Graceling

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

People in Katsa's world who have two differently-colored eyes are "graced": they have a special, magical talent. Some have a grace for cooking, others for training horses, and still others have a grace for foretelling the weather. Katsa's grace for killing was discovered at the age of eight, when she fatally smashed the nose bone of an inappropriate uncle into the man's brain. Since then, her uncle the King has honed Katsa's talent and exploited her ability to bully and punish his adversaries.

Unknown to the King, however, Katsa and her friends have formed a secret council which works to overthrow the corruption of power. While on a secret mission for the Council, Katsa finally finds a person with a grace that might possibly be a match for her own: Prince Po, who apparently has a grace for fighting. Katsa and Po journey together on a mission to rescue Po's beloved grandfather...a journey that becomes more perilous, and more enlightening, with every page.

Well-written, exciting, and romantic fiction recommended for readers ages 12 and up. No cussing, the fighting is relatively "clean," and all the sex is tactfully taken offstage.

Every Little Thing in the World

Every Little Thing in the World by Nina De Gramont
In spite of comprehensive sex education classes at the private school she has attended since kindergarten, 16-year-old Syd is pregnant. When she and her best friend Natalia are caught by the police for "borrowing" Natalia's parents' car, the girls are shipped off to a wilderness canoe camp in Canada. Syd wrestles with the ethics of her situation, which is complicated by Natalia's recent discovery that she is adopted, and by both girls' attraction to boys at the camp.

This is a story with plenty of questions and no easy answers. Syd's narrative voice is strong, and her changing relationship with her parents is deftly depicted.

Minimal cussing, some underage drinking, some nekkidness (including skinny dipping in the lake) and some pre-sexual intimacy, but no on-page intercourse. Read before adding this to school collections!

Recommended for readers ages 14 to adult.

This World We Live In

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer
(sequel to Life as We Knew It and The Dead and the Gone)

Nearly a year has passed since the moon was struck by an asteroid and knocked slightly out of a normal orbit. The tides have changed, destroying much of the Eastern Seaboard. The volcanoes have erupted, filling the atmosphere with grey grit that blocks sunlight. The weather continues to worsen: temperatures are dropping, and the rain and snow continue to fall even in summer. Crops are failing, livestock have been slaughtered for food until very few remain, and survivors of the cataclysm scavenge for necessities from the homes and bodies of the dead.

In the third (and possibly final) volume of the series, Miranda and Alex meet for the first time. Alex and his sister Julie have travelled with Miranda's father, stepmother and stepbrother for months, and arrive at Miranda's home weary...and hungry.

The bleak landscape described in the first two books becomes more bleak, but the will to survive has become even more strong as the family struggles to find food and shelter in an uncompromising world. The sudden marriage of Miranda's older brother is a reminder that times have changed--but have times really changed enough to allow Miranda to fall in love?

The story starts slowly, and will be confusing to readers unfamiliar with the first two books. Fans of the series, however, will want an update on the post-moon-change world.

No on-page sex, but there is definitely hanky-panky among the wreckage. No drugs or drinking, though--that stuff got used up early in the catastrophe. Recommended for readers 13 to adult.

Before I Fall

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Pretty, popular high school senior Samantha Kingston loves Cupid Day--the day when she will get tons of roses from her friends and admirers, party with her friends, and finally (maybe) have sex with her boyfriend. Instead, she dies in a car wreck after the party.

She is (justifiably) surprised to wake up the next morning...only to discover that she has awakened on the morning of the previous day, before the roses, before the party, and before the accident. In seven "Groundhog Day do-overs" of her last day, Sam learns more about her friends, her boyfriend, her teachers, her family, and herself. What will happen when she learns everything she needs to know?

Sam's gradual transformation from a shallow "popular girl" to a real person worth caring about is gracefully executed, and results in a couldn't-put-it-down book. The story references sexual situations, drug use, and teen drinking.

Highly recommended for ages 14 and up. This is Aarene's review. To read Mary Jo's review of this book, click here.

Living Dead Girl

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

How would you react if an authority figure in a uniform stepped up to you on a field trip and told you to follow him? You were loitering, after all, and your group moved on. How about if you were ten?

Of course Alice believed him, just as, at ten, she also believed that if she didn’t do what he asked, he would kill her family and burn down the house.

But her name isn’t Alice.

He changed that. Just as he changes her into his sex slave.

This horror story of a sexual perversion reaches the “euuuww” factor in a hurry. Never graphic, the obvious sex is both beyond horrible and very believable.

Recommended for readers in high school and up; this book is not for all readers, and not for the faint of heart. It is a short story that will haunt you for a long time.

Confessions of a Serial Kisser

Confessions of a Serial Kisser by Wendelin Van Draanen

Evangeline has just been keeping her head down since her parents separated. She didn't try out for the vollyball team, she refuses to talk to her dad at all (since the separation was his fault and she will never forgive him!); instead, she concentrates on doing her homework and trying to keep the condo tidy so her mom can relax a little. While sorting through the laundry, Evangeline discovers her mom's secret stash of bodice-ripper romance novels. Intrigued, Evangeline reads one of the books and decides that what she needs most is a fabulous, passionate kiss like the kisses between Delilah and Grayson in The Crimson Kiss.

Evangeline's search for the perfect kiss quickly gets out of hand, and soon she has a reputation as a "serial kisser." Will she ever find passion and happiness?

The pink cover art and chick-lit plot are misleading. This is actually a carefully-crafted, well-told story about a teen's search for identity and love. The unexpected ending was a delight.

Recommended for readers 12 to adult. No cussing or violence, and no sex...but plenty of kisses!

Hunger Games

The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

The most horrible day of the year in District Twelve is "Reaping Day", when two young people are randomly chosen to participate as Tributes in the brutal Hunger Games. When 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen's younger sister is chosen, Katness doesn't hesitate: she volunteer's to take Prim's place in the game that will test her resourcefulness. In order to survive, she must win the game. In order to win, she will have to kill the other Tributes, even those who have become her friends and allies.

Katniss' unusual winning solution to the Games brings her fame in the Districts and in the Capital...but not everyone loves her. In book two, Catching Fire, President Snow wants to squash Katniss' popularity, and thus crush the uprisings inspired by her defiance. Only one thing could be more cruel than the ominous threats to family and friends: a return to the Hunger Games arena.

Carolyn McCormick reads both audiobooks with exactly the right pacing to keep listeners avidly tuned in. With themes of oppression and rebellion intricately woven with a tale of survival and abiding love, the quick-paced action sequences are interspersed with nail-biting suspense, and a cliff-hanger ending that left me howling for part 3 (scheduled for publication in August 2010).

Recommended for readers 12 to adult. A few kisses but no sex or cussing, and plenty of blood.

Skinned

Skinned by Robin Wasserman

17-year-old Lia is rich, popular, pretty, athletic...and technically, dead.

Futuristic technology has allowed Lia's brain to be salvaged from the traffic accident that killed her body. With her memories downloaded into an indestructible mechanical body, Lia tries to re-enter her old life where she left off. However, society now treats her as non-human, her friends have moved on, her boyfriend is freaked out, and her family doesn't want her back. Only Auden, an outcast boy from Lia's old school, is willing to be her friend. But, is there any future to a relationship between an imperfect, easily-damaged "org" and an immortal "mech head?"

This thought-provoking novel is first in planned trilogy that explores the definition of humanity. It contains few wispy hints of frustrated sexual activity (nothing on-page) and no cussing. Drug use is part of this society's normal experience--Lia's exclusion from drug use activities gives her and the reader an interesting perspective.

Recommended for readers who enjoy dystopic and futuristic novels, ages 14 to adult.

Panama

Panama
by Shelby Hiatt
A 15-year-old unnamed narrator journeys from Dayton Ohio--leaving behind her neighbors Orville and Wilbur Wright--to Panama, where she witnesses the final years of the building of the Panama Canal. In Panama, she falls in love with an older man, a highly-educated member of the Sicilian nobility (who is also a political agitator), and, following an informative visit to the local brothel to ascertain the specifics of birth control available in Panama in 1910, proceeds to have an exotic affair while successfully hiding the relationship from her parents.

Unlikely?

Yes, that's what I thought, too.

Although professional reviews of this book are on the "glowing" side and the writing is quite competent, I felt that the story lacks an audience among teens. It features too many coincidentally-witnessed historical events for lovers of historical fiction, and too much on-page sex to be comfortable in middle school (or even some high school) libraries.

Not a first selection, for public library purchase only.

One Lonely Degree

One lonely degree
c.k. kelly martin

Finn is a ninth grader who is going through multiple serious problems with which she can find no help: her parents are getting a divorce, and she is trying to deal with date rape from the summer. Her friend from childhood, Jersy, moves back into town, and Finn is pleased that he and her best friend are dating. However Audrey’s parents are not pleased, and send Audrey to live with relatives. This leaves Jersy and Finn together, which is natural, but leads to more, creating even more guilt in Finn’s life.

The story is told in flashbacks and in current times, although we are never quite sure when that has changed. As with other Martin novels, the action revolves around a single character, who shows no change from the beginning to the end. It is also difficult to decide who this woman is writing for. Because of the sex and drug use, this should be in high school, although high school teens are more demanding; in addition Finn is only a freshman. The teens who would be interested are in 8th grade. The date rape scene would be difficult for that age.

Not recommended.