Generation Dead

Phoebe is a typical goth girl biding her time in high school. She hangs out with her best friend Margi, and Adam from next door has a crush on her. The thing is, the hallways in her high school have changed over the past few years. Oakvale High has become somewhat famous for its integration of living impaired kids. You know ... zombies, corpsicles, worm buffets...however you say it, one thing is sure. These kids are dead.

The interesting thing is that only American teens are coming back from the dead, and not all dead kids return.

Tommy Williams (living impaired, or differently biotic if you will) has managed to catch Phoebe's eye. She knows it's kind of cliche...the goth girl falling for the dead boy, but she cannot help herself. She's drawn to him.

Not all of the kids in Phoebe's school feel the same way about the dead. Kids like Pete and TC from the football team don't think that the dead should mix with the living, and they plan on making sure that everyone who fraternizes with the zombies will pay.

Daniel Waters has written a wry romance slash football story slash high school story that pushes our idea of normal. From the inevitable commercialization of zombie paraphernalia, to the idea of Phoebe and Tommy's relationship becoming physical, readers will find themselves grappling with the reality of their own actions. Think about it. What would you do if your little brother or sister came back from the dead? Would you open your arms or run?

The storyline itself has the perfect blend of reality and sci/fi to crossover audiences, and the ending packs a punch. I think that guys and girls will like this book equally, and they will have a good time reading it!

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

Frankie has always been underestimated by people. From her family calling her "Bunny Rabbit", to her virtual invisibility on campus her first year at Alabaster, Frankie is seen as less than. Less than her big sister Zada. Less than the boys on campus who take up too much space. Not even capable of wandering into town on her own at the Jersey shore.

And then she falls off her bike.

Suddenly, gorgeous senior Matthew Livingstone is Frankie's boyfriend. His friends are her friends and she loves all of the attention that she gets. But she doesn't like the fact that Matthew seems to be at Alessandro's (Alpha) beck and call. So one day when Matthew dumps her for the boys, Frankie engages in some espionage. Turns out that the old boy network that her dad is always going on about is still alive and well at Alabaster. Frankie is certain that she could do it better.

Since this is still in arc format, I am not going to give too much away, other than to say that I love this book. Boarding school, feminist sensibilities, and smart characters. From wordplay to the introduction of other authors and social theory, from discussions of class to that of following the crowd and the rules, there is so much going on in this book. Frankie is an amazing girl, and I think that E. Lockhart has outdone herself. Every student at our school who has read this is raving about it. The readers who love Waiting for Alaska will fall for this title as well.