Reader: Frances W.
Age: 15
Title: Montefiore's Goddaughter
Author: Elizabeth Brooks
Publisher: MP Publishing
Pub Date: 9/25/2012
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: This book was beautifully written. Sometimes, I would stop to reread a metaphor out loud because it sounded so wonderful. The characters were well developed, the main character flawed and believable. It was exciting, unexpected, and refreshing.
Memorable or Forgettable: This book is completely original. I am getting pretty sick of all the cookie cutter paranormal teen romances that seem to be breeding like rabbits. This was nothing like anything I've read. Though everything within it was completely impossible, I couldn't help believing it and getting caught up within the story. It is a tale that my inner child loved, and yet it did not insult my intelligence with half baked descriptions and a hastily thrown together plot.
Cover: The cover did not necessarily stand out, but that's what I liked about it. It didn't scream "PICK ME UP! I'M TOTALLY COOL! I'M HIP! I'M WITH IT!" It simply suggested that I give it a try. So I did.
Age Range: Under 12 to 17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

Reader: AJ G.
Age: 16
Title: Every Day
Author: David Levithan
Publisher: Random House
Pub Date: 8/28/2012
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: The story centres around A, who changes bodies each day. A inhabits a new persons life every twenty four hours. Unlimited by gender, race, or orientations of any kind. The only limits are age and relative location. The question posed in the story is whether you can love someone who changes like that? To watch the love interest Rhiannon struggle with that, and to watch A struggle to make their love work is both sad and deeply moving. You wouldn't think that A would be a relatable character, but I found A extremely easy to connect with, because A lives entirely in his mind, and I think we all do that to some extent.
Memorable or Forgettable: The premise of the book was extremely unique. I've never heard of a story like this, and I doubt it's very likely that I'll hear it again. That alone makes it stick out in my mind, along with it being so well written. David Levithan never dissappoints. This book literally did make me laugh and cry all at the same time.
Cover: I liked the cover from a visual standpoint, but not related to the story. It's really quite beautiful. But I think that there's a huge gap between the cover and the content. It definitely drew my eye, but after reading the story I really dislike it.
Age Range: 16 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 5P Everyone wants to read it
Annotation: Can you love someone if they change every day? Can you truly trust someone who inhabits a new life, a new body every time you see them? And can they afford to love you, given how much they could hurt you if they wanted? David Levithan does a wonderful job exploring these questions and the reprecussions of leading a wanderer's life in Every Day.

Reader: Frances W.
Age: 15
Title: Undercurrent
Author: Tricia Rayburn
Publisher: Egmont
Pub Date: 5/2012
Galley: No
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I did not enjoy this book. The characters were very two dimensional, the plot slow and, in my opinion, overused. I am sick of this self pitying crybaby of a female lead and coupled with the teenage love triangle,(dear God, people, move on to something new!) I was underwhelmed. I remember enjoying the first one, but it seems a change in taste has spoiled the second one for me. Either that, or this book was not meant to become a trilogy. I suspect the latter. The plot was drawn out, the main character weak to the point of making me want to reach through the pages and smack her.
Memorable or Forgettable: Paranormal teen falls in love and saves some people, then gets caught up in a love triangle and has to save some people again. I have read this book before. It was forgettable to the point that I had to check the cover to remember what is was called. I read it yesterday.
Cover: The cover was still rather forgettable. There are many covers decorated with pretty girls standing in dismal places with their hair blowing in the wind. However, it reflected the book's contents just fine and I think it was a good choice.
Age Range: 12-17
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

Reader: Sophie D.
Age: 16
Title: Beauty Queens
Author: Libba Bray
Publisher: Scholastic
Pub Date: 2011
Galley: No
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I love this book. It is complex, quirky, well written, hilarious, weird, and strangely deep and thoughtful. The plot? Beauty queens stranded on a desert island, torn between the desire to continue practicing for their pageant and the need to survive. Add in some secret agents, evil dictators, a power hungry ex-beauty queen, and some pirates, and you have one of the best teen books I have ever read.
Memorable or Forgettable: Libba Bray once again does this miraculous thing of introducing a million plot elements and not forgetting a single one. Even the weird products that are advertised between chapters manage to be incorporated into the plot. This book manages to be satirical and fluffy, semi-serious and completely ridiculous.
Cover: I love this cover. It fits the book perfectly.

Reader: Sophie D.
Age: 16
Title: Baby's in Black
Author: Amy Bellstorf
Publisher: First Second
Pub Date: 2012
Galley: No
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: I would not recommend this book. The drawings are pretty good, but I do not think they do a very good job illustrating the story. Pictures should enhance a story, but even with pictures, this book was just flat.
Memorable or Forgettable: I knew the story already, as it was based on a true story about one of the earliest members of the Beatles, and I was hoping that this book would tell me something I didn;t already know; It didn't really, besides random facts about some of the characters that didn't really need to be included. There are several elemets of the characters' lives, like painting, that are touched on but not fully developed. If they had been fully developed I would have cared more about the characters.
Cover: I like the cover. Maybe John and Paul's faces could have been left off, as they hardly factor into the story.  But I did enjoy the illustrations.
Age Range: 12-15
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

Reader: Emily T.
Age: 18
Title: The Raven Boys
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic
Pub Date: 9/18/2012
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: The Raven Boys excels any expectations from previous novels by Stiefvater. If you thought The Scorpio Races was good, The Raven Boys is out of this world. Set in England, a group of friends at a male boarding school have banded together as intelligent outcasts. Blue, a girl who comes from a family with clairvoyant powers, helps the leader of the boys attempt to find an ancient burial ground and solve the mysterious death of a boy decades ago. Written with dark twists and cliffhangers, The Raven Boys is a promising new series that leaves you wanting more.
Memorable or Forgettable: This novel has a definite dark undertone that demands attention. The main characters are fully developed, leaving you satisfied, but intrigued into where Stiefvater will take them next.
Cover: Although the cover doesn't entirely have to do with the story, it fits the title and is beautifully done. Clearly an original image is suitable focuses your attention towards the novel . The lay lines in the bottom right corner do incorporate a main element of the novel. Both the boys and Blue use lay lines throughout the story.
Age Range: 12 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 5P Everyone wants to read it

Reader: Emily T.
Age: 18
Title: Seraphina
Author: Rachel Hartman
Publisher: Random House
Pub Date: 7/10/2012
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Seraphina is an easily forgettable book that fails to engage the reader. Seraphina's world is limited to the paths she travels. Hartman fails to create a full and rich world, focusing instead on the tense relationship between humans and dragons. Although the dragons are supposed to be highly intelligent creatures, the dragons sound uneducated, stuffy, and worst of all, related to a sub-species that humans despise. Seraphina is portrayed as the only thing that will save the tense relationship between humans and dragons. The entire novel lacking in development and is poorly executed.
Memorable or Forgettable:  Seraphina's constant doubt and negativity is difficult to get past when reading. Her character is flat and lacks the charisma you would expect to find in a strong female character. While being half dragon, the only talent she has is musical, the only evidence she has are a few scales. Perhaps there is a sequel coming out that will explain her mostly human appearance, but a few scales and a superb musical gift cause too much grief to be believable.
Cover: There was no cover image [on the galley] to judge since one has yet to be created.
Age Range: 12-15
Quality: 1Q How did it get published?
Popularity: 1P Yech! Forced to read it

Reader: Emily T.  
Age: 18
Title: The Demon Catchers of Milan
Author: Kat Beyer
Publisher: Egmont
Pub Date: 5/2012
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: The Demon Catchers of Milan is a throwback to a more serious sub-genre of teen fiction. Mia comes from an Italian family that moved to the USA after a serious of mysterious events that neither parent wants to discuss. After being possessed by a demon, the family comes to the unfortunate conclusion that Mia's safety is in jeopardy and the only haven for her is  in Milan with extended family. Mia's extended family happen to be demon catchers. Thrust into a new lifestyle, Mia is forced to embrace Italian culture, language, and people.
Memorable or Forgettable: Kat Beyer has some typical teen novel elements such as love and magic in her novel, but changes them into a new and engaging device that captures the reader's attention. Sprinkled throughout the novel are Italian phrases that make you feel as if you are in the story. The only complaint I had in reading this novel was that it seemed to short. Mia's story is rich and full of detail, begging to have more written about.
Cover: The cover fully reflects some recurring images you find in the novel. The dark tones and rich colors create a sexy mysterious vibe for the book and successfully appeal to the reader.
Age Range: 12 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 5P Everyone wants to read it

Reader: Emily T.
Age: 18
Title: Falling Kingdoms
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Publisher: Razorbill
Pub Date: 12/2012
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Falling Kingdoms is a thrilling and oddly enthralling novel. Centered around three kingdoms, the novel focuses on the royal families of each kingdom and the people they influence. Magic is important to the people, the life of everything depends on a flow of magic that has been disappearing for the past 100 years. Princess fight for the safety of their family, princes fall in love, peasants fight for change and a species of mystical beings watches events unfold from the eyes of a hawk. Although Rhodes uses magic as a tool to tie the kingdoms together, she leaves many questions unanswered and adds a few twists to the plot that make it more enjoyable.

Memorable or Forgettable: Even though Falling Kingdoms is told from several points of view, it adds to the story as well as gives a more developed view of their kingdoms and the motivations behind each character.

Cover: Good cover, attractive,although it fits poorly with the contents. Yes, there is murder and war, but there isn't an assassin as the main character. The cover image is misleading to the plot of novel.
Age Range: 14-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

Reader: Emily T.
Age: 18
Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi 
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pub Date: 11/15/2011
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Shatter Me is a bland and violent book. The point of view is disconcerting and the plot has been done one to many times. Juliette, a girl with a supernatural power, has been locked away for her own safety. Suddenly she has a handsome new cell mate who she know as a child but is afraid of. After being released into the military she falls in love with her cell ate you turnout to be a guard and together they plan an impossible escape.
Memorable or Forgettable: Juliette's thoughts in the beginning of the book are crossed out to be replaced by others. As she gains convince in herself, the thoughts are crossed out less and less frequently, which is disconcerting. There is no real explanation to what the crossed out sentences mean and distract the reader from the story. Another negative aspect of the novel is the anti-military theme that is strongly evident throughout the novel. The military has taken control, starved the people, lied to them, and wants to change the world: how typical. The military is not always synonymous with violence and evil. The entire novel is poorly written and is unoriginal.
Cover: Terrible cover. What does a woman in a white dress have anything to do with the main character? She is also standing in a really strange position. The title font with a huge slash in it is distracting and unnattractive.
Age Range: 12-15
Quality: 1Q How did it get published?
Popularity: 1P Yech! Forced to read it

Reader: Emily T. 
Age: 18
Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Publisher: Poppy
Pub Date: 1/2012
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Imagine falling in love with a boy the moment you see him, improbable? Yes, but Jennifer Smith manages to make it wrk in her novel: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight.  Hadley, a teen confused about where her feelings lie towards her recently divorced parents, is thrust into a sudden wedding in England. Although Hadley's story takes place over the course of a twenty-four hour period, you are convinced you just experienced a year's worth of events. Strongly portrayed, Hadley makes the type of decisions any teenager would make. Strange writes with a realistic manner that makes her novel a quick and delicious read.
Memorable or Forgettable: Although the novel only took place in twenty-four hours, as a reader, you still let as if you got to know the characters as well as their motivations. Because of the realistic element, Hadley's story becomes relatable to the reader.
Cover: The cover of the novel captures the contents of the story as well as draws the reader in, you get a sense of what the story is about. The only negative aspect of the cover is the long title. Even though the title does fit the story, it takes up too much room of the cover and draws attention away from the image.
Age Range: 12-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

Reader: Emily T.
Age: 18
Title: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pub Date: 8/2012
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: The most confusing thing about Throne of Glass was the lack of information about the main character. According to the publishing details, the author wrote several novellas online, explaining everything. reading this novel was difficult in the sense that the reader felt as if they were missing a large part of the story. Celeana is a strong, motivational character, enduring what could easily be considered slavery only to be dragged into a confusing competition whose outcome will determine her fate. The plot strongly reminds me of ancient Greek gladiators fighting each other for survival. In a supposed "land without magic" (as stated on the back cover) there is a lot of magic and suspicious occurrences that happen. The story is predictable, the main character falls in love, and there's an evil nemesis.
Memorable or Forgettable: The story of the Throne of Glass was oddly predictable, it was discouraging not knowing the back story of Celeana. Although her full history is available online, the story is not self-sustaining and a lot of questions are raised.
Cover: The cover looks Photoshopped and unattractive. The glass castle in the background is similar to the ghostly city you see in the third lord of the rings movie: dark, gloomy, and looks like a city for the dead. This creates a very negative aspect to the cover. The girl on the cover is wearing a rather ridiculous outfit, with what looks to be an ineffective dagger strapped to her arm.
Age Range: 14-17
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

Reader: Emily T.  
Age: 18
Title: The Last Dragonslayer
Author: Jasper Fforde
Publisher: Harcourt
Pub Date: 9/4/2012
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: The Last Dragonslayer is a quirky, original novel that combines mythological creatures with the middle ages as well as modern times. Jennifer Strange, a spirited fifteen-year-old girl, runs an employment agency for magicians. After a premonition the last dragon will die, Jennifer, along with a small posse of friends, endeavors to prevent the slaying and find out the truth of where the world's magic is disappearing to. Although the beginning of the novel has a slow start and a rather confusing cast of characters, Fforde spins a memorable and unique yarn.
Memorable or Forgettable: The combination of medieval England and modern England as a setting was truly fascinating to read about. The novel doesn't take place in one time or the other, but rather a medley of both: knights driving cars, who would have thought?
Cover: Fantastic cover, not really a color you see often on books. The design fits the story and draws the reader in.
Age Range: 12-15
Quality: 5P Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 5P Everyone wants to read it

Reader: Elena  
Age: 14
Title: Crewel
Author: Gennifer Albin
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Pub Date: 10/2012
Galley: Yes
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Crewel was meaningfully written and carefully timed. The book is worded with an artistry that reminds me of Philip Pullman, and the rules and realities of its world are revealed in measured doses that fit into the story effortlessly. I was especially impressed with the author's descriptions- they formed connections between the reader and the foreign world inside Crewel. The whole book flowed; the dialogue was natural and made sense for the characters, and interesting flashbacks were integrated into the plot seamlessly.
Memorable or Forgettable: I will remember Crewel for the enthralling society it depicts and its amazing writing. I also found the characters memorable, Jost in particular. This   revolutionary in hiding, fueled by the loss of his family and acting as a servant, was particularly fascinating and likeable. Sweet and humble, he had the most dimensions of any of the characters.
Cover: I found Crewel's cover to be very appealing, and a good representation of the book. The colorful lines illustrate the weaving of matter through time, and the subtle image of a face is a perfect addition to the design.
Age Range: Under 12-17
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

Reader: Sophie D.
Age: 16
Title: The Diviners
Author: Libba Bray
Publisher: Little, Brown and Co.
Pub Date: 9/2012
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: The only reason I picked up this book is because it is by Libba Bray. And while it's not Going Bovine or Beauty Queens, I was definitely not disappointed. This book combines very creepy elements associated with cults and demon raising kind of stuff with the awesome setting of New York in the 20's. The characters were great, very three dimensional, and though perhaps there could have been less main characters (there was about six) each contributed to the story in totally different ways, and the excess of characters did not detract from the plot. The plot was very original, and though the book is quite long, it manages to never get slow or uninteresting. I do think that there were perhaps just one too many elements to the book that were never actually included in the actual storyline, which I understand is setting up for the sequel, but still, it's annoying.
Memorable or Forgettable: It was a very atmospheric book, and painted a pretty convincing image of a supernatural 20's New York. I was not disappointed with Libba Bray, even though this book is completely different from my favorites of hers.
Cover: The cover is nice. It fits the book perfectly. It's not too loud, and it is very tasteful.
Age Range: 14-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

Reader: Emily T.
Age: 18
Title: Shadow and Bone
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Pub Date: 6/5/2012
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Shadow and Bone is a unique twist to  magic and magic wielders. Alina, a orphaned young woman, discovers a latent rare power while protecting her only friend. Set in a country akin to Russia, Alina begins her journey to becoming a "Grisha" or magic wielder after saving her friend. Written in an engaging style, Leigh Bardugo manages to capture the essence of Alina's existence and make her character believable. The only quixotic thing in the story was the dramatic growing up of Alina. How can a sixteen year old girl fall in love that much? Possible, but it weakens the story.
Memorable or Forgettable: The fast pace of Shadow and Bone certainly made easy reading, but the world of Ravka seemed shallow, missing important details. The country seemed to be missing a history, as well as a middle class. Much of the story seemed split between almost poverty and extreme gluttony.
Cover: The cover is beautifully done, accurately capturing the impression of the story.
Age Range: 12-17
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Additional Comments: Map of the land is helpful, although some of the names are rather uninspired. For example; "the unsea" and "the true sea." Clearly unimaginative names.