Corner: Teens will, like, like 'Mockingjay' and other new books

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Great new reads for teens abound, led by "Mockingjay," the final volume in "The Hunger Games" trilogy.

Here's a closer look at some of these books:

-- In "Mockingjay" (Scholastic, $17.99), author Suzanne Collins provides a fittingly unsettling ending to the wildly popular dystopian trilogy that began in 2008 with "The Hunger Games" and continued in last year's "Catching Fire."

Seventeen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, the series' angry, gutsy heroine, has become a national symbol of hope because she has survived the Hunger Games. Created by the dictatorial government of Panem, these games are annual televised events in which 24 teens are forced to fight to the death for the amusement of their fellow citizens. While Katniss -- known for the "Mockingjay" pin she wears -- has won the admiration of many, however, she also has antagonized the political leaders in the Capitol.

Now, as "Mockingjay" opens, Katniss is being pressured by rebels to become the symbol of their fight against the Capitol. Katniss, however, isn't quite buying her role as the movement's on-screen mouthpiece, and she's also worried about how her family and friends would fare in a conflict against the government. Yet Katniss can't prevent the onslaught of war, and it's as horrific as she feared it would be.

Although readers will be happy to know that Katniss finally makes a choice between two male friends, Peeta and Gale, romance runs a distant second to combat in "Mockingjay," which features numerous deaths and shocking scenes of violence. It's not an easy book to read, but Collins' writing is powerful and her story stands as a gut-wrenching testament to the harrowing insanity of war. (Ages 12 up.)

-- Perhaps only Louis Sachar, author of the Newbery Medal-winning "Holes," could construct a novel around the game of bridge and make it interesting to teens. But his new book, "The Cardturner" (Delacorte, $17.99), features such an engaging set of characters that it actually could spark more teen interest in bridge.

Sachar's story revolves around the unlikely friendship that develops between a self-deprecating high-school senior named Alton Richards and his gruff great-uncle Lester, a bridge master who's blind and needs someone to be his "cardturner." Alton's job is to whisper to Lester what cards he has for each hand, and then play whatever ones his uncle tells him to play. As it turns out, Alton himself has a knack for playing bridge, which becomes vitally important when tragedy strikes.

If you're already a bridge buff, you'll love the way Sachar has woven bridge hands into his text. But you don't need to know much about bridge to enjoy the story, in which Sachar combines comedy with some romance and even a bit of fantasy. And, with his usual dry wit, Sachar gives readers a choice: anyplace in the book where they see a picture of a whale, it's a signal that he's about to explain various bridge hands in detail. Readers who aren't interested can skip over the details and, instead, head right to a summary box. It's an ingenious way for the bridge-crazed Sachar to write about the game while keeping his readers involved in the story. (Ages 12 up.)

-- For plus-size fashionista Veronica Marsha, 15, life is full of challenges, including dealing with a diet-obsessed mother and a distinct lack of friends. But Veronica loves vintage clothes, which is why she's thrilled to get a summer job in the local vintage-clothing store sorting through other people's castoffs.

But, as author Erica Perl details in "Vintage Veronica" (Knopf, $16.99), working at the Clothing Bazaar turns out to be a life-changing experience for Veronica. During the summer, Veronica makes friends, of a sort, and finds herself more interested than she thought she would be in a stock boy nicknamed "The Nail." Most importantly, Veronica discovers the person who's hiding inside her own tough exterior.

Perl, herself a vintage-clothing fan, uses an appropriately light touch in telling Veronica's story, which will ring true to many teen readers. And Veronica herself is a great character -- someone who understands that there's more to life than being skinny. (Ages 12 up.)

-- The story told in "Illyria" (Viking, $15.99) is spooky, intense and disturbing, but author Elizabeth Hand's lyrical writing will keep readers turning the pages. "Illyria" is focused on two cousins named Rogan and Maddy, whose devotion to each other becomes obsessive -- and illicit -- sexual love.

The cousins are descended from an acting family, and are thrilled to star together in a school performance of "Twelfth Night." Shortly afterward, however, Maddy must choose between her feelings for Rogan and accepting her Aunt Kate's dream offer of acting school and the career she's always wanted. Teens will undoubtedly read "Illyria" in one sitting, but the novel's emotional echoes will linger long afterward. (Ages 14 up.)

(Karen MacPherson, the children's/teen librarian at the Takoma Park, Md., Library, can be reached at Karen.Macpherson(at)gmail.com.)

CHILDREN'S CORNER