Love is the Higher Law September 1, 2009

Title: Love is the Higher Law

Author: David Levithan

Summary: In Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, co-author David Levithan created a light-hearted love letter to New York City. In his latest, he tackles the city’s darkest day: September 11, 2001. Three young people each respond to the attacks in different ways: high school junior Claire races to her little brothers side and worries for her mom, her classmate Peter sees the attack first-hand, and college student Jasper sleeps through the whole thing.

As a year goes by, each of the three describe their shifting feelings to the attack as their lives intertwine: Peter and Jasper go on the date they had originally scheduled for that fateful day. Insomniacs Claire and Jasper meet randomly as they both are drawn to Ground Zero. Peter and Claire, formerly just acquaintances, form a deep and lasting friendship. This moving book tells a simple story that neatly evokes the events of 9/11 without ever taking the focus off these three remarkable young people who are just beginning to understand their place in the greater world around them.

Who will like this book?: Mature readers who like nuanced, emotional books. Like all of Levithan’s work, this is a great read for GLBTQ teens.

If you like this, try this: Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Levithan and Rachel Cohn. For more on a teen discovering themselves after 9/11, try Shine Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

Leviathan August 12, 2009

Title: Leviathan

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Summary: The first book in a new series by the author of Uglies is a fast-paced alternate history of World War I. The nations of Europe are divided: The Clankers favor mechanical, steam-powered fighting machines and the Darwinists use ‘fabricated’ living beasts created from manipulated DNA as their weapons.

On the eve of war, we meet Aleksandar, a headstrong prince sent into hiding after his parent’s assassination, and Deryn, an ambitious girl who has disguised herself as a boy in order to join the air corps. When Deryn’s ship, the immense blue whale called Leviathan, crash lands near Aleksandar’s hideaway a fantastic adventure begins. This exhilarating story is great for all readers, and is a terrific introduction to the alternate history and steampunk genres.

Who will like this book?: Fans of this popular author. People who like alternate histories and gadget-filled fantasy.

If you like this, try this: The Mortal Instruments series by Philip Reeve.  The Temeraire books by Naomi Novik.

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

Bog Child October 7, 2008

Title: Bog Child

Author: Siobhan Dowd

Summary: Fergus McCann is living in troubled times. At sixteen, he is preparing for his college entrance exams, which he hopes will take him from his small border village in Northern Ireland to Aberdeen for medical school. Life at home has become more and more stressful since his brother was sent to jail for working with the IRA. Fergus takes solace in his early morning runs through the mountains and conversations with his peaceful uncle Tally. It is when cutting turf for fuel one morning with Tally that Fergus makes an incredible discovery: A tiny body buried in the peat bog. Who is the bog child?

This pitch-perfect historical novel addresses not only the political turmoil of Northern Ireland in the 1980s, but also first love, loyalty, sacrifice and forgiveness. It opens a window to a not-so-distant time, and has moments of sparkling humor as well as tragedy. The troubled history of his land are magnified by the story of the bog child, revealed through flashbacks. In the end, Fergus must come to terms with the chaos all around him, decide what he wants his life to be, and discover his place in the world.

Who will like this book?: Anyone looking for a great historical novel, or coming of age story. I truly cannot think of anyone who would not enjoy this unforgettable book.

If you like this, try this: A Swift Pure Cry, also by Dowd. For more on Ireland in the Iron Age, read Hush by Donna Jo Napoli. For older teens looking for information about the hunger strikers, try Nothing But an Unfinished Song by Dennis O’Hearn.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

The Ghosts of Kerfol September 19, 2008

Title: The Ghosts of Kerfol

Author: Deborah Noyes

Summary: Just in time for Halloween, this elegant collection of gothic stories based on a classic will chill you to the bone. In Edith Wharton’s original story, Kerfol, a cruel lord falls to his death and his much-younger bride is put on trial for murder. But she insists her abusive husband was killed by dogs – or the ghosts of the many dogs the man killed in order to keep his wife from having any hint of affection in her life. Author Deborah Noyes builds on this tale with five short stories about the haunted mansion, and the ghostly spirits who inhabit it.

As the book progresses, we meet a young maid who was a witness to the original horrors of Kerfol, a young nobleman who has survived the French Revolution, a young American heiress, a couple on the rocks, and a deaf Irish gardener. Each has their own experience with the ghosts of Kerfol, and not all of them survive their hauntings.

Who will like this book?: Fans of ghost stories and short fiction with dark twists and turns.

If you like this, you should try: Noyes is also a terrific editor: Check out Gothic: Ten Original Dark Tales and The Restless Dead: Ten Original Stories of the Supernatural. If you loved the elegant writing of this book, try a classic by Edith Wharton, particularly my favorite, The House of Mirth.

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.