Book Talk 12th Grade September 2010 Exodus

By Julie Bertagna In 2100, oceans engulf the earth. After her tiny island is submerged, fifteen-year-old Mara leads her community to an elevated city surrounded by dying refugees. Denied entry above, she joins a counterculture living in the wreckage below and seeks answers in cyberspace.

I Love You, Beth Cooper

By Larry Doyle Larry Doyle, writer for The Simpsons, presents an interesting approach to escaping high school. After concluding he has nothing to lose, geekazoid valedictorian Denis Cooverman declares, during his graduation speech, his love for Beth Cooper, the attractive cheerleader. He is amazed to discover Beth is not completely repulsed by his feelings for her, although her boyfriend, Kevin, is enraged. As the story progresses, Denis finds that Beth isn't the flawless goddess he'd imagined her to be.

Paper Towns
By John Green Quentin has known his neighbor, the fabulous Margo Roth Spiegelman, since they were two. Or has he? A month before high-school graduation, she vanishes. At first he worries that she might have committed suicide, and he begins following clues to reveal Margos whereabouts.

Me & Emma
By Elizabeth Flock Me & Emma explores the injustices suffered by sisters Carrie and Emma. As they try helplessly to escape their reality, their plight reminds us of the cruelty inflicted on children every day by the adults entrusted to care for them.

The Heretics Daughter

By Kathleen Kent Sarah Carrier and Martha, her mother, live on the family farm in Andover, Massachusetts. After a dispute with Sarah's uncle, their world comes undone. Reports of supernatural activity in nearby Salem escalate into mass hysteria, people begin accusing Martha and her family of being witches.

Damage
By A.M. Jenkins Jenkens engaging novel depicts a high school senior and football star who is afraid to let anyone know he's depressed and suicidal. Austin Reid's plight contrasts with the drills of his militant football coach and the male cultures intolerance of weakness. A read that will appeal to even reluctant readers.

Mortal Engines
By Philip Reeve This futuristic story opens with the great Traction City of London chasing a small town. When one city takes over another, it processes all reusable materials to create power. However, London's mayor has bigger plans than the domination of a small town, and several young people struggle to stop the carnage.

The Reformed Vampire Support Group

By Catherine Jinks The ill-assorted bunch of vampires in this offbeat Australian novel couldn't be further from the iconic image of the dangerous, sexy night creature. Forever-fifteen-year-old Nina lives with her aging mother and spends her nights drinking guinea pig blood, battling nausea and fatigue, and attending a support group with equally weary vampires committed to not "fanging" humans.

Deadline
By Chris Crutcher Just before his senior year, Ben Wolf is diagnosed with a rare, incurable leukemia. At 18, he has the legal right to keep the news to himself until hes ready to reveal it. With only his doctor and therapist in on his secret, Ben sets out to live an entire lifetime in a year: in a high-gear pursuit to answer lifes biggest questions.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

By Cassandra Clare In this first novel of the Mortal Instruments series, Clary Fray witnesses a killing in a club. As she confronts the killers, she learns of a whole world of beasts in this sprawling urban fantasy, including the spectral Shadowhunters, charged with killing demonic creatures called Night Children. At the core of the story lie family secrets and identity crises.

The Hobbit
By J.R.R. Tolkien This is the volume that introduced the world to hobbits, Middle-Earth, Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the Wizard, and the Ring of Power. Though not officially a part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, this adventure is so packed with excitement that it moves quickly and is a fantasy must-read.

The Fellowship of the Ring

By J.R.R. Tolkien Frodo the Hobbit and a band of warriors from the different kingdoms set out to destroy the Ring of Power before the evil Sauron grasps control. This action-packed adventure is essential reading to anyone who enjoys fantasy books.

Sabriel
By Garth Nix When necromancer Sabriels father is somehow trapped in Death, she must journey into the Old Kingdom to find him. She does not know that it is wracked by struggle, and a magician hopes to use Sabriel and her father to further consolidate his power. Watchmen By Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons This graphic novel explores issues of power and control; the Crimebusters are up against a plot to kill and discredit them. Moore's characterization is strong, and the pace of the writing and its humanity mean that Watchmen may be among the best the graphic novels yet produced.

Astro City: Life in the Big City

By Kurt Busiek This is an intelligently written and spectacularly illustrated volume. Life in the Big City is a collection of six interrelated stories, each of which stands on its own. Together the six tales present a stunning portrait of the fictional Astro City, a postmodern metropolis teeming with costumed superheroes, sinister supervillains and other memorable characters.