Shiver

By Maggie Stiefvater
(YA F Stie)
392 pages 2009 Fantasy / Supernatural Romance

Grace has a vague memory of being a little girl, laying in the snow surrounded by attacking, hungry wolves. One had yellow eyes. He saved her. Now Grace spends every winter watching the woods in her backyard, watching for her wolf. When a local teen is attacked and presumed killed, a hunting party decides to take matters into their own hands. Grace must now save her yellow-eyed wolf. She is soon drawn into a world of wolf pack lore, freezing temperatures that trigger the transformation from human to wolf, and true love in this beautiful and moving story. (Grades 9 & up)

Reviewed by Teen Librarian Elizabeth S.

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Pride and Prejudice

By Nancy Butler
(YA F Pride)
Unpaged 2009 Graphic Novel

Headstrong Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters are intrigued when the wealthy Mr. Bingley moves in next door. As their mother schemes to marry one of them off to him, Lizzie finds herself both attracted to and frustrated by his friend Mr. Darcy. Will her navigation through the social circles of early 19th century British society bring Lizzy romance or heartbreak? Read this adaptation of the classic book in graphic novel format to find out! (Grades 6 & up)

Reviewed by Teen Librarian Shelly P.

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Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have

By Allen Zadoff
(YA F Zado)
311 pages 2009 Humorous Fiction

Meet Andrew Zansky. He’s fifteen years old and weighs 307 pounds. As he puts it, “Fat runs in the family.” His mom tries to micromanage his life, his dad is mostly absent, and his classmates bully him. But when he is recruited to play on the football team, things begin to change. April, the girl he has a crush on, begins to notice him, he becomes popular with his classmates, and he gains more self confidence. Life should be good, right? But Andy’s not feeling it. Before he can be happy he has to figure out, “who do I want to be?” A funny and insightful read. (Grades 8 & up)

Reviewed by Teen Librarian Kay G.

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Independence Hall

By Roland Smith
(YA F Smit)
302 pages 2008 Suspense / Adventure

For step-siblings Q, age thirteen, and Angela, age fifteen, life gets a lot more complicated when their musician parents record a #1 hit record and go on tour. They soon discover nothing is as it seems, not the tricked-out motor coach, not the coach driver, not the personal assistants, and not the new people who are tailing them. Stay tuned for the sequel White House. (Grades 6 & up)

Reviewed by Teen Librarian Elaine D.

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Hot Pick from TAB - The Circle (a series)

By Ted Dekker
(F Dekk)
2004 Fantasy / Suspense

The epic sci-fi series is based on a simple idea: whenever Thomas Hunter falls asleep on Earth, he wakes up on Other Earth. It all started when Thomas hit his head in a dark alley running from gangsters from his past. Suddenly, he wakes up in another world, distinctly different from ours, yet uncannily similar. As Thomas tries to unravel what is happening to him, he realizes that what he does in one world has an effect on the other. This realization will forever change his life. Dekker mixes an action-packed thriller with deep symbolism and allegory that’s sure to satisfy. If you don’t get hooked right away, keep reading. About a third of the way through each book the story really picks up. New series readers might want to start with one of Dekker’s latest books, Green, which serves as a prequel to this series. (Grades 9 & up)

Reviewed by TAB member Teri G.

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Hate List

By Jennifer Brown
(YA F Brow)
408 pages 2009 Realistic Fiction

It was a May morning when Nick pulled out a gun in the school Commons and killed six students, one teacher, and wounded many others before ultimately turning the gun on himself. Sixteen-year-old Valerie believed that the hate list she and her boyfriend Nick created was a way to release stress and to silently get back at the people who tormented or annoyed them. For Nick, it had turned out to be something more. It was Valerie who stopped the shooting by jumping in front of a bullet meant for another student. In the aftermath of that May morning, Valerie struggles with her role; was she a hero or partly to blame? (Grades 8 & up)

Reviewed by Teen Librarian Elizabeth S.

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Lockdown: Escape from Furnace

By Alexander Gordon Smith
(YA F Smit)
273 pages 2009 Science Fiction

Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, Alex, age 14, has just been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in Furnace, an ultra-secure penitentiary located a mile beneath the earth’s surface. As if being locked up forever isn’t bad enough, Alex must also deal with the strange inhuman creatures that prowl the cell blocks at night, occasionally dragging screaming inmates out of their cells to a fate worse than death. The possibility of escape gives him hope, but will he be able to pull it off before the creatures come for him? (Grades 6 & up)

Reviewed by Teen Librarian Shelly P.
 
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