Looking for Alaska

Green, John. Looking for Alaska. ISBN-10: 0142402516, ISBN-13: 9780142402511. Graphia. 2007.

Plot Summary
"Pudge" has left his friendless life behind in Florida in hopes of a better life at the Culver Creek Boarding School in Alabama. Things are immediately different when his roommate shows up and introduces Pudge to Alaska. She's beautiful, funny, rebellious, sexy and a mess. She fascinates him and makes him crazy with lust. That was all before what came after.

Critical Evaluation
All teens envision leaving behind bad times for what Pudge calls the "Great Perhaps" (from Rabelais). At his new boarding school, Culver Creek, he is able to shuck the boringness of the first 16 years of his life for the drinking, smoking and prank-pulling life with his roommate "the Colonel" and the Colonel's best friend, the beautiful Alaska. The two of them drag Pudge into the world and give him experiences beyond his wildest dreams. Interestingly, the book is in two parts (before and after), and further divided into the days "before" and the days "after." As the number of days before dwindles, readers wait with breaths held for what will happen. And when tragedy does strike, the characters and readers will realize that you can never go back, knowing what you now know. John Green weaves a story rich with the feelings young men have toward sex and love and friendship and how the three are vastly different. He ties humor into lives that are lacking any, and empathetic emotion where you least expect it.

Reader's Annotation
Pudge goes to boarding school to escape his boring life. He never expects to find the friends he does, or to fall in love with the funny, smart and {yet} sad Alaska, or to have to learn how to deal with losing her.

About the Author
John Green worked as a publishing assistant and production editor for Booklist during the years he wrote his first novel, Looking for Alaska. It was published in 2005 to excellent reviews—it went on to win the Michael L. Printz award in 2006, among many other accolades. His second novel for young adults, An Abundance of Katherines, was published in 2006, and followed by Paper Towns in 2008. Green also is working with David Levithan on the novel Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Green's books are full of feeling and hilarity while facing deep topics.

Genre
Boys/Men
Dating/Sex
Death/Dying

Curriculum Ties
no applications

Booktalking Ideas
Would you leave this life you're living now behind for another…
How would you cope with a friend's death…

Awards
Michael L. Prinze Award (2006)

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 15+

Why I included this title...
I have always heard good things about this book—it's a good one.

Wii Sports

Wii Sports. Ninetendo: 207. ASIN B00212H6VG.

Summary & Evaluation
Ninetendo has a brilliant marketing department! They included the Wii Sports game with the console and a Wii-mote (remote controller) in a bundle. And Wii Sports is the game that many people associate with the Wii because of the commercials that showed families and friends of all ages off the couch and playing together. Although, Wii Sports doesn't have the truly realistic graphics like the one-sport specific games, it does have the functionality that makes it easy enough that anyone of any age can play.

The Wii Sports game contains following games: baseball, bowling, boxing, golf and tennis. The games can be played almost anywhere, at anytime without taking any consideration to the weather. The games are simple because they are meant to be fun for everyone, and not targeted at only serious gamers—although, gamers do like this too. For example:

• In boxing, players need only their Wii-mote and nunchuk to mimic the two handed punching of the sport, and it can be played solo or with another player
  
• in baseball, you are only pitching the ball and/or batting depending if you're playing against the Wii or another player
  
• tennis is merely serving the ball, and then lobbing the ball back and forth with either a backhand or a forehand. Tennis can be played with the system or with four other players
  
• golf is best played by using the power meter, the map and the wind monitor, all of which help you get the ball into the hole. Golf can be played alone or with a "foursome" of players
  
• and bowling, is maybe the most difficult because of how closely it imitates real life bowling. You have to push the right buttons at the right time to actually throw the ball. This can be a four person game too.
  

But before you begin to play Wii Sports, a custom-made Mii (a little avatar) must be created. Your Mii file will record your achievements and advancements in skill that take you to new levels. And to add to the level of competition, your Mii can play with other Miis because all of the games feature multiple player options. You can improve your statistics by playing any of the training games that help you play the sports.

Wii Sports isn't meant to replace traditional exercise, but it can be used to bring people together in many different social settings—parties, retirement homes, schools and libraries.

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages: all ages

Why I included this game...
Wii Sports is fun and enjoyed by so many people. I like the social aspect of the games.

Graphic from qishan.com. Retrieved from http://www.qisahn.com/nintendo-wii-pre-owned-games-c-2_70/wii-sports-used-p-639 on December 14, 2010.

Prom

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Prom. ISBN-10: 0142405701, ISBN-13: 9780142405703. Puffin Books. 2006.

Summary
After the math teacher runs off with all of the money for the senior prom, Ashley and her friends have to scramble for the next eleven days to get the prom off the ground. The problem is that Ashley doesn't care. She's got a lot going on in her life: she's struggling to graduate, has to wear a nasty rat costume and serve pizza to bratty kids, her mom is very pregnant and her drop-out boyfriend has ideas about Ashley's future than don't match her own. But between her prom-crazy aunts, and her friend Nat's relentless belief in the "prom cause" Ashley is dragged into helping the committee get creative and put together a great prom for their low-income high school.

Critical Evaluation
The concept of an elaborate prom in this low-income neighborhood high school is one that would appear depressing because not only did the math teacher run off with the money, the school authorities seem apathetic, and it doesn't sound like any of these girls can afford the niceties they dream of for the perfect prom. Laurie Halse Anderson takes this disheartening situation and tries to infuse some comedy with Ashley's prom-fanatical and boisterous aunts, her friend Nat who will stop at nothing to have the prom of her dreams and Nat's grandma who is a "little" crazy. Fans of Speak and Twisted maybe disappointed, but other readers may enjoy the comedic change of pace from Anderson.

Reader's Annotation
Ashley is caught up in planning a prom she doesn't care about when the money goes missing with the math teacher. Together with friends and families, the prom committee works to all of their prom dreams come true.

About the Author
Laurie Halse Anderson is a native to New York state, and is where she currently lives and writes. The bestselling author writes books for kids of all ages, but is possibly best known for her young adult novels. Her debut novelSpeak was a National Book Award finalist, a New York Times bestseller and a Printz Honor book. Catalyst followed in 2003, Prom in 2006 and Twisted in 2008—all of which touching on tough subjects with delicacy and the right amount of humor.

Anderson is also very well known for her American History picture books that highlight the women who also helped shape our country. Vet Volunteers is a chapter book series written for elementary readers. While Anderson alternates between her projects, she is often recognized for her outstanding efforts. She was presented with 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award forCatalyst, Fever 1793 and Speak. In 2008, she received the ALAN Award for her "outstanding contribution to the field of adolescent literature. And in April 2010, she was chosen to be the School Library Month spokesperson by the American Association of School Librarians.

Genre
Girls/Women
Adolescence

Curriculum Ties
n/a

Booktalking Ideas
How far would you go to help a friend?…
Given a situation that seems hopeless, are you able to see around the limitations for a solution or hit the brick wall…

Awards
n/a

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 15-18

Why I included this title...
I really enjoyed Speak and Twisted… and I thought I'd enjoy this one too.

Shiver

Stiefvater, Maggie. Shiver. ISBN-10: 054512367, ISBN-13: 9780545123266. Scholastic Press. 2009.

Summary
As a child, Grace was attacked by wolves. She survived and has been drawn to the wolf pack in the area ever since. She has interest especially in one wolf, the one with yellow eyes that seems to watch her. Sam is watching Grace as he is caught between his two lives—a warm weather human, and a wolf when the temperatures drop. When the wolf pack comes under fire, literally, Grace and Sam meet and fall in love. But the weather is getting colder in Minnesota, and they both come to realize what their future holds.

Critical Evaluation
A town in Minnesota has a big problem with wolves. Grace was attacked by the wolves when she was a child. So was Sam. Unlike Grace, Sam's is a part-time member of the pack. When the weather changes and temperatures drop, he and the others return to their wolf form. Now a local rich kid has been killed by the pack, but his body is missing and the wolf pack is one more wolf stronger. Amidst the mystery of the missing body, and the influx of wolves on the town, Grace and Sam have finally been brought together after years of watching each other from afar. Their relationship is intense because winter is closing in with colder temperatures. The immediacy of the relationship gives this paranormal romance its spark. Readers will turn the pages as quickly as they can to find out if Sam can be saved.

Reader's Annotation
Loving a werewolf is difficult. Grace loves Sam, but Sam is about to turn back to a wolf as winter draws near. They fight to keep him warm, human, and alive.

About the Author
Maggie Stiefvater is a renaissance woman. In addition to being a fairly new author of young adult novels, she has worked as an artist and can play the piano, Celtic harp and the bagpipes. In fact she has just begin her writing career, as her first novel—Lament—was published in 2008. It was the first book in her Books of Faerie series. The series is about homicidal fairies and thus far has just the second book, Ballad (2009). That year was busy, as the first book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series (Shiver) was also released in 2009. She's continued the series paranormal romance with publishing Linger (2010) and the soon to be released Forever (2011). On her website, she alludes to working on a collection of short stories and a "super secret" stand alone novel.

Stiefvater (pronounced as steve-otter)lives in Virginia with her family and a collection of animals.

Genre
Paranormal Romance

Challenges
Absent Parents
Sexual Content

Curriculum Ties
no applications

Booktalking Ideas
Would you keep dating someone who often "changed" into something else…
If you did keep dating that person, how far would you go out of your way to help that someone to fight the change…

Awards
Australia's Silver Inky award for Best International Book (2010)

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 14+

Why I included this title...
Because I couldn't get into the Twilight series, I thought I'd try a paranormal/werewolf romance.

Gale Virtual Reference Library

Gale Virtual Reference Library. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=idahofpl&authCount=1. Gale Cengage Learning: 2010.

Overview
The Idaho Falls Public Library provides access to the Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) database from our home page to help anyone with their research projects. The GVRL is a collection of thousands of reference e-books that are instantly available. The Gale Cengage Group stresses that the information is solid and can be trusted for accurate information. The benefits for students are that the e-books offer a wide range of topics, are accessible at anytime and can be converted to text-to-speech (ReadSpeaker Technology) for those who require the help. There are also benefits to libraries who offer the GVRL: we can offer more sources for our patrons, while not using space we might not have; we will never lose one volume to a collection and we make our young adult patrons happy because of the easy and quick access—and happy patrons will remember us and use us again.

The GVRL is easy to use. A patron can either do a basic search using either a document title, a keyword, or a subject search; or it's also possible to view the publications available for more of a browsing search. There are many areas that would appeal to a young adult, such as VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever, Notable Sports Figures and Political Theories for Students. For each publication, there is a search by table of contents and a list of illustrations—which is a great way to avoid the sketchy Google image search. The last best thing about this database is the citation tools. Building a bibliography can be very tricky, and having the most up-to-date styles are extremely helpful.

I have used this site at the library, for my school and have helped my kids use it for their research. I have never had a link that was broken and all of the information is current.

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 13+

Why I included this database...
A traditional library can't be open around the clock, so having information that can be accessed beyond normal library hours is invaluable.

Graphic from Gale Cengage. Retrieved from http://www.gale.cengage.com/ on December 14, 2010.

My Bonny Light Horseman

Meyer, L.A. My Bonny Light Horseman. ISBN-10: 0152060030, ISBN-13: 9780152060039. Harcourt Children's Books. 2007.

Summary
In My Bonny Horseman, we meet up with Jacky Faber again. In this sixth installment of the Bloody Jack series, Jacky is back at sea, captain of her own shipping company… but not for long because she is captured by the British and taken back to England for her crimes. However, she doesn't make that far and is then recaptured by the French, for the crimes she committed against them too. In true Jacky Faber style, she shimmies her way out of certain death to become an English spy to keep an eye on Napoleon! Even as her eye wanders to a certain French gentleman, her heart still belongs to Jaimy.

Critical Evaluation
This is a great girl-power series of books. Jacky has come a long way from little Mary, the orphan on the streets of London. This book finds Jacky in some precarious positions in her first mission as a spy is under the ruse of a courtesan—if not an all out and out prostitute. Her wits keep her pure even as she gets information out of powerful men. And her military smarts help her on the front lines as a deep spy working for the emperor of France. There is enough history to be historic, but it's not boring for young adults because of the amount of suspense and adventure.

Reader's Annotation
Jacky Faber is back on another adventure that takes her from her own boat, to a prisoner of Britain, then a prisoner to France, a dancer/courtesan and then a spy to watch over Napoleon.

About the Author
Louis A. Meyer, also known simply as L. A. Meyer, is the author of the eight outstanding books in the Bloody Jack series. Since his birth in 1942, he has traveled the world with is Army family, graduated from the University of Florida-Gainesville, joined the navy, received his Master's of Fine Arts in Painting from Boston University, he taught school, published two children's books, married and raised two boys, and now splits his time writing about the infamous Jacky and running his Clair de Loon gallery in Bar Harbor, Maine.

The inspiration for the Bloody Jack series came from listening to British and Celtic folk music in his gallery. The radio station was featuring songs about the tales of young girls dressing up as boys to follow their boyfriends out to sea. One of the most famous of these is Jackaroe. Sadly, the girls in history didn't have the spunk of Jacky Faber, as most were thrown to sea. But it was Meyer's vision that Jacky not go following her heart, rather going to fight her certain death by starvation. After eight books, Jacky is still cheating death.

Genre
Adventure
Girls/Women

Curriculum Ties
History: Napoleonic Wars

Booktalking Ideas
To steal secrets from the enemy, would you act as a spy…
How would you react if you met a major political head on the battle field…

Awards
n/a

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 14+

Why I included this title...
The Bloody Jack series is packed with adventure and suspense, why wouldn't people of all ages want to read it?!

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies

Sones, Sonya. One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies. ISBN-10: 1416907882, ISBN-13: 9781416907886. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. 2004.

Summary
Ruby's mom has died. But that's not the only problem: Ruby has to leave her Boston home, her Boston friends and her Boston boyfriend to move across the country to live with her father. Her father is a famous movie star who left Ruby's mom before she was born, and Ruby has turned her grief for her mother to anger toward her father. She's hateful, ungrateful and refuses to show her father any love. But there is more to the story of her father, and it'll take an act of God to help Ruby see that.

Critical Evaluation
Sonya Sones uses epistolary (emails mostly) free verse to tell the story of Ruby. Her mother dies from cancer and she is forced to leave Boston and move to Los Angeles to live with her movie star dad. She's grief-stricken, and funnels that grief to fuel her anger at the dad she never knew because he took off before she was born. She tortures him at every turn—his famous friends, her beautiful room in his mansion, rejecting his endeavors to get to know her. Ruby relies on her emails to her best friend and boyfriend who she left back in Boston, as well as her dead mother and her father's live-in trainer/personal assistant. Young adult readers will side with Ruby over her misery of having to leave her friends, and may understand her anger toward her dad. She's a smart character who tells a great story that twists with an earth-shattering earthquake.

Reader's Annotation
Fifteen year old Ruby has just lost her mom to cancer, and is now living in her movie star dad's Los Angeles mansion—a world away from her best friend and boyfriend she left in Boston. She finds relief in her misery by writing emails to them and even to her dead mother, until an act of God shakes up what she thought she knew.

About the Author
Sonya Sones has spent most of her life drawing, animating or editing something or another. The Boston native was educated at Hampshire college, has taught a Harvard, worked in the film industry as an editor and painted baby clothes for Neiman Marcus stores before enrolling in a poetry class at the University of California-Los Angeles. She had an influential professor who guided her into writing her first book Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy in 1999. In over the last decade, she has written four young adult novels, three short stories and one children's picture book—Violet and Winston—with her husband Bennett Tramer.

In her young adult novels, Sones often incorporates bits and pieces of herself in each book. Inspired by her professor and the actual events surrounding her mentally ill sister, Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy was written first (1999). Sones was writing poems about her first love, and then started thinking about all of the "firsts" in a young girl's life, and she used many those thoughts for What My Mother Doesn't Know (2003). Next she incorporated her own story of an East coast girl relocating to the West coast for One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies (2004). What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know (2007) came from the copious amount of letters asking the author for what happened next in Sophie's story. Sones says she wanted to know what happened too, so she wrote the sequel. Sones is currently working on her fifth novel.

Genre
Poetry/Verse
Death/Dying
Adolescence

Challenges
Homosexuality

Curriculum Ties
English: writing a complete story in verse

Booktalking Ideas
How willing would you be to pick up and move across the country just because your mom has died and you're now forced to live in a Los Angeles mansion…
Do you think you can tell a whole story using free verse poetry tucked into emails…

Awards
Tennessee Volunteer State Teen Read Award (2006)
Iowa Golden Apple Teen Read Award (2006)
Rhode Island Teen Book Award (2006)
New Hampshire Isinglass Teen Read Award (2006)
South Carolina Mustang Book Award (2005)
Cuffie Award from Publisher's Weekly for Best Book Title of the Year (2006)
Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association (2005)

… and numerous nominations

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 14+

Why I included this title...
Sonya Sones' What My Mother Doesn't Know was recommended to me, and so I wanted to see if her other books were as good… this one was better!

Goth Girl Rising

Lyga, Barry. Goth Girl Rising. ISBN-10: 0547076645, ISBN-13: 9780547076649. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2009.

Summary
In this sequel to The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, Kyra (also known as Goth Girl) has just been released from the Maryland Mental Health Unit after a 6-month stay. She comes out just as angry as she was when she went in and is now looking for the one person she knows understands her. When she finds Fanboy, she's devastated by the change in him. He's unrecognizable, and her fury for her dad overflows over to Fanboy. She's set on destroying his new found confidence and popularity, by exposing that Schemata (his comic book) is nothing that his classmates think it is. Goth Girl's ire is rising, but will revenge quench it?

Critical Evaluation
This time around, Barry Lyga focuses in on Goth Girl, and goes deeper into explaining who she is and what made her. Her stay in the Maryland Mental Hospital has done nothing for her attitude. She's still angry at the world. She's especially livid with her father for putting her in the hospital, and with Fanboy who has transformed from the quiet loner she left behind into someone she doesn't recognize. Fueled with her rage, she emotionally tortures her dad, and plots to ruin Fanboy's popularity and expose his comic book. Kyra remembers Fanboy's book as an homage to a senior Fanboy had a crush on, but hasn't seen how it's change to reflect a very different heroine.

Kyra is a hard character to like, but readers will be able to relate with her feelings of isolation. Her alienation and loneliness is particularly hard to face for her, as life has gone on while she was away. And other readers will find that Kyra's friends to be irritating with their unoriginal thoughts, their replication of her all-white style, and their constant need to hook-up. Readers will see that the poem that grows throughout the novel shows that Kyra's anger goes very deep, and Goth Girl is an antihero you hope finds her way.

Reader's Annotation
Goth Girl has been in the mental hospital because she took his bullet and the gun. Now that she's been released, Goth Girl is searching for Fanboy and realizes he's not the same boy she left behind… and she remembers it was HE who called her dad, making him as much to blame as her dad for putting her in the hospital. And she's looking for revenge.

About the Author
Barry Lyga is the popular author of The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, as well as a collector and activist of comic books. After he graduated from Yale (with a degree in English) he went to work in the comic book world, and he was a major player in the development of Free Comic Book day*. He served as the spokesperson for industry and is well-quoted in numerous publications as well as penning a book on the topic on incorporating these graphic materials into schools and school libraries.

Lyga changed gears a bit when he jumped into the realm of young adult novels. He used his vast comic book knowledge to write the rave-reviewed young adult book The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl in 2006. Boy Toy followed in 2007, and it was garnered enthusiastic reviews. In 2008, Hero-Type was released, and then in 2009 Goth Girl Rising the sequel toThe Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl was published. He's also written books for middle school aged readers, short stories, a film and copious articles and essays. Lyga was named a "Flying Start" from Publisher's Weekly for his strong debut in 2006.

Genre
Girls/Women
Mental Illness
Death/Dying

Challenges
Sexual Content
Language
Parental Angst

Curriculum Ties
Psychology: teen depression and suicide

Booktalking Ideas
At what lengths would you go to extract revenge…

Awards
n/a

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 15+

Why I included this title...
After reading The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl I needed to know what happened to Kyra. And I'm adding Barry Lyga to my list of favorite authors.

Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don’t Float

Schmelling, Sarah. Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don't Float: Classic Lit Signs on to Facebok. ISBN-10: 0452295734, ISBN-13: 9780452295735. Plume Books. 2009.

Summary
It's taken them awhile, but now some of literature's favorite authors and characters have signed-on to the social network Facebook. Sarah Schmelling has taken classic novels and converted them to Facebook feeds to bring some of the most loved stories into the 21^st century. And hilarity ensues.

Critical Evaluation
Sarah Schmelling has taken classics to a new humorous levels by bringing together authors like William Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf, and Jack Kerouac; literature (The Canterbury Tales to Lolita) and a wide range of classic charcters—Hester Pryne, Puck and Scarlett O'Hara to Facebook. Stories are retold on news feeds, groups are joined and heckling occurs through status updates. I think this is the just the beginning for Facebook-themed books. Anyone who is on Facebook and has a basic understanding of the classics will see the humor, but older, well-read teens will really enjoy the book.

Reader's Annotation
What will happen when all of the classic characters and authors sign-on to Facebook and talk about stories from Beowulf to Catcher in the Rye?

About the Author
Sarah Schmelling is a journalist that is known for her writing about pop culture and entertainment, and has been published in a variety of publications including The Washington Post, Real Simple, and The Huffington Post. It was in McSweeney's Internet Tendencies that "Hamlet (Facebook News Feed Edition)" was first published. The wife and mom lives in a Washington D.C. suburb, and this is her first book.

Genre
Non-fiction
Popular Culture

Curriculum Ties
English: to better understand the humor of the book, read the actual novels and plays

Booktalking Ideas
What do you think William Shakespeare would say if he were alive today and was on Facebook…

Awards
n/a

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 16+

Why I included this title...
As a holder of a degree in literature and a Facebook junkie—it was a no brainer!

Slam

Hornby, Nick. Slam. ISBN-10: 1594483450, ISBN-13: 9781594483455. Riverhead Books. 2008.

Summary
Sam is a skater—not on ice, but on a board—which could be why Sam turned to Tony Hawk for someone to talk to. He "talks" to his poster of Tony and references the skater's autobiography when his life falls apart. He had this amazing girlfriend, then they broke up and now she's telling him that she's pregnant with Sam's baby. Sam was raised by a single, teen mom and he doesn't want that for his baby. But he's not sure he's ready to be dad either. He knows that he's got to do something, though.

Critical Evaluation
Sam is a normal fifteen year old. He was in love with a girl, then they weren't doing anything but having sex, and then they broke up. He was over her and thought everything was going great. That was until his whole life was upset with the news that his ex-girlfriend is pregnant with his baby. Without anyone else to talk to about this predicament, Sam channels the wise words of his skateboarding mentor, Tony Hawk, through the skater's autobiography. Mix that with the odd visions into his future, Sam starts to make very adult decisions. Nick Hornby gives us an inside look into the heart of boys and men. Teen girls will love knowing some of the things that go through a guys mind, and guys will be thankful to know that they aren't alone in their thoughts of fear and insecurity. The backcover of the book says, "Nick Hornby has made a career writing about men who act like boys. Now he gives us a boy who acts like a man…" Sam is very likable, unlike some of his other characters.

About the Author
English author Nick Hornby is another author who began his working life as a teacher. The Cambridge educated Hornby taught, worked for Samsung, and was a freelance journalist before becoming a novelist. He is better known for his books for adults. He started his career with the memoir (Fever Pitch) of his "support" for the Arsenal football (soccer) team. It was made into two movies: a British version with Colin Firth and the American version with Jimmy Fallon as the fervent fan of the Boston Red Sox. High Fidelity and About a Boy subsequently followed, and they were also made into major motion pictures starring John Cusak and Hugh Grand, respectively. In the last decade, he has written three other adult books (How to Be Good, A Long Way Down and Juliet Naked); in addition to Slam, his first young adult effort. Also, in the decade Hornby has collaborated with other authors to contribute to two short story collections—Big Night Out (2002) and Click (2007), edited an anthology (Speaking with the Angel, 2000), wrote several non-fiction books, and penned the Oscar nominated screenplay for "An Education."

Genre
Dating/Sex
Boys/Men

Curriculum Ties
Health: safe sex
Sociology: studying the value and effects of "family" on today's society

Booktalking Ideas
How would you react to being a teen mother/father…
How do you think your life would change…
Awards
Young Adult Library Services Association's Best Book for Young Adults (2008)

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 15+

Why I included this title...
I was lucky to meet Nick Hornby while at a YALSA luncheon! As a fan, I was excited to read his young adult book, but it sat on my shelf unread for three years. I read his new book (Juliet, Naked) this summer and couldn't agree more with the quote "Nick Hornby has made a career writing about men who act like boys. Now he gives us a boy who acts like a man…" I plan to leave this book out in hopes that my boys will read it in a couple of years.

More information
Nick Hornby's Official Website: http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/minisites/nickhornby/

The Hunger Games

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. ISBN-10: 0439023483, ISBN-13: 9780439023481. Scholastic Press. 2008.

Summary
In another time, the United States as we now know it has become Panem. It's divided into twelve districts with one Capitol, and Katniss lives with her mother and sister in the poorest part of the poorest district. Since her father died, she has been providing for and protecting her family. And she continues to shelter her sister when Primrose's name is called to be a gladiator-type "tribute" in the Capitol's annual Hunger Games. The games are a brutal, bloodthirsty battle to the death that are televised across Panem. As Katniss steps into the games for her sister and her district, she knows that she is facing death armed with little more than her strong street smarts.

Critical Evaluation
Suzanne Collins has created a terrifying look into the future of the United States. Twelve districts ruled by one harsh and cruel Capitol. It's the same Capitol that institutes the Hunger Games—a gladiator-esque battle, where there can only be one winner. Each of the twelve districts sends a boy and a girl (known as Tributes) to the Games, and the point is that the one winner outlives their 23 competitors. Katniss has volunteered to be a tribute in efforts to spare her little sister from a certain death. Katniss has been providing for her family with her illegal hunting and bartering on the black market for years, and she takes those skills with her to the Games. The one thing that she didn't think about was her companion Tribute—Peeta. They have history, and the authorities in the Games have made that distant friendship into a romance. Do her past feelings of indebtedness to Peeta blur her goal, or does the sensationalism help her to admit true feelings? Collins gives us a complex character set in a complicated situation. Readers who enjoy science fiction will love this series, and the readability will draw in reluctant sci-fi readers. Katniss is a wonderfully strong character, but so is Peeta. They each bring something different to the Games and to their relationship—and that question of romance will attract readers too.

Reader's Annotation
The Hunger Games is more than a story of kids killing each other. Suzanne Collins brings us to a chilling future society that pits teens against each other in a battle to the death, as well as telling us an adventurous tale of friendship, romance and survival.

About the Author
Suzanne Collins has been writing for children for the past two decades, although mostly for children's television programs. She worked with Nickelodeon on projects such as Clarissa Explains it All, Oswald and Little Bear, and Scholastic Entertainment for Clifford's Puppy Days. She was approached by another children's author who persuaded her to try her hand at writing children's books. Gregor the Overlander was published in 2003 and kicked off The Underland Chronicles series, which includes three other following books. Then in 2008, Collins released The Hunger Games and began that trilogy which contains Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

Genre
Science Fiction
Girls/Women

Curriculum Ties
Government/History: the effects of war, violence, and poverty on societies

Booktalking Ideas
Would you put yourself in the danger of possible death to protect your sibling from certain death…
Do you think you could kill another person to save your own life…

Awards
Publisher's Weekly's Best Book of the Year (2008)
Golden Duck Award in Young Adult Fiction(2009)
Cybil Wonner for fantasy and science fiction (2008)

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 15+

Why I included this title...
Thankfully this was required reading. I said repeatedly: why would I want to read a book about kids killing each other!? Now I know why…

Sports Illustrated

Levine, Adam, editor. Sports Illustrated. Time Inc.: New York: 2010.

Summary
Sports Illustrated gives readers the information they want on almost all sports played in America and beyond. A typical issue will focus on the sports in season covering both the professional and collegiate realms. Most issues also offer information on the lives (and sometimes deaths) of athletes of interest. There are regular columns with well respected experts in the sports arena and factoid sections in each issue The cover photography alludes to an important upcoming game or event, while on page three is the complete "lineup" or table of contents. The photography in Sports Illustrated covers sports in a way that captures the spirit of the game or player. It's very artistic and dramatic.

Critical Evaluation
Sports Illustrated is a weekly magazine that reports on what's happening in the world of sports. The cover articles are always the longest, spanning two or three pages, while other articles are shorter than a page, or in the shape of a factoid box. This allows readers to be able to easily finish any article over their morning cereal. The factoids can be quickly scanned quick reading entertainment and good-to-know sports statistics/trivia. The section called "Faces in the Crowd" will appeal to young adults because it highlights the achievements of the country's best high school athletes. Both guys and girls who are interested in sports will enjoy the weekly Sports Illustrated. And with the different lengths of articles, readers with different the reading abilities will get something from the magazine.

Genre
Sports
Popular Culture

Challenges
Sexual Content— in advertisements and the annual Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue

Curriculum Ties
Physical Education: the power of sports on a body
Psychology: the power of sports on the mind
Booktalking Ideas
Does knowing about an athlete's personal life change how you view them as a professional…
Are professional athletes role models? Overpaid? Rock stars…

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 12+

Why I included this title...
This is a popular magazine with all ages, and I noticed that both of my tweens read it while eating breakfast.

Graphic from rant.sportslizard.com. Retrieved from http://rant.sportslizard.com/2007/08/18/my-new-favorite-custom-mcfarlane/ on December15, 2010.

New Super Mario Bros

New Super Mario Bros. Ninetendo: 2009. ASIN: B002BRZ9G0.

Summary & Evaluation
Mario and his brother, Luigi are back in this Wii game that is very reminiscent of the classic Mario games of the past. It's now a multiplayer game, and the players can choose their character from Mario, Luigi, or one of two Toads. The game steps up the challenge for players because of the many concealed rewards and secret places that offer a lot of replay value. Like the standard Mario games, the point is to make your way through all of the levels while avoiding hindrances and bad guys—and each level gets harder with more secrets and unknown things. To successfully get thru the levels, players need to be very aware of what's going on around them, be fast and anticipate many hazards in the shape of mushrooms and evil Bowzers.

It can be very stressful to play the game in multiplayer mode because one player can be very skilled, while the other is a novice. However, while multiplayer games can be tough, players can also work together to help each other. For example, players can pick each other up to save them from peril. Also, Wii has incorporated the motion abilities of the Wii-motes to tilt see-saws to reach high platforms, or tilt it away to foil their competition. Players who grew up playing Mario, won't be disappointed with this game, and new players will enjoy the challenge.

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages: 10+

Why I included this title...
Wii gaming is popular is many libraries, and I can see how using videos games would draw in teens who may not use the library for any other reason.

Graphic from InsaneBear.com. Retrieved from http://www.insanebear.com/986/e3-09-nintendo-announces-the-new-super-mario-bros-wii/ on December 14, 2010.

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty

Neri, Greg, writer. Randy Duburke, illustrator. Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty. ISBN-10: 1584302674, ISBN-13: 9781584302674. Lew & Low Books. 2010.

Summary
"Yummy" is the nickname for an eleven year old boy, Robert Sandifer. In 1994, Yummy was responsible for the stray bullet that killed another kid, a 14-year old girl from the same Chicago Southside neighborhood. In the span of three days, we see Yummy running and hiding from the police and eventually his own gang. The narrator, Roger, gives a insight into who Yummy is and the system that, in the end, may have failed Yummy and many other children like him.

Critical Evaluation
In stark, black and white illustrations, Yummy is a graphic novel about the very short life of the real Robert Sandifer, aka Yummy. He was 11 years old when he shot and killed 14 year old Shavon Dean. The story is told through the eyes of a fictional classmate of Yummy's, Roger. And he is the voice that asks the questions about how Yummy turned out like he did: Was it the dangerous Roseland neighborhood? Was it the attraction of gang life to fill in where his family was absent? It's impossible to know what happened to Yummy, but readers can look at this graphic novel as a cautionary tale for their own futures.

Reader's Annotation
The Roseland neighborhood in Chicago's Southside is a dangerous place to grow up. Watch how a boy who loved sweets, dubbed Yummy, became an 11 year old murderer.

About the Author
Greg Neri is the author of several books for children and young adults, a producer of interactive media projects for clients like Reebok, Disney and Mercedes Benz, writer and director of three films and the winner of numerous awards. He currently lives in Florida, but graduated from University of California-Santa Cruz with a degree in theater arts which explains his wide range of projects. Yummy began as a movie project and after 12 years, it became a graphic novel.

Illustrator Randy Duburke was born in Georgia, lived in New York and now resides in Switzerland with his family. Over his 20 year career, he has worked on comic books, book cover art, children's picture books, and animation. Duburke was awarded the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe award for best new talent/illustration for his first children's book, Moon Ring, in 2003. Now he is committed to his time to work on illustrating children's books and graphics novels.

Genre
Graphic Novel
Biography
Violence
Boys/Men

Challenges
Violence

Curriculum Ties
Sociology: Chicago's Southside Roseland neighborhood
Sociology: Gangs as family
Current Events: Gang Violence

Booktalking Ideas
What were you thinking about when you were 11… shooting another kid to into a gang…

Awards
Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2010
Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2010
Booklist Best Books of 2010
School Library Journal's Fuse #8: 100 Magnificent Children's Books of 2010 List

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 13+

Why I included this title...
I read the review in Booklist.

Pretties

Westerfeld, Scott. Pretties. ISBN-10: 0689865398, ISBN-13: 9780689865392. Simon Pulse. 2005.

Summary
Tally is now a Pretty… finally. Her face, her body, her life are all perfect, but in the back recesses of her mind she feels like she is forgetting something. When a message from her past arrives, she is reminded about the ugliness that hides beneath the perfect life of a Pretty. Again, she is at the mercy of the Specials and has to be make some dangerous decisions about her future

Critical Evaluation
In the second book of The Uglies series, readers will be happy to meet up with Tally as she has finally become a Pretty and is living her perfect life to the hilt—hot boyfriend, lots of friends and the best parties. But when her Ugly past catches up with her and reminds her of why she questioned becoming a Pretty, the plot thickens because any change in her behavior would cause the Specials to pay attention and watch her closely. The Specials don't want her to know what she already knows, and they will do whatever it takes to "help" her forget. Readers of the Uglies and Pretties will be ready to delve into the third book in the series—The Specials—to see where the action-packed story goes from here.

Reader's Annotation
Now Tally is a Pretty, and enjoying the Pretty lifestyle. But she is going to come to remember that being a Pretty is ugly business, especially when the Specials get involved. The thrilling second book in the series will only get readers even more excited for the next book.

About the Author
Texas native, Scott Westerfeld, is the author of short stories, five adult novels, and four different series for young adults: The Midnighters, The Peeps, The Leviathan and The Uglies. The Midnighters is about a town where for one hour a day—at midnight, of course—very dark things occur. The science fiction author says that The Peeps series isn't actually a series, but three stand-alone titles (So Yesterday, Peeps and The Last Days) all set in present day New York and deal with vampires, parasites and consumerism. The Leviathan series (Leviathan, Behemoth and Goliath) is Westerfeld's newest series and falls in the steampunk genre with an alternate version of the events from World War I. The Uglies series began as a trilogy but now has ended with four books (The Uglies, The Pretties, The Specials and The Extras) and an insider's guide (Bogus to Bubbly).

The author, who chooses to live in perpetual summer, splits his time in New York City and Australia with his wife, author Justine Larbalestier. Westerfeld was educated at the Arts Magnet High School in Dallas, TX, Vassar College for a degree in Philosophy and did some graduate work in Performance Studies at New York University. Prior to writing his own novels, he spent time as a factory worker, substitute teacher, textbook editor, software designer and ghost writer for other novelists.

Genre
Science Fiction
Friendship

Challenges
n/a

Curriculum Ties
Sociology: futuristic societies

Booktalking Ideas
You have everything, the perfect boy/girlfriend, popularity, a closet of awesome clothes to wear to all of the parties you go to, would you risk all of it to know the truth about what being a perfect person actually means…

Awards
n/a

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 15+

Why I included this title...
Like I said, I'm not a big fan of science fiction; but after reading The Uglies, I had to know what happened!!

Forever

Blume, Judy. Forever. ISBN-10: 054512367, ISBN-13: 9780545123266. Scholastic Press. 2009.

Summary
Forever is one of Judy Blume's most challenged books for its sexual content. More importantly, Forever is a book about true love that feels like it will last forever, and unfortunately it doesn't always happen that way. Katherine and Michael fall in love during their senior year of high school, and over a short period of time—and much discussion—they become intimate. They are sure that their love is true and will last forever. Change is on the way as high school ends and they have other big decisions to make.

Critical Evaluation
Forever is one of those books that is often challenged for its sexual content without taking into consideration the context and the responsibility taken into thought. It's also one of the books that isn't always read all of the way through, either because most young people skim its pages looking for the "good stuff", or the adults challenging it are also just looking for the "bad stuff.". The book is about Michael and Katherine who meet in their senior year and build this intense and passionate relationship. That passion for each other brings them to talking and experimenting with their sexual urges. Judy Blume writes about sex in a positive and upfront manner. The beauty of young adults reading this book is that even though all of the feelings that flood in so strongly during these heady times of first love sometimes have a tendency to quench themselves out. It isn't a how-to-have-sex book, it's more of a book about the realities of relationships.

Reader's Annotation
Katherine and Michael are in their senior year of high school, they are in love and they are on the verge of many decisions about the "firsts" in their lives.

About the Author
Judy Blume was born in New Jersey, and has said that she was always making up stories in her head. It wasn't until her own kids were in school did she start putting them on paper. She has written more than 20 books over the years. In the last four decades, she has written for children (The Fudge and Pain and the Great One series), for young adults (Are You There Go? It's Me Margaret, Then Again, Maybe I Won't, and Forever) and for adults. (Smart Women and Summer Sisters).

To no one's surprise, her adult books all spent time on the New York Times bestseller's list, while her books for children and young adults are often challenged and/or banned. Five of her books (Forever, Blubber, Deanie, Tiger Eyes and Are You There God? It's Me Margaret) were on the American Library Association's list of Top Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-09. Because of that scrutiny, she became an advocate for intellectual freedom working with writers, teachers and librarians to protect the freedom to read.

Genre
Girls/ Women
Romance
Banned/Challenged

Curriculum Ties
n/a

Booktalking Ideas
Even if you said you'd love someone forever, do you think that's an honest reality…
Does sex cement a relationship…

Challenges
Sexual Content
Awards
n/a

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 15+

Why I included this title...
I read just the "good parts" in high school, but was happy to read the whole thing again for my part of the Banned/Challenged presentation.

Deadline

Crutcher, Chris. Deadline. ISBN-10: 0060850914, ISBN-13: 9780060850913. Greenwillow Books. 2010.

Summary
Ben is going to die. Not some day, but within the year. He's decided to keep that "little" secret to himself. Armed with this knowledge, he's decided that he's going to live the last months of his life to the absolute fullest—he's going to give up the safety of cross-country for the dangers and glory of football, he's going to speak up in class and press his opinions, and most importantly, he's going to ask the gorgeous Dallas Suzuki out on a date, rather than love her from afar. Unfortunately, not everything goes exactly to Ben's plans. He learns that keeping secrets isn't necessarily the best method to keep from hurting people.

Critical Evaluation
Deadline is a touching book that addresses the question of what would you do if you knew you had nothing to lose. Ben wants to make the most of his last days. While he enjoys the chances he's taking, he sees that withholding the truth to those he loves the most, hurts them just as much as the truth could. Young adults will like the idea Ben's philosophy of "having nothing to lose" during his last days, and will see how honesty improves Ben's short life. It's a book that could be very sad, and whereas it is sad, it's also got humor at work at the same time.

Reader's Annotation
Deadline is a book about living one's life to the fullest, as Ben is faced with his death during his senior year of high school.

About the Author
Chris Crutcher one of those rarities: an Idaho author. He was raised near Boise, in a small logging town that is similar to the town of Trout that appears in some of his novels. He holds a degrees in psychology and sociology, and a teaching certificate. He's taught in California and Washington, where he ending his teaching career at an alternative school for at-risk kids. He then started another career as a therapist and child protection advocate while looking for a way to help support his writing habit in Spokane.

He's still in Spokane, and he relies heavily on the experiences as a teacher and family therapist to give his fiction life. His writing style brings reality to the forefront with amazing humor. He's written ten novels for young adults in the last three decades; as well as a small series called Stotan, a short story collection, Athletic Shorts and a memoir, King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography. He is also often challenged and/or banned due to the real subjects of which he writes and the real language of teens. His book Whale Talk (2001) deals with issues of child abuse and drug abuse, and was 41^st on the American Library Association of the Top 100 Banned/Challenged books for the last decade. Coming in at 44^th on the same list, is his collection of short stories (Athletic Shorts, 1991), and at 85 is Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes (1993).

Crutcher was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award for a lifetime contribution to young adult literature in 2000.

Genre
Death/Dying
Frienship
Boys/Men

Challeneges
Death
Sexual Abuse
Language

Curriculum Ties
no applications

Booktalking Ideas
If you knew you had a fatal condition, would you tell everyone or would you keep it to yourself…
If you knew you had one year to live, what would you do…

Awards
n/a

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 15+

Why I included this title...
I heard Chris Crutcher speak at the Idaho Library conference, and couldn't believe I had never read his books.

More Information:
American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/2000_2009/index.cfm

What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know

Sones, Sonya. What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know. ISBN-10: 0689876033, ISBN-13: 9780689876035. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. 2007.

Summary
What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know is a sequel to What My Mother Doesn't Know. However we now get to hear from Robin Murphy, Sophie's sweet and artsy boyfriend. Everyone at school is as shocked at their relationship as Robin is, and because of it, Sophie and Robin are made to be outcasts in all of the social circles. And Robin is questioning the value of actually getting the thing you most want.

Critical Evaluation
In this novel that picks up where What My Mother Doesn't Know left off, Sonya Sones uses her familiar sparse free verse to tell Robin's side of the story and how he feels about Sophie. He knows she's now a social outcast because she is with him, and it's hard for him to see her suffering for being with him. He finds a bit of respite from the hard times of their high school when he enrolls in a college drawing class. Girls will be torn for their feelings of popularity and the love of Robin when reading this book. Guys will understand Robin's awkwardness and understand his torn feelings and the uncertainty about his sometimes-uncomfortable relationship with Sophie when a college student from his class takes an interest in him. All teen readers will appreciate both of the character's flaws, and applaud when they stand up to the bullies together!

Reader's Annotation
We met Sophie in What My Mother Doesn't Know, and now we get to meet her boyfriend, Robin Murphy. The couple is ridiculed and alienated at school, but come together to face their adversity.

About the Author
Sonya Sones has spent most of her life drawing, animating or editing something or another. The Boston native was educated at Hampshire college, has taught a Harvard, worked in the movies as an editor and painted baby clothes for Neiman Marcus stores before enrolling in a poetry class at University of California-Los Angeles. She had an influential professor who guided her into writing her first book Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy in 1999. In over the decade, she has written four young adult novels, three short stories and one children's picture book—Violet and Winston—with her husband Bennett Tramer.

In her young adult novels, Sones incorporates bits of herself in each. Inspired by her professor and the actual events surrounding her mentally ill sister, Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy was written (1999). Sones was writing poems about her first love, and then she started thinking about all of the "firsts" in a young girl's life, and she used those thoughts for What My Mother Doesn't Know (2003). Next she incorporated her own story of an East coast girl moving to the West for One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies (2004). But then What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know (2007) came from letters asking the author for what happened next in Sophie's story. Sones says she wanted to know what happened too. Sones is currently working on her fifth novel.

Genre
Poetry and Verse
Dating and Sex
Adolescence

Challenges
Sexual Content

Curriculum Ties
English: writing a complete story in verse

Booktalking Ideas
How would you handle your whole school making fun of you and your new boyfrien…
Is it more important to be popular than to be happy…

Awards
n/a

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 14+

Why I included this title...
I wanted to see what happened with Sophie and Murphy, so I had to read it!

Twisted

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Twisted. ISBN-10: 014131088X, ISBN-13: 9780141310886. Puffin. 1999.

Summary
Before his senior year, Tyler was a nobody. He was invisible, but that's all changed due to his creative graffiti on the school walls and his summer spent in punishment working hard-labor outside. His reputation and his body have changed. He's no longer lurking in the shadows, and he's caught the attention of his crush and super-popular Bethany. This leads to conflicts at school because she is the sister to his archenemy, Chip. And this makes home awkward as she's also the daughter of his Dad's boss. As the story unfolds, Tyler's got to deal with his feelings to find out what kind of man he really is, or is growing to be.

Critical Evaluation
So many times books are written to help girls who suffer from social issues, but in Twisted Laurie Halse Anderson opens up the heart and mind a teen called Tyler. He's always been an outsider, and would still be overlooked if not for his crazy act of rebellion where he vandalized his school. His crime changed his reputation, and his punishment of manual labor changed his body. The superficial changes bring the attention of Tyler's crush, an equally superficial Bethany. He's now caught in the dilemma of what does a man do when he's got what he wants and it's nothing like he thought it'd be. Young readers will be acquainted with the inner conflicts of sex and love, drinking and partying, school, and parental issues.

Reader's Annotation
Now that Tyler is popular and attention-worthy, he needs to face the ethical quandaries of being a man in the world today.

About the Author
Laurie Halse Anderson is a native to New York state, and that is where she currently lives and writes. The bestselling author writes books for kids of all ages, but is maybe best known for her young adult books. Her debut novel Speak was a National Book Award finalist, a New York Times bestseller and a Printz Honor book. Catalyst followed in 2003, Prom in 2006 and Twisted in 2008—all of which touching on tough subjects with delicacy and the right about of humor.

Anderson is also very well known for her American History picture books that highlight the women who also helped shape our country. Vet Volunteers is a chapter book series written for elementary readers. Anderson alternates between her projects all the while being presented with 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award for Catalyst, Fever 1793 and Speak. In 2008, she received the ALAN Award for her "outstanding contribution to the field of adolescent literature. And in April 2010, she was chosen to be the School Library Month spokesperson by the American Association of School Librarians.

Genre
Boys/Men
Adolescence

Challenges
Underage Drinking
Sexual Content

Curriculum Ties
n/a

Booktalking Ideas
When faced with getting the very thing you wanted and realizing that it's all wrong, how do you respond…
How do you shake the reputation that people gave you when they only know what they think you do without really getting to know you …

Awards
n/a

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 15+

Why I included this title...
Often the feelings of young men are overlooked, and this book is a great look inside the feelings of a guy.

Boy Toy

Lyga, Barry. Boy Toy. ISBN-10: 0547076347, ISBN-13: 978547076348. Graphia. 2007.

Summary
Five years ago, Josh learned several things about himself—mainly that he knew how to please a woman. Sadly, five years ago, Josh was 12 years old and was having a very adult relationship with one of his teachers. Eve, the teacher, is now being paroled while Josh is trying to finish high school, improve on his already amazing baseball statistics, and start a relationship with Rachel. But he's still really angry—he flies off in violent rages; he can't commit to a relationship with Rachel because he's unsure of how to be in a real relationship, and he's holding on to a secret that everyone already knows. It's just time for him to know the truth too.

Critical Evaluation
Barry Lyga has taken a headline that is being seen more and more commonly, a teacher having a sexual relationship with one of her students. Josh is one of those students, and Eve was his teacher. He was seduced and convinced that he was in a loving relationship where this kind of behavior was acceptable. Five years later, he's still stuck in a mire of self-doubt, while searching for a little control in his life. The story is told in a flashbacks that he calls flickers where his mind drifts back to his time with Eve. The flickers slowly build up from grading papers, to kissing and then much more. Lyga's descriptions of Josh and Eve's relationship are honest, explicitly so. Older teens will understand many of Josh's feelings about relationships, ending high school and moving on. And all readers will get a better inkling into the mind of the silent male victim.

Reader's Annotation
Josh has been keeping a secret—but everyone already knows that he was a victim of molestation by his history teacher in seventh grade. He also needs to come to terms with the relationship, and the truth may release him.

About the Author
Barry Lyga is the popular author of The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, as well as a collector and activist of comic books. After he graduated from Yale (with a degree in English) he went to work in the comic book world, and he was a major player in the development of Free Comic Book day*. He served as spokeperson for industry and is quoted in numerous publications as well as penning a book on the topic on incorporating these graphic materials into schools and school libraries.

Lyga changed gears a bit, and jumped into the realm of young adult novels. He used his vast comic book knowledge to write the rave-reviewed young adult book The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl in 2006. Boy Toy followed in 2007, and it was garnered enthusiastic reviews. In 2008, Hero-Type was released, and then in 2009 Goth Girl Rising the sequel to The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl was published. He's also written books for middle schoolers, short stories, a film and copious articles and essays. Lyga was named a "Flying Start" from Publisher's Weekly for his strong debut in 2006.

Genre
Sexual Abuse
Dating/Sex

Challenges
Sexual Content

Curriculum Ties
Sociology: abundance of sexual abuse with female teachers and young male students

Booktalking Ideas
When you think about a female teacher having a sexual relationship with a male student, who do you think is to blame…
If you knew your best friend had been molested by a teacher, what would you do to be a friend and support him?

Awards
n/a

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 16+

Why I included this title...
I stumbled on this one by accident... and as Bob Ross used to say, "it's a happy accident". I'm very glad to have found Barry Lyga.

*On the first Saturday in May, participating stores join in to the industry-wide promotion.

Bob Ross was a painter, who created beautiful landscapes and entertained many for years on PBS channels.