The Good Neighbors b y Holly Black & Ted Naifeh, 117 pages

Rue's mom has disappeared, her dad is arrested for the murder of a student and Rue's mom, and now Rue thinks she's going crazy because she keeps seeing odd things. It turns out that maybe Rue's mom is Fae, making Rue half-fairy.

This was a really odd and dark graphic novel. It looked more interesting than it was, the storyline was a little too jerky and discombobulated for my taste.

Mystery Date by Kate William, 231 pages

Lately, Olivia Davidson has felt lonely. Sweet Valley has a major lack of funky, artistic people like herself. So she's kept busy chatting with cool, imaginative guys in Internet chat rooms. One guy in particular could be her perfect match-he's sweet, sincere, and a poet. Olivia doesn't want to admit it, but she might be falling in love with a guy she's never met! Ken Matthews only uses his Internet account to check football scores and stat. But when he accidentally links it to an artists' chat room, he meets an amazing girl who challenges the creative side he never knew he had. And speaking of challenges, she wants to meet him in person! What will happen when she finds out that he's really a football jock and not the poet he's been pretending to be?

Glamour's Big Book of Dos& Don'ts (192)

I thought this book had some great classic tips that wont ever go out of style. I also enjoyed looking at the don't pictures because I always love a good laugh.

Chime by Franny Billingsley (368 pages)

When I started reading this book I was really confused, but just keep reading, it's necessary to stick with it and you're sure to figure out what is going on.

Seventeen-year-old Briony Larkin thinks that she is a witch.  Her recently deceased stepmother made this discovery and made Briony promise not to tell anyone, because where she lives, in the Swampsea, people are afraid of witches and they'll surely put her on trial and most likely hang her.

All is not what it seems in this teen book set at the beginning of the twentieth century, but if you can manage to make it to the middle of the book you'll be rewarded with an intriguing storyline.

Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman (263 pages)

For the sake of saving time, I'm going to include a section straight from the book jacket.  Plus, it explains this title way better than I can.

"With a notebook stashed in her diaper bag, Druckerman-a former reporter for The Wall Street Journal-sets out to learn the secrets to raising a society of good little sleepers, gourmet eaters, and reasonably relaxed parents. She discovers that French parents are extremely strict about some things and strikingly permissive about others. And she realizes that to be a different kind of parent, you don't just need a different parenting philosophy. You need a very different view of what a child actually is.

While finding her own firm non, Druckerman discovers that children-including her own-are capable of feats she'd never imagined."

Several people had mentioned this book to me and I'm really glad I read it.  While not everything mentioned in the book works for me, I think just thinking about how to treat children with respect and encourage their creativity, while setting boundaries is a great way to parent.  At this point, since my little guy is so young, I'll take all the advice I can get.

Star Crossed by Elizabeth Bunce, 359 pages

Digger is a thief on the run after from the Greenmen, magical inquisition soldiers. She finds herself a lady-in-waiting in a secluded mountain castle, where everyone seems to have secrets. Digger, now going by the name Celyn, finds herself forced to ferret out everyone's secrets, and she must decide just how far she is willing to go to save her life.

I picked this book up because Elizabeth Bunce is coming to the library this summer. I thought it would just be a fast and fluffy teen read but I was wrong. This was an complex book, with political and religious intrigue galore, with just enough magic to make it really interesting. I'm definitely going to be picking up the next book, because I can't wait to see what happens to Digger and all her friends.

"My Boyfriend is a Monster #5: I Date Dead People" by Ann Kerns, 126 pages

This is another graphic novel I snagged from the Teen Department to fulfill a square on my adult summer reading book bingo, "read a book about ghosts." It was ho-hum. Not really scary, despite the presence of ghosts. The characters were one-dimensional, and the romance was sappy. In looking at some of the other books in the series online, I gathered they are intended to be a satire of the whole angsty teen paranormal romance craze. Blech. I hope the other books in the series are better, 'cause this one was kind of weak. But at least I knocked out a square on my bingo.