Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Maberry, Jonathan. (2011). Rot & Ruin. NY: Simon & Schuster.
ISBN: 978-1442402331
Awards/Honors: ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2011)
Bram Stoker Award Nominee (Novel, 2010)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Survival, Confidence, Friends, Family, Evil Humans, Orphans
Genre: Horror
Annotation: Tom Imura is a post apocalypse samurai who wields his sword with compassion and vicious accuracy. He and his kid brother, Benny, fight against evil humans, and the zombies that now amble freely.
Summary: This story is set in the future after some unknown catastrophe caused people to re-awaken after death into flesh eating zombies. Chaos ensued, leaving the planet mostly rot and ruin - zombie infested areas outside protected towns. Benny Imura is 15 and looking for a job so his rations don't get cut, just like all his friends. After searching around, he finally agrees to be his older brother's apprentice bounty hunter - for zombies. Benny hates his brother and thinks him a coward for running away when he should have saved their mom from becoming a zombie. What he learns with Tom in the rot and ruin slowly changes this perception. The bounty hunters he used to think were heroes turn out to be evil kidnappers, murderers, and facilitators of an awful place called Game Land. Game Land is where they take the kidnapped children, give them a club or stick, put them in pits with zombies, and gamble on who will win. Tom, Benny, Nix, and the crazy lost girl band together to put an end to Charlie Pink-Eye's band of marauders.
Evaluation: I loved this book. That said, there were some long winded preachy parts and Tom was unbelievable patient with impudent little Benny, but the rest of the book's greatness more than makes up for any minor faults.

Cruise Control by Terry Trueman

Trueman, Terry. (2004). Cruise Control. NY: HarperTeen.
ISBN: 978-0066239606
Bibliographic Usefulness: Anger, Violence, Divorce, Absentee Father, Sports, Disability
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Paul McDaniel is angry. He's angry at the unfairness of the world; that he should be strong, but his brother has severe cerebral palsy and can't walk or talk. Mostly though, Paul's anger is directed at his father who wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning poem about Shawn after he left the family.
Summary: Paul McDaniel is the best player on his basketball team, gets straight A's, and has a serious anger problem. He lives with his mom, sister, and brother Shawn, who has severe cerebral palsy. Paul, who deeply loves his brother (even though he calls him a "veg"), resents his father for abandoning him and for escaping the day-to-day realities of living with a profoundly disabled family member.
Most of Paul's anger is due to his father's leaving and then using Shawn as a prop for his writing career. Paul, though smart and talented, is filled with a rage that comes out in violent bursts. For example, he pummels a man for almost hitting a girl in a crosswalk, and is quick to anger with those around him. His best friend Tim also has problems with violence and gets thrown in jail for beating up his step-dad for hitting his mom. This shows Paul what could happen to him if he continues with his violent ways. Throughout the story, Paul's reigning question is how he can pursue happiness while his brother is suffering and his mom and sister are stuck caring for him? Paul's conflicts continue until his mom finally tells him the truth about why his father left - she asked him to.
Evaluation: This is a companion title to Stuck in Neutral which is from the perspective of Shawn, the brother with cerebral palsy. I haven't read that one, so feel I missed out a little, especially since Stuck in Neutral is supposedly the better of the two. However, Paul's frustration with his situation and the violent ways he deals with his anger are portrayed well.

Hanging on to Max by Margaret Bechard

Bechard, Margaret. (2003) Hanging on to Max. NY: Simon Pulse.
ISBN: 978-0689862687
Awards/Honors: ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2003)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2005.04|Read ‘Em & Weep, 2005)
Iowa Teen Award Nominee (2005-2006)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2003)
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2002)
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee (2005)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Teen Pregnancy, Teen Father, Adoption, Responsibility
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: When Sam's girlfriend decides she can't handle the responsibility of being a teen mom, Sam steps up. He takes on the role of single father along with that of student, but can he handle giving up his now very complicated life?
Summary: Sam Pettigrew is 17 and a father. When Sam's girlfriend decides she can't handle the responsibility and sacrifice of raising a child, Sam decides to raise Max on his own. All of the sudden he goes from planning college and trying out for the football team to changing diapers and feeding schedules. He also starts going to an alternative high school that provides day care. Here he is surrounded by teen mothers, and one in particular, Claire, that he makes a connection with. Sam, who gets almost no support from his family, gets to compare his situation to that of Claire's, who has help from her mom and sister. The pressure and chaos of his life catches up to him one day when Max has to be rushed to the emergency room for a bad cut on his hand. This makes Sam look at what is best for Max, and for himself, with new eyes. Although Sam loves Max very much, he decides to give him up for adoption.
Evaluation: A quick but interesting read. I found the book emotionally honest and heart wrenching at the same time. This certainly falls under the category of problem novel, but looks at the hard choice of adoption - it is not a neatly tied ending and I like that.

Side Effects by Amy Goldman Koss

Koss, Amy Goldman. (2006). Side Effects. NY: Roaring Brook Press.
ISBN: 978-1596432949
Awards/Honors: ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2007)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Cancer, Chemotherapy, Death, Friends, Family, Survival
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Izzy Miller is 15 when she is diagnosed with cancer. While dealing with chemotherapy, scared parents, fake friends, puking, and going bald, Izzy maintains her sardonic sense of humor.
Summary: After recovering from a minor illness, Izzy notices that her glands are still really swollen. A visit to her doctor sets in motion the life changing diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma: cancer. Sent to the Children’s Hospital in L.A., Izzy meets kids with sickle cell, leukemia, lymphoma and other diseases. Koss details Izzy's chemo regimen and the side effects thereof; nausea, hair loss, cold sores, etc. While Izzy deals with her sickness, the people around her also react. Her mother can only cry, her father fixates on remission statistics, and some classmates react with cruelty. Her best friend Kay is angry, but stays by her side and her Aunt Lucy manages to stay level headed through the ordeal. Readers know from the beginning that Izzy is going to live, but we live through this trying (both emotionally and physically) part of life with her.
Evaluation: This is a quick read, but gets to the heart of a serious illness. I did enjoy the banal realness of Izzy, and I say banal because she is just trying to live a normal teen existance but cannot because of things beyond her control. Izzy also uses humor to help alleviate the fear in herself and the fear of those around her.

Alex Van Helsing: Vampire Rising by Jason Henderson

Henderson, Jason. (2010). Alex Van Helsing: Vampire Rising. NY: HarperTeen.
ISBN: 978-0061950995
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Friends, Bullies, Action
Genre: Fantasy
Annotation: Alex Van Helsing, it turns out, is a vampire slayer. At his new boarding school in Switzerland, vampires abound and he is quickly swept up into the battle.
Summary: Alex Van Helsing is 14 and has just started a new school in Switzerland. He got kicked out of his old school and is hoping for a fresh start. However, he is not so lucky. His roommates are bullies and on his first night there manages to accidentally kill a mysterious woman in the woods. The woman did attack him first and she did have huge fangs and she did puff up in smoke after Alex stabbed her with a fallen branch. This is just the beginning of a new life for Alex, but not the fresh start he was hoping for. One night Alex sees his teacher leave on a motorcycle and he follows him to the heart of the forest. Here, Alex
learns the truth about his name and that he truly is a vampire slayer. When two of Alex's friends are kidnapped by the blood sucking fiends, Alex must join forces with the Polidorium, a secret military like group seeking vampires, to save them. Intertwined in the plot are references to Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, John Polidori, and other past writers.
Evaluation: This is a fast and action packed read. None of the characters stand out as incredibly deep or well developed, but none-the-less, a fun read. The addition of some true history (and then the manipulation thereof) of Lord Byron and friends certainly adds to the appeal of the story.

Godless by Pete Hautman

Hautman, Pete. (2004). Godless. NY: Simon & Schuster.
ISBN: 978-0689862786
Awards/Honors: National Book Award (Young People's Literature, 2004)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2005)
Minnesota Book Awards (2005.01a|Young Adult Fiction and Poetry Winner, 2005)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (Religion: Relationship with the Divine, 2007)
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee (2007)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Religion, Faith, Bullies, Friends, Catholicism, Atheism
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: In one boy's rebellion against his parents Catholicism and quest for faith, a new religion is formed, a creation story written, a God chosen, and a congregation gathered. But then things begin to go wrong and people get hurt.
Summary: Jason Bock, a teen being raised in a Catholic family, is sick and tired of the church. In a streak of rebellion and religious questioning, he and some friends create their own religion. Their religion begins with the Ocean being God, the creator. From which came the town's water tower, a small effigy created to be the Eyes and the Ears of the Ocean. The teen's religion, Chutengodianism, continues to grow. Shin begins writing a bible, and ends up becoming the most devout and serious follower. The group comes up with ceremonies and commandments also. Finally, the families and friends of the group, and even the law, gets involved when things start to get out of hand and dangerous.
Evaluation: I absolutely loved the premise of this book and have been looking forward to reading it for a long time. I think it is a great look at organized religion, for good and bad, and the questions young people have on the subject.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Forman, Gayle. (2009). If I Stay. NY: Dutton Juvenile.
ISBN: 978-0525421030
Awards/Honors: ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2010)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2010)
Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults (2010)
South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee (2010-2011)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Death, Grief, Music, Love, Family, Finding Hope, Car Accident
Annotation: Mia lies in a coma after a horrific car accident that kills her parents and younger brother. She knows that it is up to her whether she lives or dies. Mia's life was wonderful, but can it still be?
Summary: This is the story of Mia, a young girl shaped by music and the cello she plays so well, as she struggles with the choice to live or die. After a horrific car accident that kills her parents and younger brother, Mia remains alive, but is outside her body and able to see and hear what is going on. As her physical body lies in a coma, Mia reflects on her life, weighing the benefits of staying with those of going. Brought into the picture are her best friend, her boyfriend, grandparents, and other family members and friends. Everything these people do and say affect Mia’s choice and how she feels.
Evaluation: Mia is a smart, talented girl and as she reflects on her life with honest feeling we are easily carried along. The backbone of this story is terribly sad, but the flashbacks forever remind us of the joy in Mia’s life.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Westerfeld, Scott. (2005). Uglies. NY: Simon Pulse.
ISBN: 978-0689865381
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Survival, Betrayal, Secrets, Manipulation
Genre: Science Fiction
Awards/Honors: Golden Duck, Hal Clement Award for Young Adult (2006)
James Tiptree, Jr. Award Long List (2005)
New York Times bestseller (Fiction, 2005)
VA Readers Choice Book (2008)
South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee (2007-2008)
Texas Lone Star Book (2006-2007)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2006)
Garden State Book Award (Teen Fiction Grades 6-8, 2008)
Ditmar Shortlist (Novel, 2006)
Florida Teens Read (2007-2008)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (Books That Don’t Make You Blush, 2006)
Iowa Teen Award Nominee (2007-2008)
Aurealis Award Finalist (YA Novel, 2005)
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2005)
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee (2007)
Abraham Lincoln Award Winner (2007)
Prix Ado-Lisant (2009)
Annotation: Tally Youngblood can't wait for her 16th birthday so she can finally have surgery to be pretty like everyone else. But then she meets Shay, who doesn't want to be a pretty and runs away. Now the authorities want Tally to find and betray Shay before they will let her become a pretty.
Summary: In a future where everyone has surgery to become beautiful, Tally Youngblood is looking forward to her 16th birthday and to finally becoming a “pretty”. Then she meets Shay, also 16, who decides to stay an “ugly”. Shay ends up running away to live with other rebel uglies in a hidden encampment. Tally is disappointed to lose a friend, but remains eager to have her surgery and join her old friend Peris in New Pretty Town. However, authorities discover Tally’s connection to Shay and demand she follow her to the hidden town and betray her, and everyone else. While in the Rusty Ruins, Tally learns the truth about becoming a “pretty”, but what can she do?
Evaluation: I was really excited to read this book because I had heard SO MANY good things about it, and I love Science Fiction. Perhaps because of all the hype, it didn't quite live up to my expectations; however, the premise of Tally's story is very cool. Teens will relate to the desire to be beautiful and repelled by what is really going on.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Cashore, Kristin. (2008). Graceling. NY: Harcourt Children's Books.
ISBN: 978-0152063962
Awards/Honors: Amelia Bloomer List (2009)
Andre Norton Award Finalist (2008)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2009)
William C. Morris YA Debut Finalist (2009)
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award (Children's Literature, 2009)
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2008)
Locus Recommended Reading (First Novel, 2008)
Locus Nominee (First Novel, 2009, 6)
SIBA Book Award (Young Adult, 2009)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Independence, Moral Integrity, Survival, Love, Strong Female
Genre: Fantasy
Annotation: At eight, Katsa was able to kill full grown men with a single blow. Now, at 16, she takes fate into her own hands to escape the evil king making her kill and save the kingdom from his tyrannical reign.
Summary: Katsa has been blessed with a powerful “Grace”: an extreme and often feared skill. Her Grace makes her almost invincible, but she is in the service of an evil king, her uncle, and is forced to use her Grace to harm others. With her different colored eyes, the mark of the Graced, she stands out as one to be feared. Then she meets Po, a prince who is willing to look her in the eye with his own mismatched eyes. With Po on her side, Katsa attempts to end her uncle’s tyrannical reign and struggles for redemption from her own Grace.
Evaluation: Katsa and Po are compelling and believable characters; they contain the power of self-reflection and honest emotion in a way that makes us like them all the more. The story they are unfolding is full of adventure, danger, love, and evil too. A great read.

Fade to Black by Alex Flinn

Flinn, Alex. (2005). Fade to Black. NY: HarperCollins.
ISBN: 978-0060568399
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Bullies, Friends, Down Syndrom, Violence, Hate Crime
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Alex Crusan - HIV positive student and victim of a beating bad enough to put him in the hospital. Clinton Cole - Afraid of catching AIDS and angry that his little sister plays with Alex's sister. Daria Bickell - Down Syndrome student who witnessed the attack of Alex. Who is telling the truth? What is the truth?
Summary: Fade to Black alternates between the voices of Alex Crusan, an HIV positive student and victim of a beating bad enough to put him in the hospital; Clinton Cole, a classmate afraid of catching AIDS and known to have tormented Alex on multiple occasions; and Daria Bickell, a Down Syndrome student who witnessed the attack of Alex. Readers hear from Alex as he deals with the ignorance and hate of those around him, and also as he comes to terms with how he contracted HIV. Clinton, we learn, is angry, scared, and not afraid to be outwardly cruel to Alex. He is a classic mean jock. Daria has seen Clinton being mean to Alex and claims to have seen him at the scene of the crime. Clinton is innocent, but can't prove it, especially with his reputation and past actions. Plus, Daria says she saw him do it. Slowly, Clinton realizes his fear is grounded in ignorance, Alex's anger at Clinton and people like him lessons, and Daria admits she was riding high on the attention she was getting.
Evaluation: I really liked how Flinn wrote Daria's chapters like little repetitive poems. The book also deals with a lot of the issues surrounding HIV and the ignorance and fear that people have. I think teens will enjoy ferreting out the reality and arguing about the sensitive issues raised along the way.

The Summoning (Book 1, Darkest Powers) by Kelley Armstrong

Armstrong, Kelley. (2009). The Summoning. NY: HarperCollins.
ISBN: 978-0061450549
Award/Honor: Sunburst Award Nominee (Young Adult, 2009)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Mental Illness, Secrets, Friends, Romance, Love, Independence
Genre: Fantasy
Annotation: The Lyle House for disturbed teens is not what it seems. Fifteen year old Chloe sees ghosts, but is she really crazy?
Summary: Chloe Saunders is 15, short, and has a slight stutter, but she also can talk to ghosts. Her screaming reaction to seeing a dead custodian at school gets her diagnosed with schizophrenia and sent to the Lyle House for troubled teens. However, it seems that all the kids at the Lyle House have mysterious abilities. Chloe and her new friends slowly learn the truth about the Lyle House and it horrific past. When Chloe discovers the dead bodies of past Lyle House inhabitants, she and her supernatural friends decide that they must solve the mystery of their deaths and in doing so, save themselves.
Evaluation: While I thought parts of the story were, well, silly, I think teen girls will race through this one. Chloe is not a perfect beautiful specimin of a girl, which makes her more appealing right off the bat, and she struggles with normal teen issues. At first anyway. I do enjoy stories involving discovered powers, hidden identities, and magic, and this one fits the bill.

The Awakening (Book 2, Darkest Powers) by Kelley Armstrong

Armstrong, Kelley. (2009). The Awakening. NY: HarperCollins.
ISBN: 978-0061450556
Award: Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award (YA Paranormal/Fantasy Novel, 2009)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Betrayal, Trust, Friends, Love
Genre: Fantasy
Annotation: Chloe, Derek, Simon, and Tori are running for their lives from the Edison Group, a group that wants to control, and if need be extinguish, their supernatural powers.
Summary: In this continuation of adventure from Armstrong's first book, The Summoning, Chloe and her friends must once again run from the Edison Group and practice controlling their powers. Chloe can talk to ghosts, Derek is a werewolf, Simon can cast spells, Rea can burn people with her bare hands, and Tori is a budding witch. They are a group of supernaturals that are being experimented on by the Edison Group, a group that Tori's mom and Chloe's aunt are a part of. The kids make a run for it, leaving behind the institution that wants to control them, or, if that's not possible, kill them. They know it has been done in the past.
Evaluation: This is a fairly fast paced book chock full of magic, crushes, betrayal, and teens running for their lives with evil right behind them. I think it is better than the first book that seems to set the scene for this continued action. I really enjoyed both of these books and plan on reading the third, The Reckoning.

The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier

Cormier, Robert. (2001). The Rag and Bone Shop. NY:Delacorte Books for Young Readers.
ISBN: 978-0385729628
Awards: ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2002)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2006.03|Criminal Elements, 2006)
Kirkus Review Starred Review
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Manipulation, Deception, Trust, Honesty, Violence, Loss of Innocence
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Jason, twelve years old and wrongly accused of murder, must fight his way through an interrogator's vicious "verbal traps". Jason is innocent! But who will believe him? Does he even believe himself?
Summary: Jason Dorrant is a shy and somewhat introverted 12 year old. After 7 year old Alicia Bartlett is found beaten to death, Jason becomes the main suspect in her murder. She was a friend of his, and the last one to see her alive. In an attempt to wrap the murder up quickly, police call in a top interrogator to get a confession from Jason. What ensues is a dark and manipulative interchange where Trent twists and distorts Jason's words, making him look like a crazy and violent boy. Even when Trent realizes Jason did not commit the murder, he carries through with his cruel interrogation. Soon, Jason begins questioning himself and what he is capable of. Trent finally gets Jason to confess to the murder, but during this time the real murderer is caught. Trent loses everything and Jason has been converted from a peaceful boy into what Trent accused him of being - a murderer.
Evaluation: I want to say this book was awful, but really it was not. I despised the way Jason was manipulated, the way adults took advantage of innocence, and the violence of the murder. However, the story was great. I loved how it lays bare many aspects of the potential darkness of human nature. I think my favorite line is when the interrogation is over and Trent and Jason are walking out of the room and Sarah describes Jason, "He looked broken, as if just lifted down from the cross" (pg 148).

Off-Color by Janet McDonald

McDonald, Janet. (2007). Off-Color. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
ISBN: 978-0374371968
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Racism, Bi-Racial, Poverty, Friendship, Cultural Identity, Secrets
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Fifteen year old Cameron can't believe it when her mom has to change jobs and they have to move -- to the projects! How can a white girl like Cameron hope to make friends with the black girls there?
Summary: Cameron Storm and her mother are poor, but happy in their small Brooklyn home. Cameron's dad is out of the picture, but she has great friends and is close to her mom. Then one day her mom tells her that the nail salon where she works is closing and that they have to move. Cameron and her mom have to move to the projects where they will be close to the new job and the rent is cheaper. Cameron is afraid not only to leave her best friends behind, but also about finding a way to fit in with the black kids at her new school. After the move, Cameron stumbles upon a photo album that shows her father as being a black man. Slowly Cameron comes to reconcile the two parts of herself and feel comfortable being herself.
Evaluation: At times the book seems driven by the issues of race and bi-racial kids, but Cameron's genuine emotion, authentic language, and very real life situations pulled me along just fine. I chose this book to read because I haven't read, or even seen, very many YA books that deal with the issues surrounding bi-racial families.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Anderson, Laurie Halse. (2009). Wintergirls. NY: Viking Juvenile.
ISBN: 978-0670011100
Awards: ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2010)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2010)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Bulimia, Anorexia, Eating Disorder, Cutting, Death, Grief, Friendship, Family
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Lia is wasting away; a Wintergirl, with frozen matchstick bones. Her best friend Cassie's ghost is haunting her, and her parents don't understand. Can Lia find the strength to eat and make herself seen?
Summary: Lia has been in a facility because she is anorexic, but is now living with her professor father, step-mother, and half-sister Emma. Her family tries to "manage" Lia's sickness, but fails to notice the truth behind the symptoms. Lia continues to fool her family into thinking she is eating and gaining weight, but really is falling deeper into her illness. To top this off, her once best friend, Cassie, is found dead in a hotel room. Cassie and Lia had been friends since elementary school and competed in a race to thinness; Cassie with bulimia and Lia with anorexia. They have a falling out where Cassie blames Lia for her illness. After six months of not talking Lia gets 33 calls from Cassie in one night, the night Cassie dies. She ignores them. Lia's guilt takes the form of Cassie's ghost haunting her. Through this Lia gets worse, is kicked out of her dad's house and finally ends up in a hospital. Here she realizes that she does want to face her problems and live, but she also knows that it will not be easy.
Evaluation: I thought Lia's story was fascinating. I really liked how we were in Lia's head, hearing her count calories, berate herself, and fixate on her weight. I think Anderson did a great job of portraying a young woman's journey from 93lbs. to deciding to live in a healthy way.

Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires, Book 1) by Rachel Caine

Caine, Rachel. (2006). Glass Houses. NY: NAL Jam.
ISBN: 978-0451219947
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Bullies, Independance, Love
Genre: Fantasy
Annotation: Sixteen year old Claire is brilliant and already off to college in Morganville, Texas. But brutal bullying soon sends her looking for off campus housing where she slowly learns the truth -- that Morganville is run by vampires.
Summary: A story of vampires and teen drama. Claire Danvers is smart, beginning college life in the dorms, and only 16. Her status as smart, young, outsider gets her harassed and bullied by the popular girls at the small Morganville, Texas college. The bullying gets so bad that Claire finds someplace off campus to live. It is here that she falls for a roommate and also discovers that she has more to fear than bullies. Morganville is run by vampires, and Claire needs protection.
Evaluation: As far as vampire stories go, this one is pretty good. Young Claire is faced with danger, terror, and growing up fast; she does so with an independence that will appeal to teens. I did have a bit of trouble believing that college students would behave so immaturely, and with Claire making some bad choices despite her proclaimed intelligence.

First Part Last by Angela Johnson

Johnson, Angela. (2004). First Part Last. NY: Simon Pulse.
ISBN: 978-0689849237
Awards: Printz Award (2004)
Coretta Scott King Award (Author, 2004)
South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee (2005-2006)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2004)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2008.03|What Makes a Family?, 2008)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers - Top Ten (2004)
Iowa Teen Award Nominee (2006-2007)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2004)
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee (2006)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Teen Pregnancy, Independence, Grief, Love, Family
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Bobby is only sixteen but his girlfriend, Nia, is going to have a baby. When she becomes too ill to leave the hospital, Bobby chooses to raise the baby on his own. Can a sixteen year old boy do the job of a man?
Summary: Bobby's story is told in his own voice; the voice of a sixteen year old boy with a new baby living in urban New York. Johnson goes back and forth with chapters from "then" and "now". Readers slowly learn the story of Bobby finding out his girlfriend, Nia, is pregnant, wavering on the adoption choice, and finally Nia's lapse into a coma leaving Bobby with the newborn girl. Bobby's parents are strong and supportive, but insist that he do the real work of a father. Bobby constantly must make choices between his child, Feather, and his regular teen life.
Evaluation: I would label this a sweet book. Frightening things happen in The First Part Last, but Bobby is consistently a good person and loving father. While he does make some poor choices, I was left feeling hopeful for him and for Feather. A quick read.

Eighth Grade Bites (Book 1 The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod) by Heather Brewer

Brewer, Heather. (2007). Eighth Grade Bites (Book 1 The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod). NY: Dutton Juvenile.
ISBN: 978-0525478119
Awards: ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2008)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Bullies, Orphans, Friends
Annotation: Vladimir, Vlad for short, is a 13 year old orphan who is also half vampire. While dealing with the normal trials of eighth grade, Vlad also has to hide the fact that he is a vampire, try to find a date for the dance, and contend with the vampire council that is trying to kill him.
Summary: Eighth grade really sucks for Vladimir Tod. He is harassed by bullies, the girl he is crushing on likes his friend, and he has to hide the fact that he is a vampire; well, half vampire. His father was a vampire and his mother human. They both died in a mysterious fire when Vlad was young and now he lives with one of his mom's friends, Nelly. Other than bringing hidden bags of blood to school for lunch, things are pretty normal until Mr. Otis shows up. Bizarre Mr. Otis takes the place of Vlad's regular English teacher and seems to be suspiciously knowledgeable of Vlad. Turns out Mr. Otis is Vlad's uncle and is there to warn him about the vampire council that is out to kill him because of his parent's misdeeds. Vlad and his uncle must fight to keep Vlad alive.
Evaluation: This is a fast and easy read. If you read it while keeping in mind that there isn't much depth then it is a fine, if not simple, story.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Asher, Jay. (2007). Thirteen Reasons Why. NY: Razorbill.
ISBN: 978-1595141712
Awards: Florida Teens Read (2008-2009)
WinnerALA Best Books for Young Adults (2008)
Commonwealth Club of California Book Awards (Young Adult, Silver, 2007)
South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee (2009-2010)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2008)
Sequoyah Children's Book Award (High School, 2010)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Rape, Depression, Bullying, Suicide, Grief, Regret, Friends
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Shortly after the suicide of classmate, and crush, Hannah Baker, Clay receives a box of tapes created by her. The tapes are the 13 reasons why she killed herself, to be sent to the 13 people responsible for her decision. But why Clay?
Summary: Clay Jensen doesn't know why he got Hannah Baker's tapes. He didn't do anything wrong. Readers, along with Clay, listen to the voice of Hannah as she tells the story of the events leading up to her suicide. Hannah created the tapes to explain her choice and to let the thirteen people who contributed to her death know what they did. Clay, we learn, had a crush on Hannah, but was too afraid to make a move. Other people on the tapes started rumors about her and didn't see her for who she was, but also there were people who did bad things without remorse. While only a few of the things that happened were truly awful, they all added up to more than Hannah could bear.
Evaluation: I really enjoyed Hannah's story and can relate to her disgust of people who are able to take advantage of others and those who do not take responsibility for their own actions. I also enjoyed Clay as he traveled around the city listening, crying, and being angry at what he heard.

Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going

Going, K.L. (2004) Fat Kid Rules the World. NY: Speak.
ISBN: 978-0142402085
Awards: Young Reader's Choice Award 2006
South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee (2005-2006)Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice (2006)
Printz Honor (2004)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2004)
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (2003)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2005.02|Own Your Freak, 2005)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2010.04|Bodies, 2010)
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2003)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Obesity, Depression, Suicide, Acceptance, Friendship, Drugs
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Troy is 17, almost 300 pounds and seriously depressed. Just as he is about to jump in front of a train Troy is saved by the words of a skinny homeless teen who turns out to be a guitar genius. Troy begins seeing the world in a new light as the two start a rock band.
Summary: Troy and Curt make an unlikely pair. Troy, at 6'1" is near 300 pounds and being raised in a military family. Curt is a skinny semi-homeless teen addicted to prescription medicine. Their bond begins the day Troy is contemplating jumping in front of a subway train and Curt talks him out of it. Curt, it turns out, is THE Curt MacCrae, guitar genius that occasionally attends Troy's school. Much to Troy's surprise, Curt invites him to be the drummer for his new punk band. Fat and insecure, Troy, soon Big T, slowly gains confidence and self respect through his friendship with unreliable and sometimes liar, Curt.
Evaluation: This is the story of one person saving another despite social, emotional, economic, and physical differences. Curt manages to save Troy by ignoring Troy's self loathing and believing in him. The characters in this book are imperfect, but passionate in a way that adds to the stories overall honesty. Great story!

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Alexie, Sherman. (2007). The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
ISBN: 978-0316013680
Awards: American Indian Youth Literature Award (2008)
Cybils Finalist (Young Adult Fiction, 2007)
Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist (Young Adult Literature, 2007)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2008)
National Book Award (Young People's Literature, 2007
Book Sense Book of the Year Honor Book (2008)
A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (2007)
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award (Fiction and Poetry, 2008)
Michigan Library Association's Thumbs Up! Award (2008.1|Honor, 2008)
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (2007)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2010.02|Hard Knock Life, 2010)
ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (2009.2|History & Cultures, 2009)
Odyssey Award (2009|Recorded Books, Narrated by Sherman Alexie)
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2007)
Peter Pan Award (2009.01|Winner, 2009)
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award (2008)
Kansas City Star's Top 100 Books of the Year
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Winner
Barnes & Noble 2007 Best for Teens
National Parenting Publication Gold Winner 2007
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Poverty, Racism, Alcoholism, Family, Fitting In, Cultural Identity, Death, Loss, Grief, Violence
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Arnold Spirit, angry at the poverty and cruelty around him is encouraged by a teacher to leave the reservation. However, at his new all white school, Arnold faces a whole new set of challenges.
Summary: Arnold Spirit, or Junior, lives on a poverty stricken reservation run rampant by alcoholism, ignorance, and lost hope. A single violent event puts in motion a new life for Arnold. In class one day Arnold notices that his textbook is so old that it still has his mother's name in it. In a rage, he throws the book across the room hitting and hurting the teacher. While Arnold is suspended for the act, the teacher comes to him later encouraging him to leave the reservation for a better education. Arnold is the only Indian in the sea of white faces at his new school, except of course for the school mascot. This move causes a whole new set of problems for Arnold. The people on the reservation are angry that he is trying to leave and the white kids at his new school treat him like an outcast. As time passes, Arnold falls for a white girl and joins the basketball team. Tensions reach an all time high when Arnold's new school is set to play basketball against his old school, and his ex-best friend Rowdy.
Evaluation: I had heard so many good things about this book and have waited a long time to finally read it! Now, I can't believe I waited so long. This story is full of honest moments and emotions; some extremely funny and others extremely sad, violent, and horrifying.

Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini

Vizzini, Ned. (2005). Be More Chill. NY: Disney-Hyperion.
ISBN: 978-0786809967
Awards/Honors: Today Show Book Club selection
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2007.01|What’s so Funny?, 2007)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2005)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Fitting In, Popularity, Being Cool, Friends, Love, Sex, Drugs
Genre: Science Fiction
Annotation: Jeremy Heere is not cool. But he wants to be and will do just about anything to be more popular - even swallow an illegal technology that melds with his brain and tells him how to be more cool.
Summary: Jeremy Heere is probably the least cool guy in high school, but he longs to be more popular and catch the attention of beautiful Christine. When he hears about a new technology that can help him look and act cool, he becomes determined to get it, even though it is illegal. Jeremy does find a place to buy a Squip, which turns out to be a small pill encoded and able to meld with the swallower's brain. But, he has to steal his aunts beanie babies and sell them in order to get the money. At first, everything goes great. Jeremy learns to stand tall, be a smart ass, and wear the right clothes. This new attitude gets him attention from Christine, and other girls, but also the disgust of his old best friend. Then, even when the Squip starts giving questionable advice, Jeremy continues to do what it says.
Evaluation: I both liked and disliked this book for the same reason. Jeremy seems to have a one track mind - sex and girls. His whole motivation for getting the Squip in the first place is so he can get with Christine. So, while I am not a boy and perhaps because of this, I was a little turned off by the focus of Jeremy's life (pun intended). However, it was also interesting to read a book from a point of view so unfamiliar.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Green, John. (2005). Looking for Alaska. NY: Dutton Juvenile.
ISBN: 978-0525475064
Awards: ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2006)
Printz Award (2006)
Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist (2005)
Booklist Editors' Choice (2005)
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2005)
Michigan Library Association's Thumbs Up! Award (2006.1|Honor, 2006)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2009.04|Death and Dying, 2009)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2006)A
LA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (2009.3|Literature & Language Arts, 2009)Inky Awards (Silver Inky, 2007)
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee (2009)
Book Sense Summer Pick Teen Readers (2005)
Genre: Fiction
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Suicide, Death, Grief, Friends, Love, Forgiveness
Annotation: Miles Halter, prep school newbie and loner, is befriended by his genius roommate, Chip, and beautiful but crazy Alaska. Together they pull pranks, become close, and deal with the consequences of a terrible accident.
Summary: Miles Halter, a.k.a. Pudge, longs to live life to the fullest and so transfers to a boarding school in a small Alabama town. Here he meets Chip, "The Colonel", and beautiful Alaska. They become fast friends and Pudge's life takes a turn toward the more daring and adventurous in Alaska's rebellious wake. Drinking and smoking and playing pranks keeps the kids entertained, but readers soon learn of Alaska's great guilt. Alaska blames herself for her mother's death and this burden just might be more than she can bear.
Evaluation: This is one of those books that shows life in all its crazy complexity, uncertainty, and also its capacity for great emotion. I read this one because I had heard so many good things about the writing and heavy topics. While in the end, we might remember the great suffering, I think the story and characters create a world that readers will love and relate to.

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Kate, Lauren. (2009). Fallen. NY: Delacorte Books for Young Readers.
ISBN: 978-0385738934
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Biblioterapeutic Usefulness: Independence, Love, Ttust
Annotation: Lucinda Price has dealt with the shadows her entire life, but panic and terror still grip her when they come. Now, after the terrible accident, she is placed in a reform school where she falls for a mysterious boy.
Summary: Lucinda Price, or Luce for short, is sent to the secluded and Gothic like reform school Sword and Cross after a terrible accident. A boy died a fiery death while with Luce and she is suspected of murder - only she can't remember a thing. However, she has been haunted by mysterious shadows that bring panic and terror whenever they hover about her. At Sword and Cross Luce becomes inexplicable attracted to handsome but uninterested Daniel. Then there is Cam, the attractive boy who pursues Luce to excess. In a strange triangle of Luce, Daniel, and Cam, readers come to learn that Sword and Cross is no ordinary reform school. Daniel, Cam, and other residents are actually fallen angels stuck in a repetitious pattern revolving around Luce. Struggles between good and evil, a Gothic graveyard backdrop, and obsessive love create the backbone for this story.
Evaluation: The premise for this book is promising, but the action falls short. Perhaps it is because I am not a teenage girl, but the obsessive love doesn't appeal to me. I do think there will be plenty of girls who will find this quite enjoyable.

Cut by Patricia McCormick

McCormick, Patricia. (2002). Cut. NY: Push.
ISBN: 978-0439324595
Awards: South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee (2002-2003)
Isinglass Teen Reads Award Winner (2004)
Gateway Book List (2002-2003)
Arizona Young Readers' Award Nominee (2005)ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2002)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers - Top Ten (2001)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2001)
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee (2005)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Cutting, Easting Disorders, Mental Illness, Family, Depression, Self-Acceptance
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Fifteen year old Callie is in a mental hospital because she self-mutilates and refuses to speak. While we get to hear Callie's inner dialog, she fights the therapists attempts to help her.
Summary: The story begins with fifteen year old Callie in Sea Pines mental hospital with a group of other girls. Among eating disorders, substance abuse, and other cutters, Callie keeps silent. Through her inner dialog, readers slowly learn about Callie's severely asthmatic brother, a fearful mother, and an absent drunk father. Day after day, Callie sits through individual and group therapy silently observing the other girls, but saying nothing. Finally, after being threatened with being sent home as a lost cause, Callie starts speaking to her therapist. With her therapist, Callie comes to realize that she is not the cause of her family's dysfunction.
Evaluation: I picked this book to read because I don't know very much about people who self-mutilate, but understand that it is a fairly common way some choose to express inner turmoil. Keeping that in mind, I enjoyed Callie's progression from silent and ill, to wanting to get better. I also liked the other girls whose stories were equally as moving and disturbing, if not as developed as Callie's.

Blue Bloods by Melissa De la Cruz

De la Cruz. (2006). Blue Bloods. NY: Hyperion.
ISBN: 978-0786838929
Awards:ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers - Top Ten (2007)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2007)
Genre: Fantasy
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Escape, Independence, Orphan
Annotation: Schuyler Van Alen is young, beautiful, attends a prestigious private high school, and is a vampire. She and her human friend, Oliver, are racing to solve the mystery of the death of another young vampire, because everyone knows - vampires can't die.
Summary: Schuyler Van Alen doesn't quite fit in with the other kids at her prestigious private New York high school. While all the other teens are obsessed with name brands, knowing the "right" people, and being in the "right" places, Schuyler is wearing layered thrift store clothes and hanging out at home with friend Oliver. Then, on her 15th birthday, everything begins to change. Intricate blue lines appear on her forearms, she begins craving raw meat, and has dream like visions of a time long ago. Soon, Schuyler discovers that she is a Blue Blood, a vampire, like most of the other kids in her school. While Schuyler struggles to grasp this reality, a young vampire is killed and no one knows why, or how. Schuyler, Oliver, and friend Bliss rush to solve the mystery before another vampire dies.
Evaluation: I enjoyed this story. While I think it is a little heavy on the name brand dropping, the historical and religious themes wound in with vampire lore is fascinating.

Feed by M.T. Anderson

Anderson, M.T. (2004). Feed. NY: Candlewick
ISBN: 978-0763622596
Awards: Los Angeles Times Book Prize (2002.02|Young Adult Fiction, 2002)
National Book Award finalist (Young People's Literature, 2002)
A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (2002)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2003)Booklist Editors' Choice (2002)
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (2002)
ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (2004.3|Literature & Language Arts, 2004)
ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (2009.4|Science & Technology, 2009)
Book Sense Summer Pick Teen Readers (2003)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Consumerism, Commercialism, Independence
Genre: Science Fiction
Annotation: Titus is an average teen living in a future world where everyone has a feed - a computer - implanted in their brain. On a trip to the moon with his friends he gets attacked by a hacker, and meets Violet, a girl who is afraid of what is happening to the world.
Summary: Titus and his friends are average teens living in a future world, a world where everyone's brains are wired with a feed. The feed pumps personalized advertisements and television shows directly into people's head. They also give people the ability to chat with anyone. Slowly, readers realize that humans have destroyed the planet and everyone has devolved into stupid, thoughtless consumers. Everyone but Violet. Titus meets Violet on a trip to the moon and through her, readers learn of the plight of the planet and the dumbing down of the people. We follow Titus, Violet, and friends as humans start loosing their skin, the Earth rebels, and everything comes to an end.
Evaluation: At times it was hard to keep up with all the slang, but the story is great. As Titus goes from being an ignorant teen to a more aware person, readers are able to both hate and sympathise with him. Also, despite the looming apocalypse, the book is full of humor and ironic wit.

Lush by Natasha Friend

Friend, Natasha. (2007). Lush. NY: Scholastic Paperbacks.
ISBN: 978-0439853477
Awards: Rhode Island Teen Book (2008)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2007)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Alcoholic Parent, Secrets, Family, Friends
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Thirteen-year-old Samantha's dad is an alcohlic. While dealing with school, boys, and a maturing body, Sam must also cope with her family's secret.
Summary: Samantha is a typical 13 year old in that she has to deal with middle-school, having crushes, and being embarrassed by her maturing body. What isn't typical is her family's secret - her father is an alcoholic. Sam's mother and grandmother push her to have compassion for her father, but Sam isn't so sure. With this weighing on her shoulders, and not being able to talk to her friends, Sam begins trading notes with an anonymous person in the library. She reveals her secret, asks questions, and receives some honest, but hard truths. Everything comes to a head, though, when Sam's father smashes a bottle of Jim Bean on Sam's little brothers face.
Evaluation: I really liked this book. I'm not usually a fan of problem literature, but I chose to read this one because it addresses a fairly common family issue. It is a fast read and doesn't dwell on mellowdramatics. And despite the alcoholism and act of violence, Sam's family is loving, if not a little misguided.

The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin

Werlin, Nancy. (2000) The Killer's Cousin. NY: Laurel Leaf.
ISBN: 978-0440227519
Awards: Edgar Award (Young Adult, 1999)
Edgar Award, Young Adult (1999)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (1999)
Garden State Book Award (Teen Fiction Grades 9-12, 2001)BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (1998)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2003.01 | I’ve Got a Secret, 2003)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers - Top Ten (1999)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (1999)
Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults (2010)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Suicide, Guilt, Violence, Love
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Seventeen year old David is sent to live with his aunt, uncle, and young cousin, Lily, after being acquitted in a highly public murder trial. Joining a strange household where Lily's older sister committed suicide, David realizes that Lily has a few secrets of her own.
Summary: After David accidentally causes his girlfriends death, he is involved in a highly publicized trial. He is acquitted of the murder, but his parents attempt to reduce the impact of this event on his life by sending him to live with his aunt and uncle. In the house lives his cousin Lily, an angry eleven year old still reeling from her older sister, Kathy's, suicide four years earlier. At first David and Lily circle one another with distrust, but Lily soon is breaking into his attic apartment and destroying things. The attic where Kathy lived and killed herself. Meanwhile, Kathy's ghost appears to David, telling him to save Lily. David discovers that Lily killed, or believes that she killed, her sister. The relationship between David and Lily peeks when he tells her parents that she need psychological help and they kick him out. Finally, Lily cracks and tries to kill herself by burning the house down, but David hears Kathy's voice and runs to pull Lily out of the fire engulfed house. This saves Lily both physically and psychologically and creates a fierce bond between the two killers who must live with what they have done.
Evaluation: I read Werlin's book Impossible awhile back and really enjoyed the intertwining of contemporary fiction and magic. This story is not different. Usually a book with magic will focus on the magical elements in a story, but Werlin manages to focus on reality that just happens to include the supernatural. Great book!

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Hopkins, Ellen. (2004). Crank. NY: Margaret K. McElderry.
ISBN: 978-0689865190
Awards: ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2005.04|Read ‘Em & Weep, 2005)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2005)
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee (2009)
Abraham Lincoln Award Winner (2009)
Gateway Readers Award
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Good girl Kristina takes a turn for the worse during a visit to her druggie father. Addicted, raped, and pregnant Kristina faces a difficult road ahead.
Summary: Kristina lives with her mother, step-father, and brother; is well-behaved, and a good student. When an opportunity comes up for her to visit her father, whom she hasn't seen in years, Kristina jumps at it. It turns out that her father works "under-the-table" at a local bowling alley, drinks too much, and is a druggie. During this visit Kristina has a transformation, embracing her wild side. She begins calling herself Bree, and herself becomes addicted to crank, thanks to attractive drug dealer, Adam. When Bree returns to her mother's, she brings her new addiction with her. She is later raped and becomes pregnant with the rapist's child. She keeps the child, and also the addiction.
Evaluation: I did not like this book. Kristina's transformation happens too fast to be believable; her choices all of the sudden incredibly bad. Also unbelievable is the fact that her middle-class, conservative mom let her stay with a man as vile as her father. If you can get by the questionable premise, Kristina's (Bree's) story and de-evolution is interesting and scary.

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn

Flinn, Alex. (2002) Breathing Underwater. NY: Harper Teen.
ISBN: 978-0064472579
Awards: South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee (2003-2004)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2002)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2003)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2002)
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee (2005)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Child Abuse, Violence, Anger, Love, Family
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Sixteen year old Nick is wealthy, popular, and prone to acts of violence. After he slaps his girlfriend and is required to take an anger management course, Nick finally starts recognizing his frailties.
Summary: Nick Andreas lives with his rich, but physically abusive father. At the start of the school year, Nick begins dating Caitlin, a beautiful but insecure girl. Because of her insecurity, she allows Nick to treat her poorly. Nick is verbally and physically abusive and eventually crosses the line so that Caitlin gets a restraining order. Nick is required to attend anger management courses, but doesn't understand what he did wrong until the very end.
Evaluation: I chose to read it because it covers, with specific focus, the topic of anger and abuse. While these are often covered in other titles, not usually with so much direct attention. For this, I like the story. I love the slow progression of Nick realizing his part in the cycle and finally finding the strength to stand up to his father.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Stiefvater, Maggie. (2009). Shiver. NY: Scholastic Press.
ISBN: 978-0545123266
Awards: Amazon's Best Books of the Year (2009)
Amazon's Best Books of the Month (August 2009)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2010)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2010)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Love, Independence, Determination
Genre: Fantasy
Annotation: Attacked by wolves as a child, Grace survives because one wolf, her wolf, saves her. Since then, Grace watches for her wolf who comes to the edge of the woods and watches her. And then there is Sam, who fearfully waits for the cold.
Summary: Grace has been fascinated with wolves ever since she was attacked by them as a small child. What she remembers is being saved by a wolf with yellow eyes; a wolf who continues to watch her from the edge of the woods. Grace feels an inexplicable bond with "her" wolf, because she is sure it is the same wolf that saved her all those years ago. Then, when a classmate is killed by wolves the townsfolk decide to hunt them down. Grace hears of the plan and runs fearlessly into the woods to save the wolves and especially her wolf that she loves so much. Shots are fired, but what Grace finds is not a wounded wolf, but a naked boy. A boy with yellow eyes.
The story alternates between Grace and Sam, who readers know is a werewolf. The werewolves are slaves to the weather and change into their animal form in cold weather-hence the title of the book. Sam is the wolf that saved Grace and watched her ever since. Now, Grace saves Sam and hides him in her room where they fall in love. They both know the cold will return and with it Sam's animal form, but this time it might be forever. Sam and Grace fight to keep Sam in human form.
Evaluation: As far as paranormal romances go, this is a good one. Grace and Sam have a deep and undeniable bond that reaches beyond human or wolf form. Characters are well written and developed, and secondary plot lines keep the story interesting and moving along. I read this book because I kept seeing it appear on lists with lots of stars at the end. Also, I love a good fantasy YA book!

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson

Pearson, Mary. (2008). The Adoration of Jenna Fox. NY: Henry Holt and Co.
ISBN: 978-0805076684
Awards: Andre Norton Award Finalist (2008)
Golden Kite Award (2009, honor recipient)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2009)
Locus Recommended Reading (Young Adult, 2008)
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2008)
Book Sense Summer Pick Teen Readers (2008)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Family, Fitting In, Medical Ethics, Survival, Car Accident
Genre: Science Fiction
Annotation: Seventeen year old Jenna Fox wakes up after spending 18 months in a comma. While she cannot remember anything of her early life, she is plagued by frightening flashes and slowly learns the truth of her existence.
Summary: Jenna Fox wakes up from a comma without any memories of her past. She is living in a broken down house in a small forested neighborhood with a mother and grandmother she doesn't recognize. Flashes of memories come to her as she watches video after video of her childhood-her parents way of helping her remember who she is. As the days go by, Jenna learns more about the mysterious accident that should have killed her and the lies her mother and father have been telling her.
Evaluation: I have to admit that I am a fan of science fiction and enjoyed this story quite a bit. Jenna puts things together pretty quickly without very much information, but this is easy to overlook. I love the weaving in of Henry David Thoreau's Walden Pond; it gives the story another level of depth and emotional honesty.

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Bray, Libba. (2009). Going Bovine. NY:Delacorte Books for Young Readers.
ISBN: 978-0385733977
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Serious Illness, Drugs, Independence, Friendship
Genre: Fantasy, Speculative, Adventure, Dark Humor
Awards: Printz Award (2010)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2010)
Locus Recommended Reading (Young Adult Book, 2009)
Locus Award Finalist (Young Adult, 2010)
Annotation: A boy with Mad Cow disease, a talking garden gnome, a midget, fire giants, and a maybe not real punk angel; what could make for a better crazier adventure?
Summary: Cameron is an apathetic teenager living in a dysfunctional family. He likes to smoke pot, collect unusual music, and mock his sister and her friends. Things get strange, though, when Cameron is diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, otherwise known as mad cow disease. This sets in motion a crazy adventure involving Gonzo the midget, Dulcie the punk angel, a talking garden gnome, and fire giants. At Dulcie’s prodding Cameron sets off to find Professor X, a possible cure to his disease, and perhaps even save the world. With a surreal blending of pieces from Cameron’s real life and the supernatural, Cameron’s journey is part fantasy story and part crazy fun. Throughout, we are never sure if what is happening is real or just hallucinations.
Evaluation: Though fairly long (almost 500 pages), Cameron’s strange delusions of grandeur, his astute realizations, and string of unusual and comical situations keeps us hooked till the end.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Zusak, Markus. (2006) The Book Thief. NY: Knopf Books for Young Readers.
ISBN: 978-0375831003
Awards: Ena Noel Award (2006)
A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (2006)Kathleen Mitchell Award
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2007)
Book Sense Book of the Year (2007 Children's Literature Winner)
Printz Honor (2007)
Sydney Taylor Book Award (2007)
Exclusive Books Boeke Prize (2007)
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (2006)
Whitcoulls top 100, (2008)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2009 Death and Dying)
ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (2009.3|Literature & Language Arts, 2009)Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (Jugendjury, 2009)
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2006)
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee (2010)
Book Sense Summer Pick Teen Readers (2006)
National Jewish Book Award (Children's and Young Adults' Literature, 2006)
Whitcoulls top 100, (2010)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Foster Children, War, Loss, Independence, Love, Hope
Annotation: It is 1939 in Nazi Germany and Death himself recounts the story of young Liesel as she comes of age. This is a tale as gruesome as war and loss, but also of hope and the love of words, books, and stories.
Summary: Narrated by Death, Zusak's novel tells the story of Leisel Meminger, a foster girl living in Nazi Germany. Death shows us young Liesel as she develops a habit of stealing books, learns to read from her father, and writes a book with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.
Opinion: Liesel’s interactions with her friends, the tight bond with her foster father, the strange understanding with the mayor’s wife, and the writing of her story with the hidden Jew will appeal to lovers of all genres. While definitely a historical novel, labeling it as such is a disservice and an understatement. Beautiful language, intense emotion, and subtle nuance create a story that will move all who read it.

Skim by Mariko Tamaki illustrated by Jillian Tamaki

Tamaki, M. and Tamaki, J. (2008) Skim. NY: Groundwood Books.
ISBN: 978-0888997531
Awards: Ignatz Award (Outstanding Graphic Novel, 2008)
New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book (2008)
ALA Great Graphic Novels for Teens (Top Ten, Fiction, 2009)
ALA Rainbow List (Young Adult Fiction, 2009)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2009)
Eisner Award nominee (Best Publication for Teens/Tweens, 2009)
Eisner Award nominee (Best Graphic Album—New, 2009)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Suicide, Homosexuality, Friendship, Love, Weight Issues
Genre: Graphic Novel, Coming of Age, Fiction
Annotation: Kimberly Keiko, nicknamed Skim because she is not, takes tenth grade on with all the awkwardness of a teen. Skim tries her hand at becoming a Wicca, falls in love, and deals with the school's grief over a students suicide.
Review: Kimberly Keiko, called Skim because she is not, is a Japanese Canadian in an all girl private school. Skim dabbles in the Wiccan arts with bossy friend Lisa and presents herself as a goth. Her falling in love with a female teacher only makes things harder. Skim's story overlays the story of a classmate, Katie, who is dumped by her boyfriend, who then kills himself. Their school rallies together to deal with the grief, much to the dismay of Katie and Skim who end up being friends in the end.
Opinion: I really enjoyed this story. Though dealing with heavy issues of suicide, being gay (or not), and religious choices, author Tamaki manages subtlety and genuine emotion.

Tithe by Holly Black

Black, Holly. (2004). Tithe. NY: McElderry.
Genre: Fantasy
Awards: NYPL Best Book for the Teen Age Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee (Children's Literature, 2003)
Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults 2004
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2003)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2005.03|Gateway to Faerie, 2005)
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee (2008)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Homosexuality, Addiction, Friends, Dysfunctional Families
Annotation: Kaye is 16 when she and her mom move back to Kaye's childhood home where she has memories of faerie friends. In a fantastic tale of discovered identity, magic, and great evil, Kaye becomes entwined in the dark and powerful world of the faeries.
Summary: Kaye is a 16 year old dropout who lives, and travels, with her mother’s rock band. After a bizarre attack on her mom, the two move back to Kaye’s childhood home where she has memories of faerie friends. They are only there for a week when Kaye gets caught up in the dark and powerful world of faeries. A dark fantasy with romance, battles, death, and magic forces.
Evaluation: I read this book because I tend to gravitate toward fantasy novels. The appeal of dark and dangerous magic is hard for me to ignore, and I was not disappointed. Definitely a book for teen girls. I like that the characters lives are not middle-class; it really adds to the gritty feel of the story.

Impossible by Nancy Werlin (Dial, 2008)

Werlin, Nancy. (2008). Impossible. NY: Dial
ISBN: 0142414913
Awards:ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2009)
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2008)
National Book Award Finalist
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Teen Pregnancy, Rape, Mental Illness, Family, Love
Genre: Fantasy
Annotation: Lucy Scarborough is seventeen, pregnant, and living with foster parents because her mother is mentally ill. Lucy lives in the modern day, but a dark and magical force is wreaking havoc on her family. Can she break free of it's grasp?
Summary:Circling around a magical rendition of the song, Scarborough Fair, the story Impossible follows foster child Lucy Scarborough as she learns of a family curse that is generations old. Lucy’s story is set in conventional modern day, but we learn that there is a magical presence able to influence and wreak havoc on humanity. The Elfin Knight has done just that with his curse on the Scarborough women. Seventeen, pregnant, and facing impending madness, Lucy must accomplish three impossible tasks for the curse to be broken. With the love and support of her foster parents and friend Zach, Lucy is determined to bring the madness to an end.
Evaluation: While I would not describe this book as a page turner, there is a soft and easy tone that mirrors the unconditional love between Zach, Lucy, and her foster parents. Impossible deals with such heavy topics as rape, teen pregnancy, and mental illness, but does so with genuine emotion, and avoids melodrama.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Chbosky, Stephen. (1999). The Perks of Being a Wallflower. MTV
ISBN: 978-0671027346
Awards:ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2000)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2002)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2000)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Sexual abuse, Homosexuality, Drugs, Depression, Suicide, Friendships
Annotation: In this diary entry novel, Charlie shares with his readers as he experiences high school with all its trimmings: drugs, sex, and friends. With a hazy past haunting him, Charlie moves through life a passive observer.
Summary:This story is in the form of letters to an unidentified recipient, written by Charlie, a shy and introverted high school student. Through these letters we hear about how Charlie deals with the day to day pressures of school and all the issues that come with being a teen: friends, drugs, sex, music, jocks, and not fitting in. As readers, we see Charlie moving from a strange detached place, through a painful memory, and finally to being able to connect with life.
Evaluation:Charlie's letters are written in simple language, giving the whole story a feeling of understatement, which fits well with Charlie and how he sees himself in the world. I really liked the book and believe the angst filled letters will appeal to great number of teens.

Athletic Shorts: 6 Short Stories by Chris Crutcher

Crutcher, Chris. (1991). Athletic Shorts: 6 Short Stories. NY: Greenwillow Books.
ISBN: 978-0688108168
Awards:ALA Best Books for Young Adults (1992)
Michigan Library Association's Thumbs Up! Award (1992)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2000)
ALA 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000
Bibliotherapuetic Usefulness: Homosexuality, Racism, Belonging
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: These short stories all revolve around teenage boys, sports, and the trials that come with being a teenager. Added to the mix are issues such as homophobia, sexism, racism, and more.
Summary: Athletic Shorts contains six short stories revolving around teenage boys, sports, and the trials of teenagedom. While sports create a common thread, the stories all have a coming of age theme in which the main character learns a vital life lesson. There is Angus, the fat boy; Johnny the wrestler, whose father seems to hate him; poor Petey who must wrestle a girl, and more. Many of the stories include taboo topics such as homosexuality, racism, and sexism. All but the first story are about characters that have appeared in other Crutcher novels.
Evaluation:Crutcher has a talent for capturing the lives of teens, and these stories are no exception. He uses a clear and simple approach to some very difficult, but very real, subjects and gives his characters a chance to learn, or as the case may be, redeem themselves.