msjamgochian'sinfinitebooklist

On a hot summer night in a small country town, local teen pariah Jasper Jones raps on book nerd-sensitive Charlie Bucktin's window, and leads him to a discovery that will change both of their lives. Laura Wishart, daughter of the town shire, and friend to Charlie, is found hung from a tree where she and Jasper used to meet in secret. Knowing that Jasper will be suspected of the murder, the boys hide her body in the river, and that is where the trouble, and their relationship, truly begins. As the summer progresses and Laura's disappearance is investigated, Charlie is faced with a host of hard truths: his parents' marriage isn't what it seems to be, his best friend Jeffrey Lu suffers at the hands of racists, and the local tendency to turn the other way rather than stand up for what is right has tragic results. The bitterness is balanced by the sweetness of Charlie's relationship with Laura's little sister Eliza; Mr. Silvey masterfully depicts the magic of first

Jupiter Glazer is a loveable Russian Jewish immigrant with an accent that inspires bullies and parents who live in an abandoned factory in an uninspired industrial neighborhood outside Philadelphia. Jupiter's life takes on a new angle when he meets Margie, a hard-bitten but cute waitress, while dining with his parents for his annual birthday treat at low-class diner. Inspired by Margie, Jupiter ends up at a party that night and makes people laugh at the right time, resulting in a rise in his social status at school. At the same time, he meets up with a girl who helps him lose his accent and befriends the guy who regularly beats him up. This is a fun and quick read that misfits everywhere will enjoy. An ALA Best Book pick and a good match for reluctant readers. Grade 8+

Will Silver is a charismatic high school teacher (think a younger more hip Robin Williams in Dead Poet's Society) who makes the mistake of having an affair with one of his students. This plot offers nothing new, and Maksik relies heavily enough on Camus that parts feel like plaigarism. Still, if you've ever lived in Paris, you'll enjoy this eloquently written valentine to the city, and if you teach in an international school, you'll enjoy the setting, so rarely captured in literature. I read this book in December on an airplane, and two weeks later I read that Mr. Maksik did teach in an international school in Paris, and was allegedly dismissed after having an affair with one of his students. Creepy. Worse yet, the two students he writes about didn't give him permission to use their lives as fodder, and apparently aren't pleased with the results. Super creepy. Click here for a full review. Grade 11+

I didn't realize how much I had been missing Kurt Vonnegut until I started reading this collection of dystopian short stories. Saunders manages to continue the work that Vonnegut did so masterfully: pointing out the absurdity of life and the idiocy of humankind (albeit affectionately) in sadly funny fashion. The title story is set in an aged theme park beseiged by neighborhood gangs, emptied of patrons, and peopled with a bizarre circus of employees who perform an eclectic collection of roles, including The Desperate Patrol, Versimilitude Inspector to Special Assistant, and Exit Sealage. Click here for a full review and here for Mr. Saunder's website . Perfect for fans of sci-fi blended with satire. Grade 10+

It's the summer before his senior year, and Cullen Witter is bored to death in a painfully dull Arkansas town. Things get exciting when a Lazarus Woodpecker, supposedly extinct, is spotted in a copse of trees near town. The buzz of this discovery serves as the back drop for two deaths (a close cousin overdoses, a young man jumps to his death) and the inexplicable disappearance of Cullen's beloved younger brother, Gabriel. As Cullen and his parents move through the early phases of grief, alternating between dispair and hope, Benton Sage, a young missionary in Africa, has a crisis of faith, and his suicide is the catalyst that spurs his college roommate into a series of actions that bring the story back to Gabriel's disappearance. At first, it is hard to imagine the two stories intersecting, but JW brings all the disparate pieces together in a satisfying and surprising ending. Cullen is a loveable character with a refined sense of humor, and readers who enjoy complex male lea

Gus (can I call him Sweet Tooth?), Jeppard, and company set out for Alaska in search of answers about Gus's past and the disease that wiped out the majority of the world's population. Along the way, Lucy and Becky see their first snow, Gus begins to understand Jeppard's past, and the gang meets up with Walter, an eccentric living in a fortified paradise under a waterfall. Lemire's art is at its melancholy best in this volume, and guest artists Nate Powell, Emi Lenox, and Matt Kindt only add to the fun. If you're not reading Sweet Tooth yet, start NOW. If you're already an addict, this volume answers many of the questions set forth in volume three and blends in plenty of foreshadowing paired with the who's-really-the-bad-guy elements that Lemire has admirably employed throughout the series. Sweet Tooth is the perfect gateway comic - give it to anyone who is foolish enough to think comics aren't serious lit. Grade 8+

Tony Chu is a detective with a singular talent. He's cibopathic: he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. As you can imagine, once word gets out, the powers that be (in this case, the US government) want to utilize Tony's talent to their advantage, whether he is feeling peckish or not. What results is a thoroughly entertaining, well-drawn, and unique series set in a not-so-distant future where poultry is illegal and the black market is all about meat. A "gastronomical-satirical crime thiller" not to be missed. Goes nicely with a 1986 Margaux. Grade 9+

I think Christopher of the " I READ BOOKS, THEN TELL YOU IF YOU SHOULD READ THEM TOO " blog says it best: "It's a perfect slice of upper middle class living in the 21st century, only more thoughtful and insightful than anything with that description has any right to be." AKR will visit ISB just five weeks from now... thank you in advance, Tara , for arranging what I know will be an unforgettable event.

Booklist Review: Luke’s Inupiaq name is “hard like ocean ice grinding at the shore or wind pounding the tundra.” But at Alaska’s Sacred Heart boarding school, which Luke attends with his brother, Bunna (a third brother is effectively kidnapped and sent to Texas), his name and the nuances of his culture aren’t treated as being important. It’s the 1960s, though, and the times are a-changing. In lovely, evocative language, Edwardson weaves Luke’s story of displacement, loss, and growth into those of his fellow students’ in a story about the collision of culture and the growing awareness of civil rights. It’s a testament to her skill that even clueless priests and sisters at the school come across as rounded characters; several of them are even aware that military experiments with radioactive drinks, allowed on native students, may be suspect. Some point-of-view changes from first person to third-person omniscient are jarring; nevertheless, this is an illuminating novel of changing perspec

A gorgeous graphic novel-cum-scrapbook from a former Harvard archivist with more than 600 pieces of original 1920s material assembled to tell the story of Frankie Pratt, an aspiring writer from small town New England who attends Vassar, then moves to New York, then to Paris, and then back again. Smart yet naive Frankie learns some rough lessons along the way when her heart is broken by men who keep secrets and her work is rejected by well-meaning editors. Although the story is set in the 20s, much of what holds Frankie back applies just as easily to today, including the expectations and unspoken rules placed on women by society and themselves. Give this one to your daughters. Click here for a full review. Grade 8+