Hoot by Carl Hiassen

Roy is the new kid in town and he really doesn't like Florida. The weather never changes and there is not one hill in sight. He hasn't made any friends, but he has made a huge enemy. Dana Matherson is the bus bully who has no problem pounding on Roy every time he has the chance. Then one day, something out of the ordinary happens. As Roy is looking out the window one day, he sees a barefoot teenage boy run past. When Roy asks around about the boy, he draws the attention of Beatrice Leap, who tells him to stop asking or else. And she means it. But Roy doesn't let it drop and becomes involved in an adventure about a runaway, his family, bullies, the cops, and owls.

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

Caitlin and her family are shocked and devastated when her older sister, Cass, leaves home one day with no notice. Caitlin always thought that Cass's life was perfect and she thrived on being the center of her parents' world. But apparently the pressure to be perfect got to be too much for Cass and she ran. Now their mother has turned her full attention on Caitlin. Caitlin always flew beneath the radar before, but now her mother is obsessed with cheer leading and school for Caitlin. As Caitlin begins to understand why her sister chose to leave, she develops a relationship with a boy that could lead to big trouble. Will Caitlin follow her sister's footsteps or will she create her own path?

My Pants are Haunted! (Dear Dumb Diary, #2)

Jamie Kelly thinks her pants are haunted. What else can explain all of the strange things that have been happening. All the rest of her jeans suddenly have holes in the worst possible locations. She blames her dog, but maybe it's the haunted jeans. The most unpopular girl at school moved quickly up the ranks to sit at the cool kid table, pushing Jamie to the bottom fringes of popularity. Clearly the work of those jeans. What can Jamie do to stop the jeans before it's too late?

Artemis Fowl : The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl is in deep again. It has been three years since his last adventure. He had to do a memory wipe on his parents so they won't remember his strange disappearing and reappearing acts. But it seems that Artemis has caused his mother harm with his stolen magic. He has given her a deadly fairy virus. The only cure seems to come from an African lemur. However, the very lemur that Artemis needs has been killed off, and Artemis was the one who eliminated the species! Now, with the help of Holly Short, he must travel back in time to stop the lemur's death. But traveling back in time will put Artemis up against his greatest foe yet, a younger version of himself!

Rules by Cynthia Lord

Catherine likes to live an orderly life. That's because her brother, who is autistic, keeps things interesting. So Catherine makes up rules for David to live by. But because she spends so much time trying to make David as normal as possible, Catherine misses out on a friendship that could be truly special.

If I have a Wicked Stepmother, Where's my Prince? by Melissa Kantor

A modern-day Cinderella story. Lucy's mother has died and she is forced move in with her father, his new wife and her twin daughters. Her dad is away from home all week and Lucy's stepmother can't seem to remember that Lucy needs things like clothes and furniture for her bedroom. Her stepsisters can get in trouble for anything. And Lucy doesn't fit in at school either. Until the hottest guy in school starts paying attention to her. But is he really her Prince Charming or will Lucy have to rescue herself?

The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen

Macy blames herself for her father's death. If she had went running with him instead of staying in bed, she would have been able to help him. So now Macy tries to play everything safe to keep anymore bad things from happening. She has a safe, if boring, boyfriend and a snooze of a job. Until the night she volunteers to help out with her mom's open house. That's when she meets the Wish Catering crew. These people don't play anything safe, yet they have a great time living life. When Macy starts spending time with Wes, she begins to see that she has not been living her life. Slowly she will begin to heal.

Heat by Mike Lupica

Michael is one of the best pitchers in Little League history. He is on the verge of leading his team to the Little League World Series. But Michael has a problem. Other coaches don't believe that someone that good can be that young. The other coaches demand that Michael show proof that he's only 12. Sounds easy enough, but Michael has no birth certificate. He was born in Cuba, and all identification had to be left when the family fled from the country. Then Michael's father died, leaving Michael in the care of his 17-year-old brother. If anyone finds out, Michael will taken away. So how can he prove his age without giving away his family's secrets?

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson is having a rough time. He has just gotten kicked out of boarding school. But that is the least of his problems. See, his Math teacher has just turned into a monster and tried to kill him. Soon Percy finds out that he is not human, at least not completely. His father was a god and now several mythological creatures are out to kill him. When the mighty god Zeus's lightning bolt is stolen, Percy is the prime suspect. Now he has just 10 days to get across the country, find the lightning bolt, return it to Zeus, and keep himself and his best friends from getting killed along the way.

Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata

Weedflower tells the story of 12-year-old Sumiko, a Japanese American girl growing up in California. The story begins just before World War II. When Pearl Harbor is bombed, Sumiko and her family become the victims of American fears that the Japanese will bomb California next. Sumiko's uncle and grandfather are taken to prison. Then the family is forced to sell their home and most of the belongings and are relocated to a camp for Japanese. What would you do if your country suddenly turned its back on you and considered you a traitor? You might be surprised by Sumiko's family.

River Rats by Caroline Stevermer

Imagine if the world as we know it came to an end. Would you be able to survive?

The River Rats are a group of kids who survived the end of society, the illnesses, the natural disasters. Now they are a family of survivors, traveling the muddy, toxic Mississippi River in an old steamboat. They deliver messages to others up and down the river, and play music when it suits them. Their music fits their world: harsh, acid washed, loud and brash rock. Most of the time, they steer clear of trouble. Until the day a stowaway comes on board. The man was being chased and actually dove into the poisonous river to avoid capture. The Rats took him in, but now they are the ones being chased. The river will become deadly if they can't escape.

Spelldown by Karen Luddy

This was a book that gained, then lost, then gained my attention. I couldn't stay with it straight through, but I was glad that I picked it back up and didn't quit because the ending is very good.
Karlene comes from a family that is struggling to keep it all together. On the surface everything looks good: her mother is always without a hair out of place, her sister has married a up and coming man. But Daddy has started drinking again, and it won't be long before things start to fall apart. But Karlene has great friends to rely on. Her new Latin teacher is encouraging and gives Karlene the support she needs to achieve her dream: to become the national spelling bee champion. There is also love on the way, if Billy Ray can ever figure out how to make the first move.

Favorite Series

One of my favorite series for young adults is Gerald Morris's Squire's Tale series. The series follows knights in King Arthur's court. All of the stories are based on actual Arthurian legends.
The series begins with The Squire's Tale, the story of Terence, who was raised by a hermit in the forest until one day a knight, Gawain, appears in the forest. The two seem predestined to travel together to Camelot. From there, they set off on a quest which allows Gawain to become The Maiden's Knight and Terence to find out who his parents were.

This is my first time

I am excited about starting a new feature on the KMS Media Center Website, Cinnamon's Booktalk Blog. I will place information about new books that I recommend on this blog. You can also contribute your own reading suggestions. Tell me what you are reading.

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