Pinned by Alfred C. Martino

"Always hoped one day I'd be really good," Bobby said. "And not just good; I'm talking about being one of the best in the state. All the days I've gone without eating. Filling cups with spit. Eating laxatives. Always feeling like throwing up. Always being thirsty. I figured one day it'd be worth it."

"Is it?"

Bobby is captain of his high school wrestling team. Ivan is captain of his. One wrestler is a natural, while the other has worked hard to become good. One wrestler lives in an expensive home in a wealthy neighborhood, the other in a blue collar town. One loves the girl next door, but is afraid to tell her. The other is involved with a young woman who doesn't meet his parent's approval.

Both are headed for the state championship.

Martino paints a personal portrait of two dedicated, passionate high school wrestlers then sets them up for the state championships. Wrestlers or other high school athletes may enjoy reading about their lives in this book. Newcomers to the sport will be discover the discipline, deprivation, and passion surrounding the sport.

Learn more at HCL and Barnes and Noble.

Subjects: Wrestling, Family Problems, Friendship, Competition, New Jersey, Young Adult Fiction.

(SLJ recommends grade 8 & up)

it's happy bunny: Life. Get One: and other words of wisdom and junk that will make you wise or something by Jim Benton

"So you want to get wise, do you? Well, you could read Confucius or Socrates. You could study Solomon or Plato. But only one form of wisdom truly has a lot of pictures of bunnies...."

Ahhh, bunny wisdom. Immerse yourself in thoughts such as "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Unless, of course, they did unto you first, and now you have to totally open a can of "unto" on them." Learn whether the glass is really half empty or half full. Gather valuable life skills from "The Fable of the Excellent Bunny." And discover how to correctly judge people.

Shorter than the Tao of Pooh and more cynical than Chicken Soup for the Soul, fans of Jim Benton's sardonic "happy bunny" will relish this useful advice imparted by cute bunnies. But remember, "Any wisdom one gets from a bunny is probably not that hot. For your own safety, please do not take the advice of bunnies."

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and happy bunny books.

Subjects: happy bunny, Life.

Devil's Footsteps by E. E. Richardson

"One in fire, two in blood. Three in storm and four in flood. Five in anger, six in hate. Seven fear and evil eight. Nine in sorrow, ten in pain. Eleven death, twelve life again. Thriteen steps to the Dark Man's door. Won't be turning back no more."

Five years ago Bryan's brother Adam disappeared. They'd been tempting fate while testing the local legend of the Dark Man--reciting the old rhyme while stepping down a stone path. Bryan had been too chicken to finish the rhyme. He'd turned and run from that terrifying spot in the woods. Adam was never seen again. Since then, Bryan has been tortured by nightmares. He's been coping with the overwhelming abscence of his brother. And he's noticed things. Things like the huge number of children that go missing from his town each year. And the fact that no one seems to notice. In the company of two unlikely companions, Bryan finally begins to confront his fears and his past by unraveling the horrific secret behind the Dark Man and his rhyme.

E. E. Richardson's first novel is a page-turning, heart pounding, sleeping with the lights on, devilish delight!

Learn more at HCL and Amazon.

Subjects: Supernatural, Brothers, Missing Children, Horror Stories.

(SLJ recommends grades 6-9)

All Rivers Flow to the Sea by Alison McGhee

"Because Ivy and I had an accident. It was the end of the winter, dusk in Adirondacks, and we came around a curve. And then Ivy wasn't moving, and she wasn't answering, and was she breathing? Blood. My window was broken and I broke it more. I punched it with my jacket wrapped around my hand, punched and punched, and I crawled out and fell up. We were upside down? How had that happened? I ran."

Rose and Ivy were in a car accident. Ivy now lies in a vegetative state in a nursing home. Rose must cope with survivor's guilt, her mother's growing distance, and the fact that half of herself, her sister Ivy, won't ever return. Rose is still water, trapped behind a dam, and all she wants is to flow to the sea.

Alison McGhee lyrically, yet succinctly, tells the story of one girl's healing process.

(McGhee is the author of several novels for adults, several novels for teens, and one of my favorite picture books, "Countdown to Kindergarten".)

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

Subjects: Sisters, Traffic Accidents, First Love, Death, Adirondack Mountains (N.Y.)

(SLJ recommends this for 9 & up.)

Foretelling by Alice Hoffman

Rain is a child of sorrow, unwanted daughter of the Amazon Queen. Raised by the high priestess, Deborah, her aunt Cybelle the beekeeper, and her cousins Artesia and Artella the archers, Rain learns all of the secrets of her people and will be expected to use them someday as the queen of these warrior women. But strong as she is, she questions the absence of mercy, peace, and men in her tribe. When it come time for her to lead, will she follow the path set before her or her own instincts.


Hoffman spins a terse, dreamlike tale of a mythical people who may be either our past or our future.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

Subjects: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Amazons (mythical tribe), gender issues, parental approval, rape

(SLJ recommends this for for grades 6 & up.)

River Between Us by Richard Peck

At the dawn of the Civil War, a Mississippi steamboat brings a pair of strangers to Grand Tower Illinois--the mysterious and seductive Delphine Duval and her companion Calinda. They quickly become a controversial fixture in the Pruitt household. When Noah Pruitt can no longer resist the lure of battle, Mama sends her daughter, Tilly, and Delphine to bring him home. Secrets are revealed and tragedy falls.

Tilly's story, in itself, is a unique female perspective of the American Civil War and rural life. Delphine's secret adds an additional layer dealing with a little discussed aspect of American life. Tilly's entire recollection is bookended by a future visit to Grand Tower by the Pruitt grandchildren. What the oldest boy discovers about his family tree and his reaction to it provide a final layer for the reader to ponder. Peck's novel gets off to a slow start but quickly gains steam with the Delphine's arrival, coming, in time, to a thoughtful end.

A discussable bookclub choice.

Learn more at HCL and Amazon.

Subjects: Young Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction, Civil War, African Americans, Illinois, New Orleans, Death, Grandparents

(SLJ recommends this book for grades 7 & up)

Where I Want to Be by Adele Griffin

In the last days of her high school career Jane is hit by a car and killed. All her life she had been unable to discern reality from illusion, becoming trapped in a confusing world of her own creation. Her younger, prettier, more likeable sister, Lily left behind and suffering survivor's guilt falls in love for the first time and finally begins to heal. Their story unfolds in alternating first-person chapters, culminating in a mildly supernatural confrontation.

The Lily portions of the book will appeal to chick-lit fans, while Jane's perspective is considerably darker and weirder.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here.

Subjects: Young Adult Fiction, Sibling Rivalry, Death, Ghosts, First Love, Grandparents

(SLJ recommends this book for grades 7 & up.)

Cat People by Michael Korda and Margaret Korda

What can I say? I laughed. I cried. It was better than "Cats"?

Michael and Margaret Korda celebrate the lives of Irving, Queenie, Chutney and many, many other cats. Each episode is an unusual adventure proving that, contrary to my husband's belief, each cat is a totally different and inherently lovable character. The occasional line drawings provide further insight into each cat and are a lively addition to the heartfelt text.

This is a charming, quiet, cat read especially when accompanied by tea, afghans, and kleenex.

Learn more at HCL and Amazon.

Subjects: Non-fiction, Cats

Minister's Daughter by Julie Hearn

Set in 1645 England, Nell is the village midwife's granddaughter. Grace and Patience are the daughters of the local puritan minister who is dedicated to wiping out the old ways...ways which Nell, her grandmother, and the villagers continue to practice. When Grace gets herself into trouble, witchcraft becomes the scapegoat, and it doesn't take much to guess who will be targeted.

Told from the perspectives of Nell, Patience, the piskies, and a third person narrator, the reader experiences the events of the story from several points of view. A heavy 17th century atmosphere is brightened with fantastical elements like faeries and piskies, while a silly fantasy is given weight by rich descriptions of life in the 17th century. In addition, this tale is filled with strong women forced into situations that test their strength--for the better and worse. Though parts of Hearn's tale feel contrived, overall it is an engrossing read filled with important questions about the nature of evil, respect for life and nature, and reaping what you sow.

This is an utterly discussable book that would make a great bookclub selection.

*A note on the audio book: Heather O'Neill, the reader adds even more life to an absorbing novel. Each character voice is subtly different, defining the different points of view from which the story is told and adding even more interest to already colorful characters without distracting from Hearn's written text.

Learn more at HCL, Amazon, and here .

Subjects: Young Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Witches, England, Sibling Rivalry, Bookclub

(SLJ recommends this book for grades 7 & up)