Georgia peach book award nominees 2015 2016

Are You
Experienced?
By Jordan Sonnenblick
When 15-year-old Rich Barber travels back in time from 2014 to the
1969 Woodstock festival, he encounters the '60s, including his
teenage father. Rich loves playing the guitar and wishes he had been
around in the '60s, like his father and uncle who played in a rock band
and attended Woodstock. After his older brother died from a heroin
overdose, though, Rich's father turned into a depressed,
overprotective adult. Rich has spent his whole life limited by his
father's rules. When he discovers his father's been hiding a guitar rock
luminary Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock, Rich defiantly strikes a
chord and wakes up on the road to Woodstock with his father, his
uncle and his uncle's girlfriend. A stranger from the future who knows
what's going to happen, Rich conceals his identity and bonds with his
father. Together, they witness Woodstock's free love, rampant drug
use and incredible music. When Rich learns his father had abusive
parents, he's determined to "meet Jimi Hendrix, save [his] uncle and
change [his] father's future." Alternating his first-person narration
between past and present, Rich proves a sensitive, insightful and
humorous 21st-century guide to the hippie generation's most iconic
event. This provocative, personal peek at legendary Woodstock
rocks. (Fantasy. 12 & up)(Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2013)

Caged
Warrior
Alan Sitomer
On the mean streets of Detroit, McCutcheon Daniels—aka Bam
Bam—has a mean rep in the underground sport of mixed martial
arts. Trained by his father, McCutcheon has been preened to be
a fighter with killa instinct whose no-holds-barred battles are his
family’s sole source of income. Out of the cage, this weekend
warrior is a tenth-grader and loving brother who does everything
he can to keep his little sister safe and provided for. When a
teacher takes a special interest in McCutcheon, offering him a
future that isn’t determined by his fists, he is given a choice for
the first time in his life, but it’s one that might incur the wrath of
his father as well as the men running the fight circuit. Sitomer
pulls no punches in this novel where fights and life alike are
merciless and characterized by grit, blood, endurance, and
smarts. Yet amid the violence, McCutcheon’s inner strength
shines, guaranteeing readers will back him through the book’s
harsh twists and turns. -- Smith, Julia (Reviewed 05-15-2014)
(Booklist, vol 110, number 18, p54)

A Death-
Struck Year
Nina LaCour
Seventeen-year-old Cleo Berry frets over an uncertain future devoid of plans,
dreams, and ambitions. However, when the Spanish influenza strikes her
hometown of Portland, Oregon, she does not hesitate to volunteer for the
American Red Cross. Lucier's vividly accurate description of the 1918 pandemic
will make readers tremble over the teen's fate, wondering whether she will be next
on the list of victims. Cleo faces the ultimate dilemma: Given a choice between
herself and others, who will she choose in the face of calamity? The pace of the
writing is swift, and the author spares little in her account of those afflicted and
others who sacrificed their own lives to help save them: loved ones and strangers
burying individuals on their own without burial societies, members of the Red Cross
going door-to-door in search of the sick, and young people dying as easily as their
elders from the disease. This first-person narrative is as much Cleo's coming-of-age
story as it is a full historical account of the pandemic. The novel's strong voice
intimately places readers directly into the dramatic plot right up to climactic
ending. Nothing is sugarcoated, making this a difficult pick for the squeamish, who
may not easily tolerate the abundant flow of blood and raging fever throughout.
The mood of almost hopeless desperation that mounts toward the second half of
the book cannot be readily shaken off. In the same vein of Laurie Halse Anderson's
Fever 1793 (S. & S., 2000), Lucier's debut novel deserves a place in all high school
collections.—Etta Anton, Yeshiva of Central Queens, NY --Etta Anton (Reviewed
April 1, 2014) (School Library Journal, vol 60, issue 4, p169)

Everything
Leads to You
Makiia Lucier
A dream job, a film legend’s living legacy, a shining mystery, and an
epic sun-soaked summer—it’s the stuff of Hollywood, and that’s the
stuff for Emi. She is 18, a set designer, and a deep believer in the
romance of the movies. When a series of coincidences lead her to
beautiful and talented Ava, the long-lost granddaughter of a film
cowboy, Emi no longer just works in the movies, she is living in one. But
as the final kiss and a fade to black seem just within reach, Emi begins
to see that life outside of the frame is messier and harder, but has the
potential to be much more rewarding. Emi is smart, sweet, and sexy,
and through her infatuation with Ava, she grows in her understanding
of herself, her privilege, and her role in the movie of life. Their chaste,
careful romance focuses on emotion and expectation: the problems
of any teens in love. Mature in tone more so than content, this is
summer love for the ages. -- Booth, Heather (Reviewed 06-01-2014)

Fake ID
Lamar Giles
Nick Pearson (not his real name) and his family are on their last lifeline.
Stepton, an anonymous Southern town, is their final chance to stay out
of trouble and avoid being removed from the witness protection
program. More specifically, it is the last chance for Nick’s father, whose
dodgy dealings continue to risk exposing the family. Nick has changed
identity so frequently that he has become adept at “staying low-key.”
But in Stepton he befriends high-school journalist Eli Cruz, who is
leading a one-man crusade to unearth the truth behind
“Whispertown.” But when Eli ends up dead, it throws Nick into an
investigation. While each revelation brings him closer to the truth, it
also brings him closer to blowing his cover. Nick is a resourceful,
intelligent kid who lives within a set of circumstances beyond his
control. Decisions about whom he can trust with varying levels of the
truth have to be made on the fly as Nick tries to honor his dead friend
while ensure his own self-preservation. Conspiracy theorists and thriller
fans alike will be guessing right up to the end of this exciting debut. --
Dean, Kara (Reviewed 01-01-2014) (Booklist, vol 110, number 9, p106)

Faking
Normal
Courtney Stevens
Somewhere between Sarah Dessen and Laurie Halse Anderson lies
Stevens’s rich debut about two adolescents grappling with
extraordinary trauma. Alexi Littrell has two close friends, dates football
players, and has a family that her older sister’s fiancé describes as “the
best family in the world.” But she is carrying a secret about something
that happened to her over the summer and is self-harming to mute the
pain. Her classmate Bodee’s Kool-Aid dyed hair and quiet demeanor
already set him apart from peers, but after his father kills his mother, he
becomes even more of an object of pity and curiosity. When Alexi’s
parents invite Bodee to live with them, the pair become friends, with
Alexi helping Bodee release his guilt over his mother’s death and
Bodee encouraging Alexi to speak out about what happened to her.
Though the busy plot sometimes swallows Alexi herself, the mood is
intense and the story moves briskly, complete with an ending so
surprising that some readers may flip back to the beginning to start
fresh. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary
Agency. (Feb.) --Staff (Reviewed November 18, 2013) (Publishers
Weekly, vol 260, issue 46, p)

Far from You
Tess Sharpe
Debut novelist Sharpe attempts a delicate balancing act between
past and present in this murder mystery about secrets and truth. The
story begins with the crime, which is then unraveled by our narrator,
Sophie, as she describes how she got to the point where her best
friend, Mina, was murdered. Sophie alternates between telling her
current story and relating past events, starting with the car accident
three years before, which ravaged her physically and led to an
OxyContin addiction. It will not take the reader long to realize that
Sophie and Mina were not only best friends but in love with each other;
Sophie’s heartbreak is as much about this as it is about Mina’s death.
Despite Sophie’s eagerness to find the killer, the hunt for him feels a bit
abandoned as past events are continually revisited and analyzed.
Fortunately, Sharpe’s writing is beautiful and her characters are fully
realized, which should carry readers through to the book’s sorrowful
finale. -- Dean, Kara (Reviewed 05-01-2014) (Booklist, vol 110, number
17, p53)

Free to Fall
Lauren Miller
It’s 2030—handhelds are tinier, Gnosis is society’s current technology
juggernaut, and people rely on a program called Lux to maximize
happiness for their every decision, down to ordering coffee. Like most
people, Rory Vaughn consults Lux every chance she gets, but she has
a secret: she suffers from “the Doubt,” an inner voice that supposedly
marks a person as crazy. After Rory is accepted to the exclusive
Theden Academy, she begins searching for answers about her long-
dead mother, who also attended the school. While there, the Doubt
only grows stronger, and Rory’s Lux consultations diminish. Then Rory
falls for North, a sexy, antiestablishment barista-hacker, who has her
back as she’s drawn into a complex web of secrets and lies. Miller
(Parallel) offers an intricately plotted, intellectually rich thriller that will
please a range of readers, from those searching for a page-turner to
those wishing to thoroughly engage the mind. Mathematics and
Milton’s Paradise Lost serve as additional drivers pushing Rory toward
the truth in this boarding school murder-mystery with a near-future SF
twist. Ages 13–up. Agent: Kristyn Keene, ICM. (May) --Staff (Reviewed
March 10, 2014) (Publishers Weekly, vol 261, issue 10, p)

Girls Like Us
Gail Giles
In compelling, engaging, and raw voices, 18-year-olds Biddy and Quincy,
newly independent, intellectually disabled high-school graduates, narrate
their growing friendship and uneasy transition into a life of jobs, real world
apartments, and facing cruel prejudice. Obese and illiterate Biddy has more
emotional intelligence than Quincy, whose normal brain development was
shattered when her mother’s boyfriend hit her with a brick when she was six.
Biddy’s limited cognitive capacities spring from oxygen deprivation during
birth as well as lifelong deprivation of nurturing. Paired by a social service
program, the girls are made roommates in a live-work placement where they
share a small apartment at the home of a wealthy, sensitive, and supportive
widow, Elizabeth. Biddy cleans and provides physical assistance for Elizabeth,
while Quincy, who loves cooking, works at a market. Biddy and Quincy share
deep secrets and narrate lives heartrendingly full of anger, abandonment,
and abuse, including explicit, realistic descriptions of two rapes. But with the
help of patient Elizabeth and the support they gain from each other, they are
empowered to move forward with strength and independence. Giles (Dark
Song, 2010) offers a sensitive and affecting story of two young women
learning to thrive in spite of their hard circumstances. -- Goldsmith, Francisca
(Reviewed 05-01-2014) (Booklist, vol 110, number 17, p93))

Hostage
Three
Nick Lake
Amy Fields walks out of her A Level exams required for entrance into the
Royal Academy; she is still grieving over her mother's death and cares little
about the future. Her rich father and new stepmother hope that sailing
around the world will allow much-needed family bonding, but the idyllic trip
ends when Somalian pirates seize their yacht and hold them for ransom.
Tension is palpable as the frightened family and crew become pawns in the
businesslike negotiations. Although carefully guarded with machine guns, the
British teen observes a pecking order among her captors and befriends
Farouz, the pirates' handsome translator. They share memories of personal
pain that include Amy's mother's suicide, the execution of Farouz's parents,
and the political imprisonment of his brother. Their stories are vivid and
poignant, adding layers to a rich characterization, especially details of
Somalian culture and mythology. Amy falls in love, understanding Farouz's
vow to use ransom money to free his brother, but is startled back to reality
when he agrees to follow orders to shoot her on command. Circumstances
become dire when she learns secrets about her father's business that
jeopardize their release, and rival pirates and the navy get involved. The
author playfully tells Amy's account of the rescue the way she hoped it would
play out, and then again, as it actually happened. The narrative twist is
brilliant, taking readers on an emotional ride to the very last page.—Vicki
Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY --Vicki Reutter (Reviewed September 1,
2013) (School Library Journal, vol 59, issue 9, p160)

I’ll Give You
the Sun
Jandy Nelson
Twins Noah and Jude are inseparable until misunderstandings,
jealousies, and a major loss rip them apart. Both are talented artists,
and creating art plays a major role in their narratives. Both also struggle
with their sexuality—Noah is gay, which both thrills and terrifies him,
while Jude is recovering from a terrible first sexual experience at age
14, one of two important reasons she has sworn off dating. Nelson (The
Sky Is Everywhere) unravels the twins’ stories in long chapters that
alternate between their perspectives. Noah’s sections are set when
the twins are 13, Jude’s at age 16, giving readers slanted insights into
how their relationship deteriorated and how it begins to mend. The
twins’ artistic passions and viewpoints suffuse their distinctive voices;
Noah tends toward wild, dramatic overstatements, and Jude’s world is
wrapped up in her late grandmother’s quirky superstitions and truisms.
Readers are meant to feel big things, and they will—Nelson’s novel
brims with emotion (grief, longing, and love in particular) as Noah,
Jude, and the broken individuals in their lives find ways to heal. Ages
14–up. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Sept.) --Staff
(Reviewed June 23, 2014) (Publishers Weekly, vol 261, issue 25, p)

Jackaby
William Ritter
Toss together an alternate 19th-century New England city, a strong
tradition of Sherlockian pastiche, and one seriously ugly hat, and this
lighthearted and assured debut emerges, all action and quirk. In the
best Doyle tradition, the first-person narrator is pragmatic yet naÃóve
Abigail Rook, native of Britain and seeker of adventure. Thwarted in
Ukraine, she catches ship for the U.S. and lands in New Fiddleham,
penniless and with few employable skills. This matters not to R.F.
Jackaby, the peculiar stranger with the awful hat, who is more
interested in the kobold (household spirit) Abigail has unknowingly
picked up on her travels. Jackaby is a detective in need of an
unflappable assistant—literally, as his last one “is temporarily
waterfowl.” Abigail’s keen eye for detail and complete ignorance of
the paranormal make her observations invaluable to him, and she’s
soon caught up in the eccentric mayhem that is Jackaby’s workaday
world. Ritter is also capable of tenderness and pathos, as his
description of a suffering banshee demonstrates, leaving room for
development in any future cases Abigail may chronicle. Ages 12–up.
Agent: Lucy Carson, Friedrich Agency . (Sept.) --Staff (Reviewed June
30, 2014) (Publishers Weekly, vol 261, issue 26, p)

Killer of
Enemies
Joseph Bruchac
In a future in the southwest of what used to be the U.S., one fearless,
lethal, spiritual young woman must fight the evil of man and the
anomalies of nature to rescue her family and start again. Seventeen-
year-old Lozen, Apache KillerofEnemies, is employed by four evil
tyrants in unstable alliance. Her job is to travel out from Haven, the
former penitentiary that is now their shelter, and dispatch the Gemods
(genetically modified animal monsters), bloodless zombies, and other
threats to the compound. Skilled in hand-to-hand combat, armed to
the hilt, and blessed with extrasensory and spiritual gifts, Lozen could
easily escape, but the four Ones and their soldiers are keeping her
family prisoners. Episodic high-octane chapters alternate between
Lozen’s battles in the wilderness and the sinister intrigue in Haven.
Though the imaginative dystopian mythology is thick and occasionally
heavy, the brisk pace and nonstop action keeps things moving. This
original addition to the dystopian genre ends with the open-ended
promise of more to come. -- Barthelmess, Thom (Reviewed 10-15-2013)

Nearly Gone
Elle Cosimano
In an impressive debut, Cosimano delivers a tense thriller that sees a
teenage math whiz pitted against a serial killer who’s knocking off her
classmates in increasingly fiendish ways. When 16-year-old Nearly
“Leigh” Boswell discovers that a killer is leaving her coded messages in
the newspaper personals, she becomes the only one capable of
solving the murders. But all of the evidence points to her as the chief
suspect—someone’s making it extremely personal. With her only ally
being the teenage narc (and resident bad boy) assigned to
investigate her for the police, Leigh must somehow solve the case
before she loses her friends, her freedom, or her life. Cosimano weaves
together math riddles, science-based clues, an edgy romance, and
psychological terror to create an unpredictable page-turner. Nearly’s
psychometric ability to glean emotions through touch is somewhat
underexploited, and some of the clues are so blatant it’s a wonder she
overlooks them. Nevertheless, this is a good choice for fans of “savant”
procedurals and dramas like Bones, Elementary, or Numbers. Ages 14–
up. Agent: Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary Agency. (Mar.) --Staff
(Reviewed January 13, 2014) (Publishers Weekly, vol 261, issue 02, p)

Phoenix
Island
John Dixon
An unusual premise makes Dixon’s thriller debut a welcome series
kickoff. Carl Freeman, a 16-year-old orphan, can’t help himself from
intervening on behalf of the bullied, and, given his boxing prowess, the
results for the aggressors are often quite serious. After another such run-
in, a judge sentences Carl to “a military-style boot camp,” Phoenix
Island, until he turns 18. The facility is worse than anything he could
have imagined, with sadistic drill sergeants, violent fellow detainees,
and plenty of bullies. Carl’s independence earns him the enmity of a
particularly cruel drill sergeant. Carl discovers a journal that suggests
some of his predecessors were actually killed, indicating that
something beyond tough love is going on. There are some predictable
elements—Carl falls for an attractive girl with a secret—but the pacing
and smooth prose will have suspense fans waiting for the next book, as
well as the upcoming CBS adaptation, Intelligence. Agent: Christina
Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Jan.) --Staff (Reviewed December 2,
2013) (Publishers Weekly, vol 260, issue 48, p)

Say What
You Will
Cammie McGovern
Amy has cerebral palsy, and has spent the past 17 years with walkers,
voice boxes, and adults. She's gone through school at the same pace
as her peers but without friends or socializing. When one of her
classmates, Matthew, challenges her cheerful facade, Amy realizes
she's missed out on developing true peer relationships. So for their
senior year, Amy asks her parents to pay classmates to be her
companions instead of her usual adult aids. She begs Matthew to
apply, and the two embark on a friendship that addresses Amy's
limitations, Matthew's own disorder, and all their secrets—all except the
one they really need to share. Both teens struggle with their realities
and limitations, and a love soon develops between them. The harsh
reality of high school social dynamics are authentically portrayed. The
main characters are well developed, though secondary characters
are little more than background noise. Recommend to fans of John
Green's The Fault In Our Stars (Dutton, 2012) and realistic fiction with a
love story angle.—Natalie Struecker, Rock Island Public Library, IL --
Natalie Struecker (Reviewed May 1, 2014) (School Library Journal, vol
60, issue 5, p134)

Scar Boys
Len Vlahos
Harbinger “Harry” Jones was horribly disfigured in a childhood
accident involving lightning and a flaming tree branch, but despite
years of therapy, he has never been able to move beyond his
mangled appearance. He finds some comfort and even popularity as
the lead guitarist of the punk outfit The ScarBoys—with his best friend,
Johnny, on vocals; stalwart Ritchie on drums; and enigmatic Chey on
bass—but it’s still not enough to make him feel like anything but a
freak. Playing in the band is the only time Harry feels normal, so he
urges the ScarBoys to embark on a tour, which radically changes their
lives and gives Harry a healthy dose of perspective. Vlahos’ debut has
all the hallmarks of a coming-of-age story, but the first-person narration
is compelling enough that it still feels fresh. Harry’s obsession with punk
music will appeal to music lovers, while his journey to accept himself for
who he is—scarred face and all—is one that will likely resonate with
any teen trying to find his way in the world. -- Hunter, Sarah (Reviewed
01-01-2014) (Booklist, vol 110, number 9, p108)

We Were
Liars
E. Lockhart
Cadence Sinclair Easton comes from an old-money family, headed by a
patriarch who owns a private island off of Cape Cod. Each summer, the
extended family gathers at the various houses on the island, and Cadence, her
cousins Johnny and Mirren, and friend Gat (the four "Liars"), have been
inseparable since age eight. During their fifteenth summer however, Cadence
suffers a mysterious accident. She spends the next two years—and the course
of the book—in a haze of amnesia, debilitating migraines, and painkillers, trying
to piece together just what happened. Lockhart writes in a somewhat sparse
style filled with metaphor and jumps from past to present and back again—
rather fitting for a main character struggling with a sudden and unexplainable
life change. The story, while lightly touching on issues of class and race, more
fully focuses on dysfunctional family drama, a heart-wrenching romance
between Cadence and Gat, and, ultimately, the suspense of what happened
during that fateful summer. The ending is a stunner that will haunt readers for a
long time to come.—Jenny Berggren, formerly at New York Public Library --
Jenny Berggren (Reviewed April 1, 2014) (School Library Journal, vol 60, issue 4,
p168)

What I
Thought Was
True
Huntley Fitzpatrick
Gwen Castle feels like her future is sealed for myriad reasons: because
of the working-class family she was born into; because of the beach
town where she grew up and where her family owns a ramshackle
summer business she can’t get away from; and, cringingly, because of
some ill-fated decisions she made around a group of richer guys from
the mainland back in the spring. But then Gwen is offered a ritzy
summer job taking care of a wealthy elderly vacationer, and gorgeous
Cassidy Summers, one of her spring hookups, is hired to be the island’s
yard boy. Individually, Gwen and Cass each begin to reconsider how
much control they actually have on the direction of their lives.
Fitzpatrick (My Life Next Door, 2012) offers a sometimes steamy and
very believable account of how it feels to discover how important it is
to take responsibility for oneself and the decisions that shape one’s life.
A must for collections that can’t keep Sarah Dessen, Stephanie Perkins,
or YA summer romance titles on the shelves. -- Walters Wright, Lexi
(Reviewed 04-01-2014) (Booklist, vol 110, number 15, p87)

When I Was
the Greatest
Jason Reynolds
A literary story of growing up in Brooklyn. Ali, 15 going on 16, lives in Bed-
Stuy with his mom, a social worker, and his little sister, Jazz, who has a
knack for markers. He hangs out on the stoop with his two BFFs, brothers
nicknamed by his sister: Noodles and Needles. Needles, the older, suffers
from Tourette's syndrome, and Noodles and Ali look out for him. In the
lead plotline, the three boys crash an illegal party in the basement of a
nearby brownstone and then deal with the fallout. Action
notwithstanding, the story actually reads more like a character study of Ali
and his sister and friends and a tender homage to this seemingly
dangerous neighborhood. Even though Reynolds thoughtfully (and most
likely truthfully) depicts the neighborhood as one where guns and drug
transactions are seen regularly, readers don't necessarily feel the danger
due to the tender and deeply protective relationships of the characters,
who are realistically if not exquisitely drawn. The plot, though compelling,
takes back seat to them, and what unfolds is a moving and thought-
provoking study of the connectivity among a family and friends that plays
upon and defies readers' expectations. An author worth watching.
(Fiction. 12 & up)(Kirkus Reviews, November 1, 2013)

BOOK COVER IMAGES FROM: ALIBRIS.COM
REVIEWS FROM: KIRKUS, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY AND
BOOKLIST BY WAY OF GALILEO’S NOVELIST
March 5, 2015

Georgia peach book award nominees 2015 2016

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