Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe by Preston Norton

Cliff's older brother, Shane, is dead. Shane is the only thing Cliff care's about. He doesn't care about school or his stupid classmates. His dad is abusive, and his mom is his dad's enabler. Basically, Cliff's life sucks.

Sometimes when nothing feels right, Cliff goes to the Monolith, a tall abandoned never finished seven story office building in his small town. He and his brother used to go there, and hang out on a top floor balcony.  But now, Cliff goes by himself.

Cliff is a big, physically big. So big that his nickname is Neanderthal. He is called a lot of things by classmates who think they are so clever. He is not afraid to throw punches if necessary. He does just that against Aaron Zimmerman the popular quarterback. Cliff hates Aaron.

So imagine Cliff's astonishment (and skepticism) when Aaron tells him (after waking from a coma - NOT caused by Cliff)  that he saw God. Not only that, God gave Aaron a list and wants Cliff to help him make their high school a better place. It's a nice goal, but why would Cliff want to help Aaron do anything?

Maybe Cliff and Aaron can change their small part of the world. Maybe Cliff can discover more about his brother. And maybe not everyone at school hates Cliff like he thinks they do.

Interesting characters and an intriguing plot make this a worthwhile read.

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

Dear Rachel Maddow by Adrienne Kisner

Brynne idolizes political commentator, Rachel Maddow. So when she is forced to write to a famous person for an assignment, she chooses Rachel. The thing is Brynne keeps e-mailing Rachel with all the details of her life.

So what is going in Brynne's life? First off, her parents are horrible (particularly her stepdad). Not just typical 'my parents suck' horrible. They really treat Brynne terribly. Second, her brother, the only person who she could depend on, died. Third, her grades plummeted after his death and she ends up in the remedial (and literal basement) classes. Which also means she got kicked off the newspaper staff. Oh, and her girlfriend broke up with her.

As her junior year continues, Brynne becomes annoyed with Adam who believes only honor students should represent the school on student council (no surprise, he is an honor student). Adam is also not above using questionable tactics to win. Brynne does not want to involve herself, but cannot stand the thought of Adam winning knowing he does not care about the other students (like herself and her fellow basement dwellers).

Brynne tells us her story through the e-mails to Rachel. She is young woman full of angst and self doubt. We hope she finds her way in spite of her own misgivings about her worth and abilities. It's a serious story with humor thrown in. I hope Rachel Maddow enjoyed it as much as I did.

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