Repossessed July 8, 2008

Title: Respossessed

Author: A.M. Jenkins

Summer Reading List: Fairfield Ludlowe High School

Awards/Honors: 2008 Printz Honor Book

Summary:  Kiriel is getting tired of his thankless job and is in desperate need of a little vacation.  Sound familiar?  The twist is that Kiriel is a fallen angel and his thankless job is reflecting back, rather like a mirror,  all the misery and guilt that tear up and torment souls in hell.  And, Kiriel’s idea of a vacation involves hijacking the body of Shaun, a human just seconds away from being crushed to death by an oncoming car.  Once in Shaun’s body, Kiriel gets a chance to experience what he has only been allowed to observe.  Ketchup, baths, writing utensils, and fruit loops are just a few experiences Kiriel relishes.  But human life is not just about experiencing materialistic pleasures: Kiriel must also deal with the people in Shaun’s life including his divorced mother, isolated and angry little brother, the school bully, and the girl who has secretly been nursing a crush on Shaun. 

Who will like this book?:  Those who appreciate a witty, thought-provoking, fast-paced book.  Through Kiriel’s thoughts and experiences, A.M. Jenkins has created a venue for considering not just human life but the concepts of good versus evil, and the afterlife. 

If you liked this, try this: Night Road by A.M. Jenkins. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin. One Whole and Perfect Day by Judith Clarke

Recommended by: Jen, Branch Teen Librarian

Jarhead July 1, 2008

Title: Jarhead: A Marine’s Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles

Author: Anthony Swofford

Summer Reading List: Fairfield Warde High

Summary: Anthony Swofford served in the first Gulf War as a Marine sniper and describes his time in Kuwait and Iraq, as well as his training and life after the conflict in this original, unsettling memoir. If you are looking for a heroic tale of the glories of combat, you won’t find it here - this book is free from many of the stereotypes you might associate with American war stories. For Swoff and company, the most difficult part of the war is the waiting - for battle, for news from home, and for a chance to use their training. When the fighting starts it seems to be over before it begins.

Operation Desert Storm was a short conflict. But it was brutal. The author doesn’t pull any punches (or leave much to the imagination) when describing battle, his comrades, or his personal life. This unique perspective on life as a solider is one you won’t soon forget. 

Who will like this book?: Mature readers interested in military and war stories. People who like intense personal stories.

If you like this, try this: The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. Kipling’s Choice by Geert Spillbeen. Fallen Angels and Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

Looking for Alaska June 25, 2008

Title: Looking for Alaska

Author: John Green

Summer Reading List: Fairfield Warde High

Summary: Miles Halter is making a major change in his life: He is leaving his home in Florida to attend a boarding school in Alabama. When he arrives, skinny Miles is nicknamed ‘Pudge’ by his new roommate Chip (aka ’the Colonel’), who also introduces him to the girl of his dreams. Her name is Alaska. She is smart, gorgeous, and just a little crazy. Miles falls right into their social circle, sneaking drinks, experimenting with girls and pulling pranks on the school’s strict headmaster and snobby students. He also falls hard for Alaska, even though she has a boyfriend away at college.

But finally falling in love doesn’t make life any less complicated, especially when the person you fall for is Alaska. As the book goes from counting the ‘days before’ to the ‘days after,’ you realize something big is going to happen. When it does, Miles has to deal with the devastating aftermath. This Printz Award-winning book will leave you wondering, as Miles does, about ‘The Great Perhaps’ of your own life.

Who will like this book?: Mature readers who like realistic fiction. It is a funny book, but it is also quite sophisticated in the way it describes growing up, being a guy, and falling in love.

If you like this, try this: Green’s second novel, An Abundance of Katherines. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. King Dork by Frank Portman.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

Never Let Me Go June 24, 2008

Title: Never Let Me Go

Author: Kazuo Ishiguro

Summer Reading List: Fairfield Ludlowe High

Summary: Set in a not-too-distant future England, students at Halisham live a typical boarding-school life: classes and friendships, romances and secrets. They are aware of the wider world around them, yet they are kept separate from it. The kids at Halisham already know their role in the future.

The students are clones, their sole purpose on the planet is to one day donate their organs to people until they are no longer viable. But when you can feel love, fear and rejection, can you truly be called something less than human? This is a powerful yet subtle book about memory and what it means to be alive.

Who will like this book?: People who like their stories with just a touch of fantasy (or just a touch of horror, depending on how you feel about clones.) If you like books that don’t spell it all out for you, but force you to come to your own conclusions, this is a good choice.

If you like this, try this: House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

Essex County: Tales from the Farm June 2, 2008

Title: Essex County: Tales from the Farm

Author: Jeff Lemire

Summer Reading List: Fairfield Ludlowe High

Summary: In this short, moving graphic novel, Lester learns about grieving, moving on, and the secrets we keep from the people we love. When his mom dies of cancer, Lester, a ordinary kid with a huge imagination, moves to his Uncle Ken’s farm, where he helps with chores and draws superhero comics to pass the time. One day at the gas station, Lester meets Jimmy, a local man who was a hockey star until an injury left him unable to play, and ‘touched,’ according to the locals. Where Uncle Ken is strict and distant,  Jimmy is a playmate and friend. But life is more than a little complicated, and Lester learns sometimes knowing the truth doesn’t always make things easier.

Who will like this book?: Fans of realistic graphic novels. Mature readers looking for a serious, short story. If you pretended to be a superhero when you were little, you’ll really get a kick out of Lester.

If you like this, try this: Other coming-of-age graphic novels like Stuck in the Middle or American Born Chinese. Also, look for the next volume in the series, Ghost Stories.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac May 28, 2008

Title: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

Author:Gabrielle Zevin

Summer Reading List: Fairfield Ludlowe High

Summary:Imagine waking up and not remembering the last five years of your life. That’s exactly what happens to Naomi after she conks her head on the steps of her high school. All of a sudden, nothing makes sense - why is she co-editing the school paper and playing tennis instead of acting in the school play? Why does she have feelings for the guy who found her on the steps that day, instead of her hot long-term boyfriend? And why did her parents get divorced, causing her dad to start dating a flamenco dancer?

When her memory starts to return, Naomi has to decide who she is deep down inside and what she wants her life to be, even though her choices are bound to hurt the people she loves. Like Gabrielle Zevin’s first book for teens, Elsewhere, this unforgettable story will leave a permanent mark on your brain and the way you think about life and love.

Who will like this book?: Fans of Elsewhere, and other books that deal seriously with teen relationships and the ‘Big Questions’ of life.

If you like this, try this: While it isn’t exactly similar, another great book for mature teens about discovering who you truly are is Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian