Booked

Nick Hall is a bright student who would rather do anything other than pay attention in class. Instead he daydreams about soccer, a girl he likes, and an upcoming soccer tournament. His linguistics-professor father carefully watches his educational progress, requiring extra reading and word study, much to Nick's chagrin and protest. His life is further complicated by injury and emergency surgery. His soccer dream derailed, Nick turns to the books he has avoided and finds more than he expected.

Alexander's highly anticipated follow-up to Newbery-winning "The Crossover" is a reflective narrative.What the mostly free-verse novel does have is a likable protagonist, great wordplay, solid teen and adult secondary characters, and a clear picture of the challenges young people face when self-identity clashes with parental expectations. The soccer scenes are vivid and will make readers wish for more, but the depiction of Nick as he unlocks his inner reader is smooth and believable. A satisfying, winning read.

Born to Rock by Gordon Korman

Laugh-out-loud funny, honest, hot and sweet, he knows how to start a story with lines about Republicans and body-cavity searches in the first few pages. Leo, our hero, is a senior with a scholarship to Harvard, a tangential relationship to the Young Republicans, good, loving parents and Goth-goddess Melinda, whom he's known all his life. But shortly readers-and Leo-discover that a good deed gets him accused of cheating, loses him his scholarship and reveals to him his hitherto unknown parentage. One night's backstage indiscretion by his mom meant that Leo's biological father is none other than King Maggot, lead screamer of Purge, the band that practically founded punk, and Melinda's hero. Leo spends the summer after senior year as a roadie for Purge's reunion tour, with its standard excesses and odd charms chronicled in Leo's self-aware, slightly dorky voice.

Author's Website