BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS I'LL BE DEAD by Julie Ann Peters

This book is about a girl named Daeyln who was bullied her entire life. After many failed suicide attempts she decides this time will work. She stumbles upon a website, basically a count down to her death, but this all changes when a boy named Santana won't leave her alone.

I gained a new perspective on how one person can really help save someones life. She was set on killing herself and all it took was Santana to not give up on her to make her decide against it. This book was powerful because of her struggle. She was struggling between emotions, she didn't want to feel them. Her stories also made it powerful as well she drank ammonia and bleach to kill herself when Santana was struggling to stay alive.

Very deep story really hits you hard.

Recommended for grades 11-12.


KH in Greenville

WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON by John Green and David Levithan

Will Grayson, Will Grayson follows two teenage boys, both named Will Grayson, struggling with relationships in different ways. Their lives intertwine as they relate to their mutual friend, Tiny Cooper, and deal with sexual identity, friendship, and heartbreak.

This book was written in an interesting style, with the two Will's narrating alternating chapters in unique voices. I enjoyed the story and felt for the characters, until the ending, which was a tad cheesy.

The dual authorship of this book makes it an interesting read, although readers may be unsatisfied with the ending.

Recommended for Grades 11 - 12.



RVK in Esopus

GIRL, HERO by Carrie Jones

Lily is a teenage girl who lost her beloved stepfather three years ago, which left her with just her passive mother. Her real father doesn't live too far away, but Lily is worried about his baby-blue stockings and bejeweled anklet. Add in the insecurity of her first year of high school, an old best friend who isn't the way she used to be and worse still -- a brother-in-law who is battering her sister. As if that's not enough to deal with, her mother gets a loser boyfriend. When Lily takes part in the school musical life seems to get a little bit better, but things from her past threaten her future.

This book shows you how to help yourself when you have huge problems. It teaches you that sometimes you have to be your own hero and stop depending on others -- sometimes the only person who can help is yourself.

Recommended.
Musfera in Esopus

HOW NOT TO BE POPULAR by Jennifer Ziegler

After moving around the country for years, Maggie decides to not make friends that she would have to move away from.

What is gained from reading this book? I learned that friends are people you can trust and have fun with; they don't have to be "cool" or cute.

I'd recommend this book. Maggie attempts to not fit in, is comical, and she is easy to relate to. Everyone would enjoy laughing at her interesting family life.

Recommended.
Meghan in Esopus

Sugar Magnolia (Maggie) Dempsey is tired of moving around the country with her hippie parents. It hurts to leave her new friends behind again and again. So when she moves to Austin, Maggie decides she will do everything in her might to be proclaimed the "weirdo" so she will have no friends. Her outrageous stunts and really vulgar fashion statements don't do what she wants. She makes friends anyway and learns she has to adapt. At the end of the book, her parents let her know that they will be staying in Austin a few years and Maggie finally feels as if she is at home.

If you are looking for a lighthearted book that is quirky and fun, I would recommend this. It encourages the reader to adapt, to accept and to live life.

Recommended.
Erica in Esopus

Maggie Dempsey is getting pretty sick of moving around the country. Maggie's parents are hippies who get Maggie to move to a new city every few months. When she was younger she liked moving around, but now she is sick of it. When she was in ninth grade she left behind good friends, school and the feeling that she belonged. What was worse was when she left her boyfriend in tenth grade. Now she is still moving away, but she has decided she won't make any new friends or try to fit in because she doesn't want to go through another goodbye.

This was a great book that encourages us to be ourselves -- it's the easiest way to fit in.

Outstanding.
Musfera in Esopus