The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. 1999. 213p. ISBN 978-0-671-02734-6. Available at FIC CHB on the library shelves.

As a freshman in high school, Charlie does not stand out. He is neither popular nor at the bottom of the social ladder. He’s smart, but not smart enough to be on honor roll. He’s not the biggest geek, clown, or any other role played by students. He’s a nobody, and he does not mind at all not being visible to the rest of the high school crowd.

Socially awkward, Charlie manages to make a few friends during a football game. He meets seniors Patrick and his sister Sam, and immediately falls hopelessly in love with Sam. Suffering from depression and low self-esteem, Charlie is not sure what his new friends see in him, but as the relationship grows Charlie begins to sail through unknown territory. He has his first date. He lives through Patrick’s intense dramas. He discovers sex, drugs, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show. But through it all, Charlie begins to immerse himself in his own life. Unfortunately, living sometimes means being front and center…

Told in the form of letter Charlie writes to an unknown narrator, this coming-of-age story will strike a cord with everyone who’s ever stood on the sidelines of life.

Poop

Davies, Nicola. Poop: A Natural History of the Unmentionable. 2004. 62p. ISBN 0-7636-2437-3. Available at 573.4 DAV on the library shelves.

Of all the elements shared by all moving creatures, defecating is the most common. Poop happens to everyone, but what do you really know about this unmentionable subject? From using feces to communicate and navigate one’s environment to eating it for nutrients, from learning history and eating habits from long ago to providing shelter, poop turns out to be extremely helpful.

In this hilariously illustrated book, discover the secrets of poop, and amaze your friends with bits of trivia on an otherwise frowned upon subject!

The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie

Stone, Tanya Lee. The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll’s History and Her Impact on Us. 2010. 130p. ISBN 978-0-670-01187-2. Available at 688.7 STO on the library shelves.

Love her or hate her, everyone has an opinion about Barbie and her role in our society. From glamorizing sex to offering unachievable figures, this modern icon has greatly influenced boys and girls over the last fifty years.

This book, then, is the story of Barbie. She came from Ruth Handler’s imagination at a time when the only dolls on the market were baby dolls. And from her creation she became a multi-billion dollar business, the flagship for Mattel, a company started by Ruth and her husband. From clothes to mansions and cars, from changing fashion to changing roles, Barbie remains a subject to discuss, to explore, and to play with.

Jessica Darling’s It List 1: The (totally not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness & Perfection

McCafferty, Megan. Jessica Darling’s It List 1: The (totally not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness & Perfection. 2013. 228p. ISBN 978-0-316-24499-2. Available at FIC MCC on the library shelves.

Jessica is going to junior high, and as she readies to enter 7th grade her older sister, Bethany, shares with her the It List, which, if followed, will make Jessica the uncontested hot and popular girl at her school.

The list is simple, with four items: 1. Wear something different every day. 2. Make the Cheer Team!!!!. 3. Pick you first boyfriend wisely. and 4. Stick with the IT clique. Using this advice, Bethany was at the height of her school’s social pyramid.

Unfortunately for Jessica, her best friend Bridget became hot overnight, and is now adored by the football team. The other girls she meet (Manda, Sara and Hope), hail from a different school but also seek top social status. And her last period of the day is not Home Ec, but rather woodshop, where she is the only girl.

With her sister pushing her, and with the drama surrounding her friends and her own life, can Jessica survive the first month of junior high?

Jessica’s story continues in Jessica Darling’s It List 2: The (totally not) Guaranteed Guide to Friends, Foes, & Faux Friends. You can also read Jessica’s tale as a senior in high school in Sloppy Firsts. Another great read about attempting to become popular in high school can be found in Meg Cabot's How to Become Popular.

Afterworlds

Westerfield, Scott. Afterworlds. 2014. 599p. ISBN 1481422340. Available at FIC WES on the library shelves.

Two stories converge together into one book. Well, that’s not entirely accurate. This is the story of Darcy Patel, who is a young adult novelist. Back in November, Darcy wrote a whole book and sold it and an unwritten sequel for $150,000 a piece. In her book Afterworlds, Elizabeth was the victim of a terrorist attack and was the only survivor. She managed to slip in the Flip Side by preventing to be dead, and she met Yamaraj, a 3,000 year-old Flip Side traveller.

This book chronicles both stories, that of Darcy as she becomes an adult, falls in love, and struggles with putting the finishing touches to her book. Lizzie, meanwhile, learns to cope with her new gift as well as survivor’s guilt. As Darcy grows, the Lizzie chapters show a growth as well. The suspensefulness of the “fiction” of Afterworlds has nothing on the suspense reflected in Darcy’s life. Will her book ever come to fruition? Will she survive her fractious relationship with Imagine Gray, her girlfriend and fellow writer? And what about Liz? Will she remain unscathed from her trips to the other side, or will she be irrevocably affected?

Fans of paranormal activities will adore Liz and her attraction to mysterious and powerful Yamaraj. Those who are interested in the writing process will enjoy reading this book and witness how Darcy adapts her book to the suggestions provided by the editor. Can she nail that killer ending?

Black Cat, Vol 1

Yakubi, Kentaro. Black Cat, Vol 1. 2000. 206p ISBN 978-1-4215-0605-0. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Train was once the best assassin in Chronos, a ruthless worldwide criminal organization. Known as Number XIII, he was also called the Black Cat for the bad luck he brought to his victims and those who encountered him. But when he himself became Chronos’ target, he fled the organization and now partners with Sven, an inventor of sorts. They are sweepers, bounty hunters who chase criminals through the streets and capture them in order to collect the reward money.

As stray cats, Train and Sven are free to go and do as they please. But when they encounter the mysterious Rinslet Walker, she offers them a mission they can’t refuse: the capture of Torneo Rudman, a weapons merchant worth half a million to sweepers.

Torneo, however, not only dabbles in weapons, but also genetic manipulation, and the asset Rinslet is really after is the theft of Torneo’s secret research. Unfortunately for Train and Sven, Torneo has already created Eve, a deadly fighting machine able to manipulate her own genetic code to reshape parts of her body into other forms, including weapons such as cleavers and swords. The legend of the Black Cat may not survive an encounter with Eve.

The story continues in Black Cat Vol. 2.

Maze Runner

Dashner, James. Maze Runner. Book One of the Maze Runner Series. 2009. 374p. ISBN 0385737947. Available both as a book at FIC DAS and as an eBook on Overdrive.

Thomas doesn’t remember anything but his name. And when he wakes up in an elevator, he is suddenly thrown in a controlled environment, the Glade.

Other boys live here in the ever changing maze, and their sole purpose appears to try to discover a way out of it. None of them remember their former lives, and all share with Thomas the knowledge of their name and fragments of memories they can’t quite put together. All they know is that W.I.C.K.E.D. has put them here.

Thomas joins the small elite group of maze runners, who explore the maze and return home at night to map it. They’ve been trying to discover patterns, but so far they have nothing. Kids have been living in the maze for years now, and they seem no closer to finding an exit than when they started.

But then, the following week, instead of a boy being brought to the maze, a girl emerges from the Lift. Like them, she only remembers her name: Theresa. Thomas feels like he’s seen her before. More importantly, she carries a message: There will be no more. No more food, no more boys, no more of anything.

Now the maze inhabitants must escape before it’s too late. But with all of the vile creatures living in the maze, and all of the deadly puzzles, escaping from the maze might very well cost the maze runners their lives.

Fans of the dystopian novel will like this book, and might also enjoy the following: Arena 1, Starters, Ship Breaker, Reboot, Not a Drop to Drink, Birthmarked and Divergent. Thomas and Theresa's story continues in The Scorch Trials.