A Monster Calls

Title: A Monster Calls
Convince us to read the book: A Monster Calls is a book that really blew me away: the intricate, splattery ink illustrations matched the tone of the words so well that they melded together to tell a single story, which was simple yet tackled many big questions about death and morality. The prose style was crisp and intense, and had my eyes glued to the page.
Memorable or Forgettable: This book is particularly memorable because of its original premise (a boy wakes up from a recurring nightmare to find a tree monster at his window, but is more afraid of his dream and dealing with his mother’s illness than the monster, who turns out to not be so much of a monster at all…) and it’s unusual illustrations. It really struck home for me because I could relate to what the character was experiencing and the way the story was told was so beautiful.
Cover: I picked up the book because I was immediately attracted to the ink drawing of a monster on the cover, and also its unusual squarish shape. It matched the contents perfectly.
Age Range: 12-17
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

The Queen of Kentucky

Reader: Emily
Age: 17
Title: The Queen of Kentucky
Author: Alecia Whitaker
Publisher: Poppy
Pub Date: 01/10/2012
Galley: No
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: The Queen of Kentucky is a light-hearted story about a 14 year-old farm girl who tries to be someone she's not. In this classic coming of age story Ricki Jo, a.k.a. Alecia, enters public school for the first time. Going from a class of under 20 to one of 200, Ricki Jo feels the need to create new friends, abandon the old, and create a superficial persona for herself. Her happy, quaint family supports her decisions as Ricki Jo lies to her friends and turns into one of the "it" girls. Ricki Jo demonstrates the importance of staying true to who you are and what will happen when you don't. Part of her drive to become a new person is to create a new appearance for herself, but is hindered due to a constant poor image of herself.
Memorable or Forgettable: Ricki Jo's friend, Luke is being abused by his father. Ricki-Jo's only attempt to help her friend is to try to get him to talk about it. Clearly what Luke needed was for Ricki-Jo to be there for him, but instead she goes off gallivanting with her new superficial friends. What bothered me was Ricki Jo's lack of support. Albeit, she is only 14, but as a character, she lacks the empathy expected of her and becomes obsessed with the popular crowd.
Cover: Good cover, but the yellow is a bit overwhelming. instead of white dots surrounding the title, make it a rope?
Age Range: 12-15
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal
Additional Comments: As a Minnesotan, the lack of knowledge about Minnesota was quite infuriating. Mackenzie, one of the "it-girls," just moved from Minnesota. In the story, Mackenzie keeps referring to Minnesota as having no open spaces, fact check!!!! Minnesota has plenty of open spaces, and yes, there is a roller rink in Minneapolis.

Melody Burning

Reader: Emily
Age: 17
Title: Melody Burning
Author: Whitley Strieber
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Pub Date: 12/06/2011
Galley: No
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Melody isn't meant to be a moody teenager, more a teenager who's learning how to be independent from a rather controlling mother while discovering what's important to her. Melody's relationship with Beresford is one of curiosity and perhaps slight vanity. Novels can be difficult to read when written from two different perspectives, but in Melody Burning, it gives the story more context. Yes, Melody is a bit superficial, but that's because of her upbringing. Melody Burning is a short, but sweet novel of simple teen love. The characters may be shallow at times, but it is still worth your time.
Memorable or Forgettable: Although the characters need to be better developed and the villains fleshed out, Melody Burning is a sweet and innocent tale about young love and learning who to trust.
Cover: Attractive cover, but a better image would be to have the girl facing towards the city and shot from a side view. Also, the red titling is difficult to read, an orange would be a better color.
Age Range: 12-15
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

Cinder

Reader: Guananí
Age: 16
Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pub Date: 01/2012
Galley: No
Top 25: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Cinder is a sci-fi retelling of Cinderella, with believable characters and superb world-building. I really enjoyed the world of post-World War IV, cyborg populated, Lunar-race-threatened New Beijing. The elements of the traditional Cinderella story were expanded, revamped, and felt very new and original even though it was a retelling, especially the main character.
Memorable or Forgettable: Though the world it is set in was definitely the most memorable aspect of the book, the characters and plot were also compelling, making it a fast paced and occasionally funny read even though the main premises are fairly dark. The sideplot romance was cute and added to the rest of the story without being sappy or overdone.
Cover: This cover is decent, but it could have been so much cooler. The descriptions of Cinder’s cyborg leg inspired imagery that was not done justice in the foot depicted. It also bothered me that no high heel was involved, yet they still chose to put it on the cover. I picked this up because I read good things about it.
Age Range: 14-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

Eve

Reader: Emily
Age: 17
Title: Eve
Author: Anna Carey
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: 10/04/2011
Galley: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Eve is a different take on the post-apocalyptic romance. The human population has been mostly wiped out by a virus, leaving many women dead, but more men alive. To solve the reproduction problem, girls are confined to live in "boarding schools" where they are given a solid education. Which is where Eve comes into the story. She still has memories of her early life, living with her parents. The girls are told they graduate and go to college at the end of their schooling, but Eve find out they are used as baby breeders, raped by men and have babies torn out of them before they can give birth. Disgusting, yes? Well Eve naturally escapes, running away from the "school," hoping to find civilization. Instead, she joins a band of runaway boys, and learns how messed up the world is, and civilization.
Compelling aspects of the book: This was not your average futuristic novel.
Cover: Certainly an intriguing cover, but not inspirational. Rather gloomy, fitting the post-apocalyptic theme, and has Eve on the cover, also expressing the solitude she experiences for part of the story.

The Knife and the Butterfly

Reader: Emily
Age: 17
Title: The Knife and the Butterfly
Author: Ashley Hope Perez
Publisher: Carolrhoda LAB
Pub Date: 02/01/3011
Galley: Yes
Recommend: No
Convince us to read the book: N/A
Compelling aspects of the book: It was different reading about a crime from two different perspectives and not knowing the full story from the beginning. This novel reminded me of a who-done-it, fitting all the clues together.
Were you disappointed with the book at all: Yes
Reasons why you were disappointed with the book: The main male character, Azael, remains mysterious throughout the story. He was hard to connect to and everything that happened to him felt too confusing. As a reader, it was hard to focus on the two characters. The book had choppy transitions, and too many flash backs. The ending was a complete surprise and left me wondering what had just happened.
Cover: A rather abstract cover that reminds me of a Rorschach image or vampire teeth, none of which have anything to do with the story. It's certainly an engaging cover with the contrasting black and red, but the image has no plot relevance.
Age Range: 14-17
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest

How to Rock Braces and Braces

Reader: Emily
Age: 17
Title: How to Rock Braces and Glasses
Author: Meg Haston
Publisher: Poppy
Pub Date: 10/24/2011
Galley: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: How to Rock Braces and Glasses is a quirky but sweet coming of age book that many will relate to. With a weak beginning, where the main character is head of the school news team, breaking main stories and rocking the school fashion world, she experiences the worst thing possible: glasses. Then, spiraling her farther and farther away from popularity, comes the braces. Kacey experiences an overnight transformation to the bottom of the social order, having to suffer the cruel torturing of her former friends. With this new found view of the "normal" world, she quickly falls in love and finds her true identity, learning to make the best of her situation.
Compelling aspects of the book: Even though this book moves at an incredibly rapid pace, it was realistic for the most part.
Were you disappointed with the book at all: Yes
Reasons why you were disappointed with the book: I think the beginning of the novel was difficult to accept due to Kacey's ignorant attitude, I definitely don't think that a 15 year-old has that kind of following on a school tv news announcement
Cover: Eccentric and oddly spunky cover. The total in-your-face graphics with neon pink titling really pops out and makes you want to find out was happens in this book. A+
Age Range: 12-15
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

How to Save a Life

Reader: Emily
Age: 17
Title: How to Save a Life
Author: Sara Zarr
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pub Date: 10/18/2011
Galley: No
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: How to Save a Life is a beautiful book that perfectly captures the emotions and thought processes of two very different teen girls. Jill and Mandy are thrown together, much to Jill's opposition. Jill's mom wants to adopt Mandy's unborn baby, something that Jill feels is unnecessary. Jill's father is recently deceased, leaving her confused and hollow, wishing for something other than what she has. This novel weaves together the emotional experience of a teenage mother-to-be and another teen who just wants to leave her life. Full of romance, angst, confusion and above all, accepting people for who they are, How to Save a Life is a gripping tale you will want to keep for years.
Compelling aspects of the book: Although the book is about a pregnant teenager, it does not focus on the the issues of what to do with it, but the effects it has on everyone.
Were you disappointed with the book at all: Yes
Reasons why you were disappointed with the book: It would have been nice to see what happened at the end with Mandy going to meet the father of her child, I think that it was a very sweet and touching part of the novel and wish to read more.
Cover: A peaceful cover with a lot of connotation, I think that although it is not an exact image from the book, it still represents the calmness that covers the rawness of the main characters.
Age Range: 14-18+
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 5P Everyone wants to read it
Comments: This book should not have a sequel, but needs a longer ending.

Just Your Average Princess

Reader: Emily
Age: 17
Title: Just Your Average Princess
Author: Kristina Springer
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pub Date: 10/11/2011
Galley: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Just Your Average Princess is your typical “girl meets snooty girl/relative and proceeds to have an all out war with her” story. A feel-good novel, the characters will have you smiling or rolling your eyes, but eventually will leave you satisfied. Jamie (the main character) really just does not like her cousin for most of the book. Towards the end, things work out and everyone is happy.
Compelling aspects of the book: This was a rather intriguing book focused on a family that grows pumpkins. How many books are about a pumpkin growing family? Certainly a different subject.
Were you disappointed with the book at all: Yes
Reasons why you were disappointed with the book: The adamant hatred by Jamie of her cousin is really difficult to deal with and makes you wish you weren't reading it. The book has great potential, but there's only so much negativity a person can handle
Cover: Certainly a cute cover, general appeal for teenage girls, only issue: the girl on cover looks like she was badly Photoshopped in.
Age Range: 12-15
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

The Survival Kit

Reader: Emily
Age: 17
Title: The Survival Kit
Author: Donna Freitas
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pub Date: 10/11/2011
Galley: No
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: The Survival Kit is not your average love story. Rose's mom dies before the story begins, leaving her living in a fog, uncertain and uncaring. Her hunky boyfriend stays with her, but wishes for more physical pleasures, her dad is slipping into drunken stupors, and her brother is off doing his own thing at college. The only constant thing in her life is the quiet Will, school hockey star turned gardener. Over the year, Will and Rose slowly open up to each other, and come to terms with their past.
Compelling aspects of the book: Rose doesn't abandon herself after her mother's death, instead taking a break from normal life, receding into a cocoon to ponder her future and think of the past. Full of trials, Rose overcomes her difficulties like any person.
Were you disappointed with the book at all: No
Age Range: 14-18+
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 5P Everyone wants to read it