Great+Reads!

Here are some interesting reads to get you started!

__Will Grayson, Will Grayson__ by John Green & David Levithan This book received a lot of awards from the LGBTQ community. It is a partnership book written by two great YA authors-- so it gives you a chance to see if you like the way these two authors write too. Essentially in the suburbs of Chicago, live two "Will Graysons" who are both in high school. The first Will is straight but best friends since Little League with a openly gay teen boy, who is just a whole lot of fun. The other Will Grayson is discovering he is gay. The group of friends meet in the city one night, both on a night on gone wrong adventure. These authors, quite honestly and completely "nail" the language and behavior of teenagers. Most of the characters are boys, but this is a great book about love and friendship. I was laughing out loud and getting a little misty-eyed (though I am a total wimp, I admit). The other side of the "nailed the teenager" is that this book is pretty edgy.. .lots of language. These kids are really pretty decent kids, though, so other than the language, it is not too risky. I honestly didn't read this book when I heard people "raving" about it. I assumed it was over-rated: I was wrong! I loved it! ~Heather Dahl @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYpyyZwE9Yc

__Crank__ Ellen Hopkins __Crank__ is the first book in a series of books about a girl dealing with a drug addiction. The story is told in verse novel format. I usually own about 15 copies of 5-6 different Hopkins books and they never make it to the shelf before they are checked out again by another student. In fact, a student attempted to steal a copy of this book AGAIN just last week. You should have no problem finding this in paperback at any store, but probably checked out at most libraries. ~Heather Dahl

__The Sky is Everywhere__ Jandy Nelson __The Sky is Everywhere__ appears on the top 25 part of the YALSA 2011 list. This book caused the most "this should be a movie" experience in me in a long time. I loved this book. Admittedly.. it is kind of a chick-lit book: I don't see boys liking this a ton, but they might. If it were a movie, it would have the same mood as "Hope Floats" or "Practical Magic" (I love Sandra Bullock). This book is about two sisters being raised by their grandmother because their single mother just walked away from them one day and left them. Their dope-smoking, free-loving Uncle shares the house; he doesn't say much but he is a fun character as a foil for the stress and anguish the main character faces. This is a very heart-warming story about love, family, first love, and friendship. I seriously have not found a YA book I love as much as this... but I do tend to re-read and re-watch "Pride and Prejudice" too, so keep that in mind. But don't trust me.. this book seems pretty well-reviewed in the blog-o-sphere too. ~Heather Dahl

__The Boy in the Striped Pajamas__ John Boyne Don’t assume that the simplistic writing style of the novel will make it in easy read. This is one novel that will stay with you for days, months, perhaps years, after you read it. Set in WWII, Bruno and his family move to the “country” to be closer to Bruno’s father’s work. Bruno soon finds himself slipping out of the house to explore the grounds when he meets a young boy, who is always behind the fence, wearing striped pajamas. The story illustrates another side of the Holocaust – what was it like for the families of the German soldiers, and this novel helps illustrate it through the eyes of a nine-year-old boy. If looking for historical accuracy, this may not be the book for you; it is more the story of two boys, trying to be friends in a time when it was not permitted. ~Misty Horning

__The Monstrumologist__ Rick Yancey This book is like a mixture of HP Lovecraft and Charles Dickens -- sinister occurrences in an bleak 1880’s setting, populated by seriously flawed human beings and some of the most horrific creatures imaginable! Will Henry is a 12-year old orphan whose mother and father were killed in the service of the title character, an impatient and eccentric monster hunter who allows Will to take his father's place. We meet Will on the night a graverobber brings a special item to the monstrumologist, and the book keeps readers in a state of constant dread until the Will accompanies his teacher and associates to a graveyard to battle monsters -- at that point the action and the horror don't stop until the end of the book. This is not for the faint of heart or the timid reader. Although it's called a novel for Young Adults, an honor book of the Printz Award for young adult literature, those who read it should have a strong stomach and constitution, as well a vivid imagination so that you can create a mental image of what the //Anthropophagi//, the headless, shark-toothed monsters look like. ~Misty Horning

__Matched__ Ally Condie I admit that I am a fan of the novel __The Giver__, one of the most read middle school books of all time, and I found __Matched__ to be a wonderful companion book to it. Cassia lives in a futuristic dystopia, and she has no control over her own future; her diet is decided for her, her job will be determined for her, as well as her husband. It is only when she gets a glimpse of “who might have been” does she begin to question the Society and her role within it. This is the first of a trilogy, but much like __The Giver__ for younger ages, it can be a stand alone novel, helping people to question what it means to be free in society, and the power that our choices have, especially when given no choices to begin with. ~Misty Horning

__Before I Fall__ Lauren Oliver A review I read began with "//Mean Girls// meets //Groundhog Day//" so of course my curiosity was piqued. I mean I have known plenty of mean girls and who hasn’t ever wished for a “do over”? The main character Sam is one who is not easily liked, and some may struggle with her actions, but stick with her on her journey through reliving the same day seven times, as she learns the effects her actions have on others. The ending may provide for some interesting conversations surrounding “What just happened?” ~Misty Horning

__The Golden Compass__ Phillip Pullman Best. Fantasy. Ever. Lyra is an orphan who lives at Oxford University, where she is cared for by the faculty and staff. However, this isn't the //real// Oxford, it's an Oxford in a somewhat different dimension. One day Lyra discovers that some terrible things are happening in the Far North. Someone is stealing children and taking them there where they are doing unspeakable things to them. Before long, Lyra is on her way to find out what's happening. She soon finds that it involves nothing less than the fate of the entire universe. I'm not a big fantasy reader, but I've been pulled into very few books like I was pulled into this one. Clouds of flying witches, armored warrior polar bears, and, best of all, daemons. What's a daemon? You'll have to read to find out. (And if you happened to catch the movie version, the book is way better.) ~Don Zancanella