Shine by Lauren Myracle

When 16 year old Cat's former best friend Patrick is found beaten, unconscious and tied to a gas pump at the gas station where he worked, everyone in rural Black Creek, NC assumes it was local college students that put Patrick in a coma because he refused to sell him alcohol and that it had nothing to do with the fact that he is openly gay. Cat, however, knows that's not what happened. She has drifted apart from Patrick and her other friends in the last few years but she's determined to find out exactly what happened to Patrick that night. As Cat begins to investigate, she turns up twisted relationships, shocking evidence and disturbing memories. This book is raw and gritty and at times difficult to read but it will definitely have you turning the pages and second guessing yourself! I highly recommend this for anyone who loves a good mystery with rough characters.

Free Comic Book Day

Free Comic Book Day is being held at comic stores across the country this Saturday 5/7! Free Comic Book Day is a single day - the first Saturday in May each year - when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely FREE to anyone who comes into their stores. Find a store participating near you!

For the Win by Cory Doctorow

Cory Doctorow (you might know him as the author of Little Brother) is back with this fast-paced story about a group of teenagers from around the world who work in harsh conditions playing for virtual gold in several different massively multiplayer online role-playing games. Their bosses then turn around and sell the virtual gold for real money, very little of which these "gold farmers" ever see. That is until the mysterious Big Sister Nor brings these teens together, convincing them to unionize and bring their virtual sweatshops to a halt. This book is action packed (in the real and virtual world) as the gamers take on corrupt local bosses, social indifference, crooked cops and big business. You don't have to be a MMPORPG lover or a future economics major to love For the Win but both of those things would make this book perfect for you!

New in May!

• What Happened to Goodbye- Sarah Dessen
• Shimmer- Alyson Noel
  
• Beauty Queens- Libba Bray
  
• Everfound- Neil Shusterman
  
• Dead is Not and Option- Marlene Perez
  
• Cryptic Cravings- Ellen Schreiber (Vampire Kisses)
  
• Bitter End- Jennifer Brown
  
• The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group- Catherine Jinks
• Between Here and Forever- Elizabeth Scott
  

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

The trailer for the last Harry Potter movie is here!

Children's Choice Book Award 2011

Voting has begun for this years Children's Choice Book Awards! The Children's Choice Book Awards is the only national book awards program where the winning titles are selected by children and teens of all ages. The nominees for the teen category are determine by TeenRead.com readers. The site asks readers to write in their nominee for best book of the year. The list in compiled and the top 5 vote getters became the award nominees.

This year, the nominees are:

• Burned (House of Night, Book 7) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
• Fang (A Maximum Ride Novel) by James Patterson
• Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins
• Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy, Book 5) by Richelle Mead
• Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Cast your vote by tomorrow at http://www.bookweekonline.com/voting/7-12.

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

In Megan McCafferty’s new novel, Bumped, everyone in the world has contracted a virus that causes infertility after the age of 18, making teen pregnancies the only way to continue civilization. Chapters alternate between twins Melody and Harmony, separated at birth and just meeting for the first time. Melody has become the first “Reproduction Professional,” or “RePro”, in her school. She has a contract to “bump” and produce a baby for a wealthy couple. Harmony has recently run away from her religious enclave in order to convince Melody to break her contract and embrace God instead. In a case of mistaken identity, Harmony intercepts the news the Melody will “bump” with the world’s most famous surrogate father and the plot (and a huge mess!) unfolds from there. Each twin begins to doubt their motives and original plans.

I think you’re going to love this book! It’s fast-paced and upbeat (if you can call a dystopia upbeat!) and once you get the hang of all the slang it’s a quick read. The end is a bit of cliff-hanger though so you’ll have to wait for Book #2 for the conclusion!