Chasing Starlight by Teri Bailey Black

In the 1938, the glamour of Hollywood is in full swing. But Kate does not want to be there. And when gets there, it is certainly not all that glamorous. Kate would rather be in San Francisco living with her aunt and going to school where she dreams of being an astronomer (not a normal career for a woman in that time). 

Yet, here is Kate off to live with her grandfather, dashing film star of the silent movie era. Her parents are dead (an event that will haunt her for the rest of her life), and her aunt is marrying some man who despises Kate. Her grandfather's career is long over, so she finds him living in his run down mansion taking in boarders (wannabe actors, mostly) to make some money. 

Kate knows a proper young lady cannot live with bunch of strange men, but at first she has little choice. Her grandfather (who hasn't left the house in years) is happy to have her stay so he can know her better. And the boarders aren't so bad; in fact, two of the young men are quite handsome and charming in their own ways. 

As things start to look up, Kate finds one of the boarders stabbed to death in the kitchen. She finds herself suspecting everyone, so she becomes an amateur sleuth hoping not to get caught by the killer who may be living under the same roof. 

The focus of the story is the murder, but it is more than just a murder mystery. The old Hollywood setting is cool. Through Kate, we see that behind the scenes Hollywood is not so magical. There are several story lines happening that help elevate the characters beyond stereotypes. Kate could easily have been written as a snob (the refined woman forced to live below her standards), but she is more unsure of herself and where she belongs. Really interesting characters and story that keeps moving. 

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

Going Off Script by Jen Wilde

Lately, I have read several books with strong young women characters who are tired of being pushed around and decide (although often reluctantly) to fight back even if it means sacrificing something important to them. And so we have Bex.

Bex arrives in Los Angeles to pursue her dream of being a television writer. She has grown up poor in a small town in Washington. She has landed an internship on her favorite show Silver Falls (full of teens and werewolves). Some aspects of the job are amazing - working with the show's stars, seeing the sets and possibly meeting her first love. Other things...Well, Hollywood is a tough place sometimes. The show runner, Malcolm, is moody and uptight and has no respect for interns. He is, however, willing to take the script Bex wrote and put his name on it. Ya, he is a major jerk of unspeakable proportions.

Included with the tension of her new job, Bex is struggling to come out to her cousin, Parker, who she is staying with. He is gay, too, but she doesn't want to appear to be imitating him (as she has been accused in the past). The fact that she has never come out to anyone only adds to her nervousness. But this is LA, and she's away from home. And there is this stunningly beautiful social media star that Bex meets at a party. Could Bex ever hope to have the Shrupty Padwal as her first girlfriend?

Fighting for your dreams is hard, as Bex finds out. She has people who support her, so she is not as alone as she sometimes feels. After all, you can't change the world all by yourself.

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

Hope and Other Punch Lines by Julie Buxbaum

Abbi survived the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. That day was Abbi's first birthday. She is Baby Hope captured in a famous photograph holding a red balloon and being carried by a fleeing woman. That photo has become a symbol of hope.

But Abbi is not really Baby Hope. She was that baby, but now she is 15 and does not feel connected to the photo. At this point in her life, she just wants to put it behind her.

Noah wants to know more about that day. He is interested in the other people in the photo who are running in the back ground. He feels it is fate that he and Abbi end up working at the same summer camp as counselors. Maybe he can get her to help him find the others and interview them. Her involvement will give his project credibility. Noah's best friend Jack thinks the whole idea is stupid.

Told in the alternating voices of Abbi and Noah, we learn how each is coping with the day that changed the world. Will Abbi get the illness that has already taken so many 9/11 survivors? Why is Noah so interested in the other people? Why does his mom never talk about his dad who died in the attack that day?

Those of us old enough to remember September 11 do not need reminders. But younger people should know what happened that day and understand why the aftermath will reverberate for generations. This story does a good job of bringing the horror and sadness of the day without recreating the actual events. Readers can experience the personal loss through these characters.

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

Cuckoo by Keren David

Jake is an actor on the incredibly popular soap opera, Market Square. In one episode, his character Riley goes up the stairs to his bedroom and never comes back down. Jake (and Riley) are left in limbo. Will his character ever return to the show? The producers keep telling him they haven't decided. Jake, now 16, has been playing Riley since he was a child. So what is he supposed to do?

Jake decides to shoot video episodes of his own life and post them on the internet to let the world know why his missing character ultimately led to the end of the show (yes, the show was pulled off the air!). Some fans just want to know what was going to happen to other characters, but Jake has a story that goes beyond his character Riley.

Jake wants to be an actor, so he keeps going to auditions. He is not just desperate to get his career on track but to financially assist his family. Three years ago, Jake's dad lost his job. His mental state has become increasingly unraveled in the months that Jake has been off the show. Jake's older brother, Adam, is severely autistic, a situation that strains everyone. Their mom works some, but the family is in a financial crisis. Eventually, Jake cannot take it anymore and leaves home.

We follow the story through the episodes with Jake's fellow actors taking the parts of his family and friends. This is not about a famous actor losing his job, but a deeper look at a family that has spiraled out of control. And it is told very well.

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

The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever by Jeff Strand

Justin, Gabe and Bobby have been making short horror movies for a while. When things fall apart on their most recent one, they decide to make an epic movie, one to stand among the best. They will make the greatest zombie movie ever. OK, so they have no money, no actors and only two months to do it (Gabe is leaving for the summer so they have to get done before the end of school). What could go wrong?

The first order of business is finding the perfect lead actress. Alicia is the best choice except for the fact that she is Justin's major crush. She agrees to the part but wants to see the script. No problem she is told. They will show it to her on Monday. They have a whole weekend to write the script - they each can write a third. It is totally worth not sleeping and possibly failing a test to make the greatest zombie movie ever.

As you can imagine, further complications happen causing many compromises along the way. An obnoxious birthday party clown, Bobby's crazy uncle, a male lead who has way too much chemistry with Alicia, an angry principal, broken equipment, a few injuries and one house destroying fire are not enough to make them stop the production. But Gabe begins to question whether they are really still trying to achieve their goal.

Three good friends and lots of humorous situations make for a quick, fun read.

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

Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer

Another book with a reality show in it. I swear I'm not looking for them - I just keep coming across them and thinking they sound interesting. In this case, four students are frustrated by how much the show has invaded their school.

Luke is fed up with For Art's Sake, a show that a pits a select few Selwyn Academy (a prestigious arts school) students against each other for the prize of a scholarship. Each week, the show ends with a competition where the contestants perform in their chosen medium (dance, drama, music).

Jackson, Elizabeth and Ethan (our narrator) follow their friend Luke into a plot to discredit the show and demonstrate how it has nothing to do with creating art and everything to do with making money. They suspect the school administration is benefiting financially at the cost of school's prestigious reputation.

In addition to the financial issues, they hope to bring to light other problems with the show. Luke decides to write a satirical, biting long poem that the group distributes in an underground publication (called the Contracantos) designed by Elizabeth that also includes Ethan's drawings. They also investigate the possibility that the show is scripted. Hopefully, someone will listen to them.

On top of the fact that their plans seem to get them nowhere, Ethan has a crush on Maura, the star of the show. As part of their scheme, he does get to talk to her, and in the process discovers she is being used by the show's producers. They are taking advantage of the fact that she is willing to do whatever it takes to be a successful professional dancer. How do you take down a show without killing the dreams of your classmates?

Poet Ezra Pound is a central part of this story. Introduced in their English class, his work inspires them. I mention this because within the pages of this story you will find a poem that perplexed me when I read it in high school. I mean no disrespect to poetry lovers, but this one was just not for me. I include it here in its entirety:
                        The apparations of these faces in the crowd;
                        Petals on a wet, black bough. 

Imagine my shock when I saw this poem after all these years. I was mostly confused by its brevity, but I will say I have never forgotten it.

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

The Benefactor by Erin Fry

I don't really watch reality shows, but it is impossible not to know about them and know how they are work. With this story, we get a behind the scenes look at a show that pits eight high school students against each other for a chance to win a scholarship to one of the top schools in the country.

So you know the set up - contestants live in a house together (in this case, boys and girls in separate houses) and compete in a series of tasks after which someone is sent home.

We follow each contestant and the shows creator through its first season. The four boys and four girls each have a compelling reason for wanting the scholarship. For example, Tyrell hurt himself playing football. We know what contestants are thinking and how they are playing the game. We also know that creator (who is unknown to the public) has doubts and struggles he must deal with also.

This story could have been filled with cliche student characters (the jock, the brainy kid, the rebel - think The Breakfast Club), but the teens are more complex which is quite a feat for a relatively short book with so many characters.

I've read a few books recently with reality shows as a part of the story. They usually address how being on the show has messed up the participants. This one has a more positive take on the contestants and its creator. As with actual reality shows, the suspense comes with the question of who will survive to the end. Who will make a mistake and get kicked off? Knowing the characters back stories make the questions all the more compelling. This is a fun quick read with some interesting characters and is probably better than any actual reality show.

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

The F--- It List by Julie Halpern

I don't have a bucket list - you know, a list of things you want to accomplish before you 'kick the bucket.' It's not that I've done everything I have ever wanted to. I just don't feel the need to write these things down. Becca, on the other hand, has been making a list for a long time, but now is the time for her to act...

Becca has cancer. The prognosis for recovery is good, but why take chances? Knowing she will be sick and too weak to work on her list, she gives it to her best friend Alex to do some of it for her. 'Bucket list' is too morbid (especially since Alex knows Becca is not going to die), so they call it the F--- It List.

It's unfortunate that Alex went to the first day of school not knowing anything about Becca's condition. They had a falling out (over a guy) and had not spoken all summer. And Alex could have used her best friend since she was dealing with the sudden death of her father.

We follow Alex through her life coping with her father's death, her friend's cancer (and treatment which is sometimes worse than the disease) and Leo, a guy she may be dating but not exactly. The time with Leo makes Alex's life more complicated for many reasons, one in particular is that Alex feels guilty for having fun while Becca has lost her social life, her strength, her appetite and her beautiful hair. Alex loses herself in horror films dreaming of the day when she can make her own.

This story is not about completing items on the list. That occurs, but it does not drive the story as much as Alex's relationships with the people in her life.  Alex and Becca both need each other and it comes through in their conversations. They are funny, honest and sometime harsh.

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

The Extra by Kathryn Lasky

Stories about Holocaust victims never have happy endings. I'm not referring literally to the ending of this book - it may or may not have a happy outcome (read it to find out). Even if the characters survive and outlive their persecutors, their lives are filled with the death and disappearances of their family and friends. So many times, they never know what happened to these people. They were taken away on trains or just disappeared one night, never to return. It was a horrific time.

Lilo is a Gypsy, a largely misunderstood population. She does not belong to a roaming caravan. She lives in a house and goes to school. Her father repairs watches and her mother sews the finest lace. And she lives in Austria at the time of the Third Reich.

Gypsies were rounded up like so many others who did not meet Hitler's standards for human existence. They were imprisoned, starved,  tortured and killed. Lilo hopes her dad's work for prominent people will save her family, but one night they are taken from their home to a camp. Before long, Lilo and her mother are chosen to be extras in a movie made by Leni Riefenstahl, Hitler's favorite director. They do not experience the glamour of movie making; they are nothing more that film slaves who could be killed for doing something wrong as easily as anyone in a concentration camp.

Sometimes Lilo's life is so crushingly hopeless that she is afraid to feel anything for a clever boy named Django. He teaches her how to gather information that is helpful to their survival. How can she allow her heart to be open to anyone when she may never see her own family again?

Lilo's story is loosely based on a real girl who was a stand in for the real Leni Riefenstahl. It is a story of contrasts and juxtaposition as the actors dress in fine clothes and eat wonderful food while the extras dress in rags and are given little to eat. For Lilo, it is all fake and she can only hope that one day she can return to her real life.

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

Manicpixiedreamgirl by Tom Leveen

Confession time: I had crushes on girls when I was in high school. Big shock, huh? Did I ever tell them? A few times, but mostly I did not. I had no clue about talking to girls. But at least I didn't get totally obsessed with one like Tyler does in this story.

Tyler falls for a girl the first time he sees her in the cafeteria his freshman year. He is fixated on her and doesn't even know her name for a long time until another girl tells him. OK, two things - one, her name is Becky (not Becca); two, the girl who tells Tyler her name eventually becomes his girlfriend (and her name is Syd).

Now that might not be a complication if Tyler had gotten over Becky after he started dating Syd and if he had ever told Becky how he felt. He did neither and Syd knows it. Even Tyler's friends know how he feels. He goes through his whole time in high school and never tells Becky how he feels even after he becomes friends with her. And even when she doesn't live up to his imagined version of her, he still cannot stop his utter fascination with her.

It's a quick read with interesting characters - some you may even identify with.

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

Flash Point by Nancy Kress

When I first picked this up, I thought it was going to be lots of action sequence where teens are trying to 'survive' different games for a television show. It turned out to be much more than that.

We meet Amy in a world after the Collapse that cause a melt down of the economy. Many things have changed as a result - like 16 years old being the legal age. In search of a job so she can support her ailing grandmother (a scientist who lost her job) and younger sister (a gorgeous 15 year old with a penchant for shoplifting), Amy applies for a position with a television station. Thinking it is a job behind the scenes, she is surprised to learn that she will be on a reality show where viewers can win money by predicting how the teens will behave in created scenarios. The money and medical benefits for her grandmother are too good to turn down (not to mention the contract Amy already signed).

Amy finds herself (along with 5 others) in partially computer generated scenarios that can happen anytime and anywhere. Some are innocuous, but as stakes get higher (and ratings become worrisome) the scenarios take a darker turn. The person is in charge of the show, Myra, has no problem exploiting her new television stars. The television station is also purchased by a controversial company that draws protesters and serious threats to Amy and the others.

And speaking of the others...there is Cai, a really hot guy who Amy is immediately drawn to; Waverly, a beautiful and rich aspiring actress who seems only concerned about herself; Rafe, a geeky nice guy; Violet, a dancer who is friendly to Amy; Tommy, the one who shouldn't be there at all due to his decreased mental capacity; and Lynn, a mostly forgettable person (for reasons I cannot give away). Just for a bonus - there is Kaylie, Amy's younger sister, who is more than willing to draw any attention to herself and fight with her sister.

A lot happens in this story - perhaps too much sometimes. Still, it is fascinating to wonder where this society is going, where the television show is going, and where these characters' lives are going.

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

Jenna & Jonah's Fauxmance by Emily Franklin & Brendan Halpin

This book has the pinkest cover of any book I have ever read. Not that I choose books based on their covers. When I look for a book, I want a premise that is different. In this one, Charlie and Fielding (aka Aaron) have spent the last four years on a popular Disney-style show. On the show, they portray Jenna & Jonah, two average high school students (and next door neighbors) who are secretly world famous rock stars. To keep interest in the show alive, they must also pretend to be in love off screen even though they have truly grown tired of each other.

When we enter the story, Charlie and Fielding are not sure if their show will be cancelled or not. They are strolling along on a beautiful California day acting all romantic for the paparazzi cameras that they know are out there. They have given up everything just to be in the popular show and the tension is high between them but must remain a secret. Something happens that changes everything and forces them to prove something to the world and each other.

This book took a different direction than I was expecting, but I still liked it. If you are looking for a nice quick read, I recommend it.

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