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Doug and Andy are unlikely best friends–one a loner obsessed by his model trains, the other a popular student involved in football and theatre–who grew up together and share a bond that nothing can sever. Liz says: “Haunted by an event in the past, this psychological drama is both poignant and gripping.” |
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After starting to publish a zine in which he writes his secret feelings about his lonely life and his parents’ divorce, sixteen-year-old John meets an unusual girl and begins to develop a healthier personality. Liz says: “John has such a real voice, you will think you actually know him. His parents are divorced and he lives with his mother outside of Boston and goes to his father’s apartment in Boston on weekends. John’s mother is loving but has a hard time showing it and his father is completely detached. He leaves John in the apartment while he goes out with his girlfriend – so much for quality time. John is so lonely he figures out a way to meet the author of his favorite zine (eclectic, homemade magazine). Through this very tough relationship, John learns about love and all the different ways it can manifest itself. In the end, he finds that hard love is better than no love at all!” |
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Through interviews and letters, tells the fictional story of two boys who hold their classmates hostage at a high school dance, and offers facts about guns and school violence throughout the story. Liz says: “Readers are shown the planning, implementation and aftermath of a school shooting from the perspectives of the shooters, students, teachers and faculty. This harrowing story is told intelligently and provides notes at the bottom of pages that offer startling facts about guns and school violence in this country.” |
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Seventeen-year-old Troy, depressed, suicidal, and weighing nearly three hundred pounds, gets a new perspective on life when Curt, a semi-homeless teen who is a genius on guitar, asks Troy to be the drummer in a rock band. Liz says: “This is one of my favorite books but it’s not for everyone. While it is ultimately a story of self-acceptance and family, it is also filled with gritty reality and harsh language. One of my favorite parts of this book is that Troy’s dad is so loving and real. More often than not, parents are portrayed unfavorably. This is an example where the dad comes through for his son and even for his troubled friend. Kids who love music will appreciate that aspect of the book and will understand that Curt is loosely based on Kurt Cobain. This is a very powerful story!” |
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When he joins a predominantly African American “Teen Dream Team” that will be representing the United States in an international basketball tournament in Rome, Jimmy Doyle makes some unexpected discoveries about prejudice, racism, and politics. Liz says: “Boys absolutely love this book and so do I. There are lots of great basketball scenes and many poignant moments. Jimmy and the other characters are believable and the story moves quickly.” |
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Sixteen-year-old Mattie, determined to attend college and be a writer against the wishes of her father and boyfriend, takes a job at a hotel in 1906 where the death of a guest renews her determination to live her own life. Liz says: “Based on a real murder (the same murder that Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy is based on) is compelling as a murder mystery but is much more. This is also a glimpse of life at the turn of the century in upstate New York. Mattie is an incredibly intelligent and determined young lady whose decisions and relationships are inspiring. Moms will enjoy reading this along with their teens.” |
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Jane, a plain and penniless orphan in nineteenth-century England, accepts employment as a governess at Thornfield Hall and soon finds herself in love with her melancholy employer, Mr. Edward Rochester, a man with a terrible secret. Liz says: “This is one of my all time favorites. It can be read from young adulthood and on. Moms who have not yet read this or who read it so long ago they don’t remember much will want to reread this along with their teens. I just reread it and I love it more than ever.” |
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At Spence Academy, sixteen-year-old Gemma Doyle continues preparing for her London debut while struggling to determine how best to use magic to resolve a power struggle in the enchanted world of the realms, and to protect her own world and loved ones. Cara says: |
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Gemma and her friends from the Spence Academy return to the realms to defeat her foe, Circe, and to bind the magic that has been released. Cara says: |
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After the suspicious death of her mother in 1895, sixteen-year-old Gemma returns to England, after many years in India, to attend a finishing school where she becomes aware of her magical powers and ability to see into the spirit world. Cara says: |
