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Skulduggery Pleasant: The Faceless Ones by Derek Landy

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr

Ash by Malinda Lo

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr

Revelations by Melissa de la Cruz

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The Vast Fields of Ordinary is a “can’t put it down” book.  It tells the story of Dade Hamilton’s last summer before starting college: a time in his life when change is inevitable in every part of his life and everything seems unreal.  Dade has been having a rough time.  His not-exactly-boyfriend is an abusive football player who won’t acknowledge him in public.  His parents are on the brink of divorce, but have decided to pretend everything is fine until Dade leaves for college.  Dade himself hasn’t come out (unless you count telling his ceiling fan) but all his “friends” assume that he is gay and ostracize him anyway.

Things start to look up when Lucy gets exiled to her Aunt’s for the summer.  She moves in next door and becomes Dade’s first real friend.  Then, as he’s leaving a party, he meets a guy who captures his imagination.  Choosing to try to learn more about this stranger sets Dade on a path that will change his life.  

The Vast Fields of Ordinary is a romance and a book about growing up and leaving home.  The characters are wonderful because they are flawed, but still likable, and their voices are authentic.    Though some of the subjects dealt with are different, readers who like Sarah Dessen will like this as well.
 

Little Audrey is the true story of what happened to Ruth White’s family in 1948, told in the voice of her older sister Audrey.  The family, Audrey, her three little sisters and her mother and father, are living in a mining camp in southwestern Virginia.  Her father works hard in the coal mine for very little pay, most of which he uses to buy alcohol.  As a result, the girls and their mother are often left without enough to eat.  Coupled with her mother’s depression, being bullied by neighborhood kids and chasing after her whiney, wild sisters, Audrey’s life is difficult to say the least.

Little Audrey is a quick read, and is well written.  It offers a look into the life of a disadvantaged family at a turning point in their lives.  The resolution of the story is surprising, and readers will be left with a lot to think about.             
 

By flickr user roboppy.

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January 9th 2:30 PM

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