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Posts Tagged ‘high school drama’

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A Librarian Reads Firelight

Monday, October 4th, 2010

Cover for FirelightFirelight by Sophie Jordan

Jacinda is not your typical sophomore. Yes, she does have a twin named Tamra. But they couldn’t be more different. Tamra embraces high school life. She is outgoing, dresses up, and wants to be a cheerleader.

Jacinda on they other hand keeps to herself. First of all she hates the dry heat of the desert in which they live. She is constantly rubbing lotion on her skin, seeking any sort of moisture. She also looks longingly at the lush grass of the local golf course. Then there is Jacinda’s affinity for gems. To top it off, whenever she gets flustered or threatened her body temperature rises and steam escapes from her mouth.

All of Jacinda’s quirks can be summed up in one simple fact: Jacinda is a dragon.

Dragons have evolved the ability to mimic the human form. Dragons live in prides (like lions) and call themselves Draki. For the most part they are entirely human and some of their kind, like Tamra, never have any dragon traits at all. Others, like Jacinda, have the ability to manifest their dragon form at any time. Each of them also inherit a different dragon power. Some can turn invisible, others are superior fliers, and some even grow gills when  they are in water. Jacinda’s power is extremely rare. She is a fire breather.

If being a teenage dragon and going to high school isn’t hard enough, Jacinda also has to worry about the cute boy in her study hall. Will is handsome for sure, but he has a magnetism that Jacinda has never felt before. She can’t help but be drawn to Will as he is drawn to her. She longs  to be with him but worries that if she is her dragon form will manifest.

And there is another problem. Will, and his family, hunt dragons for a living. Their romance may be doomed from the start. Torn between love and her dragon heritage Jacinda faces a difficult choice, give up her dragon form or give up Will.

Firelight is an exciting read brimming with romance and a new twists on dragon mythology. This novel is definitely aimed at fans of Twilight, and to be honest I think it is better than Twilight. This is a must read for fans of supernatural/fantasy romance. Highly recommended and appropriate for ages 14 and up.

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A Librarian Reads the Ghost and the Goth

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

ghost-and-gothThe Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

Will and Alona are on opposite sides of high school’s  social spectrum. Alona is the queen bee and the most popular girl in school. Will is the sullen emo boy who stays away from everyone except for his best friend Joonie. Alona and Will never had anything to do with each other while Alona was alive. Ever since Alona was hit by a bus, buried, and mourned by her friends, Alona’s life (or afterlife) has been pretty lonely. So she is surprised to find that Will can see and hear her while she is haunting the school.

If he can see her then perhaps he can help her move on to wherever ghosts need to move on to. It’s hard to ask someone as socially low as Will for help but he is her only chance. The problem is that Will just doesn’t see her, he sees every ghost who haunts the school; and the all want his help. If Alona is going to move on she will need to use her superior social skills to organize the school ghosts, and deal with Will’s mood swings.

But there is a darker mystery that Alona has yet to discover. Will is being haunted by a dark force that is full of spite and hatred. If she doesn’t act quickly the evil spirit will tear Will apart before she can figure out how to move on. Or does she need to help Will because she has actually grown to like him? But he is so not popular so that couldn’t be it! :)

The Ghost and the Goth is a fun light read and a perfect quick distraction. I really enjoyed this book and I think you will to. Highly recommended and appropriate for all ages.

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A Librarian Reads My Invented Life

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

my-invented-lifeMy Invented Life by Laura Bjorkman

Meet Roz. She is the younger sister to Eva. Eva is a cheerleader, stars in all the school plays, gets all the hot boyfriends, and has tons of friends. Roz on the other hand has few friends and always gets cast in a supporting role. Roz is also a confused young woman. She adores her older sister and wants to be her bff, yet despises being left in Eva’s shadow and wants a chance of her own to be in the limelight. Roz also wants friends and to be well liked, yet she has a sharp tongue and speaks before she thinks. Roz hides behind a gruff exterior, but on the inside she is anxious, image conscious, and questions every decision she makes. In short Roz is the quintessential teenager, a mess of contradictions.

Her biggest contradiction is when it comes to boys, specifically ones that her sister is dating. Roz has a history of dating Eva’s ex-boyfriends, and already has her eyes on Eva’s current boyfriend, Bryan. She desperately wants Bryan, or does she just want to make out? Or does she just want to hurt her sister? Despite these questions Roz is going to figure out a way to woo Bryan away from her sister. She just needs a plan.

Fortune shines on her when she discovers that Eva has a lesbian romance novel in her room. Roz teases Eva about liking girls, and Eva just rolls her eyes and kicks her sister out. But Roz takes the book to read just to spite her sister. Then realization strikes her. Her sister, Eva the Diva, is a lesbian, but just doesn’t realize it.

But how do you help your sister realize the truth about her sexuality while also winning over her boyfriend? Roz’s answer: Roz will reinvent herself as a proud just-out-of-the-closet lesbian. Then when Eva sees how easy it is to be queer and in high school she will be inspired to come out herself. then Roz will go back to being straight and win over Bryan.

But can it truly be that easy as an out gay teenager? And is all the drama worth it just to spite her sister, or try to steal a boyfriend? And how will the rest of the theater crowd take her new sexuality? Or her parents? Most of the time Roz leaps without a second thought, and this time is no different. To top it off the new Roz is cast as the lead in Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Now everyone is not only peeved at her for acting up but besting them by scoring the lead. Can she handle the competition from the theater and the heat from her faux-sexuality? Her misadventures will teach her a lot about other people, her sister, and most all herself.

My Invented Life is recommended for those who love theater, Shakespeare, or who are interested in stories that deal with GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, & transgendered) issues. The beginning of the novel is rather rough as Roz’s logic of outing her sister by pretending to be a lesbian herself is just plain odd, and slightly implausible. But once you get past that, Roz’s journey of self-discovery is intriguing, humorous, and reaches a touching (albeit a slightly too rosy) conclusion. As it deals with discovering one’s sexuality and high school dating it is appropriate for ages 16 and up.

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A Librarian Reads Flash Burnout

Monday, April 26th, 2010

flash-burnoutFlash Burnout by L.K. Madigan

Blake is almost 16 and has a lot of things going for him. His girlfriend, Shannon, is not only a knockout, but a class act. Plus, Blake has two great parents: a mother who is a hospital chaplain, and a father who is a medical examiner. They pretty much leave Blake and his older brother, Garrett, alone. At the worst Blake’s mom likes to remind them that actions have consequences. And unfortunately Blake is going to learn this the hard way.

Blake’s classmate and part-time friend, Marissa, is in photography class with him. One day as they share their assignments Marissa recognizes the subject of Blake’s photograph. While the picture is of a homeless women passed out in an alley, Marissa knows that it is her mom, who has gone missing. Her mother is addicted to meth and has been living on the streets. Immediately Marissa seeks her mother in the run-down, dangerous part of town. Blake feels obligated to go, because Marissa is a friend (sorta) and he feels guilty for taking the photo.

Suddenly Blake finds himself on an adventure, discovering a new friendship with real depth. He also is balancing his relationship with Shannon, who he adores, and loves to sneak in cuddle time with. But emotions can have a strange effect on people. Soon Blake is confused about the women in his life. But that has to take a backseat, because Marissa’s mom is out there. Can he help save his friend’s mother, and not destroy his relationship with his girlfriend? Can he walk the fine line between being a friend and more than friend with Marissa? Most of all can he make the right choices? But first of all he needs to find out what the right choices are.

This is a great book that nails all the emotion and confusion of first loves and genuine friendship. Highly recommended and appropriate for ages 14 and up.

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A Librarian Reads the Midnight Twins

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

midnight-twinsThe Midnight Twins by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Have you ever heard of Janus, the Roman god of gateways, change and concrete? He is usually depicted with two heads, one facing forward and the other backward. Supposedly Janus can see the past, present, and future. The Midnight Twins reminded me a lot of Janus. Merry and Mallory are twins who share a special connection. You’ve heard of twins having a certain bond between them that allows them to feel what the other is feeling, or get an image of what the other is going through. Merry and Mallory’s connection is a lot like that but stronger. If one is hurt the other one bruises. If one is scared the other one has bad dreams. And this bond only intensifies as Merry and Mallory turn 13 and start becoming women.

Suddenly Mallory starts having waking dreams and see people doing things that have yet to actually happen. Merry on the other hand has dreams where she sees people doing things that have already happened. One see the future, the other the past. This can be quite disorienting, especially so if you are used to to the idea that you are exactly the same as your twin. But unfortunately strange occurrences are afoot in the lives of Merry and Mallory. First of all someone set their aunt and uncle’s house on fire and almost killed them and their younger cousins. Then someone starts knocking on their doors late at night. And then a friend dog goes missing. And why are Merry and Mallory having visions about the same young man who is obsessed with death? And why is the man obsessed with them? Merry and Mallory will have to uncover dirty secrets and learn how to use their new powers in order to stay alive.

The Midnight Twins is appropriate for ages 12 and up and recommended for those who like mysteries or paranormal phenomena. Its sequel Look Both Ways is out now.

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