Coming soon in audiobook (Playaways)

Dumplin by Julie Murphy
Willowdean (Will for short) is a self-proclaimed fat girl. Nicknamed Dumplin by her former beauty queen mom, she is comfortable in her own skin and self-confident.  Until she meets former jock Bo at her new part time fast food joint job. Then she starts to doubt herself. Her plan to restore her previous confidence is to enter a local beauty pageant just the way she is, to prove to herself and others that she has as much right to be up there as any skinny girl! 





 
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
This one's on the "long list" for the National Book Award. Caden is a high school student who lives in two worlds, the real one and the one that's "real" to him. This is a highly praised chronicle of the development of schizophrenia in a young man, captivating and deep.






 

Endgame by James Frey
An exciting sci-fi thriller about gaming, meteors and the end of the world as we know it.







 
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
This is a beautiful and inspiring story (see my review of the book in a previous post). Now we have it in audio form!  It's an important story about family, betrayal, and secrets. Noah and Jude are twins, inseparable for most of their formative years. Noah tells the early stories, Jude the present.  Ideal for fans of John Green.  Winner of the 2015 Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature.




 

None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio
I also reviewed this book previously. Important topic, in the news a lot now, this story handles the issue of intersex in a sensitive and heartwarming manner. I loved this book.

A small town with a mystical past and a magical present

Utopia, Iowa by Brian Yansky

Brian Yansky (Alien Invasions and Other Inconveniences, and Homicidal Aliens and Other Disappointments) has created a unique town in Utopia along with some very unique residents. Jack Bell can see and communicate with ghosts, his grandmother is a powerful witch, an elderly neighbor spends his time rocking on his front porch but seems to have some special insights that he shares once in a while with Jack, and his little sister is just beginning to exhibit some rather special gifts (or curses, depending on your point of view). Jack is an aspiring script writer for the movie world, and he sees his world through the lens of past favorite movies. But lately all is not well in Utopia. Two young girls have been apparently murdered and both have come to Jack for help.  There are actually two worlds existing simultaneously in Utopia, and they will very soon collide.  

This is not just fantasy, or romance, or murder mystery, but a combination of all three with a bit of humor thrown in for good measure. It is a story of a boy about to graduate high school finding his way in both worlds and learning that sometimes you have to leave to get where you want to be.  I would recommend this book to both boys and girls who like strange quirky stories.  

For horror fans!

Amity by Micol Ostow
If you love quietly building horror, then this is one you should read!  Told in two voices, this is the story of two families who have lived in Amity on the Concord River in Massachussetts. Connor has been diagnosed by psychiatrists as a sociopath after several disturbing incidents at school. His family has moved into the secluded house to escape a troubling past that includes violent behavior and an obsession with his twin sister Julianne.  Nightmares begin for Connor almost immediately, and he spirals downward quickly. 
Ten years later Gwen and her family buy Amity and move there in the hopes that the quiet country will be therapeutic and restorative for Gwen, who has recently been hospitalized for mental illness. The nightmares begin soon after for both Gwen and her previously gentle and supportive brother Luke, who becomes obsessed with the mysterious boathouse on the shore of the river. 
It turns out that Amity has a dark and violent history, and perhaps a sentient existence of her own that is reaching out to the teens. 
The book jacket states that this story is based on a true crime story, but does not elaborate. I recommend this book to lovers of horror stories who appreciate quiet tension and buildup and have rather strong stomachs!  I read this one in one sitting!  

It's been a busy summer, but I'm back with a great book for you!

Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu
There seems to be a new trend in teen literature: teens living in repressive fundamentalist families yearning to escape and find new lives for themselves.  A few current examples are Vivian Apple at the End of the World by Katie Coyle, No Parking at the End Times by Brian Bliss and Rapture Practice, a memoir of growing up in a fundamentalist family by Aaron Harztler.  When I picked up Devoted (Mathieu's second novel for teens) I expected more of the same, but this one surprised me. It is a gentle book about Rachel, a seventeen year old girl growing up in a very large fundamentalist Christian family, taking care of her younger brothers and sisters and her depressed mother, who dreams of the world outside her closed little life and yearns to be able to read books and learn about the world around her. The confusion and guilt is palpable and throughout the book. She never looses her faith, it just changes gradually when she contacts an older girl, Lauren, who escaped from her repressive home life and eventually earned her GED and returned to her home town for a job opportunity. Lauren sends her a poem by Mary Oliver, the last line of which serves as the theme for this story: "What is it you will do with your one wild and precious life?" Rachel leaves her home and moves in with Lauren, whose family attended the same church Rachel's family attends. Rachel's growth is slow and steady throughout the book, her relationships with new found friends believable. This book is full of hope, as you will surely cheer Rachel on in her journey towards self discovery.  It's not an easy journey, and it is not one that Rachel undertakes in anger or bitterness. She truly misses her family and grieves when she realizes she will never be allowed to visit her home again. She continues to have faith and begins attending another church with her new friends and develops a new understanding of her own precious gifts and how to use them. I would recommend this book for high school students who like Sarah Dessen and Deb Caletti.  

An unusual and important book for teens

None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio

Kristin is a senior in high school and a track star (she runs the hurdles) with scholarship offers from colleges, a cute boyfriend, a great relationship with her widowed father and 2 very close friends.  She is happy and secure until everything changes after her first sexual encounter with her boyfriend causes her excruciating pain.  Upon visiting a gynecologist she is diagnosed with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, or AIS, a form of intersex.  Her world and relationships are turned upside down as she begins the journey toward accepting and living with her diagnosis.  This is a sensitive highly readable book that also serves to educate about different types of intersex conditions.  Read the author's note at the end too, as in it she explains the inspiration for writing this book and includes information on various support groups throughout the country.  Books like this serve to remove the stigma and increase understanding and acceptance of those with differences of all kinds.  HIGHLY recommended!