Coming soon...

Check back to hear about Miss Barnes' adventures at the American Library Association conference in Washington, D.C. Learn about the authors she met and all the free books she scored!

For now, a picture of her with Printz-award winning author Marcus Zusak.

Book Review - Rats Saw God, by Rob Thomas

Rats Saw God, by Rob Thomas
You know that singer that used to be in Matchbox 20? He did not write this book. Hope that doesn't disappoint any of you! The person who wrote this book is another Rob Thomas, and indeed the same Rob Thomas that created the television show Veronica Mars. Awesome. Eighteen-year-old Steve York is a burn-out and a huge disappointment to his father, a famous astronaut. He's one English credit short of finishing up high school in San Diego, but his school's guidance counselor has found a way for him to regain that credit and graduate on time. How? He must write 100 pages. Steve ends up writing about his sophomore and junior years in high school, when he went from top-notch student to...well...a burn-out: his participation in GOD (Grace Order of Dadaists), his relationship with fellow GOD-er Wanda - "Dub", and living with his dad in Houston. This book is possibly one of the smartest-written books for teens I have ever read, and I mean that in the best of ways. There were at least three words in there that I'd never seen before! The characters are witty and daring, but also awkward and sweet. I was able to see glimpes of the Veronica Mars world of Neptune High, in Grace High (Houston's public high school), populated with teens that break the common stereotypes like jock and nerd. There's no stereotype for someone as unique as Steve York, or teen private investigator Veronica Mars.

This is a book that is way better than the cover suggests, so check it out!

* * * * (four stars)

Breaking News!

The Quill Awards, which go to the best books as voted on by publishers, librarians, and readers, are now entering their third year. The nominees for best young adult book were announced earlier this week. They are:

American Born Chinese
Written by Gene Luen Yang
Published by First Second Books

The Green Glass Sea
Written by Ellen Klages
Published by Viking

Incantation
Written by Alice Hoffman
Published by Little, Brown and Company

Life as We Knew It
Written by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Published by Harcourt Books

Sold
Written by Patricia McCormick
Published by Hyperion Books

I am happy to say that I have read three of these titles: American Born Chinese, Life As We Knew It, and The Green Glass Sea. And, if you've been by the library recently, you'll know that our teen summer reading selection for Mission: Read is Life As We Knew It. Pretty neat!

Book Review - Dangerously Alice, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Dangerously Alice

It's here. Well, almost. I actually had to interlibrary loan the book because the Homewood copy wasn't ready quite yet. The latest installment in Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's beloved "Alice" series hit bookstore and library shelves two weeks ago. Yay! For those of you unfamiliar with the series, it started when titular character Alice McKinley was in elementary school, and has followed her growth up into adolescence, in over a dozen novels. At the beginning of their junior year, Alice and her longtime good friends Pamela and Elizabeth find themselves at odds with and judged by some of their old crowd. The book follows Alice's many attempts to shake her goody two-shoes image. Perpetually portrayed at falling somewhere in between the religious, rather innocent Elizabeth, and the adventurous, spunk Pamela, Alice flirts with "dangers" like riding a motorcycle, going to a dance with an older guy, and "running away" for a newspaper article. For the first time in the series, Alice becomes a little sassy, and it gives the book an interesting twist. Just how much will she sass her stepmother - the teacher she once set up with her father - and just how far will she go in proving she's no wuss?

Naylor has legions of fans boasting their love and appreciation of the "Alice" titles, and surely, this one will not disappoint.

* * * *
(four stars)

Book Review - Anatomy of a Boyfriend, by Daria Snadowsky

There's just something about reading a whole book in one sitting. One, it has to be a really, really good book for this to be an enjoyable experience. (So that means that when I read the 800-page Mysteries of Udolpho in one sitting during college, I wasn't enjoying myself.) When the book is so good you don't take a pee break and keep putting off dinner, well, that's really something.

Anatomy of a Boyfriend, the debut novel by Daria Snadowsky, is just that good. Dominique, known to her friends as Dom, goes after what she wants. A senior in high school, she's only applying to the top schools in the country, hoping to go pre-med, and she's on the Science Quiz team. Wes is the first guy she's ever wanted that's available, but getting together with him isn't easy. He's as hesitant, nervous, and unexperienced as she. This book is very similar to Judy Blume's Forever. In its unwavering honesty, it is true to the teenager experience, not leaving out any of the details. This book is flying off the shelves at libraries (I've waited months to get my hands on it, and I'm the librarian!), and for good reason. You'll laugh, cringe, and maybe cry a little bit, following Dom through the end of her senior year and on to college.

Check out this neat thing they put online - build a boyfriend!

* * * * *
(five stars)

Book Review - Cures for Heartbreak, by Margo Rabb

Fourteen-year-old Mia's mother goes to the hospital one day complaining of a stomachache. Twelve days later, after learning she had cancer, she dies. "Cures for Heartbreak" follows Mia through her mother's brief illness and the aftermath, which holds further tragedy. Despite the great deal of sadness that is in this book, I still found myself laughing and smiling so often at Mia's insights and the way she navigates the world, her family downsized to just her father and sister. Each chapter of the story could easily function as a short story, but combined, the chapters turn the book into a powerful statement about what it is to be human in the face of great loss. "Cures of Heartbreak" is laugh-out-loud funny, but also realistic, moving, and even romantic.

* * * * * (five stars)

Opening this weekend

The movie The Invisible, which opens in theaters this weekend, is actually based on a young adult novel! The book The Invisible by Matt Wahl, set in Sweden and now translated to English, is about high school student Hilmer Erikkson who goes to class one day only to realize that he is invisible. But that's not all. His class is visited by a detective who wants to talk about his disappearance. If you're a fan of mysteries or found yourself enjoying The Lovely Bones</span> by Alice Sebold, you might want to check out this book and movie!