Travel into a future world in which every child will undergo an operation that will change their lives forever. Tally Youngblood is happily awaiting her 16th birthday, the day she will no longer be one of the 'Uglies' but become a pleasure-seeking 'Pretty.' Waiting for her 16th birthday, Tally meets Shay, another female 'Ugly', who shares her enjoyment of hoverboarding and risky pranks. A few days before Shay and Tally are scheduled to become'Pretty', Shay tells Tally about a distant settlement called the Smoke where people have refused to become 'Pretty'. Shay has decided to escape the city and travel to the Smoke and asks Tally to come with her. When Tally refuses, Shay gives her a cryptic note that will help Tally find the settlement if she chooses to follow her. When Shay is found missing, the authorities give Tally an impossible choice: either she finds Shay and the Smoke or she will be 'Ugly' forever. Will Tally turn her friend in or will her dream of becoming a 'Pretty' go up in smoke?

Reviewed by: BK

Date read: 7/9/2009

ISBN-10: 0689865384

ISBN-13: 978-068986538

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Commenter: St. Charles Reader, grade 0

Ever since Annie Richards' brother died in a freak hockey accident, Annie has been aware of all the dangers that surround her. She never rides her bike without a helmet (or elbow pads, knee pads and ace bandages on each ankle). Her mother worries about Annie's worries, but is too deep in her own grief to help her. Her father barely notices that Annie is even there. Her best friend turns on her when Annie gets upset and runs home at her hamster's funeral and Doug Zimmerman just won't take the hint to get lost. Her only comfort is the very helpful book she found at the neighbor's garage sale, The Everyday Guide to Preventing Illness. It helped her avoid all sorts of dangers like Ebola, Malaria and Salmonella. Then she meets her new neighbor, Mrs. Finch. Mrs. Finch is working through her own grief. Can Gin Rummy, chocolate chip cookies, and Charlotte's Web really help them both back to a sense of normality? Grab a box of tissues and read Umbrella Summer.

Similar books: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron

Reviewed by: caroll

Date read: 9/11/2009

ISBN-10: 0061431877

ISBN-13: 9780061431876

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When Zoey visits a grandmother she's never met, she finds a beautiful china doll. When the doll comes to life, Zoey couldn't be more shocked, especially when the doll turns out to be rather rude! The doll believes she's a princess. How will Zoey cope with the doll's demands when she also has to deal with her family fighting? Will Zoey ever find someone who cares about what she needs?

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 7/6/2011

ISBN-10: 0375956913

ISBN-13: 9780375956911

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Sophie is a typical 14 year old girl with a huge crush on the handsome boy she is dating named Dylan. She should be the happiest girl in the world, but she's not. After an ugly breakup, she finds true romance and friendship with the most unlikely person in school. Just how will she be able to tell her friends?

Reviewed by: rn

Date read: 7/27/2011

ISBN-10: 0689841140

ISBN-13: 9780689841149

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Twelve year old Lidie moves from warm, sunny Brazil to New York to join her father and brother where they are making a new life on the racetrack. She struggles to adjust to speaking English and navigating a different culture. Lidie's well-intentioned father and brother slowly realize that she isn't the little girl they left behind five years before. Lidie's love of horses gives her strength, and things look up after she befriends a new filly in for training named Wild Girl. Lidie and this horse share many things in common, and their journey is told in parallel form in the book.

Reviewed by: msp

Date read: 8/27/2009

ISBN-10: 0440421772

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