Hey, where's Perry?

TITLE: Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick

AUTHOR: Joe Schreiber

REVIEWED BY: JPL TeenLink

BRIEF SUMMARY: What if the quiet, mousy, mild-mannered foreign exchange student that your family took in turned out to be a cold-blooded assassin?

WHY I PICKED IT UP: Seriously. How can you resist a title like that?

WHY I FINISHED IT: The book started with a bang and never let up until the end. The characters of Perry and Gobi were so well drawn that you connect with them immediately. Yes, Gobi is a trained assassin, but Schreiber takes such great pains to create a fully-realized character that you can't help but love her. This is a very cinematic novel, and I was already trying to cast the characters while reading it.

WHO I'D GIVE IT TO: Anyone who likes action/adventure stories. People with a good sense of humor. The book description on Amazon calls this "Ferris Bueller meets La Femme Nikita", and that's a fair comparison.

ADDITIONAL NOTES: PG-13 level language warning, and a handful of sexual references, although nothing explicit. Also, given that Gobi is an assassin, people do die, often in violent ways. Gobi's back story may be a bit upsetting for some. Definitely aimed at the older YA reader. Still, I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone I felt was mature enough to handle it.

See you at the library!

Jay Asher Two-fer

TITLES: Th1rteen R3asons Why and The Future of Us

AUTHOR: Jay Asher / Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

REVIEWED BY: JPL TeenLink

BRIEF SUMMARY: Th1rteen R3asons Why: Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker -- his classmate and crush -- who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why. Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and learns the truth about himself -- a truth he never wanted to face.


The Future of Us: It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long - at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail,his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future...

By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right -- and wrong -- in the present.

WHY I PICKED IT UP: I grabbed these for the Kindle one day when I wanted something new to read. They both sounded interesting. I read Th1rteen R3asons Why first -- I was so impressed by Jay Asher's writing that as soon as I finished it, I absolutely had to read The Future of Us.

WHY I FINISHED IT: The writing, the story, the characters -- all of them are astounding. I was hooked from the first page of Th1rteen R3asons Why, and I simply had to keep reading.

WHO I'D GIVE IT TO: People who like true-to-life stories. There is a lot going on here, and not all of it is pretty, but it all rings true.

ADDITIONAL NOTES: These books are strongly, STRONGLY recommended only for mature teens. The subject matter, and the way it is handled, is definitely hard PG-13 area, sometimes venturing over into R-rated territory (moreso in Th1rteen R3asons Why than in The Future of Us). The occasional swear word appears, and sexual matters are discussed, sometimes bluntly.

See you at the library!

May the odds be EVER in your favor...

TITLE: The Hunger Games Trilogy

AUTHOR: Suzanne Collins

REVIEWED BY: JPL TeenLink

BRIEF SUMMARY: In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place. Thus begins an intense saga that leads to a stunning finale that will continue to haunt you long after you've finished reading.

WHY I PICKED IT UP: The trailer for the film (http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2402131481/) piqued my interest. By the time I was into the third chapter of the first book, I was hooked.

WHY I FINISHED IT: The story grabs hold of you and won't let go. Katniss is one of the best narrators I've come across, and even though she herself is conflicted sometimes about what's going on and who can be trusted, you won't be lost.

WHO I'D GIVE IT TO: People who like adventure stories, love stories, war stories -- there's a little bit for everyone.

ADDITIONAL NOTES: This series is very intense, and might not be appropriate for younger readers. When the main battle in the first book involves twenty-four teenagers in a fight to the death, this isn't a fairy tale. But if you're mature enough to handle it, you'll find yourself in for a thrilling time.

See you at the library!

Catch as "Cat" can...

TITLE: Cat Burglar Black

AUTHOR: Richard Sala

REVIEWED BY: JPL TeenLink

BRIEF SUMMARY: Trained from an early age as a cat burglar, orphaned teenager K Westree is sent to ramshackle Bellsong Academy by a group known as "The Obtainers," who need to hone her skills so that she can solve a mystery surrounding her past and that of the school.

WHY I PICKED IT UP: I've read several of Richard Sala's other graphic novels and really enjoyed them.

WHY I FINISHED IT: One thing about Sala's books -- the art might not always seem terribly impressive at first glance, but the story gets you. And once the story gets you, you begin to see how the art really plays into the whole feel of it.

WHO I'D GIVE IT TO: People who like graphic novels, mysteries, or stories where girls are the heroes.

ADDITIONAL NOTES: This book seems unresolved -- there are several plot points that aren't cleared up. However, I believe Sala is intending for this to be the first book in a series, so hopefully they will be picked up in later books. Also, all of Sala's work is a little dark (think Charles Addams or Edward Gorey -- and if you don't know who they are, please take the time to check them out, too), so if you don't like that sort of thing, this might not be for you.

See you at the library!

Broke-down "Palace"...

TITLE: The Midnight Palace

AUTHOR: Carlos Ruiz Zafón

REVIEWED BY: JPL TeenLink

BRIEF SUMMARY: "In the heart of Calcutta lurks a dark mystery...

Set in Calcutta in the 1930s, The Midnight Palace begins on a dark night when an English lieutenant fights to save newborn twins Ben and Sheere from an unthinkable threat. Despite monsoon-force rains and terrible danger lurking around every street corner, the young lieutenant manages to get them to safety, but not without losing his own life...

Years later, on the eve of Ben and Sheere's sixteenth birthday, the mysterious threat reenters their lives. This time, it may be impossible to escape. With the help of their brave friends, the twins will have to take a stand against the terror that watches them in the shadows of the night -- and face the most frightening creature in the history of the City of Palaces." (Summary from the published book)

WHY I PICKED IT UP: I love Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Absolutely love him. This is the second book in the "Mist" series, and his fourth English language title. I had to read it.

WHY I FINISHED IT: I had to see if it ended how I thought it would.

WHO I’D GIVE IT TO: People who like supernatural thrillers, Young Adult fiction, or Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

OTHER NOTES AND CONTENT WARNINGS: I have to admit, of the four English language books by Zafón, this is my least favorite.

I don't mean that to sound harsh. This is his fourth English-language title, but it was originally published in Spain in 1994 as his second book. As such, it seems to suffer from "sophomore slump". While the characters are interesting, the mystery was easily solved and all the clues were pretty obvious.

Still, it was well-written and is a decent time-waster. But compared to his later works, it suffers greatly in comparison.

As for content, there is a bit of violence and peril. Not for young children.

See you at the Library!

This book is anything but "DUMB"...

TITLE: Five Flavors of Dumb

AUTHOR: Antony John

REVIEWED BY: JPL TeenLink

BRIEF SUMMARY: Piper is a high school senior who has spent most of her school years invisible. During an encounter with the school's resident rock band, Dumb, she has a rare moment of outspokenness, which not only gains their respect, but leads to her becoming their manager... which might be even harder than it would seem, since Piper suffers from moderate-severe hearing loss.

One thing leads to another, and suddenly Dumb goes from a three-piece mess to a hard-rocking quintet. Finally on the verge of breaking through, they're also on the verge of breaking up.

While Piper tries to keep it together, she's also dealing with her family: an unemployed father, a workaholic mother, a brother who's constantly in danger of expulsion, and a baby sister who can either bring them all together again, or tear them completely apart.

WHY I PICKED IT UP: I love books and movies about music and music groups.

WHY I FINISHED IT: It was very well-written and you come to care about the characters. Piper is an amazing character, and everything about the books rings true. Setting it in Seattle also did a lot to enhance the music aspect of the plot.

WHO I'D GIVE IT TO: Anyone who loves music and/or books about high school. Anyone who loved Bandslam or Lemonade Mouth.

ADDITIONAL NOTES: Moderate language warning (Two PG-13-level outbursts, occasional other milder language).

See you at the library!

Paging Sgt. Pepper...

Hi! This is Miss Jo at the Library. I just finished reading a book that I know the girls can relate to. The book is The Lonely Hearts Club, by Elizabeth Eulberg.

If you have ever dated a boy before, you know how they are. Sometimes they can really hurt you by breaking up with you. Penny Lane, a young high school student, has had one too many dates, and been hurt by one too many bad boys. Declaring "No more," she starts a club with two of her friends -- the "Lonely Hearts Club."

Before she knows it, the club has grown to thirty members, and more want to join. Upon joining the club, the girls make a pact not to date.

You can imagine what the boys think.

Eventually, though, Penny finds herself in a predicament. Her friend, Ryan, wants to be more than friends. And so does Penny. But how can the founder of the Lonely Hearts Club break her oath?

Check this book out and see what happens.

This is a young adult book. It's a quick read. If you like the Beatles, or if you've ever had a broken heart, you will definitely like this book. Enjoy!

See you at the Library!