The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin

Matthew kicks butt in the integrity zone; it just takes he and his sister a little time to figure out how to really get away from his psychotic mother, where are their advocates, and how can they survive, all before they get killed by her.

Nancy Werlin is an accomplished author but this is a first-time read for me. A mystery writer, she wrote The Double Helix among a handful of others and has earned a nice kitty of awards. The Rules of Survival models writing craft thoughtfully. The text reads like the letter Matt writes to his youngest sister. Because she is so young, she seemed to have forgotten the dangerous side of her mother at the time of his writing it. But Matthew cannot forget, and neither can his couple of years younger sister Callie. Once identifying why their father really left his marriage to their mother and experiencing her heavy hand in parenting (or whatever you want to call that ongoing sword slash), Matthew and Callie  craft ways to get away from their mother. It is not by any means easy, and the mother fiercely fights to maintain her ownership of them as she maneuvers her disturbed and violent life. Matt does indeed succeed, but the ending is a somber one. This is a rich but heartbreaking read, definitely worth it. I can imagine plenty of teens resonating with this book. That sad truth makes me want to shout the title to the world....The Rules of Survival!

Little Bird by Germano Zullo

Looking for a lovely book about supporting those around you-- and not just the ones who look and sound like you?

Seeking a book that is both sparing and dramatic? Centering and deep? Useful with all ages?

 Little Bird is your book.

Mercury by Hope Larson

Hope Larson won an Eisner Award for this graphic novel and I can see why. This twisty little tale combines the lives of two teen girls, one current day and one living in 1859 and a remarkable mystery that ties them together despite such differences in time. The comic industry's equivalent to the Oscar Awards, Eisner Awards is give for creative achievement in comic books. Creative this one is.

First things first: true confessions. I am not a big comic-book reader. Sure, I read the comics in the paper, returning to a few most days. But I have not grown a tremendous following for comics and more, for graphic novels. If they were more like Mercury, I might.

Historical fiction tied together with mystical realism, the author offers us readers stellar comic illustrations and a storyline that keeps you hoping throughout. I would love some recommendations from folks about similar next reads: what do you recommend I search out? And what is that necklace all about anyway?

Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen

Teen-aged sports these days must be wicked difficult. To participate and successfully steer clear of all of the awful things lurking out there in America simply confronts the integrity of each player head on. The fall of adult athletes who used to be heroes to young people in this country is remarkable and frightening; Alex Rodriguez (accused at this date) and Lance Armstrong (confirmed and still returning his earnings from what I know) are only the beginning of a rapidly growing list. Leverage names some of those challenges-- steroids and bullying absolutely a part of this book, offering a voice to experiences that are often unnamed in the media except in teen literature.

Danny is a high-school gymnast who appears gifted enough to possibly have a chance at a college scholarship. Kurt, a similarly gifted athlete, becomes a football player at the same school after switching schools mid-year by way of a new foster mother. The way these boy's lives intersect shines light on the frequently-quiet, outside-of-cliques' friendship that occurred when I was in school, and I celebrate still occurs nowadays. On Kurt's first day of football, he is offered money (poor boy from poverty, according to the clueless coach's view) and steroids (again said clueless coach demonstrates his win-at-all-costs ethics). Kurt accepts, knowing that he is new to the school and not knowing rules or consequences of either. Over time, Kurt asks Danny to teach him how to do a back handspring, something giant lumbering Kurt indeed learns. Eventually Kurt and another friend ask Danny to stand with him as they confront the awful actions from three leaders on the football team.

This book kept me holding tightly to it. I loved the story, appreciated the rhythm and timing of the text, and really connected with the sports theme central to the novel. With superb cover art, Leverage is a keeper, and I look forward to seeing where Cohen leads next in his writing. 

I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Another debut novel that swallowed me up, I'll Be There offers a diverse and rich storyline combined with believable characters and tensions. I have to admit: as a parent, I kinda didn't want to read this story: the father flat out creeped me out. I am glad I did though; I liked it so much that I recommended it to Alysa.

Teen-aged Sam and younger brother Riddle (what a name!) have a father that is a whisper's breath from a mental institution, and Sam just hasn't figured out how to get away from him and still find his mother. Teen-aged Emily takes a smart risk, singing a solo in church one Sunday, and ends up with some good-looking boy holding her hair back after stress makes her vomit on the sidewalk outside of the sanctuary. When her mom shows up, boy disappears. Emily though can't stop thinking about him, and Sam can't stop thinking about her. Their worlds act atomic, colliding and repelling, given the multitude of issues that two teen lives and two very, very, very different family structures can bring to two folks trying to work out how to spend time together. And actually live to experience it.

Author Sloan does a sweet job of weaving these two lives together in I'll Be There. I really liked how she zeroed in on her characters but also broadens the actual storyline in a way that kept me really engaged. I have some serious visuals as a result of how she wrote the book-- let me tell you, I may never see a faded red kayak in the same way again! I will definitely look for this author in the future, and after Alysa finishes, I may just have to read it again!

Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Have you noticed the multitude of teen books about male-female relationships gone sour? That is such a common theme, and authors (and publishers) are certainly seeking out every corner of that genre (if that is what it is) to sell books. I notice too how many new authors are entering the publishing world through that genre, and I find that kinda fascinating. I tend to seek out books with a power imbalance, and if you studied my library-check-out history, you would see what I am talking about. I am not sure what this means, as in why I am drawn to these stories--is it the cover, is it that I feel the books are safe, is it that I can literally fly through them without studying the books during semesters when I am teaching (yes, a definite maybe here). The truth is out: sometimes I just want to fly through books, not thinking too much but maybe noticing a good character development here or there. Breaking Beautiful does a pretty good job of character development and twisty storyline, and kept me engaged during a particularly heavy reading time of the semester.

What I really liked about the character development in Breaking Beautiful is how twin brother and sister stick up for each other....in some very unique ways. I was surprised at how Wolf wove in a protective brother who has a challenging time physically protecting his sister. I was also surprised at some of the other power misuses the author includes in the book. At times I wasn't sure who had sent boyfriend off the cliff: oops, a hint of storyline there....But really: you have to read it. I am not gonna spoil this one. The ending surprised even me. 

Bluebird by Bob Staake

This book is without written words and yet with a multitude of them.

This book is loaded with illustrations that demand the reader slow down and study each one. 

Authors rarely capture the wisdom and endurance of relationship like Staake does in Bluebird. 

I feel as if I am cheating using words. But then, I am nowhere close to being as brilliant as Bob Staake creates in Bluebird. Happy reading!