Crank by Ellen Hopkins



Ellen Hopkins's books make me want to curl up in a ball a cry; but, the teens love 'em and so I feel obligated to subject myself to the torture of reading one of her titles about once every two years. And so that's some insight into why it has taken me sooooo long to read Crank.

Kristina goes off to visit her loser father one summer and not only takes on a totally different persona (Bree) but starts dating a guy who introduces her to meth (or, "The Monster" as it is referred to in the book). The story follows Bree through that summer and then the struggles of returning home, having to find out how to score meth, and hiding her new addiction from her mother. What I can only assume is an accurate portrayal of a meth addiction, this story (based on Hopkins's daughter's addiction), is bleak and heart wrenching. Follow this one up with something lighthearted!

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Conor's mother is very sick.  His father has basically abandoned him and started a new family in America.  And now,  a monster is visiting Conor periodically.  At 12:07 to be precise.  The monster needs to tell Conor three stories.  After that, Conor is expected to tell a fourth story - his secret.

A quick read that is about a teenager trying to deal with some very heavy problems in his life.  Ness does a great job of getting the tone and the inner (and outer) conflict of Conor just right.  The dark and messy illustrations only add to the story.  Give to reluctant teen readers  and/or those who don't shy away from sad subject matter. 

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

In this near future, men die at age 25 and women die even younger, at age 20.  Because of this, men have become polygamists to help perpetuate the human race while scientists work tirelessly for a cure.  To facilitate these marriages, pretty girls are kidnapped off the streets and shipped to their future husbands.  Such is the case for 16 year old Rhine.  She is stolen off the New York City streets and sent to Florida to marry a man she has never met.  But Rhine is no shrinking violet, she is determined to escape to get back to New York and her brother.

A Handmaid's Tale for teens would be my best description of Wither which would most likely not help promote it to teens and would most likely scare away parents. So, in selling it, I would say for teens (or adults) who liked Condie's Matched, Roth's Divergent, or, of course, Hunger Games since it is one more to add to the ever growing list of YA dystopian literature.  That being said, this story was very interesting with the author deftly handling some tricky subject matter for teenagers.  Wither is the first book in a planned trilogy and I plan to continue on with this series.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

As a librarian that is supposed to be knowledgeable about YA literature, I am embarrassed to admit that it took me this long to read The Book Thief.  I was scared of it.  Scared that it would be too sad.  But, I finally gathered up my courage and checked out the audiobook.

Narrated by Death, the story of a young German girl named Liesel growing up during World War II was, as I feared, quite sad.  However, it was, as I had heard and assumed, also, a beautiful story with wonderful characters, an interesting story telling style (in which you basically know who is going to die quite early on in the story), and a setting in a time period that will always, to me, be both heartbreaking and immensely interesting.  If you haven't read this, just get yourself together and enjoy the ride.  The audiobook is highly recommended - the narrator does a fantastic job and also, when you listen, you don't have to fuss over the pronunciation of the German words.

The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud



My theory on why I never wanted to read these is the covers - I hate them. But, as my last post also mentions, I am ever so glad I started them.

About a 2 1/2 years later after the end of Book 1, The Golem's Eye picks up with Nathaniel (or John Mandrake as his magician's name) is working for the government and is apprentice to a new and highly respected magician. He quickly realizes, however, that no one can be trusted once things start going wrong and all his fellow magicians are quick to put the blame at his feet. His only ally? His old "friend" Bartimaeus of whom he summons and gets an earful (seeing as they ended the first book with a promise of parting for good). An evil magician has created a Golem and Nathaniel needs Bartimaeus's help in finding the culprit.
Once again, Nathaniel isn't very like able (even though you see some potential shine through occasionally) but Bartimaeus is hilariously snarky. I am anxiously awaiting book 3!

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud



When the Prequel to the Bartimaeus Trilogy, The Ring of Solomon, won the School Library Journal Battle of the Books this past year I knew I had put it off for long enough - I needed to read this series. I decided to try audio since it's set in london and that means the narrator would be British and would, automatically, be a better narrator than most audiobooks (sorry Americans, but we all know a British accent is the best) and Book 1, The Amulet of Samarkand, did not disappoint!
Nathaniel is a young wizard apprentice who is smarter than he is given credit for and much more driven than his underwhelming master. Nathaniel's bad experience with a powerful wizard brings out his spiteful side as he calls up djinni Bartimaeus to help him steal the Amulet of Samarkand. All does not go as planned...
Bartimaeus is a wonderful character and overshadows any flaws that appear in the story (like how unlikeable Nathaniel is).
Recommend to fans of Angie Sage, Eoin Colfer, Rowling, etc.

Chime by Franny Billingsley



I read this because of the National Book Award issues between this and the accidental (and poorly handled) nomination of Lauren Myracle's "Shine." (I'll be reading Shine quite soon...) Briony is living with a secret - she is a witch. A witch living in a time where witches are hated and hanged. She believes she is evil - that she caused her sister's personality quirks through creating an injury as a child and causing her stepmother's illness before she passed away. Briony does not allow herself to live a normal teenage life until Eldric comes to town and seems to automatically lighten the mood, opens up a world of true living to Briony, and introduces her to some hard truths.
It took me a minute to get into it, but once it started rolling, I really enjoyed the book. I've never really read anything quite like this so I'm not sure of true read-a-likes, but I would try to pass it on to fans of Kristin Cashore and Megan Whalen Turner perhaps?

Hold Still by Nina LaCour

Caitlin's best and only friend, Ingrid, has just committed suicide. How does Caitlin deal with such a loss? How can she not blame herself for not seeing the signs? How can she read the diary that Ingrid hid in Caitlin's bedroom the night before she died? How does life go on?

Both sad and uplifting, this story gives a personal and realistic view of the struggles of both mental illness and the loss of a friend to suicide. A Gateway Award nominee this book is more for older teens - grade 8 and up. Heavy, but will definitely keep their interest. Give to fans of 13 Reasons Why, Hate List, and/or If I Stay.

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

The war is over but, as usual, all is not right and well for the Shadowhunters, vampires, and werewolves in book 4 of The Mortal Instruments series. Simon is dealing with secretly dating two girls, being kicked out of his house, being attacked by mysterious men in grey hoods, and, most importantly, dealing with the Mark of Cain and all that it entails. Jace is having dreams of killing Clary so he's scared to death of being around her. And Clary is stressing over the fact that Jace is avoiding her. Not to mention a blast from the past is suddenly back in Maia's life. All with a background of fighting an evil demon doing something evil and a evil vampire who might not be as evil as originally thought, the book reads similarly to the first three - if you enjoyed those, you'll enjoy this one. Be forewarned, it ends with a serious cliffhanger!


I listened to the audiobook of this read by Ed Westwick (of Gossip Girl fame) and Molly C Quinn (of Castle fame) and they both did a fantastic job - a rare statement coming from me when reviewing audiobooks...



Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Saba lives in Silverlake, a draught ridden area filled with dust storms and scarce food options. She lives there with her twin brother, Lugh, her little sister, Emmi, and her father who can read the future through the stars. Suddenly, a quick dust storm turns out to be a group of riders who kill her father and kidnap her brother. Saba embarks on a journey through harsh landscape and dangerous characters in trying to find and rescue her beloved brother.


Promoted as, you guessed it, a new Hunger Games, Blood Red Road was a solid and entertaining story. The dialect (dropping all g's, using "afeared" instead of afraid, etc) and dialogue (no quotation marks, ever...) were hard to get through in the beginning, but once you get used to it, it flows pretty well.

A reasonable recommendation for teen readers looking for their next dystopian fix.



White Cat by Holly Black

Death workers, luck workers, memory workers, with just the brush of the hand on skin, a curse worker can “work” their magic. Cassel’s mother, an emotion worker, is serving time in jail for making millionaires fall in love with her and give her all their money. Cassel’s childhood friend, Lila, the daughter of a famous worker crime boss, was killed by Cassel himself and his whole family has worked desperately to help cover that up. Or that’s what Cassel thought, until a white cat comes along and shows him something entirely different about his life or what he thought his life to be. Cassel has learned how to con from the best, his mother, and with those clever con skills he tries to figure out what happened in his past and what will happen in his future.


Holly Black creates a realistic yet totally eerie world where everyone, even non-curse workers, has to wear gloves because no one can be trusted, laws are being passed to force people to take worker tests to potentially keep track of who has the power, and crime bosses are as powerful as they were in the 20s. A truly creative and exciting read; I am looking forward to the next installment of the new Curse Workers series.