The ABC's of Kissing Boys

Reader: Sabrina K
Age: 15
Title: The ABC's of Kissing Boys
Author: Tina Ferrara
Publisher: Random house
Pub Date: Jan 13, 2009
Galley: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read book: It shows the true hardships and struggles of relationships in high school and how it works. Yes it may have been a bit over-exaggerated, but it really showed the pressure of high school socially.
Was there a compelling aspect of the book: How someone's life can depend on being in varsity soccer or not and be ruined. Really? I mean yeah it is high school but come on?!? That got me a bit of how much Parker caredabout being on varsity soccer or not. She was going to be captain the next year anyways, what was the big deal? I don't know, Parker just got to me sometimes about the whole situation. She made a big deal about nothing.
Did the cover tempt you and did it reflect the contents of the book: The cover does not tempt me to pick up the book, it looks like one of those books about a teen girl that just rants on and on. The cover does reflect the contents but it makes it look more like a self-help book on kissing then an actual novel.
Age Range: 12-13, 14-15
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

Mutiny: A Novel of the HMS Bounty

Reader: Luke M
Age: 15
Title: Mutiny: A Novel of the HMS Bounty
Author: John Boyne
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Pub Date: 2008
Galley: Yes
Annotation: When John Turnstile decides to join the crew of the HMS Bounty in order to escape prison, little does he know what awaits him on board the ship. On a mission to the pacific, he learns of loyalty, duty and respect and is soon caught up in one of the most famous mutinies of all time.
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: A historical novel of the mutiny of the Bounty as told by the captain's servant.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: I liked how the story really happened and this seemed how it would happen. The treatment Turnstile got and the relationships he had seemed realistic. I also found many of the characters very realistic, especially Mr. Bligh.
Did you finish: Yes
Were you disappointed with the book: I thought that some parts of the book got very long, especially the early parts of the book. A lot of John's earlier life could have been skipped. I don't think any captain's servant would have been so close to the captain and that they would probably have mutinied. Mr. Lewis could have been dropped altogether.
Did the cover reflect the contents: The cover was interesting, as the ship looks a lot like the Bounty. The person on the cover looked like John, but I didn't get the writing as John had no journal. Also, the system of using "HMS" wasn't used until 1789 so the Bounty would not be HMS Bounty.
Comments: Note 1-Peter Heywood remained loyal to Mr. Bligh, I don't know how you would be able to change that in the story though. Note 2- A note in the back would be helpful, explaining the fate of the mutineers, that John Jacob Turnstile is made up and any other parts of the true story that were altered (like Mr. Heywood).
Age Range: 16-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

Charlie Bone and the Shadow

Reader: Elise S
Age: 13
Title: Charlie Bone and the Shadow
Author: Jenny Nimmo
Publisher: Orhcard Books
Pub Date: 2008
Annotation: When Charlie sees his evil Grandma Bone putting a picture in their basement, he has to go and look. Within seconds, however, he is sucked inside, only barely managing to escape, but not before one of his friends is captured too. Soon everybody is involved in an adventure to save Billy, destroy the "shadow" i.e. Count Harken, and not get killed!
Recommend: No
Compelling aspect of the book: I like all the different abilities of the children of the Red King. There are some very funny characters, and it's a good continuation of the past books.
Did you finish: Yes
Were you disappointed with the book for any reason: Okay. So first off the only thing Charlie really achieves in this book is rescuing Otus the giant, and putting him in this mirror. Secondly, his friend (and one of the awesomest most useful characters, Billy Raven) gets stuck in the evil painting and Charlie doesn't get him out by the end. And thirdly, another one of the best characters is randomly DROWNED and then within the last paragraph is ressurected without an explanation. It felt like the entire book was just the middle of a story, it was missing its ending.
Did the cover tempt you and/or reflect the contents of the book: The cover was very intriguing. Once you got into the book you could totally see how it reflected the contents.
Comments: I love Jenny Nimmo, but this book just didn't have an ending! Also, for readers who haven't read the other 6 books, it might be nice to have some sort of brief explanation at the beginning.
Age Range: Under 12, 12-13
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

As of June 30th...

Thanks for all the great reviews that are coming in lately you guys! You all must be very busy reading now that school’s done--keep up the good work!

Details for the Chicago trip to attend YALSA’s BBYA Session and the Penguin Readers Party are still in the works as we await replies from a few folks, so stay tuned for the update once everything gets set in stone. We will let you know ASAP! Hang in there!

Check out your peer book reviews below--I love that you all have your own totally different opinions about some of the same books!

Surface Tension

Reader: Payton G
Age: 13
Title: Surface Tension
Author: Brent Runyon
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Pub Date: 03/10/2009
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: No
Recommend: No
Compelling Aspect of the Book: To me, the most compelling aspect of the book was that we got to see Luke growing, personality-wise. Each summer, he gets a little edgier, a little angstier, like a real teen. I thought that that was cool.
Did you finish: Yes
Did cover tempt you and/or reflect the contents of the book: The cover really didn't make me like or dislike the book. It did sort of reflect the contents, but I think it would have been better if it was four pictures of the same lake. I think this because the idea of the book is that the lake is the main character, Luke's constant. It stays the same for the four summers that we see him go there.
Age Range: 14-15, 16-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

Cracked Up to Be

Reader: Sabrina K
Age: 15
Title: Cracked Up to Be
Author: Courtney Summers
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pub Date: 12/23/2008
Galley: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Parker is a great character, I've never read a character that was so well based before in a book. You could tell that the author took time to really get this character downand develop into the spunky character the reader got to know.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: How one event changed this group of friends’ lives forever, this was almost like the horror movie, "I Know What You Did Last Summer" except it was at a party and Jessica (the girl who died) didn't physically come out and attack the popular kids.
Did the cover reflect the contents: The cover did not tempt me to pick up the book, I've seen the image used for so many other book covers. Even though it does reflect the contents of the book the coverwas unoriginal and bland, something to show the many emotions of Parker would be a great cover idea.
Comments: I loved how every chapter or so there was a new detail that was added about the party before Jessica's death. It added more suspense to the plot and gave the characters more depth.
Age Range: 14-15, 16-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

David Inside Out

Reader: Mollie W
Age: 15
Title: David Inside Out
Author: Lee Bantle
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Pub Date: May 2009
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: No
Recommend: Yes
Annotation: When David begins to have feelings for his friend Sean, he realizes that he's gay. While coping with the stress that coming out can cause, David must learn to accept himself for who he is, and find the people who will do the same.
Convince us to read the book: David Inside Out is a little more enlightening to what the process of coming out can be like. Though it's different for everyone, David Inside Out provides a window into someone’s experience.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: The most compelling part of the book was how Bantle shows that despite what society and homophobic people might want us to believe-GLBTQ's(Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual,Transgender or Questioning)go through a lot of the same issues straight people do. They have poor relationships, people who don't get them, they fight with their friends, and in the end, they are just looking for someone who will be loyal, love them and accept them for who they really are.
Did you finish the book: Yes
Were you disappointed with the book: David Inside Out hammers a good message home, that's why I wish it was a little more accessible to younger age groups. Due to the amount of sexual content I don't find it appropriate for younger ages (not because it's gay sex that occurs, but because it's very detailed and graphic).
Did the cover reflect the contents: I found the cover slightly inaccurate, because the book focuses a lot more on David alone than David's relationship with another guy.
Age Range: 14-15, 16-17, 18 up
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

Bones of Faerie

Reader: Meghan K
Age: 14
Title: Bones of Faerie
Author: Janni Lee Simner
Publisher: Random House
Pub Date: Jan 27, 09
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: No
Recommend: No
What would you tell your friends about this book: We all know what they say about assuming, but this is ridiculous! In all my years of reading too much and watching too much TV I have NEVER encountered more people so nonchalant about the end of the world. Oh sure the world pretty much ended, but that's unpleasant. Let's dwell on something else!
Compelling Aspect of the Book: This book wasn't really compelling in the traditional sense of the word. I wanted to know what happened next, but not in the "Oh-This-Is-Suspenseful!" kind of a way. The book simply made me impatient, which is probably not the reaction the author was going for.
Did you finish: No
Were you disappointed with the book: My biggest complaints were that the tone of the novel did not match the dark subject matter. People who try (and fail) to tell a scary story are just as bad as people who try (and fail) to tell a funny story. I think this author is talented, but should not be writing this kind of material, her writing style simply isn't suited to it. Granted, I haven't read any of her other stories, but I'm sure she's a really good author when in her element.
Did the cover reflect the contents: I wanted to love this book, I really did. Bones of Faerie promised to be an interesting mixture of post-apocalyptic and dark fantasy elements. Both are dark themes, and I was assuming the book would a thought-provoking, twisting, thrill ride.
Age Range: 12-13, 14-15
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest

Geektastic

Reader: David L
Age: 16
Title: Geektastic
Author: Edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Pub Date: 08/01/09
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teen's Top 10: No
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Many of the stories, especially the first few, are quite enjoyable and well written. It's tough to relate to the conventioners, but reading about our historical counterparts is fun.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: The part of the book that kept me reading was my hope that I would be able to relate to the characters in the short story. In most cases, I could not. The short stories were fun and interesting reads, though.
Did you finish: Yes
Were you disappointed with the book: I was quite disappointed when I realized how little Geektastic can relate to nerds or geeks who are similar to me and how badly it portrays us. There were a few stories, namely “Everyone But You” and “It's Just a Jump to the Left” that simply didn't even brush upon the ideas of geekdom. Oh, and making up words like that is not something that the geeks of the modern era do, especially when the made up word or phrase sounds cool, but is dumb and doesn't make logical sense. I was also dismayed by the overuse of swear words. In my experience, high school geeks are much less likely to swear than other high school cliques and seeing so many f-words and b-words was upsetting.
Did the cover tempt you and/or reflect the contents of the book: No, the cover was somewhat garish and annoying. It did catch my attention, but I'd change the title, for one. It really is... umm awkwardly misplaced? The sort of thing that a popular kid would say. The subtitle, Stories from the Nerd Herd is simply offensive (although it's tough to put why it is into words). I'm quite the nerd, but I would never call myself a part of a herd. Especially in this case. Since when are there that many nerds? Since when have we geeks been people who allow the society to herd us? It is definitely not a turn-on for nerds or geeks of this generation.
Age Range: 14-15, 16-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

Flygirl

Reader: David L
Age: 15
Title: Flygirl
Author: Sherri L. Smith
Publisher: G. P. Putnam Sons
Pub Date: 01/22/09
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teen’s Top 10: No
Recommend: No
Compelling Aspect of the Book: The idea behind the book is intriguing, and I definitely like WWII history.
Did you finish: Yes
Were you disappointed with the book: Yes, I was quite disappointed. The book is written in a childish manner, clearly aimed at children. It is also very boring. This is not a good combination. Someof the names like "Patsy Kake" and "Lily Lowenstein" were simply silly and uncreative. I really was bored by the book, and although it got more interesting about one-hundred and fifty pages in, the readers who are willing to read and enjoy a book that is written so simply and has so little merit would be bored by page fifty.
Did the cover tempt you and/or reflect the contents: It did tempt me to pick the book up, but the heroic portrayal didn't do the book justice.
Age Range 1: Under 12
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 1P Yech! Forced to read it