Heaven Looks A Lot Like the Mall, by Wendy Mass

When a freak dodgeball accident lands Tessa in a coma at the hospital, her life flashes before her eyes. However, each episode is seen through the context of a store at the mall where her Mom and Dad work. While this may sound like an absurd basis for a story, it turns out to be an effective device to allow Tessa to revisit her life and realize that she hasn't always made the best of choices.

This is one of those free-verse novels: a genre that is overly prone to navel gazing, especially in YA. Sometimes, it works well. This time, the results are mixed. Some of the chapters (particularly early on) coalesce nicely, but others drag or fall into cliche (do we really need one more prom disaster story?). A decent-enough read, but disappointing in the end.

Another Kind of Cowboy, by Susan Juby

Taking a break from her successful Alice, I Think series, Juby gives us the story of Alex -- a horse-obsessed boy with a talent for riding and a small secret that he keeps from his alcoholic father. Add in a spoiled and self-centered rich girl from an elite girls' riding academy, his two nosy little sisters, and a variety of other characters and you get a charming story about finding out who you are, coming clean, and competitive dressage.

Spoiled rich girl Cleo never quite appealed to me, but Alex is a winner and a nice hero (Juby has created another character worthy of a few more books). The setting (rural British Columbia) is a bit off of most people's radars, but the story is a winner, not really following a traditional arc but still managing to deliver a good payoff. Worth reading!

Suite Scarlett, by Maureen Johnson

Scarlett lives in a famous old hotel in the heart of Manhattan with her family. It sounds terribly exotic unless you realize that the hotel is an economic failure (a pale shadow of its former glory days) and her family is a mixture of dysfunctional types. But everything changes when the exotic and eccentric Mrs Amberson arrives and takes an instant liking to Scarlett. Staying in the fanciest suite in the hotel and throwing money around like crazy, Mrs Amberson looks poised to change everyone's fortune until things go terribly wrong. Now, Scarlett must rise to the occasion and save the day.

An uneven work. Thoroughly fun and enjoyable in the first 250 pages, the final 100 pages become muddled as the plot treads water and losings its dramatic edge. Things aren't helped by one of the most boring romances to grace YA in a while. It was so bad that it took me totally by surprise, because I really was enjoying the book and couldn't put it down. But it just failed to deliver. In addition to the romance that isn't, there's a number of improbable plot turns, a major dramatic moment that isn't (when Mrs Amberson's secret conflict with her nemesis is revealed), and all sorts of rough ends. Johnson writes some good books and most of them are quite entertaining, but this one just bombs out. Disappointing!

Living Dead Girl, by Elizabeth Scott

Alice lives in a hellish world that centers around pleasing Ray. It wasn't always like this and somewhere in the back of her mind she remembers the girl who had a family and a different life. But that was before Ray took her away and made her his and name her Alice. And she isn't even the only Alice. Before her there was another Alice who Ray killed when she turned 15 and was too old to love him anymore. Now that Alice herself has turned 15, she knows it won't be long before Ray replaces her as well.

ICK! It's a quick read and an engrossing story, but you have to be one very sick puppy to enjoy a book like this. And I realize that that review is not going to scare anyone off (I read the same sorts of reviews myself and it only made me want to read the book), but this is a story that really exists only to exploit. You won't learn anything more than there are people in the world sicker than you (for even wanting to read this) and that a slick advertising campaign and a lot of hype can make the difference between schlock and must-read YA. Nasty!

Clementine's Letter, by Sara Pennypacker

Clementine's world is thrown into chaos when the principal announces that her third grade teacher Mr D'Matz may win a chance to go away on a trip to Egypt for the rest of the year. Mr. D'Matz is her favorite teacher ever and he promised that he would be with them for the entire year! So, Clementine hatches a plan to make sure he stays. Simultaneously, she is working out a plan to buy her Mom a present and continues her search for new names for her little brother.

This third installment of the series remains as charming as the first two and it stands as one of the few series books that I've enjoyed enough to rate all of the books with my highest (****) rating. While I still would find Clementine a bit of a pain to take care of as an adult (and maybe a bit obnoxious as a classmate/playmate), reading about her is a delight!

Savvy, by Ingrid Law

Living in the boondocks of Kansaska-Nebransas is a good idea for the Beaumonts, a quiet farm family with a secret: when a Beaumont turns 13 they develop their savvy (a special supernatural talent). Mibbs's grandfather can move land, her older brothers cause storms and electricity, and her mother is just perfect. Now Mibbs is turning 13 and she wonders what her talent will be. But rather than have the wonderful celebration she wants, there is a cloud over the family as her father lies in the hospital after a terrible accident, her mother is gone from the house attending to her, and the nosy pastor's wife insists on putting on a huge party. Chaos and a frantic roadtrip through Kanasaska-Nebransas ensues.

Clever and a mildly funny, this quick read will appeal to younger readers for just being fun, while older readers will get the whole puberty metaphor. Both will hopefully enjoy the funky characters and wild adventure. There's not a lot to the story and it moves along in a fairly predictable fashion, but that won't take away from the enjoyment. Did I mention it was a fun read?

Paper Towns, by John Green

One night toward the end of his senior year, Quentin's sleep is interrupted by the girl-next-door Margo, who wants Quentin to join her on an all-night prank fest. He consents and after the evening is over, she disappears. In the weeks that follow, Quentin becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to her and starts to assemble clues about her disposition. As his last year in high school closes, Quentin realizes that time is running out. Assisted by his odd assorted friends, he embarks on a desperate road trip to save Margo before it is too late.

John Green is a major powerhouse in YA writing and Looking For Alaska ranks in my all-time top ten. However, he seems to be in a rut. While still very funny and endlessly capable of creating quirky and memorable characters, Green's stories end up sounding much the same -- horny but sensitive loser-boy longs after mysterious girl. It's a lovely formula and it rings true (as the male version of the teen angst novel), but it's really time for Green to move on and write a new book. I don't really need to keep reading the same one over and over again.

Hot Lunch, by Alex Bradley

When too-cool-for-you Molly gets into a destructive food fight with new girl Cassie, their initial punishment is being forced to work in the school cafeteria for Mrs. Zetz the lunch lady. But when the two girls drive Mrs. Zetz into early retirement, they are ordered to run the place for themselves. Now they must overcome their dislike for each other and simultaneously turn out decent school meals. It will be a long journey!

Another fun book with a good dramatic arc, but also some strange subplots that just sit out there and some really clunky character development. Molly is so unsympathetic at first that the author has trouble turning us around to liking her (almost as if he realized that he had gone a bit overboard with making her mean). As a result, we get all sorts of out-of-the-blue revelations (example: major crush that is only revealed about 90! pages in). The subsequent attempts to give Molly a heart of gold did not work for me.

Oh, and I totally can't get the Fame song "Hot Lunch" out of my head...

The Possibilities of Sainthood, by Donna Frietas

Antonia Lucia feels she has some pretty good ideas about sainthood, whether it is for a new saint of fig planters (to help her in winterizing the family trees) or a saint of pasta makers (for when Mom and Gram have her covered in dough to feed every Italian in Providence). She also hopes that some day she'll become the first living saint (she doesn't want to die in order to do so!). This is especially important because she hasn't even had her first kiss yet!

A funny and charming book that is mostly about being a boy-crazed 15-year-old Catholoic schoolgirl (which is probably about as far removed from my personal experience as you can get!), but the story is also about a quirky young woman going for what she wants. It's a romance novel with just a little bit of intellectual ambition thrown in. A great read with a satisfying ending, and also a nice book about growing up Italian.

The Glow Stone, by Ellen Dreyer

After her uncle dies, Phoebe seems to be the only one who still feels close to him. Her mother in particular is withdrawn and distant. She even insists that Phoebe sell her much-loved desk that her Uncle gave her! So, when an aunt offers to take her spelunking, Phoebe jumps at the opportunity to do something new and different. The trip into an old cave, however, brings Phoebe face to face with the truth behind her uncle's death and reveals a secret about her family.

This is a weird book that is not really sure if it wants to be a family drama or a supernatural thriller (or maybe both?). The overall result is just odd. Dreyer has a number of interesting ideas but in a short book like this there is not enough space to develop them. The ending comes up a bit too abruptly leaving the reader confused. The overall result is a book to skip.

The Comeback Season, by Jennifer E. Smith

It's been five years since Ryan's father died, but Ryan is philosophical about these things because she is a Cubs fan. And being a Cubs fan means having to deal with 100 years of loss and dashed hopes. For Ryan, rooting for the Cubs will always be linked to spending time with her Dad. On the anniversary of her father's death (which also happens to be Opening Day), Ryan finally musters the courage to return to Wrigley Field and revisit the site of her memories. While there she meets Nick (a boy from school that she barely knows) who is drawn to Wrigley for similar yet different reasons. With Nick, she is destined to learn new lessons about struggle and hope.

I'm not a sports fan (if I had to root for a baseball team, it would be the Phillies) and I'm even less into novels written in the third person (which this one is). So, I figured that I would simply hate this book, but I don't. That should give you an idea of how great this author must be. But Smith is much more than the writer of a good book, she is a phenomenal spinner of words. Using baseball as an analogy of life is hardly new, but she takes it much further than I've ever seen before - combining good observation with a way to make you sit back and nod. This is a beautiful book with a lot to say about life. Even if sports are not your thing, this is a book that is well worth your time to read.

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

When Audrey breaks up with her boyfriend Evan, she has no idea that it will inspire him to write a song. Or that The Song will become an international pop sensation and rocket both of them into fame. But it does. And as the pappazzi descend and life goes crazy around her, Audrey manages to discover a great deal about herself even as the rest of the world has trouble seeing it.

A nice light read, full of plenty of convenient plot twists that eventually wrap up better than fine in the end. And while Benway gives profuse kudos to Rachel Cohn (and has a debt to Meg Cabot as well), this is a much better indy-rock themed book than The Book About Two Teens in the Indy Rock Scene That Recently Became A Movie. Unfortunately, it will age about as poorly (as much as I would like to imagine that kids will be rocking to Death Cab for at least another decade!). Escapist fun!

Imaginary Enemy, by Julie Gonzalez

Jane struggles with life. She means well, but lacks discipline, leaving her homework undone and managing more often than not to screw things up. But it's OK, because these things are not her fault -- they are caused by her imaginary enemy Bubba. Ever since second grade, Bubba has persecuted her and gotten her into trouble. Now, as she is growing older, the trouble seems to take on bigger dimensions, just as things are starting to work out for her.

A rambling mess that reads more like a series of reminiscences than a real story. This novel covers some ten years of Jane's life, just briefly touching on the highlights. There are of course a few cute moments, but no real point to the overall story. Jane's flaws will endear her to some readers but I found her irresponsible behavior hard to take. She seemed mean and selfish. So, the novel lacked even a character that I wanted to read about.

Toy Dance Party, by Emily Jenkins

In this sequel to Toys Go Out, Stingray, Lumphey and Plastic are still having their adventures, and hanging out with old friends (the washer and dryer) as well as new ones (the mice and a rubber shark). The girl is growing older though and she spends more of her time with the Barbies (who don't talk) and away at sleepovers and soccer practice. The toys are worried that perhaps she is forgetting about them, but they have a wide variety of distractions including a fabulous dance party in the basement!

I was really looking forward to this sequel but really let down by it. Harsh perhaps, but as Toys Go Out was one of my favorite books, the sequel had a lot to live up to. It fails for me for a number of reasons: the stories have gotten much more complex and lack the fun of the first set, a number of the characters have changed (the relationship between the toys and the people, the fact that the dryer talks, and the "naughtiness" of the toys, etc.). I laughed frequently while reading the first book. This time I didn't laugh at all (OK, I cracked a smile here and there but it's not the same thing). It's not that Toy Dance Party is a bad book (I'll probably still give it two stars), but it is such a pale follow-up to its classic predecessor. I think I'll just go curl up with that one instead!

Alice McLeod, Realist At Last, by Susan Juby

Picking up shortly after the Miss Smithers contest, Alice is now pursuing her dream of becoming an incredibly talented screenwriter. She's also trying to cope with the departure of Goose, having Mom in prison, juggling the attentions of men aged 14-22, finding a job, and deciding whether to stick to her own fashion sense or finally fit it with her classmates. It's a busy agenda but, as usual, she navigates through it all with a mix of style and cluelessness.

Some may say that the novelty of Alice has worn a bit thin in this latest installment, but Juby does a great job of keeping the story original and fast paced. Alice is still an acquired taste and many readers will dislike her arrogance. But I still think she is a lot of fine (as sort of an older Clementine). I will admit that I probably wouldn't like her in real-life, but that's not a prerequisite for finding her adventures interesting enough to read about.

Dirty Work, by Julia Bell

Hope is the lucky one living a sheltered rich girl life, with only a few complaints about a neglectful Dad and an overbearing Mom. Oksana, on the other hand, comes out of impoverished rural Russia, tricked into a career of prostitution by white slavers. But when the two girls cross paths, Hope is kidnapped and they must help each other out.

Meant to be shocking, this novel turns out to be relatively tame (as I find is true with so many other "shocking" Brit-YA books). The back story of Oksana is interesting enough, but old news. And Hope simply doesn't have much of a story. Overall, I found this a bit thin. You'll worry a bit about the danger that the two girls are in, but it's hard to get too engaged.

Dante's Daughter, by Kimberley Heuston

In 14th century Florence, Antonia faces a life of few options. Her situation is made more difficult by the dangerous politicking of her famous father. But in an extraordinary turn of events, she follows her Dad to Paris and then back to Italy, discovering that even if her life options are narrow, that people can make a lot of those options. Along the way, we learn a lot about life in those times, making this both an educational and entertaining read. We also come to understand how happiness is possible under what seem like dire circumstances.

As remarkable of a book as Heuston's earlier Shakeress, this novel benefits from a more colorful era and location, but suffers from being tied to people and events that are more famous. Still, Heuston manages to weave magic out of history and make it seem like less of a lesson than a true coming of age story. She avoids the temptation to give her characters anachronistic modernistic notions about individualism and instead creates characters who are both true to period faith yet identifiably human. This is certainly among the best historical YA literature being created.

How Not to be Popular, by Jennifer Ziegler

Maggie is tired of making friends and settling in to a new place, only to have her hippie parents decide that it is time to move on. When her boyfriend from Portland dumps her within a few weeks of their arrival in Austin TX, Maggie decides that the key thing is to NOT like a place and NOT to fit in or make friends. That way, when she has to leave, she won't have anything or anyone to miss. The problem is that the more she tries to be unpopular and escape people's attention, the more she finds her popularity growing. At first, she figures that the kids in Austin just don't get how geeky she is being, but soon she realizes that maybe she is the one who doesn't understand popularity (let alone unpopularity).

Alpha Dog and this second novel by Ziegler share in common a great deal of common threads. Both feature a misunderstood girl with a bunch of oddball characters. A certain amount of drama leads to a feel good very happy ending, with everyone doing pretty well. The happy ending stuff reminds me of Meg Cabot and the oddball characters are more like Sarah Dessen. Ziegler isn't as good as either of these YA icons, but she's got a fun writing style and her books are good reads.

How much, though, can you relate to a girl who is popular and loved no matter what she does? THAT could get more than a bit annoying (yes, everyone will get the message of this book -- be yourself and you will be happy -- but I doubt that that is really going to work in the real world). So, this story works in a fantasy sense and perhaps in some adult's view of what high school is like (although are cliques really ever as simple as they get portrayed in books like this?), but the moral of the story probably isn't all that useful. IMO, read this one for fun and avoid any deeper take-home message.

Cheating Lessons, by Nan Willard Cappo

When Wickham High wins first place in a state-wide classics lit test and a berth in the televised Classics Bowl, Bernadette is certainly happy enough and she looks forward to squashing the competition. But she is also suspicious that their performance seems too good to be true. Things are not quite adding up, despite the assurances of their team's advisor Mr. Malloy. Sure, they are goo, but are they that good? But even if she can prove that the whole thing has been fixed, what should she do about it?

A functional and entertaining story, but with some odd rough spots. The beginning and end are surprisingly weak and don't really fit the characters developed in the rest of the book. Motivations are a bit muddy throughout and the whole thing needed better development. Not bad.

What Erika Wants, by Bruce Clements

When Erika's mom brings her to a custody hearing to get the judge's sympathy, the judge surprises them both by assigning Erika a lawyer. At first, she doesn't think she needs one (she's certain that she wants to live with her mother), but soon Erika discovers how useful a lawyer can be and how little she truly understands about what she wants. With the help of her attorney, she starts to sort this out.

Written with the obvious purpose of praising the work of a child's advocate in family court (by an author who works with them), this book can get a bit pedantic at times. It's a valiant aim, but perhaps the author would have scored more honesty points by simply writing the non-fiction he wanted to. The lawyer character is far too good to be true -- tirelessly sacrificing personal life without a concern or complaint. The other characters, while nuanced, are similiarly two-dimensional. Everything just goes a bit too cleanly. If this is supposed to be fiction, it needs more realism.