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.