Reading Roundup: April 2012

By the Numbers
Teen: 15
Tween: 11
Children: 6

Sources
Review Copies: 5
Purchased: 6
Library: 19

Standouts
Teen: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
Hey, did you know teens handle sex about like adults do? They get with the wrong partners, they do it for the wrong reasons, it's all tangled up with their inner lives, and sometimes love (or serious like) comes as a total revelation. You didn't? Kody Keplinger does.
Tween: Dani Noir by Nova Ren Suma
Maybe if she had credits to refer to, Dani would know who she's supposed to hate and who she's supposed to like, and all the good guys would ride off into the sunset together. Unfortunately, life's not like the movies.
Children: Hamster and Cheese by Colleen A.F. Venable and Stephanie Yue
In the mood for a graphic novel? Something a little more challenging than an easy reader, but still conquerable? A quirky, funny tale? A story about a reluctant private eye? An animal book? In this first installment of the Pet Shop Private Eye series, Venable and Yue have gotcha covered.

Because I Want To Awards
Best First Line: The Exile of Gigi Lane by Adrienne Maria Vrettos
"I'm Gigi Lane, and you wish you were me." Seriously, put the book down after that. I dare you.
What Are the Odds?: This Means War! by Ellen Wittlinger and Countdown by Deborah Wiles
I had no idea I'd be reading not one but two great books this month about the Cuban Missile Crisis, seen through the eyes of kids on the perimeter of the military and filtered through their everyday hopes, fears, and struggles. I just wish the first had gotten a little more critical love.
Bring a Hanky: Dear Anjali by Melissa Glenn Haber
This book about a girl struggling to come to terms with her best friend's sudden death goes beyond "She'll always be with me" and into "You know, she wasn't perfect, but that's okay, because that's the way I wanted her." Man, you guys, I was a mess.
And Now, I Taunt You: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
Complicated relationships, witty banter, a healthy dollop of supernatural hijinks . . . yep, sounds like SRB to me. You'll see the review on this one closer to its publication in September. Yeah, I'm evil.