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Price: $15.95

ISBN: 9780898159950

Summary: This book is a real "in your face" exploration of being fat and what it means to so many Americans. For so long I was feeling horrible and guilty because I had gained weight after having kids and was no longer the thin woman I once was. After reading this book, I have found that I have a more positive outlook on myself and a better body image. I will no longer feel bad about how I look. The book even motivated me to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe - even if it is in a bigger size now. I love my new clothes, my new look and my newfound confidence. I recommend this book to all women out there who have ever felt bad about their weight!

Price: $17.95

ISBN: 9780345350497

Summary: Even readers who don't normally enjoy Arthurian legends will love this version, a retelling from the point of view of the women behind the throne. Morgaine (more commonly known as Morgan Le Fay) and Gwenhwyfar (a Welsh spelling of Guinevere) struggle for power, using Arthur as a way to score points and promote their respective worldviews. "The Mists of Avalon"'s Camelot politics and intrigue take place at a time when Christianity is taking over the island-nation of Britain; Christianity vs. Faery, and God vs. Goddess are dominant themes.
Young and old alike will enjoy this magical Arthurian reinvention by science fiction and fantasy veteran Marion Zimmer Bradley. "--Bonnie Bouman"

Price: $6.95

ISBN: 9780805080797

Summary: Melvin Burgess, author of "Smack", has written what is potentially the most controversial young adult novel ever. "Doing It" is an honest and funny book about three teenage British boys learning about themselves and life through their sexual experiences. But here's the catch: the story is told from the point of view of the hormone-sodden young males, naughty bits and all.
Gorgeous Dino thinks that equally gorgeous Allie should realize that they belong together and is puzzled and frustrated when their passionate lovemaking always ends with her refusing him. Jonathan fancies sensible, sexy Deborah but can't admit it to his friends, even after several steamy grope sessions, because she is…well…plump. And Ben is living every teenage boy's dream, an affair with a lusty teacher--but somehow it's getting to be too much of a good thing.
Nearly all YA novels about love and sexuality are told by and for girls, like Judy Blume's groundbreaking classic, "Forever". The contrast here is striking--as Burgess said in an interview, "I wrote Doing It because I do believe that we have let young men down very badly in terms of the kinds of books written for them. This book is my go at trying to bring young male sexual culture into writing." The result is surprising but educational for female readers. Wisely, the publisher has kept the British slang terms for sexual acts and body parts, rather than using the American four-letter words, a factor that will make the book less of a hot potato for librarians and teachers, but not diminish the reading pleasure for the inevitable hordes of young male readers. (Ages 14 and older) "--Patty Campbell"

Price: $6.99

ISBN: 9780380732234

Summary: Like so many teenagers, Tar and Gemma are fed up with their parents. Tar's family is alcoholic and abusive, and Gemma feels her home life is cramped by too many restrictions. The young, British couple runs away to Bristol in search of freedom, and finds it in the form of a "squat." This vacant building is also occupied by two slightly older teens who share everything with Tar and Gemma (including their heroin habits). For a while, everything is parties and adventures, but slowly Tar and Gemma find themselves growing more and more dependent on the drug--whose strict mandates are even less forgiving than those of the parents they fled. As Gemma says, "You take more and more, and more often. Then you get sick of it and give up for a few days. And that's the really nasty thing because then, when you're clean, that's when it works so well."
With "Smack", winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Prize for Fiction, Melvin Burgess brilliantly sketches a gradual descent into drug addiction. There is no preaching here, just the artful revelation of cold, hard facts. Burgess's use of the first-person voice--for not only the main characters but those in the background as well--brings you into the mind of every character in this homeless, hooked culture, offering a (sometimes terrible) glimpse of the motivations and transitions of each person. (Tar's personality changes dramatically over the course of the book, from sweet-natured, lonely boy to hard-edged, hit-seeking addict.) More subtle and less graphic than "Beauty Queen", Linda Glovach's tale of a girl's downward spiral into heroin addiction, "Smack" will linger in the your mind long after its haunting conclusion has been reached. (Ages 13 and older) "--Brangien Davis"