Thirteen Reasons Why – Jay Asher

Summary: When Clay Jenson plays the cassette tapes he received in a mysterious package, he’s surprised to hear the voice of dead classmate Hannah Baker. He’s one of 13 people who receive Hannah’s story, which details the circumstances that led to her suicide. Clay spends the rest of the day and long into the night listening to Hannah’s voice and going to the locations she wants him to visit. The text alternates, sometimes quickly, between Hannah’s voice (italicized) and Clay’s thoughts as he listens to her words, which illuminate betrayals and secrets that demonstrate the consequences of even small actions. Hannah, herself, is not free from guilt, her own inaction having played    a part in   an accidental auto death and a rape.

This books grabs a hold of you from beginning to end. The way Hannah tells her story constantly leaves you wanting more. I especially like how it’s not just her blaming everyone else for her death, but also shows how she herself betrayed who she once was. – Brittany, Teen Clerk

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – Ransom Riggs

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

I thought this book’s cover was intriguing then I started reading and fell in love even more. The book is fast paced throughout the whole story. This is a plus for readers like me who tend to lose interest when a book loses its steam. And I really enjoyed all the interesting and somewhat disturbing photographs that were included. It makes the reader all the more attached to the story, almost as if you’re living it.   – Brittany , Teen Clerk 

The Thirteenth Princess – Diane Zahler

Summary:  When she is nearly twelve, kitchen servant, Zita, learns that she is really the thirteenth and youngest Princess of the kingdom.  Her father banished her from her royal life after her birth killed the Queen.  Befriending her sisters, Zita realizes that they are under an enchantment that is slowly wearing them down and may soon even kill them!  Determined to help, Zita, along with her friends Breckin, Milek, and Babette, sets out to follow the Princesses and destroy the magic that is slowly taking away their lives.  *Based on the Twelve Dancing Princesses*

Recommended?  I really enjoyed this rewrite of an old fairy tale.  Having Zita be a thirteenth princess, raised as a servant, gives her access to both parts of her world.  The reader gets to see the glamour of the Princesses’ lives, as well as what goes on behind the scenes in the castle.  Zita is spunky and resourceful and loyal to her family.  She is a talented baker, good at magic, and a good friend.  The author gives a new spin to the enchantment by having the Princesses’ nurse turn out to be an evil enchantress trying to bewitch the King.  Well done, entertaining, and with only kissing, not too old for the intended audience.  -Jessica

Girl’s Best Friend – Leslie Margolis

Summary: Dogs are disappearing in her neighborhood, and Maggie Brooklyn Sinclair knows all about it.  After all, she has a semi-secret after-school gig as a professional (ok, amateur) dog-walker.  Maggie hates to see a pup in trouble, so she’s even willing to help her ex-best friend Ivy recover her rescue-dog, Kermit.  Kermit’s being held for ransom, and Maggie has noticed some suspicious behavior lately.  But she never suspected her crush Milo could be involved . . .

A great tween mystery.  Maggie is a fun, modern Nancy Drew-ish character and is very relatable.  The dog centered mystery will draw in all types of pet lovers.  There is a little romance, but a lot more exploration of friendships and there’s a great family relationship.  Maggie is smart and savvy.  I definitely hope more books come out in this series!  – Jessica, Teen Librarian

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac – Gabrielle Zevin

 

After high-school junior Naomi conks her head, she can’t remember anything that happened since sixth grade.  She is by turns mystified and startled by evidence of her present life, from the birth-control pills in her bedside table to her parents’ astonishing, rancorous split.  Eventually, the memories return, leaving Naomi questioning the basis of a new, intense romance, and wondering which of her two lives, present or former, represents her most authentic self.

 

Very interesting read.  I kept asking myself things like, if I had no recollection of my past, would I continue to be the same person, or would I reinvent my life?  Food for thought!    – Jessica, Teen Librarian

Elsewhere – Gabrielle Zevin

 

Is it possible to grow up while getting younger?

Welcome to Elsewhere.  It is warm, with a breeze, and the beaches are marvelous.  It’s quiet and peaceful.  You can’t get sick or any older.  Curious to see new paintings by Picasso?  Swing by one of Elsewhere’s museums.  Need to talk to someone about your problems?  Stop by Marilyn Monroe’s psychiatric practice.

Elsewhere is where fifteen-year-old Liz Hall ends up, after she has died.  It is a place so like Earth, yet completely different.  Here Liz will age backward from the day of her death until she becomes a baby again and returns to Earth.  But Liz wants to turn sixteen, not fourteen again.  She wants to get her driver’s license.  She wants  to graduate from high school and go to college.  And now that she’s dead, Liz is being forced to live a life she doesn’t want with a grandmother she has only just met.  And it is not going well.  How can Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one?  Is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different from a life lived forward?

 

What a new way to think about what happens after death.  What if you did live again…but in reverse?  Liz can’t quite wrap her head around it (surprise, could you?!) and has to deal with all new concepts of the ever after and her place in the universe.  Very good and thought provoking.  Recommended.    -Jessica, Teen Librarian.

The Sweet Life of Stella Madison – Lara Zeises

 

When Stella Madison’s food-loving parents help her land a summer job at the local newspaper, there’s only one catch: she’s expected to write about food.  Luckily, Stella has Jeremy, the hot new intern at her mom’s restaurant, who’s more than happy to help.  But where does that leave Stella’s boyfriend, Max, who recently dropped the L-word?  And could her separated parents be cooking up romances of their own?

 

All I can say is YUM.  This book is great if you like to eat…which I do!  Seriously, though, it’s also a great story about family, dealing with family relationships as you grow up, and romance.  It’s a fun summer story…   -Jessica, Teen Librarian

STORM: The Infinity Code – E.L. Young

 

STORM is a gadget-packed, high-adrenaline adventure-a middlegrade spy novel sure to leave readers white-knuckled and breathless.  It’s also the name of the ambitious organization formed by the story’s three brainiac kids: Will, the loner, inventive genius, and creator of cutting-edge gadgets.  Andrew, the software whiz-kid, millionaire, and fashion disaster.  Gaia, the brilliant and mysterious teen chemist, fluent in French, Italian, Mandarin, and blowing stuff up.  Will first scoffs at STORM’s grand plans to combat global strife.  But when the group uncovers a plot to create a deadly revolutionary weapon, the three race from England to Russia, determined not only to find and dismantle the weapon, but to confront the psychopathic scientist behind it all.

 

At first I had a tough time getting into this book, but then I really ended up liking it.  The gadgets are really cool and I think Gaia rocks.  She gets to blow all kinds of stuff up.  This is a fun adventure/spy series.    -Jessica, Teen Librarian.

STORM: The Ghost Machine – E.L. Young

 

Get swept into the second, even more explosive STORM!  Will, Andrew, and Gaia are a trio of teen geniuses, and they’re taking Venice by STORM.  All over Italy, mysterious burglaries are making headlines — news footage shows a strange, spectral form at the crime scenes.  The thefts are dubbed the work of ll Fantasma: the Ghost.  Through a series of exhilarating twists, Will, Andrew, and Gaia discover that the Ghost is part of a larger and more sinister plot than they could have imagined, one involving a decrepit Venetian castle, a dangerous cult, microscopic self-organizing robots, and quantum computers with a vile purpose and horrific consequences.  Armed with high-speed boats, sonar helmets, and tons of cool gear, STORM must face all manner of obstacles – even cyborg sharks! – to find and stop the mind behind the mayhem.  Little do they know, the enemy just might be a dear old friend.

 

I still love Gaia in this series – she just kicks butt.  This book takes place in Venice, which made for some really interesting scene descriptions.  I love the gadgets and excitement of this book.   – Jessica, Teen Librarian.

Searching for Dragons – Patricia Wrede

In this second book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Cimorene’s fans are introduced to Mendanbar, King of the Enchanted Forest. Very much still a callow youth, he imposes his preference for the simple, active life on his new role as king, disappointing his steward, the elf Willin, who has anticipated a resumption of pomp and formality. The discovery of a patch in the Enchanted Forest laid waste by wizards starts him on a quest that soon leads him to Cimorene. The two join forces to find the missing Kazul, and begin a series of misadventures that include riding a defective magic carpet decorated with pink bears, melting several wizards with Cimorene’s infallible formula of soapy water and lemon juice, and advising a giant who is bored with pillaging to go into the consulting business.

I really like the characters that Patricia Wrede creates in this series.  Not only is Cimorene really strong as a princess, but she meets her match in the King, Mendanbar, and continues to deal with fun side characters like dragons, giants, and Rumplestiltskin’s family! Enjoy. – Jessica, Teen Librarian