House Arrest by K.A. Holt

2015, Chronicle Books

12 year-old Timonthy is writing in his journal.  He doesn't want to do it, but his probation officer and psychologist told him he had to in order to ensure the judge his actions wouldn't be repeated.

What he did wasn't felonious, according to him.  All he did was swipe someone's credit card and make a $1000.00 purchase on it.  But it wasn't for him, it was for his sick baby brother Levi. And well, for his mom too, who is working two jobs on her own to make ends meet.

They still don't have enough food.  Timothy is still in need of clothes that fit him.

Timothy remembers one of the last best moment of his life.  It was the day Levi was born.  His dad was so excited and proud to become a father again.  But life changed.  Levi was born with only a small hole in his trachea.  Because of this he has to have constant care and attention.

His dad couldn't handle it, so he left....

Now, Timothy and his mother are doing all they can to make sure Levi stays alive and breathing, including doing all of the nasty stuff, including suctioning mucus, cleaning up constant throw-up, and listening to the sound of the breathing machine.

Now, he's under house arrest, but couldn't love his baby brother more.  His love is very protective too, including when a nurse comes in and Timothy knows she's not doing her job.  He also protects himself from letting people, including Mrs. B and Officer James, know too much.  They don't need help, or do they? His best friend Jose, and his family, help out. And then there's the mysterious benefactor leaving amazing stuff on their front door. And slowly but surely, Timothy is cracking, and his journal reveals to those who are helping in just how much he truly needs, both physically and emotionally.

But his baby brother is still getting very ill, making ICU visits a regular thing.  How long before his mother implodes?  What can a 12 year old kid do?

This quick novel in verse will take your through a one year journey of brotherly love and sacrifice.  It will also take you on the journey of one young man's self-awareness and the grit and determination he has to make sure family stays together.  You hear his joy, but you will also hear his pain, anger, and desperation.  Be ready....this may make you cry, a definite sign of an excellent book. Highly recommended addition to any junior high or high school collection.

One by Sarah Crossan

2015, HarperCollins

Tippi and Grace are nervous.  Most of their lives, they've been safely tucked away in their home, out of the prying and hurtful eyes of the public.  But homeschool is no longer an option.  Their dad hasn't found another job and their mother is working as hard as she can.  Dragon, their sister, is glad they don't have to go to a public high school like her, but is just as worried about them as the rest of the family.  Today is the first day at Hornbeacon High...

Being conjoined twins is their normal.  While most people look at them and react to their conjointedness, they see it so much differently.  When they hear people whisper about how they wouldn't want to live like that, Tippi and Grace can think of so many other ways to live which could be worse.  They've always had each other.  Sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes it's frustrating, but the love is always there, even if the two girls personalities are so different.

But now, they have to walk through the halls of a new high school.  Dread churns until they meet an unlikely girl named Yasmeen.  Loud, colorful, and not intimidated by anyone, Yasmeen makes their circle a threesome and the girls become fast friends because of their uniqueness.  Then along comes Jon. Another outcast at Hornbeacon High, he rounds out the circle of friendship and slowly slips into Grace's heart.

But one day, Grace faints.  She lies to her parents, saying it was nothing, but Tippi knows better.  She knows something isn't right.  And the accidents go from mild to more severe.  The sisters now have to make a decision that will forever change their lives.  Although both of them have dreamed about it, being separated, in reality, is the scariest thought they've ever faced.  And it's their choice, a matter of life or death...

Sarah Crossan's novel in verse is a beautiful story about life, love, and happiness; struggle, hardship, and choices.  She combines all of these feelings into a story which ultimately makes readers' understand someone else's normal, although not your own, is what makes them who they are - unique, different, valuable.  The twins' family weave in and out of their lives, and while at first being most important to them, now become second-most important as they step out of their bounds and create new lives based on friendships, breaking some rules to show independence, and living like they never thought would happen - a normal life.  Excellent addition to junior high and high school collections.  Highly Recommended.

The Sound of Letting Go by Stasia Ward Kehoe

Viking Childrens, 2014


There is no stronger bond than....what?  Daisy isn't sure about her life anymore.  She remembers her family and the memories they shared, the little brother that came into her life, the music, her parents' laughter.  Although those same memories exist today, it's a completely different dynamic, especially when the entire family's loyalties are put to the ultimate test.

Daisy has friends, and she has a boyfriend.  She's musically gifted (more like a prodigy) and has been asked to attend prestigious schools and academies.  Her grades are good and her parents allow her to go out, but it's all dictated by her little brother Steven, who is autistic.  While their mother takes care of him most of the time, she also needs time away.  Their father works long hours and comes home worn out, taking on the night time rituals, including the wrestling match that is more common than showers now. They all walk on eggshells, afraid to make any sudden moves, noises, or modifying a different routine that will spiral Steven into an outburst.  No longer a child, Steven has gotten stronger and while his autism was more controlled when he was little, it has now become dangerous.  When Daisy comes home one day, she sees what Steven's unintentional outbursts did to her mother. It wasn't an easy decision and one that wracked her parents longer than Daisy knew, but it's now come to a point where her mother doesn't feel strong enough to help Steven.  Something had to give, and Steven will be leaving soon. 

A part of Daisy wants to be happy.  She can have her freedom back.  This could mean sleepovers at her house, going out on dates without such stringent time limits, going to music camps, playing her trumpet in the house instead of the basement.  But Daisy is also struggling with the change.  How could her parents want to do this to their only son?  How could she have helped more to prevent this?  What could her parents do more of so Steven can stay home?  It's an emotional battle that only Daisy can fight, and it will be the most difficult one she's ever had to.  Can the family survive this huge change in their lives when Steven has been in their lives creating the familiar habits they are now accustomed to, or will they fall apart over this controversial decision that will make each one of them re-evaluate what their roles in life and family are?

Stasia Ward Kehoe writes a beautiful novel in verse about a topic that seems to only capture lurid headlines without looking at the entire situation a family goes through.  Daisy is the character in limbo throughout the story by trying to have as normal a teen life as possible while also holding the reins of responsibility of taking care of a teenage boy whose autism is creating an unsafe situation he isn't even aware of.  Kehoe writes about this emotional stage of life from all perspectives while being able to fluidly create a centrifugal force that isn't Steven, but is Daisy's life, before, during and after. This is a novel unlike any other and one that should be on YA shelves.  Recommended.

Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams

Simon and Schuster, 2013

London lives in a broken home with broken people.  Her father isn't at home much and their longest conversations are usually one sentence long.  It's still better than her mother.  She hasn't talked, or even acknowledged London, since the accident.  She hides in her room and if they are in the same room together, the avoidance hangs in the air like a heavy curtain.  London can no longer count on her best friend, her brother Zach, to help out.  He's gone too....

Since the accident, London's life has turned upside down.  The whispers in the school halls are filled with conversation and gossip that London was to blame for Zach's death.  Her best friend Heather can't be around her anymore and their friendship disappeared.  Rachel, Zach's girlfriend, left town and won't even take a call from her.  London had to leave Taylor, her boyfriend and Zach's best friend, because he constantly brought back memories she couldn't deal with.  Now, she's created a warm cocoon, keeping her safe and distant from everyone.  The only thing that keeps her company these days is her one-sided conversations with her brother and the depression that follows.

Then Jesse and Lili move from Utah to Florida, bringing with them the hope of a new start for London...

Lili doesn't know what's happened.  She finds London and begins to start a friendship with her, not really knowing that London is just playing the role.  But Lili doesn't give up and slowly but surely, a layer of the cocoon is torn away.

Jesse is the mysterious, new guy in school that makes London's heart skip a beat.  He's safe....for now.  And alternately, he notices London as well, even though her ex-best friend linked up with him.  London needs someone strong that can listen without passing judgement...someone other than Taylor. And another layer peels away...

But one penultimate day, the cocoon is stripped away, laying bare London's feelings not only for her parents, but for those she knew in her past and present life.  More than that, it forces London to realize and look at the truth of what happened to Zach and ultimately, her role in his death.

A beautiful and haunting novel in verse, Williams deftly creates a world around a tragic event that slowly crumbles into an avalanche, and the reader gets first row invitations to watch it happen.  Williams also uses an infected family nucleus, and more importantly, a simple teenager taken to the brink, to stop the avalanche, which gives this book an authentic foundation.  What made the family fall apart is the lure Williams uses, not allowing the reader the full story until the end, although enough hints are written throughout the novel to give them a curious sense of knowing what it could be.  Hand this book to those teens who enjoy reading a powerful novel in verse about family, loss and love.
Recommended for upper JH/HS.

To Be Perfectly Honest by Sonya Sones

Simon & Schuster, 2013

Lies are a terrible thing, aren't they?  If you tell one, then you have to make sure that everything else you say about that lie stays a lie.  If you let the ball drop once, the game is over.  And Collette is very, very good at lying.

Collette doesn't lie to hurt people, she does it because it has that fantasy element....the possibilities.  Now, with summer approaching and her trip to Paris with her friends put off (and they don't believe a word she says about why that happened), Collette must deal with the fact that she is staying the entire summer with her mother and brother in San Luis Obispo, which to Collette, is the ultimate definition of boredom.

Her little brother Will doesn't seem to mind the trip, and he doesn't pass judgement on his big sister, even though he knows she's full of crap.  His seven year-old self loves her company and his favorite part is getting birthday cake every time they go to a new restaurant ("a cool twick that my thithter says is fun!").  And she loves his gummy worm self just as much as he loves her.  On the other hand, Collette's mother is just too busy with her own life to create a relationship with her daughter.  Of course Collette knows when you're Marissa Shawn, the hottest actress in Hollywood, there are things that get put on the backburner, including family.

Collette has no idea how much her life will change this summer.  And it all has to do with her chance encounter with Death Wish Dude on the drive up there.  But it's when she bumps into with Connor (aka Death Wish Dude) that ratchets up Collette's boring summer.  He's handsome, kind and they seem to always be on the same wavelength.  He doesn't mind her little brother; in fact he is Will's new hero.  Connor is everything Collette could imagine - handsome, carefree, great with kids, and most importantly, his attention is focused only on her. While Marrisa is "going over lines" with her co-star, Connor becomes Collette's epicenter.

Their romance builds up quickly, and Collette can't help but retreat back to her old habit of lying.  She lies about her who her mother is (because she knows the effect it has on people).  She lies about her age. And a relationship built on lies will crumble.  She just doesn't realize the depth of hurt that comes with lying....until the top to their summer romance blows off...

Sones once again writes an incredible novel-in-verse about the important aspects of a teen's life, from friends to family to relationships.  She builds Collette's character from previous novels, but this one is completely dedicated to her.  The reader will get pulled into Collette's story and if they're like me, will gasp in surprise at the talented writing Sones uses to add depth to her main character.  While her theme is about deception, her handling of characterization around this theme is what makes this novel pop because all of Sones's characters are brought to complete fruition where the reader intimately knows each one and the role they'll play in the plot.  It's a "can't put down" kind of book.   Recommended for high school and perfect summer reading!

My Book of Life by Angel by Martine Leavitt

Farrar, Straus Giroux, 2012

Angel's life took a turn when her mother passed away.  Rebellion and anger set in and she would run away, even if it was just the mall.  Her father, still grieving, didn't know what to do with her...didn't know what to do with the family.  So Angel continued to run.
And she ran into the arms of Call...

He understood her like no one else.  He gave her attention and a shoulder to lean on.  He fed her, noticed her, played the gentleman for her.
And he gave her candy, the kind that'll hook you, sink you...

And now Angel's life is about survival.  What started as just a few favors for Call's friends turned into days on the street, eking out a living only to give all the money to Call.  Money for a place to crash, for a meal to eat,
For more candy...

But Angel is creating another turning point in her life.  She no longer wants the candy, although she craves it.  Her body aches and her mind isn't numb to her life, but she wants out, wants to feel,
Wants her family...

The only family she has now are the other girls and women on the streets in Vancouver - Serena, Nena, Connie.  But they are also deserting her, leaving her on the streets alone,
While their bodies are found, one by one....

But Call has other plans.  Not only for Angel, but for another girl he has found.  Angel knows the blackness in Call and has decided she won't allow him to create another victim.
Another child on the streets...

But can she?  Are Call and the candy he gives so readily that easy to turn away?  And will her family still want her back after all she's done?

Martine Leavitt has written a gritty novel-in-verse based on real events of missing and murdered women who worked Vancouver's downtown Eastside between 1983 and 1997.  The characters are fictional, but the reader will very much feel for Angel and the others.  Emotion runs high for both characters and readers as well.  While Angel is living the horror, the reader, like me, can't quite fathom how this horror can exist.  Not since Scott's Living Dead Girl has provocation crept into my reading like it did with Leavitt's book because of the developed emotional reaction the reader may feel. Leavitt has found a way for beauty and ugliness to exist together.  One from the free verse writing she does so well and the other through the life of a young teen girl within the pages.   Recommended for mature high school readers. 

Audition by Stacia Ward Kehoe

Sara was a small town girl, going to dance classes since she was small.  But at sixteen her life is dramatically changing.  After auditioning for a New Jersey ballet company, Sara receives news of a scholarship and her excitement builds.  It doesn't matter that she lives three states away in Vermont or that her parents won't accompany her.  It's about her dreams coming to life.  And she's ready.....

Until her new life takes over.  Sara has lost her cocoon of normality.  In her ballet company, she's not like the other big city girls, her training has been different, and her host family and their home isn't what she expected.  Pile on schoolwork from an elite private school, and Sara begins to feel the pressure of living a completely different life without her parents, her friends, her small town.

But with time, things slowly begin to change, especially when she catches the attention of another dancer/choreographer, Remington, who is much older than she is.  She becomes his muse, making his dance come to life as well as Sara's heart, but is Sara truly loved or being used?  Sara tries to balance it all, but it just may be too much.  And where exactly does she fall in Remington's life?

Newcomer Stacia Kehoe writes a novel-in-verse about the trials of a sixteen-year-old in the midst of her triumphs and tragedies.  Kehoe creates that on-the-edge of adulthood situation teens find themselves in control of while outsider's see innocence being played out.  Paired together with the tough and arduous part of a newcomer to the ballet world, this book rings true about the hard work and ethics dancers put upon themselves.  It also does an excellent job of depicting a small town teen and the responsibilities and slip-ups that come along with wanting to deal with life on her own.  Teens who love reading about interpersonal relationships will grativate toward this book.  Recommended for high school.

The Watch That Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic by Allan Wolf

Candlewick, 2011

Question:  What sank the Titanic?  How many died?  Would it be hard or easy to imagine this disaster? 
Well, thanks to James Cameron and the phrase, "I'm King of the World!"  I'm sure you can.  But then again, there are many sides to the story, and this novel takes on these many sides in a remarkable way. 

Meet the first voice in this novel-in-verse.  His name is John Snow.  And he's the one that had to pick up the dead left after the Titanic sunk.  His tale told will make you think about the aftermath....

How about Charles Joughin, the baker?  All he thought about was the bread, the passengers, and the food on board.  It's his tale from the time he stepped on board till the time he was in the dark cold water....

Then there's Frankie Goldsmith, only nine years old when he sailed.  He got to meet the captain and others, but he was on the lookout for dragons.  He just didn't know dragons could live in ice...

And there are other voices as well, from the iceberg itself, calmly waiting for its destined meeting with Titanic to the rat who got a ride.  And there are familiar voices, such as John Jacob Astor, Captain Smith and Margaret Brown.  Whomever it is, the characters are all entangled with each other, sometimes bumping shoulders.  Their lives are separate at first, but become more intertwined the further the novel takes the reader. 

What's unique about this book is that each and every character (well, maybe not the rat - they really can't talk) was very much alive and a part of the disaster called the Titanic.  Wolfe found his characters from true historical evidence, then weaved this into a unique and compelling novel-in-verse. He details all of this in the author's note, along with a brief biography of each person included in the novel.  This was just as much of an intriguing read as the story itself because Wolfe also tells where his imagination for some of these characters became part of the story. 

There are twenty-five voices in this novel, but don't let that intimidate or overwork the mind.  Instead, each voice that comes to life will tell the story of the Titanic in twenty-five different ways but ultimately will only have two endings.  All told in novel-in-verse, this is the story of the very beginning of the Titanic from its first rivet to its last collapse.  And while the prose is beautiful, the poetry is amazing.  This year marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, and this book is the perfect fit for this milestone.

This isn't necessarily a novel for teens, but is a fantastic historical fiction for any collection.  The way the author approaches this subject through NIV will make it more interesting to those teens like enjoy this genre and readily read YA authors like Ellen Hopkins, Lisa Schroeder, et al.  Highly recommended

Exposed by Kimberly Marcus

Liz and Kate has been forever bests since they were six years old and are still best friends at sixteen.  Liz is Photo Girl – taking amazing photographs and hoping to purse photography in college.  Kate is Mistress of Modern Dance, but unsure exactly what she wants to do.

It’s their monthly sleepover – the only time dedicated to the two girls without outside interference, without threat of anyone taking time away from them, cocooned in the comfort of their friendship and lives.  But a minor spark, a disagreement, gets in the way this one time, and for tonight, Kate sleeps on the couch, while Liz stays in her room.

But something happened….Kate avoids Liz, even after she apologizes for hurting Kate’s feelings.  But nothing Liz can say could possibly prepare her for what Kate finally reveals to her.  Mike, Liz’s brother, home from college, raped her….

Is it true or is Kate lying?  Liz can’t possibly believe that her brother, the one who introduced Liz to Brian, the one whom she told Kate was off limits, could do this.  Why would Kate make something like that up?  Or is Mike the one who is lying?  Consentual or forced?  It not only ruins a friendship, but ruins Liz’s focus, not only with Kate but with those closest to her as well as her passion for photography.  She feels out of focus….and still unsure about who is telling the truth….

A powerful novel in verse, the author sets the scene of the book without the reader possibly knowing what could have happened until they read it.  It’s a look at relationships, not only between friends, but those that are familial as well.  Marcus delves into the gray area that teens start to run into the older they get.  No longer is life a clear division of opposites, but sometimes the lines blur.  And that is what that author so clearly writes about.  Who is truly innocent or guilty is left up to the reader, but the nuances allow a certain modicum of bias the reader will pick up on.  An excellent first book for a new YA author.  Recommended.

Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams

Liz and Hope are sisters, and they know what a regular family is like.  But that’s in the past….now it’s just them and their mother.  Things at home aren’t the same as they were, and it gets worse when Hope finds her older sister in the bathroom with gun.

Now, in order to make ends meet, Liz and Hope’s mother takes on clients at home to make money.  At their age, they don’t exactly understand what that means, but their lives are uninterrupted with friends, secret crushes and a private spot in the house that becomes their clubhouse. 

But  for Liz, her normal life quickly turns into a nightmare, and one she wants to protect Hope from.  But Liz can only stand so much before she breaks…

Although sisters, both girls have lived very different lives under the same roof.  Hope doesn’t understand why Liz would want to kill herself, but she tries to every time she and her mother visit Liz in the mental hospital.  Liz won’t talk to her mother at all – it’s only Hope that she’ll speak to, although it’s not a lot.  All her mother wants to make sure of is that Liz hasn’t told the secret, whatever that means…

The more visits Hope and her mother make to Liz, who is still unresponsive, the more Hope begins to understand what happened to Liz, especially when she and her mother must see a family counselor who talks to Hope about Liz’s predicament.  But it’s when the counselor asks for Liz’s diary that Hope’s mother becomes aggressive, mean…demanding Hope give her the book.  Hope doesn’t have it, but she knows where it is.  And when she finds it in their secret place, the floodgates open and Hope then realizes exactly how bad Liz’s life has become because of her mother’s demands on her. 

Lynch Williams unfolds a tragic story gradually to a situation both girls live in and through, but with different voices that create very strong characters in Hope and Liz.  The author writes a tale about abuse and neglect and its ugly aftermath without having to resort to first-hand experiences or sufferings of the older sister, but the reader knows all too well what has happened.  Lynch Williams also leaves the ending open, not tied up in a perfect bow that makes this novel all that more realistic and powerful.  Those who love novels-in-verse will find this an excellent choice, and one that will make them read every part of the beautiful prose Lynch uses so well to convey the truth about the lives of two innocent people.  Highly recommended.

You Are Not Here by Samantha Schutz

Annaleah loves Brian.  He's the one....the one that makes her feel weak in the knees.  The one whose kisses she craves and whose arms feels best around her.  Annaleah would do anything for him.  She forgives him when he doesn't return phone calls.  And forgives him again when he says he'll show up but doesn't.  And she'll forgive him again when he says he'll meet her friends, but he doesn't...

And then the most terrible thing in the world happens.  Brian dies...and Annaleah goes into a tailspin.  She has her friends Marissa, Parker and Joy who want to help, but she pushes them away.  She has her mother, but doesn't want to tell her anything.  She's fallen into a depression that wraps its arms around her and kisses her, promising to stay with her if she's faithful.  And she is.  Annaleah goes to Brian's grave, lays down beside him and tells him everything. 

Slowly life changes.  Her friends move on, her mother continues to work, and Annaleah is left alone with the Dearly Departed and Brian.  But it takes someone and something to alter her life and see it for what it truly is.  But can Annaleah resist the urge to isolate herself or fall headlong into the only comfort zone she knows?

Schutz has written a beautiful novel in verse about how one teen deals with depression on her own terms and slowly realizes the world she's created.  Readers will know from the onset the persona of Brian and feel for Annaleah, while also trying to help her friends get her to know the truth.  This is a fast read of a great story about love, loss and healing, with perfect characterization that will take the reader to the ending.  A perfect pairing for those who enjoy novels from Lisa Schroeder.   Recommended.

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder - book trailer

I finished this Friday, but then spring break started. I love posting on this blog, sharing on the listserv, talking to fellow colleagues, spring break still calls. If you asked me what the date is today, I'd say, "Who cares?" So for those of you on spring break, you feel me, and those of you that aren't - be patient....it's coming : ) SO...I am posting this trailer I just finished. Enjoy it! I'll put it on schooltube for embedding and sharing later this week.
BTW, this isn't the first trailer I made for this author. Also did one for Far From You as well. I just enjoy her writing and her books. Thanks Lisa for your talent!




I'm giving you the NHS library link of booktrailers so you can see it in all of it's glory - http://www.nisdtx.org/120820731141528687/blank/browse.asp?A=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&C=70538

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

Brooklyn is still trying to cope. It’s only been a year since Lucca left her, and she can’t shake that feeling away. She feels the loss, the emptiness…and wishes time and time again she would’ve been home when the accident happened. Would things have gone differently? Still, she glides through life, smiling empty smiles and pretending Lucca can see and hear her, is near her even though it’s only a cemetery or a comic book shop she used to go to every Friday with him…

Nico gets up everyday feeling the same emptiness and loneliness. It’s bad losing your little brother, but even worse when he was your best friend too. Nico takes out his frustration by pounding the pavement, the track…running running running. At school, he becomes invisible, not talking to anyone – not even old friends. And home? It seems the only thing his parents can see is perfect Lucca and how Nico will never be able to hold a candle to his spirit.

But tragedy lends itself to more tragedy in Brooklyn and Nico’s life when a good friend of theirs, as well as Lucca’s, kills himself. He couldn’t handle the fact that he was the one behind the wheel…the one in the car when Lucca died…and now there’s two gone.
But are they?

Brooklyn has nightmares. She wakes up screaming, trying to run away from the dead, but Gabe keeps following her, both in and out of sleep and he won’t stop until she understands what he’s saying to her. Equally, Lucca is keeping Nico awake, haunting him with warnings, hoping Nico understands the message that is so important to Lucca.
But can both the living and dead understand what is truly going on?

Lisa Schroeder writes YA novels that are to be devoured. Quick-paced with a wealth of characters, this novel not only visits the impact of death on teens who have experienced a loved one dying, but it also mildly segues into her previous novel, I Heart You, You Haunt Me. These two novels of Schroeder’s share a lot in common theme-wise, but build that theme differently, from the characters’ relationships with not only their friends, but their families as well, which defines who they are. Joining the ranks of other supernatural YA fiction, Schroeder’s novel will be well-received by YA readers, but it’s her departure into prose that makes this one stand out.

Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

I'm sure everyone has at least heard about Hopkins new book. If not, then they are in for another tour de force about teens in serious trouble...all in verse. Readers will find themselves at the beginning of the throes of first love - and the pain that sometimes, and for these characters, inevitably happens. But it's more how each teen deals with the absence of love that begins their personal descent into hell...

Eden and her love for Andrew without parental consent

Whitney experiences first love, which is more than her dyfunctional family ever gave her

Seth, who accepts himself , but doesn't know if his father can

Ginger has only known "tough love" but follows the tenderness of her first real love

Cody has love in his life, but death and his own traps lead him down the dark path

Only one is a resident of Las Vegas, but the others -from all over the country - make it their final destination....

This is a gut-wrenching book, and honestly, one I had to put down a couple of times just to shake my head and say NO out loud. I was lost in the prose, and only hoped for redemption at the end. The only other book that made me feel this way was Scott's Living Dead Girl.
Some may see this as graphic, others will again enjoy Hopkins' way of dealing with the starkness of some teens' lives...it is haunting....

Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas

Anke knows what she sees is wrong, but she also knows she hates being ignored. She's like a piece of furniture...without thought, without sound, overlooked. It's an ambivalence in her that she can't overthrow, but there's nothing to do about it. She wants attentions, but her mother is silent. She wants her father to notice her, but not in the same way he sees her brother or sister. She wants to be part of her sibling's circle, but they won't let her in. Life on the outside looks pretty good to everyone else, but life on the inside is diseased.

Anke decides she needs something in her life and tries out for the volleyball team. When the team is announced, she is nervous about being overlooked again. And then...her name is read out and she is now part of something. It's unfamiliar territory, but one she slowly becomes a part of. The most important lesson she's learning? How to shout and call for the ball, possess it, make it hers. And this lesson begins to trail into her personal life with her family.

But is her voice one that needs to be heard? Is it something Anke wants others to hear? She knows she's the catalyst. Say something and her family will disintegrate. Don't say anything and her family will still disintegrate, but in a completely different way. The big question - is it better to hide family secrets and still have one, or expose those secrets and fracture the semblance of family? Anke doesn't know the answer, but the emotional waves that toss her around, from the bruising on her brother's face to her sister's bedroom door closing in the dead of night; from her mother's absence to her father's heavy presence, creates an inner person within Anke that will decide her fate.

Written in free-verse, this is a book, that although is a fast read, will make readers stop and think. The enemies Anke faces, from those in flesh and blood to those hiding behind her emotions, portray themselves subtly, leaving the reader to uncover the horrors she faces, not only with her family, but in her relationships with her friends, both guys and girls. Powerful book worth reading.

Far From You by Lisa Schroeder

Alice is living in a world she really doesn’t want to be a part of. Two years ago, after losing her mother to cancer, Alice’s father has remarried, and Victoria and Alice just don’t get along.
To add insult to injury, Victoria and her father have a new baby, Ivy. The world revolves around this happy family, but Alice knows in her heart that she isn’t a part of it. Her father has replaced her mother’s art studio for a baby’s room and everything that was her mother is relegated to the attic. The only comfort Alice gets at home is with Cobain, her Labrador.
Outside of the house, Alice has Blaze and her best friend Claire. Both of them are into music, but different spectrums. Claire and Alice play for their church, while Blaze is a renegade who won’t mix music and religion. But Alice is happy with the balance, and her boyfriend and best friend complete her.
But plans change. Or maybe it’s attitudes? Claire confronts Alice about changing her musical style and Alice blows her off. Blaze wants to go further in their relationship, and Alice isn’t sure that’s what she wants. And to top it off, her entire family, including herself are going to visit step-grandparents. Oh yea – Alice is NOT jumping for joy.
With her relationships on hold or disintegrating, Alice becomes numb, uncommunicative – living the past more than the present. But something happens…something that wrenches into her soul…that will either make or break Alice.
Lisa Schroeder’s next free verse YA book makes another mark on the board of YA fiction for her. Dealing completely with relationships on many levels, the reader gets to see the main character with all of her hats – from friend to lover to daughter to outcast – and ultimately will see the only thing that will change her from self-centered to being centered. Well-written and a fast read for teens!!

Identical by Ellen Hopkins

Fridays at school are what I consider my options days. If there is something extremely pressing that needs to be done or if I have a class scheduled, that is my first priority. But if not (and your in-box will always be full) I sit and read or work on book trailers or podcasts. With that being said, I picked up Identical by Ellen Hopkins and read it....

This isn't a tried and true review, but some thoughts mostly. I'll have to post a review later. I don't know if it's because I've read all of her previous novels, but I found this one to be in sync with her later books. There was nothing terribly out of place that truly bothered me - be it situations or language. This book is not only what Kaeleigh's father does to his daughters but so much more. It's about:

1. Siblings first and foremost. To me, the central theme wasn't the abuse Kaeleigh goes through, but the relationship between the two sisters, from disfragmented to unity. Being identical twins can be tough. Finding your own self while others may look at you in the same way is frustrating. Haven't some of use experienced the "I know your sister/brother and expect the same behavior from you?" expectations teachers put on siblings alone? These two characters are so vastly different, especially Raeanne, because of the need for identity as well as perhaps some one upmanship.

2. Dyfunctional families. Mother is absent, father is a drunk, the kids take the brunt of the situation, but they have to keep it all together because of job and community status. How sad...and how many times does that happen to teens? Classic example: preachers and teachers. This is akin to that but on a jurisdictional and governmental level. Mom, WAKE UP!!!

3. Friendship and honesty. With others, including the views of relationships with guys as well as with each girl and to each other. I asked myself, "Why didn't Raeanne help sooner?" But as the story progresses, so does the involvement.

4. And what about the abuse? To me, it wasn't so graphic in nature that I was repelled by it. It was just plain wrong and sad and too too terrible. In the beginning, both twins succumbed to it (psychologically for one, physically for the other) and the story could have taken a different ending, but they found their strength, little by little...it was an encompassing ordeal, but ultimately, they were survivors in their own right.

And as always, I am absolutely blown away by the stylistic writing of Ms. Hopkins. It takes an intuitive and creative mind to create a book like that, especially free verse. Kudos!!