Reading Rescue, April 2008:
Young Adult Selections
 By Anne Allen and Mary Anne Fulmer
This month's Reading Rescue (no boring books) is for
young adults. Did you know that the library has a special section for
teens? There are fiction books, non-fiction books, graphic novels,
periodicals, series books and reference materials just for teens. The
books are about almost anything you might want to read. There are some
that discuss serious issues and others that are just plain fun!
Who doesn't like a good fairytale? Sun and Moon, Ice
and Snow by Jessica Day George (YA 398.2 GEO) is a story about a
girl who never had a name. She is simply known as "the pika" by her
family. Not having a name can be dangerous especially if you live in a
land of trolls that want to take you away. After freeing a white deer
trapped in the woods, she receives the gift of being able to understand
the words of animals. The white polar bear tells her that if she will
come to his palace and live there for one year, her family will be rich
and she can go back to them. What will happen? Will she go? Is the polar
bear really a polar bear? Find out by reading this unusual story.
Kiss Me Kill Me by Lauren Henderson (YA
HENDERSON) is the story of Scarlett. She has two wishes -- one to grow
breasts and the other to kiss Dan McAndrew. It isn't long before her
wishes come true. The only problem is that Dan dies in the middle of
their kiss! Everyone in her school think she had something to do with
his death. She transfers to a new school but can't forget what happened.
Scarlett receives an anonymous note and it sets her on the path to
clearing her name. Will she uncover the mystery of what really happened?
You will have to read this book to solve the mystery.
Alex Flinn's Beastly (YA FLINN) takes place in
New York City where a witch in his English class turns Kyle into a
monster. He had been a guy with good looks, money and a perfect life.
Now, he has become perfectly…beastly! The only way he can break the
spell is to kiss someone that loves him. Kyle realizes he had never
loved anyone nor had he been loved by someone. Who is going to love him
when he looks like a monster? Will he find that special someone who can
see him and not how he looks? Check it out to see what happens!
Tunnel's Book One by Roderick Gordon (YA GORDON)
is about a fourteen-year-old young man named Will who has little in
common with his strange, dysfunctional family. The only thing he shares
with his father is his love of archaeology. Suddenly, his father
disappears while on an archaeological dig. Of course, Will feels
compelled to find out what has happened. While on the dig he discovers a
subterranean society that time has forgot. The society has not changed
for a century. It is ruled by a merciless over-class, the Styx, and they
have his father. Will he free his father without igniting a revolution?
What will happen?
Another interesting book is Micro-Spies by Lisa
Jo Rudy (YA 623.74 RUD). Do you know what an UAV is? It is an unmanned
aerial vehicle, and they can be as big as a jet plane or as small as a
bird, they can cover the skies or fit in your pocket, or they can go to
war or save you from disaster. You will learn a lot about the UAV and
what you will need to do if you are interested in this fascinating type
of work. The book also has a small quiz to help you to see if this
career might be for you. If you are interested in America's latest
weapons, this is a good choice to read.
Heaven Looks like a Mall by Wendy Mass (YA MASS)
is a funny, thought provoking and, at times, the heart breaking story of
Tessa. She is a lot of fun but has a hard time making friends,
maintaining family relationships and being totally honest with her
feelings. As the story begins Tessa is hit in the head with a ball while
playing dodge ball. She finds herself thinking of trivial things like an
Ashlee Simpson song, the color of the ball that hit her, and the "wedgie"
she has from her gym shorts as she floats in and out of consciousness.
Tessa thinks she is in heaven! Can she return to reality and discover
her promising future that is more than she ever dreamed? This story is
entertaining as well as inspiring.
Patrick Jones, one of the best young adult authors, has
received many awards for his work. His book, Cheated (YA JONES),
is about choices. Mick has never been very good at making the right
choices. He spends a night hanging with his two best friends. They are
drinking and, as the evening progresses, he makes a deadly mistake. Mick
finds himself sitting in a police interrogation room and it all comes
down to the choice he had made. He has been going down the road to
destruction, can he come back?
Chasing Tail Lights also by Patrick Jones (YA
JONES) tells the story of Christy. She loves to stand on the highway
overpass and watch the taillights of passing vehicles. Christy tries to
imagine where they are going. Her dad used to tell her that if he got
lost, he would chase the taillights of the car in front of him and
they'd always lead him home. Now, her dad has died, and the family is
suffering. She seems always to be searching for someone. It takes her a
while to discover that she has been searching for the "lights" in all
the wrong places. Can she find the beacon she has been searching for?
Patrick Jones makes every story interesting and exciting. This is no
exception. You will find yourself eager to turn the pages!
There is a man watching the Herbert sisters! They are
completely unaware of this man. He is looking at them with agitated and
forbidden thoughts. This could be any man, any respectable ordinary man!
Norma Fox Mazer wrote this story called The Missing Girl (YA
MAZER). She weaves in the lines of the predator and his prey. The story
is stunning! You will not be able to put it down.
Did you ever feel that no one understands you? Frannie
in Delia Ephron's, Frannie in Pieces (YA EPHRON) asks herself
that very question. Her father is the only one who understood her and he
has died. She discovers a wooden box with the inscription "Frances Anne
1000." Inside the box are 1,000 hand-painted craved puzzle pieces.
Franny believes her dad had a premonition that he would die. He had
wanted to get an early start on her present. She feels broken in pieces
but bit by bit she puts it together, and something remarkable begins to
happen. Find out what happens when you read this enjoyable book that
will make you laugh and cry at the same time.
Each and every one of us has at times felt fat, but it
can be carried to extreme. Jamie is a high school senior who, like her
peers, is always busy. She is trying to change the world and fighting
for the rights of a very fat girl. Susan Vaught's, Big Fat Manifesto
(YA VAUGHT) is the story of a very fat girl. She seems comfortable with
her size and doesn't try to disguise it. Her mother, father and
boyfriend (but not for long) are fat! Burke, her boyfriend isn't happy
with his size and decides to have gastric by-pass surgery. It is
dangerous, but Jamie agrees to support him. Will this change their
relationship? Jamie has been "happy" with her size but will she want to
change? This is a must read. The author does give some interesting
statistics and opinions about being overweight.
Finally, as if you haven't had enough of politics,
Mitali Perkins First Daughter: Extreme Makeover (YA PERKINS) is
an eye-opener. Sameera Righton (Sparrow) for short is the adopted
Pakistani daughter of the Republican candidate for president and his
activist wife. When her father wins the nomination his staff decides
Sparrow needs a makeover to look more American. They give her new hair,
makeup, clothes and a new name Sammy. They coach her how to behave in
public and how to answer questions. They even custom manufacture a blog.
Sparrow doesn't accept everything unquestionably and begins her own
blog. She sincerely wants to help her father, but she has to be herself.
Did dad win? How did she help or hinder? The author really doesn't get
in to negative ads or smear tactics. Put yourself in Sameera's position.
You will find it is not easy.
The library has many good young adult materials. Each
month new ones are put into the collection. We also have a list of new
materials available. This area is especially for those twelve through
eighteen. Come in and check it out!
The Friends of the Penn Area Library will host a book
sale beginning on April 23rd and ending on April 30th during regular
library hours (Monday through Thursday 10:00 am until 8:00 pm and Friday
and Saturday from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm. We are closed on Sunday).
Please come in and enjoy the sale. Stay tuned -- Summer Reading is on
the way!
As always, if you have questions or comments, please
e-mail mfulmer@pennlib.org, or
call 724-744-4414. Please check the web site for upcoming events. See
you in the library!
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