Ferndale Library Picks: Susan’s Picks for Teen Read Week 
Happy Teen Read Week, everybody!
(Jeff Milo, FPL, Oct. 18, 2014)
Now that we’re well into the 21st century…we are seeing the maturation of a new generation, entering their teens and young adulthood, who have been raised with the Internet. The ability to read and process information in multiple formats is an essential skill in our global information society. Teen Read Week is a special time of year, highlighting the importance of consistent recreational reading habits for teenagers and young adults, spearheaded every October (Oct 12 – 19) by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)
Reference Librarian Susan Paley will be organizing a special display stacked with lots of important 
and innovative titles in Young Adult Literature. Stop into the library this week and check it out.
Susan’s Picks
The Fever by Megan Abbott
FIC ABBOTT / also available in our lucky day collection
When a sixteen-year-old girl at Dryden High inexplicably has a seizure, everyone who saw her in class talks about it. When the same girl is rushed to the hospital several hours after being sent home and is declared comatose, the whole school, the whole town, the state health department, and even the police get involved. What is going on? Is it the lake near the high school that was declared off limits years ago because of supposed dangerous toxins? Are students on drugs? Are boys poisoning the girls? Or is it a side effect of a vaccine that was recently mandated? Now imagine that two more 
girls at the same high school also have a seizure, but don’t end up in a coma. With three girls facing the same mysterious illness, it’s clear that something sinister must be happening. When the best friend of two of the girls (who hasn’t been infected) starts piecing together information about why the others are sick, and realizes her popular, hockey-playing brother might be involved, the truth isn’t what anyone expects. With elements of Gone Girl, The Crucible, and psychosomatic issues, this darkly suspenseful thriller will keep you alert and give you a lot to think about. Although written for adults, it has also been featured on teen reading websites with top reviews.
Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
YA DELLAIRA
When Laurel’s older sister dies suddenly before Laurel’s freshman year of high school, she feels lost and alone in navigating a new high school, new fractured family dynamic, different friends, and a new first love. She narrates the story through journal entries written to famous dead people: actors, writers, and musicians including Kurt Cobain, River Phoenix, and Amy Winehouse. The journal was 
supposed to be one letter, and it was supposed to be an assignment for her English class, but, instead of turning it in, she uses the letters as a way to heal. As Laurel writes, readers are drawn in to her own high school life, but also the experiences of her sister May, whom she idolized, but discovers was keeping serious secrets. When Laurel finally reveals her anger at May, for leaving, but also for not protecting her, the result is a powerful and hauntingly beautiful story. A must-read for fans of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being A Wallflower and Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.
The Can’t Cook Book: 100+ Recipes for the Absolutely Terrified by Jessica Seinfeld
641.555 S
This is a fantastic cookbook for beginning cooks. The recipes are easy to understand and use uncomplicated ingredients. You won’t go hungry. Choose from dishes like one-pot chicken with rice and peas, easy slow-cooker lasagna, pizza, some vegetable recipes, quick burgers, breakfast ideas, and desserts like classic chocolate cookies. In addition to lots of recipes you will actually want to 
cook, there are plenty of how-to illustrations for things like chopping garlic, seasoning to taste, and rinsing chicken and fish. If you have a smartphone you can scan any page with a video icon for an interactive video. The cookbook also features charts for temperature and measurement conversions, food safety tips, and suggestions for kitchen tools and cooking supplies. Eat up!
Noggin by John Corey Whaley
YA WHALEY
Nominated for a 2014 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, Noggin is a novel about sixteen-year-old Travis Coates who is really famous. Why? The story is set several years into the future where “cranial reanimation” is now possible. Five years ago, Travis died, but his head was frozen. Now, he’s reawakened with his head attached to a new body. He has to deal with a lot. For example, all of his best friends are in college, his girlfriend is engaged to another guy, and he’s still stuck in 10th grade. With only one other “reattached” person to talk to, he’s not sure how to figure 
everything out. He manages to make a new friend in high school, but still feels like his old self and his new self are fuzzy. Add in a big secret his best friend has been keeping for five years, a creepy museum devoted to Travis, and a wild road trip. Then, you have a hilariously funny story that still gives you a lot to think about. In Travis’ own words: “Oh well, you only live twice.”
The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance What Women Should Know By Katy Kay and Claire Shipman
158 K
For fans of Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg and Thrive by Arianna Huffington, The Confidence Code is packed with practical strategies to help women gain confidence in the workplace and life in general. Even though it says” what women should know” in the title, men can read this book too. (Men reading this review- don’t quit now). The authors examine real-life situations in which confidence is 
necessary for success. In addition to citing several interesting experiments with both humans and animals as subjects, personality and how specific traits impact confidence are also discussed. Well-researched and easy to understand, this book will inspire action and give readers insight to create their most confident self.
For previous Ferndale Library Picks see…
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/10/02/ferndale-library-picks-jeffs-picks-lately/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/09/15/ferndale-library-picks-end-of-summer-round-up/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/08/01/library-picks-wgabriel-bray-music-mystery-monty-python/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/07/15/ferndale-library-picks-with-board-president-pat-dengate/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/07/01/ferndale-library-picks-with-kelly-bennett/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/06/18/ferndale-library-roundup-best-of-summer-for-youth/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/06/03/ferndale-library-roundup-who-needs-hogwarts/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/05/15/ferndale-library-roundup-bff-roadtrip-edition/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/05/01/ferndale-public-library-round-up-best-in-books-and-more-2/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/04/15/ferndale-public-library-round-up-best-in-books-and-more/
Be sure to visit the Ferndale Library website at http://www.ferndale.lib.mi.us/.
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