Nic Stone tells the story of Shebi and Andy. Shelbi is a senior at Windward Academy who has no friends and has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Andy is the son of a politician and has a drinking problem. At the beginning of their friendship, Shelbi has Andy sign a contract that includes the clause that he will not fall in love with her. Is their friendship in doom because of their issues or does it make them better people in the end?
This is a heartwarming story. I love their text messages to each other. I highly recommend this book.
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Fanboy is in his sophomore year. He is the first one out in Dodgeball every time in gym class and then he gets hit repeatedly in the shoulder by Mitchell Frampton. At home, his mother and stepfather are getting ready for their new alien - Cal's new brother or sister. His only friend, Cal, is turning into a jock and becoming popular. The only thing he has going for him is that he is writing a graphic novel until he meets Kyra - Goth Girl. His relationship with Goth Girl is a life-changer for him, but Goth Girl has secrets of her own. This was an enjoyable read. Both main characters have their flaws, but that's what makes the novel work. This is a good friendship? story. During the summer before Cullen Witter's senior year, everything changes in his little town of Lily, Arkansas. Birdwatcher John Barling comes to town claiming there were sightings of an extinct woodpecker creating quite a stir in town. Then the unthinkable happens: his brother Gabriel disappears. Meanwhile Benton Sage leaves Atlanta on a mission trip to Ethiopia which changes his life as well as his college roommate, Cabot Searcy. This was an amazing read. The stories of Cullen and Benton/Cabot seem so far off but eventually, they do come together in an unexpected twist. I think more young adults will relate to Cullen and how he perceives the woodpecker craze in his little town. I strongly recommend this award winning novel. Last summer, Ginny spent the summer traveling around Europe following directions left by her Aunt Peg in thirteen little blue envelopes. However, in Greece, her backpack is stolen along with the envelopes including the last one. Almost six months later, she is contacted by Oliver who informs her that he has her backpack and all of the letters. She returns to London where she, Oliver, Keith, and Ellis travel once again following the directions to collect parts of Aunt Peg's work of art. While traveling, Ginny must deal with her love for Keith even though he is dating Ellis.
I thought this was a good sequel to 13 Little Blue Envelopes. Once again, Ginny learns more about herself during this adventure. I strongly recommend reading the first book before reading this one. Even though he is starting high school, Wilbur can never live down the humiliation from the first day of middle school when a student found a private letter and read it to the school. His only friends are Alex and his elderly neighbor, Sal. Wilbur plays triangle in the school band. When the band participates in an exchange program with a school in France, Wilbur is paired up with Charlie. Wilbur really likes her, but she sees him only as a friend. This is a wonderful coming-of-age story. Alex and Sal help build Wilbur's confidence and going to Paris also gives Wilbur the opportunity to find himself and grow. Leo Caraway has his post-high school plan all figured out. The president of the Young Republicans will be going to Harvard in the fall. That is until a simple misunderstanding leads to his ousting from the Young Republicans and his scholarship revoked. Then he learns that his father isn't his biological father and that his real father is the lead singer of heavy metal band Purge, King Maggot. Hoping to get his tuition from the rock star, he meets King Maggot, who invites him to join the band on tour over the summer so he can get to know his son. Will these to polar opposites find common ground? This was a book I have had on my "to read" list for some time, and I am glad that I finally read it. This was a funny adventure where both Leo and King Maggot learn more about themselves. Leo discovers his "wild" side. There are a variety of characters among them that really help the story move along and add to the humor. This novel in verse is a beautiful coming-of-age story. Xiomara Batista lives in Harlem where she feels nobody pays attention to her. She secretly writes her frustrations in a notebook in the form of poetry. When she is invited to attend her school's poetry club, she is hesitant at first, but she once she does, her life is changed. This is a great novel in verse. It is about how X finds out who she is. I strongly recommend this novel to students who enjoy poetry and those who enjoy realistic fiction. Oscar Olsson enters his senior year of high school with hesitations. Instead of going to school, he'd rather work on his grandfather's food truck making rulleknebab, donuts and other Swedish delicacies. His saving grace is his independent study cooking class until Lou presents a project involving recycling discarded apples from the cafeteria into muffins, cider, and other goodies. Through this project Lou gets to know not only Oscar but also his grandfather, Farfar. This is a fantastic coming-of-age story. These characters are so likeable and well developed. I loved the setting of a food truck and the difficulty in maintaining a food truck business. Oscar grows in so many ways as well as Lou. This was the type of novel where you feel like you'll miss the characters after you read the last page. This young adult novel takes place several years after the Disney movie, Brave. On Christmas Eve, Merida discovers the God Feradach preparing to destroy DunBroch. She makes a deal with Feradach and Cailleach that she will change her entire family in a year. Merida decides to accomplish this by going on three trips with various members of her family. Can she save her family and her land by changing them in time?
Stiefvater did a good job bringing this animated royal family to life and keeping them true to the Disney film. She gave the triplets more depth in their character than shown in the movie. Full of adventure, this was a fun novel to read. Those who loved the movie when they were kids, will enjoy this book. What if you had a superpower - oh, not x-ray vision, or the ability to fly, but rather being able to control electronic devices or having a voice that speaks for you to get what you want? Would you be able to control it or will it control you? Would you be able to handle the consequences of having that power?
Zeroes is about six teenagers in Cambria, California, who each have unique superpowers. Ethan, codename Scam, has a voice that speaks for him to get what he wants. It knows things that Ethan could never know. It also gets him into trouble. Chizara, Crash, has the ability to destroy anything electric. She can crash a computer or bring down the entire electric grid. Being near technology affects her physically. Kelsie, Mob, can control the emotions of a crowd. Riley, Flicker, can look through the eyes of others. Thibault, Anonymous, can disappear and make people forget, but that means his family and friends forget about him whenever they are not focused on him, even when he is standing right next to them! Nate, Bellwether, can change the focus of a crowd, and is also known by the others as "Glorious Leader." Together they call themselves the Zeroes. When Ethan's voice gets him into trouble with drug dealers and bank robbers, Nate brings the Zeroes together to rescue him. Ethan is not well-liked due to a falling out of the group last summer, but they come to his aid anyway. What results is an adventure that not only brings them together but allows each one to discover more about themselves. This was a fun novel. What I liked about this book is that all six are struggling to learn how to control their power and cope with the effects of having that power. Poor Thibault is forgotten by everyone all the time, even his own family forgot about him when he was in the hospital! Students looking for a fun adventure will enjoy this novel. |
AuthorMr. Andrusyk is a school librarian at IC Catholic Prep in Elmhurst, Illinois. Past Book RecommendationsClick here to view a listing of Mr. Andrusyk's list of favorite authors, series, fiction, and nonfiction. Archives
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