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Kern County Library Staff Suggests...: April Recommendations for Teens


Thursday, April 1, 2010

April Recommendations for Teens

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta -
This book begins with Finnikin as a young boy who is close friends with a prince and princess of Lumatere. At least he is close to them until one horrific night when assassins enter the kingdom, murdering the entire royal family and seizing the throne. In the days to come (known as the five unspeakable days), a powerful priestess is blamed and is ordered to be burned alive by the imposter king. However, before she dies she places a curse on the kingdom which allows nothing to either escape the kingdom or enter it until a rightful king returns with the exiles to retake the kingdom.

For ten years Finnikin searches the land for exiles and for any sign that the prince may still be alive. Along the way he meets Evanjalin, a girl who claims that she walks the dreams of their people and can help lead them to the royal heir. However, her unpredictable behavior makes her nearly impossible to trust. She is obviously not all she appears to be, but the truth may be more than Finnikin can handle. This is a wonderful book full of suspense, action, and adventure.

Going Bovine by Libba Bray -Going Bovine is a story about a boy named Cameron, a slacker whose own parents seem to have given up on him. He’s gliding through high school until his strange behavior becomes too much for his parents to put up with. No one listens when he says that he’s hallucinating and that it’s not from any drugs, well okay it could be bad pot, but it’s doubtful. Instead he finds himself in drug counseling and weekly meetings with a psychiatrist. It takes Cameron collapsing before anyone realizes it might be something more serious. Turns out he has Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, aka Mad Cow disease.

The remainder of the story details Cameron’s hallucinatory quest to find a cure for his disease. Along the way he is guided by a pink-haired punk angel named Dulcie who leads him on a journey to find the missing Dr. X. His sidekicks for this journey are a Mexican-American dwarf, whose hypochondriac tendencies drive Cameron nuts, and an ancient Viking turned yard gnome. On his journey, Cameron battles the forces of evil, saves the world, falls in love for the first time, joins a cult of happiness, and otherwise lives the life he might not ever have without a cure. Read on to find out what becomes of Cameron see what other crazy adventures a teenage mind can dream up.

Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted -Lucius Wolfe is learning to adapt since he lost both of his hands in an accident. However, having steel hooks where his hands used to be has made him a social outcast. Starting a new school doesn’t help the situation. His arrogant personality doesn’t help, but it’s the only defense he has against other students who harass him with names like "crip" and "hooks." Aurora, a beautiful girl at school, is the only student who even attempts to be kind to Lucius.

The story is told by both Lucius and Aurora as they share their different points of view. Eventually though, Aurora helps Lucius to open up and try something new (becoming the stage manager for the school play). It isn’t long before they begin to date, but will Aurora stick around when she finds out the truth about how Lucius lost his hands? And will their feelings for each other be enough when others try to tear them apart?

Fade to Blue by Sean Beaudoin - Sophie Blue is totally Goth, having changed her look when her father disappeared, combusted, or joined an Amazonian cult. She's also being chased by a maniacal, murderous ice cream truck and a nurse, neither of which is visible to anyone else. Kenny Fade, the basketball king, does not have a thing in common with Sophie, except they both think they are losing their minds. Join this innovative, dark comic romp from chaper none to twenty, with a short comic book insert before concluding with chapters twenty to none.

The Carbon Diaries 2017 by Saci Lloyd - Londoner Laura brown witnesees the disintegration of her world as a result of global warming and societal turmoil. Terrified by floods, droughts, and shortages, her punk band tour strives to complete their European tour before the Ice Caps totally disintegrate.

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