Better than Weird by Anna Kerz

It isn't always being different, especially when you go to school with people who don't understand "different." Especially when your dad left home after your mom died, years ago, and you are worried he'll never come back. Especially when you can't seem to figure out when things are funny or not, when people are angry, or when you are supposed to keep still. Especially when you would do anything to hold onto just one friend (besides your grandmother).

Aaron has a lot on his plate. His excitement for his dad to come home (with a surprise!) is overwhelming, and he's been making lists of all the things they can do together. Plus, he's working with the chorus to be part of the upcoming play, even though it doesn't seem like anyone thinks he's a very good singer. And he's trying to avoid Tufar who even Aaron can tell looks angry every time they cross paths. His mind is in one hundred different directions, and he's having a very difficult time just getting through each day without getting into trouble or getting hurt.

This is the story of Aaron, a pretty normal kid who everyone else thinks behaves badly or inappropriately. Parents and brothers and sisters of kids with special needs, learning difficulties, or behavior disorders will recognize their own lives, and Aaron's perspective on life is endearing, eye-opening, and humbling for all of us. Great reading for all readers in middle school, particularly.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach

"Stupid Fast : The summer I went from a joke to a jock" definitely illustrates Felton Reinstein's life one high school summer. But it doesn't even begin to encompass all that he goes through in those short - um, long - months.

Felton has grown. All of a sudden, he has hair everywhere, his body is catching up to his ginormous hands, and he is stupid fast. A few weeks in the locker room with weights and he is stupid strong, too. Everybody notices, but Felton still pictures himself as a small, weak kid, with nothing much to offer anybody. The football team latches onto him, Aleah - the daughter of a professor staying in town for the summer semester - definitely notices him, the crazy lady at the nursing home screams every time she seems him, and he seems to be driving his mother further and further into Crazy Town. Felton doesn't even begin to know how to start to figure life out. So he runs.

This is an original novel with an original voice. Felton experiences every single sort of growing pain possible, making him both a frustrating and sympathetic character. This one is perfect for young teenage boys, despite the f-bombs, and should let them know that life moves on, people aren't always what they seem, and maybe their lives aren't all that bad.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams

London Castle is utterly and completely lost. She and Zach had spent the last sixteen years together traveling the world with their missionary parents, tied solely to each other and their faith. And now Zach is utterly and completely gone.

Through extraordinary poetic storytelling, the reader discovers pieces of the past nine months little by little. And little by little, Zach's relationship with Rachel, London's love for them and for Taylor, and the Castle family dynamic all begin to come together to form the tragedy of misunderstanding, depression, and pure grief. But there are bright spots, too, that fill in the gaps. London finds Lilli and Jesse (or maybe they find her), and she begins to gain back some of the faith, strength, and love that she just assumed would be gone from her forever now that her brother is gone. But she also allows herself to gain little pieces of Zach back into her life, too -- the good and the bad.

This is a novel filled with beautiful words and ugly emotions, and it's the perfect read for teens who love tearjerkers and who can handle brutal honesty and the terrifying reality of depression. Not for all, but wonderful for some. (I wish that there had been more of a conclusion with or explanation of Jesse, but overall, I loved this book. It's a quick read that packs a major punch.)

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones

Blink got his name because he blinks uncontrollably. He's on the run from a weak mother and a stepfather who is too strong for his own good. Over the past six months of living on the streets, he thinks he's gotten pretty good at finding clothes and food, but one day that gets him into trouble.

Caution named herself. Caution: Contents May Be Hot. Cation: Poison. She's running away from a tragedy for which she just can't forgive herself. She thinks she deserves nothing and has gotten mixed up with a dangerous drug dealer, hoping that he will be her salvation -- her death.

Blink and Caution cross paths before she steals his money, but they never notices each other before meeting at the train station, headed for Kingston. This meeting propels them on a journey that neither could have even invented from their dreams, and ultimately leads to precious forgiveness and friendship. Hopefully they can survive long enough to enjoy the life they never imagined.

This is some seriously good teen noir crime suspense. Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Contest! from A. S. King

As a follow-up to my last post about A. S. King's Everybody Sees the Ants, check out the author's blog and submit comments for her awesome contest -- you might even win a copy of her upcoming Ask the Passengers!

Lauren Myracle says: "This book is made of stardust and guts..."

http://www.as-king.info/2012/09/today-is-brought-to-you-by-number-5.html#links

Everybody Sees the Ants by A. S. King

Disclaimer & Bottom Line: I am kind of partial to Please Ignore Vera Dietz, so I had really high hopes for this novel. While, not exactly what I expected, I was not disappointed either.

Lucky Linderman's name is pretty ironic, considering how likely he is to get beat up by the bully, ignored by his parents, and looked down upon by school administrators. He would really much rather just fly below the radar by everyone, but manages to get too much attention from all the wrong people who either (a) want to do him harm, or (b) "help" him. Actually, Lucky would rather be sleeping.

Lucky is a freshman in high school, so life sucks to begin with, but what makes it worse is that Nader constantly has it out for him -- like in the corner of the school's locker room and at the community pool -- and Lucky feels too weak to protect himself. He stopped telling teachers or his parents about the bullying back in elementary school once he realized that nothing would ever be done about it. His dad is too distracted by his grief for a Vietnam War POW/MIA father he never got to meet, and his mom is too busy swimming laps and running from her own problems. So Lucky finds solace in his dreams (where he finds himself to be bigger, stronger, and smarter than he ever feels in real life) and in his mission (to rescue his missing, presumed-dead grandfather). Ultimately, he's going to have to figure out a way to save himself.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Tilt by Ellen Hopkins

As is typical of author Ellen Hopkins, there are quite a few emotional punches packed into the poetic words of her latest novel in verse. For anyone who read her adult novel Triangles, you will recognize these teen characters; for the rest of you, prepare yourselves to meet some interconnected individuals with a lot on their plates. Though you do get a sense of their home lives from reading Tilt, those of you who read Triangles know that these kids belong to parents who - in the best cases - are very distracted from their children's lives.

Mikayla is completely in love with boyfriend Dylan, and he would do anything for her - except stick around to see her through her pregnancy. Shane is finally coming to terms with his homosexuality and has a wonderful new boyfriend, but his family is falling apart at the seams largely because of the inevitable death of his four-year-old sister. Harley has gotten well over her head in order to gain acceptance and to feel good about herself, and nobody but her best friend seems to notice - until pictures of her start to get spread around, anyway. We get to know these and other characters through their relationships with each other, and there really is no easy way out of many of the situations they create for themselves.

Ellen Hopkins is always a very powerful writer, choosing her words delicately and forcing the reader to feel the emotions of her characters. In addition to Tilt and others, I have loved Crank, Burned, and Identical. If you haven't yet, definitely give this author a try!

Reviewed by kate the librarian.