Freaks and Revelations by Davida Wills Hurwin

It seems that every book I have chosen lately tackles some serious issues. This particular book follows two young men through the 1970s leading up to the time their paths cross in the early 1980s. Doug is a punk rock neo-Nazi who sees violence as a way of life. Jason is a gay teen thrown out of his house and living on the street. Neither has an easy path or supportive family.

The thread that holds their stories together is the question of how they will meet. For each chapter all we know is how much time it is 'before.'

This is based on a true story of Timothy Zeal and Matthew Boger who now give presentations about the experiences.

Click here for more info about this book from the Indianapolis Public Library catalog.

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

This is not a book I would normally read (fantasy is not my thing), but it was chosen for a book discussion group I was leading a few years back. I really did like this one and have recommended it often.

What I liked most is the main character, Princess Cimerone. She refuses to do all the princess things she is supposed to. She would rather learn magic and how to fight than marry some prince. She does not even get to choose her future husband. So...she runs away. She offers to be servant to a dragon who lives in a cave. All the other princess's who are serving dragons have done so involuntarily. It turns out the the princess is quite helpful to the dragon and the other creatures in her new home.

If you like this one, there are three more.

Click here for more info about this book from the Indianapolis Public Library.

Hothouse by Chris Lynch

I was recently going on long weekend trip and was looking for books to take with me. It was unusual for me not to have any young adult books to read. I had thought about reading this one before, so I grabbed it off the shelf and took it. I didn't actually end up reading it until I was back home. That's good in a way because it is definitely not a light subject.

The main character, Russ, is dealing with the death of his father, a fireman who lost his life in the line of duty. His friend (more like used to be friends when they were kids) also lost his father in the same fire. Their dads were best friends to the point that they named their sons after each other.

Everyone in town is honoring the two firemen. Russ is getting free drinks and bus rides. His dad is celebrated at memorials and fundraisers. But for Russ it is almost too much to deal with. He just misses the guy he looked up to who worked odd shifts and made breakfast when he came home.

This story is not quite as sad as you may think, but there is a sense of foreboding. It's as if something else is going to happen.

Click here for more info about this book from the Indianapolis Public Library.