Naruto:Clash of Ninja Revolution 2

Developed by: Eighting
Release Date: October 21, 2008
Genre: Action
Media Type: Video Game
Game Description:
Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 provides players with quality fighting game mechanics and a fast-paced gameplay experience on Wii. Set after Sasuke leaves the Hidden Leaf Village to gain more power from Orochimaru, the title offers a slew of playable characters, including those developed especially for the storyline. Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 features destructible stages and four-player multiplayer battles, along with gameplay modes and characters not yet seen in the Clash of Ninja series. Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 brings in a new interface, more characters, some all-new additions to the roster (instead of just filling out the cast with oversights from previous Clash of Ninja games), and far more balance to it all.

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Exclusively on Wii

Mario Kart Wii

Developed by: Nintendo
Release Date: April 2008
Genre: Action, Racing
Media Type: Video Game
Game Description:

Start your engines! Race with Mario and his friends with their finely tuned racing machines in Mario Kart Wii. Use 3 different control styles with the Wii Wheel included in the box.

The worldwide race is on with a whole new set of tricks, tracks, and ways to play. Mario Kart Wii draws on courses and battle arenas from every game in the series - not to mention tons of new ones. The true king of the Mushroom Kingdom racing circuits will finally be crowned.

Experience new tracks, enhanced Wii graphics, extraordinary gameplay and much more. Place first in Grand Prix circuits or clear skill-based missions to open up increasingly difficult and thrilling circuits. You can have multiplayer races on any open courses or battle in arenas. Now you can feel like you are Mario and steering to avoid obstacles and doing incredible stunts.
You and your friends can go for hours racing without wasting any gas in the process and without anyone getting hurt.

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Exclusively on Wii
Website (if any):http://www.mariokartwii.com/

Wii Music

Developed by: Nintendo
Release Date: October 2008
Genre: Music, Family
Media Type: Video Game
Game Description:
Wii Music includes many other modes besides the main band jams, including several musical games and an enhanced video playback mode for recorded jams.
• Play it again: Use the playback mode to see your jam recordings brought to life with dramatic camera angles.
• Pick up the baton: Command an orchestra in the conducting game where you'll wave the Wii Remote controller like a conductor baton to lead a Mii orchestra through orchestrated music. Make them play quickly, slowly, strongly or gently.
• Ring a bell Play a handbells game where you swing your Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers to play your two handbells as part of a larger ensemble. Everyone on the team has a job to do: Play one of your notes only when the tune demands it.
• An ear for music: Take a tone quiz that tests your musical ear by giving you challenges, like putting note-playing Miis in order from lowest to highest pitch.
• Bang the drum: Play a virtual drum set in the drumming mode, the one mode in Wii Music that also uses the Wii Balance Board accessory. You'll use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers as drumsticks, and place both feet on the Wii Balance Board which work as virtual pedals for the bass drum and hi-hat cymbal.

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Exclusively on Wii

Guitar Hero III:Legend of Rock

Developed by: Activision
Release Date: October 2007
Genre: Music, Party
Media Type: Video Game
Platform: Wii
Game Description:
Guitar Hero fans can thrash and burn with new wireless guitar controllers available for each platform. The exclusive Gibson guitars include innovative features such as removable faceplates that will allow fans to personalize their guitars and make it their own, and a new button color design that is integrated for an even greater authentic feel and rock experience.

Rock out to the third entry in in Red Octane's music series for guitar gods! Songs for Guitar Hero III include Barracuda by Heart, Sabotage by Beastie Boys, Rock And Roll All Nite by Kiss, and much more! In addition, players can experience an incredible number of added features and explosive content including a new multiplayer action-inspired battle mode, grueling boss battles, a bevy of exclusive unlockable content and authentic rock venues.

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Wii Sports

Developed by: Nintendo
Release Date: 2006
Genre: Family, sports
Media Type: Video Game
Game Description:
Wii Sports comes with the Nintendo Wii console. Wii Sports is a collection of five sports simulations, designed to demonstrate the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wii Remote to new players. The five sports included are tennis, baseball, bowling, golf, and boxing. Players use the Wii Remote to mimic actions performed in real life sports, such as swinging a tennis racket. The rules for each game are simplified to make them more accessible to new players. The game also features training and fitness modes that monitor player progress in the sports.

• Tennis (1-4 players): Players grab the Wii Remote like a racket and swing – the game registers forehands, backhands, volleys, lobs, slices, spin and power depending on how fast the user swings and at what angle. Don’t worry about moving around the court to get to the ball – the game automatically moves players into position.
• Baseball (1-2 players): Players grip the Wii Remote like a bat and swat fastballs out of the park, or fire a fastball over the plate with a flick of their wrist. Timing and bat speed will make all the difference between going yard and whiffing, so keep an eye on the ball and swing for the fences. In the two-player game, one player pitches and the other bats – all fielding and running is automatic, so that players can focus on the action.
• Golf (1-4 players): Step up to the tee, hold the Wii Remote like a golf club and swing naturally to smack the ball onto the green. The harder players swing the club, the farther the ball will fly. Be careful, though – if players swing too hard, their ball will fly out of control, so they should be sure to take some practice swings before going for the pin. After reaching the green, line up putts carefully, practice the stroke and try to hole out.
• Bowling (1-4 players): Players raise the Wii Remote in their hand just like a bowling ball, and then swing their arms to roll the ball. The speed of the swing and the angle at which they release the ball affects the ball’s spin, so it will take some practice to master control over the ball and knock down the pins.
• Boxing (1-2 players): Using the Nunchuk controller as one glove and the Wii Remote as the other, players dodge, weave and punch their opponents. Players hold their hands high to guard their faces or low to block their torsos. They punch high to hit their opponents’ faces or low to get under their guard for a body blow. Swing both arms left or right to sidestep oncoming blows and move into position for a devastating knockout.

ESRB Rating: E(Everyone)
Exclusively on

Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party Bundle

Developed by: Konami
Release Date: 2007
Genre: Music, Party
Media Type: Video Game
Game Description:
The global dancing phenomenon gets even more physical with an entirely new game designed for the Nintendo Wii. Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party enhances the series’ trademark interactive gameplay by combining the physically engaging, innovative and easy-to-pick-up-and-play mechanics of the Wii platform. DDR Hottest Party is sure to be the life of the party with 4 player multiplayer, Wii Remote and Nunchuk support, smash hits taken from the last 4 decades of music, entirely new modes and more.

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Platform console: Wii

Wii Fit

Developed by: Nintendo
Release Date: 2008
Genre: Family, Fitness Game
Media Type: Video Game
Game Description:

The hit combination of Wii Sports and the Wii Remote brought golf swings and tennis serves into people's homes.

* Wii Fit features four main categories to choose from: Strength Training, Aerobics, Yoga and Balance Games. As you spend time exercising, you'll earn Fit Credits that unlock additional exercises and activities within these categories. Wii Fit also tracks the activities you do the most and puts them into the Favorites category.
* Strength Training: Put your strength to the test with muscle-toning exercises like Single Leg Extension, Sideways Leg Lift, Arm and Leg Lift, Single-Arm Stand, Torso Twists, Rowing Squat, Single Leg Twist, Lunge, Push-Up and Side Plank, Jackknife, Plank and Tricep Extension. Challenges include Push-Up Challenge, Plank Challenge and Jackknife Challenge.
* Aerobics: Get your heart pumping with fun, interactive Aerobic exercises like Hula Hoop®, BasicStep, Basic Run, Super Hula Hoop, Advanced Step, 2-P Run, Rhythm Boxing, Free Step and Free Run.
* Yoga: Work on your balance and flexibility with Yoga poses and activities like Deep Breathing, Half-Moon, Dance, Cobra, Bridge, Spinal Twist, Shoulder Stand, Warrior, Tree, Sun Salutation, Standing Knee, Palm Tree, Chair, Triangle and Downward-Facing Dog.
* Balance Games: Get into the action with fun, balanced-based games like Soccer Heading, Ski Slalom, Ski Jump, Table Tilt, Tightrope Walk, Balance Bubble, Penguin Slide, Snowboard Slalom and Lotus Focus.

Tracking Results:

* Keep tabs on your daily progress with easy-to-understand graphs and charts. Using your personal profile, you can set goals, view a graph of your BMI results over time, see how many Fit Credits you've earned, check your Wii Fit Age and even enter exercise time you've done outside of Wii Fit. It's all about coming back and exercising a little every day, and the personal profile makes tracking your daily progress simple and easy.
* You can quickly check your Wii Fit Age and BMI without even putting the game in the console by going directly to the Wii Fit Channel.
* Up to eight family members can create their own profiles in Wii Fit. On the profile-selection screen, everyone can see each other's recent BMI progress and Fit Credit total. This will allow teens to have a friendly competition to exercise and get fit.


ESRB Rating: E(Everyone)
Exclusively on Wii

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Developed by: Nintendo
Release Date: September 2008
Genre: Action, Role Playing, Fighting game
Media Type: Video game
Game Description:
This action-packed fighting game features a ridiculous number of characters that have appeared on Nintendo platforms, from Mario to Link to Pikachu to Yoshi ... to Solid Snake! As they square off in famous locales drawn from the rich history of Nintendo, literally anything can happen - and usually does too. In a sprawling adventure mode called "The Subspace Emissary" that's a full game in and of itself. Players jump and brawl their way through enemy-packed side-scrolling levels, meeting up with other characters, watch short cinematic starring their favorite characters. For multiplayer games, players must pick characters, set rules and locations for where they want to play and then duke it out.

All of the characters have their own strengths and weaknesses, and learning how to protect yourself while taking advantage of your opponents' flaws goes a long way toward securing a victory. Throughout combat, various types of items will spawn on the battlefield for use by the first player to reach them. There can be a surprising amount of strategy involved. But all that said, Brawl is an incredibly well-balanced game in which even a brand-new player can come away the victor against a hardened veteran.
Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Series makes a special appearance in this title for the Wii game system. The new Smash Bros. will include a number of new playable characters such as Meta Knight from the Kirby games, Pit from Kid Icarus, Zero Suit Samus (i.e. Samus without her armour) from Metroid: Zero Mission, Wario and, most unexpectedly, Solid Snake from Metal Gear and Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega's loveable blue blur! The Nintendogs also make an appearance, although only as an item for obscuring the screen, and each character now seems to have some gigantic new special attacks that take up the whole screen. Not only will the game have an online mode but it is the only major Nintendo title to use the “shell” controller by default rather than the Wii remote.

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Exclusively on Wii

Juno

Director: Jason Reitman
Year Released: December 2007
Media Type: Movie
Run Time : 1 hr. 31 min.
ISBN:9786311874387
Genre: Comedy, Drama and Teen
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance 13+)
Viewer's Annotation:
When a sixteen-year-old, Juno is faced with an unplanned pregnancy, she sets out to find adoptive parents for her baby.

Plot Summary:
Juno (Ellen Page) is a sixteen year old high school student faced with an unexpected pregnancy. The father is another teenager who she doesn't consider to be her boyfriend. She wants it to go away like a bad dream, but she realizes she needs to take control of the situation. She enlists the help of her best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby). Together she and Leah find an ad in the Penny Saver from Mark & Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner), who are desperate for a child.

After announcing to her parents that she has bad news, they decide to help her through the pregnancy. Her dad meets the Lorings' attorney to draw up a consent form. Although the Lorings are willing to have an open adoption, Juno prefers a closed adoption.

Through the pregnancy Juno starts to appreciate her imperfect family. On the other hand, the Lorings, who look perfect from the outside, have divisions within. Juno starts driving over to see Mark while Vanessa is at work, and as they share their interests in music and movie gore, he realizes he isn't ready for a child, and he confides in Juno that his relationship with Vanessa is strained, and he has things he still wants to do. Vanessa and Mark go through divorce proceedings and the chances for Juno's baby to be adopted appear bleak.

Juno comes to understand relationships and makes a decision to seek out the love of the boy who got her pregnant, because she actually cares for him and he probably cares a lot for her. They become very close and Juno finds she actually loves him. They become a couple, Juno delivers the baby, and Vanessa still makes the adoption, as a single parent. Juno and her boyfriend elect to not see the child, and to let matters take its course. In closing scenes, life has returned to normal to the both of them.


Awards Won:
• 80th Academy Awards
Best Original Screenplay - Diablo Cody

• BAFTAs[106]
Best Original Screenplay

• Critic's Choice Awards
Best Comedy

• Canadian Comedy Awards (2008)
Best Actress - Ellen Page
Best Director - Jason Reitman

• National Board of Review
Best Breakthrough Performance - Female (Ellen Page)
Best Original Screenplay (Diablo Cody)

• Satellite Awards
Best Actress - Musical or Comedy (Ellen Page)
Best Film - Musical or Comedy

• Rome Film Feast
Best Film

• Writers Guild of America Awards
Best Original Screenplay (Diablo Cody)

• Independent Spirit Awards 2007
Best Feature
Best Female Lead - Ellen Page
Best First Screenplay - Diablo Cody

• The National Movie Awards 2008
Best Comedy

Movie's Website: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/juno/

10 Things I Hate About You

Director: Gil Junger
Year Released: 1999
Media Type: Movie
Run Time: 97 min
ISBN:9786305583158
Rating:PG13 (Parental Guidance 13+)
Genre: Comedy, Romance,
Viewer's Annotation:
A remake of the classic Shakespeare play "The Taming of the Shrew.", set in a modern day high school. Cameron loves Bianca, but she can't date until her completely older sister Kat goes out.

Plot Summary:
During a school tour, Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) spots the beautiful and popular Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik) and immediately falls in love with her. Michael warns that Bianca is shallow, conceited, and worst of all, not allowed to date. Michael does, however, inform Cameron that Bianca is looking for a French tutor.

The protective father, Walter (Larry Miller), wants Kat to attend college nearby. Kat distracts her father by revealing that Bianca was given a ride home from school by Joey Donner (Andrew Keegan). Bianca begs her father to allow her to date, but to no avail. Since Kat has no interest in dating anyone the father to come up with a new rule: Bianca can only date if Kat is dating.

Cameron suggests Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger), an outcast who is just as ill-tempered as Kat. Cameron tries asking Patrick for his assistance, but Patrick scares him off. Michael then poses the idea to Joey, also attempting to date Bianca, to pay Patrick to take Kat out. Patrick agrees, but Kat, however, wants nothing to do with Patrick.

At the party, Kat tells Joey to stay away from her sister. Joey brags that he cannot guarantee she'll stay away from him. Kat gets upset and begins drinking, leading her to dance drunkenly on a table. Meanwhile, Cameron discovers that Bianca was using him to find a date for Kat so that Bianca could date Joey.

Cameron decides to stop trying to date Bianca, but Patrick convinces him to go for it. Bianca asks Cameron for a ride home after discovering Joeys true character. Cameron drops her off and tells her that he really likes her and was very disappointed in her. At that point Bianca kisses Cameron. Patrick brings Kat home, and she drunkenly tries kissing Patrick. He suggests they should do that some other time, hurting Kats feelings.

The next day at school, Patrick publicly sings Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You to Kat in front of everyone asking her forgiveness, landing him in detention. Kat gets him out of detention by "flashing" the soccer coach. Kat and Patrick spend the day together, and they both realize that they truly do like each other.

Bianca tries to convince her father to let her go to the prom, but he refuses, since Kat is not going. Bianca confronts Kat. Kat then reveals that she dated Joey and they had sex, mostly because everyone else was doing it. However, when Kat told Joey that she wasn't ready for sex and did not want to do it again, he immediately broke up with her. Even though she forbade Joey to tell anyone of their one time together or else she would tell all the cheerleaders how tiny he is, Kat still felt immense rejection, thus spurring her to not do anything ever again just because everyone else was doing it and distanced herself from her peers.

Bianca and Kat end up going to the prom with Cameron and Patrick. Joey is furious to learn that Bianca has gone to prom with Cameron, and confronts Patrick about the "arrangement" in front of Kat. Kat blows up at Patrick and leaves. Joey subsequently confronts Cameron about manipulating the 'deal' for himself, but after he punches Cameron, Bianca hits Joey three times herself, leaving him curled up in pain on the floor with a broken nose and a black eye.

The next morning, Bianca thanks Kat for going to prom and the sisters make up. Kat's father allows her to go to Sarah Lawrence. At school, Kat reads a poem which she wrote for English class, titled "10 Things I Hate About You" (written about Patrick). While reading the poem, she reveals (in front of the entire class) how hurt she was by what Patrick did and how much she really cares about him. In the parking lot, Kat finds a guitar Patrick bought her with the money Joey paid him, and he admits that he messed up their deal by falling for her. Kat forgives Patrick and the two kiss and make up.

Awards Won:
CFCA Award(Most Promising Actress- Julia Stiles)(2000)
MTV Movie Award(2000)
Movie's Website:http://www.mooviees.com/213-10-things-i-hate-about-you/movie

Watchmen

Author: Alan Moore
Year Published: 1987
Publisher: DC Comics
ISBN#: 0930289234
Pages:416
Media Type: Graphic Novel
Reader's Annotation:
As former members of a disbanded group of superheroes called the Crimebusters start turning up dead, the remaining members of the group try to discover the identity of the murderer before they, too, are killed.

Plot Summary:

Much of the graphic novel story is spent detailing information from the past, including the origins of Nite Owl I, Rorschach, and Doctor Manhattan. It also describes many cultural details which only turn out to be relevant at the end of the book; for example, the writer of a famous series of pirate comics is one of the people hired by Ozymandias to create his monster. It also spends a great deal of time detailing the everyday comings and goings of the people around a small newsstand in New York City, which turns out to be ground zero for the teleported monster. Knowing that Rorschach and others would investigate the murder of the Comedian, Ozymandias started the smaller falsehood of a serial killer or plot murdering masked heroes in order to hide the true reason for the Comedian's death. Ozymandias also orchestrated the media rumour and false evidence of cancer victims that forced the exile of Doctor Manhattan, the only figure he felt he could not completely control and counter.

Reading Level: 6
Interest Level: 9+
author's website: http://www.alanmoorefansite.com/


Trailer From the Movie Adaptation:

New Moon

Author: Stephenie Meyer
Year Published: 2006
Publisher:Warner Books
ISBN#:0316024961
Pages: 563
Media Type: Book
Subject: Scool stories, High school ife, Vampires, Werevolves
Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Action
Reader's Annotation:
When the Cullens, including her beloved Edward, leave Forks rather than risk revealing that they are vampires, it is almost too much for eighteen-year-old Bella to bear, but she finds solace in her friend Jacob until he is drawn into a "cult" and changes in terrible ways.

Plot Summary:
Edward leaves Bella after her eighteenth birthday party. Edward convinces Bella that he doesn't want her anymore, and he and his family depart from Forks in an attempt to keep her safe. Four months pass and Bella has become a "zombie." existing but not really living. Trying to please her father, Charlie, Bella goes t

When Bella spots a group of men in an alleyway, she remembers a time when Edward save her before, and decides to approach the men. Bella then hears Edward's voice in her head, warning her to stay away from them. Believing she may be on the verge of insanity, she concludes her subconscious mind is helping her believe that Edward cares whether she lives or dies. Thinking that the delusions are triggered by recklessness or being in a dangerous situation, she seeks other ways to trigger Edward's voice.

Jacob Black, Bella's friend from the nearby reservation, returns in New Moon. Jacob is romantically interested in Bella, even though she makes it clear that she wants nothing more than friendship with him. Jacob suddenly becomes very ill and fevered, but Bella faces firm resistance when she tries to contact him. Finally, Bella contacts him, only to learn that Jacob has become a follower of Sam Uley. Anxious without Jacob in her life, Bella fears she may slip back into her "zombie phase." Desperate, she returns to Edward's meadow in an attempt to get close to a past memory. There, she runs into the vampire Laurent, who tries to attack her. When a pack of giant wolves appear and scare off Laurent, Bella escapes.

Bella confronts Jacob, who is forbidden to explain anything to her. However, he tells her that she already knows because he told her the first night they met. Bella eventually recalls a story about werewolves and vampires and realizes that Jacob, and the rest of Sam Uley's gang, are werewolves.

Bella's life becomes even more difficult when Victoria arrives in Forks. It is up to Jacob and his werewolf pack to protect Bella from Victoria's revenge. Bella spends most of her time wandering around alone since Jacob is often away with the pack searching for any sign of Victoria. She soon gets frustrated, desperate to hear Edward's voice. Although she had planned to try cliff diving with Jacob, she cannot wait, and jumps alone. The weather is tumultuous, and the current pulls Bella under. She hears Edward's voice pleading with her to try to fight the water, but soon she is too fatigued and resigns herself to death. Her last thoughts are "Goodbye, I love you," before Jacob saves her life.

Alice "saw" Bella jump off the cliff and thought that she was committing suicide. She did not see Jacob save her because, as she later finds out, she cannot see werewolves in her visions. Edward mistakenly believes that Bella has died. Not wanting to live in a world without Bella, Edward travels to Volterra, Italy to anger the Volturi, a "royal" vampire family, into killing him by exposing the existence of vampires.

Bella and Alice rush to Italy and save Edward just in time. Bella and the Cullen family all return to Forks. Edward confesses to Bella that he left in an attempt to protect her. Bella desperately wants to become a vampire so she can remain with Edward, but Edward refuses. Bella then asks the Cullens to vote on whether they feel Bella should be changed into a vampire. All but Rosalie and Edward agree that she should be changed. Edward, who abhors the idea of Bella becoming a vampire, convinces Carlisle to wait until after graduation to change Bella. Edward offers to change Bella himself, but conditions his offer on Bella's agreement --to marry him.

Reading Level: 4
Interest Level: 9-12
Author Website:http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/




THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON trailer in HD

Eclipse

Author: Stephenie Meyer
Year Published: 2007
Publisher: Warner Books
ISBN#: 0316160202
Pages: 629
Media Type: Book
Classification: Fiction
Subject: Vampires, High schools, Interpersonal relations
Genre: Romance, Science Fiction
Reader's Annotation:
Book three in the Twilight Saga, Meyers continues the story of the star-crossed love of Edward and Bella, and the triangle that was formed with Jacob, Bella’s best friend. Faced with impending attacks by outside non-vegetarian vampires, Jacob & Edward clash for Bella’s affection, but join forces to protect her. The ongoing fate of Bella choice to become part of the Cullen family of undead creates further tension in the love triangle.

Plot Summary:
The story begins with the revelation that Seattle is being plagued by a string of unsolved murders, which Edward suspects to be the cause of a newborn vampire that is unable to control its thirst. Edward and Bella fill out college applications, while Bella explains to Edward her desire to see Jacob, her werewolf friend, again. Meanwhile, Alice Cullen has a vision that Victoria, a vampire that is hunting Bella, is back in town.

Although Edward fears for her safety, Bella insists that Jacob and the rest of the werewolf pack would never harm her, but Edward is still not convinced. While Edward and his brothers leave town to hunt, Alice, Edward's sister, is left to "babysit" Bella. During school, Bella runs off with Jacob. When Bella arrives afterwards at the Cullens' house unharmed, Edward is convinced that the pack of werewolves were harmless to her and allows Bella to visit Jacob once in a while. During one of these visits, Jacob reveals to Bella that he is in love with her and forcefully kisses her, much to her displeasure. She reacts by punching him, succeeding only in breaking her hand. Edward angrily threatens Jacob when Bella is brought back home, saying that if he ever kisses Bella again without her permission, he will break his jaw. Later that night after Jacob leaves, Bella agrees to marry Edward on the condition that he sleeps with her before turning her into a vampire. Edward initially refuses, explaining to Bella that he could very easily kill her. Eventually, upon realizing how much it means to Bella, he says that he is willing to try in the future as long as they are married first. Despite having an aversion to marriage, Bella realizes that spending eternity with Edward is more important to her than anything else and accepts his proposal.

Bella and the Cullens realize that the murders in Seattle are being committed by Victoria and an "army" of newborn vampires. The Cullen family joins forces with the werewolf pack in order to combat this threat. As everyone else prepares for battle, Edward and Bella camp up in the mountains, where they are later joined by Jacob and Seth Clearwater– a young member of the werewolf pack– to wait out the fight. In the morning, Jacob overhears Edward and Bella discussing their engagement and becomes very upset. He threatens to join the fight and get himself killed because Bella doesn't love him; when Bella begs him not to, Jacob insists that he won't do so if she asks him to kiss her. Furious, she does so, and while kissing him she realizes that she is in love with him as well. However, she explains that her love for Edward is much greater and that she cannot live without him.

The Cullens, as well as the werewolf pack, suffer no casualties during the fight and successfully destroy Victoria and her army.
Reading Level: 4
Interest Level: 9-12
Author's website:http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/

Breaking Dawn

Author: Stephenie Meyer
Year Published: 2008
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
ISBN#: 031606792x
Pages: 754
Media Type: Book
Classification: Fiction
Subject: Supernatural, Vampires, Werewolf
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance, Adventure

Reader's Annotation:
Breaking Dawn is the fourth installment in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Series. Picking up where Eclipse left off, Bella Swan and Edward Cullen are counting down the days until their wedding. It's the talk of the small town of Forks, Washington. Bella's acceptance of Edward's proposal means an Ivy League education, a step up the financial ladder and the shadow of death in his promise to make her a vampire.

Plot Summary:
This is book is broken up to three sections; going from Bella's perspective, to Jacob's perspective, then back to Bella's perspective. Edward and Bella gets engaged. Much of the book deals with the relatioship triangle between Bella, Edward, and Jacob. The Volturi is put in the mixed when Bella is found to be pregnant. The Cullens round up all of their friends and allies for a fight with the Volturi, which Alice predicted to be when the snow sticks the the ground. Bella also has to decipher a note left by Alice in one of her books, which she cannot tell Edward about because of Aro's ability to read minds. Bella also discovers that her power of mind-privacy has a shielding effect and she wonders if she can extend this protection to others. During the month of preparation for the Volturi, several of the vampires with quantifiable supernatural talents teach Bella how to expand the barrier. When the Volturi and Irina finally arrive, all of the vampires and the werewolves meet in a clearing in the forest. The Volturi discover that they has been misinformed and immediately execute Irina for her mistake. However, the Volturi are still not satisfied to leave because they want all of the exceptionally gifted vampires to join their group. Bella's gift disables the Volturi's offensive fighters, Alec (who causes one to lose all their senses, much like numbing someone) and Jane (who creates the illusion of pain in the victim), when she shields everyone on her side. Aro, Caius and Marcus decide to vote on whether or not Renesmee will be a danger to the vampire world when she attains maturity. It is only until Alice and Jasper return that the day is truly saved. they come with another half-human, half-vampire from South America who is about one hundred fifty years-old. He and his three half-sisters (who are also half-vampire, half-human) are the children of a vampire who is creating a super race. They have never caused any danger to the vampire world. Only the male half-vampire is venomous; the female half-vampires are not. So the Volturi leave in peace.

After all the chaos, Bella and Edward return to their cottage and put Nessie to bed. And the book has a true happy ending as Bella places her hands on Edward's cheeks and tries to push away her shield. She has been secretly practicing for this moment. She thinks of all of her special memories that she wants to share with Edward. He is finally able to see for the first time just how deeply she has always loved him.
Reading Level: 4
Interest Level: 9-12
Author Website:http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/

Pool Boy

Author: Michael Simmons
Year Published: 2003
Publisher: Dell
ISBN#: 0385731965
Pages: 164
Media Type: Book
Classification: Fiction
Subject: Father-son relationship, Family relationship
Genre: Drama
Reader's Annotation:

When his father is arrested for insider trading and his family loses all their money, Brett Gerson takes a job as an assistant to a 70-something pool cleaner in his former wealthy California neighborhood and learns some valuable life lessons.

Plot Summary:

Brett's stockbroker dad is in jail for insider training, and the family is suddenly broke and disgraced. Unlike most stories about parents in prison, this first novel focuses on a spoiled brat, sorry that he won't be getting a car for his upcoming sixteenth birthday; bitter because, instead of sunning himself by the family pool, he has to spend the summer cleaning the pools of his former neighbors. He knows he is a brat and he glories in it. He is ugly to his dad when he is forced to visit him in prison, and he hurts his too-perfect mom. Of course, he learns his lesson, suffers real loss, and comes to know about backbreaking work and about forgiveness. What's best here is the teen's authentic, contemporary first-person voice, obnoxious in its self-absorption, funny in its self-mockery, and also vulnerable when real sadness blows the boy's cover.

Reading Level: 4
Interest Level: 7-12

Holes

Author: Louis Sachar
Year Published: 1998
Publisher: Dell
ISBN#: 0440414806
Pages: 233
Media Type: Book
Classification: Fiction
Subject: Friendship, Buried treasure, Juvenile delinquency
Reader's Annotation:
Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.

Plot Summary:

Yelnats IV has been wrongly accused of stealing a famous baseball player's valued sneakers and is sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention home where the boys dig holes, five feet deep by five feet across, in the miserable Texas heat. It's just one more piece of bad luck that's befallen Stanley's family for generations as a result of the infamous curse of Madame Zeroni. Overweight Stanley, his hands bloodied from digging, figures that at the end of his sentence, he'll "...either be in great physical condition or else dead."

Overcome by the useless work and his own feelings of futility, fellow inmate Zero runs away into the arid, desolate surroundings and Stanley, acting on impulse, embarks on a risky mission to save him. He unwittingly lays Madame Zeroni's curse to rest, finds buried treasure, survives yellow-spotted lizards, and gains wisdom and inner strength from the quirky turns of fate. In the almost mystical progress of their ascent of the rock edifice known as "Big Thumb," they discover their own invaluable worth and unwavering friendship. Fate conspires to resolve it all—the family curse, the mystery of the holes, the drought that destroyed Green Lake, and also, the legend of Kissing Kate Barlow, an infamous outlaw of the Wild West. TThere is no question, young adults will love Holes.

Reading Level: 4
Interest Level: 5-9
Awards Won:

• 1999 Newbery Medal
• 1998 National Book Award for Young People's Literature
• A Christopher Award for Juvenile Fiction
• An ALA Notable Book
• An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
• An ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults
• A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year
• A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book
• A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
• A Publishers Weekly Notable Children's Book of the Year
• A Publishers Weekly Bestseller
• A Horn Book Fanfare Title
• A Riverbank Review 1999 Children's Book of Distinction
• A New York Public Library Children's Book of 1998-100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
• A Texas Lone Star Award Nominee
• A NECBA Fall List Title

Author Website:http://www.louissachar.com/

Movie Adaptation:

A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life

Author: Dana Reinhardt
Year Published: 2007
Publisher: Random House
ISBN#: 9780375846915
Pages: 228
Media Type: Book
Subject: High Schools, Jews, Family life
Genre: Drama
Reader's Annotation:
Sixteen-year-old atheist Simone Turner-Bloom's life changes in unexpected ways when her parents convince her to make contact with her biological mother, an agnostic from a Jewish family who is losing her battle with cancer.

Plot Summary:

Simone, 16, has always known she was adopted but has never had any real desire to meet her birth mother despite the fact that she knows her parents keep in touch. Her family is perfect the way it is, thank you. Sure, she looks different and has different talents from her parents and younger brother, but that has never mattered. That all changes when Rivka calls and wants to meet her. What had begun as a normal school year changes as Simone must come to terms with who she is and how she fits into both families. When she then learns that Rivka is dying, it becomes a year that challenges her belief in God, a belief she did not know she had. It becomes a year that strains the bonds of friendships and family ties, both old and new. It becomes a year of her first boyfriend, and a year in an impossible life. Reinhardt's first novel is superbly crafted and has compelling and strong characters. It asks the big questions, about love, about faith, about what it means to be a daughter. It also has strong subplots that deal with friendship; with boyfriend/girlfriend relationships, both good and bad; with standing up for what one believes is right; and with struggling to keep up with academics and fit in at school when things seem to be falling apart on a personal level. The novel deals with big issues without being preachy or sappy. It is a great read for all young adults.

Reading Level: 5
Interest Level: 7-12
Author's website: http://www.danareinhardt.net/

The Lost Boy

Author: Dave Pelzer
Year Published: 1997
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
ISBN#: 1558745157
Pages: 340
Media Type: Book
Classification: Fiction
Subject: Child Abuse, Abusive mothers, Family relationships
Genre: Drama, Biography
Reader's Annotation:

The Lost Boy covers the time from when David Pelzer enters foster care at the age of 12 until he ages out of the system at age 18. An uplifting true story of a boy's journey through the foster-care system in search of a family to love.

Plot Summary:

This is a sequel to A Child Called "It". In The Lost Boy, he answers questions and reveals new adventures through the compelling story of his life as an adolescent. Now considered an F-Child (Foster Child), Dave is moved in and out of five different homes. He suffers shame and experiences resentment from those who feel that all foster kids are trouble and unworthy of being loved just because they are not part of a "real" family. Again, as a reader, you will see the kind of mistreatment the main character suffered and endured through.

Reading Level: 5
Interest Level: 9+
Author's website (if any): http://www.davepelzer.com/

A Child Called "It"

Author: David Pelzer
Year Published: 1995
Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
ISBN#: 1558743669
Pages: 184
Media Type: Book
Classification: Book
Subject: Child abuse, Abusive mothers
Reader's Annotation:

This book is a true to life story of the author. It is based on the abuse and torture suffered by young David by his mother and how he managed to overcome this obstacle and succeed in life.

Plot Summary:
It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games--games that left him nearly dead. He had to learn how to play his mother's games in order to survive because she no longer considered him a son, but a slave; and no longer a boy, but an "it." In the end, it is the story of a child's courage to survive. The book doesn't leave the reader empty as we know that the child survived this abuse.

Reading Level: 5
Interest Level: 9+
Author's Website (if any): http://www.davepelzer.com/

The Twelfth Angel

Author: Og Mandino
Year Published: 1993
Publisher: Fawcett
ISBN#: 0449911500
Pages: 164
Media Type: Book
Classification: Fiction
Subject: New Hampshire, Little League baseball
Genre: Drama
Reader's Annotation: A boy on the little league team John coaches reminds him of his own son who was killed in a car accident.

Plot Summary:
John Harding had a high-powered career, a loving wife, and a beautiful son. He's lost it all and has returned to his home town of Boland, New Hampshire, teetering on the brink of suicide. But an old friend asks John to manage his old Little League team, the Angels. Reluctantly, he agrees, and meets a hopeless player who bears a striking resemblance to his dead son—and through their extroardinary relationship, John finds the wisdom in living that he thought he had lost forever. This is a heat-warming story that most readers would love to read.

Reading Level: 6
Interest Level: 9+

The Silent Boy

Author: Lois Lowry
Year Published:
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
ISBN#: 0618282319
Pages: 178
Classification: Fiction
Subject: Siblings, Infants, Unmarried mothers, Physically handicapped
Genre: Drama
Media Type: Book
Reader's Annotation:
Katy, the precocious ten-year-old daughter of the town doctor, befriends a retarded boy.
Plot Summary:
Katy, takes an interest in Jacob, a boy from a neighboring farm, who can't speak, who sings quietly to himself, but who seems able to communicate with animals. Jacob occasionally comes to the Thatcher home to be in the barn with the animals. Katy shares Jacob’s love of animals and comes to feel she can communicate with him in some way. Tragedy happens when a baby dies because of Jacob whose sole intent was to protect the baby. He was then sent to a mental institution, but was never found again.
Reading Level: 5
Interest Level: 5-9
Author's Website (if any): http://www.loislowry.com/

Heavy Metal and You

Author: Christopher Krovatin
Year Published: 2005
Publisher: Scholastic Book Service
ISBN#: 0449911500
Pages: 186
Media Type: Book
Classification: Fiction
Subject: School stories, Interpersonal relations, New York, Music
Genre: Romance

Reader's Annotation:
High schooler Sam begins losing himself when he falls for a preppy girl who wants him to give up getting wasted with his best friends and even his passion for heavy metal music in order to become a better person.

Plot Summary:

Sam and his buddies hang out drinking, smoking, and exchanging vulgar insults when not attending their NYC prep school. But after Sam starts to date Melissa, things change. He makes her a disc of tunes to draw her into his world (the songs are listed so readers can re-create the mix), and goes “straightedge” for her, giving up his favorite vices. Ultimately, though, he realizes that he’s becoming one of the phonies that his idol Holden Caulfield detests. Infusing the story with music, humor, and anger, Krovatin records a perfect take on relationships and how they change. From the terrific cover and portrait of selfish love to the clever CD player icons indicating narrative switches. Teens don’t have to like heavy metal to appreciate this novel, which is guaranteed to attract readers looking for a book to reach their death-metal souls.

Reading Level: 4
Interest Level: 9-12
Author's Website (if any):http://www.myspace.com/bloodinmystool

Son of the Mob

Author: Gordon Korman
Year Published: 2002
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
ISBN#: 0786815930
Pages: 262
Media Type: Book
Classification: Fiction
Subject: Organized crime, Interpersonal relations
Genre: Comedy, Action
Reader's Annotation:
Seventeen-year-old Vince's life is constantly complicated by the fact that he is the son of a powerful Mafia boss, a relationship that threatens to destroy his romance with the daughter of an FBI agent.

Plot Summary:
The story revolves around Vince Luca, a teenage boy of seventeen who lives in a family of mobsters. His father, Anthony Luca is the boss of Brothers Vending Machine Inc., a cover-up for the most notorious Mafia in the Tri-State Area. People call him Honest Abe Luca, because he is straight with his dealings and he never rips anyone off. Vince's older brother, however, is the exact opposite. He is portrayed as a hot-head with a temper(Possibly based on[Sonny Corleone]). Vince, although from a mob family, has never intended to pursue his family's line of work, but it becomes inevitable that the business will play a huge role in his life.

The story begins with Vince Luca, who is getting ready for a date with a girl Angela O'Bannon. The date went well until he found out that there was a body in the trunk of his car. Upon seeing this, Angela dumps Vince, and Vince is resentful that his father's line of work has disrupted his life once again. After a football game where Vince Luca appeared to perform well, but in fact his opponent was too scared to tackle the son of the mob, he met Kendra Bightly. He fell in love with Kendra after making out in a frat party, but was reluctant to tell her his father's line of work.

Shortly after he leaves the party, Vince finds out that the job of Kendra's father, coincidentally, is to put his father in prison. Viewing themselves as modern day Romeo and Juliet, they fell more and more in love with each other, until Vince found out that there's an inside man in his father's group. The inside man is revealed to be some guy named Ray who, after a confrontation, flees to Disney world. The story ends when Vince Luca and Kendra Bightly lose the homecoming election, and Vince and Kendra making up and decide to be together despite the odds.

Reading Level: 4
Interest Level: 7-12

Shakespeare Bats Cleanup

Author: Ron Koertge
Year Published: 2003
Publisher: Candlewick Press
ISBN#: 9780763621162
Pages: 116
Media Type: Book
Classification: Fiction
Subject: Baseball, Poetry
Reader's Annotation:
When a fourteen-year-old baseball player catches mononucleosis, he discovers that keeping a journal and experimenting with poetry not only helps fill the time, it also helps him deal with life, love, and loss.

Plot Summary:

Banished from the ballfield and confined to quarters with a severe case of mono, Kevin Boland is so desperately bored that he swipes his dad’s book on how to write poetry and versifies just for something to do. As he putters among various forms, from haiku and rhymed couplets to Pantoum and Estina, he begins to realize a few truths about poetry and himself. First, he’s better at this writing thing than he thought he would be. Second, he can say some things in the privacy of his notebook that he’d never admit aloud: like how much he mourns his deceased mom, and how his girlfriend has been little more than a passing physical pleasure. Third, maybe baseball and poetry can peacefully coexist; after all, they both rely on rules, or there’s no game. His efforts are, realistically, a mixed bag of strained blundering and swift, stunning insights, and his comments on struggling with his newfound craft are often quite witty: “So I re-visioned that sonnet. I didn’t/ change much, but I did remember how/ when I was looking for rhymes I was like/ some guy pawing through his sock drawer/ for a pair that matched.” Kevin’s collected works reach well beyond introspective meandering; they actually add up to a concrete plot which follows Kevin through weakness and recovery, back onto the ballfield, where he now “rides the pine” with the bench warmers he formerly pitied; into the heat of a new romance with a girl he respects as much as likes; and just possibly up to an open mike at a poetry reading. Koertge sturdily spans the intimidating literary/sports divide, and teen eggheads and athletes alike are invited to cross the bridge.

Reading Level: 4
Interest Level: 6-9
Author's website (if any): http://www.bookrags.com/biography/ron-koertge-aya/

Lessons from a Dead Girl

Author: Jo Knowles
Year Published: 2007
Publisher: Candlewick Press
ISBN#: 0763632791
Pages: 215
Media Type: Book
Classification: Fiction
Subject: Friendship, Emotional problems, Interpersonal relations

Reader's Annotation:
After her former friend Leah dies in an automobile accident, Laine remembers their troubled relationship, dating back to elementary school when Leah convinced Laine to "practice" in the closet with her, and Leah controlled her every thought.

Plot Summary:
Laine has never fully understood why beautiful, popular Leah Green chose her as a best friend that day during fifth-grade recess. Quiet and plain, Laine feels awkward and unwanted in Leah's social circle, and the intense and often-manipulative way that Leah approaches their friendship makes her even more uncomfortable. But Leah is charming and persuasive, and when she pulls Laine into a closet one day to "practice" the sexual behavior that she says they'll one day use with boyfriends, Laine doesn't object. As the girls grow older, Leah uses the secret of their time in the closet as social and emotional blackmail, treating Laine alternately with sly kindness and calculated cruelty. By high school, Leah's behavior has turned self-destructive, culminating in a tragic accident. Her death sends Laine into a spiral of guilt, shame, and, eventually, clarity, as she explores their troubled relationship and finally confronts the painful events that led Leah to ensnare her in a cycle of abuse. The concise, clear style of this short novel belies the sophistication of its subject matter; Knowles sheds valuable light on the long-term emotional impact of child abuse and the roots of sexual abuse among peers. Her characterizations are sharp and nuanced, and she handles Leah, Laine, and the complex dynamic between them with respect and insight. Readers may be riveted by this haunting story of a girl’s journey to understanding, which culminates in a final lesson from her old friend: “The truth belongs to you.”

Reading Level: 3
Interest Level: 9-12
Author's website: http://www.joknowles.com/

The Outsiders

Author: S.E. Hinton
Year Published: 1967
Publisher: Viking Penguin
ISBN#: 014038572x
Pages: 180
Media Type: Book
Subject: Family, Gangs
Genre: Drama
Reader's Annotation:
An impassioned teenage author tells it like it is with the long-haired kids from the wrong side of the tracks.

Plot Summary:
Ponyboy Curtis belongs to a lower-class group of Oklahoma youths who call themselves greasers because of their greasy long hair. Walking home from a movie, Ponyboy is attacked by a group of Socs, the greasers' rivals, who are upper-class youths from the West Side of town. The Socs, short for Socials, gang up on Ponyboy and threaten to slit his throat. A group of greasers comes and chases the bullies away, saving Ponyboy. There are a lot of violent scenes from all the fights between the groups. In the end of the book, Ponyboy wakes up in bed at home. He has suffered a concussion from a kick to the head at the rumble and has been delirious in bed for several days. When he is well, he attends his hearing, where the judge treats him kindly and acquits him of responsibility for Bob's death. The court rules that Ponyboy will be allowed to remain at home with Darry. For a time, Ponyboy feels listless and empty. His grades slip, he feels hostile to Darry, and he loses his appetite. At last, Sodapop tells Ponyboy that he (Sodapop) is angry and frustrated because of the tension at home. He tearfully asks that Ponyboy and Darry stop fighting. Finally understanding the value of his family, Ponyboy agrees not to fight with Darry anymore. He finds that for the first time he can remember Dally's and Johnny's deaths without pain or denial. He decides to tell their story and begins writing a term paper for his English class, which turns out to be the novel itself.
Reading Level: 4
Interest Level: 7-12
Awards Won:
Author Website:

The True Meaning of Cleavage

Author: Mariah Fredericks
Year Published: 2003
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
ISBN#: 0689869584
Pages: 211
Media Type: Book
Classification: Fiction
Subject: School stories, Friendship, Interpersonal relations, High School
Reader's Annotation:
When Jess and Sari, best friends since seventh grade, begin their freshman year of high school and Sari becomes obsessed with a senior boy, Jess wonders if their friendship will survive.

Summary:
Sari and Jess are best friends starting grade nine. They both have always sneered at the popular kids and all things conventional. However, things change when Sari falls for a popular boy and becomes distant from Jess. Jess is confused, and lost without the presence of her friend. Jess comes to realize that her life doesn't have to revolve around her friendship with Sari.

Reading Level: 4
Interest Level: 7-12
Awards: None
Author's Website (if any):http://www.mariahfredericks.com/

The City of Ember

Author: Jeanne DuPrau
Year Published: 2003
Publisher: Random House
ISBN#: 0375822747
Pages: 270
Media Type: Book
Classification: Fiction
Subject: Messenger, Imaginary Place
Reader's Annotation:
In the year 241, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a Messenger to run to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions.

Plot Summary:
The story begins immediately after the construction of the city. Two of the Builders discuss what will happen when supplies run low and conditions become bleak, and decide to leave instructions for escape in a special sealed box, which will open automatically after 220 years, when it will be safe to leave the city. The box is entrusted to the Mayor of Ember, who passes it down to the following Mayor when s/he leaves office. While the Mayors do not know what the box contains, they keep it safe over the years and do not tell anyone about it. However, the box is lost and forgotten when the seventh Mayor unsuccessfully tries to open it and then dies before he can pass it on to his successor.

The action then shifts to the year 241 in Ember. It is Assignment Day at the Ember school. On this day, the 12 year olds are graduating from school and finish their education and enter the workforce. They are assigned jobs at random by the withdrawal of pieces of paper from a bag held by the mayor. Doon and Lina decided to exchange their assigned job.

Lina is thrilled to have the job of Messenger because it allows her to run and explore every corner of Ember while she delivers her messages. She works hard, puzzling over secret messages passed to the Mayor from a strange man named Looper. She also copes with her grandmother's ever failing health, and cares for her little sister, Poppy.

Poppy discovers an ancient piece of paper in a box in the Mayfleet apartment. By the time Lina manages to pry it out of the toddler's hands, Poppy, Lina's younger sibling, chewed the paper and tore it to pieces. Lina hangs on to the scraps, and becomes convinced they hold a special message.

Lina's grandmother cannot explain the paper either.Doon and Lina piece the paper together and a friend tells Lina that the message contains "Instructions for Egress"--instructions to leave Ember. They descend into the Pipeworks and discover that the instructions are indeed valid, and that the underground river holds the key to escape from the city. They also discover that a man named Looper is stealing the disappearing resources of Ember from the storerooms and giving them to the Mayor in a secret room in the Pipeworks. They report the Mayor's theft to City Hall, confident that he will be arrested.

They go to the guards to tell the ancient mystery but Lina was arrested and Doon manages to escape. However, the Mayor sets his guards upon the pair, and orders their arrest for "spreading vicious rumors." Before they can tell the residents of Ember about the Instructions for Egress, they are forced to flee the city. Lina manages to take her little sister Poppy, and, with Doon, goes down into the Pipeworks and flees Ember by boat on the underground river.

The river eventually leads to a great rock slope. Poppy discovers a book on the riverbank; Lina and Doon keep it and bring it along to read later. After a long and arduous climb, Lina, Doon and Poppy emerge from the rocks into a new world, where they discover sunlight, moonlight, stars and nature.

This discovery is followed by another one, their history. The battered book turns out to be a personal journal; reading it, Lina and Doon learn that their city was founded by a group of one hundred adults and the same number of children as a measure to guarantee the survival of the human race in a disaster that obliterated civilization.

Doon and Lina explore a nearby cave. Looking down from a high cliff in the cave, they are amazed to see Ember below them--and realize that they have been living underground all along. In a last-ditch effort to save their city's citizens, the three write a note with the Instructions for Egress, wrap it in Doon's shirt, and hurl it down into Ember, where Mrs. Murdo eventually finds it.
Reading Level: 5
Interest Level: 4-9
Awards Won:
• American Library Association Notable Book
• Kirkus 2003 Editor's Choice
• Publisher's Weekly Flying Start
• Borders Original Voices
• Several weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List (Children's Paperback Fiction)
• New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
• Child Magazine, Best Children's Books of 2003
• Winner for children's literature, California Book Awards, Commonwealth Club of California
• Chapman Award for Shared Reading (Esmé Raji Codell)
• State readers' choice award winner in:
Florida
New Jersey
Connecticut
Utah
Vermont
Washington
Kansas
Indiana
Nevada
Missouri
New Mexico

Mark Twain Award (2006)

Author's website (if any):http://www.jeanneduprau.com/index.shtml

Almost Home

Author: Nora Raleigh Baskins
Year Published: 2003
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
ISBN#: 0316093130
Pages: 176
Media Type: Book
Classification: Fiction
Subject: Family problem, Friendship, Stepmothers
Genre: Drama
Reader's Annotation:

After years of being shuffled from town to town and back and forth between her divorced parents, twelve-year-old Leah, now living permanently with her father and stepmother, finds it difficult to adjust to her new situation and the circumstances that made it possible. This book gives an honest portrayal of the difficulties of surviving a divorce and the tremendous growth that comes from discovering your own place in the world.

Summary:
Leah's whole world has been turned upside down. She is suddenly living with her father and new stepmother while her sister and mother move across the country. She's the new kid in sixth grade and feels totally lost and alone. In her struggle, she lashes out at her stepmother, avoids others at school and retreats to a world of her own imagination. It is only when Will, another lonely student, reaches out to her that Leah is able to dream and stake a claim on her future.

Almost Home takes a hard look at what it means to be a family and what happens when that family is broken apart. Leah begins to find her own voice through the support of Will and a few kind words from a teacher. Leah's character is fully developed and written with honesty showing both her positive and sometimes nasty sides. By creating a believable character in Leah, young readers are able to relate and grow along with her. While some of the characters surrounding Leah are not as convincingly drawn, the focus remains on her thoughts and personal growth, and therefore does not hinder the feeling behind the story.

Reading Level: 3
Interest Level: 4-9
Awards won: None
Author's website (if any):http://www.norabaskin.com/

Shattered Mirror

Author: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Year Published: 2001
Publisher: Bantam Books, Inc.
ISBN#: 0440229405
Pages: 227
Media Type: Book
Classification: Fiction
Subject: Vampires, Witches
Genre: Science Fiction
Reader's Annotation:

As seventeen-year-old Sarah, daughter of a powerful line of vampire-hunting witches, continues to pursue the ancient bloodsucker Nikolas, she finds herself in a dangerous friendship with two vampire siblings in her high school.

Summary:
Sarah Vida is a vampire hunter. She always has been. In fact her whole family have been vampire hunters- her grandmother is one of the strongest and most feared ever. Sarah has never questioned who she is or what she does.
And then she meets Christopher.
Christopher is handsome, intelligent, artistic, sensitive- and a vampire. Weakened by going without human blood, he doesn't recognize her for what she is, and falls in love with her. And she finds herself drawn to him, too. This is, of course, absolutely forbidden by every rule she's ever known.Can she even be friends with Christopher without betraying her family's trust- and while still fighting the evil vampire Nikolas, who is Christopher's twin?" In the end, she made her heart decide
Reading Level: 5
Interest Level: 7-12
Awards Won: ALA Quick Pick for Young Adult Reluctant Readers (2002)
Author Website:http://www.randomhouse.com/features/atwaterrhodes/home.htm