FINISHED:

Hague, Michael. (2008). In the small. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

[.]

*

FINISHED:

Dashner, James. (2009). The maze runner. New York: Delacorte/Random House.

[LOVED THIS. BEST YA BOOK OF THE YEAR, in my opinion.

Thomas wakes in a freight elevator to find himself in the middle of a wide glade surrounded by towering, vine-covered walls, without any memory of who he is or where he may have come from. Similarly, the other boys he comes to meet in the Glade have no idea how they got there or how to get out: there are doors in the walls which lead to various mazes, but the mazes change every day and are filled, at night, with hideous beasts they have named Grievers. When a girl appears in the elevator the day after Thomas arrives remarking, “Everything is going to change,” Thomas and the other boys, some with hostile accusations, begin to wonder if this all doesn’t have something to do with him. Thomas is a likeable character through whose eyes the reader gets to also experience and unravel the bewildering events, and sprinkled throughout are bizarre and intriguing clues to who or what may be behind the maze (beetles with the word WICKED printed on their backs? a cliff in the middle of the maze which leads to nowhere?) which will keep readers enthralled and guessing. Dashner’s novel, the first in a trilogy, is a page-turning dazzler with chapter cliffhangers which demand continuing on to the next chapter. Definitely hand this one to those who are thirsting for other dystopian thrillers like Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games (Scholastic, 2008).]

STARTED:
Anderson, M.T. (2005). Whales on stilts. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc.

[.]

*

FINISHED:

Peck, Richard. (2009). A season of gifts. New York: Dial/Penguin.

[.]

STARTED:
Dashner, James. (2009). The maze runner. New York: Delacorte/Random House.

[Read good things about this one - plus, the premise seems like a winner.]

*

FINISHED:

Look, Lenore. (2009). Alvin Ho: allergic to camping, hiking, and other natural disasters. New York: Random House.

[.]

STARTED:
Peck, Richard. (2009). A season of gifts. New York: Dial/Penguin.

[.]

*

FINISHED:

Lethem, Jonathan. (2009). Chronic city. New York: Doubleday.

[.]

STARTED:
Look, Lenore. (2009). Alvin Ho: allergic to camping, hiking, and other natural disasters. New York: Random House.

[.]

*

FINISHED:

Levithan, David. (2003). Boy meets boy. New York: Knopf/Random House.

[Liked this one a lot because it - as is always welcome - dealt with homosexuality as mostly a non-issue. It was a teen romance novel in which the main protagonist happened to be gay.]

STARTED:
Lethem, Jonathan. (2009). Chronic city. New York: Doubleday.

[Read about this one in a "Best Upcoming Books of the Fall" article.]

*

FINISHED:

Dahl, Roald. (1970). Fantastic Mr. Fox. New York: Knopf/Random House.

[.]

STARTED:
Levithan, David. (2003). Boy meets boy. New York: Knopf/Random House.

[Recommended by a friend and colleague.]

*

FINISHED:

Standiford, Natalie. (2009). How to say goodbye in robot. New York: Scholastic.

[Review to come...]

STARTED:
Dahl, Roald. (1970). Fantastic Mr. Fox. New York: Knopf/Random House.

[Thought it was about time that I read this one, what with the movie coming out and all.]

*

FINISHED:

Lieb, Josh. (2009). I am a genius of unspeakable evil and I want to be your class president. New York: Razorbill/Penguin.

[Review forthcoming...

Seventh-grader Oliver Watson has everyone fooled: while it would appear that he’s just shy of being a complete moron, in reality Oliver is the 3rd richest person in the world (although it is a recovering alchoholic named Lionel Sheldrake who acts as figurehead for Oliver’s business dealings) with a secret lair under his parents house and countless minions (many of whom he doesn’t even know) who will do ANYTHING that Oliver wishes with just a whisper. What Oliver wants right now is to be 8th grade class president in order to stick it to his distant father who brags about having been class president back in his schooling days. Former “Daily Show” producer Lieb has crafted a laugh-out-loud debut novel loaded with hilarious footnoted asides, bizarre situations, unbelievable gadgets, and a teacher who Oliver messes with by having messages printed on the teacher’s cigarettes. Although, for many, Oliver may come off as a bit nihilistic, despicable, and narcissistic, he is somewhat redeemed in a heartwarming ending. Perfect for any young adult (or adult) who feels like an outsider and wishes they could rule the world.]

STARTED:
Standiford, Natalie. (2009). How to say goodbye in robot. New York: Scholastic.

[Reviewing for ACL.]

*

FINISHED:

Hautman, Pete. (2009). How to steal a car. New York: Scholastic.

[Review to come...

One evening while hanging out at the mall with her best friend, Kelleigh witnesses a gentleman unknowingly drop the keys to his car and, on a bored whim, Kelleigh picks them up and decides to go for a joyride. Without guilt, remorse, or malicious intent, Kelleigh ends up taking more cars around the block for a spin and, eventually, even decides to help a schoolmate car thief. What makes this all so confounding is that Kelleigh is really a good girl with good grades, typical boy problems, and whose family eats at the dinner table together every night, thus begging the question, “Well, why does she decide to start stealing cars?” The novel also brings up intriguing questions of moral right and wrong when we discover that Kelleigh’s father, a lawyer, is defending a likely rapist with a less than airtight alibi, as well as depicting the process of growing up and learning the realities of adulthood: mainly, that adults are capable of fault and often make bad decisions themselves. Clocking in at a brisk 176 pages, this would be a strong choice to hand to a reluctant female high school reader. (Reviewed from ARC)]

STARTED:
Lieb, Josh. (2009). I am a genius of unspeakable evil and I want to be your class president. New York: Razorbill/Penguin.

[Reviewing for ACL.]

*