Meg Cabot. VALENTINE PRINCESS.

Valentine Princess is one among many in the Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot. In this installment, Mia finds a diary from a few years back. It was written during her first year of dating her boyfriend, Michael. It was right before Valentine's Day and Mia is worried because it's her first one with an “actual” Valentine, but Michael is opposed to commercialized holidays. She finally gets advice from an unlikely source, her mother. Will Michael finally come around and enjoy the holiday? This is a nice little treat for anytime of year. Enjoy this one or any of the many books in the Princess Diaries series.

ECLIPSE, THE KEY TO THE GOLDEN FIREBIRD

Stephenie Meyer. ECLIPSE
Yea! I’ve been waiting for this one to come out. This is the third in the trilogy by Meyer. The first is TWILIGHT and the second is NEW MOON (reviews below). For me, this one was deeper and richer. You learn more about Jacob’s history, as well as some of the Cullen’s history. Plus, the threats of Victoria and the Volturi are heightened and must be dealt with. Some major decisions are made, but some things are left hanging for book four. I was left wanting more. But I still loved it!






Maureen Johnson.
THE KEY TO THE GOLDEN FIREBIRD
May is the smart daughter in the family, so she is sent to a private school. Her older sister, Brooks, is the beautiful, athletic one, while the youngest, Palmer, is shy, but also a great pitcher. Even though they are different, they have fun spending time together. Then when a tragedy happens in their family, things start to fall apart. May sees bad things happening to her family and feels the burden of being the “responsible” one. Will the family be able to pull together again? In addition to this drama, May’s childhood friend is spending a lot of time helping her learn to drive. She begins to wonder if he is just a “friend” anymore. This was a wonderful book about family and friends. I really enjoyed the characters. The author did a wonderful job of creating real, deep, interesting characters.

DEATHLY HALLOWS, PROM, THE BOYFRIEND LIST, DRAMARAMA

J.K. Rowling.
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS
Well, I finally finished the book. It was really long, plus I was trying to enjoy it, since it's the last one and all. I can't say too much without giving away spoilers. It's quite a different adventure for Harry, Ron & Hermione. A lot of things are revealed, there are plot twists, unexpected deaths, and lots of good things too. I guess that's about all I can say! I thought it was a wonderful ending for the series for a number of reasons (that I obviously cannot elaborate on here). Also, there were many times while reading that I was thinking, "wow, can't wait for this movie..can't wait for that scene to be played out by the actors!" So sad that it's over.




Laurie Halse Anderson. PROM
Ashley is a senior, but couldn't care less about prom. She just wants to graduate and get outta school. Nat, her best friend, is chair of the prom committee and obsessed with the preparations for the "most magical night of her life." Then everything comes crashing down when the math teacher steals the prom money. Nat is desperate, so Ashley suggests that they have the prom in the gym. Ashley gets roped into helping to re-raise the money for prom, but she still doesn't want to actually go to the prom, or does she? I listened to this one on audio, and since the narrator was so good with all of the accents, I laughed out loud many times.

E. Lockhart THE BOYFRIEND LIST

After having 5 separate panic attacks, Ruby Oliver’s parents insist that she begin seeing a psychiatrist. Ruby’s doctor makes her write out a “boyfriend list” that includes every boy that’s come close to or been an actual “boyfriend.” As the reader, we hear the story behind each boy starting in early elementary school. They aren’t all really boyfriends, unless you count a boy giving you candy and then never speaking to you again. Anyway, what makes this story great is how the author brilliantly intertwines Ruby’s current problems with her life history. She goes back & forth, but somehow it isn’t confusing at all. We see certain patterns in Ruby’s life, and we care enough about her to find out what happens in the end. There is also a little mystery as to what happens to this “boyfriend list.” We get hints along the way that something embarrassing is going to happen. This was a fun read! (yes, the adorable frog on the cover has something to do with the story)

E. Lockhart. DRAMARAMA

Sarah doesn’t feel like she really belongs at her school, nor does she want to. Her school seems pretty vanilla, while she’s mint chocolate chip. Then while waiting to audition for a summer theatre camp, she meets Demi. He seems as alive as her. They both love singing and dancing, and they both dream of performing on Broadway one day. The both attend the summer camp and are introduced to a world of such excitement that they never want to leave. But Sarah isn’t so sure she’s as talented as they thought. Will she make it as a performer? This world was so much fun that I didn’t want to leave. Unfortunately, I can’t sing, so this was the only way I’ll ever get to see musical theatre up close and personal!

I STAY NEAR YOU, NO RIGHT TURN, MISSING YOU, HATERS, DIVA, BRUNETTES STRIKE BACK

M.E. Kerr. I STAY NEAR YOU

I have wanted to read some of Ms. Kerr’s books for a while now, so I thought I’d start with this one. It intrigued me because it depicts three generations of a family woven together by a gold ring. It begins with a poor young girl who falls in love with a boy from the richest family in town. Then the ring follows their children and grandchildren. It’s a touching story about love and friendship, even through the toughest times in life. It was cleverly told through three unusual points of view. I really enjoyed it! I’ll be reading more by this author.





Terry Trueman. NO RIGHT TURN

Trueman’s other books have been some of the most memorable books I’ve ever read (STUCK IN NEUTRAL & CRUISE CONTROL), so I jumped at the chance to read this one. Jordan lost his dad three years before when he committed suicide. He’s turned into a zombie since then. He rarely speaks, only has one friend, and never participates in any activities. One day his mom starts dating a man named Don, who owns a corvette. Jordon becomes interested in the car, and Don willingly starts taking him for rides and teaching him about car maintenance. When Jordan finds out that Don leaves the keys in the car and goes out of town every Wednesday, the urge to “borrow” the car is too great to resist. Suddenly, Jordan finds himself “borrowing” the car on a regular basis. How long will he be able to pull it off before someone finds out? Check it out! You don't even have to like corvettes to enjoy it, but who doesn't like corvettes?

Meg Cabot. MISSING YOU

This is the fifth and final book in a series called “I-800-Where-R-U.” Cabot originally published this series under the pen name Jenny Carroll. You will probably find them in bookstores as Meg Cabot, but many libraries have the original Carroll versions*. Anyway, this is a great series that I’ve recommended to many students over the last few years. It begins when the main character, Jess, gets struck by lightning. Shortly thereafter, she begins dreaming about missing kids. If she sees a kid’s picture, she dreams about where they are. In this final installment, we learn that Jess has just come home from Afghanistan after helping the government find terrorists. After seeing the war up close and personal, Jess is no longer the same person. She’s moved on to New York with her best friend to go to college and hopefully start a new life. When her old boyfriend shows up, she wonders if she will be able to move on or if maybe she wants to keep one part of her past after all. This was a wonderful conclusion to a great, fun set of books.

*She also wrote a great series called the Mediator under the Carroll name. It’s also been reissued under her real name, Cabot. But you will still find copies of the Carroll version

Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez. HATERS

At first glance, this book appeared to be another “mean girls” type of book. But, in reality, it is so much more. Paski’s father comes home one day and tells her that they are moving to Los Angeles. With two great best friends and a new boyfriend, moving is the last thing that Paski wants to do. But, they move and she begins attending a new high school where the popular girls are called “Haters.” Jessica, the leader of this group, hates Paski on sight, because she is pretty and has just attracted the attention of her Jessica's boyfriend. Paski is trying to just be her normal confident self, but in this new world where all the other kids are rich, walk around like models and drive luxury cars, will she ever fit in? I completely enjoyed this book! The characters are wonderful. Paski is a refreshing character with some interesting abilities. I love that she doesn’t conform to her new world, but instead finds confidence to be herself. Check it out! It is recommended for high school and above.



Alex Flinn. DIVA

I’ve read and enjoyed all of Alex Flinn’s books. So, when I heard about this one, I jumped on it. This book is “sort of” a continuation of BREATHING UNDERWATER, but not really. The main character’s girlfriend Caitlin is the main character is this book. Nick is only mentioned a few times, but those few times are significant. But you don’t need to read BREATHING UNDERWATER to enjoy this book. Caitlin fills you in where needed. Caitlin is an opera singer, to the dismay of her cheerleader friends. She wants to go to the performing arts high school in town, but her mother doesn’t support her talent, so she’s afraid to tell her that she auditioned. Even when she is accepted to the school, she doesn’t tell her mother! However, when she does begin attending the school, a whole new world opens up to her. Perhaps she will learn to go after what she wants and not what everyone else expects of her. This was funny, well-written and an all around good time. You’ll love it!

Kieran Scott.
BRUNETTES STRIKE BACK

Annisa has settled into her new non-blonde cheerleading life. She has a boyfriend, she thinks anyway, her friends on the squad consider her a friend, and next week they’re off to nationals! But when she gets to nationals, just when her life should be perfect, Annisa’s new life starts to collide with her old life. Will she be able to put everything back together before they must compete? This was a highly enjoyable sequel! I loved spending time with these characters again. I noticed that a third book will be out this summer! Can’t wait!

NON-BLONDE CHEERLEADER, DEMON IN MY VIEW, BLUE NOON

Kieran Scott.
I WAS A NON-BLONDE CHEERLEADER

Brunette Annisa has just moved from New Jersey to the all blonde school of Sand Dune High in southern Florida. She’s moved many times before but never encountered such direct meanness from the students. Suddenly, the cheerleading squad must replace two of its members. After cheering at her old school, Annisa is determined to make the squad, even though the girls on the team appear to hate her. This is a fun book. Annisa’s courage and determination is refreshing. I enjoyed the quirky characters, especially Bethany. Even the mean girls end up having depth. Read it; you’ll love it! I’m off to read the sequel!

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. DEMON IN MY VIEW

This book follows IN THE FORESTS OF THE NIGHT. It isn’t a sequel, though. It’s really quite different. I wrote about FORESTS previously. (see below in April) A minor character in that book named Jessica is the main character in this book. Jessica writes vampire books. When the dazzling main character of her book shows up one day at school, she is puzzled. He looks exactly like Aubrey, but calls himself Alex. When another new girl at school says some things to Jessica that only her characters in her books would know, things get really weird. If this vampire world is really real, Jessica must find out. Plus, it might explain some things about her own mysterious past.

Scott Westerfeld.
MIDNIGHTERS #3: BLUE NOON

This is the last in the Midnighters trilogy. I was surprised at how easy it was to get back into this world, since it had been so long since I read the second one. But, I caught up pretty fast. This installment has “midnight” creeping into the middle of the day. Jessica, Jonathan and the rest of the gang are having lunch one day when the “blue time” shows up. They soon begin to figure out that the darklings are planning something big on Halloween. Also, some weird things are happening with Rex, who still has some darkling in him from the previous book’s events. The end is so suspenseful that it had me speed reading to get to the end.