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.