Amelia Unabrided by Ashley Schumacher

Amelia loves the Orman Chronicles books. You could even call her obsessed. Ameli's best friend, Jenna, loves books, too. On the surface, it would seem that Amelia and Jenna have little in common: Amelia is reserved and unsure; Jenna is outgoing and confident. But they love each other like sisters, disagreements and all. When Amelia's parents split up (her father just leaves and her mother spends all of her time in a daze in front of the TV), Jenna's family practically adopts her. 

After graduating, the two plan a trip to a big convention where the young, reclusive author (N.E. Endsley) of the Orman Chronicles will make a rare public appearance. Amelia anticipates the best day ever. At the last minute, Endsley cancels. Sad, yes, but not as devastating as when Jenna confesses (on their way home) that she met Endsley. Amelia is livid and hurt and confused. 

Oh, I wish I could tell you what happens next. Let's just say that Amelia does eventually meet in N.E. Endsley under less than ideal circumstances in place she's never been. She has difficult decisions to make about her life that she fears will cause others to be disappointed. 

I was really drawn into this story. There is something delicate about it, but also cozy and warm. Like parts of it made me feel like I was sitting by a warm fireplace in a comfortable chair after I had been out in the pouring rain. Too much? Sorry, I don't know how else to describe it. I definitely recommend it. 

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site. 

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Vivian is tired of the guys (particularly athletes) being treated like gods in her school. They get away with everything including verbally and physically assaulting girls. Back her day, Vivian's mom was a Riot Grrrl (although now, her life is just going to work and -gasp!- dating a republican.) Going through her mom's box of old stuff, Vivian finds the inspiration she needs to take on the system.

Not that Vivian isn't hesitant about spreading her newly created Moxie Girl zine around school. She knows the risk. Girls are often subjected to greater scrutiny than the guys. She keeps the zine anonymous partly out of fear, but also because the Riot Grrrls had no true leader making the movement more organic.

When the zine is out, everyone is talking about it. Lucy, a new girl, who Vivian has seen be treated badly by the guys is excited about it. Claudia, Vivian's best friend...not so much. Maybe they should wait out their time until the graduate. Being an outsider, Lucy knows all schools aren't like this.

Vivian also has her eye on a new guy in school. Will he understand what she's trying to accomplish? As Vivian learns, starting a revolution is not easy. Maybe this book will inspire young women to fight a system that treats them as less than equal.

For more info check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham

Two voices in one town separated by decades, but connected by one tragic event, the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot.

Rowan is home when workmen find a skeleton on her family's property. Whoever the person was, they have been buried a long time. Rowan enlists her best friend to help find answers when the authorities do not see the case as a priority.

William is the son of a white father and a Native American mother living in racially charged Tulsa in 1921. His confrontation with an African American man who was speaking to a white woman sparks more anger in a city already on edge.

Rowan's and William's stories are told in alternating chapters. William struggles with the open racism he sees in others (including his father) and his contact with two young African Americans he grows to like. He also feels the sting of being called half breed and threatened by the obnoxious shop keeper who works across the street from his father's Victrola business.

Rowan, the child of a white father and African American mother, feels and sees racism in current society. Her parents are financially successful so when she starts working in a medical clinic in a low income area, her eyes are opened to the struggles of others.

This incredible story interweaves the past and present skillfully to show how much we have progressed as a society and how far we still have to go. Skin color is only that and has nothing to do with who people really are inside. Basing anything on people's skin tone is just wrong and has lead to too much pain and anguish. Rowan and William, seemingly unrelated, show that we are never that far removed from out past. I highly recommend this book. It is, sadly, very relevant to today's world.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Willowdean lives in a small Texas town known for its Miss Clover City beauty pageant. Her mom is a former winner. Willowdean has always hated the pageant - she does not have the physique of a 'beauty' queen, and she is really ok with that. Her mom on the other hand sees Willowdean's weight is a character flaw. So every year when it is pageant time, Willowdean braces herself while her mother dives deep into the preparations for the pageant as one of its directors.

It's not all about the pageant. First, there's Bo. He's the hot guy behind the grill at the hamburger joint where Willowdean works. He's been paying attention to her. When they kiss, Willowdean cannot figure out what someone like Bo would see in a fat girl like her.

Second, Willowdean is still not over the loss of her beloved aunt Lucy. She was not petite either and lived with Willowdean and her mom. Lucy shared her love of Dolly Parton with Willowdean. She had a bond with her aunt that she will never have with her mother.

Third, Willowdean's best friend Ellen seems to be drifting away. She has a new friend (who Willowdean can't stand) and a job at a 'skinney girls' store.

Willowdean decides to make a statement by joining the pageant. It turns out to be more difficult than she thought.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

Can rumors destroy you? Can your reputation be so ruined by others that you can no longer function? Alice was popular and now she is called a slut and shunned. One party started it all and the death of the star quarterback made it worse.

Alice lives in a small Texas town where football is everything. So when there is no game, what else is there to do. Parties are not those huge deals you see in the movies where hundreds of teens pack a house. Mostly, people (the popular upperclassmen and a select few of younger teens) hang out and drink. Occasionally, something big happens like at Elaine's party where Alice had sex with two guys in the same night. Brandon, one of the guys himself, said it, so it must be true.

Kelsie didn't go to the party (she was ill), but she has been Alice's best friend for...well, since she moved to Texas from Michigan. She was such a nerd back then and decided to start over in her new home. Alice was the first one to speak to her and they have been friends ever since - until the party. How could she risk losing her semi-popular status by staying linked to Alice the town slut?

Josh is Brandon's best friend. He was in the car when Brandon crashed and died. It was Alice's fault. She kept sexting him. It was that distraction that caused the crash. Josh can't keep that kind of info to himself, so now everyone in town knows (including the adults).

Kurt has been crushing on Alice for a long time. He is very smart and keeps to himself. Yes, he lives next door to Brandon, but Brandon would never admit to speaking to Kurt civilly (like he sometimes does when they are by themselves). And that's just fine with Kurt. He doesn't care about the rumors or whether they are true. He just wants to help Alice.

Through the alternating voices of Elaine, Kurt, Josh and Kelsie, we learn about the events leading up to the party and the accident. They each have their own motives and perspectives. What do they reveal and to whom? And is it too late for Alice.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

This has been on my radar for quite some time. I heard about it at a couple of conferences I attended, but didn't think much about it. Fortunately, a young person at my library recommended it to me, and I cannot wait to tell her how much I liked it.

Once again I found myself in the pages of a book. Ari, our narrator, says things that I have thought in my own head (and even said out loud to a few people). I always pause when I hit one of those lines. It is a moment of clarity and wonder. I am always surprised that others have felt the same way that I have. But enough about me...

Ari doesn't have any friends until he meets Dante. And he questions their friendship often (for a long time). Dante is so different. He seems so sure of things and thinks about life a unique way. Dante's father is a professor; his mother a therapist. They are outgoing and friendly. Ari's dad doesn't say much; he was in Vietnam and never talks about it. His mom is a teacher and more open with Ari, but she, too, keeps things locked inside. Neither talk about Ari's older brother who is in prison.

Ari wants nothing more than to know about his brother. He was just a child when his brother was incarcerated, so he has only possible memories of him. Ari wants someone to at least acknowledge that his brother exists.

With Dante, Ari's life is more interesting and frustrating at times. They are both growing and learning about themselves as tragedies happen and events separate them.

If it seems like I am being purposely vague, that would be because I am. I don't want to give anything away in this amazing story about these boys and their complex relationship with each other and their parents.

Books fascinate me. If you read enough and you are lucky, you might find one that speaks to you on levels you never could have imagined. This is one of those books for me.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog.

Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham

This is a nice story about friends trying to make up for lost time and hurt feelings. Four years ago when they were freshmen, Alice, Summer and Tiernan had a huge event that ended their long friendship. They were connected through their love of the boy band Level3. They spent time in broken down green VW bus (aka the Pea Pod) that sat in Alice's backyard. Over the years, the bus became an abandoned shrine to the band (who also broke up) and the girls' friendship with the numerous collages the created left behind on the bus's walls.

The timing is all too perfect for Alice when her parents fix up the bus and give it to her for graduation at the same time a one-time-only concert reunion is announced for Level3. Finding this out five minutes before the tickets go on sale, Alice impulsively orders three tickets secretly hoping she can get her former best friends to go. Oh and the concert is in Texas - at least a five day drive from her home in New England.

I think I can say without giving anything away that all three girls end up in the bus on the road. They each have their own reasons why. For the ex-friends who have not spoken to each other all through high school, it is bumpy road at best. There is the specter of the night of the winter dance when their relationship imploded haunting them, too. Not speaking about it strains even the best of moments on the trip.

To learn more about this book, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

Thou Shalt Not Road Trip by Antony John

I love a road trip. I love packing the car and heading out  from home to see things in other places. I would love to see more of Route 66 - all those historic and sometimes wacky sites. When Luke sets out on a road with his brother Matt, he has no idea that's the kind of road trip he is on. He believes he is on a tour for his inspirational book Hallelujah: A Sprititual Chronicle of a Sixteen-Year-Old St. Louisan.

Luke's book started as an assignment for his church's youth group and was quickly published. Partly due to his appearance on the Pastor Mike Show, his book is selling well. His agent has trusted Luke and his brother to make the trip from California back to Missouri making stops at book stores for appearances. Matt has other plans - he wants them to stop at tourist spots to experience Route 66. He also has invited his girlfriend and her sister, Fran, who also happens to be the friend Luke hasn't spoken to in a year ever since she dyed her hair purple and started dressing differently. The trip didn't spiral out of control for Luke; it started that way. 

The book tour becomes a spiritual journey for Luke. He faces his 'fans' who expect so much of him. He gets reacquainted with Fran who he used to know so well. He must deal with the words in the book that he's not sure he believes anymore. He also must deal with the press who are looking for a story .

For more about this book, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog or the author's site.