The Program by Suzanne Young

Teenage suicide has become an international epidemic, ending in the death of one out of every three teens in the United States, and as a result a few larger cities have been trying out a new solution to end the killing. Even London is moving towards instating the Program.

The Program is a place that teens can go to be cured of all of the things that cause them to be upset, distraught, depressed, and desperate to end their lives. When teens go into the Program, they are in a very bad place, and when they come out they are calm and peaceful - and they remember almost nothing of their life "before." 

Sloane, her boyfriend, and their friends are terrified of the Program, knowing that it leaves the cured as blank versions of themselves. So they hide their grief (because all life is a natural balance of joys and pains) as best they can, but when the Program starts to come after those they love, they might not have the power to stop it. 

Sloane narrates this story, and being able to see all sides of the program is a special treat. Readers will root for the characters every step of the way, through their love, their hurt, and their love again. The worst thing about this story is that the sequel, The Treatment, isn't scheduled to be due out until 2014! :)

UnWholly by Neal Shusterman

I don't typically used this blog to mention books that are part of a series (unless it's the first book), but this sequel to the cult favorite, Unwind, is certainly worthy of that mention, especially since there are five years between the two publications.

UnWholly picks up right where Unwind left off, with Connor running the AWOL Graveyard, where Risa is serving as the primary medic. Lev is under house arrest, allowed out only under the supervision of his brother Marcus or Pastor Dan. Readers also become acquainted with Starkey, as stork with a major chip on his shoulder who is brought to the Graveyard, and with Cam, the culmination of parts pieced together from a total 99 unwinds.

A network of twists, turns, and uncovered mysteries are revealed in this bridge from the original Unwind to the forthcoming and much anticipated Book Three, UnSold, due out in October 2013. In the meantime, take a peak at Lev's untold story, UnStrung, available digitally. Buy it for Kindle, Nook, and Apple.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Sixteen-year-old Rhine knows that she only has four more years left to her life. What was once thought of as the miracle of modern science took a dangerous turn with new generations, and now males only live to age 25, and females to age 20, no exceptions. To keep the population from dying out, young women are forced into polygamous marriages. Rhine and her twin brother Rowan vigilantly kept an eye out for Gatherers, but Rhine was kidnapped anyway and forced to live in matrimony with the wealthy Linden Ashby, in a mansion where even just stepping outside is a restricted privilege. The gate surrounding the home keeps everyone under lock and key.

Over the next year, Rhine's main focus is that of escape and ultimate freedom. But over the course of time, she also can't help but develop relationships with those around her: her nineteen- and fourteen-year-old sister-wives; the help, including the handsome Gabriel; her powerful and horrifying father-in-law; and even her husband, who shows her kindness and genuine affection.

This is the first in the Chemical Garden Trilogy, and it is a mixed bag of terror, uncertainty, and enchantment. Recommended to all high school readers. Reviewed by kate the librarian.

The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi

Mahlia's entire history has left her in a dangerous world, caught in the middle of a never-ending war. As part Chinese Castoff and part Drowned Cities, she fits in nowhere and is accepted by no one, except for Mouse, a kid who saved her life at the last moment with simple dumb luck, and the kind Doctor Mahfouz who has taken her into his home as his medical assistant, despite that she only has one hand (the other taken from her by the violence of war).

Tool is a creation of war. He is part man, part animal, and like Mahlia is accepted by no one. He has no real home except for the battlefield. He has been created and groomed to answer only to his master and his purpose is to fight to the death. He is the ultimate creature of survival, but half-men can never truly be free.

Mahlia and Tool end up in the unlikely scenario of being each others' companions and saviors. Unfortunately, there are rarely winners in any war. Recommended to all older readers, especially those who like dystopian novels and tales of war, survival, or adventure. This title is the companion to Printz Award-winning Ship Breaker, and both stories offer much food for thought.

A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

Rose is sixteen, but she was born 100 years ago.

The setting for Rose's world is somewhere in our future, where there have been significant leaps in technology and business, and her family has been at the forefront of most of it. She is the only child in a very rich, politically-connected family, and she's never known anything different. Her parents travel a lot for work, and when they do she is put into stasis, a dreamlike state that slows ones body down to just a step above death -- your body ceases to grow or change, and when one wakes up it feels as though only a moment has gone by.

When Rose is kissed awake by a young man, she discovers that 62 years have passed, the world has undergone major and disastrous changes, and everyone she knows is long gone. She must learn to accept her new world and her new life, through her heartache, her confusion, and her unwelcome fame.

Those who enjoy dystopian novels will be able to get into this story before too long. For some, it might take some more time to become absorbed into Rose's life, but those who stick with her will be glad they did. This novel from first-time author Sheehan fits in solidly with the rest of its genre. Recommended most to scifi teen girls.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Mangaman by Barry Lyga, illustrated by Colleen Doran

Traditional comics meets nontraditional manga in this graphic novel-format masterpiece. Marissa Montaigne is popular, and she surely prides herself on being herself, and never any version of who someone might want her to be, and that's probably the reason she broke things off with her popular, jock boyfriend. But when she lays eyes on Ryoko Kiyama, she's smitten for sure. He's the boy, or the non-boy, that everyone's been talking about. When there was a rip in his world, he finds himself the odd-man-out in the "real world." Everyone makes fun of the sound track word bubbles that follow him around, and they can sometimes see the images that he's thinking, but he's only really concerned with two things: getting home, and Marissa. But what if he can't get home? And what if Marissa gets sucked into his world without him?

There's a lot going on here, and I kind of hope that there is more to come with the storyline. Recommended for any and all readers -- the non-"sex scene" is hilarious. And for the record, Barry Lyga is AWESOME.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

He knows that his name is "Thomas," but he can't remember much else to tell you.  He arrived through the Box same as all the other teenage boys, one a month for two years, all with no memories of life before and all feeling pretty rough around the edges.

Thomas quickly learns the ropes of life in the Glade, knowing immediately -- though he doesn't really know why -- that he wants to be a Runner.  The Runners spend all day, every day out in the Maze that surrounds the Glade, methodically mapping out the maze and searching for exits or clues to figure out a way of escape.  Each day they have to return before the doors of the Glade close and the deathly Grievers come out to play, otherwise they'll be trapped out in the Maze all night, a sure death sentence.  Those who even just get a taste of the Grievers' claws or spikes must be given a serum, and even then suffer through the Changing, a horribly painful process that none will talk about, but those who have been through it are never the same.

The day after Thomas arrives, a girl is dropped off in the Box.  From that moment on, nothing is the same.  Will the Gladers be able to figure out the Maze, or will they give up all hope of survival and getting back to whatever unknown life they were forced to leave behind?

Recommended to all, but especially older middle school and high school boys.  Fans of The Hunger Games will surely eat up The Maze Runner series!

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Numbers by Rachel Ward

Jem's had it pretty rough.  She was only six years old when she found her mother dead from a heroin overdose.  She had always known that her mother's addiction was more important than love and family, but it was only this moment that Jem learned something new: She could see the date of her mother's death in her eyes.  She has always seen a string of 8 numbers when she looks at people, and for a while, she thought that everyone could.  Now she knows that she must keep the numbers a secret.

Until she meets and gets close to Spider.  After living the last of her 16 years in and out of foster situations, Spider is the first person she allows herself to connect with.  Spider is laid back, adventurous, thoughtful, and just as damaged in a lot of ways as she is.  Spider also only has three months left to live.  When an unpredictable event takes place and Spider and Jem are accused of being involved with a terrorist attack, they decide that the only way to live their lives is to escape to a better place.  But, as Jem knows, the outcomes of their lives can't always be controlled.

Recommended to all adventurous readers, and in particular to those intrigued by mystery, romance, and the unknown.  The sequel, Numbers: The Chaos, is available, and coming soon is the third in the series, Numbers: Infinity.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Melody and Harmony have nothing in common except for their identical DNA.  They were separated at birth, handed over to different families, and raised without the knowledge of the other's existence. Only recently has Melody, to her horror -- and Harmony, to her joy -- become aware that there is someone in the world just like her.

America has encountered a time during which it is impossible for women over a certain age to get pregnant and reproduce.  Society now can only look to teenage girls to continue to produce offspring, and as a result become pregnant is not only the popular thing to do, but it is an expectation and a responsibly placed on all girls.  Even though Melody is under contract with a wealthy family to "bump" with another "repo" (reproductive professional), she isn't convinced that she wants to satisfy this business and societal requirement.  Without the knowledge of Melody's contractual situation nor her personal dilemmas, Harmony leaves her Christian community to find Melody and help direct her moral compass.  But nothing is really quite as it seems, and it's all too easy to slip up, even within the best laid plans . . .

The interesting concept behind this dystopian existence isn't played out quite as effectively as I would have liked to see, but the story is interesting nonetheless and should be enjoyed thoroughly by female readers.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd

The year is 2015 and in an attempt to combat impending global warming, England has issued carbon dioxide rations and strict energy usage plans for families and individuals. At first it's no big deal. There are occasional blackouts and fuel shortages, but Laura Brown is busy focusing on other things like school, a really cute boy, and her band, the dirty angels. But when the weather begins to change and all of a sudden the summers are scorching and the winters unbearable. The snow and rain and drought begin to overwhelm the country and things become increasingly dangerous. The rationing and the eventual destruction begin to destroy Laura's family and she can't seem to hold onto anything "normal" in her life. She doesn't know if she'll ever be able to put together the pieces of her life, even if everyone she loves survives. The images included don't do much to enhance the text, and the personality of the characters might not connect with each and every reader, but the story is compelling enough to keep most interested. Like another "what will we do if the world comes to a crashing end?" story written in journal format, Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It, this book will remind readers how potentially fragile the world is, and how strong adversity can make anyone.

Recommended to most readers, especially those who liked Life As We Knew It and the dead & the gone and other dystopian novels or stories involving environmental crisis.
Call number: YA LLOYD (Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian