The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

In a town inhabited solely by men, Todd Hewitt is the last boy, and the last innocent. That will change in one month when he turns thirteen and becomes a man. The secrets of Prentisstown are many and dark, although it should be difficult to keep secrets in a place where everyone can hear the "noise" or thoughts of everyone else, including animals. When Todd stumbles upon absolute silence for the first time in his life, he encounters something he never thought he would see...a girl. Todd had been told that all women and girls died years ago when the noise germ was released. Todd soon learns that almost everything he has been told is a lie. As Todd begins to learn the truth about his town and its history, he and the girl must run for their lives. The secrets of the past begin to unfold as Todd learns what it truly means to be a man.

*Slight spoiler alert*
This book started slowly, but I was soon completely engrossed. Todd is a compelling character and the action keeps the story moving quickly towards the conclusion. Unfortunately, the conclusion never comes. Granted, this is the first book in a series, Chaos Walking, but I expected at least some satisfaction. No. This book cannot stand alone. It ends in a cliffhanger that leaves you desperate for the second book, which is obviously the point. My advice, wait for the entire series before you begin or be prepared for disappointment.

Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse

Beautifully written historical fiction about 14 yr. old Joe Michtom, child of Russian immigrants set in turn of the century Brooklyn. The family has invented the “teddy bear” inspired by Roosevelt and turned their small candy store into a bear factory. Immigrant family life is well represented as the extended family lives either within their block in Brooklyn or just over the Bridge.
Joe longs to visit exciting Coney Island, the new amusement park but always seems to have to work on bears, even the family has taken a back seat to these bears.
Joe falls in love, out of love, experiences loss, anger and frustration but is building his fine character all the while.
An unusual side story of orphan children that live underneath the Brooklyn Bridge parallels Joe’s story. It takes some reflection and thought to bring the two ideas together but the orphans strengthen the readers knowledge of the emotions and societal events of the time period.

Paper Towns by John Green

Quentin Jacobsen is an honor student, a band geek (although he doesn’t actually play an instrument), and an all-around good guy. In fact, he is his parents’ “greatest accomplishment,” and that’s saying something, as they are both highly skilled psychologists. But there is something that Q’s parents don’t know—Q is practically obsessed with his neighbor and friend-from-afar, the awesomely awesome Margo Roth Spiegelman. Margo makes a dramatic reappearance into Q’s life for one exciting night, and then mysteriously disappears. It’s up to Q and his closest friends to decipher the clues and track her down before it’s too late. Along the way, Q learns that Margo is not the girl he thought she was and he learns a few things about himself, as well.

Witty, authentic dialog. Appropriate for high school.

You Know Where to Find Me

This contemporary novel incorporates many social issues such as alternative lifestyles, suicide, depression, obesity, substance abuse, and self-esteem, but yet it does not seem exaggerated.
Laura and Miles are biological cousins but they grow up more like sisters in a wealthy part of Washington, DC.
They are very different superficially: Laura is thin, pretty, popular, smart and rich while Miles is fat, ugly, likes to eat, drink and smoke. Laura has many friends and is accepted to Georgetown. Miles is a year behind in school, and has only one friend. That's why Laura's suicide stuns Miles and she spends time searching for a reason while slowly falling into a deeper hole. Eventually, only her faith in herself and friends she did not realize that cared help her rebuild her life.

Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

The third book of Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" leaves you wanting more in this love triangle saga. As always Bella is in danger, but this time she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob. She knows her decision may start up a struggle between vampire and werewolf. Graduation is around the corner and the Cullen's agreed to make her a vampire. A choice between life and death. An aging life with her family and Jacob or a forever life in death with Edward without her family and Jacob. Is her love worth a breaking the treaty between the vampires and the werewolf?

Originally posted on the Best Books blog by Ms. Monroe at 2:47 PM on Jan 3, 2008