Hero by Perry Moore

This is not your typical coming-of-age novel and Thom Creed is not your typical hero. He is a human with superhuman powers and...he's gay. It’s an enchanting story about the complicated relationship between a father and son, how to navigate and survive family and circumstances, how to trust and believe in you, and ultimately how to accept yourself. Perry Moore captures all those issues while maintaining the lightness of a superhero fantasy. The plot has intrigue and suspense that will keep you reading late into the night to find out what Thom’s secrets are and who knows them. I would easily recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

Destroy all cars by Blake Nelson-Environmental Fiction

This story is part of another popular and growing genre, Environmental Fiction.
This review is from Horn Book starred (September, 2009)
"Seventeen-year-old James would "destroy all cars" to save Earth from global warming. Through journal entries and AP English assignments/rants, he also chronicles unrequited pining for his "do-gooder" ex-girlfriend, parental demands, and his hilarious relationship with his English teacher. Consumer culture has been covered before, but James's thoroughly amusing combination of angst, idealism, narcissism, and nihilism makes this new treatment very welcome indeed."

Earthgirl by Jennifer Cowan- an Eco-thriller

When 16-year old Sabine Solomon's confrontation with a littering minivan driver is captured on YouTube, she begins documenting her increasing social awareness on her "earthgirl" blog. Her new passion is met with resistance from family and friends so when she finds a like-mind in Vray, a fellow eco-warrior and a romantic interest- she feels supported and hopeful. However, when she is asked to go against her beliefs, her life takes a dark turn.

The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd- an Eco-thriller

This books belongs to a burgeoning genre known as ECO-THRILLERS!
A progressive concept – “compulsory carbon cards for all citizens- 200 points per month.” The destruction and despair caused by severe weather conditions and a desperate government make for thought-provoking reading about both Mother Nature and human nature. The author has created a storyline, while heavy with global concerns, is accessible and appropriate for all students to read. Everyone is issued a card that tracks their allowable use of carbon for the year. This limits everything from cell phone use to all utilities including heating, water, travel, and the purchase of anything that has been transported over a distance, including food. There is some British slang but not overwhelming enough to cause comprehension problems. Plus, it is full of visuals that Laura pastes in her diary- fliers, charts, diagrams, and images from her life and experiences during her family crises and the climate crisis in her country.
Includes a glossary of Eco-Terms and a page of Eco-Links.

Freakonomics: a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner 2009

This was such a refreshing, stimulating book with provocative ponderings; I had to write it up. Levitt is an economist at the University of Chicago; Dubner is an award-winning author and journalist. They collaborated to explore the economics of real-world issues often viewed as insignificant, such as the extent to which the Roe v. Wade decision affected violent crime, and examine hidden incentives behind all sorts of human behavior. Some obscure questions Levitt attempts to explain and measure are:
What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?
How much do parents matter?
Why do drug dealers still live with their moms?
How is the Ku Klux Klan like a group of real-estate agents?
His answers are hilarious and thought-provoking. The reading level is easy enough to be accessible to all readers interested in asking questions about the “hidden side of everything.”

Paper Towns by John Green

This story is a mystery for sure and will keep your attention if you like the main character, Quentin. He is a very bright, sort of dorky, high school student in love with his beautiful and elusive neighbor, Margo. After she disappears, he becomes obsessed with finding her. Although I seemed fixated on the book at the time, I think I had to I make myself finish the book. Quentin is rather preoccupied with himself and his friends which I found to be a little boring. Some of the middle plotline was tedious but overall it is a good solid story. The author, John Green, seems to write for a very contemporary masculine audience and generation. I think some of our Metro boys might find his stories really good- An Abundance of Katherines and Looking for Alaska are both very popular books for guys and girls by John Green. I say try it out- read a few pages and see if it’s for you. It’s on the Grand Canyon Reader Awards list so teenagers in Arizona must like it!

Zombie Blondes by Brian James

A standard young adult story with typical high school issues like popularity and cliques but with a Zombie twist. I actually enjoyed this story. It was a quick read and not monotonous or predictable. A few curve-balls in the plot keep it suspenseful and I really liked the main character, Hannah. She is smart and tough with an unassuming beauty. A welcome break from the heavy and deep topics like war and abuse that are common in YA stories. Guys will like it a lot even though the main character is a girl. The author is a pretty cool dude after all. He wrote Pure Sunshine and Tomorrow, Maybe which are both popular with the guys.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This was my favorite read of summer 2009! I love strong female protagonists especially in suspenseful political plots that require physical and intellectual strength to survive. Katniss, the main character, and her story, The Hunger Games, meets all these requirements and has a science fiction bonus- a futuristic setting with a barbaric government-sponsored reality TV show starring teens from different districts. It’s a gladiator-type competition with teenagers fighting each other and battling man-made weather conditions to stay alive because the last one alive wins! It’s a just-right combination for an action-packed survival story with just enough romance that I think all guys and girls will love it as much as I did. It meets all the criteria for a great YA-Young Adult novel and makes for great discussions and book talks. An average Lexile level, I recommend to any and all who love survival, suspense, and sci-fi.
Knight Readers- do you want to read it this year????

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This work of historical fiction is told with such a uniquely inventive style and voice it tops my list of favorites this year. The story, which takes place during World War II in Germany, is told by Death himself. He is a surprisingly sensitive narrator who struggles to understand the horrible circumstances surrounding the war and the demise of so many human beings. One story that Death cannot forget is that of a German girl, Liesl, who unintentionally becomes a “book thief.” Her story takes us through the madness of Nazi Germany but with Zusak’s style and Death’s voice it is somehow bearable. While the setting is grim, the plot is filled with memorable characters conveying messages about human endurance and the power of words to heal and lift the human spirit. It jumps time periods and is philosophical in nature so I recommend mature readers take their time and commit to this book. Its unique style and historical story make it worth your time and effort.

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Matteo Alacran was not born, he was harvested in a Petri dish and placed in the womb of a cow where he went from embryo to baby. His DNA came from El Patron, a 140 year old lord of country called Opium- a strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. The fields are worked by “eejits,” clones controlled by brain implants. Matt is a boy but most people view clones as monsters so he endures many struggles, psychological and physical, and has to escape evil hands more than once. It’s an action packed sci-fi futuristic thriller with major ethical issues brought to light and I LOVED IT. It’s thought-provoking and imaginative plot that looks at the social implications of technological advances is also an inspiring coming-of-age story.
Certain aspects of the story will be relevant to our Mexican-American students who will recognize the land areas and many of us will relate to the border issues like drug trafficking and illegal immigration. Farmer's sci-fi twist on these real-life issues gives readers many interesting ideas to ponder. It makes this book an excellent choice for literature circles or book clubs!

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

This book about the afterlife is really about a whole lot more. The author addresses other very deep, heavy topics besides what happens to us after we die like: love, drugs, mental illness, animal rights, friendship, marriage, right and wrong, and good and evil. But, she does it in a light-hearted and meaningful way with beauty and humor. The main character, Liz, is easy to relate to and pretty much has issues like your average teenage girl. Here’s a quote from my favorite part of the book- it’s spoken by a woman explaining “Elsewhere” to Liz who just arrived by boat after getting hit by a taxicab on her bicycle. She is watching her family on earth from an “observation deck.”

“How can these binoculars see all the way back to earth?”
“Maybe that’s the thing. Maybe Earth’s not so far at all. I think of it like a tree, because every tree is really two trees. There’s the tree with the branches that everyone sees, and then there’s the upside-down root tree, growing the opposite way. So Earth is the branches, growing up to the sky, and Elsewhere is the roots, growing down in opposing and perfect symmetry. The branches don’t think much about the roots, and maybe the roots don’t think much about the branches, but all the time, they’re connected by the trunk...”

This book will definitely give you a lot to talk about.

Almost Dead by Charlie Huston

Another vampire series but this one by crime fiction author, Charlie Huston, is strictly for adults and mature readers only. Huston's preference for the hardboiled style of crime fiction make this a popular read with fans of hard-core or pulp fiction. Joe Pitt, an anarchist detective of sorts, is the main character who happens to be a Vampyre with no affiliation to the Zombies, or Clans, or Coalition of Mahattan in New York City. This makes his life a roller coaster of non-stop action with fear and violence. Since the language and content of this book are so rough it can be found in our Faculty Collection. If you think you can handle the graphic nature of this story, there are two other books in the series owned by Metro Tech: Half the Blood of Brooklyn and No Dominion.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Murakami is one of my most treasured authors and this is my favorite work from him so far. Wind-Up Bird is a surreal mystery woven with history and Murakami's characteristic realm of mysticism. When the main character's wife goes missing, Toru finds himself looking for her in a netherworld of Tokyo filled with bizarre characters and events. Murakami's art of intrigue keeps the pages turning with anticipation of the next mysterious event. I recommend this book for more advanced readers or for those with a taste for the surreal.

The Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk

I was struck by the significance of the message in this story and how it could be used by English teachers at all levels to encourage writing. This little mouse inspired the kids in his library to write by helping them “see” that they too could write and tell stories. While it is a children’s book featuring primary and elementary aged children, the message is clear- reading, writing, and sharing can be relevant, genuine, fun, and joyful. And, even high school kids like to be read to. I hope you enjoy it too.

the nature of jade by Deb Caletti

I found the "Fundamentals of Animal Behavior" at the start of each chapter more compelling then the story itself but it's not a terrible book choice if you have a penchant for pachyderms. It's about a girl named Jade who falls in love with an unlikely choice- a boy raising his baby alone. His story has a little twist which keeps you intrigued for a few chapters but overall Jade feels contrived and too perfect even with her panic attacks and anxiety issues, she's high-maintenance. But, I do like this author's style and I loved the elephant anecdotes.
This title is another Grand Canyon Reader Award Nominee for the 2010 Teen List. Even though I wasn't switten with this story, I would try her other books, Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, The Queen of Everything, and Wild Roses. Her website is www.debcaletti.com if you'd like more info.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

This clever author, Gabrielle Zevin, succeeds again with a fun book that hits the heart of teenage issues like family life, adoption, and love while also dealing with the unfortunate condition of amnesia. It’s full of references for music and literary enthusiasts as well as smart dialogue for readers both scientifically inclined and witty. It’s a quick read and very enjoyable about a girl who gets a second chance to analyze herself and her life and reinvent who she wants to be.
It’s also a 2010 Grand Canyon Reader Award nominee. For more information about Grand Canyon Reader Awards go to: http://www.grandcanyonreaderaward.org/

Also, check out her other popular novel, Elsewhere.

Revelations by Melissa De La Cruz

Yadira recommends Revelations:
It is the third book in the Blue Blood series. The time has come when Lucifer has finally revealed himself again. Mistrust runs through the vampires trying to discover who is Lucifer's pawn.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn

This post is by Shannon of the Knight Readers Book Club:
An amazingly funny twist of two teenagers who love music and seem to make you love them too.

Prom Dates from Hell by Rosemary Clement Moore

Gaby from Book Club had this to say:
Maggie Quinn is like the next Nancy Drew, only there is one small difference. She, unlike Nancy, has the Sight. Maggie is at first very skeptical about her sixth sense, but eventually must face her doubts head-on when mysterious occurrences begin around school. There have been near-fatal accidents that seem to bend the laws of nature and completely ignore the laws of logic. In order to find out what's going on and how to fix it, Maggie must accept and work with her extra abilities to solve all of the supernatural obstacles laid out before it's too late. The sarcastic humor in this book is refreshing to people like me who enjoy the darker side of all things funny. Prom Dates from Hell will keep you guessing to the very last page.

Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber

Gaby from the Knight Readers Book Club wrote this book review:
There is a mysterious new family that moved into a supposedly haunted mansion on top of Benson Hill. To make matters even more scandalous in the small town that Raven (the local outcast Goth-girl) dubbed Dullsville, the family is rumored to be vampires! Now there's nothing that could have caught this outcast's attention more than that. And, as always, if that sixteen year old is ever curious about anything, she will take matters into her own hands. This vampire romance novel is refreshing with its humorous twists and turns as Raven tries to uncover the truth about Alexander and his family. If you want a romantic comedy with a bite, Vampire Kisses, is definitely the way to go.

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

This is the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series that is the inspiration behind the HBO show, TrueBlood.

A Wild Sheep Chase

Author Murakami is amazing in this surreal dream-like story that is all at once full of adventure, mythical mystery, and his usual dose of the absurd. Advanced readers and fans of mysticism will love his works.