Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt

Doug's life is not fun. Home life consists of his amazing mom, his distant and abusive father, his bully older brother, and another brother who is off fighting in Vietnam. School consists of bullies and a few close friends. When Doug's father decides to move the family to Marysville in hopes of a better job (one that won't fire him), Doug even loses those few friends. Now school consists of students and teachers who think that Doug's brother is a thief and that Doug's no good either. Good thing for Lil Spicer or life might be just about the most miserable that it could be.

You might not think that a pretty girl, Audubon's Birds of America, baseball, and Jane Eyre have a whole lot in common, but in this case you might be wrong. Those few things might be the best things in the whole wide world. At least for one teenage boy who is just trying to find some good in the world.

Recommended to all middle grade readers. This title is great for boys who might not love to read, and who also aren't necessarily into sports or cars or other "guy stuff." But all ages and all interests are sure to get something out of Doug's experience and his perseverance.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Zombies vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black & Justine Larbalestier

Justine and Holly, the editors of this anthology, are engaged in a heated, friendly argument about which is cooler: zombies or unicorns?  Justine is all about zombies; they are obviously much, much cooler.  But Holly insists that beneath their glittery charm, unicorns are just as dangerous and unrelentingly cool as some people think zombies are.  In between each short story -- a collection of titles by authors like Scott Westerfeld, Meg Cabot, Libba Bray, and Garth Nix -- Justine and Holly add their own snark to the mix, each making a case for their team.  It's up to you in the end, based on the material as it's presented to you, to choose which side you're on. 

Like most anthologies, there is a mix of quality on these pages, but in this case it's really a matter of good vs. great.  (I listened to the audio version and love Justine's Australian accent.  I definitely turned out to be on Team Zombie, and my favorite story was one about some special little kids . . .)

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

With a promo by John Green. :) www.youtube.com/watch?v=avhOcKHWb-Y

Will Supervillains Be on the Final? by Naomi Novik

Leah is a superhero prodigy and there is a lot of pressure on her as she begins classes at Liberty Vocational.  Liberty is a special college for superheroes to master their powers, and Leah's acceptance into the school at sixteen is pretty exceptional.  Leah just wants to be accepted (and maybe noticed by the cute guy in her dorm!), but her lack of control over the use of her powers keeps causing trouble for her.  The reader learns that there is a supervillain in their midst -- isn't there always? -- who happens to be an arch-rival of the school's adviser.  Armed with her roommate and one friend, will Leah be able to figure out who the bad guys are, and control her powers so that she can become a force for good?

Predictable and safe, filled with the character types of traditional manga, this book is sure to please manga readers, but might not be quite as popular with comic book and superhero aficionados.  And yet, though I didn't expect it, this book became my superFUN read of the summer!  I loved it way more than I was anticipating, and I can't wait for more!  Recommended to all ages and readers of all types, especially as an introduction to a format with which "traditional" readers might be uncomfortable.  I'm serious; go ahead, give it a try!

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Libba Bray is either an unconquerable genius or a total loony-toon.  Either way, she's hilarious.  Beauty Queens is a must-read, and if you can get it on audio (read by the author!), all the better.  Think the television series Lost, the movie Miss Congeniality, and throw in some Lord of the Flies and your favorite chick lit to the mix . . .

While believing that they were on their way to a super fun beach vacation, fifty contestants for the Miss Teen Dream beauty pageant have been stranded on a desert island with no communication and no chaperones.  Miss New Mexico is left with an airline serving tray stuck in her forehead, Miss Texas AKA Taylor Rene Krystal Hawkins is the official leader of the bunch (until she goes completely mad), and Miss Rhode Island is actually a boy.  They have to figure out how to work together to survive and try to get themselves rescued, while navigating the unforeseen complications presented by a group of sexy pirates . . . and, of course, ultimately avoiding being killed at the hands of the Corporation.

This novel is complete satire, and it's completely hilarious.  At times it seems to be overdone, parts are predictable, and it's absolutely berating pop culture and politics - but then it turns around and convinces the reader that that was the whole point all along.  This should be a joy to listen to for any high school reader!

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

P. S. Does anyone else think that LadyBird Hope sounds exactly like Sarah Palin?!  Beautiful!

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

It's Christmastime in the City!

Lily loves it, but Dash not so much.  Lily and Dash don't know each other.  Not yet anyway.

Dash was minding his own business browsing the shelves of at the Strand, a used bookstore, avoiding all of the people that seemed to come out of nowhere in New York City in the days and weeks pre-Christmas.  As far as Dash is concerned, all things Christmas-y could disappear forever and he wouldn't miss them.  Just like he doesn't miss that Mom is away with her boyfriend and Dad is spending time with his girlfriend and Dash is on his own for the holidays.  Anyway, he's minding his own business when he finds a red Moleskine journal with the words "Do You Dare?" black-sharpied on the cover and a note on the first page challenging him to a scavenger hunt of clues.

Lily can't get enough of Christmas!  The crowds, the caroling, the good cheer and goodwill and all of that.  Unfortunately, she can't get enough of her family, either - literally.  Her mom and dad decided to take a romantic vacation in Fiji for the holidays, leaving Lily alone for the holidays with her brother (and, unbeknownst to them, his boyfriend).  It was Langston and Benny's idea, actually, for the notebook.

A crazy adventure packed with light-hearted humor, this is most definitively a less saccharine and less irritating holiday story than the typical adult (or children's) fare.  Riddled with f-bombs and innuendos, lovers of David Levithan, Rachel Cohn, Nick, Norah, and a bit of Will Grayson, won't be able to resist Dash and Lily, before, after, or during the holidays! 
Call number: YA COHN (Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Fat Vampire by Adam Rex

If you are looking for another typical novel about the same old vampires and werewolves, don't read this "never coming of age story" by Adam Rex.  

Doug was minding his own business as a high school student -- trying to be the funny kid to take the attention away from being the weird kid or the fat kid -- when he was attacked by a vampire (or a vampire wolf?).  Now, with the help of his best friend (and primary secret-keeper) Jay, he's on the hunt for blood anywhere he can get it . . . except he hasn't mastered the whole attacking humans thing and he's pretty sure he doesn't want to, unless he can find a willing participant in the right kind of girl.  

Adam Rex writes a satirical, humorous, quirky novel about a vampire who certainly does not represent the sparkling, fit, gorgeous vampire image to which many contemporary readers have become accustomed.  Doug isn't even that funny.  Or that nice most of the time.  He's pretty much just a typical high school kid, never quite having a firm grip on what he wants or what's expected of him.  At times, the author's attempts at humor are tiring, but for the most part this novel is a laugh-out-loud account of the bizarre, unrealistic world of vampires living among us.  Recommended to anyone -- especially boys -- looking for something out of the ordinary, or something that doesn't ask the reader to take anything too seriously.

Call number: YA REX (Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Bone by Jeff Smith

The graphic novel Bone by Jeff Smith is about a character named Fone Bone and his cousins Smiley Bone and Phoney Bone. Phoney Bone gets run out of town so Fone Bone and Smiley Bone go with him. They get lost in a strange village with rat creatures and dragons. They find humans that protect them and will help them return to Boneville. It takes them a long time to get back. The book is really interesting because of the book's creativity and I like the characters. Fone Bone is normal, Smiley doesn't have a brank and Phoney is greedy. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure books and graphic novels.

Call number: YA GRAPHIC SMITH (Teen Room)

Reviewed by Jack.

After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick

Jeffery tries not to let all that much get to him these days. After all, he's only in eighth grade and he's already survived cancer. But then again, his parents fight all the time, his dad pretty much avoids spending any time with him, and his brother Steven ran away to Africa just to get away from him. Oh, and he's failing math and now he'll need to get through a standardized test just to get into high school. It's a good thing that the cute new girl totally digs him, and that his best friend Tad -- also a superhero cancer survivor -- is willing to tutor him so that he can graduate. In exchange, Jeffery is going to make sure that Tad can get out of his wheelchair and walk across stage to receive his diploma.

The problem is: sometimes cancer gets in the way of the best laid plans.

This novel is a step up in terms of literary quality and well-rounded appeal from last generation's Lurlene McDaniel paperbacks. Recommended to anyone and everyone, especially those who don't mind a tearjerker with a lot of laughs, or a comedy that tugs at your heartstrings. This is a companion novel to Jordan Sonnenblick's Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie.
Call number: YA SONNENBLICK (Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Happyface written and illustrated by Stephen Emond

Happyface has had his ups and downs in his 14 years of life, and he and his mom just moved to a new town following his parents' divorce. He's determined to have some friends in this school and to not be the depressed loner that he was in his old town. So, he puts on a happy face and becomes one of those kids who smiles a lot, makes some jokes, laughs with others, and overall is kind of fun to be around. But when he starts failing classes, falling in love with Gretchen, and finding some real friends, he finds it harder and harder to keep the Happyface mask as a cover-up.

Interspersed with the words of this story are Happyface's drawings, email and IM conversations, letters, and comic additions. Happyface is a pretty cool guy and he draws the reader in like a friend by sharing his down-on-his-luck moments with humor and a bit of obviously false bravado. But the more our readers learn about Happyface, the more they discover that he's a lot more like them than he's willing to outright admit.

Strongly recommended to all readers. This quick, fun read also has some tough, real life stuff packed inside.
Call number: YA EMOND

Recommended by kate the librarian.

Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford

Oh Carter, wants so badly to be ready for high school, and especially for high school girls. He's a virgin -- bummer! -- and he desperately wants to be able to at least speak to girls without stuttering, without tripping over his own feet, and without getting so distracted by their bodies (or a fly on the wall). Beginning a few weeks before his starting as a high school freshman and following him through the first year, Carter struggles to figure out how to be a successful high school man. Instead, he provides the reader with a string of hysterical situations including his first date, Taco Bell, ripped pants, X-rated video tapes, first kisses, and theater productions. Boys and girls -- those who have experienced high school and those approaching "the best years of their lives" with anticipation -- will find Carter, EJ, Abby, and Amber's antics hilarious, over and over again. As an added bonus, the audio version of this title presents one of the greatest voices in teen literature.

Recommended to every single high school reader that can get their hands on a copy of this title in print, on CD, on Playaway, or through downloadable audio. Just get this story in your head.
Call number: YA CRAWFORD (Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian

Antsy Does Time by Neal Shusterman

Returning from The Schwa Was Here, this is another account of the hilarious adventures of Anthony “Antsy” Bonano. Antsy has yet another grand idea to occupy his time, but this time it’s for a really good cause. He discovers that Gunnar Umlaut only has six months to live because of some rare illness, so Antsy decides to give his classmate one month of his life. As a result, many other students are inspired to do the same, and soon many in the community are on board! Antsy is thrilled that so many are willing to give up a month of their life to extend Gunnar’s, and it’s a pretty decent bonus that Gunnar’s gorgeous older sister seems to have taken a special interest in Antsy, too.

Of course, no good deed goes unpunished, but in Antsy’s case every twist and turn is thrilling for the reader. The humor is over-the-top, and the characters are fascinating. This book is recommended to all readers, especially those who enjoyed the companion The Schwa Was Here.
Call number: YA SHUSTERMAN (Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian

All the Wrong People Have Self-Esteem by Laurie Rosenwald

Have you ever noticed that there are a lot of books (movies, music, people) that try to tell you "You're not alone!" and "Be yourself! You're wonderful!"? Well, this book truly shows you that if you feel alone in your thoughts, appearance, or emotions, you really aren't alone. How could you be alone if the person that wrote this book also exists?!

The tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic, over-the-top humor won't be lost on most teens who are looking for a quick escapist-type read. And the truths attached to the emotion beneath the words will resonate with and empower most teens who (1) feel like they're not good enough, (2) wonder if they're the only ones who think most of what other people think is dumb, or (3) think that they're really that much better than everyone else. This book is a cut-and-paste collage of images, colors, and words. It is eye-catching and exciting. But best of all, it speaks to the heart of the teenage mind, and doesn't apologize for being seen or heard.

Don't ignore a book with this title: All the Wrong People Halve Self-Esteem : An Inappropriate Book for Young Ladies* (*Or, Frankly, Anybody Else). Recommended to everyone (although older adult readers might just not get it).
For more about the author and her art, visit www.rosenworld.com.
Call number: YA 305.235 ROS (Nonfiction)

Reviewed by kate the librarian

Stiff : The Curious Life of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

A Head is a Terrible Thing to Waste. Crimes of Anatomy. Life after Death. Dead Man Driving. How to Know if You’re Dead.

These are just a few of the chapter headings of Stiff, a book about the various real-life uses for dead bodies in the worlds of medicine, religion, and car crash tests, among others. Mary Roach doesn’t have a science degree, but she sure does have a sense of humor, and a knack for writing humorously, about subjects that we don’t know are funny until we read what she has to say about it. Roach doesn’t hold back on graphic descriptions of dead bodies, their insides, or their remains, so don’t expect an effortless read; you’ll learn more about your body than you ever wanted to know. All the same, who knew that dead bodies could be so cool?!

(Also, I haven't read them, but two books were mentioned in Stiff that sounded intriguing enough to look up; BCCLS owns both of them: Burried Alive : The Terrifying History of Our Most Primal Fear by Jan Bondeson and Thomas Edison's The Diary and Sundry Observations of Thomas Alva Edison, edited by Dagobert D. Runes.)

Recommended for high school readers of all shapes and sizes.
Call number: YA 611 ROACH

Reviewed by kate the librarian