Pop by Gordon Korman
Reading level: Young Adult
Publisher: HarperTeen (August 25, 2009)
Cautions: family death

Kiwi Magazine Review:
The clues are all there, but it takes the new kid on the block to figure out that the town’s hero — a famous NFL player — is slowly deteriorating, potentially from the punishment of his glory days in football. This book is an melange of teen angst, compassion between friends and the sad decline of a brilliant athlete.

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The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Caletti
Simon Pulse, March 2008
Ages: 12+
Cautions: language, kissing

Kiwi Magazine Review:
The timeless “money can’t buy happiness” tale gets a cute, young twist in Deb Caletti’s The Fortunes of Indigo Skye. As 18 year old Indigo tells you her story, you find yourself rediscovering what really matters.

Indigo explains the way her life used to be and you begin to understand how intensely she loves her dysfunctional family, adorable boyfriend, and being a waitress. Caletti makes her genuine personality shine and you’re instantly attached to Indigo. But everything changes after a new customer gives her a 2.5 million dollar check - even if Indigo refuses to believe it.

Caletti delivers nonstop entertainment hand-in-hand with intangible lessons on what is truly important in life. When Indigo suddenly finds herself in the middle of too much change, you hope more and more with each page that she will find a way to make it right.

The Fortunes of Indigo Skye was impossible to put down and I strongly recommend this clever and enjoyable read.

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I So Don’t Do Spooky by Barrie Summy
Ages: Young Adult
Cautions: Ghosts and stepmothers
Delacorte Books for Young Readers - December 8, 2009

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Sherry has a typical family life — father is a workaholic, stepmother is an overly health-conscious middle school math teacher and mom is a ghost. Oh, and so is grandfather. Meeting in the back room of the Dairy Queen, which is a ghost portal, she becomes part of a team to solve a mystery of who is trying to harm her stepmom. Although the book seems like it is trying too hard to cram many concepts and twists into the book, Sherry is entertaining and humorous, all while dealing with stalkers, ghosts and a boyfriend stealing 8th grader.

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Amiri And Odette - A Love Story by Walter Dean Myers
Javaka Steptoe
Scholastic - 2009
Age: Young adult (12+)
Cautions: Gang violence

Kiwi Magazine Review:
A modern-day Swan Lake set in the mean streets brings a new perspective and breathes new life into this classic love story. Amiri and Odette find love but find it hard to sustain when the world around them is so cold and frightening. The text twists, turns and soars while conveying today’s take on Swan Lake.

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The School for Dangerous Girls by Eliot Schrefer
Scholastic Press, January 2009
Ages: 14-18
Cautions: References to drugs, alcohol, sex and violence, language

Kiwi Magazine Review:
The School for Dangerous Girls is exciting at every turn. Hidden Oak is a boarding school created to “reform” bad girls when their parents have had enough of their trouble-making. It isn’t long before you realize that this school is not what it seems.

Eliot Schrefer’s words will have you anxiously wondering what is really happening at this school as the main character, Angela, becomes determined to uncover the twisted truth. Schrefer truly understands these girls and shines a light on their struggles in a fun way.
The novel’s quick chapters keep the story intriguing and make it difficult to put the book down while you wait for the school’s dark secrets to be revealed.

This book is perfect for teenage girls with or without a dangerous streak, or anyone who has always wanted one.

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The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, June 2009
Ages: 14+
Cautions: Violence, teenage crush with kissing

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Sarah Rees Brennan does an excellent job of depicting the main character, Nick. He’s scary, dark and conflicted, but she takes you past his harsh demeanor and really makes you root for this character. The banter between the four main characters is relatable, funny and young.

Despite the seemingly slow start to the book, filled with tons of explanations, the plot really picked up and was fun to read. Brennan provides almost constant suspense, making you want to hurry to each next page as the boys go from being hunted by magicians and demons, to actually doing the hunting.

A foreshadowed twist remains unexpected throughout the book. As details are revealed one-by-one, you find yourself piecing together the puzzle right alongside Nick.

I would definitely recommend this book to those who love the fantasy genre except for those who find themselves a little squeamish with multiple violent scenes.

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The Espressologist by Kristina Springer
Farrar, Straus and Giroux - October 27, 2009
Cautions: None
Ages: Young Adult (13+)

Kiwi Magazine Review:
This book is frothy, not too sweet and full of strong character and delicious flavor. Jane is a barista at a coffee shop and makes the connection between people’s drink styles and their love interests. In the style of Jane Austen’s Emma, Jane can make matches for everyone but herself. This is a wonderful romantic book with a new twist on the matchmaking theme.

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Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
RandomHouse Children’s Books, April 2009
Cautions: None
Ages: 12+

Kiwi Magazine Review:
This book is a fun glimpse into Stargirl’s life, one diary entry at a time. With a cast of characters who are as eccentric as the heroine of this story, Stargirl is sure to entertain.

Purge by Sarah Littman
Ages: Young Adult
Scholastic Press: April 2009
Cautions: Bulimia and other eating disorders are graphically depicted

Kiwi Magazine Review:
This authentic chapter book is a really important work. The author’s personal experience with bulimia comes through clearly and genuinely and serves as a very honest and painful ersatz journal of the life of a bulimic who must spend time rehabilitating at a facility for eating disorders. Though this book is fiction, it has no less impact than a memoir may have. The final chapter offers resources and information to those who may suspect an eating disorder.

Product Description
Janie Ryman hates throwing up. So why does she binge eat and then stick her fingers down her throat several times a day? That’s what the doctors and psychiatrists at Golden Slopes hope to help her discover. But first Janie must survive everyday conflicts between the Barfers and the Starvers, attempts by the head psychiatrist to fish painful memories out of her emotional waters, and shifting friendships and alliances among the kids in the ward.

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Fire From the Rock by Sharon Draper
Speak - 2007
Ages - 12 and up
Cautions - Conflict, violence

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Reading about history can seem one-dimensional; facts and dates abound, but the information is as dry as toast. Sharon Draper gives life and dimension to the story of the 9 students who were the first to integrate Central High School in Little Rock in 1957. We learn that Sylvia Patterson was given the choice to be one of the first black students at the school, but she struggled with that decision because she really just wanted to be a normal teen who went to football games and dances. She didn’t initially realize the magnitude of the events until her neighborhood becomes a scene of the struggle for equality. Sharon Draper is eloquent and spot-on with her facts, making this book interesting and educational.

Publisher’s Description
Sylvia Patterson is shocked and confused when she is asked to be one of the first black students to attend Central High School, which is scheduled to be integrated in September 1957, whether the citizens or governor of Arkansas like it or not. Before Sylvia makes her final decision, smoldering racial tension in the town ignites into flame. When the smoke clears, she sees clearly that nothing is going to stop the change from coming. It is up to her generation to make it happen, in as many different ways as there are colors in the world.

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