The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

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Ruby is seeing a shrink to deal with the panic attacks that she has been having.  (Five in one week is really too many.)  After Ruby starts explaining that she lost her boyfriend and all of her friends and became a social leper her doctor suggests that she make a list of all of her boyfriends, even if she thinks they don’t count.  She uses the list to tell the story.

This book is fantastic!  It really nails the pettiness and randomness of friendships in middle and high school.  It shows how one mistake, even something small, can change your whole world.  The characters are realistic, not over the top, and the situations are believable for the age group. There is no one “mean girl” that ruins the main character’s life.  She makes bad choices, and some other characters make bad choices.  That does not make them “bad people”.  (I would recommend this book to high school age girls that like realistic fiction.)

The List by Siobhan Vivian

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It is a tradition at Mount Washington High School for a list of the four prettiest girls and the four ugliest girls to be produced just before Homecoming.  One girl is chosen from each grade.  This book tells the story from the perspective of all eight girls.

I enjoyed reading the book, including the twist ending.  It’s interesting to see how the list affects the girls positively and negatively.  The girls most hurt by the list are not the ones that you would think.  The book is both realistic and eye opening.  It’s more serious and fun then I thought it would be when I picked it up, but I really liked the book.

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

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After Liz is hit by a taxi she wakes up on a giant ship bound for Elsewhere.   She is not alive but she’s not completely dead either.  Death is a part of life, so her life goes on in Elsewhere.  Here she must learn how to complete her journey and find a way to “live” what remains of her life. 

This story is interesting because Elsewhere is like Earth, but also different from Earth.  Everyone who dies goes to Elsewhere and ages backwards until they become babies again and are sent back to earth to be reborn.  The process of aging backwards is really interesting and the story makes some interesting points about life without hitting you over the head with it.  I would recommend this book for teen readers, 8^th grade and up, who are looking for a little something different to read. 

Curveball: the Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick

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Pete is an all-star athlete, and he is set to make a big splash as a great baseball pitcher when ninth grade starts.  Life seems pretty easy until a serious injury leaves him unable to pitch ever again.  Now he has to figure out who he is if he can’t be the star pitcher anymore.  On top of all of that, his grandfather is acting strange and there is a new girl in class whose presence renders him speechless. 

Jordan Sonneblick is a great writer.  That is all there is to it.  He writes some of the best teen fiction I have ever read.  When I read his books all of the characters read true for their age.  This story sounds sad, but it is full of humor and a lot of teens will be able to identify with Pete and his family.  I would recommend this for teens who like realistic stories with lots of humor. 

The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten

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What could be worse than being dumped? How about pining all summer for your boyfriend, and then being dumped as soon as he gets back on the first day of school. So Lucy is having the worst first day of school, when she gets an intriguing offer. Three beautiful and charismatic girls offer Lucy a way to heal her broken heart and gain real power. All she has to do is make someone fall in love with her and then break that person’s heart in the next seven days.

The premise of the book did not sound good to me, but I liked Weingarten’s last book “Wherever Nina Lies” so I gave this one a chance. It was surprisingly good. The characters are all believable, and there is some great advice about self-perception, popularity, and guys. The ending is a little sad, but overall I like the story. At different parts of the book you are not sure if Lucy’s new friends are good guys or bad guys. It makes for an interesting read. I would recommend this for girls who like humor, and romance.

After by Amy Efaw

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Devon is a star soccer player and a straight A student. Her life is going great until she has a baby and dumps it in a trash can. After her arrest everyone, including Devon herself, tries to figure out why she did what she did.

The book was interesting. Devon is not a monster, but she did something monstrous. While reading it I found myself becoming frustrated with her, just like other characters in the book. She does nothing to help her own defense, and she seems to not really know what is going on for most of the book. I like the story, but I wished it didn’t take so long to get to the meat of the story. The author only gives little details at a time. I almost gave up on the story, but I wanted to know what would happen to Devon. I would recommend this book to an older teen girl who likes dramatic realistic fiction.

Sparks: the Epic, Completely True Blue, (Almost) Holy Quest of Debbie by S.J. Adams

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Debbie is a girl with a secret. When that secret is threatened she finds herself thinking about the kind of person she is and what she can do about it. At a loss, she starts a holy quest with some new friends to save a friend from Norman, the most BORING human on the earth, and to find true love.

This book was not what I thought it was going to be. I loved the cover; started reading it without knowing what I was getting into; and could not put it down. I’m not sure what I thought it would be about, but I really liked the book. Debbie has been in love with her best girl friends since sixth grade. When her friend is about to go All The Way with Norman, she feels like she needs to declare her love and hope for the best. To help her out her new friends take her on a holy quest. It’s a great story and I would recommend it to guys and girls looking for a positive story with a gay main character, or to anyone who likes to laugh their butts off.

Bumped by Megan Mccafferty

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So in about 20 years everyone will have a virus that makes them infertile. Both men and women will have a reproductive expiration date of their 18 birthday. So after years of telling teens not to have sex, and that they should use protection if they do, the message has changed. Condoms are illegal. Teens as young as 12 are encouraged to “get bumped” which means sex to get pregnant. The more babies they can have the better. Some of the teens are amateurs, they have a baby and then look for someone to adopt. Some of the teens are professionals. They have agents who sign them with families and when the perfect biological match is found they have a designer baby for the family. Of course they are paid very well.


This is the story of two sisters, Melody and Harmony, who were separated at birth but who find each other. One is a professional and the other is a part of a religious group that thinks each person should keep their own children. They live separately from the rest of society and get married when they are 13 so they can start having as many babies as they can before the virus takes over.

To say this story is weird would be an understatement. I like the different look at pregnancy. I like the way the story shows what can happen with teen pregnancy without taking a preaching turn. It is funny in parts and sad in others. I’m interested to read what happens next to these girls and their families. The one thing that really put me off is that condoms are illegal. No mention is ever made in the whole book about STDs. Condoms don’t just keep babies out, they keep out all of the dangerous viruses, infections, and diseases that can be passed during sex. Since these kids are having mass sex parties to try and get pregnant I can’t believe that STDs are not mentioned. I wonder if this is something that the writer is saving for the sequel, or if STDs don’t exist in this future.

Gone by Michael Grant

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In a quiet town in California, in the middle of class, everyone over the age of 14 disappears. Adults and older teens just blink out of existence. In the world that everyone now lives in there are no rules, no parents, no one to tell kids what to do, fix a broken arm, or make food. Add to that the fact that there are little kids and babies who need to be taken care of and you have a pretty gripping story. But why stop there? Let’s pile on. Some kids have special super abilities and some kids are powerless. When the power hungry kids from the private school come to town and clash with the public school kids anything can happen.


I enjoyed reading this book. I’m reading the sequel right now. I hardly ever read a whole series, because there are too many good stories to get to and I don’t have the time, but I really want to know what is going to happen to these kids. The book drags a little in the middle, and it takes a while to get where it’s going, but the final showdown is worth it, and there are some amazing action sequences that would translate really well to a movie. There is a lot of violence so if you are sensitive to that sort of thing don’t read the book. The main characters are mostly 14 and that is the youngest aged teen I think I would recommend the book to.

All these Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin

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In about 70 years the world’s resources are going to be spread very thin. Chocolate and caffeine are illegal, and paper is hard to come by. Because resources are so scarce water and food are rationed, new clothes are no longer produced, and people who were once inside the law are now on the outside. Annie’s family make chocolate. They have been making it for over 100 years. They still make it and sell it legally in places around the world where it’s not outlawed, but in the U.S. where Annie lives, she is part of an infamous crime family. When she is implicated in an attempted poisoning she must do everything she can to survive and protect her family.


Annie is a very likable character and the story has a lot going on; romance, friendship, and crime. A lot of event stake place in the book, but the ending was kind of a letdown. There is no big dramatic ending. The story just stops and we are left wondering what will happen in the future. The story is wrapped up, but since it’s about this girl’s life, we see that she will have to keep making hard decisions. I liked it, but at the same time I wanted a little more. I would recommend this to girls who like complicated plots and well thought out characters.

The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

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It’s 1996 and Emma just got her very first PC. She loads AOL and clicks on her favorites. Facebook pops up even though it won’t exist until 2004. She starts seeing what her life will be like fifteen years in the future. At first she thinks it’s a trick, but when she tells her friend Josh they start to take it seriously. Facebook knows things that no one could know, and there are pictures posted that they have not even developed yet. Once they believe Facebook is showing them their future they start to make minor changes that and soon they see the effects of knowing their future.


I have been waiting since 13 Reasons Why for a new Asher book and I’m not disappointed. This book is not deep and gut wrenching like 13 Reasons Why, but it is a fun read and it has an interesting take on the way our lives are shaped. I loved the idea that even the smallest change could have astounding consequences in our lives. Because it’s told in alternating chapters from the point of view of a boy and a girl, I think anyone will like the story.

The Anti Prom by Abby McDonald

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The cool girl, the outcast, and the wall flower. What do they all have in common? Prom of course. All three girls show up expecting different things and none of them get exactly what they thought they were going to out of their prom night.


Told in alternating chapters we see from each girl’s point of view. I like the way the story is told, and the way it’s all wrapped up. Each girl is incredibly believable and I think a lot of teen girls will see themselves or someone they know in the book. I would recommend for 9th grade and up because of some mild language and implied sexual content. (Nothing explicit in the book and no F bombs.) This is a good girlie teen book.

The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty

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Bindy is an eleventh grader in an exclusive Australian school, but this is not your typical high school story. Told exclusively through notes passed, journal entries, and school assignments you get to find out what is happening to Bindy and her classmates. She is a weird and mostly unsympathetic character. She spies on fellow classmates and writes the oddest things. She is paranoid that someone is trying to kill her, and more than a little obsessed with her classmates. This is the sequel to The Year of Secret Assignments, and readers will see a lot of the same characters, but Bindy is the focus of this story.

I loved this book. When I read it I didn’t know it was a sequel so I read it first. The twist ending is amazing and it fully changes the story. Things that seemed meaningless at the beginning turned out to be really important. I won’t give it away, because I’m against spoilers, but I will say the book is not predictable at all. This book is not for everyone, I know because I have recommended it before and been disappointed, but if you like quirky characters and an unusual story you will enjoy this book. It’s a mostly clean read with not much romance or swearing. If you like it read the first book.

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Withering Tights by Louise Rennison

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Tallulah is off to performing arts school in the country. She will be spending six weeks away from her family at sleep away camp. She is planning on studying the performing arts and boys. Unfortunately no one told her that the camp is all girls. Does she let it stop her? No. She makes friends and finds out a lot about herself and, meets some boys from the next camp over.


For those people who liked reading about Georgia, you are going to love her cousin Tallulah. It starts with Tullulah heading to the country.  We get to meet the crazy family she is staying with, and the tiny Yorkshire village where the camp is located.  This is a whole new English world for readers to enjoy.  The book is cute, funny, and full of the promise of snogging. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a girly story .

Addie on the Inside by James Howe

 

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From the outside Addie is an outspoken know it all.  She cares about the environment, human rights, and preventing animal cruelty.  On the inside she cares about those things, but she is aware of just how much she doesn't know.  This book is told in verse, poems from Addies perspective, about what's going on in her life as a 7th grader in Paintbrush Falls Middle School.  She deals with friends, bullies, gossip, and her very popular boyfriend.

This is a companion novel to "The Misfits" and "Totally Joe".  This time we get to tread the book from Addie's perspective.  I was surprised when I opened the book at it was in verse.  I didn't expect it, but I loved it.  The poems are in various styles, but the voice rings true for a 13 year old girl in middle school.  Howe deals with some difficult topics in the book, and he faces the subjects head on, while managing to keep it age appropriate for a 7th grade reader.  This is a great book and I recommend it for everyone.  

                                                                                                               Read the other books  in the Misfits Universe.

Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan (Forest of Hands and Teeth Sequel)

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Annah is alone in a dying city. She can’t keep waiting for Elias to return to her, and she can’t stay in the city any longer. She must go back to her village in the Forest of Hands and teeth. When she meets Catcher and he seems to know things about her, she makes the decision to find her long lost sister and find a way to make a home. Of course nothing goes as it should in the Zombie Apocalypse future.


I was so excited to read this book because I really loved the Forest of Hands and Teeth and the Dead Tossed Waves. This book was kind of a letdown. I found myself picking it up, and putting it back down. I just couldn’t get into the characters, or muster up much interest in what happened to them. I’m not really sure what why the book fails to deliver, but maybe it has something to do with trying too hard to weave the stories together, or the hopelessness in the story. This particular story was not for me, but you might like it if you like romance, and tormented lounging (and I know some of you do).

Amelia O'Donohue is So Not a Virgin by Helen Fitzgerald

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Rachel is the girl in town who everyone tells their secrets to, because it’s guaranteed that she will never tell the secret. After she gets in trouble at a town dance, her parents send her to the pricy private boarding school that she really wants to go to. It seems like all of her dreams will come true. She will graduate at the top of her class, get into medical school, and live happily ever after. Things are going well, until her friends start trash talking about her and she uncovers a secret that is too big to keep.


The book was not what I expected. The back cover and the title make it seem like the book is about Amelia, but it’s not. She is in the story, but the real story is Rachel. We see the world through Rachel’s eyes, so much so that we don’t see everything clearly. The story was a surprise and I’m glad that I read it. It’s told from a unique prospective. I would recommend this to older teen readers because of some sexual content (nothing explicit just a little more information than some tweens are ready for), and the maturity level of the characters and situations. (9th grade and up).

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

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Mia is a beautiful and talented girl. She has a great family, wonderful friends, and a boyfriend who she loves. Everything is going great until an accident puts her somewhere between life and death. Now the only thing left for her to do is decide if she will stay or die.


I usually don't like sad stories, but I loved this. Even with all of the tragedy and drama the book is full of hope. The characters all read true, and the story is believable. There's no white light or flashes of what like might be after death. You get to see what Mia sees and hears while she’s in the hospital bed. You get to live her memories and you get to understand the decision she makes. It’s an amazing story I would recommend to readers 14 and up. Mia is a character who is almost eighteen and she is dealing with life decisions that I think might be hard for younger readers to understand. The romance is not explicit but is more mature than younger readers might be ready for. An excellent book!

XVI by Julia Karr

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In this distant future when you turn 16 (XVI) you get a tattoo that lets everyone know you are of age to become sexually active. You are safe until you hit the age of 16. Once you are sixteen you are now officially a “sexteen”. Health class is for girls too learn how to attract a guy, and all of the magazines are training you to look and act a certain way so that guys will want to have sex with you. Nina is fifteen and she is not looking forward to turning sixteen. She doesn’t want a boyfriend. She just wants to get good enough grades so that she can go to a good college and get out of being a low income and low class person. Only the upper class people in society get to choose what happens to them. When something tragic happens in her family she is trying to save her sister from a horrible fate and protect herself.

The idea for the book is interesting. It does a good job of illustrating that not all teen girls are boy crazy. That said I didn’t like the book. I usually love a dystopian future story, but this one did nothing for me. The book ended leaving lots of questions, the characters where kind of one dimensional (except for the grandmother) and overall it left me feeling flat. That’s just my opinion. There is a little romance, kissing, but the book is for 14 and up based on all of the talk about being a “sexteen” and the truth about what happens to some of the girls in the book.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

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Lena is about to turn 18 and have the surgery that will cure her disease. Everyone gets the surgery so that they will never be afflicted with love. Love is the most insidious disease of them all, because once you have you it; you don’t want to be cured. Everything is going as planned until she falls victim to the disease. Now she will do anything to stay with the guy she loves.

Set in the distant future the government has decided that once cured of love people are more docile and productive. The surgery is compulsory and if you don’t do it you become an invalid. You are no longer part of society, and you are on the run from the law. The book had some interesting ideas, but it’s a romance from start to finish. I never felt much for any of the characters and I wouldn’t say this is a must read. I know a lot of other people who really like the book, but it just wasn’t for me. Maybe because the hype built it up so much, I was expecting more so I was disappointed with the book. I would have liked a little more about the supporting characters, and some background on the society. This is not a book for Hunger Games fans. The action is limited, and the romance is not exciting. I would say for ages 13 and up based on the romance towards the end of the book.