Crank, by Ellen Hopkins

In free verse, we learn how Kristina (the good grades-receiving and model student) became Bree (an unwed mother and meth addict). Along the way, this is a story about addiction, drugs, danger, sexual violence, and ideals gone awry. Nice uplifting material.

But more than being dreary, it's awfully repetitive. The verse falls into two basic catgeories: pieces that advance the story (by revealing a key new plot point) and reflective pieces (that all basically state that meth has a terrible hold on people). No denying that, but how often do we need to read about it? What is missing in so much of this is what caused Kristina to start. The motivation is muddy and the escalation equally unclear. And the result is that the exercise sounds a bit sermonizing. The author's message: if you do meth, you'll get raped and beat up and lose all your friends and lose your respect...and, oh yeah, it's bad for you too.

Perfect, by Natasha Friend

Isabelle doesn't understand what the big deal is. She just throws up from time to time, especially after she's eaten a lot of food -- an awful lot of food. But this is the only way she can cope with her annoying little sister, and her depressed mother, and the memory of her Dad who died two years ago. And from a distance, Ashley seems like the most perfect person in the world, until Isabelle gets to know her better. And until Ashley shows up at Group.

Pretty much a by-the-numbers story of eating disorders, with the requisite kids who don't succeed to counterpose against the heroine who (of course) starts on the road to recovery. It's satisfying, albeit more than a little predictable.

Just Listen, by Sarah Dessen

When Annabel sees herself on TV in the Kopf's fall fashion commercial, she doesn't recognize her own image. The girl in the commenrcial is so happy and has it all, but life since she made that ad has been anything but, and Annabel feels lost. The trouble, Annabel learns, is that every lost opportunity (lost friends, lost happiness, lost life) is a result of her own inability to communicate. She'd like to think that it is because no one listens to what she wants to say, and that she should scream "just listen!" to them, but she realizes that the reality is much much more complicated.

Sarah Dessen scores again with a deeply moving story of a teen struggling to find her own voice and her own way of coping with the world. And aside from a very nasty (and frankly unnecessary) digression about 2/3 through the story, this is a wonderful read. There are so many things that are wonderful about Dessen: she's a great observer of human relationships and of the world in general, she writes beautiful flowing prose, and she has a tremendous understanding of what growing up is about. Beautiful. Haunting. Highly recommended.

Harry Sue, by Sue Stauffacher

Harry Sue is one mean-talking joint-jive-fluent young lady. She needs to get the lingo down, because she means to spend her time in the slammer as soon as she can. The problem is that she first has to start her life of crime, and she just doesn't have the heart to do what must be done. Maybe once she rescues the kids from her grandmother's day care center or gets her "road dog" and quadraplegic Homer to start trying to live again, she'll be able to become the hardened criminal she longs to be.

Harry Sue is a fun character but the writing style drains after a while and the novel is written in a madly unlinear style that makes you want to skip ahead a few pages to figure out stuff and then jump back. Sometimes, that makes things interesting, but mostly it's annoying. And in a book this long, it takes out the fun.

Rx, by Tracy Lynn

Thyme Gilcrest enjoys Ritalin. It gives her the edge she needs to do well at school and keep up with the smart kids (not quite enough to BE one, but enough to come close). The problem is that she doesn't have a prescription for it, and she starts to trade others with the drugs she can get for the drugs she wants. Before she knows it, she's dealing.

Lynn does a great job of pointing out the hypocrisy of an adult society where adults medicate themselves freely and easily, and become so unaware of their surroundings that they don't recognize the way it destroys their lives and the lives of their children. The novel can get high marks for avoiding the easy sermons and cliche events that a more moralistic writer would choose. Instead, this is a pretty taut story.

What isn't so good about the book is all of the topical references. This book is packed full of very contemporary cultural references which will ensure that the book has a shelf life of no more than five years. In general, YA writers avoid this, and they should.

The subject matter had more than a passing interest to me, as I dabbled in a bit of prescription drug swapping when I was in high school (trading Valium for Darvoset and their ilk). We didn't quite have as many fun drugs to choose from or as much readily available anti-depressents and uppers, but I could very much relate to the rather exhaulted place of "legal" drugs (and its higher ground than acid and hash). This is a story that will give parents the willies, but it has a ring of truth to it.

Talk, by Kathe Koja

Through alternating viewpoints, Kit and Lindsay tell the story of putting on a controversial play at their high school. But it's also a story of misplaced affections, as Lindsay falls in love with Kit. Kit meanwhile is in the process of coming out and taking the risks of how the school will react to him. In the midst of all this, is the text of the play itself which is about freedom and societal attempts to impose order.

Koja gets a lot of critical acclaim but I simply don't get her style. I had problems with The Blue Mirror for its incomprehensible narrative, but this one is far worse. If it wasn't for the plot synopsis on the jacket, I would have completely lost track of the characters or what they were up to. And the snippets of the play thrown in confuse matters more. They are there, of course, to underline parts of the main story, but they don't really perform that function. Skip this one.

Mermaid Park, by Beth Mayall

Amy's family (especially her step dad) is driving her nuts, so a summer in Wildwood NJ away from them is just what she needs. And when she discovers the swimmers at Mermaid Park, she knows that she has found her calling. During the summer she learns to deal with the anger she feels towards her family and how to transcend it as a "mermaid."

I wanted to like this novel very much, but it was all over the place. It took nearly 100 pages just to develop a sense of the characters and their relationships to each other. In the end, I didn't find myself terribly moved by any of them.

Crooked, by Laura and Tom McNeal

The Tripp brothers are bad news and when Amos runs across them on a vandalism spree, trouble escalates. What starts as bullying takes a violent turn and drags in Clara and Amos's friend Brook as well.

Another trashy teen exploitation novel. Some interesting character development and misplaced signals, but overall this is a violent and unnecessary novel.

Crunch Time, by Mariah Fredericks

Daisy, Leo, Jane and Max meet by accident at an SAT prep class and decide to form their own study group. Alternating between them, each kid shares their feelings about the SATs, and the person who ends up cheating on them.

Fredericks portrays the high stress world of SAT prep and the pressures surrounding kids in landing a good college. the rotating narration is sometimes interesting and effective, but it does make it hard to get a fix on the characters and understandwhat makes everyone tick. The story ends with lots of loose ends and some rather convenient solutions to others.

Elsewhere, by Gabrielle Zevin

When 15 year-old Liz is killed by a taxi cab, she embarks on a voyage to Elsewhere - the place we all go after we die. Here, she learns how to speak Canine, discovers an avocation, makes friends and discovers that life does go on (even when you are no longer alive!), and that there are lessons to be learned in the Beyond.

I would not have considered a novel about the Afterlife to be of much interest to YAs, but if there ever was a YA-appropriate story about life after death, this would be it! With the lyricism of What Dreams May Come and the absurdity of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, this is a fairly original vision. It is not, however, of even quality and the last 80 pages of the book really fall apart. A good idea, but flawed delivery.

Dizzy, by Cathy Cassidy

When Dizzy was little, her mother went away - traveling the festival circuit. But every year she sends Dizzy a birthday card. This year it's different: she shows up and offers to take Dizzy on the road with her, traveling from one festival to another. But Dizzy discovers that things are not always as wonderful as she had hoped. And that her mother is not quite as wonderful as she seemed.

A rather predictable story of how our dreams/wishes don't get realized in fact as much as we imagined. There is a major lack of plausibility to Dizzy's easy acceptance of her mother's lies - lies that probably every reader is going to figure out without the help. Passable, but ultimately unfulfilling.

Alice I Think, by Susan Juby

Over the space of several months, Alice documents in her journal entries a series of events including her failing career in retail, her aborted attempt to find a boyfriend, a horseback expedition with her sexually-promiscuous cousin, and her re-entry into "civilization" (public high school) after years of home schooling. She's definitely a bit quirky and odd, and it will be pretty obvious to everyone (except her) why she has so much trouble getting by.

Not only is Alice a quirky character, but Juby's story is as well. The humor is very subtle and dry. At times, the story drags or the style gets a bit tired, but overall this is an amusing and humerous read.

Friction, by E. R. Frank

Simon is the coolest teacher at school. Alex thinks so. Everyone thinks so. But when Stacy arrives, she begins to tell disturbing stories about Simon that cause Alex and her classmates to reconsider how they see him.

A mildly disturbing portrayal of a teacher who may or may not have behaved inappropriately with his students. It's hard to know what the audience is. The subjects are 12-13 year olds, but the subject matter may be a bit complicated for that age group, so overall the story has a mixed focus.

Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale

Miri has never felt like she fits in with her village. While most of her people work in the quarry mining for linder, she stays at home. But all of that changes when an emissary from the Prince arrives to announce that the Prince will take a bride from the village and that all girls between 12-18 will be trained in the arts of being a princess in preparation for the choosing in one year's time.

A magical and rich fairy tale with just a small amount of actual magic and fantasy. Mostly, this is a very creative story about growing up, learning one's own worth, and finding a true calling. The ending takes a bit long to come around and has some contrivances, but this is a good read.

Breakfast With Tiffany, by Edwin John Wintle

When Tiffany's family life in Connecticut takes a major nose dive and her mother Megan begins to give up on her, Tiffany's gay uncle in NYC takes her in and tries to give her the stability she has lacked. What ensues is a very realistic look at the dynamics of being a troubled teen and a struggling guardian.

This piece of adult fiction is way off of my usual read -- intended more for my actual demographic than my favorites. It's a more "appropriate" book for a middle-aged guy to read. I liked the sections most where we get to see Tiffany struggle between rebelling against and needing her uncle. It's a painful story and, being non-fiction, generally rings true. I wonder if younger readers would like it or find it annoying?

Far from Xanadu, by Julie Anne Peters

Mike has more than a butch name. She presses 100 lbs, is a super fast-pitch softball player, and an excellent plumber to boot. But she and her family are haunted by demons - a brother who can't finish anything, a mother who is eating herself to death, and the memory of a father who killed himself two years ago. Then, the most gorgeous girl in the universe - Xanadu - moves to Mike's small kansas town, and she starts to dream again.

A lot of potential here, but there is too many plot lines and the characters are mind-bendingly dull. The book stretches on for nearly 300 pages, and from about page 20 onwards, I just gave up caring about their whining. The dearth of sympathetic characters makes reading this book a total chore. That is truly a shame as I've liked all of Peters's other books.

Double Identity, by Margaret Peterson Haddix

The story begins with Bethany being mysteriously abandoned with an aunt that she has never known she had. And it gets weirder from there as strangers keep calling her "Elizabeth" and she is stalked by a mysterious man. Eventually, all is revealed, but not before a number of twists and turns.

Haddix writes pretty good suspense, although this story (set in the future) borders heavily into sci-fi. In fact, it's an odd mix of teen angst, child/parent conflict, and a bit of mystery. Makes for good entertainment.

So Super Starry, by Rose Wilkins

Octavia goes to a posh London high school for children of the elite (rock stars, movie stars, etc.). Her own mother is the star of a long-running sitcom and her father is a rising movie director of art films who has just snagged sexy heartthrob Blake Montague for his new picture. But even if Octavia hangs with the rich and famous -- it is not a world that she feels as comfortable in as her mother and classmates. And having her first boyfriend opens all sorts of revelations for her about who she is and who she wants to be.

Wilkins is basically a British Meg Cabot, but unlike the heroines of Princess Diaries or All-American Girl, Octavia doesn't really have any particular talent of her own (except her sincerity). In the end, it is hard to feel much empathy for this mature, yet rather mopey, 15 year old. Her primary quirk seems to be her heighth, but it never becomes much of a plot driver. Instead, this is the rather familiar girl-meets-boy-but-decides-that-she's-better-than-him story. Satisfying, but ultimately predictable.

A Maze Me, by Naomi Shihab Nye

A collection of largely unrealted poems, reflections on growing up, on the state of the world, and just about everything in between. There are poems about pumpkins, and old ladies, and babysitting. All sorts of topics!

The subtitle "Poems for Girls" is a bit of a misnomer. There is a wonderful essay at the beginning about turning 13 and some of the earlier poems have a particular feminine quality (in the stereotypical sense of the term) quality to them, but the majority of this work isn't really gendered in any particular way. That doesn't make it any less magical.

I fell in love with this book when they read "Because of Poems" at the CCBC Spring Gathering, and that poem alone makes this the first must-own book of the year. Not every poem is a hit, but the ones that are, are truly transcendent.

What's in a Name, by Ellen Wittlinger

In ten chapters, ten different kids tell a story, with one of them picking up where the last one left off. The story itself concerns a small town that is holding a vote to decide whether to change its name, but there are plenty of subplots about who likes who and a boy coming out of the closet. The plot, however, is not really the point -- the fun lies mostly in seeing how different perspectives make a story very different.

Of course, stories told from different points of view have been done many times before. It's a clever device, but since the story itself is not terribly overwealming, this isn't going to captivate you a lot. Moreover, it's a bit distracting to just start getting into a character and then suddenly have their turn be over.