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The Fairfield Public Library Reader's Advisor for Teens – Reviews, Recommendations, and More

The Age of Miracles October 9, 2012

Filed under: Adult Books for Teens,Realistic Fiction,Science Fiction and Fantasy — Book Mavens @ 11:10 am
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Title: The Age of Miracles

Author: Karen Thompson Walker

Summary: Julia is an ordinary girl about to embark on an ordinary summer day: Breakfast with her parents, a soccer game, a sleepover with her best friend. She doesn’t know that in every possible way, this is the last ordinary day she will ever have. For some reason, the Earth’s rotation is slowing down. As scientists try to discover why this is happening and people do their best to carry on, the days get longer: 25 hours. 30 hours. 40 hours of sun. Society begins to change as some people stick to clock time: keeping a 24 hour day even if it means sleeping through the bright sunshine; while others attempt to live within the new rhythms of light and dark.

As this slow apocalypse continues, Julia lives her life: friendships that end and begin, growing suspicions about how much the adults in her life really understand about themselves and what is going on around them and planning for an uncertain and maybe even non-existent future. This is a stunningly good book for readers who like science fiction that tells the story of regular people dealing with incredible circumstances. If you like books that make you think about what you would do if you were a character in the story, this one is for you.

Who will like this book?: This is a great book for sophisticated readers who like science fiction that tells the story of regular people dealing with incredible circumstances. If dystopian stories (like The Hunger Games, Matched and Divergent) are your thing, give this book a try.

If you like this, try this: Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Ashfall by Mike Mullin. Trapped by Michael Northrop.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

 

Where Things Come Back February 21, 2012

Filed under: Award Winners,Friends,Guy Books,Mysteries and Thrillers,Realistic Fiction — Book Mavens @ 3:20 pm
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Title: Where Things Come Back

Author: John Corey Whaley

Summary: Cullen Witter lives in a sleepy little Lily, Arkansas, where not much ever seems to happen until the summer after his junior year, when everything begins to tailspin. It begins when his cousin overdoses. Later, someone claims to have seen a legendary – and thought-to-be-extinct – woodpecker nearby, causing his whole town to go crazy trying to capitalize on the media frenzy surrounding the bird. Worst of all, his beloved brother Gabriel disappears. Cullen’s heartbreaking summer is contrasted with the story of a young man who returns from a failed mission in Africa, which in turn sets in motion a chain of events that will surprise you.

Cullen is an ordinary guy placed in an extraordinary situation. Not only is he dealing with the usual stresses of growing up – finding and keeping love, dealing with an annoying job and surviving his boring hometown – he has to keep it together as his family and friends deal with the sudden loss of Gabriel. This book, which won the Michael L. Printz award, is mesmerizing and beautiful. It is hard to describe just how very good it is. This is the kind of writing that sticks with you for a long, long time.

Who will like this book?: Mature fans of fiction that is realistic but not ordinary. Adventurous readers who like a touch of mystery. Fans of Sufjan Stevens (his song Chicago inspired the story and the title.)

If you like this, try this: Happyface by Stephen Emond. Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony. If you are intrigued by the woodpecker stuff, try The Race to Save the Lord God Bird by Phillip Hoose.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

 

The Fault in Our Stars January 18, 2012

Filed under: Friends,Funny,Realistic Fiction,Romance — Book Mavens @ 2:47 pm
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Title: The Fault in Our Stars

Author: John Green

Summary: Hazel is a miracle. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, she has survived longer than anyone expected. Now at 16, she spends her days watching marathons of bad reality TV, attending classes at the local community college and rereading her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction. When her mom forces her to go to a support group, she meets another young survivor named Augustus Wheeler, who would take her breath away if her damaged lungs could ever take in enough oxygen. It is clear that these two are soul mates. But first love is complicated enough without the big questions that dominate the life of any cancer patient, whether they are still sick or not.

Hazel and Gus are characters you’d want to know in real life. They might remind you of your best friend – or at least the kind of person you’d want to be your best friend or significant other: Funny, honest, warm and brave. As the improbable adventure of their romance grows, deepens and changes, you’ll find yourself considering the same ideas that they do: What gives a life value? How can you get up every day not knowing if it is the last one with the people you love? What happens when you die? This is another un-put-downable story by someone who just may be the best author writing for teens right now.

Who will like this book: Readers looking for a good, non-sappy love story. Yes, it’s a book about being sick, but it is not melodramatic (ahem, Lurlene McDaniel fans). People who like Jodi Picoult stories, but think they could be a little funnier. Deep thinkers. Nerdfighters, naturally.

If you like this, try this: Anything else by John Green. For younger readers, Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie and After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

 
 

Bunheads January 10, 2012

Filed under: Chick Lit,Friends,Realistic Fiction,Romance,Sports — Book Mavens @ 6:08 pm
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Title: Bunheads

Author: Sophie Flack

Summary: Nineteen year-old Hannah is not a ballerina: That is the word used for the stars of the company, the ones who dance the best roles and live in the spotlight. She is a member of the corps, one of the many bunheads who work for the prestigious Manhattan Ballet Company, hoping to be noticed and promoted. Her life seems glamorous but it is hard work: Exhausting rehearsals, repetitive performances, keeping  a strict eye on her weight, warding off injury and coping with intense rivalries with the other dancers, even those she considers friends. Hannah left home at 14 to study in the city: This life is the only one she’s ever known or even considered.

Hannah barely has time to step outside the theatre, let alone have any kind of social life. When she meets Jacob, a cute musician who goes to NYU she begins to see that there just might be more to life than dancing. But when you are so close to achieving the dream you have dedicated your life to, how can you begin to even imagine a different path? Author Sophie Flack, a former dancer with the New York City Ballet, takes you backstage into a world very few ‘pedestrians’ get to see.

Who will like this book?: Budding dancers and other performing artists who are mature readers. Anyone who has ever dreamed of leaving home for school. Young athletes will find a lot to enjoy as well.

If you like this, read this: Various Positions by Martha Schabas. Rose Sees Red by Cecil Castellucci. In the Wings: Behind the Scenes at the New York City Ballet by Kyle Froman. I Was a Dancer: A Memoir by Jacques D’Amboise.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

 

Wonderstruck October 19, 2011

Filed under: Adventure,Friends,Graphic Novels,Guy Books,Historical Fiction,Realistic Fiction — Book Mavens @ 12:54 pm
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Title: Wonderstruck

Author and Illustrator: Brian Selznick

Summary: It is 1977. Ben likes to collect things. Some are treasures his mom has given to him. Others are things he has found growing up in Gunflint, Michigan. But Ben just lost his mom in a car accident and is living with his aunt and uncle. When he returns to his old home, he discovers in his mother’s things a book about the American Museum of Natural History called Wonderstruck, inscribed to someone David. Could this be the father he has never met? Ben decides to find out.

It is 1927. Rose lives a lonely, isolated life in Hoboken, New Jersey. She longs to cross the river into bustling New York City. She, like Ben, is missing something in her life and she is determined to find it. The way these two stories interweave, one in words, the other in pictures, will suprise and delight you.

I’ll admit it: I love The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It was Fairfield’s One Book One Town book a few years ago and it’s creator, Brian Selznick, might be the most charming author around. So I picked up Wonderstruck with a mixture of excitment and nervous anticipation. Would it be as good as Hugo? The answer is clear: Yes. Yes, yes, yes! Read this book right now.

Who will like this book?: Everybody. Seriously.

If you like this, try this: The Invention of Hugo Cabret, also by Selznick. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. Pieces of Georgia by Jen Bryant.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

 

Want to Go Private? September 28, 2011

Filed under: Friends,Hate to Read?,Realistic Fiction — Book Mavens @ 3:27 pm
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Title: Want to Go Private?

Author: Sarah Darer Littman

Summary:  Incoming freshman Abby is dealing with a lot these days.  Her best, and only, friend Faith is branching out by making new friends and developing new interests.  Her father is always working, her mother is barely managing, and her younger sister lives to tell on her.  Abby feels like a freak and is tired of being told by her family and Faith that she needs to make more of an “effort” with respect to her appearance. 

Then Abby meets a boy online and suddenly things seem a little easier to deal with.  Luke is always on her side and he listens to her.  He thinks she is beautiful, smart, and funny.  He doesn’t ask her to change and accepts her exactly as she is.  Abby has heard all the lectures about safety online, but what harm is there in talking to a boy online.  It’s not like she is giving him her address and inviting him over to her home. 

The only thing Luke asks of Abby is that she keep him secret from her family, which is fine by her.  How could she ever explain to Faith and her family that she meet her boyfriend, whose almost twice her age, online and has been secretly chatting with him until all hours of the night?  After a blowout with her parents, Abby decides it is time to meet Luke in person.  That night Abby doesn’t come home.  The police are called, but it is up to her family and Faith to piece together the clues in time or they may never see Abby again.  

Who will like this?:   Fans of Ellen Hopkins and Laurie Halse Anderson will find this gritty cautionary tale on the workings of an internet predator riveting.  This is also a book for anyone who thinks the internet is a safe place or that predators are easy to spot. 

If you like this, try this: Hate List by Jennifer Brown;  Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott; Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher; or Dark Song by Gail Giles.

Recommended by: Jen, Fairfield Woods Branch Teen Librarian

 

 
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