SHOCKTOBER Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green YP FIC GREEN

Truth or Dare?  It's just a stupid game, right?  Not for Tenley, Caitlin, or Sydney it isn't.  Sure it started as a game, but when they start receiving messages that if they want their most painful  'truths' hidden they'll have to complete more and more dangerous dares, they realize it's deadly serious.

This is a very twisty and exciting thriller from a debut author.  The novel starts off fairly quickly with the basic set up, but takes its time revealing the dark secrets of our three protagonists. Splitting between their viewpoints is a good way to keep the reader more in the loop than the heroines and build tension.  Green really populates her novel with plenty of characters that are more than just set dressing.  It makes the book more than just a Pretty Little Liars knock off, and something special of its own.  It has a great 'just one more chapter' quality that kept me flying through its close to 400 pages! I think there are enough reversals and false clues to keep most readers guessing, but even if you DO figure out the culprit...YOU DON'T!  The book ends with a twist cliffhanger that means you'll have to wait for a sequel to unlock more secrets...if you dare!  

You can find Truth or Dare in our catalog here.

Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler YP FIC KESSLER

 “The day Melissa Miller killed her cat, she met the Angel of Death.  Except he was no angel-and he wasn’t there for the cat.”

Melissa “Missy” Miller cuts herself to drown out the other pain.  The pain of loneliness, sadness, and humiliation are way worse than the pain of her blade.  But when she cuts too deep and meets Death he has a job for her: War.  She takes her blade and uses it for a sword, able to take her rage and ignite in others.  Will she be able to keep from turning the sword on herself?

This is the sequel to Kessler’s Hunger, which takes an anorexic and makes her into Famine.  That was a very good book, but I liked Rage even better.  It takes a realistic look at self harm and depression and twists things by adding a supernatural element.  This works because Kessler keeps us invested in Missy’s pain and believe her transformation into War.  This is an unflinching and tough read.  Missy goes through enormous pain and the scenes of cutting are detailed and possibly triggering for someone that actually has issues with self harm.  However, for people interested in knowing more about cutting and want something very different this is a unique and satisfying winner.  For more books about self-harm try Scars by C.A. Rainfield (YP FIC RAINFIEL) or Cut by Patricia McCormick (YP FIC MCCORMIC).  

For non-fiction you can check out:

Inside a cutter's mind : understanding and helping those who self-injure 616.8582 CLARK

Cutting : understanding and overcoming self-mutilation616.8582 LEVENKRO

Helping teens who cut : understanding and ending self-injury 618.928582 HOLLANDE

Or go to : http://ulifeline.org/main/page/224/Cutting?gclid=COahk5CzxasCFUXs7QodOwFe8w

1 800 273-TALK (8255)

Heart Transplant by Andrew Vachss Illustrated by Frank Caruso YP FIC VACHSS

“People love the movies. They worship them like their some sort of god. But what good is a god you can’t believe in?”

The movies always show the outsider kid win in the end. They get the girl or boy, show their value to the school and hailed a hero, but this isn’t a movie. So all Sean, the ‘hero’ gets is bullied and humiliated. When his mother and her new boyfriend are murdered he finds someone who believes in him for the first time. Pop isn’t really his grandfather but takes him in anyway and teaches him how to stand up for what he believes in and himself.

This is an amazingly powerful graphic novel. It is an unwaveringly honest look at bullying and its effects, but also a look at how to overcome it. Frank Caruso’s art looks like a mix of old 70s cartoons and the gritty realism of Will Eisner. It makes the book feel like a storybook for grown up kids. The story of the Sean and Pop is a real punch to the stomach. The kid’s life is near constant turmoil and pain, but he just grimly moves forward without much hope or joy. Pop slowly teaches him about pride, strength, and love all without ever preaching or lecturing. This book shows bullying very realistically except for the aftermath of the kid’s violent solution to address the bullying. In real life, Sean would almost certainly be in jail or at least targeted for violent retribution. So the book doesn’t have any real solutions to the bullying problem, but it is a striking and moving story about overcoming your past and family.

Blank Confession by Pete Hautman YP FIC HAUTMAN

Shayne Blank walks into the police station and says that he’s killed somebody. That’s where his story begins, but there’s also Mikey’s story about what happened with Shayne, Mikey’s sister, and her psychopath drug dealing boyfriend on the roof. Dig deeper and find the truth that hides beneath the surface.

This is a really great short read. The story is told in alternating chapters by two narrators: the detective interviewing Shayne and Mikey. Mikey is a really well rounded, funny character and he drives the story and makes the book richer and deeper. Shayne really is a blank, but that’s intentional. The author leaves Shayne hard to figure out, because the book is about how people should always look more deeply at other people. It really pays off, because the book has a lot of suspense, humor throughout, and a very worthwhile climax. If you like gritty and realistic fiction with well written characters, check this one out.