White Cat

Reader: Charlie S
Age: 16
Title: White Cat
Author: Holly Black
Publisher: McElderry
Pub Date: 5/4/10
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: Yes
Recommend: Yes
What would convince someone to read the book: That this book is great. It keeps your attention and it's easy to read. It has a good plot, good characters.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: The workers and the types of abilities they can have. For example, Barron was a memory worker. Their mom was an emotion worker and could change luck around.
Were you disappointed with the book at all: No I wasn't disappointed with the book except I wish that the ending would have been a little bit different. Like, instead of him just being bummed about his mom putting a love curse on Lila he could have reversed it or something.
Did the cover tempt you and/or reflect the contents of the book: Yes it did, the cover is mysterious and just pulled me towards it. In the book there is a mysterious white cat and that's exactly what is on the cover.
Did you finish: Yes
Age Range: 14-17
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 5P Everyone wants to read it

Out of My Mind

Reader: Elise S
Age: 14
Title: Out of My Mind
Author: Sharon M. Draper
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Pub Date: ?
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teen’s Top 10: No
Recommend: No
Compelling Aspect of the Book: I was curious about what the climax of the story would be, because the plot wasn't very prominent for a while.
Did you finish: Yes
Were you disappointed with the book at all: It was interesting about hearing from the point of view of a person with cerebral palsy, but I wondered about how much of that was authentic, and the research backing up the novel. It was a little bit one-sided, the secondary characters didn't have any quirks—the bullies were just bullies, the pretend friend didn't get enough page time, and all the people were almost unrealistically closed-minded. I wanted to see a good climax, some more emotional excitement, but the protagonist just asked some heated questions and started to laugh. And Melody's thoughts were had too many exclamations. Gross! Fun! Ew!
Cover: The cover was very interesting. It was what made me pick the book up. Its simplicity was refreshing, and stood out. It kept me thinking about what it meant, and I still haven't really figured out the deeper meaning. I also like that the authors name is prominent, but doesn't get in the way of the title.
Age Range: Under 12
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

Birth Marked

Reader: Meghan K
Age: 15
Title: Birth Marked
Author: Caragh M. O'Brien
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Pub Date: April 2010
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teen’s Top 10: No
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: I would recommend this book with reservations. According to the inside cover, it's "'The Handmaid's Tale' meets 'The Hunger Games.'" To that, I shrug. Proverbially, of course. This book reuses many tired devices, but is able to put a new twist on them. The setting is implied to be the remains of Duluth after global warming carpet-bombed the Great Lakes. Proverbially, of course. The main character is named Gaia, in what must be the absolute subtlest allusion this year. Gaia is a midwife in the slums surrounding a shining city called the Enclave. She must turn the first three babies she delivers each month over to the Enclave, where they will be raised by wealthy families unable to have children of their own. After the arrest of her parents, Gaia begins to question her job in taking infants from their mothers.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: This book is not very well-written. The story is new enough to be interesting, but the writing is poorly paced and exposition is scattered unevenly. Things which are important get glossed over while insignificant background details are described lavishly. It's near impossible to tell how much or little time has passed. Luckily, the story is good enough to keep reading for. It's original, but at times, the clunky writing trips the story up, and manages to make it feel old and trite. The story itself is good, and definitely worth reading for.
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I didn't care about the characters in this book, yet I wanted to know what would happen next. I'm not really sure about the mechanics of this, but hey. Overall, this is not a bad book. The storytelling is awkward, but it's worth reading for the story.
Comments: This book is supposed to have a very green, pro-environment slant. I didn't notice. The green message is maybe a two paragraphs over half of a page. One character sees a lush garden, and wonders if the entire earth used to be like that. So those of you shying away from the book in fear of a heavy-handed environmental message can exhale.
Cover: The cover of this book is pretty similar to that of the covers of the Uglies series. It's not a bad cover, I'm just tired of the 'wrap-around face' trend. I'm sure there are more creative, original ideas just waiting to be mined.
Did you finish: Yes
Age Range: 12-17
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest

A Soft Place to Land

Reader: Kasey M
Age: 16
Title: A Soft Place to Land
Author: Susan Rebecca White
Publisher: TouchStone
Pub Date: May 2010
Galley: Yes
Recommend: No
Compelling Aspect of the Book: The sadness draws you in and comforts you at the same time.
Were you disappointed with the book: I felt that it went nowhere with its plot. It was a book about sadness and usually I love such books, yet the plot did not fold and bend to create a story.
Cover: I personally felt that the book had no draw to it. It was like a lot of books out there... feet. It sounds weird but do you realize how many books have feet on their covers? It also held no reflection to the book's contents.
Did you finish: No
Age Range: 16-18 and up
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest

The Maze Runner

Reader: Kasey M
Age: 16
Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pub Date: 10/13/09
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: Yes
Cover: The cover was terrible and it did not reflect the book in the slightest. I hope it has been redesigned because it masked a wonderful book with a boring cover.
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: The book is made to keep you on your toes. It questions the meaning of "science" and makes us wonder if our science experiments have gone too far. It is a thrill to read and you cannot put it down.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: The most compelling aspect of the entire book was the "on your seat" writing that kept you hooked. The chapters were beautifully written to leave the reader always wanting more.
Did you finish: Yes
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I was in no way disappointed with the outcome of my readings!
Age Range: 14-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

XIsle

Reader: Kasey M
Age: 16
Title: XIsle
Author: Steve Augarde
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Pub Date: 07/13/10
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: This book is full of chilling theories and ideas that keep you on the edge. It is dark and has a great storyline. Yet with this storyline, you can analyze it and find deeper parts within. When I read it, I found that the book almost represented the innocence of youth and how easily it can be beguiled.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: the possibility that you know it might not end happily. The story set itself up for a dark ending, yet in the end, hope prevailed!
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I have no complaints!
Cover: YES! This cover was the reason I even looked as this book. The colors are bold, the picture is incredible, and it just sends shivers up your spine. It reflects the contents very well because it brings in the darkness of the book while there is still light which could represent the hope the book's ending holds.
Did you finish: Yes
Age Range: 16-18 and up
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal

Theif Eyes

Reader: Kasey M
Age: 16
Title: Theif Eyes
Author: Janni Lee Simmer
Publisher: Random House
Pub Date: 04/27/10
Galley: No
Nominate for Teen’s Top 10: No
Cover: It was not a very exciting book to pick up. I merely picked it because I was late to the club meeting. The colors are bland and almost sore to the eyes. The coin reflects the books contents, but it could be better arranged to grab a buyer's attention.
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: It is a book with thrills, love, laughs, and sadness. It encompasses many aspects of the emotion range that is needed to create a well-written book.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: The most compelling aspect of this book was the struggle for the main character to do what is right in her moral values while still maintaining a sense that good and evil sometimes blur.
Did you finish: Yes
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I was slightly disappointed with the book because the writing was not as professional as it could be. I feel the book could have been much more developed before it was published.
Age Range: 12-15
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

13 to Life

Reader: Maddie S
Age: 16
Title: 13 to Life
Author: Shannon Delany
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pub Date: July 2010
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teen’s Top 10: No
Recommend: No
Compelling Aspect of the Book: The fact that this very attractive boy, who should stereotypically be a non-intelligent boy, was in fact a very witty person—oh and he is a werewolf.
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I was disappointed with the plot. I found it generic and overused. This book is one of many and it didn't have that pizazz other books possessed.
Comments: I thought that this book was only created because the author thought the same type of books (Twilight) became popular. Since this book had the same genre and plot as other books the author had to add on a hot man to spice it up a bit. Of course the hot man would be appealing to a bunch of hormone crazy 16-year-old girls. I was disappointed with this book.
Cover: I found the cover very interesting and mysterious. I really was attracted to the eye with the moon in it.
Did you finish: Yes
Age Range: 14-15
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

Hex Hall

Reader: David L
Age: 17
Title: Hex Hall
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pub Date: 03/?/2010
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teen’s Top 10: No
Recommend: No
Compelling Aspect of the Book: Alice. A British (SPOILER) Demon great-grandmother ghost? Brilliant. Sophie conspiring with her great grandmother to spoil Elodie's dress was priceless, even though it wasn't very filled-out.
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I was certainly not disappointed. I expected a second rate Harry Potter knock-off, and although it didn't have nearly the world or the characters of Harry Potter, it had its own humor and creativity. On the other hand, Disney seemed to have some negative influence—the fact that you were too scaredto use the word "f***" was a bit of a put-off, but I suppose it's meant for kids who have their parents read books to them at bedtime...
Cover: I liked the cover-it was simplistic, and in a way, elegant. The new cover dismays me very much. I hate seeing models on covers, and what the heck is a cat doing there? The black lettering does the book much more justice.
Did you finish: Yes
Age Range
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

: Under 12-15

If I Grow Up

Reader: David L
Age: 17
Title: If I Grow Up
Author: Todd Strasser
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Pub Date: ?
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: Yes
Annotation: In this vibrant portrayal of one child's journey to a bleak manhood, DeShawn struggles to find a path out of the Projects. Just as the heroic gang leader, Marcus, is the only father figure available to DeShawn, there seems to be no other future ahead of him but the bleak prospects of drug deals and gang wars.
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: It's not a happy book, but it's a worthwhile read. It's exciting, realistic, and never touchy-feely. Overall, a great read.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: The gritty *realness* of the book. Not even the most creative plot twists seem contrived. The entire book seems true to its world, our world. Also, in Marcus, we find a hero and role model as tragic and brave as any Achilles, and yet as evil and conniving as a Mafioso. Marcus is one of the most thought provoking and compelling characters in the novel, and was a definite highlight.
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I wish the book was slightly less patronizing in its plea for inner-city minorities. The story does its job well enough. There's little need for anything more.
Cover: The name is compelling, but the cover itself is less than perfect. It in no way portrays the gritty,
inner-city setting or the action, hopelessness, guns or drugs that are so pervasive in If I Grow Up.
Did you finish: Yes
Age Range: 14-18 up
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal