White Cat by Holly Black

Holly Black has crafted an intricate and terrifying world that I wouldn't want to live in but I sure love reading about. The character of Cassel is clever, and self-deprecating; you can't help but root for him (even when you think he is a killer). The plot was truly suspenseful and surprising. I was on the edge of my seat as Cassel discovers the truth about his life and the people around him.
Incredibly well written! 
This book is a perfect example of why I need to wait until a series is finished before reading. I so desperately want the next book in the series but will have to wait until Red Glove is published in April 2011. I listened to this book on audio and loved the reader. Jesse Eisenberg did a great job.

You can find North Shelby's copy of White Cat in the Young Adult Department on the 2nd Floor.

From the product description:

"Cassel comes from a family of curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen. 

Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love -- or death -- and your dreams might be more real than your memories."

Book Review - Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reason’s Why has been on my “to read” list for a long time. But the truth is I kept putting it off and finding other books to read first. Why? I knew the subject matter was going to be pretty grim. Asher’s debut novel centers around Clay Jensen, a high school student who just received a mysterious package with no return address. Inside Clay finds 7 cassette tapes and when he plays them he hears the voice of Hannah, a girl from school who committed suicide. “I hope you’re ready, because I’m about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you’re listening to these tapes, you’re one of the reasons why…” As Clay spends an agonizing evening listening to Hannah’s last words and discovering his place in her tale the reader is enveloped in Asher’s vividly drawn world. This incredibly moving story exposes how connected our lives are to one another and sheds a light on the harsh realities of high school, gossip, and the lasting effects of suicide on those left behind. I wish I had read this book sooner, that I hadn’t put it off. I could have been recommending this book to people months ago. I hope Thirteen Reasons Why finds its way on to the required reading list of every high school. This is a book that needs to be read.

For more information visit the book's official website.

From product description:
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay’s dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

Book Review - Intertwined by Gena Showalter

I'm one of those people that can't really sleep when I stay in a hotel, so I always take a stack of books to keep me company. Last week, I was in Huntsville for the ALLA (Alabama Library Association) Convention - which was awesome - and was able to read a couple of books that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I had previously been unfamiliar with Gena Showalter's work, which includes both adult and young adult audiences and is well know for her action packed paranormal romances. I have to say that I am now a fan after reading Intertwined. The book was such a treat! This book starts with a bang as you immediately meet one of the central characters, sixteen year old Aden Stone, and the other souls living in his head as he has inadvertently entered a cemetery. Which is a major "Oops" due to his ability to raise the dead by simply being around them. I felt a connection with each of the characters that truly made me care about what happened to each one and how each will resolve their problems. This book is the first in a series and the second, Unraveled, will be hitting the shelves August 31st! For more information visit Gena Showalter's website.

From School Library Journal:
Grade 8 Up—Aden Stone is not your typical 16-year-old. Since birth he has had four souls trapped within him that possess special powers: the ability to time travel, raise the dead, possess a body, and predict the future. As a result, he has spent his whole life in and out of mental institutions diagnosed as a violent schizophrenic. Now able to control the voices in his head, Aden has moved to Crossroads, OK, to live in a halfway house for delinquent boys. His goal in life is to find a means to free these souls and at last be at peace. When he meets Mary Ann Gray, she miraculously acts as a neutralizer, and for the first time in his life, he truly feels normal. The two become fast friends, establishing a sibling-type bond. Little do they realize that when they first met, their connection sent a power surge throughout the world drawing every paranormal creature from fairies to vampires to Crossroads on a quest for power. To complicate matters, Aden becomes romantically involved with a vampire princess and Mary Ann with her werewolf bodyguard. Together the teens must figure out a way to protect themselves, and all of humanity. This fast-paced, action-driven plot has many unexpected twists and turns. Well written, with a unique story line and strong characters, Intertwined is fresh and original at a time when there is an overload of paranormal romances on the market.—Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY
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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - Review

Review contributed by Brent C.

This book is quite deceptive, it starts slow and centers on characters whom you really don't care about nor have any emotion invested in. You keep expecting the 'whammo' from the Holocaust to hit you over the head just as you're internally wincing over the sure-to-come descriptions of how stark, colorless and horrible those days in Germany were.

Not to say those things aren't present, not at all. But the realization comes without warning or preamble that you DO care about the characters and as the pages come to an end you want to hear more about that stark, colorless, horrible world.

The narration winds it's way around the prose in a beautiful way, the author has a voice that's at once soothing and horrifying. There's a beauty in the author's choice of words here, although it's hard to explain I want more of it.

The story itself is beautiful and simple. It's simply about a small girl and her adopted family and how they come to terms with their lives and how they impact others in Nazi Germany.

We may haunt the narrator, but his story will haunt me for a long time to come.

(From Product Description):
It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

Book Review of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Last week I read Becca Fitzpatrick's debut novel, Hush, Hush. I have to say that I really, really enjoyed this book. It's a young adult paranormal, yet it manages to stand out from the pack. Now, having said that: I kept having to remind myself that the characters were teenagers. I was sucked into this story from the beginning and stayed up to finish the book in one night. It's edgier than Twilight and goes in a different direction with the paranormal aspect. There are definite dark and dangerous undertones througout the novel. The main characters, Patch and Nora, were well developed, although Patch is more in line with a typical Anne Stuart hero or "gamma hero." I'm still not exactly sure where he falls in the good/evil spectrum... The action was constant, and although I took issue with some of the choices that Nora made --- it made for a fabulous story!!! Seriously, if you are looking for a fun escapist read - this is the book for you!

From Product Description:

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment. But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel. For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Teen Book Reviews by Briana R.

I read this book, Room Redo, by Julia De Villers. This book is about the TOO Crew girls (claire, Maddy, Isabel, and Kacey) that get the opportunity to get their bedrooms re-decorated. The TOO Crew and two other girls (Piper and Sierra) have to redo each others bedrooms. After they redo each others, they get to reveal their bedrooms to each other and their friends. At the end of the book, Maddy gets to have a sleepover in her new bedroom with all of her friends. I recommend this book because I loved the book and the whole series by Julia De Villers. It has a great storyline of four best friends and their adventures.

I read this book, Surprise Sleepover, by Julia DeVillers. It is about four best friends, called the TOO Crew, that is invited for a sleepover at the mall with a lot of other girls their age. All the girls have a princess theme for the sleepover because of a movie that all the girls love that is coming out. One of the actors from the movie comes out to the mall and sings for all of the girls. They get to have a scavenger hunt, prizes, food, and samples from the store Limited Too. I recommend this book because it has a great storyline of four best friends. Any girl who has close best friends can relate to this story.

I read this book, True Teamwork, by Julia DeVillers. This book is about the four best friends- Claire, Maddy, Kacey and Isabel- trying to decide what music band will be singing at a music concert. The four grils are wanting the music band INSPIRED to sing, but three other girls want another band called POSE. They are having to make up a presentation to convince the audience which one will be at the concert. At the end of both of the presentations, the group INSPIRED is picked to sing at the concert. I would recommend this book becase it is an awesome book to read. It is very interesting to read. This book is part of a series that is really good.

I read this book, The Great Green Notebook of Katie Roberts, by Amy Hest. This book is about a 12 year old girl, named Katie. This book is more like a journal or a diary of Katie Roberts. It says all of her daily activities as a 12 year old girl who goes to school. Throughout the book, she says all of her boy crushes, her adventures of being a tutor, going to a dance at her school and many more. I recommend this book because any 12 year old girl can relate to her and her adventure. This book is also very interesting.