Crap Kingdom by DC Pierson

  I know that a book I've read isn't that great when I can barely muster up the moxie to write a blog about it.  Enter Crap Kingdom (I know, I know - the irony).  As a professional librarian I hate to admit that I bought this book because of it's cover and title.  The SHAME.  I'm telling you I can barely sleep at night.
  Tom Parking is an average American teen with average teenaged problems.  He secretly wishes that he was destined for more, and alas, it turns out that he is.  He is the "Chosen One" for a place he ends up referring to as Crap Kingdom.  Crap Kingdom is aptly named as it's a dirty and backward place, a place Tom has no interest in saving.  That is until he is replaced as the "Chosen One" and then he wants back in.  Tom's indecisiveness leads to otherworldly drama.
  Honestly, the best I could hope for is that the title and cover snare an unsuspecting teen into reading.  Otherwise, there are many more interesting choices that cover the fantasy/romance YA genre.  Bottom line: skip it.
   

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

"There are so many ways it could have all turned out differently".  Ain't it the truth?  Hadley is on her way to her dad's wedding, in London, to watch him marry a woman she has never met.  Suffice it to say - it's a bad day.  Then, just when Hadley thinks her day couldn't get any worse, she misses her flight.  When she is rebooked on the next outgoing plane, she ends up sitting next to Oliver - a mysterious Brit who attends Yale and is ridiculously dodgy about what he is studying. 
  I can say that this book was just alright.  Filled with teenage angst and romance, I honestly expected more out of Jennifer E. Smith.  The characters had dimension, but I saw the ending coming from a mile away.  There was nothing unexpected or really unique about it.  If you're looking for a breezy read, there are certainly better options. 

Winger by Andrew Smith

  Winger is one of the best books I've ever read.  BAM.  There it is.  Ryan Dean West is a fourteen year old junior at a fancy boarding school.  He comes off a little annoying in the beginning while constantly referring to himself as a loser, but, alas, don't be put off.  Ryan Dean really grows on you.
I'm just going to say it. 
  Ryan Dean is required to live in "O Hall", the dorm reserved for the campus troublemakers after he pulls off a genius tech hack.  Not only that, but he's forced to live with the school's biggest bully.  Thankfully, Ryan Dean is a superb rugby player, a little bit of a fighter (natch), a romantic and a comedian.  These attributes save him more than once.
  As Ryan Dean makes his way through junior year friendships are tested, while some are broken, hot chicks are kissed, punches are thrown, and a tragedy occurs that will completely break your heart.  Laughing hysterically one moment and then crying the next, this was my journey through this book.  Whatever your preconceived notions of YA literature are - you are missing out if you don't read this book.  Seriously.