The Last Days, By Scott Westerfeld

By: Scott Westerfeld

Publisher: Razorbill

Publish Date: 2006

ISBN: 159514062X

Page #: 304 pages

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Fantasy, Horror

Age Level: Older Teen

Series Titles: Peeps (Bk. 1)

Last Days (Bk 2)

Subjects: Vampires, End-of-Days, Music

Reader's Annotation: The streets are taken over by the vampiric parasites and a group of teens in a rock band set out to save the world.

Synopsis: The Last Days is the sequel to the highly acclaimed and apocalyptic vampire story started in Peeps. Set against the same parasite-ridden streets of New York, Westerfeld gives us a group of five teens that form a rock band, whose musical triumphs escalade while the dark happenings of peeps do as well. As a Fender Stratocaster is being thrown to its doom out of a window, Moz and Pearl, strangers until this moment, work together to save it. From here, readers will rock their way through this hardcore, parasite-positive story! The band (with its vampire lead singer) fight the peeps while creating a playlist for the end of days! Maybe rock and roll will save the world (as it does so many teenagers everyday). Or maybe it will bring on the end! A gritty ode to rock and the way it can be a catalyst for teens to express their discomfort and rage, each chapter is named after bands!

Notes: This novel is the sequel to Peeps, but can stand alone. As a fan of Westerfeld's work, I can't recommend his work enough!

Stars: 5

Extras: Author's Website http://www.scottwesterfeld.com/index.htm

The Westerblog http://scottwesterfeld.com/blog/

Book talk about Peeps:

Generation Dead, By Daniel Waters

By: Daniel Waters

Publisher: Hyperion Book CH

Publish Date: May 6, 2008

ISBN: 142310921X

Page #: 400 pages

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Racism

Age Level: Older Teen

Series Titles: 

Generation Dead (Book 1)

Kiss of Life (Book 2) (Release Date of Sequel: May 12, 2009)

Subjects: Living Impaired, Zombies, Romance, Comedy, Fantasy

Reader's Annotation: Nobody is sure why dead teens are coming back, but scientists guess it may have something to do with a cross between raging teen hormones and too much preservatives from fast food. One thing is for sure, nothing will be the same for the living impaired Tommy, still living Pheobe, and the high school football team: ever heard of dead weight?

Synopsis: In a literary world taken over by Twilight* and the undead, maybe it's time for a love interest who has one dead, dragging leg behind him instead of superhuman speed & strength. Perhaps the living impaired Tommy can become your anti-Edward. Pheobe, Generation Dead's main goth girl (who practices the irony of dressing up dead amongst dead people) has her eyes set on the wrong guy: Tommy. Tommy is a zombie. Excuse me, the politically correct term would be living impaired. I apologize for my insensitivity to the undead community. I did not mean any harm. At any rate, Pheobe has never been part of the "in" crowd, but Tommy's crowd is outside even the outside crowds. In fact, Oakvale High is aghast with disgust over Pheobe falling for the dead kid that heads the crowd that no one wants to talks to. The living impaired are ignored in every way possible in this school. Zombies are treated more like segregation in the south then kids who just don't fit in. But, Pheobe crosses the line that the other kids won't dare cross; And what happens when her living best-friend gets left in the dust? I couldn't help falling for her and her infatuation with the zombie Tommy. This is not a book to be missed. Generation dead is funny, witty, romatic, and resplite with gooey dead people! Just don't call 'em Zombies! 

*By the way, I enjoyed Twilight, but sometimes too much of a good thing can be a bit zombifying.

Notes: A great book to read for the zombie fan but also a fresh take on segregation.

Stars: 5 

Extras: Author Blog http://danielwaters.com/

Tommy's Undead Experiences Blog http://mysocalledundeath.blogspot.com/

Zombie rights march on Boing Boing http://www.boingboing.net/2006/09/27/zombie-rights-march-.html

Brown v. Board of Education on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education

Clubbing, By Andi Watson & Josh Howard

By: Andi Watson & Josh Howard

Publisher: Minx Books

Publish Date: July 11, 2007

ISBN: 1401203701

Page #: 176

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Graphic Novels

Age Level: Older Teens

Series Titles: n/a

Subjects: Nightlife, Friendship, Mystery

Reader's Annotation: After getting caught with a fake I.D., Lottie is sent to her grandparents for a summer as punishment.

Synopsis: Lottie is spoiled and wild and lives for the London nightlife. But when she gets caught with a fake ID, her parents send her (as punishment) to her grandparents high-end resort club. Golf, ladies with tea, and the boring elite consume her rebellious spirit. But as a twist, a modern Nancy-Drew murder mystery change Lottie's summer experience into something more wild then her wild nights in London. Perhaps her boring summer punishment may turn out to be one very adventuresome summer! And, as much as she tries to avoid it, she may fall in love in the process.

One of the best parts of Clubbing is the never-ending British slang Lottie uses throughout the book. The back of the book provides a "Lottie's Lexicon" to help the reader decipher her tongue. But beware, you my start saying speaking in "Lottie."

Notes: CLUBBING is written by the Eisner- and Harvey-nominated indie sensation Andi Watson (Geisha, Paris, Skeleton Key) and illustrated by Josh Howard (Dead @ 17), Wizard magazine's pick as the #1 independent book to watch in 2005. 

Stars: 5

Extras: Free Preview Online http://www.dccomics.com/media/excerpts/7503_x.pdf

Author Website: http://www.andiwatson.biz/

Illustrator Website (Warning: Adult/Graphic Images): http://joshhoward.typepad.com/

The House of Mirth, By Edith Wharton

By: Edith Wharton

Publisher:  Everyman's Library

Publish Date: 1905

Reprint edition Publishing Date: February 5, 2008

ISBN: 0679406670

Page #: 400

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Fiction, Literature, Classics

Age Level: Older Teen, Adult

Series Titles: n/a

Subjects: Tragedy, Old New York, High-Society, 

Reader's Annotation: Lily Bart, one of literatures finest contradictions, lived in New York at the turn of the Century, when everything was lavish and opulent: for the rich. For the less secure like Ms. Bart, running in these circles were nothing short of a gamble. Unrequited love, a caged life, & shear loss are explored through Lily in Wharton's classic tragedy.

Synopsis: Edith Wharton's doomed novel The House of Mirth is a tale of class and gender, elegance and disaster. It is time-sensitive tale (yet ageless) set in Old New York at the turn of the 20th Century. At the center of The House of Mirth is Lily Bart. Merely a female embellishment, Ms. Bart struggles to stay afloat in a wealthier society then she has means to exist, while at the same time trying to temper a spirit which far out weighs her societal cage. She acknowledges the contradictions of love and marriage, social climbing and luck, while playing the game of turn of the century survival. After a series of terrible mistakes (of which no woman is allotted many in her day) Lily Bart takes a disheartening and tragic, spiraling dive into the darkest place a human soul can exist: a place that many don't return from.

Notes: The House of Mirth was made into a wonderful and (in my humble opinion) underrated film in 2000. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0200720/

A modern library greatest 100 books of all time.

The House of Mirth is one of my favorite novels of all time.

Stars: 5 

Extras: 

Free Content on Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/284

Edith Wharton on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Wharton

The House of Mirth on LibraryThing http://www.librarything.com/work/11880

Twilight: The Directors Notebook, The Story of How We Made the Movie Based on the Novel by Stephenie Meyer, By Catherine Hardwicke

By: Catherine Hardwicke

Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers

Publish Date: 2009

ISBN: 0316070521

Page #: 176 pages

Classification: Non-Fiction

Genre: Art/Film

Age Level: Older Teens

Series Titles: n/a 

(Tie-in to The Twilight Saga franchise in both film & book)

Subjects: Film, Art, Journaling, Twilight

Reader's Annotation: An inside look at the Twilight's film director Catherine Hardwicke's Director Journal. This is a rare inside look at not only the production of Twilight, but at the mind of a movie director. 

Synopsis: Twilight, the first film in the Twilight Saga's screen adaptation, hit the movie world with a slam. Grossing the most money to date for an opening director who is female, Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke opens up her visionary style to her fans. In The Director's Notebook Hardwicke shows illustrations, story boards, costume and set notes, & virtually everything that went through her head and into the film. Visually the small hardcover book is page to page beauty, but at the same time shows a rare side of film making that most fans don't know exists. With this little gem, Twilight fans and aspiring filmmakers can revel in the art of filmmaking at the young adult level. 

Notes: One does not have to have read the Twilight Saga to enjoy the Directors notebook. A fan of the film can enjoy this tie in art book as well as students interested in art and film.  

Extras: Author website http://www.catherinehardwicke.com/

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, By Lewis Carroll

By: Lewis Carroll, & 

Illustrated By: John Tenniel 

Publisher: Random House UK

Publishing Date: 2007 

Series Titles & Original Publishing Dates: 

1865 (Adventures in Wonderland) 

1872 (Through the Looking Glass)

ISBN: 0099512076

Page #: 336

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Fantasy

Age Level: Children, Teens

 

Subjects: Alternative Realities, Fantasy, Adventure 

Reader's Annotation: Alice's boredom takes her to following a white rabbit that leads her down a hole into a world of her wildest dreams.

Synopsis: After following a white rabbit down a hole Alice travels through an alternative reality of strange places. From the Mad Hatter's tea party to the Queen of Hearts garden Alice is subjected to strange situation after bizarre situations. She drinks potions and pops pills and grows large and grows small. Carroll's vivid story telling mixed with classic illustrations, the adventures of Alice remain to this day not only a literature great, but a cult classic. 

Notes: Many film and animated version of Alice exist. Most recently Tim Burton is shooting a new adaptation die out in 2010 starring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1014759/

Stars: 5

Extras: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice's_Adventures_in_Wonderland

Free Content from Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/11

Watch the 1933 Disney classic free here: http://www.squidoo.com/watch-alice-in-wonderland-free-online

Extras, By Scott Westerfeld

By: Scott Westerfeld

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Publish Date: 2007

ISBN: 1416951172

Page #: 432

Reading Level: Young Adult

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Science Fiction

Series Title: Uglies Series

Uglies 
Pretties 
Specials 
Extras 

Bogus to Bubbly (Companion)

Mind-Rain (Famous Authors Talk About the Uglies Series-June 2009)

Subjects: Dystopia, Friendship, Plastic Surgery, Fame, Romance

Reader's Annotation: Extras is the unexpected 4th book in the awesome Uglies "trilogy." In another city, also affected by the "Mind-Rain" Tally Youngblood (of the first three Uglies books) induced, Aya Fuse is at the center of a fame-centric universe and all she wants to do is not be an extra.

Synopsis: Aya is a nothing. Her feed shows her fame status at a very high, high level. But high is not good. Your stats are better as you get lower because they signify your level of fame: 1 being the most famous person in the world. Any level of fame Aya has is due to her paparazzi like brother who manufactures fame in a Perez Hilton manner at the expense of others. But suddenly Aya has a chance to be outrageously famous and she plans on doing anything possible to kick her own story, even at the expense of others. But when Aya meets her new love interest and begins to find out more about her feed, things get increasingly dangerous and twisted. Is fame worth all that?

Notes: Another provocative take on a socially conscious issue, Westerfeld makes everybody reflect on the world we live in now. This story could stand alone, but I think it delivers much better having read the Uglies first. A new cast of characters leave you wondering what happened to Tally Youngblood, and when we finally find out it ends to fast. But Westerfeld is the master of topic not the master of giving you what you want, which makes me love him even more. 

Stars: 5

Extras: 

The Westerblog: http://scottwesterfeld.com/blog/

Scott Talks Extras:

 

Fan Made Video:

Nothing, By Robin Friedman

By: Robin Friedman
Publisher: Flux
Publish Date: 2008
ISBN: 073871304X
Page #: 232
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: Older Teen
Series Titles: n/a
Subjects: Eating Disorders, Eating Disorders in Boys, Bulimia

Reader's Annotation: Everyone always thinks its just the girls who worry about their weight. Meet Parker, who seemingly has it all, but for him the pressure results in a secret that has him ill inside and out.

Synopsis: Parker is in high school. He is on the track team, he is gearing up for college, and he even has a girl who he likes more then just a little. It seems like he has it all, but his father is overbearing (planning out his future to be a doctor) but never really asks Parker what he wants to do. Parker is uncomfortable in his skin and doesn't like the way his body looks. Under the pressure of school, family, and image issues, Parker turns to food for comfort. He eats until he can barely stand it and then releases it into the abyss of the bathroom toilet. His sister, though jealous of the attention her brother gets, begins to suspect that things aren't right with Parker and she is faced with how to help her brother (or if she should even confront him at all). Parker is definitely not ok. His body is weak, and his personality is becoming more and more irritable. Nothing is a stunning book for both boys and girls to read. It deals with issues that are even harder to talk about then drugs and death. A shaming disease, eating disorders are something that in our culture have risen to un-calculated heights and Nothing is one step in the right direction. It is a book that can appeal to both the sufferer and the people around them as it gives a heartfelt but realistic window into a taboo subject.

Notes: Inspiration for Novel: By Robin Friendman

I met an old friend from college years after we graduated, and he mentioned in passing that he had an eating disorder when we knew each other.

“An eating disorder?” I said.

“I didn’t know that.”

“Nobody did.”

“But you’re a guy!”

“So?”

“Guys get eating disorders?”

“Yup.”

That’s all it took.

Read the first Chapter here http://www.robinfriedman.com/books/chapters/firstNothing.html

Stars: 5

Awards:

• A 2009 Notable Book for Teens by The Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee of the Association of Jewish Libraries.
  
• A 2008 Book of the Year Finalist from ForeWord magazine in the Young Adult category.
  
• Bronze winner in young adult fiction by FOREWORD magazine
  

Extras: Author's Website http://www.robinfriedman.com/books/Nothing.html

Author's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/people/Robin-Friedman/508415693

The Host, By Stephenie Meyer

By: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little Brown
Publish Date: 2007
ISBN: 0316068047
Page #: 624
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Science-Fiction

Age Level: Adult
Series Titles: No sequel has yet to be published, alhtough Meyer has said she intends to release it as a trilogy.
Subjects: Romance

Reader's Annotation: Earth has been taken over by an alien race of parasite's called Souls who implant themselves in their hosts. A small group of human's fight back but are faced with a runaway host who has taken over the body of one of their own.

Synopsis: The famed author of the Twilight Series introduces herself to the adult market with her first novel. Like twilight it revolves around a grand quartet of love and temptation, death and life. For Melanie Stryder, the world is an evil, apocalyptic place taken over by something unthinkable. To her, her boyfriend Jared, and her younger brother Jaime, life is only about survival. But when she suspects that another of her family may be alive, she leaves Jared and Jaime to find her. She never makes it having instead been captured by the Souls and used as a host. When the host is placed inside her the Soul called Wanderer is astounded to find that Melanie's voice not silenced. She see her memories and images of Jared and Jaime. Instead of taking the normal path a Soul takes on Earth (living a violence free, happy pseudo-life) she sets out to see if they are still alive. But when she finds them, she quickly realizes that they want her dead, not knowing that inside her Melanie still lives.

Notes: Although directed to adults, the story line is generally harmless. Small amounts of sex and violence do exist, but for the most part it echoes the feel of Twilight's innocent nature even with war, beatings, love, and loss. Ok, for teens.

Stars: 4

Extras: Official Book Trailer from Little Brown here: The Host's Website http://thehostnovel.com/

(I think mine is better, laugh out loud.)

Author Website http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/thehost.html

Extra's: Book Trailer (Made by Courtney)