Triangle

Triangle, by Katharine Weber [adult Fiction]

by Melanie, entering 12th grade

The novel begins with a flashback to the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Then the reader is back in the present tense reading about a man named George who writes music based on DNA and the amino-acid sequences of polypetides. Weird? Yes, very. As the book progresses, George’s partner Rebecca enters, along with her grandmother, who was a survivor of the horrific Triangle Shirtwaist Facotry fire in 1911.

Weber uses an interesting method of combining multiple points of view — one page you will be thinking as George, and the Rebecca will be visiting her grandmother. Also contained in the novel are very long passages detailing George’s work with composing music, newspaper articles, court records, interview notes, and more. Overall, it was an interesting plot and executed in a very different way than the “norm” format for novels. The author does not do an efficient job of concluding the book, and leaves the reader with many questions.

Summer in the City

Summer in the City, by Elizabeth Chandler [on order for YA section]

by Melanie, entering 12th grade

Jamie’s parents are divorced and she decides to spend the summer with her mom in Baltimore. The book begins with an intriguing encounter with a boy in drag, and moves on from there.

Classic chick lit with less predictability than most. Elizabeth Chandler is one of my favorite teen authors; her books are always very realistic even if some scenarios are very unlikely to happen. This is a really good, fun, quick summer read.

I also recommend the Dark Secrets series by Elizabeth Chandler.

Dreamland

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen [YA Fiction]
by Melanie, entering 12th grade

Caitlin has always lived under the shadow of her “perfect” older sister Cass. Cass just ran away from everything, weeks before she was supposed to go to college. Now Caitlin is left to pick up the pieces and have the attention of her mother for the first time.

Another classic Sarah Dessen book — as I am reading more and more of her books, I’ve noticed that they’re all written in the same basic format. The book deals with abusive relationships and it was somewhat unrealistic. It comes very unexpectedly — you read about one or two incidents and then by the end of the book she is a battered girl.

Hands Off! Volume 1

Hands off! Volume 1, by Katsumoto Kasane  [library does not own]

by Marina, entering 8th grade

Hands off! is a manga with three guy main characters. It has a lot of action, but not necessarily set to the boy audience. When Kotaru and Tatsuki were young, they touched hands, and Kotaru supposedly gave Tatsuki ESP. Now Tatsuki can see the past, yet when he touches Kotaru, it becomes clearer. Kotaru has no idea he gave it to him/that he has it himself. Kotaru transferred from his home in a more rural area, due to trouble with bullies at school, to Tokyo to live with his cousin, Tatsuki, and his grandfather. Even though this is not a mystery series, they still do solve some. Kotaru’s feminine face can get him into trouble a lot and it’s up to Yuuto (best friend) and Tatsuki to save him. I highly recommend the series.

Maximum Ride, the Angel Experiment

Maximum Ride, the Angel Experiment, by James Patterson [YA Fiction]

by Marina, entering 8th grade

This was one amazing book. It was written by James Patterson, who is normally an adult writer, but this was obviously teen-oriented. Max and her “flock” are a group of kids who escaped from The School, a horrendous lab where they were created. The kids were genetically spliced when they were born, and grew great, feathered wings out of their backs. The School did horrible things to them, so they found a way to escape. When their safe haven is destroyed by their pursuers, they are forced to leave and travel cross-country (flying, of course) learning some secrets about their purpose and who they are along the way. A definite page turner. I couldn’t put it down till I was done. It was such a hit, it inspired its own soundtrack. You can listen to parts of it at http://www.maximumride.com. You’ll regret not reading it.

Sorcerers & Secretaries, Volume 1

Sorcerers & Secretaries, Volume 1, by Amy Kim Ganter [YA manga]
by Marina, entering 8th grade

Sorcerers & Secretaries was an interesting manga. The main character is shy and bookish. She dreams and imagines an elaborate fairytale, and then writes it down in her dream log. She also likes reading fairytales, but she doesn’t admit it to her friends and family because it makes her seem immature. After reading a little into the story, you realize the main characters are 18 +. Then, one of her supposed old friends shows up, and something deep and forgotten develops. It’s a great read and a good, short, manga series (only 2 books long)

The Girls they Left Behind

The Girls they Left Behind, by Bernice Thurman Hunter [YA Fiction]
by Melanie, entering 12th grade

Beryl, or as she likes to be called, Natalie, is a young woman growing up in Canada during World War II. You read her diary entries as she makes too many trips to train stations to say good-bye, begins work in a factory making Misquitos (airplanes) and as she corresponds with her cousin who is overseas.

This was one of the most realistic historical fiction books I have ever read. It is also a different point of view, as not many history classes focus on Canada’s involvement in World War II. A quick, easy read that is well-written.

My Sister’s Wedding

My Sister’s Wedding, by Hannah R. Goodman [YA Fiction]

by Melanie, entering 12th grade

Maddie is 15 years old and dealing with a very dysfunctional family and having difficulties with her friends and boyfriend. Her sister is an alcoholic about to get married, and her two best friends are going out with each other and thinking about having sex for the first time. Also her boyfriend’s father just died. So she has a lot of issues on her plate and you follow her as she tries to cope with everything.

This was a surprisingly complex book for being so short. The author puts every problem and situation imaginable into these 100 pages, including teen sex, alcoholism, verbal and physical abuse, family and friend problems, bad relationships, friendship, and meeting a new boy. Most people with dysfunctional families can probably relate to Maddie.

Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte [YA Fiction]
by Monica, entering 12th grade

I have to say, I liked this book, and I didn’t mind that it was required summer reading. The characters were well-developed, and, even though the dialogue sounded dense, the words hit their mark. That is, the words carried a very precise meaning and did a great job of getting the message across. Also, from Jane’s childhood to her time as a governess to her marriage, the book reveals and challenges many of the customs and prejudices of Victorian English society. Some people, and I am one of them, hesitate to read “classical” novels because we think them to be over-the-top and boring. But some classics, and Jane Eyre is one of them, do hold the reader’s attention and really are enjoyable books.

Rakkety Tam

Rakkety Tam, by Brian Jacques [YA Fiction]
by Monica, entering 12th grade

Rakkety Tam is a squirrel warrior committed to fighting the army of Gulo the Savage, who eats the creatures he kills. As before, Brian Jacques creates several plot lines which divide and merge incredibly smoothly. The result is a book that is nearly impossible to put down.

Brian Jacques is one writer who knows how to paint with words. Admittedly, it is really strange to imagine a bunch of mice, squirrels, moles, otters, etc., running around talking, going on adventures, and warring against evil. But the reader can easily visualize and come to love the characters that Jacques creates. Everyone is entirely believable and appropriately complex. Every book is wonderful.