I lifted the rifle again and swung the tip of the barrel straight up into the air.  I figured I could gradually lower the barrel at the screen, aim, and pick off one of the Japanese troops.

BLAM!  The rifle fired off and violently kicked out of my grip.

"Jaaaack!"  I heard my mother shriek and then the screen door slammed behind her.

"If I'm not already dead I soon will be," I said to myself.

She pounced on me.  "There's blood!  You've been shot!  Where?"  Then she gasped and pointed directly at my face.  Her eyes bugged out and her scream was so high-pitched it was silent.

Fictional autobiography, Hell's Angels, history, mystery, comedy, death, horror...Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos is all and more.  Full of eccentric characters, this novel follows the life of author Jack Gantos during one action-packed summer in his hometown.  Meet Miss Volker, who is trying to revitalize a dying town.  Meet Mr. Spizz, who polices the town on his adult-sized tricycle.  Meet Jack's mother, who believes in bartering jam rather than paying cash.  Meet Jack's father, who worries about the "commies" in  town and who wants to build a runway in the backyard.

In addition to having a town full of loveable characters, Jack also suffers from nosebleeds that can be triggered by any excitement or surprise.  Is it hemochromatosis, like Hemingway?  Ugh!  This is problematical, of course, since he is helping Miss Volker to write all of the obituaries. 

Finally, a whole-summer grounding dampens his summer plans when he mows down a cornfield.  How does he get out of it?  Who is killing all of the senior citizens?  Will he have to move to Florida?  Read this extraordinary novel to find out!

"Enough," said Glaedr.

Glaedr seemed possessed of an urge to do something other than sink ever deeper into the all-enveloping morass of his private torments.

"Enough," Glaedr repeated, sounding both weary and exasperated.  "Do you wish to attract unwanted attention?"

"Eragon, you should not spend so much time sparring.  It is distracting you from more important matters.  The sword in Galbatorix's hand is not what you need fear the most, nor the sword in his mouth, but rather the sword in his mind."

"Anyone with the time and inclination can acquire technical proficiency.  To achieve greatness, though, that requires artistry."

"By seeing all and discounting nothing, you may adapt without hesitation to any change.  The warrior who can adapt the easiest to the unexpected is the warrior who will live the longest.

The theme of being able to adjust strategies based upon meditated evaluation is a major theme in this, the final volume of Christopher Paolini's Eragon cycle.  The cycle comes to an end in  Inheritance.  In this final volume, Eragon finally meets his nemesis, Galbatorix.  Eragon's growth as a character will determine if he will be able to follow Glaedr's advice.

This novel starts with a synopsis of all that has transpired in previous novels.  Don't relax, though!  The beginning chapter, "Into the Breach," starts off running in the midst of a battle.  We see familiar faces, Saphira, Arya, Roran, Katrina, Angela, Nasuada, Orrin, Orik, Nar Garzhvog, Elva, Murtagh, etc. and familiar towns that must be breached by the Varden.  Inheritance is a hefty volume and encompasses troubling births, bloody battles, encounters with the priests of Helgrind, kidnappings, werecats, the Rock of Kuthian, and name-finding.  Always in the shadows, though, is the grim shadow of the mad king, Galbatorix.

The showdown with Galbatorix itself made me initially cringe because I saw images of the end of Star Wars:  Return of the Jedi.  However, I am pleased that my initial assumption proved to be incorrect!

Paolini delivers a deliberate and exciting conclusion to his epic saga.  He promises us, though, that he intends on visiting the lands of Alagaesia in the future.  I look forward to further adventures in this sprawling landscape!

Anya has immigrated to the United States and has worked hard to assimilate into the American culture.  She has eliminated her Russian accent and adopted American mannerisms.

Everything changes on the day she falls into a hole and meets a ghost.  This "benign" ghost seems to be a great  supporter and advisor.  Anya's ghost looks nerdy and unassuming.  However, this new friend finds ways to help Anya out of schoolwork and skipping out on classes.  Anya's ghost even starts to help Anya find a way to get together with her huge crush, who never seems to notice her.  With the ghost's help, however, Anya soon gets his attention!

Vera Brosgol is an illustrator for Laika, Inc.  She works on storyboards for feature animation.  Neil Gaiman has called Anya's Ghost (find on Link+) "a masterpiece."  This is a novel for those who love graphic novels and young adult literature.

Last year, Josh used to come to all my home meets just to wave and cheer me on. It makes me want to be honest and tell him what else I saw on the website, before he came over.

But I can't bring myself to say it.

What I saw would make things even more awkward between us. 

I hate being dishonest with Josh, but I can't tell him what I'm about to do. My future husband didn't come home for three nights! And now he's using my money to buy some gadget. Meanwhile, I can't even afford a therapist, which I most likely need in the future so I can talk about him!

I have to get rid of this guy.

It's 1996 and Facebook does not exist yet. Or does it? When Josh gives Emma an America Online CD-ROM download, Emma enters the world of Facebook, 15 years in the future! While an explanation for the time travel is never given, the effects of tampering with one's future is explored. Emma is desperate to change hers while Josh is perfectly content with his future. Or is he?

The Future of Us is quite a page-turner. As other reviewers have noted, however, the singular works by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler are better reads. Time travel is a difficult concept to master without running into inconsistencies. The reader must be aware that they need to suspend some of their disbelief, because this is a good story.

Jay Asher is the author of Thirteen Reasons Why: A Novel and Carolyn Mackler is the author of The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things and Tangled.

Have you read or heard the Grimm's fairy tale called Rapunzel? Did you ever wonder why Rapunzel was locked in a tower, and how she felt about being there? Did you ever think of an alternative to her waiting for a prince to come rescue her?

If the answer to any of these questions is "yes," then Rapunzel's Revenge is the book for you! This graphic novel is based on the fairy tale, but provides a thrilling alternative to the familiar story.

The book was put together by the three Hales - wife and husband team Shannon and Dean Hale, and artist Nathan Hale (who is related only by name to the authors). They have produced a witty, humorous, and adventure-filled book that older children, teens, and adults will enjoy.

Check it out at your local San José Public Library!

Have you ever read a book and wondered, "There has to be another side to this story." Many authors solve that mystery for you by giving you two, three, and even more voices and narrators in one novel in order to give you multiple perspectives of the same situation. In Dash and Lily's Book of Dares, Rachel Cohn and David Levithan co-write the story of two teens on a holiday scavenger hunt in New York City. A sweet romance blossoms with Dash and Lily through the clues in a red notebook passed between each other. The alternating chapters of each character creates the real feeling of how paths cross and misunderstandings occur in a relationship.

Told through letters between a couple over the course of ten years, Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon is a story of raw emotion about Antonio, in jail as a sixteen year old for a horrendous crime, and Natasha, his girlfriend still in the outside world, and trying to sustain this strained relationship.

Check out some other books that use multiple narrators:

• Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist -- Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
• My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, & Fenway Park -- Steve Kluger
• Realm of Possibility -- David Levithan
• A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl -- Tanya Lee Stone
• Remembering Raquel -- Vivian Vande Velde