28. The It Chicks

The It Chicks (Tia Williams, 2007)

Wow, this is an engrossing story. The title is a little misleading because the story focuses on more than just the "It Chicks," including other people in their orbit. In fact, I'd argue that Tangie, the central character, is less concerned with being one of the popular girls than she is with dancing. That's pretty refreshing.

The story begins with Tangie's first day at Armstrong, a selective performing arts high school in Manhatten, where she is going to major in dance. There's a lot jam-packed into the book, which just covers the first week of school. Tangie's best friend, Skye, got into the school a year before Tangie, and is one of the cool girls. Izzie, another new girl Tangie befriends, is kind of an outsider who the It Chicks find threatening. Tangie is a strong character who stands up for her unique new friend when other girls make fun of her. She also realizes that Skye is really self-involved and not a good friend, but doesn't abandon her. This character is such a nice change from the girls I've been reading about in young adult novels. She makes mistakes and has some insecuries, but is a smart, confident, good person.

The kids in the story are mostly African American, mostly well-off, and all quite talented. The rich kids in private school trope is nothing new, but I liked the change from the blonde barbies and slackers that seem to dominate this kind of story. There's plenty of the standard drugs, drinking, and sex stuff here, but it happens in a way that seems organic to the kids and their varying personalities. Even the peripheral characters seemed real. I was expecting the usual stereotypical competitive meanness and vapid teenspeak I'm used to, but I was pleasantly surprised. The only thing that bothered me is that the book just ended right as everything fell apart. I'm praying for a sequel.

As a bonus, I'll point you to Tia Williams's awesome blog. In addition to authoring books, Williams is Beauty Director at TeenPeople and has written for lots of other magazines, including Lucky. That must be why her name is so familiar to me. Also? She has wicked style and contributes to Glam.com.

27. Flight

Flight (Sherman Alexie, 2007)

This was an impulse purchase at the airport. I knew Alexie had a new book out, but hadn't looked into it yet for some reason. I should just make it a point to go back a read everything he's written, because it's always awesome. Flight is different from anything else I've ever read, really. The main character, Zits, is a half-Indian, half-white foster kid in Seattle. He's always in trouble and has a bad attitude, but is a really engaging, funny character. If somebody described the story to me, I'd think it sounded hokey and wouldn't be interested, so I won't get into much detail. Basically, Zits travels through time, jumping into the bodies of a variety of people in history. It's all fascinating and realistic. Seriously, this is good stuff--I read it straight through on my Seattle-Denver flight and couldn't wait to foist in on all my friends. I've already lent it to one and promised it to another. Read this one!

26. Bleed

Bleed (Laurie Faria Stolarz, 2006)

Bleed is the first set of short stories I've read this year. Each one is a first-person account from a different teen and the stories are interconnected. As you might expect, some stories work better than others. All the kids are messed up and I actively disliked some of them. Nicole, whose story opens the book is pretty sympathetic, and I felt terrible for poor Sadie. I also liked Sean, but the rest of them range from horrible to criminally stupid. I especially hated Mearl, who speaks in an affected and dippy way, talking about auras and calling people "wonderfully crimson." I didn't like this book, but it was all I had on the Denver-Seattle flight, so I finished it.

25. Masquerade

Masquerade (Melissa de la Cruz, 2007)

Hey, look how timely I am. Masquerade is new and out this month! The second in the Blue Bloods series, Masquerade starts up right where Blue Bloods left off. I actually liked it better because the mythology is all firmly in place and Schuyler knows what's going on. There's less of the introductory exposition and more action. And we finally find out who the Silver Blood in disguise, though not before he or she attacks again! The two books are kind of mashed together in my head because I read them back-to-back on Saturday. I read the author's blog and see that she's working on the third enstallment (as well as books in two other series she has going, plus a new one) and it's due in fall 2008. Guess I'll be on the lookout for that one at the Hyperion booth at the next Midwinter. Seriously, Hyperion Teens has delivered consistently good YA stuff lately.

Back to the book. This one has a trip to Italy to find a long lost relative, a fabulous ball, and an exclusive masquerade after party. Schuyler learns more about her family and her link to the powerful family of her nemesis, the nasty Mimi Force. I love the names in the book; Schuyler's last name is Van Alen. Of course everybody is totally fabulous and glamorous, but I like that this is attributed to their vampirism. It's cute how we find out that fashion models are so thin and beautiful because they're usually vampires. It's kind of a sly way of pointing out how unrealistic those images really are.

24. Blue Bloods

Blue Bloods (Melissa de la Cruz, 2006)

I picked up a galley for the sequel to this book at Midwinter, so I decided to start at the beginning. Blue Bloods is the story of teens who find out they're really vampires. De la Cruz created a completely new version of the vampire myth based on the fall of Lucifer and weaves in colonial U.S. history. The religious and historical themes made the story come alive; I really believed in the universe de la Cruz created for her characters and story. These vampires feed on humans, or Red Bloods, but don't kill them or make them into vampires. Schuyler, the protagonist, is sixteen, a misfit at her exclusive prep school, and just found out she's a Blue Blood. I liked that idea that, as in our reality, Blue Bloods are those born into nobility, but with the added dimension of being vampires.

Of course, there has to be a bad guy. We learn that there is an uber-race of vampires called Silver Bloods, who feed on Blue Bloods and kill them. Of course Schuyler decides to try to figure out where Silver Bloods came from and who might be one in disguise. In addition to the vampire stuff, there's a lot on the standard rich teens in Manhattan themes: drinking, fashion, nightclubs, love affairs. It's a fun soap opera with a gothic twist. It's also an ALA Quick Picks top ten book.