Larry and the Meaning of Life by Janet Tashjian

Tashjian, Janet. Larry and the Meaning of Life. Henry Holt and Company, 2008. New York, NY.
ISBN 13: 978-0-8050-7735-3. Hard Cover, $16.95.

Annotation:
Josh Swenson is a young boy who has lost his motivation to change the world and now has trouble motivating himself to get up off the couch. Once he hooks up with the mystical guru Gus, Josh finds not only his motivation, he finds the meaning of life.

Book Talk:
What is the meaning of life? After an exhausting run for president and a wild goose chase across the country to find an old girlfriend named Janine, Josh comes home and finds himself unmotivated. He spends his days on the couch, in front of the television, wondering about the meaning of life.
Then, Josh hooks up with a wacky guru named Gus at Walden Pond. Josh’s life is about to take a turn towards the weird. Josh’s old girlfriend Janine appears as one of Gus’ disciples. Add in some land mines, paint by number sets, a kidney donation, and a wild tourist running around with a video camera and Josh finds that he isn’t sure about his own reality anymore, much less the meaning of life. Is Gus a charlatan, or is he a great guru who is going to help Josh discover the meaning of life?

Author Web Site: www.janettashjian.com

The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante

Galante, Cecilia. The Patron Saint of Butterflies. Bloomsbury USA. 2008. New York, New York.
ISBN 13: 978-1-9990-249-4. Hardback, $16.99

Awards:
Oprah’s Kids Reading List
2008 Book Sense Pick
2009 Thumbs Up Book Award from the Michigan Library Association
Nominee, 2008 border’s Original Voices Book Awards
Rhode Island Teen Book Award

Annotation:
Agnes and Honey are two young girls growing up inside of a religious commune. When Nana Pete takes the girls away from the commune, the girls struggle to adapt to life on the outside.

Book Talk:“When everything you’ve ever known turns out to be a lie, how do you find the truth?”
Agnes and Honey are two young friends growing up in a religious commune in Connecticut, under the spiritual guidance of Emmanuel. The girls live a plain life, with no choices, and in constant fear of having to visit the Room of Requirement.
Then one day, Nana Pete comes to visit Agnes. When Agnes’ brother Benny gets his hand caught in the front door and loses two of his fingers. Emmanuel decides that he can heal Benny himself and sews Benny’s fingers back on his hand.
Appalled at the turn of events, Nana Pete snatches Benny, Agnes, and Honey and flees the commune in the middle of the night. As the web of lies that surrounded their life in the commune begins to unravel, the girls are left wondering: is there is a place that will be safe, and where no one will ever hurt them again?

Skunk Girl by Sheba Karim

Karim, Sheba. Skunk Girl. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2009. New York, NY
ISBN 13: 978-374-37011-4. Hardback, $16.95.

Annotation:
Nina Kahn is a young Afghani American struggling to adapt to life as an American Teenager while still honoring her strict Afghani cultural standards.

Book Talk:
Afghani-American teenagers struggle to find a balance between their cultures. The Afghani side strives to excel in school, remain pure, and honor their parents. The American side wants to go to parties, have dates with boys, and wear the latest fashions. Find out how Nina Kahn navigates the twists and turn of her life in Skunk Girl.

Author Web Site: http://shebakarim.com/

Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers

Myers, Walter Dean. Sunrise Over Fallujah. Scholastic Books, 2008. New York, NY.
ISBN 13: 978-0-439-91624-0, Hard Cover, $17.99.

Book Awards:
Publisher’s Weekly *Starred Review*
Kirkus Reviews *Starred Review*
School Library Journal *Starred Review*
Horn Book *Starred Review*

Annotation:
The Civilian Affairs Unit has been assigned to be one of the first units into Iraq. Robin “Birdy” Perry tells the story of the Civilian Affairs Unit in the months after the invasion of Iraq, and the capture of Baghdad.

Book Talk:
The time is 2003, and Birdy Perry is a new Army recruit. His company has been sent to Kuwait to be among the first troops into Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The troops invade the capital, Baghdad very quickly, and everyone declares the war to be over.
But if the war is over, why are soldiers still dying? Why are the Iraqis so hostile to the Americans who saved them from Saddam Hussein? Is winning the war the same as surviving the war?
In a country filled with stark contrasts, in a war filled with questions, sometimes you just need to stop and watch the Sunrise Over Fallujah.

Author Website: www.walterdeanmyers.net

Notes From the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonenblick

Sonnenblick, Jordan. Notes From the Midnight Driver. Scholastic, Inc. 2006. New York, NY.
ISBN 13: 978-0-439-75781-2. Softcover, $6.99.

Book Awards:
Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Books
South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee (2008-2009)
Texas Lone Star Book (2007-2008)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2008)

Annotation:
Alex Gregory kills a lawn gnome while driving drunk, and then is arrested by the police. As his punishment, the judge sentences him to do community service in a nursing home.

Book Talk:
Alex Gregory is angry. His parents have recently divorced, and his Dad has moved out of the house and in with Alex’s old third grade teacher. Alex’s mom has gone out on her first date with a new guy. So, Alex decides that he is going to take matters into his own hands, and let his Dad know exactly how angry he is about everything that has happened to their family. So, Alex drinks all of the alcohol that his Mom keeps in her house, takes her car keys, and attempts to drive over to his Dad’s house. Before he makes it to his Dad, Alex is involved in an accident which involves the untimely demise of Mrs. Wilson’s new lawn gnome and his mother’s car.
As a result of his midnight drive, Alex is sentenced to do community service with a crotchety old man in the nursing home. Every other week, Alex writes a note to the judge who sentenced him to do the community service. Alex and his crotchety old man, the judge, and Alex’s parents grow up and take responsibilities for their actions, which are detailed in the Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick.

Author website:
www.jordansonnenblick.com

Inside Out by Terry Trueman

Trueman, Terry. Inside Out. Harper Collins, 2003. New York, NY.

ISBN 13: 9780064473767. Paperback.

Awards:
2006 IRA Teacher’s Choice, YA
2006 Kentucky Bluegrass Master List
Atlanta Parent Top Ten Teen Reads
2004 Best Book for Young Adults
VOYA Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers 2003

Annotation:
Zach, a 16 year old boy is caught in the middle of a hold up at a coffee shop when things go terribly wrong.

Book Talk:
The voices echo in his head: “Wasteoid. Loser. Time to die. Die. Die. Die.”
Zach hears these voices inside his head all of the time. He has schizophrenia, and as long as he takes his medication on time, he can ignore the voices. One day he is caught in the middle of a hold up at the coffee shop and is taken as a hostage. As the time ticks by, the voices in Zach’s head speak louder and louder, threatening Zach with death. Their captors are nervous teenagers, desperate to do whatever it takes to get out alive.
Will Zach be able to survive the dangers inside his head, as well as those outside? Find out in Inside Out by Terry Trueman.

Author Website: www.terrytrueman.com

Scat by Carl Hiaasen

Hiaasen, Carl. Scat. Knopf. 2009. New York, NY.
ISBN 978-0-375-83486-8. Hardcover, $16.99.

Awards:
Starred Review, School Library Journal, Jan. 2009.
2009- Kid’s Indie Next List- “Inspired Recommendations for kids from Indie Booksellers”
2009- Skipping Stone Honor Award

Annotation
Mrs. Starch disappears on a field trip to the Black Vine Swamp. The school says that she has had a family emergency and will be out of town for a while. Nick and Marta work to find out the truth about what happened to Mrs. Starch.

Booktalk:
Nick and Marta have the misfortune to have Mrs. Starch for Biology this year at school. She is the meanest, toughest teacher at Truman High School. She picks mercilessly on any student in her class who does not quickly volunteer an answer to her questions.
As we join the story, the children are roaming through the Black Vine Swamp with their groups when they hear a loud, piercing shriek, and then begin to smell smoke. The students follow their teachers back to the boardwalk….
“After assembling at the boardwalk the three teams merged to form a long, single line. At the very end of it was Mrs. Starch, who burped the air horn to make the students turn around and pay attention.
“Listen up people!” she said. “A small wildfire has sprung up on the far edge of the swamp – Pretty common for this time of year. It’ll probably burn out when it reaches the Cypress muck, but there’s no sense taking any chances. That’s why we’re cutting short our field trip and heading back to school. Straight back to school.”
Marta groaned and leaned against Nick. “What if she makes us go to her class? I’m going to be sick again, all over the place.”
“Pray for a flat tire on the way home,” Nick said.
He was disappointed because he’d hoped for another opportunity to see a panther, or whatever it was that had darted into the cypress shadows. However, a wildfire was nothing to fool with. If a strong wind kicked up, the blaze would race across the land faster than any human could possibly run.
“Please stay in line behind Mr. Neal and Miss Moffitt,” Mrs. Starch said. “I’ll be coming along in a minute – Libby dropped her medicine, so I’m going back to find it.” She clapped so loudly that it sounded like a paper bag popping. “Now get your fannies in gear! Move!”
At the time, nobody questioned Mrs. Starch’s decision to go back. Libby Marshall had frequent asthma attacks, and she always carried an inhaler. The haze from the fire would make it harder to her to breathe.
“Quickly and quietly,” urged Miss Moffitt as the kids began streaming towards the bus.
Nick was walking behind Marta, who was behind Graham, who was behind Mickey Maris, who was behind Rachel, who was behind Hector, the star of the soccer team. The students were in such a rush that they were stepping on each other’s heels. Nick lost one of his sneakers when he was overrun by the next boy in line, an algebra ace named Gene, who stepped around him and kept going.
When Nick knelt to retrieve his shoe, he glanced back down the curving boardwalk just in time to see Mrs. Starch, in her straw hat and dragonfly glasses, marching alone into the smoky swamp.
He had no idea she wouldn’t be coming out.” Pgs. 35-36

author website: www.carlhiaasen.com

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Pfeffer, Susan Beth. Life As We Knew It. Harcourt Books, 2008. Orlando, Fl.
ISBN 13: 978-0-15-206587-8. Soft Cover, $6.95.

Book Awards:
2009 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award
Andre Norton Award for Outstanding Young Adult Science Fiction or Fantasy Book, 2007
Booklist Editor's Choice: Books for Youth - Older Readers Category, 2006
Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices
Junior Library Guild Premier Selection , 2006
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2007

Annotation:
16 year old Miranda tells the story of life on Earth after a Meteor hits the moon and moves the Earth out of it’s orbit and closer to the Earth.

Booktalk:

When you are a teenager, life can be tricky. How to fit in at school? What clothes to wear? Will I get my driver’s license this summer?

But for 16 year old Miranda, life is about to get trickier than ever. One May night, a meteor hits the moon. It’s an unusual hit, because the meteor is large, and it will be traveling a trajectory that will make the hit visible to the naked eye. As Miranda’s family stands outside to watch the hit on the moon, the unthinkable happens. The meteor hits the moon hard enough that the moon moves closer to the Earth. So close, that it looks as if it will crash into the moon.

The moon controls the tides, and the weather. And so many more things. The electricity goes out and never comes back on. The weather is odd. And then, the volcanoes start to erupt. Life becomes a battle for survival, but all Miranda wants is to get back to Life As We Knew It.

Author Website:http://susanbethpfeffer.blogspot.com/

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. 1984. Vintage Books, New York, NY.
ISBN: 0-679-73477-5. Paperback $9.95

Awards:
YALSA Outstanding Books for the College Bound--1999
Before Columbus Foundation's American Book Award--1985
2009 One Book, One Chicago Selection
2008 American Book Award

Annotation:
Esperanza shares the story of growing up in a house in the middle of the inner city. Bold, rich neighborhood characters are introduced throughout the story.

Book Talk:
The Book Whisper:
As Esperanza rebels against the life in the house on Mango Street, she finds that she wants to get out so that she can come back for those who can’t. Find out why in “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros.

Version 2:“I had to have a house. A real house. One I could point to- but this isn’t it. The house on Mango Street isn’t it. For the time being, Mama says. Temporary, Papa says.” Pg. 5
Esperanza introduces us to the rich, bold characters that live on Mango Street. Throughout the story, Esperanza rebels against a life on Mango Street, determined to move away from the life she knows and the low expectations that the world has for her. Will she ever leave the temporary “House on Mango Street?”

Author website: www.sandracisneros.com

Rapunzel's Revenge

Hale, Shannon and Dean. 2008. Rapunzel’s Revenge. Bloomsbury, USA. New York, NY.

ISBN 13:978-159990-07-4. Hardcover, $18.99.

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Annotation:
An alternative telling of the Rapunzel story. Tells the story of what happened after Rapunzel escaped from her tower.

Book Talk:
Have you ever wondered what happened after Rapunzel escaped from her tower? Who put Rapunzel in that tower anyway? And why? Find out the answer to these and other burning questions in Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale.

Author Website: http://www.squeetus.com/stage/main.html

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

Brashares, Ann. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. 2001. Dell-Laurel Leaf Publishers. New York, New York.

ISBN 13: 978-0553494792. Softcover, $9.99.

Book Awards:
2002 ALA Best Books for Young Adults
2004 Indiana Young Hoosier Award
2003 Iowa Children’s Choice Award
2002 Maryland Black Eyed Susan Award
2003 Missouri Gateway Reader’s Award
2004 New Jersey Garden State Book Award
2002 Rhode Island Children’s Book Award
2003 Washington Evergreen Book Award
2004 Pacific Northwest Young Reader’s Choice Award
2005 Arizona Young Reader’s Award
2004 Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award

Annotation:
Four friends spend their first summer apart from each other. Through the summer, they send a pair of blue jeans back and forth to each other so that the pants will be their common denominator.

Booktalk:“Magic comes in many forms. Tonight it comes to us in a pair of pants. I hereby propose that these Pants belong to us equally, that they will travel to all of the places we’re going, and they will keep us together when we are apart.” Pg. 23.
And thus began the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Four girls travel to separate corners of the world one summer, bound together by one mythical, magical pair of pants. Find out how The Pants changed their lives in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares.

Author Website:
www.annbrashares.net

Rooftop by Paul Volponi

Book Awards:
ALA Best Book Young Adult
ALA Quick Pick
New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age

Annotation:
Clayton and Addison are cousins who have ended up together in Rehab. Clayton struggles to live a clean life and do the right thing after Addison is shot and killed.

Book Talk:
Daytop is a rehab school for kids who’ve been caught up dealing or using drugs. Cousins Clayton and Addison find themselves together at Daytop after being separated for years because of a family feud. The boys spend their time at Daytop learning to avoid the lure of the streets, finish their GED’s, and live a clean life.
But, the lure of the streets and easy money keeps calling to Addison. Nights find him dealing drugs on street corners. Addison is in debt to his supplier for $400. As we join the story, we find him shooting dice in the laundry room with other boys, attempting to make back some of the money he owes.
Addison “was starting to risk more on each roll. Addison and Clorox split the next few pots. Then Clorox wanted to put $100 at one shot, and Addison didn’t want to back down.
Clorox rolled first, and rolled a 2 – 2 – 5.
“Go on, beat that!” sneered Clorox.
The twos cancelled each other out, so Addison had to beat the five, or roll a Cee-Lo or trips to win. The dice rattled inside Addison’s right hand. And he shook them so hard the sweat flew off his wrist onto the table.
“I paid the cost to be the boss!” Yelled Addison, letting them go.
“It came out 4 – 4 – 6. Addison won!”
But a huge black paw slapped the table, and the dice went flying. It was Officer Henry, with the two white rookies standing behind him.” (Page 55)
How will Addison pay the debt to his dealer? Will the boys ever be able to clean up their lives and move past where they are? Find out in Rooftop, by Paul Valponi.

Author Website:http://www.paulvolponibooks.com/

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Paolini, Christopher. Eragon. 2003. Knopf. Random House. New York, New York.
ISBN: 978-0-375-82669-6. Paperback, $10.95.


Awards:
2005- Colorado blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award
2004- Wyoming Soaring Eagle Book Award
2004- Pennsylvania Young REaders Choice Award
2006- Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award
2005- Tenessee Volunteer State Book Award
2005- Colorado Children's Book Award
2004- Book Sense Book of the Year
20050 Rhode Island Teen Book Award

Annotation:
Eragon is a farm boy who finds a dragon egg deep in the woods. Against all the laws of the kingdom, Eragon keeps the egg and raises the dragon hatchling. The king sends out all of his forces to capture Eragon and his dragon and bring them under his control.

Book Talk:
For many long years, there have been whispered tales of Dragon Riders. At one time, Dragon Riders ruled the land. It was said that a dragon and a man were linked together forever. Tales tell of the evil king, Galbatorix. He was a Dragon Rider, and he and 13 other riders revolted, killed the other riders and their dragons. Since that time, Galbatorix has ruled the land unopposed by anyone. No dragons have been seen in over 100 years.

Now, there are new tales being whispered in the land: Tales of a young man named Eragon, and his dragon, Saphira. Tales of how Eragon found a mysterious rock in the mountains that hatched a dragon. Tales of a long thought dead rider, Brom, alive and traveling with Eragon and the dragon. It is whispered that the young man can use magic, and is a strong and cunning fighter.

The fate of the entire country now lies in Eragons’ hands. Will he become a Dragon Rider? Will he join forces with the king? Or will he find the resistance and join forces with those who dare to stand against the king? Find out in Eragon, written by Christopher Paolini.

Author Web Site: www.alagaesia.com