Homewood Teens Know Books!

Amplified by Tara Kelly

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:26:00 +0000

Check out Amplified today!

Recent high school graduate Jasmine Kiss (yes, that is her real name) has just left home for good after an argument with her father. He wants her to go straight to college. She wants to take a year off, join a band, and find out if she has what it takes for a career in music. Now she's stuck with no place to sleep, no job, and a beat up Jetta belching smoke. After perusing Craigslist she finds the perfect situation advertised: "Looking for a live-in lead guitarist (industrial rock)." The catches are "guys preferred" and must "be comfortable on stage." Jasmine is very much female, even if she does dress like a guy, and she's never played outside her dad's garage. Still, she gives it a shot and manages to get the room and a spot in the band. Now she just has to learn to trust her bandmates, and herself, before their big, career-changing gig in less than a month.

I absolutely loved this book. Jasmine is a very believable character and I identified with her fears and doubts, even if some of the music lingo went over my head. The realistic plot moved quickly but evenly, carrying me through the book at a rapid pace. I devoured this one, and recommend it to teens who love alternative music, quirky characters, and realistic fiction.

Ghost Stories!

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:51:00 +0000

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

Dark Souls by Paula Morris

The Dead Boys by Royce Buckingham

Deep & Dark & Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn

The Dream Merchant by Isabel Hoving

Everlost by Neal Shusterman

The Ghost & the Goth by Stacey Kade

Ghost Dog Secrets by Peg Kehret

Ghost Hunt: Chilling Tales of the Unknown by Jason Hawes

Ghost Huntress: Awakening by Marley Gibson (pbk)

The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn

Ghost Soldier by Elaine Marie Alphin

Ghostgirlby Tonya Hurley

The Gilda Joyce: Psychic Investigator by Jennifer Allison

Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Hanging Hill by Chris Grabenstein

Haunting Emma: Deception by Lee Nichols

The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding

Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

Hereafterby Tara Hudson

The Hollow by Jessica Verday

The Hunt for the Seventh by Christine Morton-Shaw

I So Don’t Do Mysteries by Summy Barrie

The Intruders by E. E. Richardson

Lily Dale: Awakening by Wendy Corsi Staub

Manifest: A Mystyx Novel by Artist Arthur

Midnight Twins by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Morpheus Road: The Light by D.J. MacHale

Nightspell by Leah Cypess

The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith

The Pickle King by Rebecca Promitzer

Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin

Project 17 by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Ruined: A Ghost Story by Paula Morris

The Seer of Shadows by Avi

Shadeby Jeri Smith-Ready

Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell

Spellbinderby Helen Stringer

A Terrifying Taste of Short & Shivery by Robert San Souci

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Token of Darkness by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Tombstone Tea by Joanne Dahme

Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani

Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 20:35:00 +0000

After soundly trouncing the son of her employer Finley Jayne is once again jobless. Running from the scene of the beating she crashes into Griffin King, who feels obliged to take the unconscious young woman to his home while she heals from her injuries. His unconventional friends and employees, brainy engineer Emily and the hulking metaloid Sam, as well as his psychic aunt, Cordelia are all wary of the Finley, who seems to house two personalities in her fragile human body. But before Griffin can assist Finley in uniting her two selves, the group must uncover a plot by an evil mastermind known as The Machinist. The dastardly devil is somehow reprogramming robots to wreck havoc in the streets of London. Griff and his friends must sift through the random pieces of information they've found to uncover The Machinist's true intent and stop whatever devious scheme he has planned.

This novel is great fun. It successfully combines Steampunk and plot elements from several classic novels (I can't reveal which ones or I might spoil the plot) to form a very readable teen novel with memorable characters. I highly recommend this novel to fans of adventures, thrillers, historical fiction and fantasy.

The Last Thing I Remember by Andrew Klavan

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:55:00 +0000

Charlie went to bed with a grin, staring at the phone number Beth had written on the back of his hand that afternoon at school. Charlie woke up beaten, burned and cut, strapped to a chair in a room filled with torture devices....a year later. What happened in that year? The police say Charlie killed his best friend, was tried and went to prison only to escape a few months into his sentence. A stranger with a familiar face says Charlie's a Homelander, an American terrorist recruited by Islamic extremists. But Charlie knows he'd never murder anyone, nor would he do anything to hurt the country he loves. But even as he tries to recover his memories he has to also evade capture long enough to uncover - and stop - an assassination plot. Can he make it on time? Or will there be another death on his conscious?

This excellently paced book is a full-on action adventure mystery. Charlie is a likable character and readers will believe him and believe in him, even when the police don't. They'll also be clamoring for the next title, because the plot doesn't end when you turn the last page.

Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:42:00 +0000

Place it on hold today!

Kate Grable is a student trainer for her high school's football team. Not because she's a football fan, but because it's one step closer to med school. When one of the football players vomits black goo onto her car at a party she assumes he's had too much to drink. When he appears to die and then revives she thinks it's a little odd. It's when he tries to kiss her and bites a chuck out of her lip she really starts to get worried. It turns out that football players have been injected with a performance enhancing drug and it's changing them into zombies. Now Kate has to find the cure before the virus spreads through her high school.

I gave this book five stars because it's fun, plain and simple. It's a zombie-filled romp with gore and ick and a cute romance. Think Shaun of the Dead for teens.

Check out the official book trailer for this title - too cute!

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:59:00 +0000

Based on the audiobook:
This incredibly gory tale is the story of Sam, a Plumpy's fry cook who finds out he's a necromancer. Though his powers are bound, he's leaking just enough energy to come to the attention of Douglas, an incredibly powerful, creepy and evil necromancer who's not above kidnapping and torture to get what he wants. What follows a the gruesome, witty and occasionally very funny story. Recommended for older fans of Darren Shan.

Reserve your copy of Hold Me Closer, Necromancer today!

The Magnolia League by Katie Crouch

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:40:00 +0000

Review of audiobook:
Newly orphaned Alexandria "Alex" Lee moves from the Rain Catcher Farms commune in California, where she and her mother were herbalists, to her grandmother's mansion in Savannah, Georgia. The transplant is difficult. Alex is out of touch with modern culture and is very vocally against the money and power of the Magnolia League, her grandmother's social set. Alex would rather spend time working for others, giving money to charity, etc. But over time she starts to fall in line with the Magnolia Girls (MG's, learning the secrets to their power and incorporating them into her own life. Until the night she discovers something shocking in the Lee Mansion...

Alex is preachy and whiney and a very difficult character to like. I actually preferred the secondary characters in this novel, and would have liked knowing them a bit better. The author also needed a good continuity editor, as there are many contradictions in the text. However, the plot is intriguing and the descriptions of the South are spot on. The reader is wonderful, portraying upperclass Savannah with just the right amount of Southern drawl. I will probably read the second book in the series to find out how the shocking discovery is handled, and to revisit the secondaries.

Magnolia League audiobook
Magnolia League book

The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:39:00 +0000

Aoife (pronounced Eefa) is just a few weeks shy of her sixteenth birthday. Unlike most teens, this is an event she’s dreading. At age sixteen Aoife’s mother, Nerissa, and her brother, Conrad, went mad, and the necrovirus that ate away at their logic and reason lies dormant in Aoife’s blood. Aoife, now a ward of the city of Lovecraft, expects that she, too, will go mad on her birthday. Until then she applies herself to the thing she loves – engineering. She’s always had a knack for working with machines, and she studies hard at the School of Engines. Perhaps the numbers, figures and pure science running through her mind will keep the madness at bay.

Then Conrad makes contact via a stained letter slipped under Aoife’s dormroom door. The ghost ink yields a strange and frightening message:

“The ink of the HELP lifted off the page, suspended in the smoke, corpse-pale. As the smoke dissipated, the ink stretched and re-formed, spelling a new phrase in its ghostly hand, the encoded message the ghost ink had kept hidden.

Go to Graystone

Find the witch’s alphabet

Save yourself”

With these words Aoife’s life changes and expands in ways she could never have imagined. Along with her best friend, Cal, Aoife hires the handsome guide Dean Harrison to sneak them out of the city to her father’s house in Arkham. Aoife thought that getting out of Lovecraft would be the difficult part, but more hazards lie ahead than behind. Once at Arkham the trio will find long-buried family secrets, dangerous creatures and maybe even romance…if they survive.

This novel was simply amazing. The author has invented an alternate reality where logic and reason dictate social norms, and those who believe otherwise, the heretics, are hunted down and punished by cowled, over-lording proctors. In the midst of this closed environment Aoife shines in her determination and stubborn refusal to be anything other than herself. Her personality is deftly drawn by Kittredge, and readers will find themselves cheering for her as she risks everything to find her brother. Personally, I can't wait for the second book in this new, exciting series, and I highly recommend it to fans of steampunk, fantasy and adventure.

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima (A Seven Realms Novel)

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 21:02:00 +0000

The destinies of four teens begin to intertwine in this intriguing fantasy. Raisa, princess heir of the Fells, feels restricted, trapped in her royal duties. Amon, her childhood friend, has returned from Warrior school a different, more soldierly, man. Han "Cuffs" Alister is a street rat and former thief struggling to lead life on the straight and narrow. And Dancer, son of the clan and Han's friend, has become secretive and moody, prone to long silences and snappish remarks. Secrets, both those they keep and those kept from them, drive these teens inexorably toward their destinies.

This first book in a trilogy has a slow start, but the author takes that time to really develop the characters. About a hundred pages in the book really grabbed my interest, and by the end I was totally riveted. I can't wait to get my hands on book two!

Fracture by Megan Miranda (pre-publication review)

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 21:32:00 +0000

17-year-old Delaney fell while crossing the iced-over lake near her Minnesota home. She heard the pings and snaps that meant the ice was cracking, but before she could move she was gone, falling down into the frigid water. She couldn't figure out which way was up, and when she did finally locate the surface she couldn't find her original entry point and the way out. And then it was over. Delaney drowned. Only she didn't. Despite spending eleven minutes under water, despite six days in a coma with severe brain damage, Delaney woke up. And she was fine....and not fine. Delaney can feel death and those who are dying. A strong pull when death is imminent and a light, almost faint, flutter when death is in the future. Delaney must find out why she now has this ability. Is she supposed to use it to save people...or to help them die?

One of the fun benefits of going to the American Library Association Annual Convention is getting free copies of yet-to-be-published books (aka: ARCs). I went this past week and picked up several titles, but this one grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I thought it was going to be a supernatural/paranormal book. Instead it was a tightly-paced thriller with interesting characters and an unusual premise. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. Unfortunately it doesn't come out until January 2012...

Misfit by Jon Skovron (pre-publication review)

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:48:00 +0000

Jael is tired of moving around so often. Every time she gets settled in one Catholic school her father whisks them away to yet another, in another out-of-the-way place. Jael understands, really. After all, the demon Baliel has been hunting her since before she was born. He hates halfbreeds, and he really hated Jael's demon mother, so if he finds Jael he'll kill her. But Jael's uncle, Dagon, believes that Jael may have the untapped potential to destroy Baliel and bring back the era of the gods. If, that is, Jael can learn to harness her power before Baliel destroys her and everything that she loves.

I found this novel difficult to read. The omniscient narrative created an emotional barrier, keeping me from truly caring about Jael and her worries. The dialog was also problematic, sometimes spot-on teen and other times rather stilted and dryly academic. The flashback scenes of the relationship between Jael's parents was much more touching and realistic. The story has potential, though. Many aspects of the plot are unique and original, which can be difficult to find in today's teen lit. And somewhere around the last third of the novel it began to really catch my interest, though it was primarily the secondary characters who sparked my interest. Hopefully any sequel will develop Jael to the same level. Finally, as with many series openers, the climax wrapped up very easily, belying the drama of the buildup and the worries of Jael and those around her. The book will move because of the plot description, but readers will need to be determined to keep reading.

This review refers to the NetGalley digital advanced readers version of the novel. Misfit has a publication date of August 1, 2011.

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 19:58:00 +0000

Nailer works light crew. His job is to shimmy into the tight spaces of wrecked ships on Bright Sands Beach and strip out the usable copper wire. He's the reason his crew makes quota each day. Then one day the Fates take their eyes off of him and he almost drowns in a hidden oil reservoir. His survival earns him the name Lucky Boy.

But Nailer doesn't feel lucky. Not with a father who's most always sliding, high on whatever he can find and unpredictably mean. Those times Nailer hides out in his friend Pima's home with her and her mom, Sadna. In fact, Nailer was with Pima after the city killer storm, when they found their Lucky Strike. It was a ship, one of the swank ones, and it had run aground during the storm. The crew was dead and there was valuable salvage all over. They even found a dead girl about their age, with a diamond nose ring and gold on her fingers. Pima was going to cut the girl's swollen fingers off to get the gold when the dead girl's eyes opened.

Nita's survival is unexpected, and it starts Nailer down a new path. For Nita he will stand up against his father. For Nita he will leave everything he's ever known. And for Nita, Nailer will kill. This thrilling futuristic story is set in a time when killing hurricanes have flooded the Gulf Coast and life is an unending cycle of death and hunger. I highly recommend this novel to fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent and The Maze Runner.

Love Story by Jennifer Echols

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Thu, 05 May 2011 23:39:00 +0000

More than anything else in the world, Erin wants to be a published writer. Erin's cold and stern grandmother, her caregiver since she was 12, plans to send her granddaughter to college in New York to major in business and take over the family horse farm.When Erin reveals her dream, her grandmother responds by cutting Erin off and naming Hunter, the stable boy, her new heir.

Erin doesn't care. She heads to New York to take her place in the creative writing program of a prestigious college. She gets a part time job, scrimps and saves, and just about manages to hold everything together - until Hunter walks into her class. Erin is convinced that Hunter hates her, that he has stolen her inheritance and is so manipulative that every conversation, every story he writes, is just another way to humiliate her. But could she be wrong?

Love Story is an engrossing novel about very likeable and realistic characters. I read it in 24-hours, stopping reluctantly to eat, sleep and work and returning to my marked page with anticipation. I highly recommend this book to fans of Sarah Dessen and Justina Chen Headley. The publication date isn't until July 19th, though, so you'll have to wait a little while. In the meantime, check out Echols' other novels, Going Too Far, Forget You, Endless Summer, Major Crush and The Ex Games. And check out Jennifer Echols herself here at the Homewood Public Library on June 25th!

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 17:27:00 +0000

When Tiffany Quinn disappeared, 178 of the 212 residents of Cryer’s Cross, Montana, searched their small town and the surrounding farms., calling out in vain for the missing teen. They searched for five days but Tiffany was nowhere to be found. Juniors Kendall Fletcher and her best friend/boyfriend Nico Cruz helped in the search. Kendall has OCD, and her mind cannot escape the endless whir of thoughts about Tiffany getting lost, getting abducted, and being murdered in horrible ways. It doesn’t help that she’s spending her days riding a tractor on her parent’s farm. Long, hot days with nothing to distract her from the fear. But when school starts back Kendall begins to forget some of her fears, exhausted by soccer and dance and back into her normal routine. Then Nico disappears, too, and Kendall doesn’t think she can survive his absence.

This thriller is packed with great characters, a creepy mystery and an unexpected evil. It’s also a quick read, so you have time to devour it between study sessions!

Thirteen Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 15:07:00 +0000

Jacob Fielding should have died in the car accident. But right before the car slammed into the tree, his foster father whispered three words: you are indestructible. With those words a powerful force entered Jacob, saving him from certain death and dooming Mr. Fielding. But is this new indestructibility a gift or a curse? Can you really cheat death?

When Jacob tells his friends Milo and Ophelia about what happened, they experiment with transferring the power to each other and even people they don't know. Ophelia in particular becomes obsessed with cheating death, asking Jacob to transfer the indestructibility to strangers in order to protect them from what could be dangerous or deadly. But everything comes at a price, and as the days go by Ophelia begins to change. Her vibrancy turns to lifelessness, deep shadows appear under her eyes and she gets more violent and moody. Jacob and Milo have to figure this power out before they lose Ophelia - but they only way to stop her may be to give death it's due.

The Limit by Kristen Landon

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:51:00 +0000

In the not-too-distant future the government has stepped in to "help" individuals control their personal debt. Everyone is given a limit, and families who exceed their limit are given options: they can undergo a program of strict spending regulation or send one of their children to a workhouse.

This has always been something that happened to other families. Then one day Matt's mother's card is rejected at the supermarket. A few hours later Matt is taken. At first it's not a big deal. Matt is placed on the Top Floor, with it's cushy rooms, unlimited buying and freedom to order anything and everything for meals. But Matt is suspicious and hacks into the workhouse's computer. What he finds shocks him out of his complacency. Now he has to find a way to stop the abuses going on before he's permanently silenced.

This thrilling novel takes today's economics and turns them into a dystopia that is easily imagined. I could not stop reading it and recommend it highly.

Kane Chronicles #2 Release Date!

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:25:00 +0000

Rick Riordan's popular new series, The Kane Chronicles, follows siblings Carter and Sadie as they learn about their family's magical roots and the power that flows in their blood. Book one, The Red Pyramid, came out in May 2009 and was a huge hit. It has just been announced that book two, The Throne of Fire, will be released on May 3, 2011.

Rick Riordan is also the author of the popular Percy Jackson series.

Firespell by Chloe Neill

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 21:25:00 +0000

Its not often that I come across something original in paranormal lit for teens, but Firespell is definitely one of these rare gems. Chloe Neill took the (almost) overused themes of boarding school, magic and vampires and twisted them around to tell the story of Lily Parker and the Junior Varsity.

Lily's parents have the opportunity to take a sabbatical in Germany, studying the papers of a famous philosopher. Rather than take their teenage daughter with them, they enroll Lily in St. Sophia's, an all-girls boarding school in Chicago. There Lily meets Scout, her self-proclaimed new BFF. But while Scout has taken Lily under her wing, the uber-rich-brat-pack finds every opportunity to antagonize the new girl. Typical boarding school stuff, really. But then one night Lily follows Scout as she sneaks out of their suite on a mysterious "errand." They descend into a series of tunnels under the school, and though Lily loses Scout, she learns enough to be afraid for her friend's safety.

Okay, I could say more but I'd be giving too much away. Read the book. Its great. Trust me.

Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes by Lisa Greenwald

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 21:02:00 +0000

Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes is a cute novel about how friendships transition. Told in the voices of three girls (Olivia, Georgia & Kate) the novel relates each girls' perspective on their long-standing friendship, their crushes, and each other. Each girl is realistic and the story plays out well. I recommend this one for middle-school girls who worry that growing up means growing apart from their friends.

By the way, here's a fortune cookie recipe, in case this book makes you crave homemade fortune cookies, or if you want to duplicate Olivia, Georgia & Kate's idea.

Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 18:09:00 +0000

They found Avery, covered in blood, by the bodies of her parents. She was trying to put them back together. Avery herself can’t remember anything that happened after dinner. Just blood. And silver. And something that moved inhumanly fast. The police are baffled. Who in the small town of Westlake could – would - do that to two people. Avery’s parent’s were liked, even though they lived in the woods and kept to themselves. Everyone has always said the woods were home to strange half-human creatures in their deepest, most unreachable heart. Could the woods be holding other secrets, too? Secrets that came from the woods and murdered Avery’s parents?

Low Red Moon is a very well-written and enjoyable read. There’s mystery and romance in the story, and just when you start to think the ending is predictable and obvious, Devlin throws in a plot twist. I sincerely hope there’s a sequel planned.

Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 14:32:00 +0000

I really wasn't sure if I'd like this novel. Gee's Bend has never really interested me, and I wasn't sure if a white adult novelist would be able to convincingly tell a story as a ten-year-old poor black child. But everyone was raving about the book, and the author is from Alabama, so I gave it a go. And am I ever glad that I did!

Ludelphia Bennett is such a wonderful character. She jumped into my mind and heart and took over as I raced through her story. Secondary characters were just as developed, and Gee's Bend seemed to come to life in my mind. Not only am I now interested in the history of this amazing place, I find myself with the urge to quilt...

Nightshade by Andrea R. Cremer

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 19:07:00 +0000

Calla and Ren's destiny's have always been intertwined. At birth they were matched by the Keepers, and when they turn 18 they will be mated. Both alphas, they will then begin to form their own pack, patrolling the area to watch for and prevent an attack by the Searchers. Calla has always known this, but as Samhain, and her birthday, gets nearer she finds herself...restless. When she discovers an injured hiker while on patrol she starts down a path that will expose the deeply hidden history of the Guardians, Keepers and Searchers, and drive Calla away from everything she's ever known.

This novel was a refreshing twist on the werewolf theme. Though there are definite Twilight overtones, the heroine is much stronger and the plot is more thrilling. I stayed up late reading this book and absolutely cannot wait until the next book is published!

The Joshua Files: Invisible City by M.G. Harris

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 18:20:00 +0000

Josh's father has been reported dead in a plane crash. He had been searching for a lost Mayan Codex, a book that many disappeared trying to find. And when the news comes in that Josh's dad died of strangulation before the plane crashed, Josh knows he has to go to Mexico to find the truth.

This first novel in the action-packed Joshua Files brings Josh to the depths of the Mexican jungle and into a secret society existing beneath an ancient Mayan Pyramid. Sucked into a vortex of intrigue, Josh becomes a target for danger as he learns that his family holds the key to solving the mystery of the 2012 prophecy. Can Josh find the missing codex in time to save mankind?

~from publisher's description

Nightmarys by Dan Poblocki

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 18:54:00 +0000

Timothy and Stuart have been best friends since grade school, but lately Stuart has been getting kind of obnoxious and negative. When Timothy accidentally chooses the new girl, Abigail, as his project partner Stuart is furious. He won’t talk to Timothy and begins tormenting Abigail, who just wants to be left alone by everyone. Then Stuart really starts freaking out. At swim practice he insists a monster is in the pool waiting for him. Then he practically drowns. Timothy and Abigail have also been experiencing some weird phenomenon – all of which is connected to their deepest fears. A little digging and they find out it all started with Abigail’s grandmother, her best friend’s disappearance, an evil professor and a powerful curse that has travelled down through the generations to Abigail herself. To unravel the curse Abigail and Timothy must find an ancient jawbone and destroy it before all of their worst fears come to life.

Three Black Swans by Caroline B. Cooney

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Heather) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:01:00 +0000

Missy, a sophomore, and her cousin Claire, a junior, have always been close. Closer than cousins. More like sisters, really. And as they’ve grown older people have started remarking on their similarities. Though Missy is energetic and outgoing where Claire is somber and quiet the two girls are almost identical in appearance. They’ve always laughed about it. Until the day Missy hears a radio program on sisters separated at birth. Until she dreams up with a hoax that really isn’t a hoax. Until the day her dramatic video airs on YouTube and people nationwide are discovering what the girls have always secretly suspected – they aren’t cousins but identical twins.

When Genevieve sees the video she’s shocked. She watches herself on the computer screen, sees her smile, hears her voice and even recognizes the small gestures the two girls on screen make. How can there be two more Genevieves?

Could it be possible that Missy and Claire aren’t twins but two thirds of triplets?

Caroline B. Cooney writes intriguing novels that explore relationships. Like The Face on the Milk Carton, Three Black Swans delves into the minds of teens who find out that the people they’ve called Mom and Dad for sixteen years are strangers. Shaken to the core they begin to question their existence and long to know the truth. What they learn is that the truth isn’t always nice and family isn’t necessarily what’s on your birth certificate.