Winter's End, by Jean-Claude Mourlevat

In a bleak oppressive society four desperate teenagers escape their prison-like boarding schools and try to make their way to join the underground rebellion to strike a blow against their government! Only one is recaptured, and is forced to fight in barbaric one-on-one fights to the death for the amusement of his captors. Can he be rescued in time?

Winter's End is an award winning book in France, and only recently translated into English.

Hamlet, by John Marsden

Murder! Revenge! Lust! Remorse! Betrayal! Sounds like a great young adult novel, right? Shakespeare's enduring story about Hamlet's struggle to revenge the death of his father, who was killed by his own uncle (now king) Claudius, has been around now for over 800 years. But while our language has changed a lot over those years, Shakespeare's words have not - leaving readers to read and re-read his plays to better understand them. How frustrating! Have you ever wished that someone would just get around to rewriting Hamlet using the words we use today?

The wait is over! Hamlet, by John Marsden, IS set in modern times. It has much of the basic plot of the original story, and the characters are named the same, only now it's almost - - dare I say it - - FUN to read! School Library Journal called this "a wonderful treatment of the play: engaging, gripping, dark and lovely."

Mare’s War, by Tanita S. Davis

She wears high heels, a pushup bra, drinks bourbon with lemon, and drives her sporty red car like a “bat out of hell.” Grandma Mare is definitely NOT your average grandma! And this summer her granddaughters Tali and Octavia will find themselves driving cross country with her on their way to a family reunion. They quickly strike a bargain: the girls won’t plug themselves into their radios if Mare doesn’t smoke. Taking advantage of the silence in the car, Mare then begins to tell the girls her life story . . . .

This is an exciting read! Mare helps her sister and herself escape her mother’s lecherous boyfriend, followed by her quickly joining an African-American regiment in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. The narrative switches between her early life adventures, and their modern-day cross country trip, so you don’t get bored.

L8r, g8r by Lauren Myracle


It's their last year in high school, and Zoe, Maddie and Angela keep the IM messages flying about their adventures, plans after they graduate, senior prom, and (of course!) their boyfriends. Told exclusively in instant messages and chat room sessions, L8r, g8r is a funny book that will appeal to anyone who has spent moments on their cell phone anxiously typing out messages to their friends!

And if you like L8r, g8r, don't miss the two earlier books in this funny series: Ttyl and Ttfn!

U.S. News & World Report magazine released their list of America's Best High Schools for 2010 just last week. Two high schools in Guilford County made the list! The Early College at Guilford scored Gold, winning the #18 spot out of the top 100 schools in our nation. The Weaver Academy for Performing & Visual Arts and Advanced Technology scored an amazing Honorable Mention as well! Way to go!

Homeboyz, by Alan Lawrence Sitomer

"It is a very good book. I liked it because it actually sets the readers mind into what a teen would or could be experiencing. The book is about a boy they call T-Bear (a.k.a Teddy) who was out to get back at the gang that killed his younger sister. While trying to do that he was arrested and (as) his punishment he has to mentor a young boy named Micah. Micah actually ended up being the one to tell Teddy that he knows who killed his sister. When Teddy finally gets to the boy they said did it, Micah explained what really happened and tells Teddy to go ahead and kill him, but Teddy decides otherwise because what he really wants he can't have, because killing him won't bring his sister back." Reviewed by Mikita W. at T. Wingate Andrews High School!

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

This is a “Boy, dodging ex-girlfriend, meets new girl. Girl, dodging her own little problems, meets boy” love story about the events of just one memorable evening at a punk rock club. Heavily sprinkled with generous amounts of profanity and a raw appreciation for the power of punk music, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist is a fast-paced story told in alternating chapters by none other than Nick and Norah! I thought the authors did an excellent job keeping the narratives real and fast-paced!

And if you are a fan of the book, check out the library's copy of the popular movie! Made in 2008 it stars Michael Cera as Nick and Kat Dennings as Norah! Kat was nominated for the MTV Breakthrough Performance Female Award for her role, and the movie was nominated for the Teen Choice Award!