Must Read Book of the Week
Every week you will see a different book on display in the teen area. These are books that have been read cover to cover by one of the teen librarians. They are books that they liked and think some of you will too. And yes, she reads a lot of books that don't make it onto this list because they didn't think they were that good. If you're looking for a good read but don't know what book to check out, stop by the display for the current Must Read Book of the Week.
What's this week's book?
Appetitie for Detention by Sloane Tanen
The first day of school brings problems of popularity, romance, pressure from parents, and the horrors of gym class. Oh, and the story is told using pipe cleaner chickens.
Previous week's books:
We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
Buddy gets pressured into breaking into a house and vandalizing it one night. What he doesn't count on is falling in love with the girl who lives there or someone who calls himself The Avenger tracking him to make him pay.
Cleavage: Breakaway Fiction for Girls
If you have ever thought your butt was too big, your chest was too small, or your face just wasn’t that great, this book has a story for you. From having to go hold your mom’s hand while she gets botoxed to being forced on a shopping trip for a new dress for your D-Cup sister, these girls learn the hard way that sometimes you just have to learn to love who you are.
Flipped by Wendlin Van Draanan
Bryce can't stand Juli and spends the better part of his childhood ignoring her. But after he does something horrible to her, his feelings begin to change. But does Juli still care what Bryce thinks?
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
Jenna wakes up after a terrible accident with no memory of what happened to her. All she knows is that her friends are gone even though she still hears their voices in her head. As parts of her old life slowly come back to her, Jenna learns exactly why her memory was gone and discovers that her friends might be closer than she thinks.
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
After a meteor knocks the moon out of orbit, massive floods begin, phones are down, the electricity goes out, there is no way to find out if loved ones are alive or dead and Miranda wonders if her family will survive.
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
While the thought of participating in a real-life game of survival may sound like a good time, for Katniss Everdeen (seriously, don’t judge this book by her name) it truly is a matter of life and death. After taking her sister’s place in the annual Hunger Games, it is uncertain whether she will make it through fierce combat, inhumane conditions, and perhaps Katniss’ most difficult challenge of all: a love triangle.
Skinned by Robin Wasserman
After a terrible accident that destroyed her body, Lia's brain is downloaded into a new body. But her old friends don't want to hang around with a "skinner," her boyfriend doesn't want to touch her, and even her family treats her differently. When she becomes friends with the school outcast and starts hanging around with other skinners, Lia starts to question what makes a person human and whether she can ever go back to her old life.
Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford
After trying to kill himself, Jeff ends up in a mental hospital for 45 days. He thinks he doesn't belong there, won't talk to his doctor, denies that he did anything serious. But when a new guy gets admitted to the hospital, Jeff is forced to face the reasons that he tried to take his own life.
Sister Wife by Shelly Hrdlitschka
Celeste lives in the Unity community, where at age 15, girls are assigned to a husband who is much older and usually has several wives already. Celeste has always had questions about this way of life, but when she develops feelings for a boy her own age who plans to leave Unity, will she bring shame upon her family and go with him, or will she stay and do what is expected of her?
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Taylor Markham wants answers. After being dropped off at a boarding school at the age of eleven, she has no idea where her mother is and has only tiny, vague memories of events from her past. If you’re a little confused by the beginning of the book, just stick with it! You sure don’t want to miss all of the territory wars, non-sappy romances, and a whole lot of intrigue.
Deadline by Chris Crutcher
When Ben goes for his sports physical, his doctor tells him he has a terminal disease that left untreated gives him about a year to live. Rather than try treatment that probably won’t work, Ben decides to keep his condition a secret and make his last year count. But is one normal year worth lying to everyone he loves?
Vibes by Amy Ryan
Believing she can read minds, Kristi shuts out everyone around her because she knows what they think of her. But after she gets paired up on a school project with her secret crush, you'll be wondering if her powers are all they're cracked up to be.
Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
All of a sudden, American teenagers aren't staying dead. Instead, they go to school and walk among the living. But some living people don't think these undead teenagers should be allowed, especially when one of them starts dating a living girl.
The Truth About Truman School by Dori Hillestad Butler
Zebby and Amr start a website about Truman Middle School because the school newspaper will only publish articles about the football team and the popular kids. The website becomes a big hit, but only when someone starts posting pictures revealing a popular girl’s deepest secret. See if you can figure out who is holding a grudge against Lilly and what happens in the end.
Last Shot by John Feinstein
Someone is trying to blackmail the star player of college basketball’s biggest tournament and two teen writing contest winners are the only ones that can help. But when thirteen year olds, Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson, try to find answers, they realize they may be in over their heads. Survival in this book is not only about hitting the big shot or grabbing the key rebound. Read the book to see what happens.
Paper Towns by John Green
After Quentin's dream girl Margo takes him on an all-night trip of breaking and entering (but not both at once), she disappears, leaving what appear to be a series of clues as to where she went. Q is determined to find her, but will he be able to, and will she be alive when he does?
A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian
Ruby's father, who walked out on her as a child, returns on her 16th birthday. Ruby struggles with whether she wants him to be a part of her life as she searches for the truth on why he left her and her mother, all while leaning on her sometimes misguided friends.
24 Girls in 7 Days by Alex Bradley
After an embarrassing bad attempt to ask his dream girl to prom, Jack's friends put a personal ad in the school paper looking for a prom date on his behalf. Life gets hilarious as socially inept Jack has 7 days to date 24 girls and choose one for his prom date.
Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
Unpopular Jennifer and Cameron always had each other as kids until Cameron died. Now "Jenna" has become the queen of the high school when Cameron suddenly transfers to her school. Why did her mom tell her he had died? And what happened to Cameron and Jenna as kids that makes Cameron's reappearance throw Jenna's new life into a tailspin?
Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
When Liza meets Annie by chance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they have an instant connection and become fast friends. But when they start to realize their feelings go deeper than friendship, their lives change overnight.
Beige by Cecil Castellucci
During the summer Katy goes to stay with her dad, who plays in a punk band and hasn't seen her in 10 years. Surrounded by musicians and other colorful people, and with little in common with her father, Katy starts to feel "beige." Is going home to her mom the answer?
Breathe My Name by R. A. Nelson
When she was a little girl, Frances's mother killed 3 of her children and only Frances survived. Now, Frances has managed to put it all behind her, living with adoptive parents. Until the day her mother is released from prison and send Frances a letter saying, "We need to finish."
Ball Don't Lie by Matt de la Peña
Sticky is a 17 year old white boy who can play some basketball, which is pretty remarkable considering all of the foster homes he has been shuffled through. In this novel, he finds a home at a rather rough, Los Angeles gym where he is the only white person playing. Besides playing ball, Sticky tries not to fall in love, gets in trouble with the law, and reflects on how his past has pushed him to be who he is. The rhythm and language of the novel is straight out of hip-hop and the wonderfully detailed descriptions of the games show off de la Peña’s great skills.
Bound by Donna Jo Napoli
In this twist on the Cinderella story, Xing Xing must take care of her sister whose feet are being bound in preparation for marriage. But with no father or mother, and a stepmother who has no use for her, how will Xing Xing make a life for herself?
Kat's Promise by Bonnie Shimko
After the death of her mother, Kat is sent to live with her aunt who wants to take over as Kat's mother. What happened between her and Kat's dad that makes her aunt think she'd entitled to call Kat her own?
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
After being dumped by his 19th girlfriend (all of whom have been named Katherine) Colin goes on a road trip with his best friend to clear his head and also tries to come up with a mathematical formula to explain why he keeps getting dumped. When a Lindsey crosses his path, will she convince him to step away from the Katherines? Or will she be too blinded by her muscular boyfriend to notice nerdy Colin?
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
Ty Miller hasn't been noticed (in a good way) by anyone since 3rd grade when he won a home run contest. Tired of being ignored, he decides to do something to turn himself into a legend. When Ty captures the attention of Bethany Milbury, the hottest of the hot, his dreams have come true, or so he thinks. You see, Bethany is the sister of Ty's worst enemy and he quickly learns a hard lesson: people just can't go from riffraff to A-list without a fight.
Walking on Glass by Alma Fullerton
A young man's mother lies in a coma in a hospital ward. Should the tubes be disconnected? Would that be murder, or would it be setting her free? More importantly, is her son to blame for her being there?
Endgame by Nancy Garden
After moving to a new town, 15-year-old Gray keeps telling himself it's going to better there. But he quickly becomes the target of some bullies at school. With the principal, his teachers, and his parents looking the other way, Gray gets his father's gun and decides to take matters into his own hands.
Silent Echoes by Carla Jablonski
If you liked The Lake House, try this story about two girls who are able to hear each other's voices through time. For Lucy, hearing Lindsay's voice changes her life for the better, but will it destroy Lindsay's life for good?
Fade to Black by Alex Flinn
When Clinton's sister becomes friends with Lina, whose brother Alex has HIV, Clinton says he is going to put a stop to it. Soon after, Alex gets attacked with a baseball bat and ends up in the hospital. Clinton says he didn't do it, but will he go to jail for someone else's crime? Or is he really capable of that type of violence?
American Born Chinese by Gene Yang
"As alienated kids go, Jin Wang is fairly run-of-the-mill: he eats lunch by himself in a corner of the schoolyard, gets picked on by bullies and jocks and develops a sweat-inducing crush on a pretty classmate. And, oh, yes, his parents are from Taiwan..." (from Publisher's Weekly, 253:24, p. 36)
Monkey Town: the summer of the Scopes Trial by Ronald Kidd
"...Scopes, who is also [15-year-old] Frances's friend and secret crush, is arrested and put on trial for teaching evolution from a school-approved textbook purchased in Frances's father's drugstore. Although the contrived trial is intended only to bring national attention and tourism to the town, the events that unfold send the teen's world into a spin when she defies her father and defends Scopes...." (from School Library Journal)
