What Teens Are Reading: October 2013

Posted by the Edwardsville Public Library Teen Advisory Board

What we're reading, and liking, right now:

The Shiver Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater. Sam's not just a normal boy - he has a secret. During the summer he walks and talks as a human, but when the cold comes, he runs with his pack as a wolf


The Gone Series by Michael Grant. In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.  Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini.  When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.

Chomp by Carl Hiasson. Wahoo Cray lives in a zoo. His father is an animal wrangler, so he's grown up with all manner of gators, snakes, parrots, rats, monkeys, snappers, and more in his backyard. The critters he can handle. His father is the unpredictable one.

The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima. Before he knew about the Roses, 16-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high schoolers. Then one day Jack skips his medicine. Suddenly, he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before. And it feels great - until he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts.Soon, Jack learns the startling truth about himself: he is Weirlind, part of an underground society of magical people who live among us.

The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare.  When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them.




Some of our current reads have been reviewed elsewhere in our blog:
The Fault In Our Stars was reviewed in a post about the best youth books for 2012.  The Burn Journals was selected as a young adult book great for readers over 30.  The Life of Pi was suggested as part of a collection of books with characters or settings in India.