Delirium
Lauren Oliver
Love kills. It’s a good thing that there’s a cure.
Lena can’t wait until her eighteenth birthday when she can undergo the government-mandated cure for Amor Deliria Nervosa, the condition that goes hand-in-hand with love. According to The Safety, Health, and Happiness Handbook (more commonly referred to as The Book of Shhh) love is dangerous primarily because it “affects your mind so that you cannot think clearly, or make rational decisions about your own well-being.” Delirium is the reason Lena’s mother is dead, and she’s counting down the rest of the 95 days left until her procedure. “The cured, incapable of strong desire, are thus rid of both remembered and future pain.” No pain = happiness. Therefore, delirium of love = unhappiness.
But what happens when Lena begins to test the limits of what she’s been told by society? What happens when she begins to question everything that she’s been raised to believe? What happens when she decides that she wants to feel passionately and freely. Isn’t the pleasure of love worth any amount of pain and sacrifice? Heart-wrenching, thought-provoking, and absolutely enthralling, Lauren Oliver’s sophomore effort is recommended to all high school readers. And when you’re finished reading this one, check out Before I Fall, too.
Will Supervillains Be on the Final?
Naomi Novik
Leah is a superhero prodigy and there is a lot of pressure on her as she begins classes at Liberty Vocational. Liberty is a special college for superheroes to master their powers, and Leah’s acceptance into the school at sixteen is pretty exceptional. Leah just wants to be accepted (and maybe noticed by the cute guy in her dorm!), but her lack of control over the use of her powers keeps causing trouble for her. The reader learns that there is a supervillain in their midst — isn’t there always? — who happens to be an arch-rival of the school’s adviser. Armed with her roommate and one friend, will Leah be able to figure out who the bad guys are, and control her powers so that she can become a force for good?
Predictable and safe, filled with the character types of traditional manga, this book is sure to please manga readers, but might not be quite as popular with comic book and superhero aficionados. And yet, though I didn’t expect it, this book became my superFUN read of the summer! Recommended to all ages and readers of all types, especially as an introduction to a format with which “traditional” readers might be uncomfortable.
The Cowgirl Way : Hats off to America’s women of the West
Holly George-Warren
The Cowgirl Way is a pretty exciting history of famous, inspiring, and incredibly brave women who traveled and settled the Old West, who were Wild West show girls, rodeo stars, movie stars, and even dangerous outlaws and rebels. Starting with the notoriety of Calamity Jane, through the Annie Oakley movies of the 1950’s, and bringing readers right up to present-day Cowgirl Halls of Fame and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, this is an account of true stories, sensationalized tales, and honest struggles of women who have solidified the image of strength, fashion, and fearlessness of the historical and modern cowgirl.
Far from dry, the content and images found on these pages are nothing short of fascinating. A great read for all ages and interests; this book might even inspire readers to seek out more reading, classic movies, and updated biographies to learn more!
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Katherine Vasilik, A/YA Librarian
J. F. Kennedy Library
Piscataway, NJ
telephone: 732-463-1633 x6
email: kvasilik@piscatawaylibrary.org or kate_thelibrarian@yahoo.com
blog: http://katethelibrarian.blogspot.com
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