The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

LOVED IT, LOVED IT, LOVED IT. Wow. I finished this one in a day and completely neglected the rest of my world to finish it. It is a bit disturbing to me that a book about a game in which kids literally kill each other could be so riveting. That is my one concern with this book. I found myself rooting for the main character, Katniss, throughout and feeling a bit numb to the nature of the "Hunger Games" in which 24 kids ages 12-18 are placed in an arena and fit to the death.

Without a doubt this is a great book for book club discussions for boys and girls alike. I would love to participate in this book club! Some forewarning about the amount of death and gruesome nature of the Hunger Game itself.

I cannot wait to read book 2.

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

D.J. Schwenk is a teenage girl with adult responsibility. The Wisconsin family's farm is her responsiblility as her two older brothers left and her father is too injured to work the farm. She prides herself on running the farm but begins to resent the responsibiltiy. Ironically, living in a football family (both brothers are stars and her father used to coach) leaves her with her own undiscovered talent. She trains the high school rival's quarterback over the summer and begins to train herself - trying out for the football team in the fall.

A fast read with few challenges. It is another coming of age story which includes the predictable issues of such. This may be good for a book club of both girls and boys. (lower)

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

I absolutely loved the author's craft in this book. Although it deals with the scary issue of eating disorders and the manifestation of severe depression, the way that Anderson writes pulls you in. (She is also the author of Speak).

Lia is trapped in a spiral of a poor self-image along with feeling as if now one sees her for who she is. Her parents high stress and high profile jobs left her feeling as if they do not know her. Their divorce coulpled with the tragic death of her former best friend sends her spiralling downward. She is haunted by the ghost of Cassie, her former best friend since she was 12. Cassie died alone in a hotel room after suffering the effects of her bulemia. Cassie and Lia fostered each other's eating disorders and Cassie's death has Lia facing her own mortality.

This is the first book I have read about an adolescent suffering from an eating disorder that truly gave you a picture of what it felt like to live in her world and think her thoughts.

This would foster GREAT book club discussion but high caution about the reality and brutal descriptions of what it is like to live - or die - with an eating disorder.

Things Hoped For By Andrew Clements

A companion book to Things Not Seen, the main character, Gwen, leaves her small southern community to live in NYC with her grandfather to study music. She is faced with her grandfather mysteriously disappearing and asking her to "hold down the forth" right around the time she is preparing for all of her college auditions. She becomes friends with Bobby (the main character of Things Not Seen) and he helps her to deal with the mess of her grandfather's disappearance while also forcing her to continue to focus on her preparations for auditions.

This book may be most appealing to female readers. It has a much different feel than Things Not Seen.

Evolution, Me and Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande

I really enjoyed this story of Mena who comes from a very religious family. She sees an injustice and faces it and is left to deal with the repercussions of her actions. The author's style allows the reader to feel bonded to Mena as she is ostracized by her church community. The actions of those around her, including her parents, infuriated me at times. She is befriended by a family that allows her to "evolve." Another good coming of age story. Conflict and characterization could be analyzed by book clubs reading this text.

Get Well Soon by Julie Halpren

Caution: This book contains a lot of strong language/swearing. It also deals with some issues of depression. I strongly suggest that teachers read this book before using it instructionally. Many kids, if they can get beyond the language, have a lot to discuss from this text.

Anna is placed in a mental health facility after her parents become concerned with her changes in behavior including panic attacks, skipping school, and general depression. The text is structured in the form of letters that she write (but doesn't send) to her friend Tracy. The evolution of this dynamic character is very apparent through the tone and content of the letters.

Anna grows to appreciate who she is and finds that she "belongs" within this facility. This coming of age story is really popular with adolescent readers and can lend itself to quality conversation in a book club.