Waiting for Allegiant

Allegiant by Veronica Roth (the third and final book in the Divergent series) is out today!

 

 If you can't wait for your hold to come in (you can reserve the book, audio book, or ebook) check out some of these titles to tide you over.

Enclave by Ann Aguirre
New York City has been decimated by war and plague, and most of civilization has migrated to underground enclaves, where life expectancy is no more than the early 20's. When Deuce turns 15, she takes on her role as a Huntress, and is paired with Fade, a Hunter who once lived Topside. When she and Fade discover that the neighboring enclave has been decimated by the tunnel monsters who seem to be growing more organized, the elders refuse to listen to warnings. And when Deuce and Fade are exiled from the enclave, the girl born in darkness must survive in daylight.


Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
In America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota--and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life. . . .

The Testing  by Joelle Charbonneau
The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.  Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies--trust no one. 

 The Maze Runner by James Dashner
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. But he's not alone. When the lift's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade--a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. . All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they've closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.  But the next day, a girl is sent up--the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising  is the message she delivers. 

Brain Jack by Brian Falkner
In a near-future New York City, fourteen-year-old computer genius Sam Wilson manages to hack into the AT&T network and sets off a chain of events that have a profound effect on human activity throughout the world.

The Always War by Margaret Peterson Haddix
For as long as Tessa can remember, her country has been at war. When  Gideon Thrall is awarded a medal for courage, it's a rare bright spot for everyone in Tessa's town -- until Gideon refuses the award and runs away. Tessa is bewildered, and can't help but follow Gideon to find out the truth. But Tessa is in for more than she bargained for. Before she knows it, she has stowed away on a rogue airplane and is headed for enemy territory. But all that pales when she discovers a shocking truth that rocks the foundation of everything she's ever believed--a truth that will change the world.

Epic by Conor Kostick
On New Earth, a world based on a video role-playing game, fourteen-year-old Erik persuades his friends to aid him in some unusual gambits in order to save Erik's father from exile and safeguard the futures of each of their families.


Human.4 by Mike Lancaster
Humanity, like computers, can be upgraded.  And old versions disappear. . . . At some unspecified point in the future, when technology is as advanced as possible and we are a race of super beings, some old audio tapes are discovered.  On the tapes is the story of fourteen-year-old  Kyle Straker.  Hypnotized, Kyle missed the upgrade of humanity to 1.0.  He isn't compatible with our new technology. And through the recording, he narrates what the upgrades really mean.  And it's absolutely terrifying.

Legend by Marie Lu
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family, June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, Day is the country's most wanted criminal. When June's brother, Metias, is murdered Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction.

 The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl.

Starters by Lissa Price
In the future, teens rent their bodies to seniors who want to be young again. One girl discovers her renter plans to do more than party--her body will commit murder, if her mind can't stop it.


Unwind by Neal Shusterman
In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would "unwind" them. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed -- but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.


Variant by Robison Wells
After years in foster homes, seventeen-year-old Benson Fisher applies to New Mexico's Maxfield Academy in hopes of securing a brighter future, but instead he finds that the school is a prison and no one is what he or she seems.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there. But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all.

New YA Books at the Library This Week (10/14 - 10/18)

Blackout by Robinson E. Wells     YA WELLS
The virus has spread... and four teens are infected. This new life isn't what I asked for. And if I can't learn to protect myself, it will destroy me. My mission is clear. My enemies will fall. And nothing will stand in my way. I knew there was something wrong with me. But maybe I can be more than just a freak. People always underestimate me. They only see a pretty face. And that mistake is going to cost them.

Eat, Brains, Love by Jeff Hart     YA HART
Of all the recommendations on that stupid career aptitude test, not one of them was "undead fugitive." Jake is a slacker burnout whose idea of the perfect last night on Earth is playing video games in his basement. Amanda is the most popular girl in school, who doesn't even know Jake's name. Cass is the teen psychic sent by the government to hunt them down. Until last week, Jake, Amanda, and Cass had no reason to think their lives would ever intersect. But that was before Jake and Amanda contracted a mysterious zombie virus, devoured half their senior class, and took off for Iowa in search of a cure. As the two of them grapple with the existential guilt of eating their best friends (and their growing attraction to each other), Cass struggles with a psychic dilemma of her owne"one that will lead the three of them on an epic journey across the country and make them question what it means to truly be alive. Or undead.

Dare Me by Eric Devine     YA DEVINE

When Ben Candido and his friends, Ricky and John, decide to post a YouTube video of themselves surfing on top of a car, they finally feel like the "somebodies" they are meant to be instead of the social nobodies that they are. Overnight, the video becomes the talk of the school, and the boys are sure that their self-appointed senior year of dares will live in infamy. Every dare brings an increased risk of bodily harm, but Ben cannot deny the thrill and sense of swagger that come with it. The stakes become even more complex when a mysterious donor bankrolls their dares in exchange for a cut in the online revenue the videos generate. But at what point do the risk and the reward come at too high of a price? What does it take to stay true to one's self in the face of relentless pressure?

Jiu Jiu. Vol. 1 by Toya Tobina     YA MANGA JIU

Werewolves at the door...and in the house Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for audiences rated teen plus. Born into a family of Hunters, Takamichi's destiny is to pursue and slay demons. When her twin brother is killed, she is saved from despair by a pair of Jiu Jiu shape-shifting familiars in the form of two wolf pups named Snow and Night. Now Takamichi is in high school and an active Hunter. Snow and Night can't wait to attend school in their human form to "protect" her. But are they ready to go off leash...' Takamichi's Jiu Jiu Obedience Training Goals 1. Stop them from following you to work 2. Avoid exposing them to the full moon 3. Save them from execution

Goddess by Josephine Angelini      YA ANGELINI
Can you change your fate? The gods' thirst for war already has a body counte"and Helen is plagued with visions of destruction. She must find a way to imprison them once again, or risk unleashing immeasurable chaos. Her powers are increasing" and so is the distance between Helen and her mortal friends. Uncertain whether to fear or revere her, the once-solid group divides. To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a dangerous Tyrant is lurking among them . . . and all fingers point to Orion. Still unsure whether she loves him or Lucas, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for an all-out war is coming to her shores. Starcrossed and Dreamless are international bestsellers. Now Josephine Angelini delivers a thrilling conclusion to this epic trilogy of love, hate, revenge, and fate. With worlds built just as quickly as they crumble, a goddess must rise above it all in a final battle to change a destiny written in the stars.

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan     YA BRENNAN
It’s time to choose sides… On the surface, Sorry-in-the-Vale is a sleepy English town. But Kami Glass knows the truth. Sorry-in-the-Vale is full of magic. In the old days, the Lynburn family ruled with fear, terrifying the people into submission in order to kill for blood and power. Now the Lynburns are back, and Rob Lynburn is gathering sorcerers so that the town can return to the old ways. But Rob and his followers aren’t the only sorcerers in town. A decision must be made: pay the blood sacrifice, or fight. For Kami, this means more than just choosing between good and evil. With her link to Jared Lynburn severed, she’s now free to love anyone she chooses. But who should that be?
Book 2 in the Lyburn Legacy.  If you need to catch up book one is Unspoken.  

Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles     YA ELKELES
After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek's counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else's family drama. Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek--someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

Teens' Top Ten

You can cast your vote for the Young Adult Library Association's (YALSA's) Top Ten Teen Books of 2013 through Saturday, October 19th. 

Vote and stay tuned for the winners!

Nominees include:

Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Tilt  by Ellen Hopkins
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
Insurgent by Veronica Roth (ebook)
Every Day by David Levithan
Immortal City  by Scott Speer


and more!

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

As Cath enters her dorm room on her first day of college she is immediately greeted by Levi, the overly friendly boyfriend (?) of her surly upperclassman roommate Reagan.  Cath is less than thrilled.  For the first time she will not be sharing a room with her twin sister Wren, who is ridiculously excited to experience all things college.  The one thing she can still take comfort in is Simon Snow (think Harry Potter) and the fanfiction she has been carefully crafting for him over the years - and Cath isn’t just writing for herself, on the fanfiction site she has thousands of followers reading, commenting, and dying to see her next installments.  

Content with keeping her head down, going to class, and surviving on peanut butter  and power bars (seriously, she decides it’s just easier  to not deal with figuring out the dining hall), however, Reagan finally takes pity on Cath and drags her down to get real food, and cautiously Cath makes a few friends.  However, when her fiction writing professor lets her know that she thinks fanfiction is no more than plagiarism, and family matters become uncertain and chaotic, Cath begins to question how much she really wants a “college experience,” or if she’d rather just spend her time concerning herself with Simon Snow.

Almost all the characters Rowell has created in Fangirl are substantial enough to have their own story.  Wren can seem frustrating (and even at times uncaring), but she does make some valid points about Cath’s college experience and it is clear that (whatever they  may be) Wren is working through some of her own issues.  These are characters I wanted keep hanging out with even after I finished the book and I have a new found interest in checking out some fanfiction.  

Lisa

Carter Finally Gets It by by Brent Crawford

There are some people who just seem to "get it."  They know what to say and how to act in whatever situation is thrown at them.  Then there's Carter, and Carter does not "get it."  Carter is entering his freshman year of high school and he's planning for it to be a big year for him and his boys.  Reading about Carter navigating sports tryouts, high school parties, and, more importantly, high school girls can be like watching a car accident at times (a car accident that just happens to be very hilarious) - it's obvious that what ever Carter is about to do will end in disaster, but you have to find out how.

As Carter gets his first girlfriend, evades cops at parties, and gets slightly beat up (physically and mentally) you may find yourself laughing out loud (literally laughing out loud, not just an LOL when you're actually only smirking).  Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford is a funny and entertaining read about how awkward getting high school can be (especially when you tend to stutter when talking to pretty girls).

Lisa

The File on Angelyn Stark by Catherine Atkins

Catherine Atkins young adult novel The File on Angelyn Stark shows the perseverance of its title character even as the adults around her, and sometimes her own judgment, fail her. Angelyn thinks of herself and her friends Jacey and Charity as the tough girls at her high school. At the beginning of the book the three run into Jeni, who at first appears to be meek but turns out not to be afraid of their bullying. Jeni, even though she’s new at school, knows a few things about Angelyn’s past that Angelyn would like to keep in the past.

Since The File on Angelyn Stark is not heavy on plot, I won’t give any more of it away. The book’s strength is its character development. The characters are not clearly good or bad, and many of them you’ll find yourself alternately loving or hating or some combination of the two. There are few clear villains in The File on Angelyn Stark and this is a good thing.

My one complaint about Atkins’ novel is that at times it reads too much like a play. Many pages are almost all dialogue with only occasional quick descriptions of the characters’ actions and surroundings. Events seem to move along at such a breakneck pace that I found myself getting lost at several points. At the same time, Atkins can’t be accused of getting bogged down in extensive descriptions of people and places.

John

Bartlett Reads 2013: YA Stories on the Spectrum

We are celebrating the inaugural Bartlett Reads community reading event by reading the New York Times bestselling book The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man's Quest to Be a Better Husband by local author David Finch. This September, the community will come together to read the book, and attend events based on the themes in the book. 

Waiting for No One by Beverley Brenna

Taylor Jane Simon is an eighteen-year-old girl with Asperger's Syndrome who has a refreshingly different view of the people she encounters and the life she wants to have. Young adult readers will identify with Taylor's struggle for independence and self-control, and empathize as she outlines the ways-both positive and negative-- that her Asperger's Syndrome affects her daily life. Connecting with a play by Samuel Beckett, Taylor explores a fear of solitary existence while reaching out to a world at times perplexing. Most important, Taylor wants to be seen as an individual, not as a stereotypical "person with special needs," or a rare wild flower-images that haunt her from the past.

 Livvie Owen Lived Here by Sarah Dooley

Olivia "Livvie" Owen feels things differently than her parents and two sisters. Livvie is autistic. Her family has had to move repeatedly because of her outbursts. When they again face eviction, Livvie is convinced she has a way to get back to a house where they were all happy, once. The problem is, Livvie burned down that house. But she's not giving up. Here is her story.

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

In Caitlin's world, everything is black or white. Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. That's the stuff Caitlin's older brother, Devon, has always explained. But now Devon's dead and Dad is no help at all. Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger's, she doesn't know how. When she reads the definition of closure, she realizes that is what she needs. In her search for it, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white--the world is full of colors--messy and beautiful.

A Certain October by Angela Johnson

Scotty compares herself to tofu: no flavor unless you add something. And it's true that Scotty's friends, Misha and Falcone, and her brother, Keone, make life delicious. But when a terrible accident occurs, Scotty feels responsible for the loss of someone she hardly knew, and the world goes wrong. She cannot tell what is a dream and what is real. Her friends are having a hard time getting through to her and her family is preoccupied with their own trauma. But the prospect of a boy, a dance, and the possibility that everything can fall back into place soon help Scotty realize that she is capable of adding her own flavor to life.

Somebody Please Tell Me Who I Am by Harry Mazer

Ben has always had it pretty easy--with no acting experience, he landed the lead in his high school musical, and he's dating the prettiest girl in school. Haunted by memories of 9/11, he makes the decision to enlist in the army--with devastating consequences. Somehow nobody ever thought Ben would be one of the soldiers affected, but after his convoy gets caught in an explosion, Ben is in a coma for two months. When he wakes up, he doesn't know where he is, and he doesn't remember anything about his old life. His family and friends mourn what they see as a loss, but Ben perseveres. 

Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz


Colin Fischer cannot stand to be touched. He does not like the color blue. He needs index cards to recognize facial expressions. But when a gun is found in the school cafeteria, interrupting a female classmate's birthday celebration, Colin is the only for the investigation. It's up to him to prove that Wayne Connelly, the school bully and Colin's frequent tormenter, didn't bring the gun to school. After all, Wayne didn't have frosting on his hands, and there was white chocolate frosting found on the grip of the smoking gun...

 Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick

Amber Appleton lives in a bus. Ever since her mom's boyfriend kicked them out, Amber, her mom, and her totally loyal dog, Bobby Big Boy (aka Thrice B) have been camped out in the back of Hello Yellow (the school bus her mom drives). Still, Amber, the self-proclaimed princess of hope and girl of unyielding optimism, refuses to sweat the bad stuff. But when a fatal tragedy threatens Amber's optimism--and her way of life, can Amber continue to be the rock star of hope? With an oddball cast of characters, and a heartwarming, inspiring story, this novel unveils a beautifully beaten-up world of laughs, loyalty, and hard-earned hope. The world is Amber's stage, and Amber is, well...she's sorta like a rock star. True? True.

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

Marcelo Sandoval hears music no one else can hear--part of the autism-like impairment no doctor has been able to identify--and he's always attended a special school where his differences have been protected. But the summer after his junior year, his father demands that Marcelo work in his law firm's mailroom in order to experience "the real world." There Marcelo meets Jasmine, his beautiful and surprising coworker, and Wendell, the son of another partner in the firm.

He learns about competition and jealousy, anger and desire. But it's a picture he finds in a file -- a picture of a girl with half a face -- that truly connects him with the real world: its suffering, its injustice, and what he can do to fight.

Carrie