Candor by Pam Bachorz

Boy, do I love a good distopian story. In the city of Candor, music is always playing. There are speakers in the bushes, in your classrooms, and in your home. Families that come to Candor all have two things in common, they have troubled kids, and they have a lot of money. Yet the kids who already live in Candor are the most well behaved kids you will ever meet.

One of the reasons I love this books is because of how realistic the character of Oscar is portrayed. He has figured out what is going on here. Subliminal messages in the ever present music and he uses his knowledge of the system to free the minds of all the kids of Candor . . . well, all the ones who can afford his services. You see, Oscar is an opportunist, and no one is above his money grubbing hands. He's one of those rotten characters that you love because you know they probably have a potential for good in there somewhere too.

The story is entertaining, funny and engrossing. But the idea is thought provoking too. The control that a simple thing like music could have over our minds is defintely something to think about.

-Jenny

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

Vampires might seem pretty over done right now, but this is a totally different take on these reemerging creatures. Westerfeld takes the I Am Legend (by Richard Matheson) point of view, explaining vampirism as a disease, or rather, as a parasite. This is a very scientific novel, explaining the biology and evolution of vampires, with every few chapters relating the vampire parasite to a real life parasite.

Cal is a parasite positive, or a peep. But he is only a carrier, a rare individual that isn't effected as severely and therefore not a blood thirsty vampire. So instead he hunts them. Unfortunately, it's his ex-girlfriends that he is hunting, poor girls who got infected back before he knew that he was parasite positive.

A really entertaining book with humor, romance, action and violence.

-Jenny

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

I'm a sucker for Westerfeld. He can create the most realistic worlds with his scientific explanations and thorough research as well as his developed characters and the unique slang created for each novel. Leviathan was no exception.

Leviathan is an alternate history novel, based in World War I, but with the a little added pizzazz. Instead of the Axis vs. the Allies, it's the Clankers vs. the Darwinists. Clankers being a culture that has created intricate robotic machines to do all their bidding and the Darwinists who have created monstrous creatures for all of their work. This is an interesting concept that Westerfeld explored well.

Readers follow two characters from opposing sides, a Clanker prince, and a Darwinist soldier. Both explain their points of view thoroughly and you get to see the pros and cons of having an all animal society and an all robotic one.

A fantastic read! I read both this and the sequal Behemoth in a week :)

-Jenny

Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman

Great book with a clever twist on Romeo and Juliet. Vince is the son of a mob boss and Kendra is the daughter of the FBI agent who is trying to put him away. Obviously this causes problems. Son of the Mob is filled with humorous situations that will keep kids rolling, as well as great moral messages.

This is one of Gordon Korman's few young adult novels, so keep that in mind when choosing this book. It isn't your average Korman book. However despite the references to things occuring in high school, both vince and Kendra are good kids, and make good decisions.

-Jenny

How To Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

Definitely a different, whimsical book. The characters aren't your typical popular kids, and don't do your typical teenager things. One is known as Robot Girl because of her lack of emotions, while the other is known as Ghost Boy because of his lack of engagement in anything. They stay up into the wee hours of the morning listening to a late night talk show known as Night Lights, where a small group of loyal listeners call in and talk about death, ghosts, and time travel.

Although the plot seems rather simple and a bit unbelieveable, it seems to me this book borders on some tough issues like abandonment, trust, adultry, and depression, which make it a worth while read.

It is a young adult book, but parents should keep in mind that there is some marijuana, and underage drinking references, and neither of these are addressed as bad or morally wrong, but rather a part of high school life, and the characters partake in some of these activities. If this is an issue for parents, you may want to pass this up.

-Jenny

It's a Book by Lane Smith

Oh, boy, is this book perfect for our time. It's unbelieveable how many times I get asked "a bookstore? Why did you open a bookstore? No one reads books anymore." It's a Book, shows that even though you can't tweet, blog, or text with a book, it is still worth your time. The illustrations are simple and cute and the text switches between characters. The "anti-book" character in a computer like font and the "pro-book" character in a storybook font (the same as the cover). It was cute and quirky and entertained me. Good for any age really, but based on the language and word choice, it might be meant for early readers.

Warning: The anti-book character is a donkey who's name is Jackass. The last line of the book is "It's a book, Jackass." So it's a cute and simple children's book, but because the last line has some obvious second meanings, you may want to consider who you buy it for.

-Jenny

Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg

Beautifully illustrated by Mr. Van Allsburg, this story from 1990 still speaks today of the need to recycle and save the planet. We each can do our part to reduce -- trash, electrical usage, and more. The author is a great story teller. This picture book is for all ages.

-Deena