In Darkness by Nick Lake YP FIC LAKE

“Shorty” is no stranger to darkness.  Even before the earth swallowed him up it was a familiar companion in Haiti.  Now, after the quake, trapped under the rubble, it is all he has.  But when he hears a voice in the darkness it is not one he knows, but one that stretches across two hundred years of the past to reach him.  It is Toussaint L'Ouverture, a slave, a leader, a man that died in darkness like Shorty is certain he will die.  What is the hero of Haiti telling Shorty, and can it save him?

I picked this up because the cover is gorgeous and I love Nick Lake’s Blood Ninja series.  To call this a departure would be understatement.  This is a dark book about darkness and about how evil, poverty, and tyranny can destroy souls and entire nations.  The blend of contemporary Haiti and that of the past really works well to show the timelessness and universality of the message of the novel: that in the greatest darkness there is still hope even if it remains unseen.  I was very pleasantly surprised that an author that excels at action-horror could write such a serious and moving work.  I felt the fear and hopelessness in Shorty’s life and the darkness encroaching.  It’s rare that a writer can transport you to a place so different from your own life and Lake pulls it off remarkably.  I was really impressed that the jump between modern day and the past didn’t feel gimmicky; it really adds something to the book and makes it special. I recommend this to fans of both contemporary and historical fiction, because it handles both so well.  In Darkness may not be a “fun” read, but it is one you’ll be glad you read. 

You can check our catalog for In Darkness here.

Num8ers by Rachel Ward YP FIC WARD

Jem has seen the numbers since she was born, projected on her brain whenever she looks into someone’s eyes. But it wasn’t until the day her mom died of an overdose that she figured out what the numbers mean: the day the person will die. Knowing this, Jem tries to avoid meeting anyone’s gaze or forming any attachment, but a strange boy named Spider is slowly growing on her, which makes the fact he has only one month to live a constant pain for Jem. When spider and Jem are both near a horrible crime, they have to flee and Jem is determined to find a way to save Spider. But can anything beat the numbers?

This book is rough and tough stuff. Jem and Spider live in poverty in England and are surrounded by crime, drugs, and hopelessness. The novel works so well because Ward really brings these characters to life and lets the reader get to know their world without judging them or writing them off. Because the the novel feels so gritty and real it doesn’t really seem like Sci Fi even though Jem has a unique power. The fact that Jem tries so hard not to use it makes it all the more interesting when she does. I think this is a great read for fans of Ellen Hopkins (YP FIC HOPKINS) and Kevin Brooks (YP FIC BROOKS) or other authors that write stories about seriously troubled teens. This is not a super fun action read, but if you want something a little more serious and unique, give Num8ers a chance.

Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness: A Graphic Novel by Reinhard Kleist 782.421642 KLEIST

Johnny cash was the Man. The Man in Black to be more specific. This visual powerhouse, fittingly in stark black and white, tells the early rise and near death and destruction of one of music’s greatest outlaws. Spanning from an impoverished childhood, through his meteoric rise to stardom, to his near death and rebirth, Cash gained and lost love several times along the way and sang songs loved by generations of fans.

I am a gigantic fan of Cash and have so many of his albums, so I am very picky about fiction about Cash, but this book totally grabbed me. Even though as a huge super fan I knew every detail in the book the art and storytelling worked so well I read the whole thing in one sitting. I especially love the spots where Kleist illustrates songs of Johnny’s. Seeing A Boy Name Sue as a comic was a true highlight. This is an absolute must read for Cash fans ,casual or hardcore. I think anybody that like crazy rock star stories would also love this book, because Cash was tearing apart hotel rooms while the Stones were just kids (for our younger readers the Rolling Stones were a popular rock band your parents liked). If you like this book, you’d probably also like Johnny Cash’s insanely great music which we have several albums of (CD COUNTRY CASH) or the movie based on Johnny’s life Walk the Line (DVD WALK).

Punkzilla by Adam Rapp

Punkzilla is considered an epistolary novel, which is a story told through documents. In this case, Punkzilla’s (Jamie is his real name.) story is told through letters. He is conversing with his brother, Peter (referred to as “P”), who is dying of cancer. Jamie is writing to him on a bus on his way from Portland, Oregon to Memphis, Tennessee to see his brother before he dies. Jamie writes his brother of the adventures and experiences he has while on this cross-country journey. Travelling by bus is pretty sketchy, which is made abundantly clear based on the things Jamie sees while staying at seedy motels, stopped at eerie bus stations, and with the bevy of oddballs who accompany him on his journey. Jamie’s language is blunt, lucid, at times raw, but still poetic as he describes his current adventure and his memories. This is also an emotional journey for Jamie as he tries to reach his brother in time. The reader is fully in-tunes with his roller coaster of emotions as he travels across the country.

This book is dark, edgy, and contains some graphic content, which is typical of Adam Rapp’s work. I would recommend Punkzilla for older teens (Grades 10 & up).

Author Adam Rapp is a novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. Other books written by Rapp available in the Moore Young Adult collection are: Under the wolf, Under the Dog; 33 Snowfish; Little Chicago, The Buffalo Tree; and Missing the Piano.

Chris Crutcher

Chris Crutcher has been on the YA radar since his first stories and novels came out in the late Seventies. Combining rigorous athletic scenarios with emotionally charged characters confronting real life issues, Crutcher's books are widely accessible to all readers even if a more immediate audience may be found among junior high and high schoolers. Any reader can't miss with these three sure-to-entertain books, some of his most vividly dramatic works.

Staying Fat for Sarah Barnes
A senior star on his high school's swim team, Eric Calhoune still carries around emotional scars from his days as the fat kid; 'morbidly obese' to be precise, which is why he's still called "Moby" by almost everyone. Even with all that's going for him now, the experiences of scorn and derision seem destined to abide within him, constantly reminding him of past abuse and perpetually taunting his still frail well-being. Eric's never had to bear it alone, though; his life-long friend Sarah Byrnes has her own scars, albeit of a more externalized nature. Burned in an accident years ago Sarah bears wounds that can never be hidden or removed, a condition making her and Eric virtual by-proxy soulmates from childhood on. Now with Sarah back in the hospital for what could be the last time, Eric is left to confront--alone--the issues within himself, his relationship with Sarah and the truth about the "accident" which stole their innocence so long ago.

Stotan!
Walker Dupree and three of his closest friends and teammates take up the challenge offered by their swim coach to undergo a week of extreme training in preparation for their upcoming season. By the end they're bodies, not to mention they're mental stamina, will have sustained the utmost in physical exertion, each worthy to assume the title of "Stotan"--cross between stoic and spartan. Candidly, Walker narrates not only the undeniably grueling workouts each day (full 24 hrs) entails, but the mutual camaraderie and loyalty achieved amidst the near-torture-level experience. More than just bodily limitations and a winning season are at stake, however, as the power of this friendship must endure not only a brutal training regimen, but the impending fate of one among them who's currently battling leukemia.

Chinese Handcuffs
Nearly a year after his brother Preston's suicide, eighteen-year-old Dillon still can't come to grips with the absence, not to mention the details surrounding the incident in question. To cope with his grief and outlet other frustrations, he trains year round for triathlons, periodically entering competitions held near his isolated home in the Pacific northwest. Sweat can only vanquish so much though, which is why its good that Dillon can rely on girlfriend Jennifer, herself a star on the basketball court, to stand beside him in spirit if not uphold him with attitude. Ultimately resolving to seek answers regarding his brother's death, Dillon must fight through the obstinacy of his parents and apathy of authorities in finding out the real reason for Preston's "suicide". Simultaneously, he must support Jennifer as she confronts her own repressed trauma in the form of her father's abuse.

Saint Iggy / by K.L. Goings

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High-minded claims of a disadvantaged youth would be hard-pressed to top Iggy Corso. Had by a crack-addict mother, his prospects were dim even prior his birth; having only depreciated with age as the destructive lifestyles of his derelict parents have kept him underfunded, undernourished and undereducated; not to mention under constant harassment from landlords, thieves and drug-dealers (his parents absent or indisposed most of the time). Life away from home is just as bad. Held back twice, suspended eight times and currently failing for a third consecutive term, Iggy's impending interview with the school superintendent is his last chance before he's kicked out for good.

Realizing his only chance for "any" future is to stay in school, Iggy resolves to make the most of things, seeking out his only reliable friend, Mo, for support. A drug user by profession, Mo is anything but Iggy's social equal; hailing from a wealthy upper-class background, his situation is one of choice obstinacy rather than misfortune. A law school dropout, his "minimalist" lifestyle--not unsimilar to Iggy's--would workout well were it not for his drug habit landing him in financial straits (debts to dealers); a problem now forcing him into the undesirable task of asking his mother for money. An entirely new dilemna now emerges for Iggy as, having accompanied Mo across town to his mom's grandiose apartment, he's made the buffer between a resentful Mo and his fearful but forgiving mother.

Less Than Zero / by Bret Easton Ellis

Winter break brings 19-year-old Clay home from his first semester back east. The son of wealthy LA ‘people’, his life and that of his equally over-privileged friends seamlessly yields back to the partying, out-on-the-edge days before college. But mirth is lost on a dissolute Clay as drowning in his own solitary void, his numbness to the high-times is only compounded by the ugly depravity of his once-closest friends.

American Psycho (both book and movie) made Ellis a cult icon but Less Than Zero first acknowledged him as a voice for Generation X. Published in 1985, the novel stirred controversy with its revelation of California’s drug culture and some its most loyal patrons--children of LA’s wealthy upper-crust. Perpetually aware but never surprised, Ellis’ style is essentially devoid of emotion. Clay’s world is one without hope, without feeling where characters exist below the surface. No action is interpreted and reactions are never personalized with Clay's own reflections remaining far from the plot's content, focusing instead on distant memories from the past. Despite this, or perhaps even because of it, Clay’s character is still felt by the book’s end.

Ironic Footnote: This book was made into a 1987 movie starring Robert Downey Jr.

Riding in Cars With Boys / by Beverly D'Onofrio

Adversity is the trial of principle. -- Henry Fielding

So it goes with Beverly Donofrio, a bad girl who makes good in this memoir of an early-life crisis. Pregnant at 16, she rode the downward spiral for some time before things finally improved. Here she shamelessly chronicles her life as a high school dropout, parental reject, early bride, wife of a junkie, divorced teenage mom, hippie chick, liberated woman, drug user/dealer, and welfare recipient. Only after a nervous breakdown (of sorts) does she acclimate herself to a better life; growing and learning life's lessons even as her son, Jason, matures with her.

You can't spell memoir without "me" (or moi), an all-too-ironic nuance of this book which practically begins each sentence with "I" or "My" and ends in an angry expletive. With no shortage of attitude Donofrio entertains even as she self-evaluates going so far as to infuriate her own (real life) parents at the time of publication. Drew Barrymore stars in the 2001 film adaptation that won several independent film awards.