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.