on their way to and from school, Mazer (After the Rain) keeps readers on the edge of their seats with the knowledge that one of the five will be targeted for foul play. Distracted by worries-their father's disabling injury, dwindling funds, and individual problems they face at school-the girls pay little notice to the man and are oblivious to his growing fixation on the youngest sister, 11-year-old Autumn. The author relays her subsequent kidnapping suspensefully yet judiciously, conveying the terror Autumn experiences but only suggesting her actual molestation. Sharply delineated characters, engrossing narrative and Mazer's keen insight into the psychology of both stalker and victim keep the tension ratcheted way, way up. Ages 12-up. (Feb.) 02/01/2008 REVIEW: School Library Journal Gr 7 Up-This well-crafted thriller with mythic undertones plays on contemporary fears of psychopathic pedophiles, child abduction, and sexually motivated murder, but it also offers readers rewards beyond sensationalism. The central characters are five sisters, each with a distinct personality, who-taken as a group-provide a delightful composite. Sensible Beauty, the oldest, is inaptly named and longs for love; wise Mim keeps her own counsel; brave Stevie acts first and thinks later; Fancy is intellectually delayed, but emotionally centered; and Autumn, the youngest, doesn't yet have a sense of self and writes in the second-person singular. As their daily life unfolds, they are watched by today's predatory wolf, a lonely, nameless man who observes the girls with a growing obsession. The story is alternately told from the viewpoints of three of the sisters and the abductor, and much of the suspense comes from readers knowing more than any one character. When the stalker finally makes his move and kidnaps Autumn, the pace and anxiety amp up dramatically. Scenes between the child and her abductor are chilling, and the family's grief and guilt are devastating. But there is also wisdom here, as readers see how the crisis brings out greater depth and capacity in all five girls. It is Autumn, though, who must call on all the qualities "divided up" in her family in order to survive. This riveting story ultimately reassures readers that with determination, forethought, courage, and luck, even the youngest of children can meet overwhelming odds and find their way home again.-Carolyn Lehman, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA The God Box by Alex Sanchez Published 2007 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781416908999 Find this book in our catalog. Jacket Notes: In an unforgettable novel, a Lambda Award-winning author tells the story of Paul, a religious high-school senior whose life is turned upside-down when he meets Manuel, who says hes both Christian and gay--two things Paul didnt think could coexist. 01/01/2008 REVIEW: School Library Journal Gr 9 Up-Conservative, closeted, and a Christian, Paul has a girlfriend and sticks to the straight and narrow in his small Texas town. He's changed his name from Pablo to appear more American, and he keeps his mouth shut when it comes to hot topics, like who is gay and who isn't-until Manuel, who happens to be openly gay and Christian, wanders in on his turf. The new guy slips easily into the high school senior's mostly accepting circle of friends and his Bible-study group. Before he knows it, Paul finds himself spending more and more time around Manuel, who simultaneously bends his heartstrings and his belief system. The results are a boxing-ring-like philosophical and spiritual debate on the intersection of homosexuality and religion. Sanchez's cleverly diverse characterizations, conversational stylings, and sense of humor lighten this potentially daunting theme. Plus, the brewing romance between the pair-not to mention the dissolution of Paul's romance with his loyally lovable girlfriend-keeps the pages turning during even the most excruciatingly detailed Bible-passage battles between the two warring parties. These rightfully thought-provoking debates-most of which happen either in after-school Bible study or between Paul and Manuel-make Sanchez's latest an intense, necessary addition to the burgeoning LGBTQ teen lit canon.-Hillias J. Martin, New York Public Library Updated 4/15/08