Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge

I am catching up on my blog posts. I read this a while ago and forgot to blog about it. It is a delightful graphic novel told in first person by a teenager named Paige who moves to New York City and feels sort of lost there. It's about how she uses her art to create a new life for herself. I think this would be fantastic for girls 7th grade and up—and probably would appeal to girls who don't usually go for graphic novels. Artists especially will love how Paige expresses herself through her drawings.

I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb

I'm not sure what to say about this book. From the cover, I was expecting something appropriate for younger kids—maybe 4th and 5th grade boys. But when I started reading and heard the funny but trash-mouthed narrator I was a little taken aback. Oliver Watson is a 12-year-old kid who secretly is the third-richest person in the world. He's overweight and underdeveloped and puts on a dumb act at school and at home while he secretly overthrows dictators and blackmails presidents in his underground lair. He rigs his middle school drinking fountains with root beer and chocolate milk and has a transmitter in his jaw that can call for a squadron of jets to bomb the school at a moments notice. But it turns out that what he really wants is some approval from his father, which he thinks he can gain if he can be elected class president of the 8th grade. Of course, getting kids to vote for him is a lot harder than making billions of dollars. The author is a producer of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and it is truly a funny book, just be warned that this wise-cracking evil genius can be pretty crude—so give it to 7th and 8th grade boys who will appreciate it.

Jane Austen: A Life Revealed by Catherine Reef

This biography of Jane Austen is a good fit for middle and high school students with an interest in Jane Austen and her novels. While there is a frustrating lack of information about Austen's life, Reef does a good job of conveying what is known and explaining why some things are unknown. The book is heavily padded with plot descriptions of the novels with a little commentary interspersed—which may help young readers better understand the novels. Photos from various movie adaptations of Austen's books make the book more interesting visually. Recommended for readers who (like me) enjoy Austen's books and the corresponding movies and want to know the story-behind-the-story.

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Incarceron is a vast and mysterious prison, a place from which only one man has ever escaped. Within it's borders desperate groups of prisoners fight for scarce resources. Fourteen-year-old Finn is a prisoner there who has no memory of his past. In the outside world there is a wealthy girl named Claudia whose father is the warden of Incarceron. She has been groomed her whole life to marry the heir to the throne and take over the kingdom when she is queen. However, the current prince is not her first fiánce—the real prince was killed years ago in a suspicious accident. When Finn and Claudia both acquire crystal keys that allow them to communicate with each other they band together to try to help Finn escape from Incarceron. I saw this book described as science fantasy and that's a good description. It has lots of action and the author has created a pretty amazing world for her characters to live in. Science fiction and fantasy fans will like it. (And the sequel, Sapphique, is already published.)

Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford

This is the story of a high school freshman with ADHD who badly wants a girlfriend and to be a popular guy at his school. Carter is not a total loser—he has plenty of things going for him, including having some good friends, athletic talent, and a big sister to guide him through social situations. The problem with Carter is that he is obsessed with girls and has no idea how to treat them. When newly-hot drill team member Abby wants to go out with him, he blows it by bragging about his exploits in the locker room. It is frequently hilarious (in a crude high school boy kind of way) and definitely inappropriate for a younger audience. As an adult female I did not like the way Carter treats and talks about girls, but I don't doubt that he has an authentic voice and that guys especially will find him very funny. I did love the ending when Carter gets the role of a lifetime in Guys and Dolls. Recommended for high school guys looking for something funny.

The Loser List by H.N. Kowitt

Doug Shine is a middle school geek who loves comics and drawing. When his name shows up on the "loser list" in the girls' bathroom his effort to erase it get him after school detention. There he has a run in with the toughest bullies in school who take him in and make him inadvertently part of a crime. Doug only wants to do what's right but can he win back his best friend and get the stolen goods back to their owner without getting beat up by "The Skulls"? This book is very much like the Wimpy Kids and Big Nate books. It has lots of drawings and an underdog for a hero. It didn't stand out to me as better than those books but it is entertaining if you're looking for something fun and easy to read.

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman

Neal Shusterman is one of my very favorite authors for teenagers and, while very different from his other books, Bruiser was a real treat. I didn't know what to expect because all of the reviews I read tried so hard not to give away what the book is really about. I couldn't even tell if it was realistic or a fantasy until I read it (and I'm still not so sure how I could classify it now that I've read it!) Four characters narrate this book: Brewster aka "Bruiser," a high school boy with no friends and a reputation for being dangerous and violent, Bronte, the nice, normal girl who falls in love with Brewster, Tennyson, Bronte's twin brother who at first is adamantly against his sister dating "Bruiser," and Cody, Brewster's 8-year-old brother. Brewster and Cody live with a sometimes-cruel uncle who forces them to keep to themselves and to form no relationships. Once Bronte and Brewster find each other, though, Brewster begins forging relationships with people with disastrous consequences for himself. SPOILER ALERT—don't read more if you don't want to know why. The truth is that Brewster has a gift (or a curse, depending on how you look at it). He takes away the pain of those he cares about—both physical and emotional. His body is a wreck and getting worse with every injury those around him sustain. The deeper he gets involved with Bronte's family the harder the toll is on his body and spirit. It's a good story with complex characters, and, as always with Neal Shusterman's books, there's a whole other deeper layer to talk about and think about. Recommended for 8th-12th grades.

Bloody Times by James L. Swanson

I am a huge fan of Chasing Lincoln’s Killer, by the same author. It’s one of my all-time favorite nonfiction books for middle school boys because it reads just like a fiction story with an incredible amount of action and intrigue. Bloody Times is in many ways a companion to Chasing Lincoln’s Killer. It details the days following Lincoln’s assassination from two perspectives—the long, drawn-out funeral train journey that took Lincoln home to rest in Springfield, Illinois, and the actions of Jefferson Davis in the days and weeks immediately following Lincoln’s death. Both stories were mostly unknown to me and are quite interesting from my adult point of view. I don’t think this book will be quite as fascinating to kids as it was to me, though. The stories lack the drama (and violence) of the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth which made the first book so compelling. It’s still definitely worth reading, though, and I would recommend it especially to history teachers and students with an interest in history.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

This book wins the prize for the most original book I read this summer. Libba Bray takes what sounds like a cheesy concept—a plane full of teenage beauty pageant contestants crashes on a mysterious island —and turns it into a satirical statement about corporate greed, pop culture, and the objectification of women. She manages to do this in the context of an action-packed, hilarious story with a cast of many multifaceted beauty qreen wannabees. The girls practice dance routines, build a functional society, flirt with pirates, and thwart an evil plot that would kill the girls off and blame it on a crazy dictator of a rogue state. The language and sexuality, as well as the sophisticated tone make this appropriate for high school, college, and even adult readers looking for something completely different.

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

This autobiographical graphic novel is about a pre-teen girl, Raina, who trips and falls and winds up with horrible dental troubles. Her front teeth are pushed up into her gums and she endures years of braces and dental procedures to get her smile looking good again. Along the way she struggles with friendships and cliques and making friends that support her rather than bring her down. Kids will relate to Raina's struggles, and the fact that it all really happened to the author makes it even more interesting. It's quick and easy to read and the illustrations really fit the mood of the story. It will not take any convincing to get girls (4th-6th grade) reading Smile.

Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski

This was a fun summer read about a teenager who gets the opportunity to change the course of her life. Devi, a high school senior, has spent the last four years dating Bryan at the exclusion of studying or keeping up with other friendships. When they break up she is devastated and wishes she could go back in time and change her behavior. When her cell phone falls into a mall fountain she gets her wish--she is only able to call one number--her own. When her 14-year-old self answers she realizes it is her chance to do things differently. The rest of the book is fun, if a bit predictable. Unlike many YA books, this one is wholesome and clean and would be a great choice for middle school girls who want a glimpse of high school life.

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

This is one of those books that you sink deeply into and when you finish you wish there were more. It's a modern story of a bright girl who is struggling with her younger brother's death. Andi is a musician and must write a paper about a French musician to graduate from high school. Her dad takes her to Paris over the winter holidays where she finds a diary of a girl that cared for the king's son during the French Revolution. Andi (and the reader) become engrossed in Alexandrine's story and their stories combine at the end. I enjoyed the story on several levels and learned some French history at the same time. I would recommend this to good readers (8th-up) who are willing to invest in a complex but rewarding story.

Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson

Having just returned from Disney World and just hosting Ridley Pearson at my school, I can't help but be excited about The Kingdom Keepers series. Five middle schoolers who get modeled for hologram characters at the Magic Kingdom find themselves waking up at night in the park in the form of holograms. An old man named Wayne tells them that the evil witches and villains in the park are trying to take control and the only way to stop them is to solve Walt Disney's old puzzle called the Stonecutter's Quill. The action takes the kids into Disney rides at night where Small World dolls swim after them, audio animatronic pirates chase them, and the witch Maleficent is on their trail. Don't look to this book for in-depth characterization—that's not the point. But the action and the inside scoop on Disney rides and tunnels and behind the scenes secrets make it irresistible to Disney fans. And Ridley Pearson is a fascinating speaker with great stories and advice about becoming a writer.

Crocodile Tears by Anthony Horowitz

I love that Anthony Horowitz can take Alex Rider and put him in situation after situation in which he must save the world and eight times I have come back to read the next story. He keeps coming up with new villains and new plots that only our favorite teenage spy can overcome. This time Alex finds out that a wealthy philanthropist is using genetically modified wheat to release a poison that will kill thousands, maybe millions of people in Kenya. His motive is to collect millions of dollars in donations then disappear with the money. Alex survives near-death disasters at least four times in the course of this book while MI6 and other authorities bumble around and his guardian anxiously awaits his return. Crocodile Tears doesn't break any new ground but it is every bit as fun as the other Alex Rider books. And now there is just one more book to go in this series guaranteed to captivate middle school boys.

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

Nailer is a teenager trying to survive in a cruel future world. He lives on the Gulf Coast in the wake of environmental destruction. Beached oil tankers just offshore provide a living for desperate children who scavenge them for wires and copper and anything else they can sell. Just when Nailer thinks he has made a lucky strike by finding a newly beached luxury ship he finds a half dead girl on board. His choice to keep her alive leads him toward the possibility of new opportunities but also great danger. This dystopian adventure moves at a fast pace and navigates the reader through a depressing and dark future—one in which the divide between rich and poor seems insurmountable. The theme of loyalty shapes Nailer and those around him. I did not connect with this book as much as I did with Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeiffer or Unwind by Neal Shusterman but it has gotten a lot of acclaim and certainly is entertaining and thought provoking. Fans of dystopian novels will definitely want to read this.