Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




2010 Best Books for Teens: Contemporary Novels


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Cover art for SWEET, HEREAFTER
CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 5, 2010

Sweet never really fit in at home or at school, but she has satisfying friends and connections. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE DARK DAYS OF HAMBURGER HALPIN
CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 9, 2010

"Only a clichéd fatness explanation (overeating) and the implausibility of such highly successful lip reading distract; but the funny, clever voice and the small but spot-on thread of deaf politics make this a winner. (Fiction. 12-16)"
This witty tale of mainstreaming, misfits and murder glitters like the "Future Diamonds" that coal-mine souvenirs promise to someday become. Read full book review >
Cover art for WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2010

"Their story, along with the rest of the cast's, will have readers simultaneously laughing, crying and singing at the top of their lungs. (Fiction. YA)"
Will Grayson loves indie rock, plays the eye-rolling angry stepchild to his extraordinarily giant, lovable, gay best friend Tiny Cooper and doesn't realize that he yearns for his other indie-rock–loving friend Jane until it's too late. will grayson (he never uses uppercase) hates most everything except sharing an XXL coffee with his best friend Maura each morning and covertly conversing with his Internet boyfriend every night. Read full book review >
Cover art for AS EASY AS FALLING OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2010

"A long, immensely enjoyable, curiously comforting ramble through an absurd-but-benign world, tellingly filed by the Library of Congress under "Adventure and adventurers—Fiction," "Accidents—Fiction" and "Luck—Fiction." (Fiction. 12 & up)"
It's easy to fall off the face of the Earth, as the affable 15-year-old Ry discovers when he misses his camp-bound train somewhere in Montana. Read full book review >
Cover art for ILLYRIA
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 13, 2010

"This intense, sensual and bittersweet love story unfolds in hauntingly lyrical prose and should appeal to mature teens. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)"
Growing up in a large, eccentric, extended family in Yonkers in the late 1960s, two first cousins exist in their own private world. Read full book review >
Cover art for NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010

"It's rare to see second- and third-wave feminism square off in YA literature so successfully; don't miss this round. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Another powerful, involving exploration of teen girls' identities and relationships from the ever-improving Vivian (A Little Friendly Advice, 2008, Same Difference, 2009). Read full book review >