From a historical account of the horrific personal stories of people who were tortured in concentration camps during the Holocaust to a breezy romance about a teen band, the following works reviewed by the teens of the Kitsap (WA) Regional Library YA Book Group run the gamut of YA offerings. Jessica Verdi's What You Left Behind even received an SLJ starred review recently. The SLJ editors seem to agree with Sam's assessment of the book about a single teen dad: "Prodigious." DEEM, James. The Prisoners of Breendonk: Personal Histories from a World War II Concentration Camp. illus. by Jacques Ochs. HMH. Aug. 2015. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9780544096646. Gr 9 Up–The Prisoners of Breendonk is like many other histories of the Holocaust before it. The pictures of healthy men and women turned to skeletal wreckage or shown doing grueling labor and tortured in means and ways that many deem inhumane. However, the point, as with many thousands of private memorials, is to remember. To grieve the loss of life and be reminded to show restraint, as the condemnation of a single people caused the death of six million. The cadaveric figures left to the memory of dust and ashes brought to life to prevent a future atrocity. It is a definite must-read for anyone learning about the Holocaust. The cover was excellent and fitting for the book. As the Holocaust is not an issue to be taken lightly, the disparity of the prisoners is acutely portrayed in the black and white barbed wire and lined with the healthful pictures of Breendonk's inmates. As the cover of the book states, personal histories intermingled with the terrible realities of life in a concentration camp are the core of the book. As such, the stories being told do feel personal. The biographical data along with the progression of photos of prisoners who entered the camp display the dehumanizing influence these individuals faced. The book demonstrates the stark contrast between the healthy and decrepit physiques of the inmates before their eventual death. A distinguishing feature of the history is that many of the pictures of the prisoners are actually portraits drawn by Ochs. The pencil sketches, drawn in the derogatory cartoon style of the Nazi propaganda, are distinct. And the actual starvation photos share an incredible likeness, mainly because the starvation edema caused the swelling and sharpening of the facial features often displayed. The ghoulish grins and ballooned features of the Jews plastered on Nazi propaganda are accurate portrayals. The disgusting lips and stretched skin faces. A result of the "Final Solution" brought to life in Breendonk, a concentration camp outside Belgium.—Katherine C., 18 NOVAK, Ali. The Heartbreakers. Sourcebooks. Aug. 2015. pap. $9.99. ISBN 9781492612568. Gr 9 Up–After finishing this book, you'll be begging Novak for a sequel—the romance between Stella and Oliver is so sweet and compelling, you'll want to hear more about them. Sure they have their share of problems, but they somehow seem to belong together through everything. Novak has a casual sincerity in her writing style that matches the book perfectly; it makes you feel as if you really know Stella, and it sucks you in (I finished this book in about a day). Cara's story is intriguing and gives the readers a window into some of the hard truths about life while giving this book a little more of a serious feel. The characters of the guys in the band are perfect—just how I would have made them! They're friendly and very lovable; Stella has a hilarious and wild group of friends! The romance that brews and becomes squeal-worthy is so fun to read about; you'll be urging Stella onward through her doubts and be on the edge of your seats to hear more about the charming and hilarious Oliver. This is an all-around amazing read. It's been given a place of honor on my book shelf next to John Green’s The Fault In Our Stars (Dutton, 2012) and (one of my all-time favorite romances) April Lindner's Love, Lucy (Little, Brown, 2015). Nothing in this book disappointed me; I loved everything!—Charlotte, 13 PRESTON, Natasha. Awake. Sourcebooks. Aug. 2015. pap. $9.99. ISBN 9781492618522. Gr 9 Up–Scarlett is a normal teenager. She hangs out with friends, occasionally gossips, and goes to high school. The only thing unique about her is that she can't remember anything before the age of four. Her parents say this is because of a house fire. They told her all the stories about her childhood, prefire. She once wanted to remember but has left that wish behind. Now, that wish is back. And it's all because of the new kid in town, Noah. Little does Scarlett know that Noah has secrets, one with the name of Eternal Light (a cult). If Scarlett never had issues before, then her world just turned upside down. This cover was very reflective of the book's contents, and I enjoyed the sparseness of it. Sort of like a deadly beautiful feeling comes from it. I very much enjoyed the plot. Though it was quite stereotypical in some aspects. I really liked how the author almost brought a mysterious element to some of the characters, like Noah, but also showed their thoughts at the same time. This book has many great aspects. In fact, I read on Wattpad a decent amount and was very excited about reading a published author from there. I still enjoyed it, but I wish that at some times the characters might have a little more power in their own volition and thoughts. For example, when Scarlett is taken, she barely puts up a fight. Now, I know that she was heartbroken about her boyfriend betraying her, but she doesn't fight back at all. It seems almost unrealistic. I've never experienced, love but I hope I'd fight back about being abducted and taken to Ireland by a society that wants to kill me. Overall, the book was wonderful, but that is my only comment. Some of the reactions seem overdramatic.—Kalea C., 14 VERDI, Jessica. What You Left Behind. Sourcebooks. Aug. 2015. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781492614401. Gr 9 Up–Ryden, at 17 years old, is a single father. His cancer-infected girlfriend, Meg, got pregnant and died, so now Ryden is using all of her journals to try and figure out the legacy she left behind for him. Balancing a job, school, his soccer pro athleticism, and a daughter is harder than it may seem, and you will be feeling depressed about his life and happy for yours, like I was the entire time. Then Ryden meets Joni. They have sex, but she doesn't know about Ryden's kid, Hope, until later and it's just all-around s#*t for this poor guy. This book is evidence of why unprotected sex is never a good idea: TAKE PRECAUTIONS BEFORE INTERCOURSE. THIS WHOLE BOOK COULD'VE ENDED WAY SOONER IF HE HAD JUST USED A CONDOM. Just sayin'. I thought the cover was fantastic, and after finishing the book I totally understood why it was a picture of a lake in the background. There was just one problem–the guy in the photo, who I'm guessing is supposed to be Ryden, the main character, looks about 37, not17. It's still pretty touching. I liked how Ryden was always referencing his inner conflict—becoming a good father for his daughter. I liked how the absence of his own father made it easier for him to connect with his current situation: not having his girlfriend to help him raise their daughter, because she died of cancer. Other than the obvious conflicts about solving the mystery of Meg and his struggle to become an awesome dad, I also loved Joni, who becomes Ryden's best bud. She was so cool and badass. The book was pretty depressing for the most part, and there was a lot of religious slang that I hated, but other than that, I thought it was pretty prodigious.—Sam G., 14