Once

Reader: Guananí
Age: 15
Title: Once
Author: Morris Gleitzman
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Pub Date: ?
Galley: No
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: This is a unique book in the WWII genre: it's short, has a relatively simple yet satisfying plot, and is told from the perspective of a young kid very convincingly.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: The most compelling things in this book are the voice and use of repetition. Felix's character, age, and way of dealing with life through his stories are beautifully and convincingly conveyed. The use of the word "once" at the beginning of each chapter tied the story together in a very neat way and helped contrast Felix at the beginning of the story and at the end, highlighting his growing up in hard times and emotional change. The simplicity of the prose and perspective helped make the horrible things Felix experienced more striking and believable.
Did you finish: Yes
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I didn't really know what to expect from this book, and I was not disappointed at all. This is a very concise and well-told story that I think will draw readers of various ages even though the book is told from such a young main character.
Comments: Kudos to Mr. Gleitzman, for nailing the kid voice so well in such a harsh setting. I especially recommend this book to the WWII genre fans who want something fresh and from a slightly new angle on a well-explored time in history.
Cover: This cover is absolutely stunning. The title is big, simple and intriguing, and the use of shading on the scratched metallic blue is visually appealing while conveying a mysterious harshness that illustrated the book's theme well. The silhouette of the boy balancing on the barbed wire looks awesome and is a nice metaphor for Felix's mental state throughout the book of teetering between his naive innocence and the harsh reality is his forced to overcome. This is one of the best covers I've seen in a long time.
Age Range: 12-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

Ice

Reader: Maita
Age: 17
Title: Ice
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Publishing
Pub Date: 10/06/2009
Galley: Yes
Recommend: No
Compelling Aspect of the Book: I think the most compelling aspect of the book was the general fairytale theme and the strong female character of the book. But specifically on the plot of the book, nothing really compelling.
Comments: I think the books is very interesting and maybe I just didn't enjoy it very much because I didn't like the fairy tale it was telling. I also thought it was very weird that the girl just didn't want to go home anymore and what she was willing to sacrifice for someone she didn't really know.
Cover: The cover was a turn on. It was very intersting. It also the contents of the book.

Did you finish: Yes
Age Range: 12-15
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

Parrotfish

Reader: Elise S.
Age: 15
Title: Parrotfish
Author: Ellen Wittlinger
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Pub Date:
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: Yes
Annotation: When Angela comes out as the boy Grady, her family and friends react in increments of extreme. But in his time of change, Grady finds support, humor, and even a blossoming romance in very surprising places.
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Parrotfish is unique in many ways. The main character, even though he's very different from me, is completely relateable, and the author frames his hardships in a way that is clear, and poignant. The subject matter, transgenderism (is that a word?), isn't common. But it didn't feel like she browsed B&N and picked a topic she didn't see, she took this, and informed the reader while telling a great story. The secondary characters were just as interesting and alive as the protagonist, but didn't overtake the him in the interesting factor.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: The way the author showed how differently people reacted to Angela turning into Grady was my favorite part. While it was extreme, it wasn't to the parents saying "I don't love you, get out of my house," extreme. I loved how he wasn't entirely isolated, and that he found some unexpected allies. It made it much more interesting than the bland 'everybody hates me.' It also made me see the world in a different way. I have a friend who is transgender, and reading Parrotfish helped me understand who he is more, which is one of the most valuable things a book can do. It also taught me about the mating habits of reef fish.
Cover: I didn't think the cover was a stunner, as covers go, but it was interesting enough. I liked how the model actually looked like how I pictured Grady, and you couldn't tell if the person was a girl or a boy. The fading colors of the title added a lot of quiet flair that made it stand out. Another point for the image was that it didn't try to tell the whole plot, rather picked something that captured the spirit of the book.
Did you finish: Yes
Age Range: 12-18 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

Girl, Stolen

Reader: Elise S.
Age: 15
Title: Girl, Stolen
Author: April Henry
Publisher: Henry & Holt
Pub Date: Sep 2010
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: Yes
Annotation: Cheyenne Wilder, daughter of the head of Nike, survivor of a car accident that left her blind, is asleep sick in the back of the car when it's stolen. So begins a journey home, assissted by her young kidnapper.
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Girl, Stolen is not your typical kidnap story. Cheyenne is blind. Her kidnap was accidental. The kidnapper is actually a character, not just a dark, shadowy figure in a trench coat. But it's not just about the abnormalities, it's about telling a really good story. The characters are different, very alive, and really interesting people. The storytelling brings you into the characters, so you feel what they feel. Because one of the protagonists is blind, for half of the book the author has to rely on describing what Cheyenne thinks is happening and where she is, based on textures, smells, and sounds. And she does this so masterfully that you feel like you almost can see it, but is still refreshing.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: I loved the relationship that developed between Cheyenne and Griffin, and how it didn't really come to a definite close, but was still satisfying.
Did you finish: Yes
Cover: As a lover of dark books, I thought this cover was very interesting. The dark tones on the edges, and the fact that her skin actually showed veins (gasp) made it seem very real, and dark. It was intriguing, and definitely wanted to make me read the book. And, after reading it, I picked up more little things. She covered her eyes like blindness, the clothes and everything look rich, connections!
Age Range: 12-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

Clarity

Reader: Sydney
Age: 15
Title: Clarity
Author: Kim Harrington
Publisher: Point (Scholastic)
Pub Date: 2/00/2011
Galley: Yes
Cover: This cover and the title compelled me to pick up this book. Its a bit eerie, but very bright at the same time.
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: I think this is a cool book because Clarity "Clare" can read objects, and receive memories from them. To me, this is a really cool idea, and I like the way the author wrote it. Also, the case Clare has to solve is very intriguing, with some good plot turns.
Did you finish: Yes
Age Range: 14-18 up
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

The Wish Stealers

Reader: Emily
Age: 16
Title: The Wish Stealers
Author: Tracy Trivas
Publisher: Aladdin
Pub Date: 02/08/2011
Galley: Yes
Recommend: No
Compelling Aspect of the Book: This is a great story about a young girl discovering herself and dealing with magic. The Magic part of the book is very apparent, and yet it is not the central focus.
Did you finish it: Yes
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I really feel like the plot has been used to much. Albeit, the wish stealer aspect is a new twist. I really wold like a more creative twist to the whole, young teen finding her true self, coming into new powers, and finding a boyfriend. It's been used too much. I like the plot, but you need more imagination to make it work.
Cover: Definitely and interesting cover, but it is aimed for teens between 12 and 14; so not appealing to older teens. The cover has a distinct whimsical vibe to it, befitting the subject, but I am a little confused on why there is so much light. Do the publishers need to put so much on the cover? I don't remember reading about a light around the fountain.
Age Range: Under 12-13
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest

Virgin Territory

Reader: Emily
Age: 16
Title: Virgin Territory
Author: James Lecesne
Publisher: Egmont USA/ Laura Geringer Books
Pub Date: 09/14/2010
Galley: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Virgin Territory is a slightly thought provoking drama about a young man going through a path of self-discovery. I really recommend this book for people who want a good read and are willing to think outside the box.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: You don't see enough good books with male main characters, but Virgin Territory has it all. I really think the loss of his mother and a negligent father drives Dylan to develop more, creating a more interesting plot.
Comments: 1. The tattoo on the cover isn't quite fitting to the arm, you can see sections where the tattoo is coming off the arm, I would recommend fixing that as I found it mildly irritating.2. I wish the main character's father was more supportive. The story makes the father seem distant and not at all interested in his son, so why put him in there?
Cover: Great cover! I really loved how the red and green contrasted. The tattoo that is displayed on the arm is very eye-catching and definitely provoked me to pick up the book.
Did you finish it: Yes
Age Range: 14-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

Desires of the Dead

Reader: Sydney T
Age: 15
Title: Desires of the Dead
Author: Kimberly Derting
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: 3/15/2011
Galley: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: First of all, read the first book; its better. But if you like the first one, then read this one. Most often, sequels are really bad, but this book is an exception.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: I really like the idea of a girl being able to find murdered bodies, even though its a bit creepy. Again, the first book is better, but this one is still good.
Did you finish: Yes
Were you disappointed with the book at all: [spolier alert] I didn't like the sex scene, because it doesn't fit well in the story. The girl never thinks of it again, it doesn't affect her relationship, and I think it was a really random scene. This is pretty much my one problem with this book.
Cover: I really like the cover for this book, and the first book from the series (The Body Finder). The title also grabbed my attention.

Where She Went

Reader: Sabrina K
Age: 17
Title: Where She Went
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Penguin
Pub Date: Apris 5 11
Galley: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Yes, because the main character (Adam) is a rock star and you get to see his fabulous (or not so fabulous) life. I always enjoy reading books where the characters are super famous and see their perspective of fans,reporters, music producers, etc.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: This book gave light on a new perspective (at least for me) that not only girls are hurt in relationships. That sometimes, it not always the guy that the "bad one" in the relationship. This book brought to light both angles of breaking up.
Comments: Kind of a general book. It wasn't really that original, but it was intriguing to read.
Cover: The cover of the book did not tempt me at all to pick up the book, it looks like every other teen galley book out there. I mean really? How many times have we(teens) not read a book with a depressing teen girl on the cover? I think it would have been better if the cover had Adam (the main character) face/body on it rather then Mia.
Age Range: 14-17
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

Bumped

Reader: Elise S.
Age: 15
Title: Bumped
Author: Megan McCafferty
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Pub Date: 5.11
Galley: Yes
Recommend: No
Annotation: Harmony and Melody live in a society of widespread 20-year-old virility, giving girls the opportunity to be paid for having babies. Melody is right on track for a successful 'bump,' until her long lost twin sister, a religious fanatic, shows up, and turns everything upside down.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: After you get past the original shock of having them spurting pregnancy rhymes every other page, there was no real draw to keep reading.
Did you finish: No
Were you disappointed with the book at all: Looking on the bright side, if this can get published, it provides some openings for aspiring authors. The author over pushed her world, and ignored her characters and plot. There wasn't enough explanation to make the reader forget their disbelief, and the issues were one sided.
Cover: Usually simplicity in covers is a great thing, but when carried to this extent it just looks photoshopped and awkward. Just a little bit of color or design in the back would have made the main picture pop and stand out on the shelf much more. As for the relation to the book, it's not like they're subtle. Egg=pregnant girls. Surprise!

Age Range: 12-15
Quality: 1Q How did it get published?
Popularity: 1P Yech! Forced to read it

Prom & Prejudice

Reader: Olivia
Age: 15
Title: Prom & Prejudice
Author: Elizabeth Eulberg
Publisher: Point
Pub Date: 01/01/2011
Galley: Yes
Recommend: No
Compelling Aspect of the Book: I can't honestly say there was anything compelling about this book. It was boring, badly written, predictable, and if I hadn't been really bored, I never would have read it in the first place.
Did you finish: No
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I wasn't disappointed, exactly, because I never had high expectations to begin with. However, it wasn't enjoyable at all. It's a very quick read, but the story is hard to follow because it's disorganized and doesn't flow very well. It was also very predictable and the characters were two-dimensional.
Comments: If you're into a certain genre it might be entertaining, but there is really no substance or creativity to this book in my opinion.
Cover: The cover definitely wasn't impressive, and although it reflected the book itself, it didn't seem unique in any way.
Age Range: Under 12 to 18 and up
Quality: 1Q How did it get published?
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest

Divergent

Reader: Olivia
Age: 15
Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pub Date: 05/03/2011
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: It's a must-read for dystopian fans, and it's the kind of book you won't be able to put down. When you're finally forced to, whether it be because your parents are yelling at you to do the dishes, or there simply are no pages left, it'll still be racing through your head.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: The society itself, and the concept of the five factions, was definitely the most compelling
Cover: The cover, to me, wasn't extremely eye-catching, but it wasn't boring either. I think it reflected the contents decently, though, and I'm not sure how/if it could have been done better.
Did you finish: Yes
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I wasn't disappointed at all. Of course, I had no expectations - I had never heard of it, and had no idea what it would be about, so there was no letdown or disappointment.
Age Range: 12-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

Crazy

Reader: Guananí
Age: 15
Title: Crazy
Author: Han Nolan
Publisher: Hancort's Children's Books
Pub Date: Sept. 2010
Galley: No
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: The premise for this book, a kid who hears helpful voices in his head as he struggles to take care of his mentally ailing father, is very original and beautifully conveyed. The characters are really fleshed out and captivating, and they keep the story moving. The relationship between Jason and his dad is especially well developed and shown. I could believe that Jason had been taking care of his mentally ill parent and that he still loved him stubbornly even though he made life difficult. The personalities and balance between the voices in Jason's head were very clever, and that idea of helpful voices in someone's head got me interested in the book right away.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: Like I said, this story is mostly character-driven. Each character is compelling, from the imaginary voices narrating Jason's life for him to the adults who try and help him. And, unlike other character-driven books, this story keeps up the suspense and intrigue with really interesting plot developments as well. I was impressed and had an extremely hard time putting it down.
Cover: I picked this up because another TKB member recommended it to me. The cover is fine. The crackly font is a nice touch; it makes the 'crazy' really stand out. I wonder if the colored stripes are representing Jason's five voices? It would be cool if they were, but they add some necessary color to the black background.
Did you finish: Yes
Were you disappointed with the book at all: The only thing I didn't like about this book was that the plot lingered and fizzled out a bit at the end as the emotional story wrapped up.
Age Range: 14-18 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book

Sleepless

Reader: Frances W
Age: 14
Title: Sleepless
Author: Cyn Balog
Publisher: Random House
Pub Date: 7/13/2010
Galley: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Though some would call the plot a little bit Twilight-esgue (two paranormal beings fighting over one girl), it was really written well and made me want to keep reading. The characters were also much more complex and interesting. I wouldn't say it blew my mind, but it made me happy and it was the first good book I have read in a while.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: I have to say the mystery of what happened to Julia when she was young was what first made me not want to put the book down, then the budding romance kept that feeling going.
Cover: Sleepless was one of those books that I just grab because I don't have enough. The cover wasn't particularly awesome, but it wasn't terrible either. Pretty, but, I'm afraid, forgettable. It didn't really reflect the contents at all because it was just a flower, and there was no important flower in the book.
Did you finish: Yes
Age Range: 12-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most

She's So Dead to US

Reader: Kelly S
Age: 18
Title: She's So Dead to US
Author: Kieran Scott
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pub Date: 2010
Galley: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: The book has a lot to relate to for high school upperclassman and is very funny and a lot of things in the book sadly could happen in real life so it is good to read just incase!
Compelling Aspect of the Book: I think the most compelling aspect of the book was that the author left it open-ended.
Cover: While the cover did make me want to pick the book up I think it also made the book look a little young for the audience that could read and enjoy this book.
Did you finish: Yes
Age Range: 14-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most

Angel Burn

Reader: Sydney T
Age: 15
Title: Angel Burn
Author: L.A. Weatherly
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pub Date: 5/24/11
Galley: Yes
Cover: I really like this cover, because I think that it gives an air of mystery, and the title also tempts the reader to pick it up.
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: If you like cult books, read it!
Compelling Aspect of the Book: I really like this book because it combinds a creepy cult with fantasitcal creatures.
Did you finish: Yes
Age Range: 14-18 and up
Quality: 4Q Better than most

Haven

Reader: Sydney T
Age: 15
Title: Haven
Author: Kriste Cook
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pub Date: 00/00/11
Galley: No
Cover: The cover doesn't really reflect the story, but it still grabs attention.
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: If you like boarding school/mystery/romance/fantastical creatures, then read it!
Compelling Aspect of the Book: This was a pretty good read, but if you have read a lot of books like this (reality mixed with fantasy and romance), it's a little predictable. But still good!

Prom & Prejudice

Reader: Kelly S
Age: 18
Title: Prom & Prejudice
Author: Elizabeth Eulberg
Publisher: Point, an imprint of Scholastic Inc
Pub Date: 2011
Galley: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: It was fun and interesting. I liked that it was an up to date version of Pride and Prejudice with some twists.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: I think that the real life situation of an older guy taking advantage of a young girl is an age old story but one that every young girl needs to be reminded of.
Comments: Such a cute ending :) yay!
Cover: I think the cover was cute and fun and being a teen girl did make me want to pick up the book. However, they should change the dress to something less ugly. The book is supposed to be about rich kids and the dress looks like its from Target.
Did you finish: Yes
Age Range: 14-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most