Every Day by David Levithan

Summary (from www.goodreads.com): In his New York Times bestselling novel, David Levithan introduces readers to what Entertainment Weekly calls a "wise, wildly unique" love story about A, a teen who wakes up every morning in a different body, living a different life.

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

With his new novel, David Levithan, bestselling co-author of Will Grayson, Will Grayson, and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, has pushed himself to new creative heights. He has written a captivating story that will fascinate readers as they begin to comprehend the complexities of life and love in A’s world, as A and Rhiannon seek to discover if you can truly love someone who is destined to change every day.

Ms. Kiplinger's Opinion: I LOVED this book!  I wanted to read it from the minute it walked into our school library, but I was in the process of reading another book and had lots going on.  I left it so someone else could have the chance to read it, and someone checked it out right away.  When I went to the Young Adult Literature Symposium in St. Louis at the beginning of November, I was excited to see that this author was going to be at the Book Blitz signing copies of this title.  He was my first stop and I read the book right after I got home.  Yes, it's taken me awhile to get to this review!  Anyway, the book is easy-to-read and fast-paced (rightly so considering the character is in a different person's body each day).  The character is a very well-developed and dynamic character that you want to know more about.  You never really know if A is male or female, but it doesn't really matter as you're reading.  It is also a love story which will appeal to many of my readers.  This is not a concept that is usually written about, so I am recommending this to any and everyone who stops in because it just has that wide appeal.  There is the usual teenage drama and angst, but it's told in such a different way that it isn't annoying and you want to fully support the character.  My verdict: READ IT! :)

Empty Coffin novels by Gregg Olsen

About the Empty Coffin series (from goodreads.com): New York Times bestselling adult true crime author Gregg Olsen makes his YA debut with Empty Coffin, a gripping new fiction series for teens based on ripped-from-the-headlines stories…with a paranormal touch.

Summary of Envy (from goodreads.com): Crime lives--and dies--in the deceptively picture-perfect town of Port Gamble (aka “Empty Coffin”), Washington. Evil lurks and strange things happen--and 15-year-olds Hayley and Taylor Ryan secretly use their wits and their telepathic “twin-sense” to uncover the truth about the town's victims and culprits.  Envy, the series debut, involves the mysterious death of the twins' old friend, Katelyn. Was it murder? Suicide? An accident? Hayley and Taylor are determined to find out--and as they investigate, they stumble upon a dark truth that is far more disturbing than they ever could have imagined. Based on the shocking true crime about cyber-bullying, Envy will take you to the edge--and push you right over.

Summary of Betrayal (from goodreads.com): In this action-packed thriller sequel to Envy, foreign exchange student Olivia Grant is stabbed to death after a party--and the prime suspect is her best friend. As twins Hayley and Taylor Ryan get pulled into the aftermath of this Amanda Knox-like crime, they realize nothing is what it seems. Could it be betrayal of the ultimate kind?
Betrayal features real-life crime-solving techniques, heart-stopping suspense, plenty of red herrings, hard-hitting ethical questions, and information about the Amanda Knox case that inspired the novel. As the crime unravels, so does the twins' past…and they must face off against a family member who may unexpectedly have carried out the worst betrayal of all

Ms. Kiplinger's Opinion: I had not heard of this series, but saw that a sequel (Betrayal) came out to a book we already had in the library (Envy), so I ordered it thinking that they looked interesting.  When we received Betrayal, I read the summary and was intrigued seeing that it was loosely based on the true-crime story of Amanda Knox.  I had to read it at that point!  The first novel is based on the story of Megan Meier, who committed suicide after being cyberbullied by a "friend's" mother.  Though the story had a paranormal touch to it when it came to twins Hayley and Taylor, there was definitely some touches of the actual event worked into the story.  I enjoyed reading Envy, and the concept behind the writing (who doesn't like to read about things based on real events?!), so I immediately followed it up with Betrayal.  The Amanda Knox/Meredith Kercher case was pretty fascinating to me, so I was interested to see how Gregg Olsen would incorporate that into the story.  There are many small details that he used from the real case to make the story seem similar to it, but the story stood on its own also.  I was impressed with the twists that were involved in the stories and did not predict most of the things that happened which is the case with many crime mysteries and stories unfortunately.  Gregg Olsen does a good job of portraying the teens in a relatable way (especially for those like them), but makes the story interesting for anyone that likes reading crime fiction and has followed these types of stories.  I am anxiously awaiting the next title in the series to see what it is based on!  The author's notes are pretty important to the story as he helps explain the actual event that the story is based upon. 

You can find out more about the Megan Meier story here:
http://www.meganmeierfoundation.org/megansStory.php

And more about the Amanda Knox/Meredith Kercher story here (no I don't use Wikipedia often, but it was the best summary I could find for this situation):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Meredith_Kercher

Perfect Escape by Jennifer Brown

 

Summary (from goodreads.com): Kendra has always felt overshadowed by her older brother, Grayson, whose OCD forces him to live a life of carefully coordinated routines. The only way Kendra can stand out next to Grayson is to be perfect, and she has perfection down to an art -- until a cheating scandal threatens her flawless reputation.

Behind the wheel of her car, with Grayson asleep beside her, Kendra decides to drive away from it all -- with enough distance, maybe she'll be able to figure everything out. But eventually, Kendra must stop running and come to terms with herself, her brother, and her past.

Ms. Kiplinger's Opinion: As I've mentioned before, I am a huge Jennifer Brown fan (and I get to see her this weekend at the YA Lit Symposium--yay!), so I was all set to love this book...and I did!  OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) as a disease has always somewhat fascinated me.  So many people suffer from this ailment, many in only minor ways, and it was interesting to get a glimpse into what it would be like to live with someone who has it severely.  The story is more about the relationship between these two siblings though, and how it evolves throughout the road trip that the two take.  Kendra is running from a problem at school while thinking she can also cure her brother, Grayson, by exposing him to the things that set him off.  Along the way, they pick up a "hitchhiker" with a small baby and learn that they have both felt overshadowed by one another growing up.  This revelation is a defining moment for the brother and sister, as they try to figure out how they are going to get back home with only $46 in their pockets.  This story kept me interested the whole time and I was able to read it fairly quickly.  Even if you don't have a brother or sister with a mental illness, you can still relate to the sibling rivalry relationship that everyone deals with at some point or another.  For those who do have a sibling with a mental illness or physical impairment, it will be nice to read about someone you can sympathize with and relate to.

Tilt by Ellen Hopkins

Book Summary (from barnesandnoble.com):

Love—good and bad—forces three teens’ worlds to tilt in a riveting novel from New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins.

Three teens, three stories—all interconnected through their parents’ family relationships. As the adults pull away, caught up in their own dilemmas, the lives of the teens begin to tilt….

Mikayla, almost eighteen, is over-the-top in love with Dylan, who loves her back jealously. But what happens to that love when Mikayla gets pregnant the summer before their senior year—and decides to keep the baby?
Shane turns sixteen that same summer and falls hard in love with his first boyfriend, Alex, who happens to be HIV positive. Shane has lived for four years with his little sister’s impending death. Can he accept Alex’s love, knowing that his life, too, will be shortened?

Harley is fourteen—a good girl searching for new experiences, especially love from an older boy. She never expects to hurdle toward self-destructive extremes in order to define who she is and who she wants to be.

Love, in all its forms, has crucial consequences in this standalone novel.

Ms. Kiplinger's Opinion:  I chose this book to read for several reasons: 1) Ellen Hopkins' books are always checked out at our library, 2) I had already read the adult companion novel Triangles about the parents of the teens in this story, 3) I am learning to love novels in verse, 4) Ellen  Hopkins is going to be at the YALSA Young Adult Literature Symposium that I am attending in November, and 5) Ellen is notorious for her banned/challenged books and it is Banned Books Week!

So, now to my thoughts....

I feel bad that I am just now jumping on this bandwagon, I tried to read one of her novels when she first became popular, but couldn't bring myself to enjoy the novel in verse at that time.  I am now enraptured by this author, I nabbed Crank when I saw it had come in this morning because I knew I probably wouldn't get another chance anytime soon.  (Don't worry, it wasn't on hold for anyone!)  Even though the story is very similar to the one I read in Triangles, I still had to finish it and hear things from the teen's point-of-view.  I read it all in one evening because I couldn't stop....and it was on hold for at least 3 other people.  This is a tough story about family's dealing with the problems that many families have to deal with (if your family never has to face any of these issues, you are lucky).  There is a chronically ill child, a gay teen, fighting and boy trouble, a teen with HIV, a teen who gets pregnant, a cheating/alcholic dad and so on.  You get the idea! The story is told from the perspective of several different teens with some "guest spots" going to other (somewhat more minor) characters at the end of each section. The writing is beautiful, but easy to understand and follow.  I enjoy how there are bigger picture ideas implanted into the poems if you read the words that stand off to the side alone.  If you are a fan of Ellen Hopkins, or even if not, you will enjoy this book!  In fact, I purchased it as an e-book as well since we have so many wanting to read it. 

Bitter End by Jennifer Brown

Summary: Alex is a normal teenage girl who has been planning a road trip with her two best friends, Bethany and Zack, since they were small children to try and give Alex some closure from her mother's death.  Then, Alex meets Cole, the new boy from a nearby town and falls madly in love with his charm.  After the short honeymoon phase of their relationship, Cole starts to get a little scary.  Alex is abandoning her friends to spend more and more time with him, but she's not sure if she should be or if maybe Cole's new behaviors are somehow her fault.  The book follows her struggles throughout the relationship, being torn between her boyfriend and her best friends, and not having a mother-figure to ask for help. 

Ms. Kiplinger's Opinion: As a fan of Jennifer Brown's first book Hate List, I was sure that I would also love this one...and I did!  This is an important, and sometimes relatable, story for any teenage girl to read.  Though not all girls (thank goodness!) will experience a relationship like this, it is likely that they will know someone who does.  This was a touching book about real-life experiences, true friendships, and how scary things can sometimes be when you feel alone in the world.  There is advice at the end on how to handle yourself in a situation like this or how to help a friend who is in this kind of relationship.  Jennifer Brown writes about tough, but necessary, topics that occur in everyday life and her books are a must-read!

http://www.jenniferbrownya.com/bitterend.htm

A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

 Book Summary: A Dog's Purpose is a "novel for humans" and is told from the perspective of a dog.  The basis of the story is that a dog never really passes on, he or she is just reborn as a puppy again and again to serve a different purpose or make a difference in a different person's life.  Toby is reborn as Bailey, who is reborn as Elly, and so on...

Ms. Kiplinger's Opinion: Anyone who has a dog (or has ever had a dog) with find this book endearing and a bit emotional.  The dog telling the story lives several fulfilling (though sometimes short) lives and makes many humans happy.  Told from the viewpoint of a dog, there are many funny moments and expressions that give you insight in to just what a dog may be thinking when around humans.  Toby tells us a story of a dog who lives a life based on survival and, after rescued, mostly just spends his time playing with other dogs; then, he is reborn as Bailey, who loves his boy more than he could ever imagine and is sure his purpose is fulfilled at the end of this life.  Sure enough, he is then reborn as Elly, who serves an important role rescuing and saving human lives.  Finally, he is reborn as Buddy, who connects it all back together neatly. This book is a nominee for the Gateway award in the state of Missouri, which means it was selected by teens and teachers as a must-read...and I have to say that I agree with their choice!  The best part?  There's a sequel!  I'm currently reading it and only have good things to say so far, so check out A Dog's Journey if you love this one as much as I did.

Here is the author-created book trailer:

 

Update: A Dog's Journey was just as good, if not better, than A Dog's Purpose!