Teen review of "Twenty Boy Summer" by Sarah Ockler

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

When I started reading the book Twenty Boy Summer I did not know what to expect. I really enjoyed reading this book, and could not put it down once I started reading it. This book is a mixture of realistic fiction, and romance. I would recommend this book to teenage girls who like to read heartfelt books that they could relate to. Twenty Boy Summer is a heartfelt book about a teenage girl learning to love and let go.

Anna and Frankie are best friends. What Frankie doesn't know is that Anna has been in love with Frankie's brother Matt since she was ten years old. Their whole lives, Matt, Anna, and Frankie have been really close and really good friends. At Anna's birthday party, Matt and Anna finally share a kiss. After that, they spent many nights sneaking out, and talking under the stars. Anna had made a promise to Matt that she would not tell Frankie about their love, because Matt wanted to tell her himself. When Matt tragically dies in a car crash that the two others survived, Anna is forced to keep that promise forever. A year later, Frankie and Anna are going to spend 20 days in Zanzibar Bay. Frankie is set on making sure Anna has a summer romance. But Anna believes that if she does, she will forget all about Matt.

This book's author, Sarah Ockler, did a very good job in writing this heartfelt, emotional book about love and loss. I could relate to the pain of losing a best friend and that kind of relationship. I would be lying if I said I didn't shed a few tears reading this book. This book explains how it feels to lose someone that is close to you and that is someone you love. I know that there are many people that can relate to that pain. In Twenty Boy Summer, Anna is trying to let go and learn to love again. This is what makes this book inspirational in a way. I would definitely recommend this book, and I loved reading it.

- Julia

New realistic fiction

	The Story of Us  by Deb Caletti After jilting two previous fiances, Cricket's mother is finally marrying the right man, but as wedding attendees arrive for a week of festivities, complications arise for Cricket involving her own love life, her beloved dog Jupiter, and her mother's reluctance to marry.
We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han (new in paperback) The summer after her first year of college, Isobel "Belly" Conklin is faced with a choice between Jeremiah and Conrad Fisher, brothers she has always loved, when Jeremiah proposes marriage and Conrad confesses that he still loves her.
	Jane by April Lindner In this contemporary retelling of "Jane Eyre," an orphaned nanny becomes entranced with her magnetic and brooding employer, a rock star with a torturous secret from his past.
I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler Brainy Tess Smith is the younger sibling of the beautiful, popular, volleyball-scholarship-bound Kristina. When Kristina is diagnosed with bone cancer, it drastically changes both sisters' lives. Sometimes the things that annoy us the most about our siblings are the ones we'd miss the most if we lost them.
	What Boys Really Want by Pete Hautman Lita and Adam are "just friends". They might never agree on what happens in this book but they do they manage to give the world a little more insight into what boys and girls are really looking for.
The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour Colby's post-high school plans have long been that he and his best friend Beth would tour with her band, then spend a year in Europe, but when she announces that she will start college just after the tour, Colby struggles to understand why she changed her mind and what losing her means for his future.
	The Summer of Firsts and Lasts by Terra Elan McVoy When teenaged sisters Daisy, Violet, and Calla spend their last summer together at Camp Callanwolde, the decisions they make--both good and bad--bring challenges to their relationship as well as opportunities to demonstrate their devotion to one another.
Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith Leah's path has been laid out for her by her controlling mother and perfect sisters--prom queen, valedictorian, college, country club wedding--but when Leah meets a boy who is not in her social class, she begins to question what she wants for herself.
	Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler Hudson Avery gave up a promising competitive ice skating career after her parents divorced when she was fourteen years old and now spends her time baking cupcakes and helping out in her mother's upstate New York diner, but when she gets a chance at a scholarship and starts coaching the boys' hockey team, she realizes that she is not through with ice skating after all.
Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler After she is in a horrific car crash when drunk, Los Angeles high school student Gabriella Gardiner assumes she stole her rich boyfriend's car and smashed it into a tree, but she cannot remember anything about the events of the evening.
	How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr Told from their own viewpoints, seventeen-year-old Jill, in grief over the loss of her father, and Mandy, nearly nineteen, are thrown together when Jill's mother agrees to adopt Mandy's unborn child but nothing turns out as they had anticipated.
The Final Four by Paul Volponi Four players at the Final Four of the NCAA basketball tournament struggle with the pressures of tournament play and the expectations of society at large.
	The Daughters Join the Party by Joanna Philbin Emma's senator-father is running for president, and when her rebellious style and indifference to rules and convention create problems, she relies on her good friends, who are also the daughters of well-known people, to help her gain perspective.
Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard Bria, an aspiring artist just graduated from high school, takes off for Central America's La Ruta Maya, rediscovering her talents and finding love.
	Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick After an injury ends former star pitcher Peter Friedman's athletic dreams, he concentrates on photography which leads him to a girlfriend, new fame as a high school sports photographer, and a deeper relationship with the beloved grandfather who, when he realizes he is becoming senile, gives Pete all of his professional camera gear.
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith Hadley and Oliver fall in love on the flight from New York to London, but after a cinematic kiss they lose track of each other at the airport until fate brings them back together on a very momentous day.

Also check out the mysteries we've added to the teen collection!

Eclipse midnight movie release fun

Attention Twilight fans! If you're looking forward to seeing Eclipse when it comes out June 30, why not make a marathon of it? AMC Theatres are planning  The Twilight Saga Experience. At this event you'll watch all three movies in the series: Twilight (2008), New Moon (2009), and Eclipse (2010). The cost is $30 and you'll also receive a limited-edition event lanyard and a $10 AMC gift card. The fun starts at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, June 29. Local theaters participating in the Twilight marathon include South Barrington 30, Streets of Woodfield 20, and Randhurst 16 in Mount Prospect.

In November I attended back-to-back showings of Twilight and New Moon for the New Moon midnight release and it was fun to watch the movies with a large audience of crazy, but well-behaved, fans. Just remember to buy your tickets soon before they sell out! You can pick up the tickets at the theater in advance of the marathon, so on June 29 all you have to do is show up and present your tickets!

Coming in July 2010 the movie Beastly based on the book by Alex Flinn

Book release dates for readers of vampire fiction

March 16, 2010
The Return: Shadow Souls by L.J. Smith
book 6 in the Vampire Diaries series

April 27, 2010
Burned by P.C. Cast
book 7 in House of Night series

May 4, 2010
Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
book 11 in the Sookie Stackhouse mystery series

May 18, 2010
Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
book 5 in the Vampire Academy series

June 5, 2010
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
Companion novella to the Twilight series

June 29, 2010
Keys to the Repository by Melissa De La Cruz
Companion novel to the Blue Bloods series

September 21, 2010
Twelfth Grade Kills by Heather Brewer
book 5 in the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series

October 5, 2010
Misguided Angel by Melissa De La Cruz
book 5 in the Blue Bloods series

December 14, 2010
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
book 6 in the Vampire Academy series