Jeff Lemire: The Nobody
The invisible man visits the small town Large Mouth where he catches the interest of the 16-year old female narrator. What's amazing about this book, is that it captures the odd ennui and intensity of small town life, where a stranger wholly wrapped in bandages becomes ordinary. (*****)
Robert Kirkman: The Walking Dead Vol. 2: Miles Behind Us
Robert Kirkman: The Walking Dead, Book 1 (Bk. 1)
Mariko Tamaki: Skim
the cover is different on this one; illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
- Brian K. Vaughan: Y: The Last Man, Volume 1: Unmanned
Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games
not one false note. loved this book (*****)
Marthe Jocelyn: How It Happened in Peach Hill
Mary Hooper: Newes from the Dead
Iain Lawrence: Gemini Summer
Laurie Halse Anderson: Wintergirls
(*****)
Laurie Halse Anderson: Chains
Max Brooks: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
Sherri L. Smith: Flygirl
- Judy Blume: Forever (Richard Jackson Books )
Kevin Major: Hold Fast
S. E. Hinton: The Outsiders
J.D. Salinger: The Catcher in the Rye
Allan Stratton: Chanda's Wars
A sequel to Chanda's Secrets. Also, winner of the CLA Young Adult Novel Award for 2009.
Caroline Pignat: Egghead
another nominee for the CLA Young Adult Award competition
Shelley Hrdlitschka: Sister Wife (Young Adult Novels)
Ron Koertge: Strays
(****)
Barry Lyga: Boy Toy
Donna Milner: After River: A Novel
one of the 2009 CLA Young Adult Award Nominees
Drew Hayden Taylor: The Night Wanderer: A Native Gothic Novel
This is a fabulous gothic story -- sharp prose, rich characterization, authentic representation of the drama and chaos of teenage life. The setting is an Anishinabe/Ojibway reserve in Central Ontario. I loved it. (*****)
- Sharon E. McKay: War Brothers
A compelling. well-written story of Jacob and Oteka, along with Paul, Tony, Norman, who become war brothers in Kony's LRA in Uganda in 2002. (****)
Charles de Lint: Little (Grrl) Lost
16-year-old "Don't Call me Tetty"/Elizabeth (a six-inch "Little" runaway) reveals herself to 14-year T.J. (a human who is homesick for her farm and friends and heartsick for her horse, Red) (****)
Bill Willingham: Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile
Per Nilsson: Seventeen
an interesting idea: an estranged father recounts the story of his life from 17 years on to his 17-year old, who is admitted to the hospital after a seriously harmful drinking episode. differing accounts are offered by the boy's mother with intriguing counterpoint from his 17-year old girlfriend. What I liked best though is that the story is primarily set in Malmo and Lund.
Deborah Ellis and Eric Walters: Bifocal
about racial tension, bigotry and tolerance in post 9/11 suburbia
Carrie Mac: The Beckoners
Glen Huser: Skinnybones and the Wrinkle Queen
This one reminds me a bit of Joan Bauer's Rules of the Road, but with characters who are just a bit rougher around the edges. I'm a big fan of Glen Huser -- he's really masterful at developing quirky, memorable characters. (****)
Bill Willingham: Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
Bill Willingham: Fables Vol. 5: The Mean Seasons
Bill Willingham: Fables Vol. 9: Sons of Empire
Bill Willingham: Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love
Bigby Wolf: "But we're in the information age, and this Tommy Sharp character is too well known. Everything's interconnected now. even if we kill him in a way no one suspects as murder, it's no guarantee his story won't come out."
Bill Willingham: Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm
Bill Willingham: Fables Vol. 7: Arabian Nights (and Days)
I am really enjoying this series. My favourite fable is, of course, Frau Totenkinder :)
Bill Willingham: Fables, Vol. 11: War and Pieces
(****)
Bill Willingham: Fables Vol. 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers
(****)
M.T. Anderson: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves (Michael L Printz Honor Book (Awards))
M.T. Anderson: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party
Jason Lutes: Berlin: City of Stones: Book One (Part 1)
by the author/artist of "Jar of Fools". set in Berlin from September 1928 to May Day, 1929. originally serialized as "Berlin", in issues 1 through 8
Meg Rosoff: What I Was: A Novel
Another amazing book by Rosoff, author of How I Live Now and Just In Case. She'll make you stop and wonder. (*****)
Susan Juby: Getting the Girl: A Guide to Private Investigation, Surveillance, and Cookery
Sherman Mack is that smart, sweet guy that you should've gone to the prom with. Plus his mom is a burlesque dancer. And he likes to cook. (****)
Kristyn Dunnion: Big Big Sky
Science fiction from the author of Mosh Pit and Missing Matthew. Still reading this one -- like reading a language I once knew! (****)
Brian K. Vaughan: No Future For You (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 2)
includes issue #10, "Anywhere But Here" written by Joss Whedon (*****)
Frank Portman: King Dork
couldn't finish this one.
Jason Lutes: Jar of Fools
(*****)
Andreas Steinhofel: The Center of the World
translated from German by Alisa Jaffa. This is compelling coming-of-age story featuring Phil, a 17-year-old, young gay man. Evocative setting, memorable, quirky characters, redemption. It reminds me a lot of some of John Irving's stories. A successful cross-over novel, "international" fiction. More later.
Andi Watson: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vol. 4: Crash Test Demons
This is my first venture into the graphic novels of Buffy the Vampire Slayer series. Did not disappoint although the bright, red, static pools and wild arcs of blood make this a different kind of encounter with the undead than watching the show. Definitely going to look for more.
Ron Koertge: Deadville
I've been a big fan of Ron Koertge, ever since I read "Arizona Kid." His stories make me think differently about young people, perhaps, because he renders his characters' flaws with a warmth and generosity that reminds me of all the teenagers I've known, and the teenager I once was. That underneath all that angst, toughness and attitude, there is a kid who is just trying to understand the world (in all of its horror and beauty) and his or her place in it. My favourite part of this book is Ryan's relationship with clothes -- from his threadbare band t-shirts, to the shiny new gym clothes, to the linen pants and fedora from the vintage shop.
Stephenie Meyer: New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2)
Stephenie Meyer: Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)
I'll reserve comments until I've read all 4.
Martha Brooks: Mistik Lake (Melanie Kroupa Books)
Martha Brooks is, hands-down, my favourite YA author. Her books are smart, moving, interesting and always very, very well-written. Her teenagers are smart too-- smart and funny and flawed -- utterly recognizable. Their relationships with the adults in their lives are multidimensional, complex and believable. Her themes: love, loss, redemption. This is a book to savour.
Ellen Wittlinger: Love & Lies: Marisol's Story
Almost, ten years later, Wittlinger's follow up novel to "Hard Love".
Ellen Wittlinger: Hard Love
John, aka Gio, falls for Marisol, "Puerto Rican Cuban Yankee Cambridge, Massachusetts, rich spoiled lesbian private-school gifted-and-talented writer virgin looking for love".
Ned Vizzini: Be More Chill
E.R. Frank: Life Is Funny
compelling, linked collection of vignettes about teenagers coming of age; reflecting life in the margins and a familiar litany of problems: domestic violence, sexual abuse, cutting, crack babies, teen pregnancy, drug-addicted and alcoholic parents, BUT life-affirming, youth-positive resolutions
Rachel Cohn and David Levithan: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Almost makes you think it would be ok to be a teenager again.
Melvin Burgess: Sara's Face (Puffin Teenage Books)
Kelly Parra: Graffiti Girl
an "MTV" book. Angel Rodriguez copes with her inadequacies as an artist until she comes to realise that her whimsical style may have a place in graffiti art.
Julie Anne Peters: Between Mom and Jo
By the author of "Keeping You a Secret" and "Luna" this book chronicles the marital problems of 14 year old Nick's two moms. (****)
Susan Juby: Miss Smithers
cover art from U.S. edition; sequel to Alice, I Think. Does not disappoint -- Alice's diary is just as funny, poignant as the last time around. She explores a future in journalism by making a 'zine of her experiences as a candidate in the Miss Smithers pageant.
Susan Juby: Alice, I Think
cover art is for the U.S. edition.
laugh out loud funny, very well-written, covers all the good stuff: love and sex, family and friends, the horrors of school. highly recommended first novel by a Canadian writer
E. R. Frank: America
While I found some of the profanity tiresome after while, this is a fantastic novel. (*****)
Meg Rosoff: Just in Case
I liked this book even more than "How I Live Now" -- it is funny as much as it is a harrowing look at mental illness. Justin/David Case in now one of my favourite YA protagonists. (*****)
Betsy Franco, editor: You Hear Me?: Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys
poems by teenage boys
Sara Ryan: The Rules for Hearts
a new book by the author of "Empress of the World"
Sherman Alexie: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
I loved this book. Smart, funny, heart-breakingly sad. More later.
- Arthur Slade: Dust
2001 Governor General's Award for Children's Literature - Text. Set in Depression Era Saskatchewan, this is an eerie tale of magic, myth and horror. 11-year-old Robert must solve the mystery of his 7-year-old brother's disappearance, which coincides with the arrival of an ivory-skinned stranger and his bewitching butterflies. The writing is strong: spare, elegant and deeply evocative.
- Abby Denson: Tough Love: High School Confidential
from the back cover: "Inspired by shounen-ai manga, Tough Love is a teen romance and coming-out story about a shy boy named Brian and the relationships he develops with Chris, the boy he likes, and Julie, the girl who befriends him."
Derek Kirk Kim: Good as Lily (Minx)
Holly Black: Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale
Ellen Wittlinger: The Long Night of Leo and Bree
This book has been generating some controversy due to its violence but mostly I just found it to be a bit dull (and I'm a big fan of Wittlinger's). I think I would have liked it when I was a teenager though, and I think it will likely gain a wide readership.
Jerry Spinelli: Stargirl (Readers Circle)
Ellen Wittlinger: Parrotfish
By the author of "Hard Love." I liked this better than Peters' "Luna": a gentle, optimistic story of a teen's initial steps of transitioning from female to male.
Alex Sanchez: Rainbow Road
Alex Sanchez: Rainbow High
Ned Vizzini: It's Kind of a Funny Story
loved this book -- more later.
Lauren Myracle: Kissing Kate
copyright 2003. highly recommended first novel. Lissa, 16 years old, deals with her heavy and non-requited crush on Kate, and the consequences their passionate kiss. A complex, smart main character with realistic, interesting secondary characters especially Lissa's little sister Beth and her new flaky friend Ariel/Kimberly.
John Green: An Abundance of Katherines
by the author of "Looking for Alaska". A gift for realistic dialogue, humour, pathos. It can be difficult to find a book written for teens that doesn't have a whiff of condescension and that suspect patronizing tone -- this is a book that you could give to older teens, (and dare I say adults), without any fear of alienating them because the book has an outmoded concept of what it is like to be a teenager. For me, the secondary character, the best friend, Hassan, "Sunni Muslim, not a terrorist" steals the show.
Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning: Or, Orphans! (A Series of Unfortunate Events)
hooray! -- now available in paperback at the public library
Jean-Claude Mourlevat: The Pull of the Ocean
hmmm -- a weird fable and reinterpretation of the Tom Thumb folktale. not sure what I think yet. creepy.
Megan Mcdonald: Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid (Stink)
illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, by the author of the Judy Moody books. I loved it -- humourous, bang-on perspective of second-grader, little brother
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Purple Hibiscus: A Novel
Meg Rosoff: How I Live Now
Michael Printz award winner; still thinking about it a week after I finished it...
Marguerite Abouet: AYA
drawn by Clemente Oubrerie
Kris Oprisko: Clive Barker's The Thief Of Always
adaptation by Kris Oprisko; Illustrated by Gabriel Hernandez; lettered by Robbie Robbins & Tom B. Long.
An enduring fable about escaping the ennui of adolescence to live in "The Holiday House" where everyday is a holiday.
Hope Larson: Gray Horses
I don't really get it, but I didn't hate it.
Frances Hardinge: Fly by Night
Rita Williams-Garcia: No Laughter Here
Nancy Farmer: A Girl Named Disaster
Francesca Lia Block: Ruby: A Novel
Wendelin Van Draanen: Swear to Howdy
Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy
Wendelin Van Draanen: Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf (Sammy Keyes)
Wendelin Van Draanen: Sammy Keyes and the Dead Giveaway (Sammy Keyes)
K. L. Going: The Liberation of Gabriel King
Setting: Georgia, USA 1976
Main characters: Gabe King, a white boy who is being bullied and who is fearful of everything; Frita Wilson, an African-American girl who harbors a fear of the Mr. Evans and the KKK; both kids are going into Grade 5 and spend the summer overcoming their fears
by the author of "Fat Kid Rules the World"
Jennifer Armstrong: What a Song Can Do: 12 Riffs on the Power of Music
M.T. Anderson: Feed
Lorna Schultz Nicholson: Delaying the Game (Sports Stories)
I'm not a hockey fan, but I saw this book at the library and wondered how much sports fiction for girls has changed. And then it occurred to me, I couldn't easily think of a novel about girls and sports. This book has a recommendation blurb by Wayne Gretzky on the front cover and another one by Cassie Campbell on the back cover. And surprises of all surprises, this was a compelling read. I liked it enough that I'm going to look up other books by Nicholson.
Katherine Paterson: Bridge to Terabithia
- O.R. Melling: The Hunter's Moon
Edward Bloor: Story Time
All Sleek And Skimming: Stories
Michael Chabon: Summerland : A Novel
Kenneth Oppel: Skybreaker
Michelle Tea: Rose of No Man's Land
Cornelia Funke: Dragon Rider
Carrie Mac: Crush (Orca Soundings)
Iain Lawrence: The Convicts
Joan Givner: Ellen Fremedon
Brian Sloan: A Really Nice Prom Mess
Ron Koertge: Boy Girl Boy
Julie Anne Peters: Far from Xanadu
David LaRochelle: Absolutely Positively Not
Sarra Manning: Pretty Things
(**)
- Beverly Cleary: Henry Huggins
Marjane Satrapi: Persepolis : The Story of a Childhood
sarah withrow: what gloria wants
by the author of Box Girl
Martine Leavitt: Heck, Superhero
Canadian (*****)
Julie Ann Peters: Define "Normal"
by the author of Luna and Keeping You a Secret
Cornelia Funke: inkheart
Nancy Farmer: the house of scorpion
(*****)
Miriam Toews: a complicated kindness
DAVID LEVITHAN: Boy Meets Boy (Bccb Blue Ribbon Fiction Books (Awards))
Kristyn Dunnion: Mosh Pit
Brent Hartinger: Geography Club
Glen Huser: Stitches
Canadian Governor General's Literary Award winner
Deborah Ellis: The Heaven Shop
2004. Markham, ON: Fitzhenry & Whiteside. (****)