New in Teen, Plus a Contest

I recently read two great new books from our teen section: Ask the Passengers and Code Name Verity. Rather than re-inventing the wheel, I'll just put my Goodreads reviews here:

For Ask the Passengers: There's so much that teens can take away from this book! A.S. King's deceptively simple writing style disguises this fact, because reading her prose is a breeze, but it leaves the reader with a lot to think about as well. Teens who like stories about family, friendships, and relationships in general will find a great read. Teens who are questioning their sexuality or have discovered that they fall somewhere that's not hetero will find comfort and will relate to Astrid's confusion and struggles. Teens who like Big Questions and who like to discuss issues and philosophical ideas will love Astrid's humanities class and will be eager to chime in. Highly recommended for most teen readers, but especially for fans of John Green, David Levithan, John Barnes, Sarah Dessen, or Francesca Lia Block.

For Code Name Verity: This was an incredible World War II story and a great choice to read on Veteran's Day. It's about a young female British spy who has been captured, tortured and interrogated by the Gestapo in France and has cut a deal with them: they will give her two weeks, and she will write down everything she knows about the British war effort. The reader is on the edge of his/her seat the whole time (what will they do to her? what will she give away?), and some of the plot twists are just. staggering. The whole thing really brings home the extraordinary bravery of all the people who fought the Nazis during the war. It's a tough read, but I will recommend it to older teens and adults who want a good historical fiction story that packs an emotional wallop. Fans of The Book Thief will want to read this, immediately.

Also, there's a contest out there for kids who enjoy reading and writing! It's called Letters About Literature and it's open to kids in grades 4-10. Kids who win will get money for themselves plus money for their schools! You must enter before January 11, 2013. For more details, go to the website here.