Skateboarding: Legendary Tricks

Title: Skateboarding: Legendary Tricks

Written by: Steve Badillo

Publisher: Tracks Publishing

Summary:

A comprehensive guidebook that details dozens of spectacular skateboarding stunts, this resource combines invaluable technical information with insightful historical perspectives. Each trick is captured in action sequence and captioned so that aspiring riders can learn how each trick is performed. A history of the tricks, featuring their legendary inventors, is also included. This blend of background and how-to ensures that riders not only learn the tricks but also gain respect for the legends that made skateboarding the worldwide passion it is today.

Life Sucks

Title: Life Sucks

Written by: Jessica Abel

Publisher: First Second

Summary:

Dave is a poor vampire, working the night shift at the 24-hour convenience store run by his vampire master, Lord Radu Arisztidescu, who thinks Dave is pretty much a wuss as a bloodsucker. Truth is, Dave would rather steal his nutrition from a blood bank than kill the innocent. But this choice leaves him weak and vulnerable to more predatory types like alpha-vampire surfer dude Wes, who's making a move on Rosa, the Latina gothic babe Dave has his eye on. There's plenty of humor with Dave's friend Jerome acting as a Clerks-like foil, coming over to Dave's work at night when the black-eyeliner crowd comes by (the Running of the Goths). Life Sucks also gets a good deal of mileage out of the ironic distance between the romantic visions that Rosa and her mortal crowd have of the vampire lifestyle and the grimy reality of Dave's life as an eternal wage slave. Even if it doesn't pan out satisfactorily (the conclusion seems particularly truncated), Abel and Soria's light approach, combined with Pleece's bright, Technicolor art, gives the book an entertaining Joss Whedon gloss to its Gen-Y bloodsucking melodrama.

Saturday Night Dirt: A MOTOR Novel

Title: Saturday Night Dirt: A MOTOR Novel 

Written by: Will Weaver

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux 

Summary:

It’s a sizzling summer Saturday, and Headwaters Speedway has suddenly become the place to be. Thanks to rainouts across the state, this small-town dirt track is drawing both big-time stock cars and local drivers. There’s Trace Bonham, whose Street Stock Chevy is acting up in a big way. And Beau Kim, whose “stone soup” Modified has been patched together from whatever parts he could scrape up. And no one could forget Amber Jenkins, a strawberry blonde who has what it takes to run rings around them all. Keeping everyone on track is Melody Walters, who knows that the impending rain might be exactly what they need to keep her father’s speedway afloat—or sink it for good.

In Will Weaver’s high-revving novel, the first in the Motor series, a cast of car-obsessed teens and adults are all out to prove themselves, both on and off the quarter-mile track, as they move through their day on a collision course to meet on Saturday night dirt.

Fakie

Title: Fakie

Written by: Tony Varrato

Publisher: Lobster Press

Summary:

At first glance, Alex Miller seems like a typical teen, typical hair, typical clothes, typical hobbies. Look closer, and you'll see that his life is anything but typical. For Alex, fitting in has become a matter of life and death. The unfortunate witness to a murder, Alex can't forget the things he has seen, and neither can the man he helped put in jail. The Witness Relocation Program has changed the identities of Alex and his mother repeatedly, and they need to keep running to stay one step ahead of his enemies. His latest identity as a skateboarder in Virginia Beach is no easy ride, nosegrabs, ollies, and kickflips are all new to him. Alex has to catch on quickly to blend in, but the biggest trick he'll have to master is staying alive. Ideal for reluctant readers, this short novel is full of action, intrigue, and relatable teen characters.

Kaput and Zosky

Title: Kaput and Zosky

Written by: Lewis Trondheim 

Publisher: First Second; 1st American Ed edition

Summary:

Kaput and Zösky are out to conquer the universe one planet at a time. The problem is that the universe just doesn’t recognize their right to rule with an iron fist. They travel from alien landscape to alien landscape—Zösky poised to try every devious strategy to seize power; Kaput ready to go in guns-ablazing. Their lack of planning and agreement accounts for their lack of success, but they still keep on trying. As usual, Trondheim is both hilarious and irreverent; Kaput and Zösky might even be offensive if they weren’t so comically bad at being evil. Cartier’s art is a lively match for the quirky story. His simply designed characters are expressive and fresh, and he’s equally skilled at presenting the bombastic action, which he delivers with humor and wonderful comic timing. Fast-paced, quick-witted, and lots of fun.

Undone

Title: Undone

Written by: Brooke Taylor

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers

Summary:

When Kori Kitlzer, the “dark angel” of the 8th grade, tells Serena Moore that they are more alike than she thinks, Serena is instantly intrigued. As their friendship solidifies and their lives entwine, Serena tries to become more like the fearless, outspoken, and ambitious Kori. Soon Serena doesn’t know where she begins and Kori ends. But when a twist of fate yanks Kori away from Serena, she will need to find a way to complete her best friend’s life left undone.  

Undone is a striking debut novel about friendship, family, and the secrets we keep from the people to whom we are closest.

Project 17

Title: Project 17

Written by: Laurie Faria Stolarz

Publisher: Hyperion Book Children

Summary:

High atop Hathorne Hill, near Boston, sits Danvers State Hospital. Built in 1878 and closed in 1992, this abandoned mental institution is rumored to be the birthplace of the lobotomy. Locals have long believed the place to be haunted. They tell stories about the unmarked graves in the back, of the cold spots felt throughout the underground tunnels, and of the treasures found inside: patients' personal items like journals, hair combs, and bars of soap, or even their old medical records, left behind by the state for trespassers to view.

On the eve of the hospital's demolition, six teens break in to spend the night and film a movie about their adventures. For Derik, it's an opportunity to win a filmmaking contest and save himself from a future of flipping burgers at his parents' diner. For the others, it's a chance to be on TV, or a night with no parents. But what starts as a playful dare quickly escalates into a frenzy of nightmarish action. Behind the crumbling walls, down every dark passageway, and in each deserted room, they will unravel the mysteries of those who once lived there and the spirits who still might.

Switch

Title: Switch

Written by: Carol Snow

Publisher: HarperTeen

Summary:

Claire Martin has some serious body issues.

Not much happens in Claire's sleepy beach town, but that's okay. All she wants is to hang out with her best friend, make the high school swim team, and convince Nate, the guy of her dreams, to stop calling her "Dude." And, oh—she'd really, really like to stay in her own skin.

Ever since Claire hit her teens, electrical storms have been making her switch bodies. Usually she's back to her old self in no time. But when something goes terribly wrong, she finds herself stuck as another girl. And not just any girl, but the icy beauty who has caught Nate's eye.

Suddenly Claire goes from being Miss Average to Miss Gorgeous—the model-thin blonde that every girl wants to look like and every guy wants to date. Will she ever figure out how to get back to her old life? More importantly, will she want to?

The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez

Title: The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez

Written by: Alan Lawrence Sitomer 

Publisher: Hyperion Book Children

Summary:

Sonia Rodriguez was born in the United States, but her parents are Mexican immigrants who came to California before she was born. Her father has three Social Security numbers, her mother is pregnant (again), and neither of them speaks English. Sonia's mother spends most of her time in bed, watching soap operas, and letting Sonia clean up after her brothers. Sonia's father works dutifully to support his family, but he knows that his daughter's dreams are bigger than making tamales for family get-togethers. When Sonia attempts to put school work before her familia, her mother decides that it's time for Sonia to visit her grandmother in Mexico to learn "the ways of the old world." While in Mexico, Sonia spends time with her wise grandmother and her cousin Maria who teach her that while familia is important, the most important thing is to follow your heart. Sonia returns to the States determined to succeed in school, but the birth of her new twin siblings, inappropriate advances from her drunk uncle (Drunkle), and a forbidden relationship with an El Salvadorian boy push school to the back burner. If only Sonia can find the time to cook dinner, secretly meet with her boyfriend, avoid her Drunkle, AND finish her homework, she just might be able to graduate from high school...

Retaliation: A Novel

Title: Retaliation: A Novel

Written by: Yasmin Shiraz

Publisher: Rolling Hills Press

Summary:

Violence runs rampant on the streets of Washington, DC, and on one seemingly quiet day, the Odom family finds its world destroyed when seventeen-year-old Tashera is brutally attacked by a group of high school girls. Retaliation exposes the corrupting existence of violence in our communities and the retaliatory measures families go through to protect themselves and their children.