Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Auden is seeking some excitement for the summer between her senior year of high school and first year of college. So when her father invites her to stay with his new wife, and baby at their house on the beach she goes. But she gets more than she bargained for when she learns to deal with past hurts and gets to do-over some rites of passage she missed out on by going to an extremely academic high school. And along the way she learns it doesn’t matter how many times you fall off the bike, as long as you get up and get back on.

Another solid entry from Sarah Dessen. Not as predictable as her last novel, and I thought the characters were more well-rounded too.

Willow by Julia Hoban

Willow has a whole lot of pain, and to keep her emotions in check she cuts. This has been going on for about 7 months, ever since her parents died in a car crash. Willow was driving. When Willow meets Guy, something about him causes her to finally open up emotionally. I felt the relationship between Guy and Willow rang true. The ending came a bit too fast, and things were resolved a little too easily, but this was a poignant novel about grief, first love and cutting.

Classic Crave: House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Gripping. Easy to read and fun to read. Loved it. A definite recommend.

This is the empire of Matteo Alacran, a feudal drug lord in the country of Opium, which lies between the United States and Aztlan, formerly Mexico. Field work, or any menial tasks, are done by “eejits,” humans in whose brains computer chips have been installed to insure docility. Alacran, or El Patron, has lived 140 years with the help of transplants from a series of clones, a common practice among rich men in this world. The intelligence of clones is usually destroyed at birth, but Matt, the latest of Alacran’s doubles, has been spared because he belongs to El Patron. He grows up in the family’s mansion, alternately caged and despised as an animal and pampered and educated as El Patron’s favorite. Gradually he realizes the fate that is in store for him, and with the help of Tam Lin, his bluff and kind Scottish bodyguard, he escapes to Aztlan. There he and other “lost children” are trapped in a more subtle kind of slavery before Matt can return to Opium to take his rightful place and transform his country.

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a young adult book. In fact I just checked, and I went an entire month without reading one. Anyway, we picked this book up on the teen group’s book buying trip and I’d been hearing good things about it so I started it last night and today after I did my chores, I just had to sit down and finish it. It’s one of those books, where you just need to read it.

Here’s the premise – Clay receives seven tapes in an unmarked package. He’s stunned to hear Hannah’s voice on the tapes, as Hannah recently committed sucide. And these are her reasons why, which are being passed to each person who is a part of the story.

There’s the suspense of why Clay received the tapes and what he did to Hannah, as he had a crush on her for the past few years, so he’s at a loss as to why he’s part of her reasons. Then there’s Hannah’s haunting story – which at its heart has the simple message – you really don’t know what’s going on in someone’s life and how your actions can impact another person.

This book is so well-written. It’s sad, but surprisingly I didn’t cry (and really I’m a soft-touch) probably because I was too stunned. This is a powerful book which should be read and discussed. Hopefully it can help another teen who feels there’s no way out, and hopefully it will make people stop and think about their actions.

My copy of the book included an awesome interview with the author – who in his acknowledgements (13 of them) said he was inspired by Chris Crutcher, one my favorite authors. I can hardly wait for Mr. Asher’s next book.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

The perfect resolution to the ending of the saga. Ties up all plot points. Much more interesting and gritter than Eclipse.

Really enjoyed it.

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Well once you read Twilight and New Moon you pretty much have to follow through.

This bogged down a little for me, as how much can you really say about vampires?

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

Saga gets a little more interesting.
Enjoyable and I was quick to devour it as well.

Also read while stuck on a plane. Really got hooked on the series so I had to buy the other two books.

It’s a really good romance, but chaste and also themes of being an outsider and not fitting in.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Came late to the party on this one.
Enjoyed it. A quick read while stuck on a plane.

I could see how it stands alone, but enjoyed the rest of the series as well.

Can’t wait to see the movie.

Twelve Long Months by Brian Malloy

A good young adult novel. It’s a coming of age story, a fish out of water story and more.

Molly moves from Wisconsin to attend Columbia. Her high school crush, Mark is also in NYC. The 12 months in the title refer to the year it takes Molly to get over Mark. I loved the friendship of Molly’s new friends and I thought the author realistically portrayed the life of a college senior and coming into you own.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

I really enjoyed this ya science fiction novel.

It’s well-written and an interesting premise. Four high school students are taken in to custody by the Department of Homeland Security after terrorist attacks in San Francisco. Marcus is interrogated and then returned home after four days, determined to get revenge upon the DHS. Since all communication is being monitored (via the Internet, cameras on the street, people’s Fast Track passes) he creates Xnet using an Xbox.

The author did a great job of creating/updating really a 1984-esqe drama that readers will relate with. Also, I really appreciated the way he gave back story about a particular piece of technology (such as cryptology or the DNS). The book ends with two afterwards – one from a security network and the other from the guy who hacked Xbox. Finally the author lists resources for more information. Very cool stuff.