We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach

Wallach, Tommy. We All Looked Up. New York: Simon and Schuster. 2015. Print. ISBN: 9781481418775. Ages 14+.

Formats Available:  Harcover, paperback, eBook, Audio

Awards: None

Annotation: Four teens from four very different lifestyles come together in hopes to shed their labels and live their best life before time has run out.

Booktalk: When news hits that an asteroid will hit the Earth in less than two months, four teens from very different walks of life try to determine how to play out their last days. Before the news of the asteroid, the jock Peter is worried that his best days are going to be left behind in his high school years and Eliza is counting down the days until she can rid herself of her promiscuous reputation and leave town. Anita, the girl with the best grades wants to pursue her dream of becoming a professional singer but is faced with the pressure her parents put on her to attend an ivy league college  while Andy, the grungy rocker doesn't care about what happens after high school-college and the future aren't going anywhere. When the four high schoolers hear their world may be ending- and soon- they begin to think about what really matters and how they can fit in their greatest wants in life before its too late. Will the Earth really get wiped out? Do the little things like tests and school really count when there may be no future?



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Forgive me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

Quick, Matthew. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock. New York: Little Brown Books, 2013. Print. 978-0316221351. Ages 16+

Formats Available: Hardcover, paperback, Audio, eBook

Awards: None

Annotation: Leonard has given up. He is tired of being different and is willing to go to extreme measures to rid of this awful feeling of being different, even if it means taking his own life.

Booktalk: It's Leonard Peacock's birthday and he has a gift for the four people he is closest to and one for himself. No one seems to remember his birthday, but he knows he must deliver each of these gifts before he delivers the last one to his former best friend and himself. Leonard lives with his mother who spends most of her time working and not paying much attention to her son. He doesn't see much of his drug abusing father and his old best friend Asher isn't his friend anymore for a reason. Leonard spends most of his time skipping school and hanging out with his neighbor Walt. Walt is a senior citizen and the two of them spend their time watching and reciting lines from old Humphrey Bogart movies. Not a lot of people seem to genuinely care about Leonard's existence, let alone his birthday and he has had enough. Leonard is about to take his future into his own hands, but at whose expense? Will the gift he is going to give himself relieve him of all the pressure and terrible feelings? Find out Leonard's fate in Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock. 


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This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jullian Tamaki

Tamaki, Mariko & Jillian. This One Summer. New York: First Second, 2014. Print. ISBN: 9781596437746. Ages 12+

Formats Available: Hardcover, paperback, eBook

Awards: 2015 Caldecott Honor Book
               2015 Michael L. Printz Honor Book

Annotation: Rose's Summer is like none she's ever had. She and her friend Windy will get wrapped up in drama and secrets like she's never before experienced.

Booktalk: Rose always looks forward to her family's annual Summer trip to Awago Beach. She loves to spend time there with her friend Windy, who is like a little sister to her. Every Summer is usually the same, but this time her parents can't seem to get along. Her mother has been trying for some time to have another baby, and her inability to become pregnant has forced her into a deep depression. To distance herself from the arguing and her unsettled mother, Rose starts taking notice of one of the cute local teens that works at the convenience store. Her casual observations have suddenly turned her into a spy and she starts to unravel secrets about this boy that could turn into something bad. Thankfully, Windy is there as her right hand man and together, the girls spend the Summer growing up and discovering who they are as people and as women.

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Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Rowell, Rainbow. Eleanor & Park. New York, St. Martin's Press, 2013. Print.

 Formats Available: Hardcover, softcover, eBook, Audio

Annotation: Two misfits. One extraordinary love.

Booktalk: Two teenagers meet on the bus on their way to school. Both a bit alternative, the girl comes from a poor and sometimes frightening home life. She's teased and ridiculed about her hair and hand me down clothes, but she tries to remain as invisible as she can. The boy is more popular. He likes comic books and punk rock music. His home life is normal. His parents love him and he doesn't have to worry much when it comes to buying clothes and music. When he offers this strange girl a seat next to him on the bus, his immediate reaction isn't love at first sight. Over time the two connect as she reads his comic books over his shoulder. It's through this connection that he begins to see more than this girl's appearance. Follow their journey as they embark on a new friendship that will turn into the most epic love story of all time. The love story of Eleanor & Park.

Awards: none

Teen Quote: "It is so amazing! I'm afraid about the ending though. I'm worried that we won't ever find out what happens after the end!" ---Gianna, age 14

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Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

                                   

Andrews, Jesse. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: A Novel. New York: Amulet, 2012. Print.

Annotation:  Follow Greg as he recounts the time in during his high school career that ruined his life but made him realize the true meaning what having real friendships is all about.

Booktalk: Greg Gaines tries his best to be invisible. His main goal is to get through high school without having any kind of run-ins with the various clicks at his high school. He stays away from any kind of relationships except Earl. Only Earl, according to Greg, is his business partner and he hardly considers him a friend. When Greg's mother comes to him with news that a girl Rachel he once knew has Leukemia, she forces him to make contact and spend some time with her. Greg was just managing to get by without anyone having any sort of opinion about him, but now he must make friends with a sick girl. Will Greg be able shed his invisibility cloak and comfort Rachel during this frightening time in her life? Or will he keep his walls up and keep Rachel out? Join Greg as he recounts his story in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.

Awards: none

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Check out my book talk on Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews!

Here's the official trailer for the feature film, released in 2015

Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Hoover, Colleen. Slammed. New York: Atria Books. 2012. Print. ISBN: 9781476743554. Ages 14+.

Formats Available: eBook, paperback, Audio

Awards: none

Annotation: Layken is just settling in to her new town and getting into a routine following her father's death. She even meets a boy who lives across the street, but a shocking discovery will cause their connection to come to a sudden halt.

Booktalk: Eighteen year old Layken has just moved to a cold, blustery small town in Michigan all the way from the dry hot state of Texas. It's just Layken, her mother and her younger brother following the sudden death of her father. She is the backbone in the family, and spends most of her time caring for her brother while her mom works. On a cold night, Layken meets her new neighbor, Will, and the two share an immediate connection. Their quick connection suddenly breaks when the two discover a tremendous problem with their relationship. Through poetry, and heartfelt words Layken and Will's feelings are put to the test as they try to ride out this storm until the coast is clear. Will their strength seem them through, or will their feelings get the best of them?

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The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Green, John. The Fault in Our Stars. New York: Dutton Books, 2012. Print. ISBN: 978-0525478812. $17.99. Ages 15+

Formats Available: Hardcover, paperback, eBook, audio

Awards: none

Annotation: Hazel meets Augustus Waters and finds out that while life may not always be rewarding, there are some things that will forever seem as if they are a gift.

Review: Seventeen year old Hazel Lancaster is a cancer patient who is one day forced to attend a support group for teens dealing with cancer and terminal illnesses. She usually keeps to herself regardless of her parents encouragement to make new friends, but on the first day of the group, Hazel bumps into Augustus Waters creating a moment that will change both of their lives forever. Getting to know Augustus, Hazel is skeptical about opening up to someone even though her connection to Augustus is something magnetic. Hazel and Augustus, while both battling their own pain, have formed a relationship that is once in a lifetime.

As Hazel slowly opens up to Augustus, she shares with him her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction which she feels thoroughly connected to due of her imposing sickness. As a gift, Augustus uses his own Make a Wish to bring Hazel to Amsterdam to meet the author. To their dismay, the author is not who Hazel thought he would be and so their trip seems a complete failure. Hazel and Augustus share a bond unlike any other pair in history. The maturity and understanding of their current situations brings to them a sense of adulthood, while battling many what ifs and hopes for their uncertain future. At such a young age, and little time to enjoy the beauty of what life can bring, Hazel and Augustus begin to understand the importance of sharing life with those you love, and being grateful for the magic in everything that surrounds them.

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Tell the Wolves I'm Home: A Novel by Carol Rifka Brunt

Brunt, Carol Rifka. Tell the Wolves I'm Home: A Novel. New York: Dial Press, 2013. Print. 9780812982855. Ages 16+

Formats Available: Hardcover, softcover, eBook, Audio

Annotation: June tries to uncover the illness that took her beloved Uncle's life and why her sister, Greta, blames his death on a mysterious man.

Booktalk: June Elbus is 14 years old and her best friend is her Uncle Finn who one day dies of a mysterious illness that no one seems to want to talk about. At Finn's funeral, June notices a thin man lurking around and later discovers that he was her Uncle's boyfriend, but none of her family will acknowledge his existence. June soon discovers the reasons behind this and it is because her Uncle passed away from AIDS and her family believes it is this strange man's fault. Before long this man gets in touch with June and she learns that his name is Toby. June's meetings with Toby become more frequent and he shares stories of Finn and passes some of Finn's possessions along to her. Over time June comes to adore Toby as she did Finn, but this relationship is taking a toll on her relationship with her older sister, Greta, who can't seem to come to terms with the idea that Toby didn't intentionally kill Uncle Finn. June's story of the aftermath of her Uncle's death is a touching one that will leave tears its readers eyes, but compassion in their hearts.


Awards: none

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Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

Hoover, Colleen. Hopeless. New York: Atria, 2013. Print. ISBN: 978-1476743554. $15.00. Ages 14+

Formats Available: eBook, paperback, audio, mp3 CD

Annotation: Sky's life is practically just like anyone's with exception of her being adopted and living with her mother who is a bit overprotective. Sky makes discoveries about herself and her past when she starts her senior year at a brand new school.

Awards: none

Booktalk: Sky is adopted. She lives with her mom and has done all of her schooling at home. Now that it is time for her senior year, Sky wants to bulk up her experiences to get into a good college so she convinces her mom to let her attend high school so she can participate in extracurricular activities. Sky and her best friend spend a lot of time messing around with boys, but out of all of them, she has never felt much of a connection, just a kind of numbness. It isn't until she meets Dean Holder that she starts to feel something. Dean finds familiarity in Sky and as they spend more and more time together, Sky feels compelled to open up to him. After learning of Dean's twin sister's suicide, Sky informs him that her biological mother died when she was young, so she was adopted by her mother Karen. What Sky doesn't realize is that Dean does in fact know her from somewhere. Through an epic love story unwinds the history of a girl who didn't think much about how her life has played out. Discover the secrets and twists of Sky's history and the fight she gives to know the truth, even when everything seems Hopeless.

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