Invisibility by Andrea Cremer & David Levithan

Stephen is invisible. In his 16 years, he has never not been invisible. No one has ever been able to see him - not his mom before she died, not his dad who moved away and started a new life, not the doorman to his building, not anyone. He's never been to school, and he's never had a real friend. He's been an observer in a world that doesn't know he exists. . . . Until someone does know. He doesn't know how and he doesn't know why, but Elizabeth can see him. And soon, they both become determined to find out both how and why. Against all odds, Stephen and Elizabeth take on the world that they soon discover is more dangerous than anything they've ever encountered. 

I'll admit, David Levithan, an author I respect and enjoy deeply, disappointed me with this publication. (The co-author, Andrea Cremer, is the author of the Nightshade series.) The story is just "good enough" and the writing quality is lacking, making it all-in-all not at the top of my recommended reads. But it fits the bill for light, quick fare for those who enjoy magic and fantasy and a fluffy, dramatic romance. It's a quick read, so - if only for the sake of an author who almost always gets it right - give it a try!

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Allyson Healey isn’t very spontaneous. She generally follows the rules and done what is expected of her. On the European tour that was a graduation gift from her parents, she’s one of her tour guide’s favorite students. But a few days before she’s due to fly back home, she is convinced to skip out on seeing a professional Shakespeare production and instead attends an underground version of Twelfth Night. She is immediately intrigued by actor Willem (and, frankly, so are we). She’s even more intrigued when he invites her to go to Paris, just for a day. And that day winds up changing absolutely everything for Allyson. She has the most exceptional 24 hours that she has ever dreamed of having. But just as suddenly, Willem leaves her without word, and everything comes crashing down. Her adventure is over and she flies home to her family, her friends, and her own life . . . and she is completely alone. The kind of alone that prevents you from being with other people without hurting.

So, ultimately, she makes a choice. She returns to Europe and she is determined to find Willem and uncover some answers. Or maybe, she’s off to find herself.

This is a romance that goes far beyond tradition. It is hopeful and terrifying, and completely fulfilling. Keep your eye out for the sequel, Just One Year, available in October 2013.

Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Everyone loves Abby's sister Tess. Tess is smart and beautiful and happy, and she is always the sister that everyone wants to be around . . . even now that Tess is in a coma. Abby is left constantly responding to friends and neighbors asking after Tess, or saying how much they miss her and how wonderful she was. Abby refuses to talk about Tess in past tense, and spends virtually every second willing Tess to wake up and get back to her life. As long as Tess stays in a coma, Abby will forever be in her shadow.

Unfortunately, there's nothing new here, and readers will always be a few steps ahead of Abby, willing her to just catch up already. Elizabeth Scott has done some really great work; consider trying Love You Hate You Miss You or The Unwritten Rule instead. Mature readers who can handle intense topics should also pick up the beautifully written story of very painful experiences of a young girl, Living Dead Girl.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

a + e 4ever by I. Merey

This graphic novel overflows emotion, anxiety, passion, and curiosity from pages that contain a Japanese/manga personality (if not format). Many of the characters are drawn with feminine features, despite the gender, with slim bodies, girlish facial features, and longer hair . . . unfortunately for Ash.

Asher is a boy who has always been sensitive and quiet, and sort of looks like a girl. Eulalie is a tough girl with a thick skin and a rough attitude. They become fast friends, the sort of friends who have mutual experiences with bullying and being outcasts. Unfortunately for Eu, it only takes a few months of their friendship for her to admit that she likes Ash. And Ash response that he has a crush on the cutest boy in their high school. But it turns out that Ash doesn't only like boys; he just doesn't want a relationship with Eu.

From first sexual experiences (bad) to first kisses (good) and late nights (bad) to early afternoons (good), this stunning literary experience takes readers through some of the darkest times of teenage angst, confusion, anger, and love. And leaves us breathless. (The characters are as stunning as the pictures portray them to be.) Definitely for older teen readers, though.

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 Fault in Our Stars

I admit it: John Green can do no wrong. Even though I didn't love Paper Towns as much as everyone else seemed to, I just can't help but dig every little thing about this author. The Fault in Our Stars is no exception - and, in fact, it might be my favorite John Green book yet.

Hazel has terminal cancer. She's basically normal except that her lungs don't work (hence the oxygen tank perpetually in tow); she was taken out of high school years ago because, really, what's the point?; and her mom keeps bugging her to get a life, but her social scene mainly consists of a cancer support group of kids who are either dying, hoping to die, dead, or blind. Then Augustus Waters arrives to change everything. Hazel fights falling in love with Gus of the prosthetic leg, the unlit cigarette, and the adorable crooked smile. But he wins her over, and they settle upon a whirlwind romance. And like most whirlwinds, I imagine, this went by too fast, leaving a lot of aftermath. But the bottom line remains: It was worth it.

John Green has this talent for creating characters and exploring settings and storylines like very few authors in the world (not to be dramatic or anything). And though the writing is impeccable and intelligent, his stories speak freely and comfortably, without making you feel stupid because you might not know so much about famous people's famous last words, anagrams, cartography, or anything else cool. His books make you feel cool just for being in the same room with them.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

In this follow-up to If I Stay, we learn a lot about where Adam has been and who he has become in the years directly after his (ex-)girlfriend Mia woke up from a coma after an accident that killed her entire family.

Adam "Wilde Man" Wilde is the lead singer and guitar player of the chart-topping Shooting Stars, he has hot model girlfriend Bryn on his arm, and he's got a steady supply of cigarettes and pills to help calm his nerves and keep his depression and anxiety at bay - most of the time. The one thing he doesn't have is Mia. Since leaving their hometown in Oregon three years ago for an illustrious Julliard education, she never once looked back and ultimately cut off contact with Adam. And despite his outward success, he hasn't been the same since this loss of the great love of his life. Until he's in the NYC with the band and sees that Mia is playing a show at Carnegie Hall. The whirlwind of memories, emotion, secrets, and revelations that follow is breath-taking, exhausting, and oddly refreshing as we watch Mia and Adam reconnect and - in some ways - deconstruct.

Readers might be sucked into this love story even without knowing the back-story, but those who already had their hearts broken and put back together again while reading If I Stay, will cry and cheer alongside old friends.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

I was entranced by this novel, but think that there is no better introduction to reading it than through the words of the author herself:

Wildthorn was inspired by a true story I came across in a book called Against Therapy by Jeffrey Masson. I learned that Hersilie Rouy, a nineteenth century French woman, was incarcerated in asylums for fifteen years despite the fact that she was sane. She was deprived of her true identity and the more she protested about this and about her treatment, the more this was taken as evidence of her insanity.

How terrible, I thought. And then, What must it have been like for her?

The injustice of what happened to Hersilie appealed to something deep in me and directly inspired my depiction of Louisa.

The asylum is a dark place and what Louisa experiences there is frightening. But despite the secret that threatens to undermine her confidence, she has courage. I hope you enjoy accompanying her on her journey as she struggles to face up to the truth about herself and at the same time tries to unravel the mystery that lies behind her imprisonment.

Find this and more on the author's website: www.janeeagland.co.uk

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

I don't know what it is about Sarah Dessen that makes me love chick lit, but I just can't get enough of her stories. (And there are enough to choose from... Just Listen is another one of my favorites.)

When Auden receives a picture from in the mail from her brother (who is spending some international time away from home... for the past two years) that says "Time of your life," she decides to take a chance and head down to the beach to stay with her father and stepmother for the summer months. Heidi just gave birth to Auden's sister, Thisbe, and they've been inviting Auden to their home for months. She decides that it will allow her some time to bond with Dad, get an advance on some of her school reading in preparation for her freshman year of college, and maybe relax a little bit. What she ends up with is the realization that her father isn't the greatest dad, school maybe isn't everything, and she still can't sleep at night. But what she also finds is that through Eli, she's been given a chance to reclaim her childhood, take some chances, and experience new things -- like riding a bike, taking care of a baby, and PROM! Life isn't always as it seems at first glance, and sometimes all you need is a second chance, or a third, or as many as it takes to get it right.

Recommended to girls of all ages, especially those with a (hidden) romantic side.
Call number: YA DESSEN (Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian

Shug by Jenny Han

I thought Shug was a great book. It had a lot of romance and drama. It is about a tall, freckled twelve-year-old girl named Annemarie. She is trying to get a first kiss from her best friend. Annemarie is starting middle school and she acts so different around Mark now. Since they have been best friends, she wants to tell him that she wants him for her first kiss, but she also doesn't want to tell him. It is a complicated life for Annemarie. But her's is a great love story.

Recommended for middle school readers, especially girls with a taste for romance.

Call number: YA HAN (Teen Room)

Reviewed by Chloe, age 12

Book Club - JUNE - Tamar by Mal Peet

Ø Is all fair in love and war? How do you feel about William Hyde at the end of the book?
Ø Discuss how war affects people - in Tamar, it says that people would have killed each other for a chicken because they were starving - but also the main characters are brought together through love during the war. How does war affect the behavior of the older characters in the story?
Ø Can war ever be justified?
Ø At some point Tamar realizes that as well as being an individual, she is part of a human continuum. What does this mean to you?
Ø The author very clearly and directly connects that past to the present. Why do you think he does this? Do you think he’s trying to share a message with the reader?
Ø How do you think you would have felt having to live through the war? Either in Nazi occupied Holland or in Liverpool during the Blitz?
Ø What did you like best about this story? The adventure? The mystery? The romance?
Ø How do you think the story would have been different if it had been told from a single perspective? How do you think it would have impacted how you read it?
Ø Why did Tamar’s grandfather commit suicide? How do you think the book would have been different if he hadn’t? Why didn’t he choose to tell Tamar the story himself?
Ø Why did Tamar’s dad leave? Do you think he would have reached out to Tamar if she hadn’t gotten to him first? Why was he the first to approach her once she was on her journey?
Ø “I still call him ‘Grandad’.” How do you think you would have reacted in Tamar’s place?

Food? They had Christmas pudding at one point in the story during the war, but I've eaten Christmas pudding; trust me, you don't want it. Other suggestions?

Tamar by Mal Peet

This novel of adventure, wartime, love, and consequence is well worth the time it takes to wrap yourself around it. The story is told in alternating time periods: Tamar is an English spy working with the Dutch Resistance against the Nazi Regime; Tamar is a fifteen-year-old girl struggling with her family's secrets and her grandfather's death in 1995. An intricate weave of mystery and adventure, love and family, and hidden histories, the story is both intense and delicate and won't soon leave your mind.

The note on the back cover from the Carnegie Medal committee (2007) describes it well:
"Tamar is a powerful and moving story that cleverly connects the present with the past. Peet's is a broad canvas; his writing is beautifully controlled as he unravels the complex historical and personal aspects of the story of sixty years ago and today. He has an assured lightness of touch and his book is rich with imagery, simile, and strong characterisation . . . Dark and moving, it is a compelling read that ultimately offers a sense of optimism."

Recommended to all adults and high school readers.
Call number: YA PEET (Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

There are few words that could capture the essence of Evie’s world as she falls in love for the first time. Nobody is sure what to make of Joe Spooner’s decision to take his wife, Beverly, and her daughter, Evie, on a spur-of-the-moment “vacation” to Palm Beach, Florida during the autumn months just after his return home from World War II. At the Le Mirage Hotel, they meet Tom and Arlene Grayson, “The Swanks” who could make classy look like it was going out of style, and Peter Coleridge, a self-proclaimed “buddy” of Joe’s from the war who steals Evie’s heart with just one dance. Evie is stuck in that place that most girls get stuck in at some point or another: she wants to be grown up, feels grown up, but is constantly treated like a little girl who doesn’t know, feel, matter. Peter makes her feel all of those things. Joe doesn’t like Peter, and especially doesn’t like Peter hanging around his wife and daughter all day. When the hurricanes hit, Joe and Bev go missing for a time and Peter winds up dead. It is up to Evie to find out what happened and make everything right again.

While reading this story, we might forget to care how it ends, but only because we have found ourselves reading largely for the pure joy of the words. The characters are real people, the story forms a world around us, and we don’t realize that we’re reading about history, that we’re coming closer to the mystery’s surprise, or that we’re holding a book at all, for we’re so immersed in the life that is being brought alive before our eyes.

Recommended to high school readers. This novel breaks the boundaries of genre. (Have I mentioned that the cover art is a. maz. ing?)
Call number: YA BLUNDELL (Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian