Handle With Care August 25, 2009

Title: Handle With Care

Author: Jodi Picoult

Summary: With the recent movie version of My Sister’s Keeper, everyone has been in the library looking for books by Jodi Picoult. And while readers might want to read the book of the movie, I suggest you try this one, her latest, instead. It is a more mature story with the same gripping medical drama and intense relationships.

Five year-old Willow is a wonderful child – bright, funny, kindhearted and incredibly smart for her age. She was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease: Stumbling could mean a broken leg, coughing could break her ribs. She will need medical care and supervision for her whole life. Her mother Charlotte decides to sue her doctor, who is also her dearest friend, for ‘wrongful death,’ meaning that if Charlotte had known Willow would be born with a debilitating disease sooner in her pregnancy, she might have chosen not to have her. Told in the voices of Charlotte, her best friend, husband, lawyer, and other daughter Amelia, this wrenching story tackles the complex idea of who should decide if a life is worth living.

Who will like this book: Mature readers who enjoy dramatic stories about families and friendship.

If you like this, try this: My Sister’s Keeperby Jodi Picoult. All We Know of Heavenby Jacqueline Mitchard.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

The King’s Rose May 13, 2009

Title: The King’s Rose

Author: Alisa M. Libby

Summary: It is not until she is sent back to Lambeth Palace, her childhood home, that Catherine Howard is informed of her impending future: she will be King Henry’s fifth wife just as soon as he can have his disastrous marriage to Anne of Cleves annulled. Even though she is just 15, Catherine has been well-coached in her duties – she must keep her royal husband’s focus on herself, and provide the old and ailing king with a male heir. While Henry lavishes his young wife with gifts, Catherine is haunted – not only by the memories of queens past (including her cunning cousin Anne Boleyn), but by her own dangerous past.

This fast-paced historical chronicles the life of the least-famous of Henry’s wives. It doesn’t shy away from describing the lengths Catherine went to in order to get pregnant, making this a book for mature readers. If you are in the market for a summer read, this is a book that will sweep you to a Tudor court full of intrigue, scandal, and romance.

 Who will like this book?: Mature teens who like historical fiction, particularly royal historicals and ‘princess’ books. Fans of doomed romance.

If you like this, try this: Another great choice for mature readers is The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory. Younger readers might want to start with the Tudor books of Carolyn Meyer: Doomed Queen Anne (Anne Boleyn) and Beware, Princess Elizabeth (Elizabeth I), or Nine Days a Queen (Lady Jane Grey) by Ann Rinaldi.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

Lock and Key November 25, 2008

Title: Lock and Key

Author: Sarah Dessen

Summary: Ruby knows she can make it. She only has a few months left before she turns 18, and as long as she can keep up with the bills, her schoolwork, and her full-time overnight job, no one will find out that she has been living alone since her mother abandoned her. When her landlords figure out what has been going on, Ruby is whisked away to live her her estranged older sister Cora and her wealthy husband. The only reminder she has of her old life is the key around her neck – the key to her old house, her old friends, and her old, risky habits. Ruby has always believed that you have to protect yourself, and not let yourself get too close to anyone. But now she is surrounded by something she has never known: A loving family and new friends who won’t let her seal herself off. Can they unlock Ruby’s heart, or will she go back to being a one-woman operation?

I’ve never read anything by Sarah Dessen before, and this book had me hooked from the first page. Ruby is a  funny, brutally honest character, and you will be rooting for her the whole way through her journey. It isn’t too dramatic or too sensational - it is realistic fiction at it’s best.

Who will like this book: Fans of realistic fiction and coming of age stories. Don’t let the pale pink cover fool you – this is a great book even for girls who despise ‘chick lit.’

If you like this, try this: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiacby Gabrielle Zevin. Story of a Girlby Sara Zarr.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

Saving Juliet September 12, 2008

Title: Saving Juliet

Author: Suzanne Selfors

Summary: Mimi Wallingford is sick of Shakespeare theater, and even more sick of being recognized solely by the prestige of her last name.  Unlike her ancestors, Mimi has an extreme case of stage fright whenever she’s about to go on. In her current play of Romeo and Juliet, she’s stuck with superstar Troy Summers playing Romeo: He seems to do all he can to put her down.  Right before her final performance as Juliet, she is transported by magic to Shakespeare’s Verona. There she meets Juliet Capulet as well as the entire ‘cast’ of the play that she’s rehearsed for.

But the play Mimi thought she knew takes an unexpected twist when Romeo and Juliet don’t meet at the dance and Juliet is engaged to marry the Paris within a week’s time! Though Mimi’s regarded as a ‘relative Capulet,’ Benvolio’s got his eyes on her, Tybalt’s out for her neck, Lady Capulet wants her dead, and is that a superstar actor/Romeo sneaking along the streets? It’s going to take more than just some good acting for Mimi to save Juliet and find her way back home.

Who will like this book?: Anyone into the historical fiction genre, or the story of Romeo and Juliet.  It’s aimed more at a female audience with plenty of romance and faults of love, but it’s got plenty of action scenes. It’s an interesting twist on the original tale without the havoc of trying to understand what the words mean.

If you like this, you should try: The Shakespeare Stealerseries by Gary Blackwood. Some other time travel books are Lost in Time by Hans Magnus Enzensberger and The Door to Time by Ulysses Moore. For those who are into the classics, thenA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain is definitely along the right path.

Recommended by: ZZ, resident of Fairfield and avid reader.

ghostgirl August 14, 2008

Title: ghostgirl

Author: Tonya Hurley

Summary: Charlotte Usher’s made a vow – this is going to be her year.  She’s going to tryout for cheerleading and get the guy of her dreams.  Her plan can’t fail, after all she’s been laboring over it all summer.  Gone with invisible Charlotte– “Hello” to popular Charlotte.  Unfortunately for Charlotte, all her effort is wasted when she chokes on a gummy bear and dies the first day back to school.  However, Charlotte is not a quitter and she’s not about to let a little thing like death keep her from getting her dream guy to fall in love with her and her first kiss.  And, if being dead weren’t bad enough, poor Charlotte still has to finish high school.  Only now her classmates consist of other kids who have died before her and graduation will take a team effort. 

Who will like this book?:  Fans of dark satirical writing, humorous ghost stories, and those who see the humor in high school popularity “contests.”  For those who are attracted to books with amazing covers, I have to say that this is one of the best cover designs I have ever seen.  It’s worth taking a look at this book just for the cover. 

If you like this, try this: Generation Dead by Daniel Waters.  Zombie Blondes by Brian James.

Recommended by: Jen, Woods Teen Librarian

Keturah and Lord Death August 4, 2008

Title: Keturah and Lord Death

Author: Martine Leavitt

Summary: This is a great book for all of you readers currently (or soon to be) in Twilight withdrawal. When Keturah, the village storyteller of Tide-by-Root, wanders into the woods, she meets Death, who decides to claim Keturah as his bride. While there is something irresistible about the dark Lord,  Keturah has unfinished business in the village, and is able to use her storytelling abilities to spins a tale of a love so beautiful and enduring that it persuades Lord Death to give her another day.

With this gift of time, Keturah knows that in order to save herself, she must find the love she has described to Lord Death, even though she has never felt it herself.  While it sounds like a standard fairy tale, this book is full of suprises, including a breathtaking end that will haunt you long after you’ve closed the final pages.

Who will like this book?: Fans of impossible love stories, and readers who enjoy fantasies set in kingdoms or medieval villages.

If you like this, try this: The Twilight saga and The Host by Stephenie Meyer. Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier. For mature readers, 1001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian