First title I read was Peter Pan. Why haven't I read this sooner? It is a million times better than the Disney film. While I still found Peter Pan annoying and in need of a swift kick in the pants, I loved the way Captain Hook was presented. If you haven't read the original, stop by and check it out.
Next up was The Revealers by John Wilhelm. This YA (young adult) novel introduces three middle schoolers who are being bullied by their classmates. After one student is thrown off a footbridge and breaks his leg, the victims decide to take action. They start a bullying newsletter, with true stories of students in the school who have been picked on or assaulted. The response is overwhelming. Of course, there's a snotty princess type who wants to ruin the whole thing, since it's making her look less than perfect. Will she succeed? Come in and read it for yourself.
Last night I read Godless by Pete Hautmann. The hero, Jason, (or anti-hero, I suppose I should say) is fed up with his parents' "boring old religion", Catholicism. So he invents a new god -- the town's water tower. His recruits include Shin, his nerdy best friend; Magda Price, the hottie in his Teen Catholic Meetings, and the violent Henry Stagg. When they hold their first "mass" on top of the water tower, the mood turns from silly and fun to dark and perilous. Can Jason control his new religion? You'll have to read the book to find out!
