Who Made the Cut?

Each year, a week before Homecoming, Mount Washington High experiences an odd tradition. Copies of a very unusual  List mysteriously appear around the school. On it are the names of two girls from each grade. One girl is named as the prettiest. The other the ugliest. No one knows who started this tradition or how long ago that was. The students have just accepted it as a part of Homecoming. This year is no different. The List is posted. Eight girls are named. This novel by Siobhan Vivian follows these eight girls over the week leading up to the big Game and Dance. Each girl reacts differently to her new title, but not all in the ways you'd expect. So how will they react? How would you?

Although the idea for this book is fantastic, the amount of viewpoints (eight!) makes it hard to follow. Throughout, I had to keep turning back to the beginning of the book where there is a copy of the infamous list to see who was who. Additionally, the abrupt ending gives it an unfinished feeling. Nothing is really resolved. No one really gets closure. This is very frustrating! However, it does keep you reading... --AJL

On No You Didn't! (Oh Yes, You Did!)

When Teens of today are feeling angst-y (or happy) about something, they blog it or update their status or tweet it--all for the world to see. But lacking that sort of advanced technology, the Teens of the past expressed their joys and frustrations in journals and diaries. These were usually kept hidden, their covers scrawled with ominous threats of torture and dismemberment for any who dared invade the sanctity of their sacred pages. But with Cringe, these formerly private musings of long-ago teens are now as available to the public as something posted on Facebook or Twitter. And they're hilarious! True, for many teens, anyone older than 25 is, like, OLD, but open Cringe and you'll see that these geezers were once teenagers just like you. And they had the same issues. Friends, parents, crushes, celebrities, their own private insecurities. No topic is safe from Cringe. Teens will relate...and "old people" will Cringe, remembering their teenage years.

Reviewer's Note: For those of you newly "Old" people, some of the topics in Cringe may still hit a little too close to home. So read with caution.

Don't Get Even, Do THIS!

You know that one person who does that one thing that just irritates you to no end? (You know what I'm talking about). Well, don't get mad. Don't even get even. Express your feelings by leaving them a hostile, yet polite note. They'll know exactly how you feel, and you'll feel better having gotten all than negativity out of your system without resorting to violence. Not sure how to do this? Well then, Passive Aggressive Notes will teach you the specifics of this common, yet hard to master, art form. Once you start expressing your anger and frustration through Passive Aggressive Notes, you'll never want to resort to violence or vandalism again. Imagine if everyone expressed their negative emotions this way. This world would be a much more peaceful place. Ok... Even if that's not true, Passive Aggressive Notes is, at the very least, good for a laugh or two. --AJL

Healing...and Moving On.

On the first night of Summer, Ember's family loses their home in a fire. A fire, Ember suspects, that was set by the boy she thought was her best friend. Ansen's father believes Ember's family are witches...and he's sort of right. But not in the evil, pointy-black-hat, turn-boys-into-toads sense. Ember's family are Wiccans, and her mother suppliments the family's meager income by reading Tarot cards. The worst part is Ember's beloved dog disappeared the night of the fire. And Ember fears the worst. Now homeless, Ember's family moves to a campground where they live in cheap tents. Fearing more fallout if people discover the truth about her family's beliefs, Ember does everything she can not to make new friends. If questioned, she lies about who her family are. About who she is. All the while, Ember works on a revenge spell on Anson. Finally, Ember begins to heal. And she's finally able to move on.

Looking for something really good to read? Try Body of Water, available on both book and audio. --AJL

In the second book in Amanda Hocking's Trylle trilogy, changeling Wendy Everly learns even more about her mysterious past. Wendy shares an uncomfortably close connection with the Vittra, bitter rivals of the Trylle. Wendy is a powerful troll, and both sides want her on their side. Things get really complicated--both politically and romantically. With war between the two clans looming, Wendy has some important choices to make. Whatever she decides will determine whether everything and everyone she has come to love will survive--or be destroyed.

Originally published as ebooks, the Trylle trilogy is as good as, if not better than, most books in its genre (which seem a dime a dozen these days). If you're into paranormal writers like Kelly Armstrong, you'll like this series--AJL

Getting "Smart"

Move over, Alex Rider. Meet Tom Harvey. Tom is jusy an average teenager who finds out what it's really like to have access to unlimited data. Following an accident, fragments of an iPhone become embedded in Tom's brain. Now he can do even more than the average, fully-loaded Smart Phone. But like any superhero, with great powers come great responsibilities. And Tom has an important choice to make: Use his powers for good...or evil.

iBoy is a high-tech sci-fi thriller for the 21st Century. Well worth picking up--or downloading to your e-reader. --AJL

Guide to Life--NOT!

Want to improve your popularity? Land your dream job? Get your crush to notice you? Follow any of these highly-cliche lessons from 50 popular teen movies and you'll be on your way to getting everything you want in no time at all--no matter how much your life sucks right now.  

No, not really.

But packed as it is with snarky snyposes, quotes, quizzes, and fun facts, this hilarious look at popular teen movies is still well worth checking out. Learn what to do if you're ever stuck in detention with five school stereotypes. Why is your crush treating you like you have the plague? Maybe he just doesn't like you--or maybe he's a vampire who's fighting the overwhelming urge to drink your blood. Do opposites really attract? Are extreme makeovers really life-changing? Find out! --AJL