Geek Charming - by Robin Palmer

This was a fun take on the Frog Prince fairy tale. Dylan is a princess. She's a self-centered popular person who passes judgment on the whole student class at Castle Heights High. She has a popular jock boyfriend and a little entourage who seem to bend to her selfish whims, including trying to fish out her expensive, stylish purse that she drops into the fountain at the mall. Insert Josh, who is a film geek with asthma, who makes a deal with Dylan. He will get her purse out of the fountain if she agrees to being the subject of a documentary on popular people that he will use for his entrance project for Film School.

Dylan agrees, but shortly after, reneges on the deal, until Josh speaks to her father. What follows is Josh and his friends filming Dylan and her friends a couple of times a week. At first they just capture how horrible popular people can be, especially Dylan, but Josh quickly starts to see the insecurities and worries she has, just like everyday people, and that they are not so bad, after all. Dylan and friends also begin to realize that geeks aren't all that bad, either.

Dylan eventually gives Josh a makeover that raises his status at school, even while staying true to himself. Dylan loses her boyfriend and popular friends, and things blow up when Dylan sees the wrong version of the documentary. Everything works out in the end with a realistic and feel good ending.

I didn't actually like either Dylan or Josh at the beginning, and wasn't sure if I'd like the book. But it quickly won me over with the character development and fun plot. I was rooting for both characters by mid-book, and was very satisfied in the end.

Fun chic-lit!

The Reformed Vampire Support Group - by Catherine Jinks

This vampire book was different than any other vampire tale I'd read before. Instead of vampires being strong, powerful and menacing, vampirism is considered an infection that makes you sickly. Too much bright light makes you bleed from the eyes, you are often nauseous and throwing up blood, etc. Instead of becoming the strong version of whatever age you are, you stay in the exact same state. So if you are a 70 year old with a hunched back and feet problems, that's how you stay. The only time you might be stronger and menacing is if you drink human blood.

But that is where the Reformed Vampire Support Group comes in. Nina is a 15 year old (30-something vampire age) who weekly attends group therapy with a bunch of other vampires. The group is led by Father Ramon, and they focus on not succumbing to the desire to drink human blood, and on trying to be normal citizens without getting noticed. Despite that they are not really a threat to anyone, society still sees them as one, which probably isn't helped by the fictional vampire hero that Nina creates for the books she writes.

As they trudge through their weekly lives, Nina gets more and more annoyed with herself and the others and the state of their lives. But then someone in their group winds up staked, and everyone is immediately frightened that they might be next. Nina, Dave, Sanford and Father Ramon set off on a series of misadventures to try and figure out who the killer might be, and to prevent him from killing again.

They come across Nefly, an inept, super geeky vampire hunter, as well as the McKinnons, who are a father and son duo who exploit werewolves in fighting rings. They end up saving Reuben, the McKinnons' prize werewolf, as they try and stop Nefly, adding the McKinnons to their list of problems. Nina and a couple of the others find some strength in themselves they didn't know they had, and after a string of exciting turns, things things work out in the end.

This was a good read. It started a little slow, but once it got going was really very interesting and fun. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a vampire book that's a little different than all the rest.

Jump the Cracks - by Stacy DeKeyser

This was a good story. It's a quick read with a good hook, having a teenage girl become an accidental kidnapper. It brings up the serious issues of childcare and the rights and protections for children.

Victoria leaves her mother at the start of the summer and is on her way to visit her Dad in New York City. She is still bitter about her dad having missed some of her softball games, and some of her highlights during those games.

While on the train, she notices a young woman and her 2-year old boy. The mother doesn't seem to care much about her kid, and Victoria sees bruises on the boy's arms. When the train arrives, Victoria notices the woman gets off the train alone. Concerned, she searches until she finds the boy in the bathroom. By the time she calls her dad to see where he is, the train begins moving, with Victoria and the little boy still on the train.

Victoria soon learns that the mother was meeting someone dangerous, and that he has reported Victoria to the police as a kidnapper. With the more Victoria learns, and the lack of assurances from the police, Victoria keeps the little boy because she fears for him, and wants him to have a safe home where he can trust the adults in his life.

It was a good read, and it ended realistically. I wasn't sure if I liked either Victoria or the baby at first, but once the train pulls away and situation becomes much more serious, both characters become much more likable, as well as more interesting and sympathetic with the more you learn about them. The interesting question is: what would you do? Would you turn the boy in right away knowing he has a bad home life? Or would you keep him to try to hold out for better? I'm not sure what I would do...

Evernight - by Claudia Gray

Despite being a little tired of the recent vampire craze started by the over-popular Twilight series, I do still enjoy a good vampire tale. Evernight fit the bill for that periodic craving.

For the most part, Evernight is still your typical sort of vampire novel: moody setting, angsty teen characters, and an intense, forbidden love between vampire and human.

Bianca's teacher parents have moved the family to Evernight, a boarding school where her parents will teach and Bianca will attend. The place is old, fancy and dark, with rich, snobby teens and a deep sense of evil and foreboding lurking in the background. Bianca is mad at her parents for uprooting her from her home and friends, and feels as though she'll never fit in. Until she meets Lucas, a dark and mysterious guy, with whom she feels an instant connection. He warns her about the school and the people there, and, despite a rocky first date, begin falling in love...

But about a third of the way through, while at the Autumn Ball, a kiss and a bite change everything and turn the story on it's head with a twist that I just wasn't expecting. And then, two thirds of the way through, there's another secret revealed that changes everything again, and starts a chain of events leading quickly to the end.

Evernight had a fair amount of your typical teen angst, with lots of "we're destined to be together" and "you lied to me but I still love you" emotions, but the plot twists and writing style pull you along and make this a fun page-turner. I look forward to reading the sequel, Stargazer.

Stolen - by Vivian Vande Velde

As with most of Vande Velde's books I've read so far, this was a fun, quick read with a neat little twist at the end.

The same day that the local witch has had her cottage burned down for stealing another child, twelve-year-old Isabelle (is that really her name?) wakes up running through the forest and quickly finds herself chased up a tree by dogs. She doesn't remember anything before the running. Not her name, her family, where she's from, or why she was running. She is taken in by a kind family in the village of Thornstowe to help her recover, but is soon claimed by villagers Mady and Frayne as their daughter Isabelle, who was supposedly stolen by the local witch when she was six. Isabelle is not convinced, and neither is her supposed sister, Honey, who thinks Isabelle was sent by the witch to torment them. Will Isabelle ever remember who she truly is? Will she ever feel like she belongs again? Will she ever find out what happened to her?

Isabelle is an honest, likeable character who, while really wanting to belong and know who she is, is not ready to jump to any conclusions. While she doesn't like Honey, she doesn't disagree with her about the uncertainty of her origins.

As the events unfold and the truth starts to slowly seep in, both Isabelle and the reader feel the dread and anxiety building about how it will end. But it does end, and all wraps up well, and we know who Isabelle is and where she came from, and what happened to the stolen children.

I figured out who Isabelle was early on. But whether you figure it out or not, it is still a delicious little twist on the typical witch fairy tale. I highly recommend it!