Tillie is the dreamer in a complicated family that includes a Beatrice, the cruel and mad mother, and Ruth, her sister who is selfish and embarrassed by Tillie. Her love for science and desire to grow man-in-the-moon marigolds for a science project keeps Tillie alive. Written in play form and autobiographical, Zindel has written a short play about the complex relationships between family members. Readers might even be able to recognize and relate to some of the characters in their own extended families.

Sixteen-year-old Caitlin decides to keep a diary to record the rest of her junior year in high school. Dealing with major family problems, newfound popularity, dating and sex, Caitlin tries to maneuver through life while seeking a real relationship with God and finding God's purpose for her life. Caitlin is a well written realistic character that faces many issues teens face in today's world. Teens who are struggling with finding balance between their world and their christian faith can relate to Caitlin's struggle in this christian teen book.

Revenge against Turner, who destroyed his relationship with Diana the girl of his dreams, drives Anthony to seek employment at O'Dermott's Fast Food Restaurant, where Turner works. Considered a wuss and bullied by Turner, Anthony is determined to carry out his " brilliant" revenge plan and win back Diana. Humorously told through Anthony's perspective, Anderson's perfectly captures the angst of heartbreak and the obsession of revenge. Written in very straightforward language, reluctant readers, especially boys, will enjoy Anthony's adventures as he tries to even the score.

Emily Wu is a Chinese sixteen-year- old girl who is the perfect teen, student, daughter and friend. A talented artist, she is always trying to capture the world around her through her paintings and drawings. Then she meets the desirable Nick whom she dates in secret. Suddenly, Emily starts seeing everything and everyone around her, including herself, in a new light. Told through Emily's perspective, this book-in-prose is wonderfully written with descriptive free verse that detail Emily's journey and struggle through self discovery. High School students who are questioning their own identity, especially those from two cultures, can relate to her inner struggle.

Everyone knows that there is two sides to each story and the story of The Three Little Pigs is no exception. Claiming that he had a cold and only wanted to borrow sugar from the pigs, the wolf tells his side of the story of what really occurred that fateful day . Jon Scieszka, first children's literature laureate in the US, spins a wickedly funny tale told from the "innocent" wolf's perspective. High school students will enjoy reading the "villains" point of view and might even be convinced that wolf just got a bad rap.

Written in graphic novel form, One! Hundred! Demons! is , according to the author, an autobifictionalography. Inspired by a 16th century Zen monk's painting of one hundred demons chasing each other, Lynda expels her own demons about certain event in her life focusing mainly on her childhood. From dealing with an overbearing yelling mother to learning from a great dancer that you can't actually dance, Lynda gives the reader a bittersweet look into her life. One can't help feel sorry for her, but at the same time laugh. This book is a wonderful example on another way one can expel our own demons in a non-traditional diary form.

The topic of this self-help book, geared toward teens, is school cliques. It also includes discussions on friendship, bullying and popularity. It gives advice on certain situations the reader might encounter, such as leaving a clique, and also examples of specific situations some teens have experiences and how they dealt with it. The author also includes advice on how to deal with parents when it comes to teen's choice of friends or cliques. It is written in a clear simple way that teen will not feel overwhelmed with the information and advice. It does lack more in-depth advice, especially on controversial subjects. Overall, for a teen looking for generic advice or just curious about cliques, this is a good choice.

If being sick in the 21st century is no fun, imagine being sick in the 16th century when doctors though letting leeches suck your blood would heal you from some diseases. This book informs the reader the many reasons one wouldn't want to be sick in the 16th century. Told from the point of view of the reader as Nicholas Knight,a 16th century barber surgeon's apprentice, it takes a humorous look at the diseases, surgery, doctor's medical opinions,birth and other medical situations one would experience during this time period. Every page is filled with exaggerated illustrations that support the text very well. The information is well written in a simple and funny way that even the most reluctant reader will enjoy this book. One of the many books from the You wouldn't want to.. series.

Harriet Tubman was born around 1822 into slavery as her parents had also been. After getting married and her master died, Harriet was told she was going to be sold and taken south, something that was considered a death sentence. Harriet decides to escape and promises to help others escape slavery . Told in graphic novel form, this book tells the true story about the incredible life of Harriet Tubman, an African-American women, who escaped from slavery and helped other escape through the underground railroad. Included is factual information on the underground railroad, life in the US during her time, a glossary and information on what occurred after the slaves were freed. The illustrations give the reader an understanding of the mood during these events and complement the story. Wonderful resource for learning about slavery, Harriet Tubman and history of the US during this time in a fun and easy to read format. Part of Graphic Nonfiction series focusing on biographies of historical figures.

Isabella is an eleven year old lacemaker living in Versailles, France in 1788. Around her are two worlds-her world full of poverty and hunger and the Aristocrat's world full of wealth and indulgences. After a chance encounter with the Queen Marie Antoinette, Isabella becomes part of the Aristocrat's world as a playmate to Princess Therese. She has to learn to maneuver both worlds, especially after she starts noticing the inequality between them and hears rumors of a revolution. Narrated by Isabella, the reader gets both points of view, of the poor and the royalty, during this period of history. It also described the customs that occurred within the Palace of Versaille. Inspired by an actual friendship between the Princess Therese and a commoner, this is a wonderful historical fiction book that describes the ambiance of France before and during the french revolution and a touching story about friendship.

Engaged at two years old and married at nine, Leela was one year away from having her anu party in which she would then move in with her husband's family. But tragedy strikes. Her husband dies and twelve year old Leela is left a widow, a horrible situation to be in during 1918 in India. Told from Leela's point of view, the reader experiences the pain that she, and women in her situation, went through during this time. Intertwined in the plot is also the story of the protest for justice Guandhiji, Gandi as we know him, and the Indian people started from the British's harsh rules. This is an excellent historical fiction that will give students insight to the injustices and struggle of women and the Indian people during the early 1900's in British controlled India. This novel is based on the story of the author's aunt.

Enola, alone written backwards, is the younger sister of THE Sherlock Holmes, whom she has no contact with. That is until their mother disappears on Enola's 14th birthday. Since her brothers do not seem to be as worried about their mom, Enola decides to solve the mystery herself. The story is set during Victorian times and introduces Enola,an unconventional, strong and intelligent female character. Young Adults, who like history and mysteries, will enjoy all the historical victorian facts written in the plot as well as trying to solve the mystery with Enola. Readers who are not interested in historical mysteries might struggle with the language and slow paced plot.

Mosca lives in The Realm, a world where print and books are banned and only a few selected people can read. Mosca is one of those people but she must keep it a secret if she is to survive in her world. This is a well written fantasy book but the plot was complicated with too many characters and twists. Fans of fantasy books will enjoy it but it might just be a hard read for some struggling and reluctant reader, who would especially struggle with the vocabulary written in old English.

Ginny has always admired her Aunt Peg and was devastated when her aunt suddenly dies. But she does leaves Ginny 13 little blue envelopes that lead her on an adventure, with strict rules, through Europe and self-discovery. Ginny is a likable ordinary character that leads readers on an whirlwind journey through Europe as she opens 13 envelopes one by one. Young Adults will enjoy this fun easy-read book that is filled with adventure and be intrigued by the mystery of the 13 envelopes. And of course what teen book is complete without Romance-with a foreign guy.

In the ranks of Middle School, Greg is a self-proclaimed wimpy boy who is trying to climb to the top. His adventures during his first year in middle school are documented in his journal and don't you dare call it a diary! The book is written in a diary,I mean journal,form with hysterical illustrations that along with the text will keep the reader laughing from the first page to the last. You can't help but root for Greg, even when he creates his own problems.This is a wonderful book for all boys, and girls, that are, or will enter, in middle school.

Tally lives in a world where everyone is ugly until their 16th birthday. On that day they have a special surgery that makes them pretty. Tally has always wanted to be a pretty until she meets a new friend Shay and learns the truth. Uglies ,the first of the trilogy, introduces Tally, a girl who likes to plays tricks and doesn't question life. Her character is very well-written and many teens will be able to relate to the big dilemma she faces-does she betray her friends to get what she wanted? I believe many readers reluctant to read science fiction would be able to follow the suspenseful plot and the futuristic technology mentioned in the book. This is a great book to debate the theme of beauty- What is Beauty? and Who defines it-science or people?

After graduating from Stanford University and foiling a plot to kill everyone at her graduation, Gaia is recruited by the FBI. At FBI training camp, she has to compete against other recruits and herself. This new series by Sweet Valley High creator, Francine Pascal, is an exciting thriller told from different characters perspective. Gaia is a strong no-nonsense character that lacks warmth and personal connection which is what makes her "fearless". The plot is fast paced, straight forward and well written for this new generation that enjoys crime shows.

Ahh, teen romance. If Edie was to read this diary 10 years from now, she would slap herself. I felt like slapping her. Edie goes through all the anxiety that one goes through when falling in love. But she sounded more like an annoying whining teen in a co-dependent/bad relationship, then a girl discovering the good and bad aspect of love. All the characters were very uninspiring and one dimensional. I felt Dylan was portrayed as the type of boy artist who ends up alone with his art because of the way he mistreated and toyed with women. I did like the cover of the book, which is what drew me to this book. This book is more suited for a reader who wants a easy no- brainer romance book. It's like junk food for the brain.

Tara tells us her frightening story how a simple song " Step on a crack, break your mother's back" led her to start counting cracks and other obsessive behavior that she couldn't stop. She takes the reader inside her mind and shows us how she had no control of her behavior, even when she saw how stressful it was for her family. I felt compassion for Tara while reading her story. I believe all of us have some small obsessiveness, but not to be able to control it made my heart bleed for her. I even felt sad for her mother who suffered more than Tara and abused her, hoping a few slaps would make her stop the behavior. I appreciated the fact that the author included an afterward by A.J. Allen, M.D., Ph.D. who gave more information on Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior and includes resources. This would be a great book for anyone,especially teens, who have OC or know someone who does.

Growing up, most people feels like they don't fit in with their family. We feel the pressure and expectations of our parents. Like Virginia, we want to please but also be our own person. This connection is what made this book a pleasure to read. I wanted to be a character in the book to kick Virginia into standing up for herself and to hug and cheer her on when she decides to find herself, even if it doesn't make her family happy. Overall, I think that YA will enjoy experiencing this journey with Virginia.