Fourteen and Up

Tim is a 17 year old albino, who is a senior year transfer to a co-ed prep school. He meets the school's "it" girl Vanessa on his travels to this school, setting up a love triangle with the school's alpha male. Tim is doomed to be an outsider because of his appearance, but this relationship only makes things harder for him. 14 and Up. Kathie Weinberg

Josie has grown up in New Orleans, the daughter of a prostitute who could not care less about her. But Josie is smart and intent on making something of herself. Just as she starts dreaming of applying to Smith College, her world turns upside down. A man she met briefly in the bookstore where she works is found dead, her mother takes off with a low life criminal, and Josie is left to make sense of it all. This is a great portrait of the shady underbelly of 1950 New Orleans and a young girl who wants more than anything to put it in her past. Fourteen and Up. Joan Kindig

Set in 1986 and filled with references to new wave and punk music, Eleanor & Park is the quintessential tale of first love. Told in alternating third person perspective, what makes this book stand out, are the voices of Eleanor and Park and the exquisite language. Instead of jumping right into romance, their friendship and eventual romance takes time to evolve, and is worth every page. The simple act of holding hands for the first time is world-changing event: "Holding Eleanor's hand was like holding a butterfly or a heartbeat. Like holding something complete and completely alive" (p. 71). The scene leading up to their first kiss is also memorable for its dialog and execution (p. 166-167). Eleanor’s sarcastic demeanor almost never lets up and provides for exchanges like Park: “I just…we’re alone.” Eleanor: “Sort of.” Park: “So we should be doing alone things.” Eleanor: “You sound so creepy right now.” These are just a few of the many tender, realistic and humorous moments that make the novel unforgettable and un-put-down-able. As with almost all first loves, Eleanor and Park go there separate ways (not a spoiler, you know this from the first page), but the way that it happens is both heartbreakingly sad and even suspenseful. Readers will find themselves hoping until the last word (and beyond!) that Eleanor and Park are able to find their way back to each other against all odds. Fourteen and Up. Alicia Blowers