Today's the Day!

The day the Cybils shortlists are announced, of course! If you are reading this, that means the shortlists have been officially announced, and panelists can break the oath of silence we took during a special ceremony involving three chickens, a duck, and some curly fries. Well, maybe not, but if someone just got a story idea, that's all good. Make sure you also click over to Cybils.com to see what the other panels came up with. Like I mentioned, have your order cards ready! These are the best of the best, so you'll want to make sure your library has them all on hand!

It was incredibly hard to narrow our list of 182 YA titles down to 7, but here they are. Most we have already reviewed, so rather than rehash our take on them, click on the link below each to see what the author had to say!

In no particular order:

by Mark Shulman
Roaring Brook Press
978-1596434172

Click here  for a very funny commentary on where Scrawl came from.

by Tara Kelly
Henry Holt & Co.
978-0805090109

Here Kelly talks about the bliss - or not - of getting published.

by Swati Avashti
Knopf Books  for Young Readers
978-0375863400

We are still reeling from this book! Read here to see how Avashti is using her book's success to help victims of domestic violence. And to learn how to pronounce her name.

Courtney Summers
St. Martin's Griffin
978-0312573805

Amazing how we can like a book so much and hate most of the characters. Here is what Summers has to say about that!

by Lucy Christopher
The Chicken House
978-0545170932

Christopher actually just started blogging this past year, but there is still lots to see on her web site. Her Q&A section answers some of the questions we had about the book...and teases us with others.

by Erin McCahan
Arthur A. Levine Books
978-0545088183

We didn't find any commentary from McCahan about her book per se, but thought her blog was interesting - she does a thing called "The Saturday Seven" in whch she sums up her week in seven words. Hmm, we sense a challenge...

by Watt Key
Farrar, Strauss and Giroux
978-0374308636

Click here for a very interesting background to Dirt Road Home (and an explanation of why it wasn't just a sequel to Alabama Moon)

So, there they are! Seven books we are very glad we read, and recommend you do too!

Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly

by Tara Kelly
Henry Holt and Company
978-0-8050-9010-9

Sixteen-year-old, music- and sound design-obsessed Drea doesn’t have friends. She has, as she’s often reminded, issues. Drea’s mom and a rotating band of psychiatrists have settled on “a touch of Asperger’s.”

Having just moved to the latest in a string of new towns, Drea meets two other outsiders. And Naomi and Justin seem to actually like Drea. The three of them form a band after an impromptu, Portishead-comparison-worthy jam after school. Justin swiftly challenges not only Drea’s preference for Poe over Black Lab but also her perceived inability to connect with another person. Justin, against all odds, may even like like Drea.

It’s obvious that Drea can’t hide behind her sound equipment anymore. But just when she’s found not one but two true friends, can she stand to lose one of them?

A few posts back we talked about issues books - those that were centered around some sort of major issue faced by teens today. One of the big 'issues' that has been popular lately is autism or Asperger's Syndrome.

But, wait! This is not one of those! Yes, Drea is somewhere in the Aspergers spectrum, but we can say that just as we say she is a musician. Or that she has moved a lot. Or that her grandmother is crotchety. Oh, or that she is a teenager! All of those things are just a part of who she is, and while all of them contribute to her personality and struggles, none of them is the entire sum of who she is. That is just one of the many reasons we absolutely loved this book.

Kelly, in fact, says it even better in her author's note:

"I'd like to start off by saying that this book is not about defining Asperger's Syndrome (AS) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It's about one girl's story and experience - which I hope everyone (whether on the autistic spectrum or not) can relate to."

Teens can definitely relate to Drea's story - the struggle to make and keep friends, trying to fit in in a world that seems totally alien, first relationships, drugs, abuse, family problems, etc. Musicians will love the music aspect of the story, but non-musicians won't feel lost. And the cover! Doesn't that just make your hand automatically reach out to open it up and check the description?

Fantastic and refreshing addition to the YA shelves from yet another debut writer. We give it a

5 out of 5.