The Summer Reading Recommendation List

Comment on this post so you can tell everyone what you are reading this summer.  Be sure to visit often to look for new reviews and other suggestions as the summer progresses.

KEY:
Vampires
Fairies
Zombies

Fantasy

CITY OF BONES by Cassandra Clare
CITY OF ASHES by Cassandra Clare
CITY OF GLASS by Cassandra Clare

WINGS by Aprilynne Pike

FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan (One of my all time favorites!)

THE SUMMONING by Kelley Armstrong
THE AWAKENING by Kelley Armstrong

RAMPANT by Diana Peterfreund (Comes out in September.  See author’s response in the comment.  Darn!  Well, you can read this one when you start school in the Fall.)

PROM DATES FROM HELL by Rosemary Clement-Moore
HELL WEEK by Rosemary Clement-Moore
HIGHWAY TO HELL by Rosemary Clement-Moore

JESSICA’S GUIDE TO DATING ON THE DARK SIDE by Beth Fantaskey

EVERMORE by Claudia Gray
STARGAZER by Claudia Gray

Morganville Vampire Series by Rachel Caine
GLASS HOUSE
DEAD GIRLS’ DANCE
MIDNIGHT ALLEY
FEAST OF FOOLS
LORD OF MISRULE

THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO by Patrick Ness

VIBES by Amy Kathleen Ryan

YOU ARE SO UNDEAD TO ME by Stacey Jay

GENERATION DEAD by Daniel Waters

INKHEART by Cornelia Funke

HOW TO DITCH YOUR FAIRY by Justine Larbalestier

ETERNAL by Cynthia Leitich Smith

DULL BOY by Sarah Cross

Mystery

THE CHRISTOPHER KILLER by Alane Ferguson
ANGEL OF DEATH by Alane Ferguson
CIRCLE OF BLOOD by Alane Ferguson

THE MISSING GIRL by Norma Fox Mazer

DEADLY LITTLE SECRETS by Laurie Faria Stolarz

ACCELERATION by Graham McNamee

Science Fiction

EPIC by Conor Kostick

AIRHEAD by Meg Cabot
BEING NIKKI by Meg Cabot

HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins (ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS)

UNWIND by Neal Shusterman

ADORATION OF JENNA FOX by Mary E. Pearson

NEPTUNE’S CHILDREN by Bonnie Dobkin

GONE by Michael Grant

THE DECLARATION by Gemma Malley

TRISKELLION by Will Peterson

MAXIMUM RIDE: THE ANGEL EXPERIMENT by James Patterson

LITTLE BROTHER by Cory Doctorow

Contemporary Fiction

THE COMPOUND by S.A. Bodeen

SCHOOLED by Gordon Korman

THE JUVIE THREE by Gordon Korman

NOTES FROM A MIDNIGHT DRIVER by Jordan Sonnenblick

THIRTEEN REASONS WHY by Jay Asher

BOYS ARE DOGS by Leslie Margolis

FAKE BOYFRIEND by Kate Brian

THE MARKET by J.M. Steele

ARTICHOKE’S HEART by SUZANNE SUPPLEE

I’D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I’D HAVE TO KILL YOU by Ally Carter

DAIRY QUEEN by Katherine Gilberk Murdock

WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson

Oldie But A Goodie

TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer (Fantasy)
NEW MOON by Stephenie Meyer (Fantasy)
ECLIPSE by Stephenie Meyer (Fantasy)
BREAKING DAWN by Stephenie Meyer (Fantasy)

UGLIES by Scott Westerfeld (Sci-Fi)
PRETTIES by Scott Westerfeld (Sci-Fi)
SPECIALS by Scott Westerfeld (Sci-Fi)

WOLF RIDER by Avi (Mystery)

THINGS NOT SEEN by Andrew Clements (Sci-Fi)

THE OTHER SIDE OF DARK by Joan Lowery Nixon (Mystery)

STARGIRL by Jerry Spinelli (Contempory Fiction)

HEIR APPARENT by Vivian Vande Velde (Sci-Fi)

COMPANIONS OF THE NIGHT by Vivian Vande Velde (Fantasy)

HATCHET by Gary Paulsen (Contempory Fiction)

CITY OF EMBER by Jeanne DuPrau (Sci-Fi)

Waiting and

Waiting and

Waiting for…

TRICKS

by Ellen Hopkins

Here is an example of a poem from the book.  You can find more by searching Ellen’s blog on Myspace.

I Go With the Flow

Don’t make waves, don’t
buck the current. I clean my
room, play nice with my little
brother. Maintain a solid 3.0
GPA. Might even go on to
college. Meanwhile, I work

part time at GameStop to pay
for gas and insurance. My hair
is trimmed, my clothes are neat,
and I never wear all black,
except to funerals. You probably
wouldn’t notice me walking

down the street, unless you
happen to be attracted to
“average.” It’s not such a bad
thing to be. When you fly
well below the radar, you get
away with a hell of a lot.

This poem is from Cory’s point of view.  He is one of the five main characters in the novel.

I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these books.

Benbella Books – May 5, 2009

Normally, I don’t read a lot of non-fiction, but I’m sure glad I did in this case. Ellen Hopkins did a fantastic job of editing this collection of essays from multiple points of view.  Several authors, including Gail Giles, weigh in on different aspects of the issues involved in CRANK and GLASS.  Ellen, herself, gives more insight into the turmoil her family went through during the years “Kristina” was in the grips of the monster.  But, what is probably the most interesting and beneficial to teen readers is the fact that members of the Hopkins family sound off as well. Ellen’s husband, “Kristina’s” sister, “Kristina,” and “Hunter” all have an essay included.  Their powerful words give the reader a real look at the devastation drugs have on the entire family.

This book will definitely have a home on my middle school library shelf.  If you know anyone that loves CRANK and GLASS, be sure to tell them about FLIRTIN’ WITH THE MONSTER.

Flirtin’ With the Monster:
Your Favorite Authors on Ellen Hopkins’ Crank and Glass

The Bowen Press – May 1, 2009

It was such a treat to get this graphic novel and realize it was a completely different story within the WICKED LOVELY world.  Keenan makes a brief appearance, but other than that the reader is introduced to totally new characters.

Rika lives in the isolation of the desert.  She maintains invisibility around humans in order to observe them.  She misses her humanity and feels some animosity toward Keenan for turning her into a faery when she attempted to become his Summer Queen.  Rika wasn’t THE ONE and instead had to take on the chill of the Winter Queen until another girl came along and took her place.  Rika didn’t want to be around Keenan after she became a regular faery because of the painful memories attached to him, so she made her home in the desert far away from the Faery Court.

Lately she has been observing Jayce, an artistic and handsome young man.  When some mischievious faeries cause Jayce to fall during rock climbing, Rika must become visible in order to save him.

As Rika and Jayce get to know each other, they are pursued by other faeries and Jayce is put in danger.  It seems that Rika is being manipulated by someone she trusts.

The reader will definitely be anxious to read the next installment in this graphic novel series.  Melissa Marr has given us all new characters to fall in love with.  Thank you Melissa.

Wicked Lovely:
Desert Tales, Volume 1:
Sanctuary

Sandpiper – May 4, 2009

The Giodano sisters are back from a summer vacation in Italy and things in Nightshade are as strange as ever when they get back.

The first thing Daisy wants to do when she gets home is see her boyfriend, Ryan.  She has missed him and can’t wait to get over to his house.  Daisy is disappointed to find out that he is at football practice, but heads over to the school anyway.  She is very surprised by what she sees.  Ryan has really buffed up in the weeks she’s been gone and so, it seems, has most of the other football players.

Since there are still several weeks left in summer, Daisy decides she should get a job.  She notices that Slim’s has a Help Wanted sign in the window and with her love of cooking, she feels this would be a perfect fit.

After leaving work one evening, she notices someone digging in the dumpster in the alley.  Strangely, it appears to be her missing father.  After other strange appearances in town, the Nightshade City Council comes to the conclusion that Doppelgangers are on the loose causing havoc in town.

Daisy and her sisters have to figure out what is going on in town.  Is there something strange causing the football team to get super strong in such a short time?  Who is creating the Doppelgangers?  Is Mr. Giodano really back or is he a Doppelganger too?

DEAD IS SO LAST YEAR is a fun conclusion to a cute trilogy.  Marlene Perez has a knack for writing with user-friendly, non-intimidating language.  The only drawback is you definitely need to read the trilogy in order.  So, readers, take heed – read DEAD IS THE NEW BLACK then DEAD IS A STATE OF MIND and finally DEAD IS SO LAST YEAR.

Dead Is So Last Year

Welcome to Traveling To Teens first blog tour. 

We are just getting started this month so be patient.  There are likely to be bumps along the way until we find our groove.

Our featured author is
Carol Lynch Williams.

CAROL LYNCH WILLIAMS, a four-time winner of the Utah Original Writing Competition and winner of Nebraska’s Golden Sower Award, grew up in Florida but now lives in Utah with her husband and seven children. She has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and helped develop the conference on Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers at Brigham Young University.

THE CHOSEN ONE

Griffin – May 12, 2009

SYNOPSIS:

Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters, with two more on the way. That is, without questioning them much—if you don’t count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with Joshua, the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her.

But when the Prophet decrees that she must marry her sixty-year-old uncle—who already has six wives—Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family forever.

REVIEW:

Kyra has three mothers, one father, and twenty brothers and sisters.  She lives in a compound led by The Prophet, a man who is in “close communication with God.”  Over the years, the compound has become more and more closed off from the outside world.  With the fence that was built around the compound and the mass book burning, any freedom they had is dwindling away.

Kyra is the most headstrong out of all of her siblings.  She sometimes has a difficult time accepting the laws of the community.  Because of her headstrong ways, she keeps secrets.  Even though books aren’t allowed on the compound, she has found a way to read.  On one of her walks she discovers that a bookmobile passes the compound.  When the bookmobile driver stops, she gets up the nerve to get a library card and check out one book at a time.  She keeps it hidden in her favorite tree where she spends a lot of her time.

Reading isn’t the only secret Kyra keeps.  There is also Joshua – the boy she loves.  They sneak out at night to talk, to kiss, and to read.  She sees herself getting married to Joshua and starting a family, but she begins to question her feelings about husbands having multiple wives.  Could she stand sharing Joshua with another woman?

Kyra’s life begins to spiral out of control when her and her family get the word from The Prophet that she has been Chosen.  Chosen to be married.  Married to her sixty-year-old uncle.  Unable to believe this is possible, she runs and hides in her tree until it is dark enough to go to Joshua’s. 

From the minute Kyra discovers she is supposed to marry her uncle, her life is a living nightmare.  She gets a glimpse of what life will be like when her uncle comes over to discipline one of her siblings for embarrassing him in front of The Prophet.  As she goes through the wedding preparations like a zombie, she hopes somehow her father will talk The Prophet out of his decision.

Threats, beatings, banishments.  This is what life is like in the compound.  Kyra must decide if she can live this way or if she will take the risk and run away and leave her family forever.

This  novel is very powerful and disturbing.  The contrast between the family life Kyra is used to and the other families in the compound is interesting.  Where Kyra’s father is always loving and kind to his wives and children, the other men of the compound rule by fear and harsh discipline.  This is one of the main reasons Kyra is headstrong.

Something that would have made this novel even better though, is if the author would have given us more examples of what went on behind closed doors in the houses that weren’t as friendly as Kyra’s. 

THE CHOSEN is a book everyone should read, especially in light of recent news events concerning a situation much like Kyra’s.  THE CHOSEN is a page-turner.  Once you start, you won’t want to put it down until you see how it ends.  Your heart will go out to Kyra.  THE CHOSEN is one of those books that will leave you pondering for days.

Normally there will be some Q & A with the author, but with the time crunch we haven’t rec’d our answers yet.  I’ll post them when I get them.

The Chosen One

The “In My Mailbox” meme was first brought to my attention from 

I rec’d some surprises this week.

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

DEAD IS SO LAST YEAR by Marlene Perez

GHOST HUNTRESS: THE AWAKENING by Marley Gibson

TURN COAT by Jim Butcher (Not YA, but one of my favorite series)

FLIRTIN’ WITH THE MONSTER: YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORS ON ELLEN HOPKIN’S CRANK AND GLASS

What did everyone else get this week? 

35. COFFEEHOUSE ANGEL by Suzanne Selfors (April 1, 2009)
36. PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS by Michelle Zink (April 11, 2009)
37. RAMPANT by Diana Peterfreund (April 13, 2009)
38. AIRHEAD by Meg Cabot (April 15, 2009)
39. PROM DATES FROM HELL by Rosemary Clement-Moore (April 16, 2009)
40. HELL WEEK by Rosemary Clement-Moore (April 18, 2009) 
41. HIGHWAY TO HELL by Rosemary Clement-Moore (April 21, 2009)
42. WICKED LOVELY: DESERT TALES: SANCTUARY (Graphic Novel) by Melissa Marr (April 22, 2009)
43. DULL BOY by Sarah Cross (April 24, 2009) 
44. INTERTWINED by Gena Showalter (April 27, 2009)
45. THE CHOSEN ONE by Carol Lynch Williams (April 28, 2009)
46. DEAD IS SO LAST YEAR by Marlene Perez (April 30, 2009)

My favorite of the month was:

INTERTWINED

by Gena Showalter

My runner-up was:

COFFEEHOUSE  ANGEL

by Suzanne Selfors

It was so hard to choose just two this month because I read so many great books in April.  So, I also have to mention:

PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS by Michelle Zink

RAMPANT by Diana Peterfreund

and

DULL BOY by Sarah Cross

This week I’m choosing some passages from WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson.  I fell in love with her writing style after reading SPEAK several years ago and I think she is only getting better with each new book.

So she tells me, the words dribbling out with the cranberry muffin crumbs, commas dunked in her coffee.  She tells me in four sentences.  No, five.  I can’t let me hear this, but it’s too late.  The facts sneak in and stab me.  When she gets to the worst part…body found in a motel room, alone, … my walls go up and my doors lock.  I nod like I’m listening, like we’re communicating, and she never knows the difference.  It’s not nice when girls die. (p.1)

Emma is a mattress who got thrown off the truck when her parents split up…It’s not like you can blame a mattress when people don’t tie it down tight enough. (p.25)

Just because I dish it out, doesn’t mean I have to swallow it.  I am strong enough to do this the potatoes smell so good stay strong, empty empty the potatoes smell strong/empty/strong/breathe/pretend/hold on. (p.64)

I grow the vines up the legs of my chair and weave them into a tight spiral around me until they reach the ceiling.  I can barely see her through the thorns.  They block out most of her words, letting me drift off into a half sleep.  A sharp question brings me back. (p.173)

I failed eating, failed drinking, failed not cutting myself into shreds.  Failed friendship.  Failed sisterhood and daughterhood.  Failed mirrors and scales and phone calls.  Good thing I’m stable. (p.227)

There are so many other passages so I suggest you go out and read the book for yourself.

HarperCollins – April 28, 2009

Reading book 1 in this trilogy, THE SUMMONING, is recommended before reading THE AWAKENING.

Chloe Saunders can see ghosts.  She can also raise the dead – mostly without meaning to.  After being sent to Lyle House because her dad thought she was unstable (see THE SUMMONING), she found out that it was just a front for the Edison Group – a corporation that studies paranormal activity.  Chloe, Derek, Simon, and Rae escape in hopes of finding Derek and Simon’s dad and putting a stop to the Edison Group’s evil plans.  Freedom doesn’t last long though.  Chloe is captured and forced to reveal the location of Simon and Derek when THE AWAKENING begins.

After regaining her freedom and being reunited with her friends, Chloe begins to learn more about her powers while staying one step ahead of the Edison Group.  Simon, Derek, and Chloe learn some very disturbing information about their genetic makeup and struggle to come up with a plan to bring down the people responsible.  In addition to the struggles she is already dealing with, Chloe is faced with a massive betrayal. 

With the help of an unexpected ally, Chloe and her friends move one step closer to taking down the Edison group.  She realizes there is no way she will ever be able to return to her old life and that she is going to have to find a way to make this new one work.  Chloe’s relationship with Derek becomes stronger, but it is still unclear what is going on with her and Simon.  It will be interesting to see if there is a romantic element in the future and how the brothers will handle it if there is.

THE RECKONING is the third and final book in the Darkest Powers  Trilogy.  Readers will be clamoring for it to find out how everything turns out for Chloe and her friends.

Visit “Chloe’s” blog for a free novella about Simon and Derek and events leading up to their arrival at Lyle House.  It is being written in serial form.  Kelley Armstrong is posting a section on the 1st and 15th of every month.  When it is complete it will be transferred to the locker section of “Chloe’s” website. 

The Summoning
(Darkest Powers, Book 1)

The Awakening
(Darkest Powers, Book 2)