Looking for Alaska by John Green

Miles has never been popular- actually, he doesn't even have friends at his public high school. This makes it easy for him to decide to go to Culver Creek Boarding School. There, Miles hopes to begin anew and find some of the adventure that eluded him back home. His parents are not too sure about sending him off to boarding school but end up agreeing to let Miles go. At his new school, Miles soon makes friends with his new roommate, Chip (aka the Colonel), and Alaska, a beautiful (Miles calls her hot) enigma of a girl, and others. The small group of friends bond over smoking, drinking, and playing pranks on the Weekday Warriors, rich kids who go home to their wealthy families on the weekends.

Miles, who gets nicknamed Pudge because he's skinny, finds himself falling for Alaska, who has a boyfriend. The problem, besides the fact that she has a boyfriend, is that Alaska is pretty messed up. She happy one minute, upset and yelling the next. Miles cannot figure her out. Alaska just wants to be buddies, but Miles keeps looking too much into her behavior to see if she might like him back. When tragedy strikes, Miles and his friends must learn to come to terms with the shocking loss and figure out what they mean to each other or risk losing each other as friends. Major themes in the story are love, friendship, loss, and forgiveness.

This book is a quick read, but because it does take a very serious turn, I do not recommend it for a light summer vacation book- unless you are tired of summery books and are ready for something more substantial. The story does not quite make it to a romance, but the elements are there. Friendship is the more important theme here. It is well written, and the author knows how to keep his reader hooked. You will find yourself reading "just one more chapter" a couple of times before turning your lights out at night. I recommend this book for both guys and girls.

Book; 14+; ISBN 9780142412213; New York: Speak (from Penguin Group), 2005

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

This untypical Victorian tale is a great mix of fantasy and mystery. After the death of her mother, Gemma Doyle moves from India to England to live nearer to her remaining family and to go to the exclusive Spence Academy, a boarding school. But don’t dismiss this book as yet another private school clique story; Gemma Doyle has visions—she even foresaw her mother’s death. Furthermore, a mysterious young man has followed Gemma from India. Is he there to protect or harm her? Or, is he there to keep her from learning the mystery of her mother’s death? At Spence, Gemma encounters the usual group of mean girls—the beautiful girls everyone wants to hang with at Spence. When Gemma protects her roommate from the girls, she gains their attention and is invited to join their “private club.” In spite of their initial animosity and general suspicion of each other, the rivals form a tight group centered around a diary that Gemma had found at Spence after following one of her visions. The diary was written by Gemma’s mother and tells of two former Spence students and a secret order that found their way into an otherworld called the Realms. Gemma and her friends use the diary to find their own way into the Realms unaware of the dangers that wait for them there. For the girls, who live during the strict confines of Victorian London, the Realms offer a freedom they know they will never have after they marry. Each girl finds her own fantasy in the Realms not knowing that a dark danger lurks and would follow them back into their world if they were careless enough to let it. In the middle of this story, Gemma searches to solve the mystery of her mother’s death. While the girls merely follow Gemma into the Realms, it is Gemma who has the power to go there. Exactly what are Gemma’s powers? Will Gemma go along with the expectations of her times and become wife to a wealthy man? Or, will she maintain her individuality and independence?

This tale is dark but very enjoyable. It is mildly supernatural and does not quite fit in with the other run-of-the-mill supernatural books out there. The writing is beautiful, and the author never insults her reader's intellegence. This is a good book for teens to adults so don't be surprised if your mother/aunt/oldest sister tries to steal it. The book isn't a total chick lit book, so guys, don't be afraid to pick it up and read it too!

Book; 14+; ISBN 9780385732314; New York: Delacorte Press, 2005

Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast

Imagine a world where vampires (or rather vampyres as it's spelled in this story) live openly among humans. That's the world in which Zoey Redbird lives. Zoey lives an average teen life near Tulsa, Oklahoma. Then one day at school, she is Marked. That means Zoey will turn into a Vampyre- unless she is unable to survive the change from human to vampyre. In Zoey's world, becoming a vampyre is not cool. Her society is generally prejudiced against vampyres, and Zoey is horrified to have to admit to her friends and family that she will become one. Plus, being marked a vampyre means Zoey will have to leave her family to go to House of Night, a vampyre boarding school where fledgling vampyres learn how to be, well, vampyres.

Zoey finds strength in her Cherokee heritage as she tries to deal with the loss of her prejudiced family and friends and learns the ways of her new life. However, she must deal with the extraordinary details of life as a vampyre fledgling. Zoey has unusual powers for a new vampyre, and this causes jealousy and suspicion among some of her new classmates at House of Night- especially Aphrodite, the leader of the Dark Daughters, an exclusive club. Compounding her problems, Zoey's ex-boyfriend becomes obsessed with her. Luckily, Zoey gains a new group of supportive friends and a mentor to help her navigate through her first days at the House of Night.

Marked is the first book in the House of Night series so don't expect all of Zoey's problems to be solved in these pages. I was worried that with two authors, the book would be disjointed and difficult to follow, but that is not the case. The story unfolds smoothly and it is difficult to put down without trying to peek at the next chapter. Some parts did feel a little long to me. For example, the rituals are described and more detail than I cared for, but that might just be me. I tend to like my books to get to the point quickly. Overall however, I enjoyed this story and look forward to reading the next installment.

Book; 13+; ISBN 978-1742141862; New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2007