"WAITING ON WEDNESDAY"

Here's this week's "Waiting on Wednesday." (A soon-to-be available book that I can't wait to read.)

WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson

"Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit.
In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the multiple-award-winning Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia’s descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery."

(summary from Amazon.com)

This sounds like a powerful, must-read!

NEED by Carrie Jones

Zara’s world fell apart when her stepfather died. His sudden heart attack left her without a running partner and with feelings of guilt that she wasn’t able to save him. Now she’s moving in with her grandmother out in the wilds of Maine. Everyone is hoping a change of location will help her shake the overwhelming sadness she’s experienced since her stepfather’s death.

Life in the isolated community is quite different than city life. Everyone knows everyone else and about everyone else’s business. It doesn’t take long for Zara to make friends and enemies. Issie and Devyn quickly step up to make Zara feel welcome, while Megan and her group of popular people become almost instant enemies. Zara isn’t exactly sure how to describe good-looking Nick and attentive Ian. She is unexplainably attracted to Nick, but also fascinated by Ian.

Creepy things begin to happen. There's the appearance of the same strange man Zara began seeing back in Charleston after the death of her stepfather. He appears in random places and watches her every move. There's also the disappearance of two young boys from the small Maine community. Zara hears from her grandmother and her new friends that similar disappearances once took place years ago. They are also telling her stories about the existence of pixies. They are not the cute little innocent creatures she's heard about from the fairy tales of her younger years. These pixies are dangerous and evil creatures, and they just might be singling Zara out as their future queen.

NEED by Carrie Jones will hook readers on the first page. Even if you are not a fan of paranormal creatures like pixies, were creatures, and the like, you will find Zara's story difficult to put down. It is definitely a good pick for Twilight fans suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

TORCHED by April Henry

Ellie is the adopted daughter of a couple of old hippies. They love telling stories about their past as young rebels and spend their time looking out for new causes and smoking pot. It wasn't unusual then when members of MED, the Mother Earth Defenders, started hanging around in Ellie's living room. There were some fairly lively discussions and one pretty cute guy named Coyote.

When Ellie agreed to a couple of coffee shop dates with Coyote, little did she know she would soon be learning more about him and the MEDics' causes than she ever wanted to know. The cops had evidently been keeping an eye on Ellie's house because known members of the group had been meeting there. During a raid to arrest the group cops had labeled "ecoterrorists," Ellie's parents were arrested for drug trafficking. Being arrested was not new to the couple, but in the past they had been younger and healthier. Now the prospect of jail time was frightening, especially for Ellie's father and his weak heart. In order to protect her parents, Ellie finds herself agreeing to help the FBI in their investigation of the MEDics.

Now Ellie is closer than ever to the handsome Coyote, but she also can't believe she is buying dark colored clothing from the Goodwill store and planning a solo initiation attack to convince the group that she is legit. Once she is accepted as part of the group things begin to escalate. They may be protecting "mother earth," but they don't seem to be above taking human lives to further their cause.

TORCHED by April Henry is an edge-of-your-seat thriller. The book starts with a Prologue that puts readers in the thick of the action, and things don't slow down from there until the end. As a reader, I became involved in the story on several levels. I liked the fast-paced action, but I also found myself identifying with the MED cause. Protecting our great planet is a worthy cause, and Ellie's experience did have me thinking about many of the wasteful things I do to contribute to the problem. TORCHED should prove popular with many teen readers.

DEADLY LITTLE SECRETS by Laurie Faria Stolarz

There's a new guy in school. He's the quiet, good-looking type, and he's got everyone's attention. Rumor has it that he murdered his ex-girlfriend.

Camelia can't keep her eyes off of Ben. She has heard the rumors, and her friends are concerned about her strange attraction to this new guy. She doesn't want to believe the rumors because she finds herself irresistibly drawn to Ben. Several recent incidents have placed them together and even caused Ben to accidentally touch Camelia. Those innocent physical contacts have sparked something unexplained but incredible.

When Camelia begins receiving strange packages, weird phone calls, and mysterious visits, her friends are convinced that Ben is stalking her. But Camelia knows things about him that no one else knows, and despite nagging doubts, she wants to trust Ben and believe in his concern for her safety.

DEADLY LITTLE SECRETS is the beginning of a new series by Laurie Faria Stolarz. She once again uses her talent for paranormal drama to create a real page-turner. Fans of the BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARE series and PROJECT 17 are sure to be intrigued by her latest effort and anxious to find out where this new series will take them.

SOMETHING HAPPENED by Greg Logsted

It has only been months since the death of Billy Romero's father. The family is still trying to adjust. Billy's mother has thrown herself into her work as a realtor, and his little sisters seem too young to really understand. Billy has been seeing a therapist, but he's not sure it really does any good.

When he heads back to school, things seem hectic and confused. Every morning he finds himself running like a deranged idiot to catch the bus. There are mornings when he thinks the bus driver must hate him and even might enjoy the challenge of pulling off before Billy can reach the door. At school his usual friends don't seem to be interested in someone who mopes around stumbling through the day.

The only bright spot is his new English teacher. She looks way too young and pretty to be a teacher. Miss Gates who insists that students call her Tess, makes getting to English the only thing Billy looks forward to each day. There is some strange connection between Billy and Tess, and after the day she gives him a ride home when he misses the bus, their relationship blossoms from teacher/student to friend/friend.

Tess is interested in encouraging Billy's talent with poetry. She suggests he attend a poetry group with her one Friday evening. He is encouraged by his success with the group, but when he indicates that he has been asked to attend the Sadie Hawkins dance with his long-time friend Amy, Tess's reaction surprises him. Her possessive behavior and constant attention are beginning to suffocate Billy, but he's not sure how to handle the situation.

SOMETHING HAPPENED is the story of a vulnerable 8th grader and a teacher who takes advantage of that vulnerability. Although the book is rather simplistic and at times a bit beyond belief, it is still a page-turner with a basic reminder about the fine line that can be crossed in some relationships.

'WAITING ON WEDNESDAY'

Here's this week's "Waiting on Wednesday." (A soon-to-be available book that I can't wait to read.)

IF I GROW UP by Todd Strasser

This latest by Strasser is due out in February. It features an inner-city teen struggling to survive in a world of poverty, gangs, and violence. The story covers DeShawn's life from age twelve to seventeen. It is described as fast-paced and compared to Walter Dean Myer's AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MY DEAD BROTHER. Reviews so far are not glowing, but I'm a long-time fan of Todd Strasser's books so I'm anxious to read it no matter what they say.

MUST READ BOOKS ACCORDING TO THE 8TH GRADERS

LITTLE BROTHER by Cory Doctorow
STRIKE TWO by Amy Koss Goldman
BEAST by Ally Kennen
HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins
CRANK by Ellen Hopkins
GLASS by Ellen Hopkins
TIPS ON HAVING A GAY (EX) BOYFRIEND by Carrie Jones
PREP by Jake Coburn
BLOOD BEAST by Darren Shan