Rave Reviews from Booksellers and Teens

Today, we’re pleased to share the latest installment of our teen and book store buyer reviews. You may see some familiar titles here, like Trash, which we’ve raved about before. Our buyers are still sending us their passionate praise for this book, in stores now! If you like this post, don’t miss similar posts reviewing other great fall books!

 

Trash by Andy Mulligan

Heartbreaking. Heart-pounding. Heart-warming. These are the words that come to mind when I think Andy Mulligan’s brilliant novel TRASH. In an unnamed Third World country, Raphael and his two friends Gardo and Rat eke out a bleak existence. Living in large metal containers at a dumpsite, they scrounge for food and scraps as they sort through trash every day. One would think the despair of this life would crush these boys, but somehow they maintain a spirit of loyalty and love that allows them to surmount the steepest obstacles. It is because of their amazing character that they are able to survive the harrowing consequences that are unleashed on them following the “unlucky-lucky day” when they find something far more valuable than anyone could imagine in the trash.

This is a story that will leave you breathless, it will open your eyes, it will make you think, but most of all it will open your heart to three young boys that you will never forget.

 -Heather Hebert, Children’s Book World, Haverford, PA

 

Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales by Tamora Pierce 

(available February 22, 2011)

What can I say?  This book was amazing.  Now, I’m a long time Tamora Pierce fan.  I’ve even read a couple of the short stories in this collection before when they were printed in “Firebirds” and “Young Warriors” (bought specifically for the Tamora Pierce stories).  I’ve read everything that is currently in print and most of it multiple times.  I have audio and print versions of everything.  I’ve even read her run on the comic “White Tiger”. 

This short story collection is a must for anyone who is already a Tamora Pierce fan, but it is also completely accessible to those who have never picked up a Tortall book before.  Some of the stories flesh out characters from previous books.  Memorably, in “The Dragon’s Tale,” Kitten, a character who literally, has no voice in the Wild Mage books gets to express her own thoughts and feelings in a story told entirely from her perspective.  But even those who haven’t read the Wild Mage quartet will connect with this frustrated young dragon as she maneuvers through a world filled with stubborn humans who just won’t understand!

- Sara Glassman, Little Professor Book Center, Birmingham, AL

 

 The Ruby Notebook by Laura Resau

Once again, in this sequel to The Indigo Notebook, Zeeta and her mother have settled in a new place, that of Aix-en-Provence, France. Every year, usually following the break-up of her mother and some boyfriend, the two move to a new place in the world, start a new life, then leave once more. After meeting the man she thinks she loves in their last home, Zeeta is excited to see him once more when he comes for a two month art program. Yet, things don’t go as planned when a mysterious and handsome traveler makes Zeeta wonder if she really feels the way she thought she did. Filled with fun and romance, and with sometimes odd twists of magic, Resau creates a fun read for anyone who has every questioned who they are and what they believe.

- Savi, age 16 (submitted by Boulder Bookstore, Boulder, CO)

 

 

The False Princess by Eilis O’Neal (available January 25, 2011)

 

The False Princess turns a cliché on its head in a glorious and exciting story of royal intrigue, conspiracy, and self-discovery. Eilis O’Neal reverses the classic story of rags to riches. On her sixteenth birthday, the main character finds out that she is in fact not royal, but rather a decoy for the real princess, switched after a prophecy said the real princess would be murdered. Thrown out on her own, she discovers that she has powerful magic, and uncovers a plot that puts the real princess in danger. This adventure has enough twists and turns to keep you turning the pages until the end.

- Laura, age 18 (submitted by Boulder Bookstore, Boulder, CO)

  

The False Princess is a very exciting book about Princess Nalia who, at age 16, is told she is the stand-in for the actual princess, her name is Sinda, and that she must go “home” to an aunt she has never met. Nalia/Sinda has no idea how to function as a peasant, and now Sinda must also face the magic she has, magic that nobody is willing to teach her to use…until she meets Philantha. At least she still has her friend Kiernan. However, soon she has uncovered a plot to change the future of Thorvaldor. I recommend this suspenseful fantasy novel to ages 10 through 13. It takes place in a medieval kingdom called Thorvaldor, a land with oracles of the Nameless God and universities for magic. If you are a fan of the Tamora Pierce books that take place in Tortall but would rather have something that stands alone, then you have yet another good book waiting for you.

- Robin, 7th grade (submitted by Mrs. Nelson’s Toy and Book Shop, La Verne, CA)

 

 

 

 

Gimme Me a Call by Sarah Mlynowski

Mlynowski’s Gimme a Call is a quick, light read, and highly entertaining.  If a good escape read is the goal, Gimme a Call almost jumps off the shelf.  It begins with a depressed, self-pitying high school senior, dumped by her boyfriend, who can suddenly use her cell phone to call her freshman self.  She proceeds to tell her freshman self what to do in an attempt to change her past, resulting in hilarious mix-ups and heartfelt scenes.  Mlynowski’s latest novel is easily the best escape read I’ve read so far this year.

- Caela, age 15 (submitted by Boulder Bookstore, Boulder, CO)

 

 

Thief Eyes by Janni Lee Simner 

In Thief Eyes, Haley goes to Iceland, the last place her mother was seen. There, in a land of many dark legends, Haley accepts a silver coin, an action that gets her entangled in something deeper than she could imagine. To leave that mysterious, shadowy world, Haley and Ari, a boy descended from an ancient warrior clan, set off on an epic adventure. Haley must fight the fire magic inside her, and they both must leave. I recommend this mildly dark fantasy novel for anyone ages 10 through 13 who likes stand-alone fantasy books.

- Robin, 7th grade (submitted by Mrs. Nelson’s Toy and Book Shop, La Verne, CA)