msjamgochian'sinfinitebooklist

"Each time someone dies, a library burns." Jandy Nelson's poetic prose captures the desolation of loss, the flush of first love, and the intricate web of family in The Sky Is Everywhere. Seventeen-year-old bookworm and band Geek Lennie has just lost her sister. The heavy loneliness of grief weighs down on her; nobody gets it. She can't express it: "I'd need a new alphabet, one made of falling, of tectonic plates shifting, of deep devouring dark." The only person who understands is Toby, her dead sister's cowboy/skate punk/cute boyfriend. Their sadness brings them together: "...the cloak of being fine that I wear with everyone else slips right off my shoulders." Meanwhile, dark, handsome, and full of life Joe Fontaine moves to town, and Lennie feels herself falling in love with him, in spite of herself. This is a sadly sweet romance. Give it to fans of If I Stay and Twenty-Boy Summer . Click here for trailers . Grade 8+

CAUTION: SPOILERS BELOW "IF WE BURN YOU BURN WITH US." Mockingjay picks up where Catching Fire left off; Peeta has been kidnapped by Snow, Katniss is in the (welcoming?) hands of the rebellion, and District 12 has been completely obliterated. Peeta is rescued, but he's no longer himself...his reunion with Katniss begins with his hands wrapped around her neck. Gale shows up to defend her, in his way, and Katniss is torn between the two of them. This is certainly the bloodiest of the books, and the grimmest, with Katniss believing she'd be better off dead, and central characters dying in gruesome fashion at the hands of Snow. You'll read it in one sitting and wonder where the time went. Then you'll wait for the movie. Grade 7+

How do you describe something as bizarre and wonderful as Sweet Tooth? Just look at the cover. Look again. And then read it. Then watch this comic minute. Grade 8+

I regularly recommend Callisto, Torsten Krol's first book, to anyone who loves Vonnegut and/or black comedy. The Dolphin People is just as dark and nearly as funny. Sixteen-year-old Erich Linden, along with his younger brother and mother, have fled post-WWII Germany to meet up with their nazi doctor Uncle Klaus in Venezuela. Things go bad when their twin-engine plane crashes on the way through Amazonia and they encounter a stone-age tribe. The Yayomi believe the Lindens (who have changed their name to Brandt to avoid being discovered) are Dolphin People. Don't miss this darkly hilarious book from the cryptic Mr. Krol. Grade 10+

The timeliness of this book is remarkable. The Gulf Coast is full of broken down abandoned oil tankers. Teenage Nailer is a member of light crew: he strips the boats, scavenging for copper and anything else that can be removed and sold. He dreams of hitting a Lucky Strike - finding a pocket of treasured oil that would guarantee him a fortune if he could get past the goons and thugs trying to snare it for themselves. When he discovers a high-priced shipwreck, he has to choose between saving the life of the lone survivor, a beautiful and intriguing girl who could give him a better life. Shipwrecked will please fans of adventure and survival fiction. Its social themes would also make for a great classroom debate and/or discussion. Click here for an interview with the author. Grade 7+

This World We Live In brings characters from Life As We Knew It and its companion book, The Dead And The Gone, together. An asteroid has hit the moon and knocked it out of orbit, causing wild weather and devastating the world's infrastructure. Miranda, her mother, and two brothers are living hand-to-mouth in their home in rural Pennsylvania. Their neighborhood is deserted and they are surviving on a few bags of groceries distributed weekly by the government. Things get even harder when Miranda's father, stepmother, and new baby show up (they gave up on going West) with three newcomers they picked up along the way, including Albert and Julia Morales (from TDATG). The struggle for survival continues as they hunt for food and try to live together under their harsh circumstances. I honestly was hoping for a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, but TWWLI was as grim as the other titles (if not more so)! Give this to fans of post-apocalyptic and survival fiction. Click here to vie

I have to thank the young adult experts at Powell's books in Portland for putting Restoring Harmony in my hands this summer. Here's a full review: This dystopian tale features a resourceful, spirited, and immensely likable heroine. Molly McClure, 16, has lived her entire life on a small island in Canada. Since the Great Collapse of 2031, her family has managed to create an oasis of security, growing their own food, using solar energy for power, and relying on bicycles and horses for transportation. When they receive word that Molly's grandmother is seriously ill, Molly's mother is deeply worried, further complicating her pregnancy-related health issues. Communications are sketchy at best, and Molly leaves the island to travel to Oregon and hopefully return with her grandparents (her grandfather, a retired physician, has long been estranged from his daughter). She bravely sets off, taking along her beloved fiddle for comfort and company. Already a risky venture, her ques