But all is not as it seems. Laura’s father is acting stranger and stranger, and Laura and Rose are about to make their Try to find out if they will become dreamhunters themselves. The girls’ charmed life is quickly spinning out of control and they soon have a dire mystery to solve.

The pacing on this novel is a little slow at times, but the premise is so interesting and the world so compelling that I plowed through and was rewarded with cliffhanger of an ending. The good news is that Book Two is already out and was named a Printz Honor book this year so I won’t have to wait to find out what happens next and the story is only going to get better. If you love fantasy, especially ones by Garth Nix and Libba Bray, you’ll definitely enjoy this imaginative and spellbinding tale by Elizabeth Knox.

Kiriel sets out to experience all he can of life before he is caught and sent back. He revels in the details, the taste of ketchup, the feel of writing with a pencil, the sound of traffic. He wants to test all the 7 deadly sins to find out what the big deal is, and in the space of a couple days realizes why humans get so worked up with jealousy, lust, wrath and the rest.

The book is funny, poignant, and ultimately life-affirming as the demon makes your realize all you take for granted in your own life. So why do I feel conflicted about the book being honored by the Printz committee? Well I agree the book is very good, and asks a lot of interesting questions, but I’m not sure I agree it was one of the top 5 best YA books of the year. Still, I’m glad the book is getting recognition, because it is a fun read and one that will make you count your blessings.

It would be easy to detest someone that brutally honest and snobbish. And yet I found myself continually cutting him slack, in part because I felt sorry for his obvious social anxiety and, also because his character flaws are interesting and complicated in the grand tradition of Holden Caufield. Like Holden, James rejects those who try to help him (his parents, his psychiatrist), believing them to be more interested their own wants than in listening to him. Like Holden, he has one family member who truly gets him, in his case, his grandmother. Like Holden, his few attempts to reach out to the world fail–often spectacularly as when he tries his hand at expressing his attraction to a coworker and when he is chosen to go to Washington D.C. to represent New York at a national student program about the government.

With beautiful metaphors and a true sense of “voice,” Peter Cameron tells a compelling story about a young man failing to thrive in the modern world. You may not know first hand the kind of anxiety and depression that James feels, but this story will help you identify with, understand, and empathize with him.

Despite the inspiration, Butler’s vampire romance is quite different than most in its class. At the book’s opening, the main character, Shori, wakes up badly burned, shot, and clueless as to who she is our how she got there. She is picked up by a local who assumes she is a preteen girl from the look of her, but by her actions proves she is far more experienced than her appearance. He and Shori quickly figure out she is a vampire, but not the kind legend suggests. Together they begin unraveling the pieces of her life before, discovering that she is genetic experiment within the vampire community and uncovering a dangerous plot to destroy her and her family.

The novel isn’t a page burner. It asks too many important questions about race, sexuality, gender, and individuality to skim read. But if you like your science fiction thought-provoking and philosophically challenging, you’ll enjoy this dramatic, disturbing, and powerful read.

This is a really quick read with snappy dialogue and some very funny moments. While Bliss seems to be trying a little too hard to be a snarky hip-chick, she does sound authentic to me, like a teen trying desperately to be cool…for that I could forgive her. The book covers standard teenage fare of love and betrayal, but in a setting and scenario that is fresh. A great pick for something fun to read on the beach or a rainy day.

Deanna is now sixteen and regretting the choices she has made. Her father hasn’t really spoken to her since that night, and Tommy has ruined her reputation by telling his friends what they did. At school her only protection from the slurs and inuendo are her best friends Jason and Lee, who are now dating because she set them up. This development has left her feeling jealous and even more isolated. Her consolation is her older brother, who still lives at home with his girlfriend and their baby April. When she is with them, Deanna feels needed and loved and she formulates a plan to earn money so they can all move out of their parents’ depressing, loveless home. Toward this end, she finds a job, but what she doesn’t count on is getting a job where she’ll have to see Tommy every day.

Going into this book, I expected it to be sort of a sappy, after-school special kind of story. But I am happy to report this novel is nothing of the sort; it is honest and moving and a compelling look at the effects of physical and emotional abuse on a young girl.

Maureen Johnson has actually written a lot of books for young adults (including the awesome Keys to the Golden Firebird) and this is one of her strongest. The main character is Ginny, a 17-year old with an artist aunt who is important to her but often absent. During her last disappearance to Europe, Ginny’s aunt is diagnosed with brain cancer and dies. But in a typical move, her adventure-loving aunt leaves her 13 envelopes with very specific instructions to open them in order and follow the instructions before opening the next one. These instructions send her on a merry chase through London, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, and Greece. She finds herself tracing the steps her aunt took, finding the people her aunt met, and trying to piece together what it is her aunt wanted her to learn. While Ginny struggles to find answers, she starts to ask questions about herself and her own priorities.

All in all, it is a fun, fast read with lots of great travel descriptions. And in case you’re wondering, my blurb for the Nerdfighters was:
“An archetypal artist challenges her hesitating niece to seek adventure.”
To read more blurbs, go to: http://nerdfighters.ning.com/main/search/search?q=blurbing+book+club.

If you like your characters funny and smart, you’re gonna love this cast of misfit characters. Colin Singleton is a former childhood prodigy already washed up at the age of 17, who has been dumped by 19 girls named Katherine. His math genius buddy Hassan (who refuses to go to college–he’d rather watch Judge Judy) takes Colin on a roadtrip to get over his latest dumping. They find their way to Gutshot, Tennessee where the (not-Katherine) Lindsay helps Colin sort out his life…and he hers. The book asks all sorts of interesting questions about life, love, and what really matters…and lets you laugh along the way.