Best of TAB 2011 - Linger

By Maggie Stiefvater
(YA F Stie)
362 pages 2010 Fantasy Fiction

For Grace, Sam and Cole, it’s a constant struggle between staying human and being a wolf. It doesn’t just take your pride to become a werewolf, it takes your life and who you love. This book is full of love, grief, and hope. (Grades 9 & up)

Reviewed by TAB member Michelle J.

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Best of TAB 2011 - The Lost Hero

By Rick Riordan
(YA F Rior)
557 pages 2010 Fantasy Fiction

Join Jason in this breathtaking book to save Hera and get his memory back. Will he be able to conquer all of the monsters in time to save his memory? With a little Greek mythology and a lot of fun, this book is certainly a winner. (Grades 6 & up)

Reviewed by TAB member Michelle J.

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Best of TAB 2011 - I Am Number Four

By Pittacus Lore
(YA F Lore)
440 pages 2010 Science Fiction

John Smith and his guardian Henri came to Earth from the planet Lorien. He and the other eight special kids are being chased by the Mogadorians. The Mogadorians have killed three. John Smith is next. Filled with action-packed scenes and romance, here comes the first novel in the thrilling series. (Grades 7 & up)
Reviewed by TAB member Ben B.
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Best of TAB 2011 - Plague

By Michael Grant
(YA F Gran)
512 pages 2011 Science Fiction

If you have read the Gone series you will enjoy this book as long as you understand the confusing inferences. Most of the characters in this book are nearly identical. They are all power-hungry and overwhelmed by the multiple plagues. The plot carries the series on well, yet it does feature a lot of main characters’ deaths. Upon finishing this book, you realize that you can’t wait for the sequel, Fear. The kids of Perdido Beach have fought disappearance, starvation, deception, illness, and now, desperation. (Grades 6 & up)

Reviewed by TAB member Andrew C.

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Best of TAB 2011 - The Andromeda Strain

By Michael Crichton
(F Cric)
364 pages 1969 Science Fiction

The Andromeda Strain is an amazing medical thriller about what happens when an alien virus spreads on Earth. This is one of my favorite books, but it is not appropriate for everyone. I would recommend this book for readers twelve years of age or older. (Grades 6 & up)

Reviewed by TAB member Alex A.

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Hot Pick from TAB - The Never War

By D.J. MacHale
(YA F Mach)
336 pages 2003 Fantasy Fiction

This third installment of the Pendragon series takes place in the early twentieth century of Earth. A fast-paced riveting Bobby faces a plethora of foes while dealing with his own personal loss. D.J. MacHale does not fail to surprise readers and leaves the biggest surprise for the end! (Grades 6 & up)

Reviewed by TAB member Michael B.

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Back When You Were Easier to Love

By Emily Wing Smith
(YA F Smit)
296 pages 2011 Realistic Fiction

In alternating chapters, Joy reveals what life was like with Zan and what her life is like without him. They were the nonconforming couple in a Mormon-based school until he took early graduation and headed to a California college without her. Distraught over his abrupt departure, Joy coerces Zan’s best friend Noah to drive her to Zan’s campus and when she encounters him, she’s unprepared for the results. Her attention turns to Noah, who not only is a genuine person, but also reveals his feelings for her on the road trip. (Grades 8 & up)

Reviewed by Teen Librarian Elaine D.

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The Vespertine

By Saundra Mitchell
YA F Mitc
296 pages 2011 Paranormal Fiction

“I whispered, ‘I have seen the future.’ He didn’t laugh…He stopped nose to nose with me…and his question told me everything, ‘Am I there with you?’” Amelia is sent to stay with her cousin, Zora, in order to find a husband. Once there, she begins seeing strange visions of peoples’ futures, and catches the eye of the poor and handsome Nathaniel. Word of Amelia’s gift spreads and she and Zora have the time of their lives making house calls to society’s wealthiest so that Amelia might predict their futures. As Amelia’s prophecies start taking a dark turn, she faces suspicion, violence, and separation from her forbidden love. (Grades 6 & up)

Reviewed by Teen Librarian Sara H.

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Cleopatra Confesses

By Carolyn Meyer
(YA F Meye) CV Only
289 pages 2011 Historical Fiction

“Someday I could become a great ruler of Egypt, better than my sisters can dream of being, but I must be careful not to let them know how I feel…” thinks a young Cleopatra. Her father, Ptolemy, has chosen her as the next queen. When he is forced into exile, her two older sisters seize the throne and Cleopatra is left to fend for herself. There are spies and intrigue everywhere, and Cleopatra’s very existence is viewed as a threat to her sisters’ power. She must hide what she’s really thinking and bide her time. Will her father return from exile, and when will Cleopatra become the rightful queen of Egypt? (Grades 7 & up)

Reviewed by Teen Librarian Kay G.

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Glow

By Amy Kathleen Ryan
(YA F Ryan)
307 pages 2011 Science Fiction

Waverly and Kieran, passengers on the spaceship Empyrean, know that someday soon they will likely marry each other and start a family. After all, their role is to populate New Earth when they reach it. However, this destiny is shattered when their sister ship ambushes them, kills or captures many of the adults, and kidnaps all the girls in an attempt to populate New Earth first. Now separated, Waverly and Kieran each find themselves unlikely leaders of dangerous missions. Will they feel the same way about each other if they meet again? (Grades 9 & up)

Reviewed by Teen Librarian Shelly P.

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Hot Pick from TAB - I am Number Four

By Pittacus Lore
(YA F Lore)
440 pages 2010 Fantasy Fiction

John Smith and his guardian Henri came to Earth from the planet Lorien. He and the other eight special kids are being chased by the Mogadorians. The Mogadorians have killed three. John Smith is next. Filled with action-packed scenes and romance, here comes the first novel in the thrilling series. (Grades 7 & up)

Reviewed by TAB member Ben B.

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Born at Midnight

By CC Hunter
(YA F Hunt)
406 pages 2011 Supernatural Fiction

Kylie’s life is in shambles. Her parents are divorcing, her grandmother died, her boyfriend ditched her, and she thought attending a wild end-of-school unchaperoned party with Sara would cure her funk. After she’s sprung from jail, sixteen-year-old Kylie finds herself headed to Shadow Falls on a bus full of freaks. She spends the first week pleading with the counselors that she’s not like them, she just sees ghosts. The other campers keep their distance except for two hot guys, one of which reminds her of her old boyfriend. Did her parents make a terrible mistake sending her to a training camp for werewolves and vampires? Book one in the Shadow Falls series. (Grades 8 & up)

Reviewed by Teen Librarian Elaine D.

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