Today's Unshelved strip: the Teen Leadership Program of my dreams

This was too good not to share.

http://www.unshelved.com/archive.aspx?strip=20091115

Stay tuned for a video book review - featuring yours truly!

I've got big plans for this - but it's still in the works. If you're really that curious, you can check here for a a look at the coming attraction.

Since we're already on a crime kick...How to Steal a Car

I've read more books than I can count about teenagers with major life issues - or even teenagers without major life issues - who end up doing something self-destructive. You know, eating disorders, cutting, promiscuity, drinking. That kind of thing. It can be interesting, but it's almost a cliche by now.

In How to Steal a Car, by Pete Hautman, 15-year-old Kelleigh finds a more unusual outlet for her frustrations: car theft. A chance encounter with a dropped pair of keys turns into a summerlong crime wave for an otherwise normal girl.

Of course, she's got more going on in her life than grand theft auto, as you discover along the course of the book. Kelleigh's voice is easy to hear; she goes off on tangents, and fills in background stories as they pop up. Not all first-person books achieve this conversational quality. For all she's a thief (and of course hiding things from her friends), she's also interestingly honest.

This was one of those grabbed-it-off-the-new-releases-shelf reads that I'm glad I grabbed.

Son of the Mob: Bringing Out the Mafioso in All of Us

You've seen "The Godfather." Or you were a faithful "Sopranos" fan. Your favorite minor character on the "Simpsons" is Fat Louie and his cronies.

Or not. But even so, Son of the Mob is for you. I'm a fan, but in this case, I know someone who's an even bigger fan of Gordon Korman's hilarious book, so I'm going to let her be my inaugural guest reviewer.

"Vince Luca has always known his family is slightly different. It's not every kid who has more "uncles" than you can count with names like Uncle No Nose, Uncle Uncle and Uncle Pampers, or comes to school one day with a lunch sack full of diamonds instead of lunch. But once he understands what his brother meant when he said their father was "mobbed up," Vince wants no part of it. Easier said than done when you're 17, in high school, and still live at home with your father (the head mob boss for one of the largest New York mafia families), your mother (the mob's chef), and your brother (one of dad's minions).

Vince tries valiantly to, at the very least, minimize his own contact with the mob. But things never seem to go according to plan, like when he's arrested for grand theft auto (his 16th birthday present). Or when his talent on the football field turns out to be the other team's reluctance to tackle a mob prince. Or when he finds Jimmy the Rat beaten and unconscious in the trunk of his car (bought with his own money to assure it's actually his this time) while on a hot date. Or when he finds himself sucked into helping Jimmy the Rat escape the wrath of his father. Even getting a normal girlfriend seems too much to ask, when the girl he starts to like turns out to be the daughter of the FBI agent in charge of taking down his father.

Gordon Korman's "Son of the Mob" is not only a truly hilarious and fun book to read, it also touches on a boy's ever evolving relationship with his father, his best friend, and his own sense of self. A good read no matter what age you are (as is the sequal, "Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle")."

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: what it's like NOT to relate to others

Life as a teenager is, for most people, all about emotions. And I don't just mean black-eyelined parent-induced angst; I mean experiencing new things, testing yourself, trying to figure people out - as well as being appalled at the things your parents do and say. High school life can seem like an endless stream of "Does s/he like me?" "I'm so embarrassed for her" "I hate you; you suck" "You're awesome; I love you" and so on. You can end up consumed by trying to figure out what other people think, analyzing everything they say and do, in the attempt to figure your own self out.

So imagining a life without that wild roller coaster ride of feeling and relating might seem pretty much impossible. Unless you know someone autistic, or read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon.

Autistic individuals lack the intuition that most of us don't even realize we use, making social communication difficult. Cues like body language and tone don't mean much to them, so sarcasm, for example, loses its meaning. (If you're curious, click here for a clearer explanation.)

Christopher Boone has Asperger's, an autism spectrum disorder; he can tell you every prime number up to 7,057, but he hates being touched. He's brilliant at science and math, but the color yellow totally freaks him out. The Curious Incident is a field trip inside his mind.

Chris finds his neighbor's dog impaled on a pitchfork, and then finds himself as the prime suspect. Solving the crime becomes his personal goal, but his unique way of dealing with the world means that this isn't a typical whodunit. Chris has his own brand of perceptiveness that takes him down different paths than you or I might follow, but in the end, he's still headed in the same direction.

Have you ever gotten to know someone with an autism disorder? Some people, both with Asperger's and without, have complained that Haddon's portrayal of what it's like to live with it is inaccurate, while others have pronounced it brilliant. Read it yourself, and then let me know how you feel.

The Rules of Gentility: Jane Austen, now with 75% more snark!

Like I said, I'm a fan of historical fiction, even though it's not the most popular among teens these days. But whether you read Pride and Prejudice of your own volition, or because your 10th grade English lit teacher forced you to, you'll have a good laugh over The Rules of Gentility by Janet Mullany.

In this slapstick blend of regency romance (think early 19th century: the era of Pride and Prejudice and Napoleon) and modern chick lit, Philomena Wellesley-Clegg is a wealthy young lady in high society, with a passion for hats and a slew of suitors - some more suitable than others. And while she knows what's expected, she has no interest in being married as of yet.

Enter Inigo Linsley, bad boy extraordinaire - I mean rake - this is Regency after all. He's got an out-of-wedlock son from a relationship with a popular actress, and no more interest in settling down than Philomena. So when they meet, and like what they see, it makes sense for them to set up a sham betrothal. This way, they can each continue doing what they do best for a little while longer. Obviously, hilarity ensues.

What's great about this book is that it takes an era and a social class that can be hard to get and shows you just how funny and real it can be. Philomena isn't some deep, brooding orphan facing all of society's evils; she's a hat-obsessed teenager, with knack for getting into ridiculous situations. She's a girl like all of us, facing loads of peer pressure, looking for love and a good time; she's just doing it about 190 years ago.

So this is what the blogosphere looks like...

Hello folks, and welcome to Someone Else Books. I admit, I'm doing this as an assignment for a grad school class, but who knows? I'm definitely loud and verbose enough to continue this on indefinitely.

My next few posts (and probably a lot more of them, down the road) will be about books that I consider essential to my - and hopefully your - development. I tend to like genres that aren't so popular - I was a historical fiction nut in high school, when it's not particularly cool! - but I have great plans to branch out. After all, any librarian worth her salt will have up-close and personal knowledge of the latest stuff. So, stay tuned for my first experience with manga...among other things.