Fat Vampire by Adam Rex

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Doug is fifteen, fat, and a newly turned vampire.  The book starts with a pilgrimage to the San Diego Comic Con.  The nerd mecca of all comic conventions.  Doug and his best friend Jay head to the con to find about about the latest comics, stare at the hot trekkie chics, and of course score some blood.  Once they head back to their home town their friendship gets tested as Doug gains better control of his vampire powers and they both have a shot at romance. 

The story goes back and forth between Doug’s story, the story the Vampire Hunters T.V. show, and the story of an Indian foreign exchange student.  I love the book cover, the dialog, and the humor.  What I didn’t love was everything else.  There are several story lines going all at once, but none of the stories are fully developed.  Some of the characters, like Victor and the other vampires are not at all fleshed out.  They are so one demential it’s hard to understand why they do the things they do.  The idea of “The Google” being a psychological disorder is brilliant, but underdeveloped.  It could have been it’s own book but instead it’s a side story without resolution.  I loath the ending.  I understand that not every story can have a Disney ending, but if the end has to be sad there needs to be a reason for the sadness.  I want a reason things had to be this way.  In my mind Doug should get to be a regular, acne covered, slightly chunky comic book geek who learns a valuable lesson then gets the girl.  I’m mad at this book and Adam Rex for writing the ending this way.  

Even though the ending is upsetting and there are too many stories going on all at once, I liked the idea behind everything.  The whole book was not for me, but teen guys might like it.  There is a strong male perspective and the friendship between Jay and Doug reads true to the way guys relate to each other.

Ask Amy Green: Boy Trouble by Sarah Webb

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Set in Ireland this is the story of how Amy is dealing with her parents divorce, her changing friendships, and her own crazy lack of love life.  When her sixteen year old aunt becomes the advise columnist for a popular teen magazine she get Amy to help her get revenge on heartbreaking boys and mean girls.  All of the fun and excitement make for an interesting read and an good backdrop to the real story; the family drama of dealing with a divorce and step parents.  

The book was a fun read.  I liked the clever way that the Amy and her Aunt Clover deal with the crazy situations they find themselves in and how they help people through the advise column.   My only complaint about the book is the enormous amount of Irish slang.  It was a little distracting, but there is a glossary of slang in the back of the book.  Once I got used to the new slang the book was incredibly readable.  I recommend this book to girls who like realistic fiction and romance.  The main character is thirteen and the content is appropriate for teens 12 and up.  

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia Margaret Stohl

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Finally a supernatural romance from the guys point of view.  Ethan is the smart son of two professors,  He lives in the same small town that his family has live in since before the Civil War.  (Also known as the War of Northern Aggression if you are from some places in the south.)  Lena is “The New Girl”.  She has moved into the haunted plantation house of her recluse uncle.  When the two meet and start to form a friendship, things go from weird to worse.  They both discover things that neither thought were possible.

The book grabs you with the idea of a town that no one leaves and holds onto you with the story of why.  Not everything is as it seems in a small town and not everyone is who they appear to be.  The story held my interest the whole way through and the romance was not too overwhelmingly mushy.  A good read!  I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good gothic, supernatural mystery or romance.

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

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Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead. -Benjamin Franklin 

In the perfect town, full of perfect houses, perfect jobs, perfect schools and perfectly pretty people; secrets are worth killing for.  The summer before 9th grade five friends get together to have a sleepover.  One friend goes missing and the town is thrown into turmoil.  While the search for Ali goes on, so does life.  Two years pass, Ali is still missing, and the remaining four friends have drifted apart.  The story starts just as their junior year is about to start.  All four friends are back in town, when Ali’s body is discovered.  Soon someone is  sending the girls threatening emails and texts.  Each note is signed “A”.  The emails and texts are all about things only Ali knew.  Could “A” be Ali?  Who else knows their secrets?  Will they tell?

This is a deliciously twisted story.  Who would think that eighth grade secrets could ruin your life?  I loved the melodrama and the excitement.  I was never this scandalous in high school, but it’s fun to read about.  Although the descriptions of the fashion go on more than I care for the story is worth reading.  There are several more books in the series and I can’t wait to read the rest.  All of the characters are well formed and unique from each other.  There is something for every girl.  

If you like the book you can watch the T.V. show on ABC family.  

Girl Parts by John M. Cusick

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How many friends do you have on Facebook?  50?  100?  1000?  Can they sit with you at lunch? Can they give you a literal shoulder to cry on?  Are online friends as real as in the flesh friends?  This book gives a little glimpse into a very near future world.  The teens are dealing with the reality of a life lived mostly online.  

David and Charlie live in a nice town in nice houses.  They have parents and go to the same school.  David is super cool, has online friends, and in school friends.  Charlie likes to be alone all of the time.  According to the school shrink they both have the same problem, “dissociative disorder”.  The shrink prescribes a "Companion".  A realistic girl doll to help them learn to make human connections.  When Davids doll gets separated from him craziness ensues.  She meets Charlie who declined a Companion.  

I liked the book.  It is funny, insightful about the way that boys and girls misunderstand each other, and it gives guy readers a glimpse into the mind of girls.  (Here’s a hint; Even robot girls have feelings.)  I would recommend this to teen guys and girls.  There is some cursing, sexuality, and drinking.  So if that’s not for you don’t read it.  If you are mature enough to handle those things, read the book.  You will love it and you will laugh out loud. 

Check out this book trailer featuring the Author:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3vFUuHvvok

Dear Anjali by Melissa Glenn Haber

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"Anjali I really hate it that you're dead."

This is a great opening line for a book.  It caught my interest right away.  When Anjali dies suddenly a fast illness she leaves behind her best friend Meredith.  Meredith is a plain girl that no one notices, and Anjali was a beautiful star.  Meredith knows that she was not good enough to be best friends with Anjali but she feels special that Anjali choose her.  Now that she is gone Meredith is not sure what to do .  She starts to write to Anjali’s ghost in order to keep her close.  Though the school year she starts to make other friends, and learn the truth about who Anjali really was.  Finding out about the other friends that Anjali had and the things that she did, help Meredith to move on with her life.

I liked the book.  At first I thought it would be a ghost story, but now I know the truth.  It’s a realistic look at what it’s like to lose a friends, find out that friend is not exactly who you thought she was, and then finding a way to get on with your life.  This is a great book for someone who has had a friend or family member die.  It shows one girls journey through grief without being overly serious or condescending at all.  

This is a clean read with no cursing or sex.  Content is appropriate for teens age 12 and up.  

Fat Boy Chronicles by Diane Land & Michael Buchanan

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Jimmy is FAT.  Not only does his doctor tell him that he will be fat forever, but he has to deal with the horribly nasty comments of his fellow students, and the torment of being the worst at everything in gym class.  Nightmare your name is the climbing rope!  He is not just fat, but unhealthy and unpopular.  With the murder of two girls near his home as a background, Jimmy tells his story through a series of journal entries as part of a school assignment.  We get to meet the cast of characters who make up his world.  Jimmy introduces us to a girl who cuts herself, another fat kid who has a heart attack, a friend who wants to figure out the murders, and a series of adults who don’t do much to make things better for anyone.

This book is based on true events and is an realistic look at what it means to be overweight in the U.S.  I like to honest voice of Jimmy, and the accurate way that the authors depicts interaction between teens.  There is no 90210 glamour or fake dialog.  This is an honest book.  I can’t wait for the movie to be out.  

For more information visit the official website of the book and movie.

http://www.thefatboychronicles.com/