2009 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

LIFE SUCKS
by Jessica Abel and Gabe Soria
Life is tough for Dave Miller, and the fact that it will never, ever end does nothing to cheer him up. Two years ago, Dave was turned into a vampire, and now he’s stuck working as an assistant manager in charge of the night shift at a local Los Angeles convenience store. To make matters worse, Dave’s in love with Rosa, a goth girl with an unhealthy attraction for all things dark and otherworldly, which includes her having a crush on Dracula-wannabe Alistair.  Normally, a poseur like Alistair wouldn’t be much competition for an actual vampire, except that Dave is a vegetarian. But when Rosa catches the eye of Wes, a psychotic undead surfer, can Dave get it together fast enough to save the girl before the sun comes up?

ONE HUNDRED YOUNG AMERICANS
by Michael Franzini
Consulting census data and conducting research to find the "top 50 niches in youth culture," Franzini selects a group of teenagers that effectively represents the diversity of American youth, encompassing "cheerleaders, jocks, student body presidents, prom queens, nerds, band geeks, gamers, skaters, stoners, goths, punks, druggies and kids who defy all labels." Each teen is photographed in the setting and pose of his or her choice, often to revealing effect, while the text provides information on subjects' lives, struggles and dreams.

PERMANENCE: TATTOO PORTRAITS
by Kip Fulbeck
Once a fringe phenomenon, tattooing is now a full-blown cultural fact. More than 40 million people in the U.S. alone have tattoos, all with unique stories about why they chose to indelibly mark their bodies. Permanence combines photographic tattoo portraits with these stories, told in the subjects' own words and handwriting. Kip Fulbeck brings together young and old of all races, religions, and political persuasions—from celebrities to suburban moms to Hells Angels.

NO CHOIRBOY: MURDER, VIOLENCE, AND TEENAGERS ON DEATH ROW
by Susan Kuklin
In their own voices—raw and uncensored—inmates sentenced to death as teenagers talk about their lives in prison, and share their thoughts and feelings about how they ended up there. Susan Kuklin also gets inside the system, exploring capital punishment itself and the intricacies and inequities of criminal justice in the United States.

WAKE
by Lisa McMann
Ever since she was eight years old, high school student Janie Hannagan has been uncontrollably drawn into other people's dreams, but it is not until she befriends an elderly nursing home patient and becomes involved with an enigmatic fellow-student that she discovers her true power.

BODY DRAMA
by Nancy Amanda Redd
From fashion magazines to taboo web sites, curious young women have access to tons of old wives’ tales about and thousands of airbrushed and inaccurate images of the female body—misinformation and harmful portrayals that can lead to low self-esteem, self-destructive acts, or even disturbing plastic surgery procedures. Teaming up with a leading physician specializing in adolescent health issues, Harvard graduate and former Miss Virginia Nancy Redd now offers a down-to-earth, healing, and reassuring response to those damaging myths.

SKULLS
by Noah Scalin
On June 4th, 2007, artist Noah Scalin came up with an ingenious idea: he cut a skull out of orange paper and posted it online with the note, “I’m making a skull image every day for a year.” His uniquely witty works became a wild success: five months later, nearly 250,000 people have visited the site, many sending in skull photos of their own and turning Scalin’s blog into one of the world’s top sites. 

Each of the 150 skulls shown is accompanied by a brief description and fun anecdotal stories. As a bonus, there are four skull projects to make. Irresistibly merging pop, Internet and craft culture, this fantastic collection provides an inspiring example of how to find creative potential in every aspect of daily life.

CUSTOM KICKS
by Kim Smits and Matthijs Maat
Customizing is hot. Everything can be customized: from pimped cars to retro furniture. This major trend is especially popular in footwear. Customizing your own shoes is a way of stepping out of the crowd, of showing your personality.

By inviting 150 artists and illustrators to show/create customized shoes, the book will appeal not only to sneaker freaks, fashion fetishists and trend watchers, but also to the graphic design and art audience. The main focus is on the artwork but the text examines the trend and asks: How did it start? What materials do the artists use? There are also tips and tricks on how to create your very own unique shoes.

GHOSTS: CAUGHT ON FILM
by Melvyn Willin
An extraordinary collection of strange and unexplained photographs that offer the exciting possibility of ghosts and paranormal activity captured on film. The book features early photographs from the Society for Psychical Research of psychics and mediums producing ectoplasm, ghost pictures and other paranormal phenomena as well as celebrated modern images such as the Hampton Court ghost. Each picture is accompanied by a description of its circumstances and the steps taken by Willin to establish that there is no normal explanation for the phenomena. Whether you are a complete skeptic or a semi-believer, you can't help but be drawn into the mystery.

More about the YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers.