Books for Teens

Sophie and Josh are your ordinary twins, until one day a strange car pulls up outside of the shops they work at. Immediately they know something is wrong. The smell of rotten eggs fills the air as strange gray “men” get out of the car. These men go into to Nicholas Flemming’s store and Josh is stunned to see magic flowing from the fingers of Dr. Dee as he attacks Nicholas. It turns out, both Dee and Flemming (aka Flamel) are immortal. The twins come to the rescue of Flamel and he sweeps them off to safety, however Flamel’s wife Perenelle is not so lucky. Dee kidnaps her along with the most powerful book in the world…The Codex. Flamel quickly explains that he has been the guardian of the book and since the kids are too involved to go back to their ordinary lives, they must stay with him until things have settled down. Before long another motive is revealed. The Codex, prophesized that twins would save the world or destroy it. Flamel works as their guide and teacher and takes them to Awaken their magical powers. Dee keeps interfering and Flamel, the twins, and their friend Scatty must battle against all kinds of Elders, undead, and mythological animals. I enjoyed reading so many familiar names of gods and goddesses and mythological creatures. I was surprised by the author’s footnotes about just how much of the book is based on fact. Teens will enjoy reading about their favorite mythological characters such as vampires, werewolves, and the sphinx. In the end, the reader is left anxiously awaiting book two: The Magician. 

Any girl can relate to this funny well written book about love and heartache and starting over again. Jennifer Lewis has the perfect life, until her boyfriend dumps her without any warning. She is heart broken and depressed about losing the love of her life. Since she can’t think of a reason why Max left her, she starts to find fault in her self. That’s when Nana comes to the rescue. After hearing a talk radio program about a new self help book called The Breakup Bible, Nana buys it to help Jen get over Max. At first Jen finds the book ridiculous, but the more depressed she becomes the more she realizes maybe there is something good in this book. To distract herself from thinking about Max, she pours all her energy into an article she is writing about race relations at her high school. Her school sponsor is so impressed with her that he recommends her for an internship at The New York Times. Things start to look up for her when her father sets her up on a blind date. Gene is sweet and funny and Jen really hits it off with him…until he kisses her and all she can think about is Max. She begins to fear that she will never get over Max, when all of a sudden she realizes she never really knew him at all. After taking some heat over the controversial article she has written for the paper, Max approaches Jen and accuses her of retaliation for dumping her. Shocked, she can’t believe that he could ever think she would be so cruel. At that point, a switch turns off and Jen decides Max was never right for her after all. The novel ends, full of hope. Will Jennifer get the internship? What happens with Gene? Is Max out of her life for good? Readers will be joining “Team Jennifer,” and cheering her on right up until the last page.

The format of this book is incredibly appealing. At over 500 pages, it might be intimidating to a young reader until they pick it up and flip through the pages. Selznick’s book is a graphic novel told in pages of words alternating with pages of black and white drawings. It was a quick read, despite the length and I highly enjoyed reading it.

Hugo is an orphan. After his father died he has been hiding in a train station, maintaining the clocks in the building. The only thing he has left from his father is a broken automaton and the dream of repairing it. Hugo tries his best to fend for himself. He often has to steal food and parts for his repairs from a local toyshop. One day Hugo befriends the toyshop owner’s goddaughter at the movie theater. Later, he is caught stealing by Georges Melies, the shop owner. Georges takes Hugo’s sketch book as a penance for the theft. More than anything Hugo wants his sketch book back, so he begins to work for the shopkeeper to earn it back. Through the help of his new friend, Hugo is able to get his sketch book and repair the automaton. Once they turn on the automaton, it begins to draw a picture and write out a message.  Hugo can’t wait to see what it creates.  He is shocked to find at the bottom of the picture the automaton has signed Georges Melies’ name.  A mystery is to be uncovered.  What role did Georges play in the creation of the automaton?  Why did it draw a scene from Hugo’s father’s favorite movie?  The fast paced ending had me glued to my seat, eager to find out what would become of Hugo Cabret.

Sofia has grown up in McAllen, Texas.  Valleyites will enjoy reading about our community in this well written book.   In The Tequila Worm Sofia must learn accept what it means to be Mexican American, even though she has to deal with being called a “Taco Head”  at school or misunderstood because of her family’s customs. Sofia grew up in the barrio.  Her family was poor, but they always had the necessities as well as plenty of love.  In this funny story her mother dresses her as a bean taco, a tequila worm and other costumes for Halloween.  At each house in the neighborhood she is give vegetable or fruit and a hand decorated skull cookie.  She is upset, since her cousin got candy bars and quarters on the other side of town.  So, her mother took her across town to see what it was like on the “rich” side of town.  She immediately realized everyone else had store bought costumes and plastic pumpkin candy bags.  Sofia longed to have a house like theirs and to have nice things. At this point in her life, she doesn’t not fully appreciate the customs of her family.  In high school she does so well on her school work that she is offered a scholarship which allows her to “get out of the Valley.” Her mother doesn’t know if Sofia is ready to live outside of their community.  It takes a lot of convincing for Sofia to be allowed to attend this boarding school in Austin. Sofia must find $400 and five dresses for evening dinners at the school.  Her cousin and comadre Berta helps her figure things out.

When Sofia arrives, things are not how she expected.  She is only one of five Mexican Americans on campus.  Everyone else there is rich.  One of the girls is very mean to Sofia.  She decides to kick her butt by being smarter than her and better than her at sports.  Sofia longs for home, but knows she is following her dream by going to school.  Before long she realizes all those embarrassing customs back home were some of the greatest moments in her life. She creates an altar in her room and reminisces each night about home.

Although I am not a minority, I did grow up in the Valley and I really related to the culture shock Sofia goes through.  Being a minority at a new school can be torturous.  Other students will find comfort in reading Sofia’s story and knowing that the best way to beat the bullies is to be smarter than them.

All Zoe wants is to have a piano and play at Carnegie Hall.  She has big dreams, until her dad come home with an organ instead of a piano for Zoe.  It comes with free lessons.  Her teacher realizes she has talent and suggest she enter the Perform-o-rama.  At school things aren’t going too well.  She loses her best friend to another girl.  She ends up sitting at the “boy table.”  Everyone there is kind of gross, having burping contests and what not.  One of the boys at the table, Wheeler, rides home with Zoe on the bus and starts following her home each day.  He is considered to be a bully at school, but he is kind to Zoe and they seem to get along well.  Zoe’s father is quirky to say the least.  He is afraid to leave the house, so he takes courses from Living Room University and acquires degrees in everything from scuba diving to baking.  Her mother is a workaholic.

Zoe soon learns that Wheeler’s dad is not involved which is one of the reasons Wheeler starts having dinner at her house just Zoe, her dad and Wheeler.  Wheeler becomes a good friend to Zoe and she realizes it might be more than friendship when he gets jealous over another boy liking her at school.  Wheeler supports her plans to participate in the Perform-o-rama.  With the help of Zoe’s father, he even bakes her a cake for her birthday.  The day before the contest, Zoe’s mom tells her she has to work and will not be able to take her.  Her father is so afraid to leave the house that it looks like she won’t be able to go.   Wheeler comes to the rescue by finding a map and programming emergency phone numbers in her dad’s cell phone.  In the end the contest is harder than Zoe thought it would be.  But everything works out; possibly more that friendship for Zoe and Wheeler.

This book has everything you could want in a novel: sex, love, death, practical jokes, and deeper meaning.  Miles Halter has just started attending a private school named Culver Creek.  Back home he was kind of a loner.  By the ninth grade he still didn’t have many friends.  In fact his going away party consisted of his mother, father and a couple from school Miles hardly knew.  But Miles wants to do great things in life, which is why he decides he must leave his small hometown to attend private school.  Miles is in search of the Great Perhaps.  He longs to know what might be out there for him.  In this touching novel, Miles finds out what it means to have true friends.  His first day at school he meets his roomate, the  “Colonel”.  The “Colonel” tells Miles that if they become friends Miles has no shot at being “cool” at the Creek.  Miles takes up the Colonel on his offer of friendship and the two pretty much become inseparable.  Miles does a lot of growing up during his junior year at this boarding school.  Most importantly he meets Alaska, the girl he never knew he had always been looking for.  He is instantly intrigued by her.  She is beautiful yet moody and unpredictable.  Miles likes her immediately but she has a boyfriend and sees Miles more as a brother to her.  Miles struggles with deciding whether to just give up on Alaska or to hold out for her in hopes she will return his interests.  This story reminded me of an updated version of The Chocolate War.  Also a book about boarding school and conflicts among the social classes.  Miles, Alaska, the Colonel, Tukumi and Lara work together to pull off pranks against the rich “Weekday Warriors” (the students who are rich enough to commute to school and home each week.)  Just as Miles and Alaska begin to get close to becoming something more (in a drunken state they make out), Alaska rushes off campus in the middle of the night saying she was sorry she forgot.  Without realizing how bad things might turn out Miles and the Colonel let her drive away even though she is drunk.  When they find out the next day that she was in a fatal car accident, both boys blame themselves for not stopping her.  The begin to search for deeper meaning to Alaska’s life and death.  And in doing so each learns important lessons about themselves.  The question both the reader and the main character are left pondering is: How will you- you personally- ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering?  Is there really a more profound question ourselves?

If I could rate this book on a scale of 1-10 I would easily give it a 15.  Not everyday does a book truly make me think about the deeper meaning of life.