Airhead by Meg Cabot

While the plot is a bit unbelievable (the brain of a frumpy, video-game playing, feminist teen is implanted into the body of a supermodel), the result is a fun read in typical Meg Cabot style. Emerson Watts wakes up in the hospital in the body of Nikki Howard and is told she must assume the supermodel's identity and, of course, not tell anyone what medical technology was used on her. The biggest problem is that Em's best friend (and secret crush), Christopher, thinks she is dead. Along the way she must deal with assuming Nikki Howard's life in her NY City loft, Nikki's boyfriends kissing her, a difficult modeling job, and adjusting to the fact that her old identity is legally dead. My biggest complaint about this book is that it does not stand alone. It's really a prequel to book two in the series and I wish that Meg Cabot had come to some resolution rather than ending on a big clifhanger. Strangely enough, biomedical issues are a hot topic in teen fiction right now. If you want to think more deeply about the ethical issues this poses, read The Adoration of Jenna Fox. If you want a fun Meg Cabot book about the life of a supermodel, this is for you.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Jenna Fox wakes up from a coma and things just don't seem right. She doesn't remember her own family or friends and she can't remember the incident that put her into the coma in the first place. Her parents encourage her to gain her memories back by watching movies from her childhood (which they filmed in great detail). In spite of her personal memory loss, Jenna knows historical facts and can quote Thoreau word-for-word. On top of all this strangeness, her family appears to be hiding out in California and Jenna's grandmother no longer accepts her in the family. Little by little Jenna pieces things together and finds out a startling truth about who she used to be and who she is now. The secret is revealed part way through this novel, but suspense builds to the end and the ethical questions resonate. This book will lead to many discussions about the value of life, the essence of what makes someone human, and the role of technology in human survival.

Snakehead by Anthony Horowitz

I finally read Snakehead--it's one of the few YA series that I actually read every title that comes out. It's my guilty pleasure to listen to the British audiobook narrator on my iPod. I just love his voice. This was much like all the other Alex Rider books with yet another wildly improbable plot and somehow Alex gets out of every danger put in his way. This time Alex is sent by Australian intelligence to Thailand to pose as an Afghan refugee being illegally transported to Australia by an organization called Snakehead. Horowitz weaves in a new character, Ash, who is Alex's previously unknown godfather. Along the way there's a powerful bomb called Royal Blue, unwilling organ donation (think Unwind by Neal Shusterman), and exploding coins (courtesy of Smithers). It's a classic Alex Rider book recommended for anyone who likes books with action.