Westchester's Choice 2010
Fiction
Raven Summer by David Almond (LH)
Led to an abandoned baby by a raven, 14-year-old Liam seems fated to meet two foster children who have experienced the world's violence in very different ways as he struggles to understand war, family problems, and friends who grow apart.
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
18 year-old Lia comes to terms with her best friend's death from anorexia as she herself struggles with the same disorder. Kate Colquitt
3 Willows by Ann Brashears
Ama, Jo, and Polly, three close friends from Bethesda, Maryland, spend the summer before ninth grade learning about themselves, their families, and the changing nature of their friendship. Anne Beier
The Demon's Lexicon
by Sarah Rees Brennan.
Nick, a highly-skilled demon hunter, is reasonably content life -- until his brother is marked for death.
While trying to save his brother, he uncovers a horrific secret! Deirdre Johnson
Swim the Fly by Don Calame (LH)
A summertime dare leads three best friends on an hilarious adventure while being overmatched in love and swimming competitions.
The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Calletti
Quinn learns that her selfish, womanizing father has stolen more from the women in his life than their hearts. She joins forces with the stepsister she's never met and sets out to right her father's wrongs.
Fire by Kristen Cashore. Better than Graceling! We couldn't put it down!! Deirdre Johnson
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. See above. We mean, better than The Hunger Games! Astonishing! Deirdre Johnson
We Were Here by Matt de la Pena
Troubled by his past that landed him in a teen group home, Miguel breaks out with two unlikely companions who together journey down the California coast hoping to get to Mexico and a new life.
Dingo by Charles De Lint. Miguel meets Lainey, a really cute girl with an Australian accent and an unusual looking dog. One day she's warm towards him, the next day she's cool. What gives? Maureen Connelly
Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies by Erin Dionne (DJ)
Celeste begins a campaign to lose weight in order to make sure she does not win the Miss HuskeyPeach modeling challenge, in which -- against her wishes -- she has been entered by her mother and aunt.
Sacred Scars (A Resurrection of Magic, Bk. 2) by Kathleen Duey
Sequel to National Book Award finalist Skin Hunger. Sadima and Hahp's stories continue to move closer as each must learn hard lessons about loyalty and survival; Sadima as she tries to stop the sadistic Somiss' plans, and Hahp, generations later, as he struggles to survive the vicious wizard's academy. dark, grim, and filled with unwavering suspense and tension, this series is not for everyone, but a real treat for those willing to enter it's world (Ken P.)
Crossing Stones by Helen Frost
In their own voices, four young people tell of their experiences during the first World War, as the boys enlist and are sent overseas, Emma finishes school, and Muriel fights for peace and women's suffrage.
Project Sweet Life by Brent Hartinger
When their fathers insist that they get summer jobs, three fifteen-year-old friends in Tacoma, Washington, dedicate their summer vacation to fooling their parents into thinking that they are working, which proves to be even harder than having real jobs would have been.
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
Terra, a sensitive, artistic high school senior born with a facial port-wine stain, struggles with issues of inner and outer beauty with the help of her Goth classmate Jacob.
Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King (KP)
In the late 17th century, famed teenage pirate Emer Morrisey was slain and cursed with the dust of 100 dogs, dooming her to live 100 lives as a dog before returning to a human body--with her memories intact.
Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert
An aspiring film writer tells about her troubled teen years in the Chicago suburbs when she and her friends tried to escape the pain of their lives through rock music and drugs.
Liar by Justing Larbalestier
Micah, 17, is a liar - or so she says. This time, she's going to tell the truth - or so she says. But which of the stories she tells is true? Is she really a werewolf, and is her boyfriend really dead? Did she kill him - or did someone else? If a liar tells you that they are telling the truth, can you believe them? A real tour de force, because of Micah's voice and her shifting stories. Recommended for 8th grade and over; a great discussion book!
Carbon Diaries by Saci Lloyd (KP)
In 2015, when England becomes the first nation to introduce carbon dioxide rationing in a drastic bid to combat climate change, sixteen-year-old Laura documents the first year of rationing as her family spirals out of control.
Purge by Sarah Darer Littman
Janie hates Golden Slopes, here she deals with the family stuff that drives her to bulimia, and begins to realize she is no more of a freak than the others at this residential center for eating disorders.
Steve Fondiller [note to all -- I'm in the writer's group that helped the author develop and revise this novel].
Ash by Malinda Lo
Ash grows up believing in the fairy realm that the king and his philosophers have sought to suppress, until one day she must choose between a handsome fairy cursed to love her and the King's Huntress whom she loves. Kate Colquitt
Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger
After the WTC attacks, Samar, who is of Punjabi heritage but has been raised with no knowledge of her past by her single mother, wants to learn about her family's history and to get in touch with the grandparents her mother shuns.
Rampant by Diane Peterfreund
After sixteen-year-old Astrid Llewelyn survives a vicious unicorn attack, she learns that she is a descendant of the most famous unicorn hunter of all time and she must travel to Rome, Italy, to train in the ancient arts in order to carry on her family legacy and save the world from the threat posed by the reemergence of lethal unicorns.
Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon. In ancient China, 17 year-old Ai Ling runs away from home to find her father and to escape a forced marriage to an aged local merchant. To reach her father, held captive by the Emperor, Ai Ling must endure confrontations with incredible beasts, dragons, goddesses and other worldly humans. A phenomenal adventure story. John Sexton
Slob by Ellen Potter (SF)
Picked on, overweight genius Owen tries to invent a television that can see the past to find out what happened the day his parents were killed.
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
It is 16 years since inventor Leviticus Blue, attempting to test a massive drilling machine to support the gold rush trail between Seattle and Alaska, released a deadly gas that turns people into the living dead, and left the Seattle of 1879 a walled-off dead zone. Now, determined to clear the family name, his teenage son Ezekiel sneaks into the city, and his mother, Briar, sets out as well, determined to bring him back safe. To find their way out alive they must face air pirates, mad scientists, the groaning living dead - and family secrets more terrible than all!!! (Ken P)
Punkzilla by Adam Rapp
"Punkzilla" is on a mission to see his older brother "P", before "P" dies of cancer. Still buzzing from his last hit of meth, he embarks on a days-long trip from Portland, Ore. to Memphis, Tenn., writing letters to his family and friends. Along the way, he sees a sketchier side of America and worries if he will make it to see his brother in time.
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it's up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.
Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (KP)
Through twists and turns of fate, orphaned Mary seeks knowledge of life, love, and especially what lies beyond her walled village and the surrounding forest, where dwell the unconsecrated, aggressive flesh-eating people who were once dead.
How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford
After moving to Baltimore and enrolling in a private school, high school senior Beatrice befriends a quiet loner with a troubled family history.
Shiver.by Maggie Stiefvater. Did the course of true love ever run less smoothly, or more beautifully? You might think the werewolf / vampire theme was all played out by now -- but not if you read this! Deirdre Johnson
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork.
Sheltered in a special education school, Marcelo pleases his father by not returning to his summer job working with horses, but by instead working at the father's law firm. Marcelo finds tough moral and emotional choices while finding out more about himself and his father. A beautiful and mature coming-of-age novel. Steve Fondiller.
Creatures of the Night by Kate Thompson
Bobby lives a reckless life smoking, drinking, and stealing cars in Dublin. So his mother moves the family to the country. But Bobby suspects their cottage might not be as quaint as it seems. And spooky details of the history of their little cottage gradually turn Bobby into a detective of night creatures real and imagined.
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
In an alternate 1914 Europe, fifteen-year-old Austrian Prince Alek, on the run from the Clanker Powers who are attempting to take over the globe using mechanical machinery, forms an uneasy alliance with Deryn who, disguised as a boy to join the British Air Service, is learning to fly genetically-engineered beasts. Ken Petrilli
Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn
Jane, the second of five sisters, grows up with a widowed mother who is a famed spiritualist, meets scientist Nikola Tesla and falls in love with his dashing assistant, Thad. This historical novel finds the sisters on the fateful voyage of the Titanic. Romance, tragedy and science will pull readers along a fantastic voyage. Kate Colquitt
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
The Uninvited by Tim Wynne-Jones. Mimi needs to get away so she can work on her screenplay. She ends up at her artist father's cottage in remote Canada where she finds a lot more than a house in a beautiful natural setting. Some nice red herrings to keep readers guessing. Maureen Connelly
Montsrumologist by Rick Yancy (KP)
In 1888, twelve-year-old Will Henry chronicles his apprenticeship with Dr. Warthrop, a scientist who hunts and studies real-life monsters, as they discover and attempt to destroy a pod of Anthropophagi.
Non-Fiction
Charles and Emma: The Darwin's Leap of Faith by Deborah Heligman
Charles Darwin and his wife, Emma, were deeply in love and very supportive of each other, but their opinions often clashed. Emma was extremely religious, and Charles questioned God's very existence.
Claudette Colvin : Twice Toward Justice by Philip Hoose. Months before Rosa Parks refused to go to the back of the bus, teenager Claudette Colvin was arrested for not giving up her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. An intriguing look at a teen who made a difference and paid a price. John Sexton
Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom. Moving between their worlds, Christian and Jewish, African-American and white, impoverished and well-to-do, Mitch observes how these very different men employ faith similarly in fighting for survival: the older, suburban rabbi, embracing it as death approaches; the younger, inner-city pastor relying on it to keep himself and his church afloat. Anne Beier
The Mysteries Of Beethoven's Hair by Russell Martin. A fascinating account of a lock of hair taken from the maestro the day after his agonizing death by 15-year-old composer-in-training Ferdinand Hiller, it's journey and change of ownership through Nazi persecution to a 1994 Sotheby's auction. Reworked from his 2001 book this edition for a tween audience will peek anyone's interest for the genius composer, the mystery of his death and a journey through history. Kate Colquitt
Graphic Novels & Manga
The Eternal Smile by Gene Luen Yang & Derek Kirk Kim. Three entertaining and thought-provoking stories about reality and delusion. John Sexton
The Good Neighbors : Kith Book Two by Holly Black & Ted Naifeh. Wicked fey folk can only be seen by Rue Silver, an escalating occurance since her mother has returned to their kingdom and her high school freinds are being abducted. Rue's destiny is caught in this dark web of evil tree nymphs, changlings and other beautifully illustrated pen & ink creatures. Sequel to: Kin. Kate Colquitt
The Umbrella Academy: Dallas by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba
This second trade in this brilliant series by Way (aka the lead singer of My Chemical Romance) and Bazillian artist Ba picks up some time after the 'Apocalypse Suite' arc; the UA members are, if anything, even more troubled than before; Spaceboy refuses to do anything, The Rumour has lost her voice (and therefore her powers), and the White Violin remembers nothing of how she nearly destroyed the world. But they're forced to act, however reluctantly, when the truth of Number 5's time-traveling past is revealed, and a choice has to be made that may or may not doom humanity. again.
Vampire Knight - vol. 7 by Matsuri Hiro
Color of Earth by Dong Wa Kim
Fruits Basket #23 by Natsuki Takaya
Tsubasa ; Those With Wings vol.2 & 3 by Natsuki Takaya
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