Summary (From Goodreads): Basketball has always been an escape for Finley. He lives in broken-down Bellmont, a town ruled by the Irish mob, drugs, violence, and racially charged rivalries. At home, his dad works nights and Finley is left alone to take care of his disabled grandfather. He’s always dreamed of somehow getting out, but until he can, putting on that number 21 jersey makes everything seem okay.

Russ has just moved to the neighborhood. The life of this teen basketball phenom has been turned upside down by tragedy. Cut off from everyone he knows, he won’t pick up a basketball, and yet answers only to the name Boy21—taken from his former jersey number.

As their final year of high school brings these two boys together, “Boy21″ may turn out to be the answer they both need. Matthew Quick, the acclaimed author of Sorta Like a Rock Star, brings readers a moving novel about hope, recovery, and redemption.

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why

Author: Jay Asher

Student Reviewer: Danielle

Summary (From Goodreads): Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay’s dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

Student Review:

Thirteen Reasons Why I like this book:

1.It has an interesting idea behind it. Try telling me that a book about a girl who committed suicide and left behind tapes explaining why she did it doesn’t sound interesting. Exactly.
2.The tapes of a dead girl are an interesting thing to listen to (read, in this case).
3.…Well, maybe I can’t give you thirteen reasons why I like this book.

Overall, I’d have to say this book is disappointing. I thought I kind of liked it, but after a few days, I couldn’t remember what happened in the book. I know I love a book when I can still remember it, (example, Hush, Hush). I was really excited to read this book but the more I got into it, the more I realized I only like one part-Hannah’s tapes.

The book goes back and forth between the present with Clay, and the tapes with Hannah. I don’t like books that go back and forth between time periods or people. If you’re into that type of book, maybe you’d like this book more than I did. Also, if you like books that have a lot of mystery, I think you’d like this book. There are a lot of unanswered questions throughout the book. Mystery isn’t a problem for me, but when there are so many names and so many things to keep track of, that’s when I have a problem. I got confused with some parts and I wasn’t interested enough to go back and look up the previous tapes for a recap.

Another problem I had with the book was Clay. He was so boring and bland. Think a sandwich minus all the possible things you could put in the middle. That leaves you with bread. Sure, it’s enough to get you by, but it’s just too plain. Clay had a little bit of emotion and personality to keep the book moving, at a slow speed for my taste, but it wasn’t enough for me.

Hannah, on the other hand, was the best part of this book. A dead girl had way more personality than a boy who is still alive. To me, Hannah is the type of girl you either would be best friends with in real life or the girl that you would absolutely hate. To me, she was bold with what she would say. She had her own opinion and would stick with it. She knew how to play the same games everyone else plays. She’s an honest person and she isn’t afraid to tell the world everything she knows.

Thirteen Reasons Why sounds like an interesting book, but I could have done without it. I’d only recommend it to people who like books that switch between time periods and/or people.

Author: Lisa McMann

Publisher: Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster)

Released: February 7th, 2012

Source: ARC received from the publisher

Summary (From Goodreads): Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It’s a miracle… at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn’t going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he’d be able to put the pieces back together. But there’s something that’s keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable…

My students and I are big fans of Lisa McMann, so whenever she publishes a book I read it without question.  I was especially excited to read Dead to You because it’s a contemporary thriller.  Also, I let one of my students read my ARC before I did so she could use it for her author study of Lisa McMann.  My student adored it and couldn’t stop gushing.

Dead to You, like many of Lisa McMann’s novels, is an engaging page-turner.  I have three classes of freshmen in a row, and I started Dead to You during SSR in my first section.  By the end of SSR in the final class, I was almost 100 pages in!  I may have given my kids 20 minutes of SSR time that day, but if you’ve read this book or when you do, you’ll understand why each class was given an extra 5 minutes.  Anyway, that’s a pretty big chunk of reading done in a short amount of time, but that almost always happens when I’m reading one of Lisa McMann’s books.  I’m always so engrossed and connected to the story.  My students typically feel the same way which is why her books are so popular in my classroom.  And to be honest, Dead to You had me hooked sooner than any of her other novels.

I can’t relate with Ethan and his family because fortunately I haven’t been in his situation, and I don’t know anyone who has.  I was still able to empathize with him and those around him.  We see this kind of reunion on the news, but we rarely see the day-to-day life and adjustments everyone goes through.  Lisa McMann gives us this insight and it’s brutal at times.  Ethan’s brother doesn’t trust him, Ethan can’t remember anything before the kidnapping, his mother is constantly crying and worrying, and his little sister–the replacement child–is innocent and surprisingly accepting of Ethan.  Watching Ethan trying to adjust and remember is often heartbreaking because it’s obvious how badly he wants it.  His blocked memory and old habits get in his way though.  It’s his vulnerable, secretive side left me wondering about his past and why he can’t remember anything.

For much of Dead to You I kept waiting for something big to happen.  Was a big secret going to be unveiled?  Were they going to track down the kidnapper?  Questions like these kept running through my mind as I raced through this book.  There’s foreshadowing that fits with the ending, and my mind went there from time to time, but I didn’t really think it would turn out that way.  While reading Dead to You, I was sure it was going to be a 5-star read, but the ending just blew up in my face.  We get this climatic scene, and it’s a great scene, but then that’s it.  I wanted to turn more pages.  I expected to turn more pages.  But there aren’t more pages available to turn.  The ending left me disappointed; it feels unfinished.  Of course I’m happy I read Lisa McMann’s newest novel, and I look forward to recommending it to my students, but I wish I had more at the end.

I’d love to know what you think of the trailer and summary.  Does this sound like a book you’d want to read?  Have you read it yet?

Summary (From Goodreads): Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

Summary of May B. (From Goodreads):

I’ve known it since last night:
It’s been too long to expect them to return.
Something’s happened.

May is helping out on a neighbor’s Kansas prairie homestead—just until Christmas, says Pa. She wants to contribute, but it’s hard to be separated from her family by 15 long, unfamiliar miles. Then the unthinkable happens: May is abandoned. Trapped in a tiny snow-covered sod house, isolated from family and neighbors, May must prepare for the oncoming winter. While fighting to survive, May’s memories of her struggles with reading at school come back to haunt her. But she’s determined to find her way home again. Caroline Starr Rose’s fast-paced novel, written in beautiful and riveting verse, gives readers a strong new heroine to love.

** Caroline Starr Rose’s Website **

** Caroline Starr Rose is on Facebook **

** Follow Caroline Starr Rose’s Blog **

Nicole B:

• Why did you decide to write May B. in verse?

Don’t tell anyone, but I’d only read two verse novels before writing my own. May B. didn’t start as verse. I was very frustrated with the distance between what I wanted to write and what ended up on the page. When I returned to my research, I noticed there were patterns in pioneer women’s writing. Much of it was matter-of-fact and spare. There was a similar tone used whether someone was writing about the laundry or a death in the family. Seeing this really showed me how to write my story.

It was in mimicking the voices of real frontier women that I stumbled into verse and found the most authentic way to speak for May and share her world.

Alex:

• How did you feel when you saw your book on shelves for the first time?

My book came out the same day as John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. My local bookstore had dozens of copies of his book on the same shelf as mine! It was completely surreal to see my book in the first place, but to see it next to the likes of John Green? Unbelievable.

Jessica P:

• Why did you choose the prairie as the setting for the book?

I grew up on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie books and have always been struck by how strong and courageous frontier women were in the midst of their everyday lives. I wanted to dig into that world. I also wanted to write about solitude and was curious how to write a story where for most of the story the main character is alone. The prairie is often described in literature as this open, endless, vast place. I thought it would be interesting to examine being closed off — as May is when trapped in her snow-covered soddy — in the middle of this vast expanse. The contrast intrigued me.

Mackenzie B:

• What’s your most & least favorite ice cream?

I’ve rarely met an ice cream flavor I didn’t like, though I’d have to say the ones with toxic-looking neon colors gross me out. Anything with peanut butter is an instant favorite. I also love peppermint ice cream covered in hot fudge.

May B. with John Green!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen (Goodreads)–Caitlin is experiencing what she believes is true love until Rogerson starts abusing her.  Her story is one of heartbreak, isolation, and much more.  By the end of this book I was hiccuping with tears.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman (Goodreads)–First of all, if you haven’t read If I Stay, don’t read Where She Went until you do.  Adam’s story tore me apart.  I’ve said this before, and I’ll continue to say this, Gayle Forman is a genius for writing this book from Adam’s point of view.  He’s so lovesick and torn up, that you can’t help but feel every ounce of his pain and love.  Love it, love it, love it.  I cried for more than one reason while reading Where She Went.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson (Goodreads)–Lennie is grieving over her sister’s death, and in the midst of this she gets involved in a complicated love triangle.  Part of this love triangle involves her dead sister’s boyfriend.  Jandy Nelson’s writing is lyrical and poignant.  Lennie is a poet who writes her poetry on different objects like tree branches and discarded paper cups.  The Sky is Everywhere is heartbreaking and hopeful.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (Goodreads)–Don’t judge me.  I know not everyone likes Nicholas Sparks because so many of his books follow the same storyline, but seriously.  I read The Notebook when I was in college and stayed up all night reading it and sobbing simultaneously.  Like I said, I’m a romantic.  I will say that I hated the movie; they completely butchered it.

I Know It’s Over by C.K. Kelly Martin (Goodreads)–Talk about heartbreak!  Nick is completely broken up over his break up with Sasha, and to make matters worse, he finds out weeks later that Sasha’s pregnant.  He can’t get over Sasha, and he doesn’t know how he feels about Sasha’s decision about her pregnancy.  Nick’s voice is incredibly authentic.  I’d be surprised if someone read this and didn’t feel Nick’s heartbreak.

But I Love Him by Amanda Grace (Goodreads)–This book has made it to a couple of my lists, and it’s because it’s so excellent.  This is another book about abusive teen relationships, but it’s written in such a manner that it was hard for me to pinpoint when I would have left Connor.  Ann is an excellent student and an all-around good girl.  She falls hard for Connor, but unfortunately their love isn’t perfect and right like Ann wants it to be.  The story switches between present day, which is a year into their relationship.  Ann is in a dark room and badly hurt.  Then we flash back a few days and get a chance to see what’s been going on with Connor and Ann.  This back and forth gives readers a clearer picture of their roller coaster relationship.

Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal (Goodreads)–This book.  This book hit so many emotions.  I positively adore it!  It’s the perfect story about first love and all the heartbreak that comes with it.  I read it close to non-stop and recommend it whenever I have the opportunity.

The First Part Last by Angela Johnson (Goodreads)–I love Bobby and Nia’s story.  They’re so in love, but that love is tried when a baby enters the picture.  I can’t say too much because I don’t want to give the story away, but this one is sure to break your heart.  Bobby is a wonderful narrator that I couldn’t help but connect with.

If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson (Goodreads)–Jacqueline Woodson is a beautiful writer, and she’s written a beautiful story about Jeremiah and Ellie.  Ellie and Miah fall in love, but they keep it a secret in fear that their family and friends won’t understand or approve of their relationship.  The ups and downs of their relationship might tug at your emotions, but the ending is guaranteed to.

Running Loose by Chris Crutcher (Goodreads)–I wasn’t expecting the love story that’s tied into Running Loose, but I really enjoyed it.  It’s another example of first love, but it’s heartbreaking.  If you read Running Loose, make sure to read Deadline which is a loose companion where you can see Louie as an adult coach.

Title: Anna and the French Kiss

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Student Reviewer: Chelsea

Summary (From Goodreads): Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris – until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he’s taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near – misses end with the French kiss Anna – and readers – have long awaited?

Student Review:

When I was first introduced to the book Anna and the French Kiss I wasn’t sure if I was even going to make it through the whole book. Just from looking at the book, I thought it was too long for me personally. Soon after I read the first few pages, I was already in the hundreds. From reading the cover I knew it was my type of book though. I really enjoyed this book and I’m glad my teacher Mrs. Andersen offered it to me.

Anna and the French Kiss is mainly about a girl who is sent to a boarding school in Paris. Most kids would love to go to Paris, just because it’s a really cool place. Except for Anna, who doesn’t want to leave behind her friends, and the guy she could have a relationship with. Throughout the story, she falls in love and meets many new friends. She is just like any other ordinary girl, fighting over boys, and falling in love with a guy she just met even though he already has a girlfriend.

I really loved all the characters, especially Anna and Etienne. The book really showed how much those two cared for each other. I could feel all their emotions as I was reading. I got a really good picture of both of them in my head all through out the story, and how they would look in real life.

This story is full of romance and friendship which are two things I’m really interested in reading. I suggest that anyone who likes romance, and cute little love stories should definitely try Anna and the French Kiss out. I’m pretty positive that the main reason why I enjoyed this book, is because I’m a girl and any girl can relate to the book. Therefore, the story is even more fun and enjoyable to read.

Summary (From Goodreads): Joy Delamere is suffocating…

From asthma, which has nearly claimed her life. From her parents, who will do anything to keep that from happening. From delectably dangerous Asher, who is smothering her from the inside out.

Joy can take his words – tender words, cruel words – until the night they go too far.

Now, Joy will leave everything behind to find the one who has offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. She will become someone else. She will learn to survive. She will breathe… if only she can get to Creed before it’s too late.

Set against the gritty backdrop of Seattle’s streets and a cast of characters with secrets of their own, Holly Cupala’s powerful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, the meaning of love, and how far a girl will go to discover her own strength.

Author: Arlaina Tibensky

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Released: July 26th, 2011

Interest: 2011 Debut Author / Student interest

Source: Purchased

Summary (From Goodreads): Keek’s life was totally perfect.

Keek and her boyfriend just had their Worst Fight Ever, her best friend heinously betrayed her, her parents are divorcing, and her mom’s across the country caring for her newborn cousin, who may or may not make it home from the hospital. To top it all off, Keek’s got the plague. (Well, the chicken pox.) Now she’s holed up at her grandmother’s technologically-barren house until further notice. Not quite the summer vacation Keek had in mind.

With only an old typewriter and Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar for solace and guidance, Keek’s alone with her swirling thoughts. But one thing’s clear through her feverish haze—she’s got to figure out why things went wrong so she can put them right.

And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky is a prime example of great contemporary Y.A. literature.  Keek has a true, authentic voice, which I enjoyed immensely.  I’m actually struggling right now trying to find the words to write this review because I loved this book that much.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if And Then Things Fall Apart was a book I wanted to read when I first heard about it.  I hadn’t read that many reviews, and I’ve never finished reading The Bell Jar, so I didn’t know if it was a book for me.  When I was at NCTE, Arlaina Tibensky was signing, so I figured I’d buy a copy and get it signed for my classroom.  Since then it’s been sitting on my shelf.  Recently I bought a copy of Saving June by Hannah Harrington for my classroom, another book I haven’t read, and one of my freshmen read it.  When she finished she told me she loved it and needed another book like  Saving June.  Since I haven’t read that one yet, I was at a loss, so I consulted Twitter.  Thanks to Kelly at Stacked, I had a couple book recommendations for my student which included And Then Things Fall Apart.  I didn’t have that in my classroom at the moment, so I gave my student the other recommend book and decided to read And Then Things Fall Apart.  I know this is a long-winded story, but I’m SO GLAD I read it!  Based on what my student said about Saving June and then Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers (which was the other read alike), I’m almost positive she’ll love And Then Things Fall Apart.

Anyway, back to why I loved this debut.  I need to bring up Keek.  She’s sick in bed with the chicken pox during summer vacation.  Chicken pox become worse with age, so Keek is really suffering.  To make matters worse, her mom is out of state, and her parents are about to get divorced, so she’s trapped at her Grandma’s house without any technology to interact with the outside world.  But she does have a typewriter and her worn-with-love copy of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.  To give herself something to do, she decides to start writing.  Arlaina Tibensky’s novel is essentially Keek’s book.  She has a wonderful sense of humor that’s made up of mostly snark and wit.  Her voice is authentic, so it’s easy to picture Keek.  There isn’t much dialogue because Keek is isolated for the most part, but also because she’s a character that really lives in her head.  The lack of dialogue didn’t bother me at all, and it wasn’t something that I noticed until I saw some reviews on Goodreads after finishing.  Keek, who’s real name is Karina, is very mature for her age in the way that she thinks.  But on the other hand, she’ll sometimes act immature when it comes to her boyfriend Matt and her reactions to her parents.  Teens that view themselves as being more mature than their peers will really identify with Keek.

While Keek is mature and a deep thinker, she’s inexperienced with boys, which adds to her insecurity with Matt.  When she’s confronted with moving forward sexually with Matt, she often consults The Bell Jar for advice.  Her virginity is always on her mind, as is Matt.  At times Matt drives her crazy and she can’t stand him.  Other times she’s thinking about times when she was madly in love with him and her hormones were driving her actions.  Keek’s really conflicted; she doesn’t know if her feelings are real and why she’s so scared to have sex with Matt.  Some readers might be put off by Keek’s thoughts about sex and her virginity; they might see it as being too mature for some readers.  I read Keek’s memories of Matt and her thoughts about her virginity as very real and what many teens probably go through and think about.

The only fault I found with And Then Things Fell Apart, is that sometimes Keek’s voice and thoughts felt off character.  She started to sound more like an adult, or like I was reading a non-YA novel.  I normally wouldn’t say this is a bad thing, but Keek at times was too smart for her age.

Overall, if you want to read a fantastic example of contemporary Y.A., then I can’t recommend And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky enough.  It’s humorous, honest, and just all-around great.  I can’t wait to read more books written by Arlaina Tibensky.

P.S. If you’re currently on a budget, you’ll be happy to hear that this was released in paperback.

Author: Jessica Shirvington

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: March 6, 2012

Interest: 2012 Debut Author

Source: ARC received at NCTE

Summary (From Goodreads): It starts with a whisper: “It’s time for you to know who you are…”

Violet Eden dreads her seventeenth birthday. After all, it’s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother’s death. As if that wasn’t enough, disturbing dreams haunt her sleep and leave her with very real injuries. There’s a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms that wasn’t there before.

Violet is determined to get some answers, but nothing could have prepared her for the truth. The guy she thought she could fall in love with has been keeping his identity a secret: he’s only half-human—oh, and same goes for her.

A centuries-old battle between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity has chosen its new warrior. It’s a fight Violet doesn’t want, but she lives her life by two rules: don’t run and don’t quit. When angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden…

I’ve read quite a few paranormal angel novels, and while I’ve enjoyed many of them, too many of them follow the same plot.  When I was speaking with the women working at the Sourcebooks booth at NCTE, I was told how awesome Embrace by Jessica Shirvington is and that I should give myself time to start it and finish it in one sitting.  Based on my past reading experiences, I’ll admit that I was hesitant to start reading Embrace, but I’m happy to report that I worried for no reason at all!  Embrace puts a fresh spin on the paranormal angel plot with a different take on the lore and a strong female protagonist.  And the women at Sourcebooks were right: I needed uninterrupted reading time because I didn’t want to put Jessica Shirvington’s debut down.

Violet is different from many of the other female protagonists in paranormal Y.A. because she’s independent and strong.  Does she feel conflicted about her purpose and her love interests?  Yes.  But she’s still smart enough to make her own decisions and own her choices, even when she makes choices that she might end up regretting.  Too many of the female protagonists in this genre fit the damsel in distress archetype.  Violet breaking that mold is probably the most refreshing part of Embrace.  She spends a large chunk of time in the novel conflicted over her feelings for Lincoln, but I never felt like she was being overly dramatic.  Violet often weighs her feelings before taking action.  She’s still a teenager, so some drama is expected, but overall I was really impressed with how she’s written.  The one flaw I found is the number of times Violet swears.  Normally that doesn’t bother me, but it didn’t feel necessary.  I’m fine with a well-placed swear word, but there were times when it felt forced or out of character for Violet.

The mystery and action are perfectly paced.  Not too much is revealed too soon or too slowly.  Readers will appreciate this because from the very beginning I was drawn in and the mystery only kept me reading and turning the pages.  There are plenty of life or death situations, mixed in with romance, intrigue, and self-realization.  There wasn’t a moment in Embrace that I was bored or feeling the need for something more.

Overall, I definitely recommend reading Jessica Shirvington’s debut.  It’s already been released in Australia, so the first three books are already finished.  This means that the books will be released within six months of each other!