{angel of death} By Eva Kor and Lisa Rojany Buccieri

Eva grew up in Romania in a family that had a true community outreach.  Her mother was there to help anyone in need.  Her father was a hardworking farmer, known for his reputation of honesty.  Her sisters did well in school.  And Miriam, her twin, would eventually be the one to save her life. 

In the early 10940’s Eva and Miriam’s parents began hearing about the trouble between the Germans and Jews, but didn’t think it would ever reach their small rural farming community.  But it did, and on her 10^th birthday, they were marched to the rail station and taken to Auschwitz, where both tragedy and miracles worked and lived together. 

Josef Mengele was waiting when the trains arrived and with a twitch of his cane, he made choices that killed thousands at people at a time.  But his eye was trained on Eva and Miriam because they were twins.  And he needed them for his experiments…

This is the memoir of a woman who tells her story of survival and torture and ultimate redemption through the eyes of her 10 year old self.  Thousands of children were called Mengele’s twins, but not many survived the excruciating experiments he performed on them.  She and her sister were some of those few.

What a powerful read for young adults.  Teens know about the Holocaust, but this is a book that will take them inside a different part of Auschwitz and a story that hardly gets told.  The voice in this book carries the lilt of an woman re-living those years and how it changed her life completely.  Filled with haunting photographs, her story mixes well with them to bring the reader into the horror of the barracks and living conditions children  were forced to live in from the moment they were separated from their family and lives.   The appealing aspect of this non-fiction book is that the reader sees the suffering of concentration camp life through the filter of a child’s eyes, not that of an adult, which can be much more graphic in de

{Accomplice} Finn and Chloe have been best friends since fourth grade.  They live next door to each other, stay at each others homes – one would even say they’re like sisters, finely tuned into each others’ families and lifestyles.  Chloe is the beautiful one, the one who everyone revolves around.  Finn is more down-to-earth; a local girl who befriended the city girls when she moved in.

Now they’re juniors in high school and fast approaching what it’ll take to get into an ivy-league school and all the pressures that come with it.  It doesn’t leave the girls a lot of time, but enough time for Chloe to flirt with Dean and Finn to help her.  They had enough time for them to still watch television and the drama that unfolded on the L.A. Price show when Margaret Cook came home after being abducted.  The girls had enough time to plan…

Applying to get into a prestigious university is one thing; getting in is another completely different beast, and Chloe and Finn know that.  After hearing their counselor reiterate the fact that what they’re doing now in the small town of Colt River has no bearing on them actually getting in, and hearing as well the statistics of how many students across the nation apply and how many actually get in leaves the girls, but Chloe especially, in a spiral of desperation.  And with enough time on their hands and a seed of inspiration, the girls create a scenario that will definitely make them stand out.  Months of meticulous planning, and the show is about to begin…

What Finn doesn’t realize is that eleven days will take its toll on her.  While Chloe’s abduction goes into full swing, Finn sees the brunt of it and the impact it’s taking not only on her hometown, but on individuals themselves.  But how far is too far?  When does it stop being a game and start being real? 

A great novel from a great YA author, Corrigan puts her signature on this book.  The reader is hooked on page one and the pages continue to flip until the final moment on the last page.  The hook happens not only with the fullness of the character, but with the situation as well.  What the main characters find fascinating, the reader sees the nightmare behind it from a classmate’s to a parent’s perspective.  This is a fast paced white-knuckle book where the reader gets to live through the perpetrators’ actions and watch the victims’ emotional and mental breakdowns.  Recommended.  Available August 2010: Scholastic

{freeze} Kyle is obsessed with rewriting Scene Three. He's done it Tarantino style, Hitchcock style...but nothing seems to work. It's because he's blocked out what really happened, and all he wants to do is forget it ever did. What happened? It was the day he killed his best friend.

Jason and Kyle have been friends since they were little, but high school has changed their friendship. While Kyle seems to have stayed true to himself, he feels Jason has changed - he's moved into the jetset life of a football player and now there's little time shared between the two.

One weekend, after breakfast, Kyle and Jason find themselves in the old shed in the backyard. And in that shed, they find an old pistol...and that's where Kyle is stuck in his mind movie.

Life takes a decidedly different twist for Kyle, not only in his personal life, but at school and with his probation officer as well. After what happened, Kyle can't forgive himself and feels he deserves any punishment that comes to him. When he goes to court though, he can't believe the verdict. And once again, Kyle finds himself trapped at home, in his mind...all with the reality that he killed someone. But did he do it on purpose or was it truly an accident?

Heidi Ayarbe writes an incredibly compelling book about the actions, reactions and consequences of two guy's lives. Kyle becomes a real person the reader not only sees in flashbacks, but in real time, as well as what goes on inside Kyle's head. The other characters in the book not only act as a backdrop to understanding Kyle, but are strong characters as well, from his little sister to Jason's brother, to the parents involved. This is a page turner where the reader will want to know what Kyle's ending will be to the movie scene that continually runs in his mind. Recommended.

{oh} Phoebe Castro loves three things in her life - her two best friends, Nola and Cesca; running; and her chances of going to USC on a full ride scholarship. But things take a different course when her mother comes back from Greece in tow with a nuew husband and a decision that she and Phoebe are moving to Greece during Phoebe's senior year, and Phoebe is LIVID!!

But what Phoebe doesn't realize is that she's not just going to any old Greek island...she's going to Serfopoula and to a very unique school...one that caters to the elite around the world, which goes beyond money and power. The elite? Descendents of the gods - and Phoebe is the only nothos on campus.

She doesn't make friends easily either. Her step-sister Stella hates her, and worst of all, Phoebe's crushing on the god of gods, Griffin, who treats her life an insect. And then there's Adara, THE queen goddess of the campus. Add to this the accelerated classes, homesickness, and trying to keep up with her running with the demi-gods, and Phoebe is wearing down quickly. She doesn't fit in with any of the cliques at school (separated by which god they're related to) and looks forward to the day she can IM her two besties. Can she make the year and fly back to California, or will she be stuck on a Greek island filled with uptight teens with unique powers and a lack of hospitality?

What a great read for teens!! Light, funny, romantic, this book will appeal to those girls who can't get enough romance in their hands. Childs pulls from mythological past and blends it with the 21st century in a fun read that will please the chick-lit crowd. It was just what I needed in my reading repertoire - nothing heavy, but something that made me feel like wings on Achilles' heels. Recommended.

{dope} Not quite realistic fiction, not quite alternate reality, Myers bring Lil J to life not only by his deeds and actions, but how he reacts to Kelly, a man with an unusual gift and a television that can show Lil J certain moments in his life. Posing a question, Kelly asks Lil J if he could change one day, which would it be? And there is when the reader sees Lil J's life in full color: from the decisions he makes, to the way he feels, to where he is now. But what will ultimately happen to him?
This is a tale of the hood I've never really encountered before, and although short, it's a powerful read. It will most assuredly have appeal to YA readers, from the reluctant readers to those who read voraciously.

{shiver} Grace remembers a certain episode in her life when she was little in Mercy Falls, Minnesota. Surrounded by wolves and blood…and the beautiful yellow eyes of her wolf. Now, at 17, Grace still loves the howls of the wolves in the woods behind her house and can always catch a glimpse of her wolf – only by his eyes.

But Grace’s world isn’t perfect. She has parents who prefer their careers over their daughter and her friendship with Olivia and Rachel is slowly crumbling because of Grace’s obsession with wolves. And then, Jack disappears and hunters are out looking to kill the pack.

Grace would do anything to save her wolf…even if that means putting herself in danger. And when that happens, her wolf saves her and shows himself as Sam, a dangerous secret revealed. Now, it’s up to Grace to try to save Sam from transforming again, but with the weather getting colder and colder, the more time they lose until his final transformation.

Teens are in the midst of reading and gobbling up any book that deals with vampires and werewolves, and Maggie Stiefvater’s new book will be a welcome edition to their reading repertoire. Filled with werewolves, action, and romance, YA readers will keep turning the pages to find out what happens between Grace and Sam, which shows itself only at the end. No peeking allowed!!

{reality} Cody’s in his junior year in high school in Colorado. He’s looking at a full-time scholarship to college, and dating the most perfect girl in town. Clea and Cody may come from different backgrounds, but they both know they were meant to be together. That is, until Clea’s very wealthy father decides to intervene.
To keep them apart, Clea is shipped first to Hong Kong, and then to a private boarding school in Vermont. Cody sees his world slowly shifting, especially after a severe knee injury that takes him off the scouting and recruiting list. With an alcoholic father at home, life takes and downward spiral, and Cody drops out of school to take on a full-time job with the local lumber yard.
But it takes a new report about the disappearance of Clea to push Cody out of his spiral. He immediately makes plans to drive to Vermont to find Clea, dead or alive, and his mission takes him into a mysterious cover-up and some very dangerous people.
Abrahams delivers a powerful YA mystery that unfolds itself slowly at first, but gains momentum with each page turned. In an area of genres for teens that is lacking, this book belongs on the top shelf of YA mystery. Teens can see the real-life situation of the main character as he charges head first into a dangerous arena that is all too real in teens’ lives as well. Recommended.

{sleepless} Something is happening to the students at Saint Opportuna High in the small town of Sea Cliff. But they don't know it yet....

Emma has just moved to the small town of Sea Cliff after her mother died. After ten months, she has adjusted to life there, tutoring a cheerleader, crushing on the local mechanic guy, Jake, living next door to spooky Mrs. Dupre, a fortuneteller, and trying hard to understand why she sleepwalks. She and Jake also hold a terrible secret with Lily, Duncan, Caitlin and their teacher, Dr. Beecher. It happened when they went to New Orleans for a Habitat service project, and it's a secret they've sworn to keep. Each week they meet at Dr. Beecher's house to discuss art and its messages, but everyone still has their own personal nightmares they harbor.

Their nightmares soon take second seat to what is happening in front of them to the students at their high school. One dies in a fatal car wreck, then not long afterward, two more die...and a lot of students confess they can't sleep as well. But when one of their friends in Emma and Jake's inner circle dies, the feeling of horror and nightmare come full force right in front of them. Questions they keep asking are what is causing this? Did something from New Orleans follow them home? Can any of what's happening be fully and rationally explained? But the closer they come to those questions, the more dangerous they put their lives on the line...and for one, it may be too late.

Thomas Fahy has easily transitioned himself from adult to young adult author without "dummying down" his work. Like his first YA novel, Unspoken, Fahy's style never loses its suspense, but keeps the reader turning the pages until the finale. What readers may see when they open an adult horror suspense is still found within the pages of Fahy's YA novels, but not as openly graphic as an adult novel. But the essence is still there.... Teens who enjoy reading horror and losing themselves to the gripping nature of suspense will find this novel perfect for them.

{coffee} Need a book to read during the coldest part of the year? Something to add to your winter fiction? Here's one to display, read and booktalk!

Katrina lives in a part of Washington state known for its Scandinavian heritage, quaint shops, and people who still eat traditional Scandinavian dishes that one doesn't see just anywhere. But amidst all this quaintness, lies a girl who doesn't really know what to do with herself and has no direction but to work beside her grandmother toting old-world coffee to even older men. And what really gets her worked up is the updated, modern Starbucks-esque coffeeshop right next door, where everyone goes for the latest macchiatto, latte, and cappuccino, as well as free wi-fi.

But Katrina has loyal friends, especially Vincent, the star swimmer at school. They've been friends forever, but things are beginning to change...

One night Katrina helps a street bum out with some hot coffee and old danish, and the next day the bum (aka Malcolm, a hot guy in a kilt!) shows up at school embarrassing Katrina with his duty to grant her deepest desire in the middle of a pep rally. And then the fun begins....

What does a person desire most? Fame? Wealth? Love? Katrina has to make some tough choices, and three little coffee beans are the only thing that can give her what she desires most. Is it revenge against the mega coffee-opolis next door? How about breaking up Vincent and his barbie girlfriend, Heather? What about Grandma's health or her rising debt?

Selfours has written a light, frothy, foamy, cup of chick lit that has some substance beneath the froth. Selfours combines elements of modern-day romance that girls crave with some fairy-tale (think Jack and the Beanstalk) mixed in, all centering around relationships and entrepreneurship. Angels, best friends, huge rats, and competition make for an enjoyable read. The message is simple: Follow the golden rule and you never know...there may be angels among us...

Rowan looks back at her life and realizes how great it was. Mum was happy, Dad was home, Jack glued the family together, and Stroma, her little sister, was...well, just Stroma. But that all changed when Jack died.

Rowan looks at her life now and realizes how impossibly hard it's getting. Mum doesn't talk, eat or even recognize she has other children. Dad moved about a few months ago, Jack...well, he's dead and Rowan can't think about that because now she has to care for her six-year old precocious little sister Stroma in everything.

But one day, that all changes when a stranger with a lop-sided grin gives her a negative that he believes belongs to her. And that one act of kindess begins a chain reaction of lives intersecting, all through chance, and how one lost life impacts so many.

{broken} Rowan looks at her days and doesn't see breakfast, a beautiful concoction of lovely flowers, hot toast, oatmeal, and orange juice in a clean glass cup, but rather she sees everything floating together, mashed up, messed up, mixed up...broken soup...

What a great read!! Valentine's characters float off the pages and into your heart. Bee, Sonny, Carl; Stroma, Harper and Rowan; even Jack are enormously full characters that will grab at your heart strings and have you hoping against hope for good things to happen. This is a fast read but one that will continue to shape characters into their true selves to the very end. Highly recommended.