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This year’s crop of young stars are changing the game.

Summer 2014 Book Pick:

True Story- NiNi Simone

Seven McKnight has returned to Stiles University for a new school year. She is ready to have a good time with her boyfriend, Zaire, and her friends, Shae, Khya, and Courtney. They are ready for a year of parties and playing pool and basketball. But trouble arises when Seven grows bored with Zaire and their weekly routine, which rarely includes her friends, much less a good party. Meanwhile, her ex-boyfriend and first love, Josiah, makes it clear he wants her back. Confused by her feelings and conflicted about what she wants out of her relationships, Seven has to make some hard decisions about love. This is the seventh book in the popular Ni-Ni Girl Chronicles, but new readers can easily delve into this world without having read the previous titles. Simone’s writing is thin on plot, but humorous, fast-paced and drama-filled. Seven is a likeable and relatable protagonist, obsessed with fashion and status driven. She is also young and naive about romance and relationships. The supporting characters and love interests are fully realized and multi-dimensional, while the relationships and romantic challenges depicted amongst Seven and her friends will resonate with teens, particularly those in urban environments. Authentic slang and of-the-moment pop culture references will hold appeal to reluctant readers. Reviewer: Amanda Foust

 

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association, officially announced the 2014 Teens’ Top Ten Nominees today, on Celebrate Teen Literature Day.

This year’s list of nominees features 25 titles that were published between Jan. 1, 2013 and Dec. 31, 2013.

The nominees are as follows:

•Arnett, Mindee. “The Nightmare Affair.” Tor Teen.

•Banks, Anna. “Of Triton.” Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends.

•Bardugo, Leigh. “Siege and Storm.” Macmillan/Henry Holt Books for Young Readers.

•Block, Francesca Lia. “Love In The Time Of Global Warming.” Macmillan/Henry Holt Books for Young Readers.

•Charbonneau, Joelle. “The Testing.” Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

•Dashner, James. “The Eye of Minds.” Random House/Delacorte Press.

•Edwards, Janet. “Earth Girl.” Prometheus Books /Pyr .

•Gleason, Colleen. “The Clockwork Scarab.” Chronicle Books.

•Gray, Laurie. “Maybe I Will.” Luminis Books.

•Henry, April. “The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die.” Henry Holt Books for Young Readers.

•Howard, A. G. “Splintered.” ABRAMS/Amulet Books.

•Kate, Lauren. “Teardrop.” Random House.

•Konigsberg, Bill . “Openly Straight.” Scholastic.

•Laybourne, Emmy. “Monument 14: Sky On Fire.” Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends.

•Richards, Natalie D. “Six Months Later.” Sourcebooks/Fire.

•Rowell, Rainbow. “Eleanor & Park.” Macmillan/St. Martin’s Griffin.

•Sales, Leila. “This Song Will Save Your Life.” Macmillan/Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

•Sanderson, Brandon. “Steelheart.” Random House/Delacorte Press.

•Sanderson, Brandon. “The Rithmatist.” Tor Teen.

•Smith, Jennifer E. “This is What Happy Looks Like.” Little, Brown & Company.

•Smith, Andrew. “Winger.” Simon and Schuster.

•Stine, R.L. “A Midsummer Night’s Scream.” Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends.

•Tucholke, April. “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.” Penguin/Dial.

•Winters, Cat. “In The Shadow of Blackbirds.” ABRAMS/Amulet Books.

•Yancey, Rick. “The 5th Wave.” Penguin/Putnam Juvenile.

A list of the nominees including annotations of each title can be found on the Teens’ Top Ten website.

Teens are encouraged to read the 25 nominees before the national Teens’ Top Ten vote, which will take place August 15 through Teen Read Week at http://www.ala.org/yalsa/reads4teens

Up Next TV’s Next Gen

2014′s Generation Next: Books To Read, Artists And TV Stars To Watch  was originally published on elev8.com

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