The Future of Us

Recommended grades 7-10.  Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler bring forward a fascinating question; if you were able to see our future Facebook posts in 1995, what would you think of the life you lead today?  This is exactly what happens to Josh and Emma, high school Sophomores who unwittingly download a free AOL sample and gain access to their Facebook pages in 2010.  The 1995 world they create will make older reader smile, and will make all readers think about how we use social networking technology.  The narrative, which switches perspectives between the two characters, is fast-paced and engaging.  This book is a wonderful thought experiment, and a great coming-of-age story.  Highly recommended, ****.

Why We Broke Up

Recommended grades 7-12.  Why We Broke Up is the story of a boy and of a girl.  Min and Ed were a match made in... Shakespeare.  He is a jock and she is "arty."    Unlike Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers, Min and Ed escape the relationship with their lives, if not their pride, and with a box full of artifacts.  In order to get past the heartbreak, Min undertakes the project of returning the artifacts to Ed, along with a 200+ page letter tracing the roots of their breakup.  Author Daniel Handler (the man behind Lemony Snicket and his Series of Unfortunate Events) brings intelligence and tragedy in the voice of Min.  Female readers in particular will be able to empathize with the thrill of her first love and the devastation of the fall out.  Artist Maria Kalman contributes color paintings of each item as it appears in the letter.  The paintings bring the stories into life and out of abstraction.  The marriage of the text and the images forms a sentimental, heart-wrenching tale that almost all readers, tween, teen, and adult can relate to.  Highly recommended, ****