Cooner, Donna. Worthy.

Cooner, Donna. Worthy. Scholastic Press/Point   2017  272p  $17.99  Hardback  ISBN 978-0-545-90393-6    ms/hs     Realistic fiction  VG      

Everyone at Linden’s high school is obsessed with the new app Worthy. Pictures and comments are posted on Worthy and the question is posed: "Is the girl worthy of the guy?" At first it seems like fun, as any new app is, but eventually Worthy causes turmoil in the relationships in the school. Linden becomes intrigued and begins to question who is behind this app, who’s posting the pictures, and who is doing the voting.

This well-written book will appeal to teenagers, who are all too familiar with social media. The characters are well developed and accurately depict typical high-school students involved with the Internet and activities. Linden’s growth throughout the book is recognizable and admirable, and it sends a good message to readers. It is an exciting story that will entertain and enlighten readers.
     

This book is recommended for any middle- or high-school library and will appeal to teen readers.

Summary: There is a new app that everyone is obsessed with at Linden’s high school, named Worthy, that posts pictures and asks if the girl is worthy of the guy, which results in much turmoil in boy-girl relationships in the school.

Social media-Fiction                                        --Virginia McGarvey

Eulberg, Elizabeth. Just Another Girl.

Eulberg, Elizabeth. Just Another Girl. Scholastic Press/Point     2017  246p  $17.99  Hardback  ISBN 978-0-545-95628-4      ms/hs    Romance  VG-BN      

A slightly different take on the classic love triangle, this title starts out with the reader expecting page after boring page of laments that Parker has Brady and Hope wants Brady.  Eventually, as we learn more about each of the characters, we find that this isn’t the whole story.  Parker has secrets that Hope doesn’t know, and Brady also has secrets.  All this wraps around the creation of a Rube Goldberg machine.  The club really wants to win a state competition, but Brady always seems distracted by Parker.  Of course, Hope is jealous.  This unconventional love triangle comes to a satisfactory conclusion, eventually.
  

This novel starts very slowly.  Then the reader is given hints that all may not be as it seems.  The truth is not revealed until very near the end of the story.  There are many truths to be learned through this title.  All may not be as it seems, what you hope for may not be the best for you, life can be complicated, and don’t judge someone until you know the whole story.  It presents a very realistic view of relationships, friendships and families.

The author has provided a look at reality with humor and imagination.  It will be a very good purchase for libraries serving grades 7-12 -- an unconventional love triangle that girls will enjoy.

Summary: An unconventional twist on the love triangle.  Secrets become very hard to maintain and appearances are not everything.  All wrapped around the creation of a Rube Goldberg machine. Grades 7-12.

Love triangle-Fiction                                       --Joan Theal

Eulberg, Elizabeth. We Can Work It Out.

Eulberg, Elizabeth.  We Can Work It Out.  Scholastic Press/Point  2015  311p  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-545-65461-6  ms/hs  Realistic fiction  VG  

This story illustrates how difficult it is to balance your life when you are a busy teenage girl trying to maintain a relationship.  The “Club” takes up an inordinate amount of Penny’s time, and Ryan’s never-ending understanding seems somewhat unbelievable.  In addition, how many teenage girls would sacrifice a potentially great boyfriend to a club, or anything else, for that matter?  A simple, fluffy writing style and an otherwise breezy storyline make this a fun, quick read. There is nothing inappropriate in the story that would keep it out of a middle-school collection, where no doubt it will find its readership with those who enjoy chick-lit.

Summary: This story, the sequel to The Lonely Hearts Club, finds Penny Lane trying to balance a boyfriend, The Lonely Hearts Club, and the rest of her life.
           

Romance-Fiction                                                   --Lynne Fisher

Alender, Katie. Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer.

Alender, Katie.  Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer.  Scholastic Press/Point     2013  292p  $18.99  ISBN 978-0-545-46809-1  ms/hs  Supernatural  VG-BN   

Colette Iselin goes on a class trip to Paris.  While there she discovers her family is tied to the betrayal of Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution. She enjoys the sights of Paris and a little romance with the tour guide, and she researches her family connections while evading the ghost of the dead queen.

Hannah and Pilar are part of the popular crowd that Colette is desperately courting while shunning Audrey.  The importance of friendship and honesty becomes important to all of the girls during the trip.

Paris is the city of love. Personal connections get slightly crossed when Armand decides to set his sights on Colette, while Hannah has staked her claim and purports to love him.  Then Colette decides that she favors Jules, their tour leader. The tension is palpable in the bedroom the three girls share.
    

Paris is well known for its history.  However, it seems that one former resident, Marie Antoinette, was not happy with the aristocrats who deserted her during the French Revolution.  When the city opens up her grave to secure her bones, her ghost decides to get even.  Thus begins a series of beheadings of dependents whose families were members of the Order of the Key.           

Summary: Colette Iselin goes on a class trip to Paris.  While there she discovers her family is tied to the betrayal of Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution. She enjoys the sights of Paris and a little romance with the tour guide while she researches her family connections and tries to evade the ghost of the dead queen.

French Revolution-Fiction, Romance-Fiction, Supernatural fiction

--Linda McNeil

Applegate, Anne. The Last Academy.

Applegate, Anne.  The Last Academy.  Scholastic Press/Point 2013  316p  ISBN 978-0-545-50204-7        jr/sr   Hardback  VG-BN  Mystery

Generally content to leave the spotlight to her best friend, Cam does the first truly daring thing of her life by applying to and being accepted by a prestigious private school in California that will take her far from the town where she grew up. Her trip gets off to a rocky start when she and her best friend have a horrible fight and Cam ends up leaving without saying goodbye. Things at the new school are very different, and not just because she has never attended a private school before. There's something about the students themselves that is unusual, not to mention the creepy man whose presence seems to precede students' disappearances. As Cam and her new friends begin to look into the disappearances, all of them find themselves experiencing things that are nothing like normal, leading up to a startling discovery that each student at the academy, including Cam, must make for him- or herself. Although the premise seems tired and derivative, the twist at the end is one only a few readers will see coming, and it makes the book worth the read. Teen readers who are fans of paranormal romance, private-school romance, or paranormal private-school romance will devour this book, as it nestles comfortably alongside others in its genre.  The cover and title will draw them in, and the unique protagonist, who is (refreshingly) at the very center of the action only rarely, will probably be more realistic and relatable to readers than the usual girl who is always on her own yet somehow leading revolutions, blazing trails, and defying authority figures left and right.          

Public libraries with young-adult collections will find that this book will circulate regularly for as long as paranormal romances and private-school romances remain popular. 

Summary: Cam goes away to private school, leaving many things unsaid to her friends and family back home, but she soon finds herself entangled in a sinister mystery at her new school that may reveal things better not brought to light.    

Paranormal – Fiction, School stories                        --Bethany Geleskie