Nightlight: A Parody by the Harvard Lampoon

Belle Goose has just moved to Switchblade, Oregon to live with her father. As she gets to know her classmates, she is inexplicably drawn to the mysterious Edwart Mullen. After some research, Belle is convinced that Edwart is a vampire. Naturally, since she is a teenage girl, Belle is attracted to vampires and decides that her and Edwart should be together forever.

This book was pretty funny! It totally makes fun of the Twilight books and movies, so fans will get all of the little jabs. There were parts that verged on ridiculous (like Belle's insistence that everyone in the town, from the boys in her class to the mailman who rings her doorbell, have a crush on her), but that's what made the story funny. So many little one liners ("No one's written me a lullaby since Carter Burwell." "What would I do if Edwart ever left? It'd just be pages and pages with only the names of a month written on them." "I'm lonely. I really need to get a werewolf friend.") that will have you giggling!

TTFN by Lauren Myracle

Angela, Zoe, and Maddie are in eleventh grade now and everything is about to change. Angela's parents are moving her across the country to California, Maddie gets involved in drugs, and Zoe ends up dating Angela's crush. While the girls still deal with typical high school drama, there are many more mature topics as well.

Still told totally through instant messages, this story was pretty intriguing. I found it somewhat hard to believe that after Angela hopped on a Greyhound bus and went back to Atlanta, her parents would let her stay, but I liked that Maddie got busted for her drug use since it showed that there ARE consequences for your actions! The last book in the trilogy is L8R G8R, and I'll be reading it as soon as I can get my hands on it!

TTYL by Lauren Myracle

Angela, Zoe, and Maddie are three best friends starting tenth grade. As they deal with boy drama, mean girls, and school, they share their experiences through instant messaging.

This was actually kind of interesting. Since all of the text in the book is instant messages between the characters, it made for a quick read. I was a little disturbed by the relationship Zoe had with one of her teachers, but the rest of the events were very believable.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Nick is playing a gig with his ‘queercore’ band when he spots his ex, Tris, in the audience. Nick is still incredibly hung up on Tris and after his band is done performing, he notices her walking toward him with her new boyfriend. Nick grabs the girl next to him, Norah, and asks her if she’ll be his girlfriend for the next five minutes. She responds by kissing Nick. It turns out she knows Tris, too, and is also trying to avoid her. After some encouragement from Nick’s gay bandmates, he and Norah take off together for a night out. Along the way, they run into Norah’s ex, Tris (again!), and transvestite stripping nuns. They begin to realize that there is a real attraction between the two of them, but must decide if they are ready to move forward and leave their pasts behind.

The dual authorship lends very distinct voices to each character. A hilarious read!

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Arnold “Junior” Spirit is a Spokane Indian. Living on the ‘rez,’ Junior sees the members of his tribe drink, fight, and underachieve. The hopelessness he feels on the reservation is eating away at him. A teacher encourages Junior to get off the rez and seek a better education and the chance for a better life. Although it costs him the respect of most of the tribe and his best friend, Junior goes to a white school. He begins as an outcast, but slowly works his way into the lives of the white children at his school. Although he gains acceptance, he struggles with finding his place in the world. As Alexie puts it, Junior feels like an “apple: red on the outside and white on the inside.”

A great story of self discovery and being true to oneself.