****/5 Zack Thomson isn’t like other teenage boys, and the fact the he calls the mental institution home is just the tip of the iceberg. His parents died when he was little and ever since, Zack suffers from weird, life-threatening a

The narrative of this lovely, lyrical novel unfolds in short vignettes, like a delicate bird skimming just over the water, dipping now and then to leave deepening ripples on the surface.

Although I could have probably used a glossary and some visuals, Murray’s first novel, Break on Through had me at the first windmill (I don’t know exactly what that is, but I think it involves limbs whirling around in an uncanny fashion).

 **Bianca, a troubled, intelligent sixteen year old girl, has a feeling that somebody doesn't want her to continue her studies at the Europa International School, where she has landed a full scholarship. On her first night, the school's

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (Tor Teen, 2008).ISBN-13: 978-0765319852Hardcover: 382 p. List Price: $17.95***** (5 out of 5 stars: excellent; nearly flawless; a must-have for all libraries serving youth)“What’s the big deal? Would you r

This is Marillier's only book that is written for young adults, as far as I know, but it has all of the elements of her other fantasy writing. Like her other books, it is drawn from traditional folklore and is set in our world, although magic is

Vampires & werewolves are all the rage (blame Stephanie Meyers), and this supernatural tale about a slightly odd town named Nightshade stands out as lightweight treatment of things that go bump in the night.

A summer internship at a women’s magazine introduces Long Island ingénue Chrissy Gibbons to the glamorous world of high fashion at a fast pace.

    ****                    ****                 

This fantasy adventure tale has a heroine, a journey, a good vs. evil battle, and heart throbbing romance. Ultimately, though, it is a story of self-discovery, and dare I say it, identity.

This is a book that I read even though I knew it would make me cry. It is the story of Tessa, who is sixteen years old and dying. She has stopped going to school because of how sick she is, and now only wants to live out her remaining time like any t

Any teen book that includes Shakespeare's plays as essentially a main character is one that I am going to appreciate. In this coming of age story, set in 1967, Holling Hoodhood initially believes that his exposure to Shakespeare is some sort of p

****First off, I admit that I did, in fact, judge this book by its cover. It has a shiny, silver cover and pink silhouettes of two girls. It kind of screamed THIS BOOKS IS PROBABLY SHALLOW (it's the shininess). However, after reading the first pa

*****Many of my co-workers will jaw your ear off about how wonderful John Green is. He is placed upon the pedestal of young adult literature far above criticism and slander. His previous books, An Abundance of Katherines and Looking for Alaska, both

***When a mysterious young man arrives to stay in the middle of the night, sixteen year old Tiffany does not take much notice. She has her own problems. Her mother recently left her father for another man, her father and her are fighting and she is n

"In the winter you come to the pit to warm your feet in the tar. You stand long enough to sink as far as your ankles - the littler you are, the longer you can stand. . . But in summer, like this day, you keep away from the tar . . . Ikky was tal

Dial/Penguin, New York: 2008 ISBN 978-0-8037-3227-8 $16.99 408 pp Three juniors assigned to write about their "most excellent" year all choose the freshman year they became friends in this coming out/coming of age story that blends bas

Best friends Lissa Dragomir and Rose Hathaway are on the run from their boarding school St. Vladimir's Academy, hiding from the well-meaning but misguided Guardians of the school and the evil vampires the Strigoi.  Lissa is a Moroi princess,

 ****Inspired by Leonardo's Notebooks, author Grey creates a portrait of the famous painter and inventor as imaginitively seen through the eyes of his faithful young servant Giacomo. Much of the plot concerns the completion of the fresco, th

   When a tracker marks her as a fledgling vampire, Zoey Redbird is afraid her life is over.  It could be if her body rejects the Change.  As a vampire fledgling, she must attend the House of Night, a boarding school where she wil

  No spoilers here . . . Book 7 starts with some shocking events.  Harry learns more about Dumbledore's history.  Things get a little less exciting by page 300 (or maybe I was just getting tired because it was 6:30 in the morning a

*****Lauren is a perfect but stagnant seed of a girl, content but not really happy. The story of her attraction to the new boy at school, who turns out to the son of one of her father's previous girlfriends, unfurls like a rose   

The Celebutantes: On The Avenue by Antonio Pagliarulo

rating: **Lexie is a self-proclaimed girl gearhead, here defined not as a car nut or gadget geek...

MT Anderson's Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, has won a Printz Honor Award as well as the  National Book Award for Young People's literature, and quite deservedly so. TMany librarians and educators question if teens iwll volunta