November Book Blurbs, Part 2

When you're doing an on the spot book talk (recommendation), most of the time the requester doesn't have all day to stand there and listen to you wax poetic about how the nuances of some character in such and such a book really tie it together. Most of the time, especially if they're a teenager, they want one sentence that answers the question: "what's it about?"

Here are some more quick, to the point blurbs for books I've read this past month:

Keeping You A Secret, by Julie Anne Peters
Summary: A high school senior realizes she has feelings for the new girl, but they live in a place where the School Board won't approve of an LGBT group.  She has to keep her new relationship a secret, but at many costs.
About: LGBT, relationships, coming of age,
Genre: Drama
Audience: anyone interested in LGBT rights, people who like reading about relationships




Anna Dressed in Blood, by Kendare Blake
Summary: A teenage boy kills ghosts, but finds it difficult to kill the legendary Anna Dressed in Blood.
About: Paranormal, ghosts, vengeance
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Audience: Horror fans, obviously.  Boys! It has a male narrator, which usually helps pull in male readers (stereotypical, I know, I hate that.), Buffy fans, Twilight fans (the cover is white, black and red - it'll be easy to trick them into reading something well written and similar to the genre)



Moon Over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool
Summary: A young girl moves to a small town for the summer and ends up unearthing Prohibition-era town history that someone wants kept secret. 
About: Prohibition, Depression, coming of age, family
Genre: Historical Fiction, mystery
Audience: Historical fiction fans, middle schoolers, people who like the music video to Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney's "Say, Say, Say" because that's all I could picture while I read this, people looking for a solid, well-developed story



Anya's Ghost, by Vera Brosgol
Summary: A teen depressed with her lackluster social status enlists the help of a ghost to help her gain popularity, but the ghost has other plans.
About: Coming of age, immigration, assimilation
Genre: Supernatural, Graphic Novel (yes, it's a form, not a genre, but libraries still shelve them separately)
Audience: someone looking for a story on outcasts, graphic novel fans, anyone who likes supernatural shows would love this




UnWholly, by Neal Shusterman
Summary: A sequel to Unwind, this book continues the fights against the Unwind system (Unwinding is the process of your parents signing you over to have all of your organs donated - your spirit lives on while you do not. It's like a retroactive abortion). 
About: Abortion, rights, teenagers vs. adults, decision making
Genre: Dystopia, action
Audience: Angsty teens, dystopia fans, civil rights activists, unelected Republicans (would learn a thing or two), action fans