New Young Adult Fiction-- August Edition

"But Mia," you are all saying, "August is over!" I know, I know. I was a little behind with my reading and my posting this month in the wake of our summer reading program ending and getting ready for all of our Fall storytimes. But that is not to say we haven't gotten some great new titles in, hopefully while many of you had a chance to read them before homework takes over your lives. Here are reviews of a few, and a few more that I had really good intentions of getting to, but in the interest of getting this post up before Thanksgiving, I'm including them as suggestions rather than personal reccomendations reviewed by moi.


Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
So, there probably isn’t much that needs to be said about the final book in the Twilight Saga. For one thing, if I say too much and spoil the ending for everyone you’ll probably come after me like the Volturi on a justice mission. For another, many of you probably went and got it the instant it came out and read it feverishly all in one night. I certainly couldn’t put down Breaking Dawn; Meyers creates as many questions as she answers, but also gives the readers all the romance, suspense, and Cullen-adoration we have come to expect. A satisfying ending to the epic romantic vampire love story.

Woolvs in the Sitee by Margaret Wild, illustrated by Anne Spudvilas.
Enlightened people know that picture books aren’t just for 5-year-olds. In fact, I would never let a little kid read the haunting, dark, beautiful book Woolvs in the Sitee. Ben is hiding in the basement from the woolvs—the only person he sees is his upstairs neighbor Missus Radinski. She doesn’t believe Ben about the woolvs—“She thinks I’m, torking abowt those luvlee wyld creechis, running in the woods. That’s not wot I meens.” Will Missus Radinski believe Ben before it’s too late? With pictures reminiscent of Jean-Michele Basquiat (artist of the streets and illustrator of his own nightmares) that compliment the oddly poetic text, Woolvs in the Sitee is a short but powerful read.

Crazy Diamond by David Chotjewitz
German pop star Mira M. is found at the height of her success floating face down in the Hamburg aquarium. Was it suicide? Murder? Mira’s story is legendary already—smuggled into Germany from Yugoslavia in a Marshall Amp case by her uncle, befriended by a group of refugees from Ghana, with one fateful song she instantly rises to international fame. But this same fame might be what brings about her downfall, as events are unraveled through the voices of her friends , rivals, and her own restless ghost. A compelling window into a European punk-rock scene, this book asks what the price of fame really is.

The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante
For Agnes and Honey, two things in their lives gave always been constant: they have always been best friends, and they have never known a world beyond Mount Blessing, the commune where they have spent the first 13 years of their lives. But ever since turning 12, when Agnes was presented with a copy of The Saints Way and Honey wasn’t, they have begun to grow apart. When a surprise visit from Agnes’ grandmother brings many shocking truths to light, the girls must make big decisions and face questions of right and wrong, truth and justice. Told in alternating chapters by Agnes and Honey, their two unique voices and perspectives make this book as readable as it is thought-provoking.

I've heard great things about Little Brother by Cory Doctorow...can someone else please read it and tell me how awesome it is so that I will have no choice but to go home and stay up all night devouring it? Same goes for The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt... But for now I better get working on September's next crop of fabulous new stuff.