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Klein, Lisa. TWO GIRLS OF GETTYSBURG
New York : Bloomsbury, p2008, c2008
IL YA
ISBN 1599901056
Typical Civil War family stories pit brother versus brother, and while not discounting the horror that that must have been, in Lisa Klein’s newest book, two cousins- close as sisters- make decisions that pit them against each other in Two Girls of Gettysburg. Rosanna is from a rich family in Virginia, and Lizzie is from a shopkeeper’s family in Gettysburg. To get away from struggle and family issues, Rosanna moves to Gettysburg to live with Lizzie. Hardworking Lizzie and impetuous Rosanna could not be more different, but become fast friends and learn from each other throughout the book. When her father and brother go off to war, Lizzie takesover day-to-day workings of the shop, while Rosanna flees south to become a nurse in the Confederate Army. The book chronicles their time together, their time on their own, and the time they shared through letters. The book is an inspired look through a different perspective in this terrible time in our country’s history. While a work of historical fiction, the book has many points that are based on true stories and leaves readers with a “blood is thicker than water” feeling.
Prepared by: Jen Seay for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
Myers, Walter Dean.
SUNRISE OVER FALLUJAH
Scholastic Press, 2008
“I felt like crap after 9-11 and I wanted to do something, to stand up for this country.” Against his parents’ wishes, Robin “Birdy” Johnson enlists in the Army after the terrorist attacks in New York City. By 2003, Birdy has finished Basic Training and is deployed to Iraq. He gets assigned to a Civil Affairs detachment. This group is working towards building a successful democracy in Iraq, and most of their job consists of interacting with Iraqi civilians. As Birdy travels through the war zone with his squad, he develops close friendships with them and learns their life stories. Birdy experiences the horrors of war first-hand as his squad is ambushed and attacked by Iraqi soldiers. However, they also see innocent Iraqi citizens killed, and Birdy begins to question his participation in war. He is scared that he will not survive, and his squad members are the only people that Birdy can rely on. Read Sunrise Over Fallujah to learn what true heroes are, and to find out if Birdy and his squad live through their year-long deployment!
Prepared by: Joy Brady for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
Gratz, Alan. SOMETHING WICKED
New York : Dial Books, 2008
IL YA
ISBN 0142414964
Horatio Wilkes is an amateur sleuth, and when he discovers Duncan MacRae, the founder of the Scottish Highland Games, dead in his tent, he begins to investigate. At first, evidence points to Duncan’s son, Malcolm, as the murderer, but Horatio soon discovers that his friend Mac and Mac’s girlfriend Beth may be the true culprits. What drove them to this madness? And can Horatio prove they’re to blame before he or anyone else is hurt? If you’ve read Macbeth, you may already know the answers to these questions, but you may still be surprised at how things play out in this modern retelling. For those of you who haven’t read Macbeth, Something Wicked may be just the hook you need to really get into Shakespeare’s Scottish play.
Prepared by: Kelly Knight, Media Specialist, Woodmont High School for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
George, Jessica Day. PRINCESS OF THE MIDNIGHT BALL
Bloomsbury, 2009
The kingdom is in an uproar. Every night the princesses go to their chambers and every morning their slippers are worn out. No one knows that Princess Rose and her twelve younger sisters are condemned to dance for the wicked King Under Stone in his underground palace every night to fulfill the bargain their mother made with the evil king… and only death will free them. Rumors of witchcraft spread throughout the kingdom and the girls know the end is near. Yet armed with an invisibility cloak, enchanted knitting needles, and most importantly true, Galen, the palace gardener sets out to free the girls, even if it costs him his life. Will he find a way to save them, or will he be the next victim of King Under Stone's evil plan? Time is running out…
Prepared by: Kathy Carroll for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. PRINCESS BEN
New York : Graphia/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008
IL YA
ISBN 0618959718
Princess Ben’s life is tragically changed during a series of unfortunate incidences; her uncle and her mother are killed, and her father disappears. Ben, now the kingdom’s heir, is relegated to the castle where resides her aunt Sophia, whose goal in life, outside of teaching Ben the ins and outs of being heir to the throne, is making her life miserable. Just when Ben has had all that she can take, she discovers a hidden wizard’s room in the top spire of the castle where she is being kept and begins teaching herself, using the enchanted spell books she finds there. Upon hearing of a possible engagement, the threat of war, and still dealing with a missing father, Ben decides to use her magic to put her world back together. Flying on broomsticks and fighting dragons is nothing to this spunky, courageous young woman whose story grows more and more enchanting with each page.
Prepared by: Jen Seay for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
Kluger, Steve. MY MOST EXCELLENT YEAR
Dial Books, 2008
“Even though I didn’t notice it while it was happening, I got reminded in ninth grade of a few things I guess I should have know all along: 1. A first kiss after five months means more than a first kiss after five minutes. 2. Always remember what it was like to be six. 3. Never, ever stop believing in magic, no matter how old you get. Because if you keep looking long enough and don’t give up, sooner or later you’re going to find Mary Poppins.”
T.C. Keller is a native Bostonian who loves the Red Sox. His whole family is named after members of former Red Sox greats. Baseball is his life. T.C.’s mother died when he was young. He and his father are two of a kind who believe doing school projects to the fullest, even if it means making a 70 square inch model of the Washington Mall. T. C.’s best friend is Augie, an “ABC,” American Born Chinese. His father owns a bookstore while his mom reviews plays. Augie and T.C. have been friends, “brothers,” since they were six years old. Augie loves musicals and Liza Minelli. Everyone has figured out that Augie is gay but Augie. Alejandra, Ale, is the daughter of the former ambassador of Mexico. Her family has recently come to Boston because her father accepted a teaching position at Harvard. She tends to speak her mind, which gets her in trouble with her father. She secretly wants to sing and perform on stage. Freshman year is a time of change for the three of them. During a writing assignment, they remember letters, memos, chats, and texts that helped them find themselves. New friendships, loves, and causes make them realize what is important.
Prepared by: Julie Vaught for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
Stork, Francisco X.
MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD
New York : Levine Books, 2009
IL YA
ISBN 0545054745
Meet Marcelo, a 17 year old boy with autism-like behavior. Follow Marcelo as he struggles to answer the questions, “What is truth?” “How do you tell right from wrong?” “What if a good person does a bad thing; does that make him bad?” Marcelo has the answers to these questions and more when he spends the summer in the “real world” of his father’s law firm. Here he meets Jasmine, his beautiful and surprising coworker, and Wendell, the son of another partner in the firm. Here he learns about competition and jealousy, anger and desire, and romance and injustice. These experiences truly connect Marcelo to the “real world.”
Prepared by: Sarah Trani, Media Specialist, Fairfield Central High School for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
Forman, Gayle. IF I STAY
Dutton Books, 2009
Seventeen-year-old Mia has a lot going for her – her musician boyfriend Adam, a possible scholarship to Juilliard, and her quirky but close knit family. Her biggest worry is leaving friends and family behind after graduation to pursue her passion for the cello. On an unexpected snow day in February, Mia’s family decides to take a short day trip to visit relatives in a nearby town. Once in the car, they have their usual battle over choice of radio stations, ultimately deciding to take turns. Mom’s choice, NPR news, is first. After the news, it’s Mia’s turn, and she chooses the classical station. As she hears Beethoven’s Cello Sonata no.3, a piece she is currently working on, Mia closes her eyes and imagines herself playing along on her cello. Suddenly, the horrifying impact of a four ton speeding pickup truck shatters the calming melody. The noises are deafening, and the car explodes like it was hit by a bomb. Suddenly, everything is quiet except for one sound: Beethoven’s Cello Sonata no. 3 continues to play on the radio. Mia can hear it, so she must still be alive. Looking around for her younger brother, she spies a hand sticking out of a nearby ditch. Reaching the outstretched arm, she realizes she is looking at her own bleeding, badly damaged body. As Mia’s life hangs in the balance, her life prior to the accident is told through a series of flashbacks. Mia knows her life is changed forever, and doesn’t know if she is strong enough to face a life of painful losses. Should she stay… or should she go? Read If I Stay by Gayle Forman to see what Mia decides.
Prepared by: Karen Tisdale for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
Collins, Suzanne. THE HUNGER GAMES
Scholastic Press, 2008
Maintaining control is never easy, but the government of Panem has discovered a way of subduing dissidents. Each year, two people from each of the twelve districts are chosen to participate in The Hunger Games – a fight to the death for all but one contestant. This year, Katniss steps up to take her younger sister’s place. Once the selection is made, Katniss and Peeta (the male participant from District 12) are caught in a whirlwind of preparation. There are lessons in defense, survival, and television appeal. The game requires each participant to outlast, outwit and out-maneuver the other contestants – while the entire country watches on their television screens each day. Brutal tasks, unbearable situations, and manipulated settings test each contestant to his or her breaking point. The only way out? Personal death or the murder of the rest of the group. What possible plan can Katniss and Peeta develop that guarantees their survival and their safe return home? Read The Hunger Games to see what happens to this pair of warriors.
Prepared by: Beth Pace, Spartanburg School District One for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
Reinhardt, Dana. HOW TO BUILD A HOUSE
New York : Wendy Lamb Books, 2008
IL YA
ISBN 0375844538
Volunteering, community service, and mission trips are important in many teenager’s lives. Some high schools or high school organizations require some form of community service. This information may also tip the scale toward acceptance on college applications. Harper Evans of Los Angeles, California joins a volunteer program to build a house over the summer. She and a number of other high school students from all over the country will spend twelve weeks with “Homes from the Heart” building a home for the Wright family in Bailey, Tennessee, to replace the one destroyed in a tornado. The family consists of Mom, a nurse; Dad, the high school football coach and English teacher; Teddy, a recent high school graduate; and 9 year old twin sisters. With this organization, a family member is required to work on the building as well - that would be Teddy, since his parents are working in the community. Harper is completely unfamiliar with the steps required to build a house. She and the others learn to work as teams, doing a variety of jobs from digging the footers for the foundation to putting on the roof. She even becomes concerned when she learns about some of the shortcuts that were taken to cut costs. For instance, instead of digging a basement, the organization purchased a prefabricated tornado room to keep the family safe in case of another tornado. By summer’s end, Harper and her new friends have learned a lot about building, not just houses, but friendships, dreams and plans for the future.
Prepared by: Eleene Levander, School Librarian, Retired for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
Lockhart, E. THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS
Hyperion, 2008
Frankie Landau-Banks is a sophomore at the elite Alabaster school. She has a popular senior boyfriend, people seem to like her, she gets good grades, etc. She should be happy with her life, right? Well, not so much. Frankie is tired of accepting the roles society has chosen for her. When her boyfriend says she’s adorable, she wonders why he doesn’t say that she’s brilliant. Anyway, Frankie knows that her boyfriend and several other of the school’s most popular guys are members of the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, a secret all-male society in which her father was a member during his days at Alabaster. Frankie is tired of being left out of the club’s dealings, so she decides to infiltrate it and pose as their leader. It works, and these guys have no idea that she’s the one pulling their strings. Of course, as is the way of things, chaos inevitably ensues, and Frankie and the Bassets must face up to what has been going on. Will Frankie be exposed in her quest for power? Will she go back to being a docile little girl content with her place in the world? What will happen to the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds? Read The Disreputable History of Frankie-Landau Banks to discover the damage an ambitious, brilliant, angry high school sophomore can wreak on the unsuspecting world around her.
Prepared by: Kelly L. Knight, Media Specialist, Woodmont High School for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
Holt, Simon. THE DEVOURING
Boston: Little, Brown, 2009
IL YA
ISBN 0316035734
Reggie was just an average 15 year old girl, until her mother left her and her timid 8 year old brother with a workaholic dad. Now, she has to do all the cooking and cleaning while taking care of her brother. Reggie enjoys scary things whether it’s movies, books, or pranks. But one day, at the bookstore where she works part time, her whole world changes. She finds a book called “The Vours.” To Reggie it’s just another scary book, but as she reads it to her brother one night, she realizes that the story could be true. The next day, she notices her once scared nice brother is now a mean, scary, little jerk. And when Reggie and her best friend, Aaron, try to save her brother from the Vour inside of him, they learn dark secrets about the Vours. They will have to face their greatest fears to save the soul of her brother that was stolen by the Vour. His body is there, but not his soul; will Reggie ever get her brother back?
Prepared by: Taylor Schultz for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees,
2010-2011
McKernan, Victoria. THE DEVIL'S PAINTBOX
New York : Knopf, p2009, c2009
IL YA
ISBN 0375937501
If you enjoyed playing the computer game Oregon Trail, The Devil’s Paintbox by Victoria McKernan is for you. It takes the grainy greenish picture of the old game and paints a vivid picture of what life on the Oregon Trail might have been like. The book chronicles a young man’s journey into adulthood in the Wild West, starting at age 15, poor and destitute, eating a grasshopper a day if lucky to stay alive- into turning into a man working off a debt to himself and others. Aiden relentlessly tries to protect and at the same time allow for his sister to grow up. Aiden, during the journey, befriends some unlikely candidates and in the end is forced to go against his white society in aid of his Native American friends in the struggle against smallpox -- the devil’s paint. Aiden and his younger sister Maddy endure hardships unknown to readers of today, all the while maintaining an ever-present desire to move onward and upward. The book is not so much uplifting as is it insightful, and even inspiring. The Devil’s Paintbox is a gripping historical fiction that does not gloss over events of old, rather tells of life as an everyday struggle to survive, and survive knowing that you did what you had to do.
Prepared by: Jen Seay for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
Love, D. Anne. DEFYING THE DIVA
New York : Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2008
IL YA
ISBN 1416934812
Haley Patterson’s freshman year was off to a great start. She has two best friends and her dream job of working on the school newspaper. But when an article she writes for the newspaper’s gossip column offends school diva and resident mean girl, Camilla Quinn, her year goes from good to bad. Camilla launches a campaign of hurtful gossip and rumors against Haley. Embarrassing and frightening anonymous notes are being placed in her locker and on her desk. She is even sent email encouraging her to commit suicide and put an end to her misery. Friends abandon her, fearful of becoming gossip victims themselves, leaving Haley alone and miserable. Keeping a low profile, Haley chooses not to tell anyone including her parents about the humiliation she is enduring at school. For Haley, when summer arrives, it cannot come soon enough. She is sent out of town, while her parents are traveling in Europe, to stay with an aunt in a small resort community for the summer. Haley gets a job at the local country club but has trouble making new friendships. She finds that she is still dealing with a lack of self-esteem and needs to gain the confidence and courage to trust others despite her worries about returning to school in the fall. Will Haley be able to stand up to the Diva? Will her classmates continue to treat her as an outcast? When another becomes the target of the diva, will Haley let history repeat itself?
Prepared by: Dee Robinson, Librarian, Richland County Public Library for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
Pfeffer, Susan Beth.
THE DEAD AND THE GONE
Harcourt, 2008
Alex Morales is a good kid. He’s seventeen, living in New York City, and works at a pizza parlor when he’s not attending school at St. Vincent de Paul Academy. He also looks out for his two younger sisters and studies hard so he can go to college. One especially overcast day, Alex and his sisters arrive to an empty apartment to find the power is out, along with the cable TV and radio. With his mother working at the hospital, his father in Puerto Rico attending a funeral, and older brother Carlos serving with the U. S. Army, it is up to Alex to assess the situation and reassure his sisters. Little does Alex know that his world is about to change forever. As in the author’s previous book, Life As We Knew It, an asteroid has hit the moon and knocked it off its orbit, wreaking havoc on the world. But in New York City, only those with money or connections will be able to escape the chaos. And Alex has neither money nor connections. He soon realizes that he will be the sole provider and caretaker for his siblings. As days roll by, and essentials for living are harder to come by, Alex will be forced to “bodyshop” – stealing warm clothing and other items he can trade for food from those unfortunate beings left lying in the streets. Throughout the nightmare, the Morales’ strong faith, and the faith and help of other survivors keep them going. But for how long? The Dead and the Gone is a terrifying tale, especially in the setting of New York City, the scene of other horrible tragedies. It is so realistic that you may find yourself re-thinking your own emergency survival plans.
Prepared by: Karen Tisdale for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
Gehrman, Jody. CONFESSIOINS OF A TRIPLE SHOT BETTY
New York : The Penguin Group, 2008
IL YA
ISBN 0142412686
“Great. So much for my summer. I should have known. School’s not even out yet, and Operation Girlfriend is already in tatters. Amber, Hero, and I were going to be glorious; armed with big sunglasses and supersized ice mochas, we were supposed to take the crazy, tourist-trap, sun-and-wine-soaked town by storm. … But what are we doing instead? Enduring awkward pauses and thinly veiled snarkiness. Fabu, Just what I had in mind.”
Geena is a skater Betty, working with her best friend Amber at the tiny coffee shack known as Triple Shot Betty’s. Hero, Geena’s extremely sheltered boarding school cousin, is coming home to spend the summer in wine country Sonoma with her dad. Geena is psyched about the three of them being best friends and painting each others toenails, but it doesn’t really work out that way. From the minute Hero steps into Triple Shot Betty’s life, Amber hates her, and Geena doesn’t really know why. And, of course, that’s not all. Amber is infatuated with John Jamison, the super popular and cocky class president and half brother of PJ, the Prince, Jamison. John, however, doesn’t care about Amber. He wants Hero, the new girl in town. But Hero has eyes only for Claudio, the hunky Italian boy visiting to work in the vineyards whom only she can communicate with. And then there’s Ben, PJ’s best friend. Ben and Geena have been arguing nemeses sense the fifth grade, always trying to one up each other. And, alas, even more goes wrong. John is up to no good, Amber does something she’ll regret, Hero’s reputation gets destroyed, and Geena gets pulled into everything. The girls, along with some other broken hearts, plot to take down the evil, and sadly horribly attractive, John. So, how’s it all going to end for the Bettys? Prepared by: Harriet Boatwright for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
Venkatraman, Padma.
CLIMBING THE STAIRS
New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2008
IL YA
ISBN 0399247467
The year is 1941, the place, India. Vidya is 15 years old, and unlike other girls her age who are consumed with the idea of impending nuptials, she dreams only of attending college. Being the outspoken, willful, and adventurous girl she is, she unknowingly pulls her father into a protest march that turns violent where he is brutally attacked and rendered brain damaged. Now Vidya and her close-knit family are forced to move into her paternal uncle's traditional household where the women are expected to be subservient to men and are married off as soon as possible. This shatters Vidya's dreams of attending college. Vidya’s heart is heavy with her sense of responsibility for her father's disability, her changing role as a young woman in a traditional family, and the pressures she now feels to accept an arranged marriage. While taking care of her aunt’s baby as one of her chores, Vidya breaks the rules and sneaks up the stairs into the library that is off limits to women. Not only does she find refuge there, she meets a young man named Raman. She is surprised to discover she is attracted to this young man who treats her as an equal and encourages her to pursue her intellectual interest. Read Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman, and go with Vidya into an unknown and uncertain future.
Prepared by: Carol Ross for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
Doyle, Marissa. BEWITCHING SEASON
New York : Henry Holt , 2008
IL YA
ISBN 0805082514
Mr. Carrighar sat back in his chair. “I met them today” he said abruptly, dropping his gaze.
“Met whom?” Miss Allardyce took another sip of wine, trying to drag her attention away from memories of Michael’s – er – Mr. Carrighar’s infectious laugh.
“Your pupils. Persephone and Penelope.”
“What!” Miss Allardyce nearly dropped her wineglass. “Where? Are they all right?”
“They’re quite well, and very charming girls. My master was quite taken with them.”
Mr. Carrighar was still staring at the table.
“What were you…?” A horrible suspicion began to creep over her. “No. You can’t drag them into this, I won’t let your use them --------“
Mr. Carrighar held up one hand. “No one said anything about using them, Miss Allardyce. They need not have anything at all to do with this -------“
“----- if I accede to your blackmail and give what you want,” she finished. The delicate wine she was sipping with such pleasure – the wine Mr. Carrighar had brought for her – seemed to sour in her stomach. She made a gesture and the glass disappeared.
“That is a crude way to put it” Mr. Carrighar’s voice was steady, but his hands betrayed him by curling into fists.
“Nonetheless, it’s true” Miss Allardyce rose and took a few jerky, hesitating steps, them whirled back to face Mr. Carrighar. “How could you?” she shot at him. “They’re innocent children.”
He rose too, “They’re trained witches like you.”
Prepared by: Cheryl Roycroft for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
Supplee, Suzanne. ARTICHOKE'S HEART
New York : Dutton Books, 2008
IL YA
ISBN 0525479023
To say that it was not the best time of Rosemary Goode’s life would be an understatement. At home, her mother and her aunt nagged her about losing weight. At school, she was the brunt of the thin, beautiful girls’ jokes. Even her Christmas presents, motivational books from her aunt and a treadmill from her mother, were disappointing. But Rosemary was resourceful, and she had a plan. The treadmill proved to be a great place to air dry clothes that she had washed in an effort to stretch them out. And each time she ate because she was hurt or angry or wanted to prove she was in control, she vowed that she would not eat all the waffles or attack her stash of chocolate again.
Life, though, does not always go according to plan. Rosemary had hoped to return to school after Christmas vacation a few pounds lighter, but when she stepped on the scales on the fateful January morning, she saw something she had never seen before. She had actually managed to gain ten pounds, and now she weighed in at 200 pounds! To make matters worse, she’s fighting with her aunt more than ever, and her mother has cancer. There are new worries at school, too. Why is Kay-Kay Reese, one of the prettiest, most popular girls in school, suddenly being nice to her? And could that handsome athlete that Rosemary has secretly been watching in study hall actually want to date her?
Join Rosemary as she embarks on a journey of life changing discoveries and nurturing
relationships, both old and new. No one has a perfect life, and everyone has problems, but with the support of family and friends, anything is possible, even when the journey takes us to places we don’t expect to go. Share Rosemary’s trials and triumphs. Read Artichoke’s Heart by Suzanne Supplee.
Prepared by: Melissa Mixon, Media Specialist, Chesterfield High School for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
Mitchard, Jacquelyn. ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN
New York : Harper Collins, 2008
IL YA
ISBN 0061345784
Best friends Maureen and Bridget, often referred to as twins or look-alikes, drive to
cheerleading practice when Maureen accidentally slides on the icy roads, crosses the dividing line and hits an 18-wheeler. Rushed to the hospital, Maureen dies while disfigured Bridget lies in a coma. One family grieves and prepares a funeral for Maureen while the other readies mentally, physically and financially for the months of therapy that lie ahead. While the families make their preparations, a dental surgeon checks various records and discovers that a terrible mistake has been made--the teens have been misidentified.
Prepared by: Karen Olson for South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominees, 2010-2011
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