From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a good girl with a reckless streak, a street-smart guy with nothing to lose, and a romance forged in the fast lane
        The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that’s who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers…and she’s just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can’t get him out of her mind.

        Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look. But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they’ll go to save each other.

First Thought:
I seriously adore all of Katie McGarry’s books! Once I start, I can’t stop reading them.

There’s something so addictive about Katie McGarry’s writing style…I’m drawn into these stories immediately and lose sleep staying up too late reading them. McGarry has a way of writing wounded characters who are finding their first love in such a real way that you are rooting for them to work through their issues and find happiness. Her books are mature in the themes that they deal with, and her characters’ home lives are nowhere near perfect, and the way in which they struggle with their issues, feelings, and relationships feels very real. The books deal with serious issues without being preachy. They have romance. They have friendships. They have major family issues. They have excitement (especially this one with the drag racing that occurs). Most of all, they have heart. That heart comes through more clearly because of the way McGarry writes the multiple perspectives of her characters. Once again, true to her style, we get the male voice and female voice in alternating chapters. And there are some chapters that are so deftly connected in the place one ends and the next begins that it led to gasp-worthy moments. Getting that first person voice of each main character as they delve into the relationship, and seeing how damaged they are, allows the reader to connect even more.

One of the really fun parts of reading CRASH INTO YOU, the third book in the series, is that the main characters from the first two books (PUSHING THE LIMITS and DARE YOU TO) are brought in as major secondary characters as Isaiah gets his turn to tell his story. And Isaiah is not what you may have thought from the parts of him we saw from other characters’ perspectives in the first two books. I loved that Isaiah was different than expected, and getting to know more about him made my heart break for him. He is so much more than I thought, and that’s a wonderful surprise. Then we get to meet Rachel, a girl with a dysfunctional family on the inside who tries to make all appearances on the outside seem perfect. These two, from different sides of town, as opposite as they may seem at first, connect in a way that is what both of them need. But things are never easy in situations such as this.

I hope we keep getting more stories in this world with these characters. I’m excited Rachel’s brother West gets to tell his story next (which means he’ll be finding someone special) in TAKE ME ON, but I really hope we get more from Logan sometime soon, too! Whatever it is, whoever the characters are, I know I’ll read whatever Katie McGarry writes next!

Final Thoughts: If you’ve read and enjoyed the first two books, you’ll definitely want to read this one when it comes out! And if you haven’t, what are you waiting for?! If you like a good romance with layered characters who need to find the right one to support them, check out Katie McGarry’s books.

Author: Matt de la Pena
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: November 12, 2013
Number of Pages: 320
Source of Book: ARC borrowed from friend

Shy took the summer job to make some money. In a few months on a luxury cruise liner, he’ll rake in the tips and be able to help his mom and sister out with the bills. And how bad can it be? Bikinis, free food, maybe even a girl or two—every cruise has different passengers, after all.
        But everything changes when the Big One hits. Shy’s only weeks out at sea when an earthquake more massive than ever before recorded hits California, and his life is forever changed.
        The earthquake is only the first disaster. Suddenly it’s a fight to survive for those left living.

First Thought: Oh, boy, am I glad I read this book – although, perhaps floating in a tube on the lake wasn’t the best setting in which to read it.


Matt de la Pena has written a thrill-ride, page-turner, heart-pounding in fear for what’s happening and what might happen, suspenseful thriller of a novel. 


Shy is a great character. He’s smart, he’s sensitive, he’s a guy who cares about his family and is trying to make a crappy situation better. He’s endearing in his worries, hopes, desires, realness. Issues of race come up, especially within the context of class on the ship and between the passengers…and after the sinking. When it’s about survival, it doesn’t matter how much money you had to go on this luxury cruise.


THE LIVING takes place in a scary world where a sickness has evolved and is killing people in poor areas. And everyone is not as they seem – there is a huge mystery/conspiracy element to this story as well. There’s a bit of everything in here, but it works SO well! Lives are at stake…and many are lost, and the U.S. as we know it is drastically changed. 


It’s engagingly written and the plot keeps it moving forward. There’s a little bit of an insiders view of cruise ships, and then people start dying. There are some parts with more obvious foreshadowing, but for some of our students that will be a good thing. Matt de la Pena has crafted a well-written 3rd person that lets us read it as an outsider, but still feel like we know the character and what he’s going through. 


There are game changer moments throughout the story, but the biggest ones come at the end…and make me anxious for the follow-up, THE FORGOTTEN, to find out what Shy is going to do next, how he’s going to continue to survive, who will survive with him, if he’ll finally get answers, and how the entire west coast of America will survive after the catastrophic events.


Final Thoughts: It’s just really good. Read it…and then put it in a teen’s hands! 
Also: I’m desperate for the next book!

Title: THE REAL BOY

Author: Anne Ursu
Publisher: Walden Pond Press
Release Date: September 24, 2013
Number of Pages: 288
Source of Book: ARC from publisher

          On an island on the edge of an immense sea there is a city, a forest, and a boy. The city is called Asteri, a perfect city that was saved by the magic woven into its walls from a devastating plague that swept through the world over a hundred years before. The forest is called the Barrow, a vast wood of ancient trees that encircles the city and feeds the earth with magic. And the boy is called Oscar, a shop boy for the most powerful magician in the Barrow. Oscar spends his days in a small room in the dark cellar of his master’s shop, grinding herbs and dreaming of the wizards who once lived on the island generations ago. Oscar’s world is small, but he likes it that way. The real world is vast, strange, and unpredictable. And Oscar does not quite fit in it.
          But it’s been a long time since anyone who could call himself a wizard walked the world, and now that world is changing. Children in the city are falling ill, and something sinister lurks in the forest. Oscar has long been content to stay in his small room in the cellar, comforted in the knowledge that the magic that flows from the trees will keep his island safe. Now, even magic may not be enough to save it.

First Thought: Without a doubt one of the best books I’ve read this year. A mesmerizing and enchanting story.

Anne Ursu‘s THE REAL BOY is a mesmerizing and enchanting story of friendship, courage, and magic with an endearing main character who just wants to be “normal.” It’s a story that shows the reader what it means to be hopeful in the face of lost hope. It’s a story that begs to be read.

Ursu has created an intriguing fantasy world filled with magical elements, yet the explanations show that the magic been declining over the years. The mythology she creates for this world is fascinating and shows the reader the depth to which their magical ancestors cared about the people of this town. The contrast between the people of Asteri and the people in the Barrow adds an element of class differences that, when added to the lonliness of Oscar’s situation and his uncertainty, creates even more of a divide leading him to feel like he just doesn’t get it.

The beauty of the main character, Oscar, is that he really isn’t sure what’s happening, so the reader gets to go along on the journey of discovery with him. We get to be a part of his awakening and realization that there may not be one particular way to be “normal” even if he may think there is. His interactions with the other inhabitants of the Barrow, including the magician he works for, show that he is a curious boy, but one who doesn’t necessarily have the same way of interacting socially…no doubt related to his orphan status and not remembering his past. This leads to a bit of a mystery as he finds clues that may lead to the truth about his past, although he is not sure he wants to know the truth.

In THE REAL BOY, Anne Ursu again demonstrates a lyrical quality to her writing that had me going back and rereading sections because of the stunningly beautiful descriptions she weaves together. There is such magic in her writing…beyond the story, and just with the way she puts words together and describes things. I felt as if I was there in the Barrow, in the woods, living this story with Oscar and seeing the entrancing settings around him. Being so drawn into that world creates an even richer experience for me as a reader.

I feel compelled to add that one of the strongest elements of this story for me, was having heard Anne’s story. She wrote this thinking about her son, and I feel that the message, for so many other children that may be struggling with something that makes them feel not quite “normal” at times, is such a strong one. Being different doesn’t make you not real. We are all real…we are just different versions of reality.

Final Thoughts: My favorite middle grades books I’ve read in a long time. Please read THE REAL BOY this fall. 

This review was also posted on the Nerdy Book Club blog. They’re always looking for readers to contribute. Are you a member? If you read, you are.

Title: WHEN YOU WERE HERE
Author: Daisy Whitney
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Number of Pages: 257
Source of Book: ARC from publisher at NCTE

When You Were Here, Lost in Translation meets Where She Went,
is about an American teenager who travels from California to Tokyo to
uncover the secrets surrounding the death of his mother, all while
trying to both hold onto and let go of the girl he’s been in love with
his whole life.

Danny’s mother lost her five-year battle with cancer three weeks before
his graduation-the one day that she was hanging on to see.

Now
Danny is left alone, with only his memories, his dog, and his
heart-breaking ex-girlfriend for company. He doesn’t know how to figure
out what to do with her estate, what to say for his Valedictorian
speech, let alone how to live or be happy anymore.

When he gets a
letter from his mom’s property manager in Tokyo, where she had been
going for treatment, it shows a side of a side of his mother he never
knew. So, with no other sense of direction, Danny travels to Tokyo to
connect with his mother’s memory and make sense of her final months,
which seemed filled with more joy than Danny ever knew. There, among the
cherry blossoms, temples, and crowds, and with the help of an
almost-but-definitely-not Harajuku girl, he begins to see how it may not
have been ancient magic or mystical treatment that kept his mother
going. Perhaps, the secret of how to live lies in how she died.

First Thoughts: WHEN YOU WERE HERE is an achingly, heartbreakingly, healingly
incredible novel. It ripped me apart and stitched me back together one
small piece/scene/conversation at a time.

I adore Daisy Whitney, and I loved her debut, THE MOCKINGBIRDS, and it’s follow-up, THE RIVALS, so I was anxiously awaiting her next book. I knew this one would have a different tone than her others, and I was intrigued by her writing in a teen male’s voice. I’m so glad to be able to say that I loved this book. In fact, I’m not sure that’s even a strong enough emotion for what I feel about this story.

I thought I knew where this book was headed. I thought I knew what Danny’s trajectory would be. He’s just shredded when we meet him in the beginning. He’s grieving. His father’s been gone a long time. His mother is just recently gone. He’s lost the girl he loves. High school is over. He’s aimless and doesn’t know which direction to turn. So he heads to Tokyo, his home away from his California home with his family. He needs to discover why his mom didn’t make it to his graduation, why the cancer took her too early. He needs to find a way to feel again, something, anything. He needs to find a way to discover if he can ever not be hurting. He finds Kana, a new friend, and rekindles his love of a city he belongs in. Then, nineteen chapters in, a jaw-droppingly unexpected event is revealed that changed my entire perception of the direction this book was headed. Danny’s journey becomes about much more, and it’s a true discovery of self and life and love and healing and being at peace with death. And I was enamored with every word of it.

There’s something about Daisy Whitney’s writing style that I feel so comfortable immersing myself in. She’s a fantastic contemporary voice with deep emotion and flawed characters and hope. She deftly created a balance between what is happening in the moment, and flashing back to the events in the past that led to Danny and Holland being at this point. My emotions were in turmoil throughout reading Danny’s story. I was so caught up in his emotions, I mostly just wanted to give him a big hug throughout, and by the end, I just wanted to hug the book to me and not let it go. WHEN YOU WERE HERE is one of those books that is going to stay with me. I was feeling so many emotions by the end (and, yes, needed kleenex handy); it touched on nerves deep within my soul, and the journey I took with Danny made a lasting impact on me.

Final Thought: Some books are hard to let go of and forget – this one will be with me for a long time because of its sincerity and how it hits just the right notes.

Note for teachers/librarians/parents: Please read this book; however, there are mature scenes so it’s probably better for a high school audience. If you work with 8th graders, read it first to determine appropriateness before handing to any students.

Title: PIVOT POINT
Author: Kasie West
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: February 12, 2013
Number of Pages: 320
Source of Book: ARC from publisher at NCTE

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison
Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is
faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes.
It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought.
When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has
to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the
paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is
staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as
it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the
future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is
adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high
school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands
her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in
school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When
Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s
unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she
holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which
reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live
without.

I loved this book so much. It’s fresh and original and unexpected. It’s an amazing book that was entertaining and engaging. It has characters I wanted to be friends with, lines of text that I read repeatedly because I wanted to soak up and remember them, a uniquely original world built upon a science fiction/supernatural base that reads like a contemporary, a layered storyline being told of two divergent paths that are interrelated, twists that kept me on my reader toes, and a writing voice that I connected with and felt comforted by and made me want to keep spending time enveloped in this prose. PIVOT POINT is the debut novel by Kasie West (who is repped by Michelle Wolfson, the same agent as Kiersten White and Daisy Whitney, whose new books I also love), and it is one that I think teens are going to love. I know I did. This is the kind of book that left me still thinking about it the next day wondering what was happening in those character’s lives next and wanting to go back and reread it again right away.

One of the details Kasie West included that I really loved in PIVOT POINT was the way that Addie loves books so much, and all kinds of books, but real paper books. There are many times throughout the story it comes up, and it made me happy to read it each time. Addison also has the kind of personality that I love in my main characters – a little bit spunky and sassy, with an intelligence and caring behind all she does. Her attitude is great, and there were many moments throughout where I laughed out loud at something she said. In regards to gym class in a new school: “Nobody should be forced to do physical exercise on Mondays.” Him: “My bookcase is all yours.” Her: “I’ve just decided those are my five favorite words in the world.” And many, many more that I wanted to hold onto to remember on another day. *All lines quoted from an uncorrected proof.

Another element that is incredibly strong is the twistedness of the plot and the way the two directions the story goes are interwoven together. The links are there to see how it might go with either choice in the same situations, and the alternating chapters stop at just the right point every time. There is a history to this world that is intriguing and fully thought out, but that still seems to have more to discover. There is also a depth to this story that delves into the true repercussions of choices we make and the path to get to what we may want might not always be easy. It’s about figuring out who is meaningful and necessary in her life, and what she can do to keep them there. And I can’t talk about this book without mentioning the boys. Duke and Trevor both have their charms, and they were written in such a way as to make the reader adore both of them, and not be sure which way you want the story to go yourself. Which is exactly how we should be feeling because that’s how Addie would be feeling. I also claim this book has one of the best first kiss scenes ever, but everything stays clean enough that I could hand it to my middle school students without a concern. In fact, I think they’ll love it, too.

This is the kind of book that leaves you contemplating at the end because either choice has its good sides and its bad, so it’s hard to know which one you’d want the character to choose. It does end with a definite decision and ending; however, I found out there will be a sequel, so I’m very excited to get to spend more time with these characters in this world and read more of this fresh voice in YA. Please go get PIVOT POINT in February, or preorder it now, and read Kasie West’s debut novel. You won’t be sorry.

Title: AUDITION & SUBTRACTION
Author: Amy Fellner Dominy
Publisher: Walker & Company
Release Date: September 4, 2012
Number of Pages: 272
Source of Book: ARC from publisher at IRA Convention

For as long as Tatum can remember it’s been:

Tatum + Lori = Best friends

They
do everything together, including a yearly clarinet/flute duet for
District Honor Band auditions. But when a new boy transfers to their
middle school and their band, the equation suddenly changes to:

Lori + Michael – Tatum = One happy couple

With
her best friend slipping away and her parents recently separated,
Tatum’s life has turned upside down. Plus her good friend Aaron thinks
that they are secretly boyfriend and girlfriend, all because of one
little lie Tatum told. Accepting change isn’t easy for Tatum, but just
how much is she willing to give up to hold on to her friendship with
Lori and life as she knows it? For Tatum, the best way to move forward
may require a whole new formula . . .

AUDITION & SUBTRACTION is such a cute story. It’s exactly what I’ve come to expect from Amy Fellner Dominy! Her writing voice is spot on for a middle grades book that will engage readers. Her books have middle school appropriate romance with a unique twist. This time it’s the band students.

Some things seemed a little obvious to me as an experienced reader, but as a middle schooler, I probably wouldn’t have realized them at that age. However, Amy’s writing is that type of fun, school-set romance, with friendship/family elements. It’s kinds of like the chick flick for the book set, which is a very good thing because so many of my students are asking for that, but with more depth of thought and lessons to learn and quality to it than some of the other books for this age in this genre. She also writes smart characters who are not the popular kids, but are the real kids that I see who are interested in a variety of things and want to be successful, but are also insecure at times.

AUDITION & SUBTRACTION is all about the reality of what happens when it’s no longer just you and your best friend, but a boyfriend is introduced to the mix. It’s the reality of how we move on in our lives and reevalute friendships and relationships as we grow up and sometimes grow apart. It also includes a very sweet start to a relationship with a really good guy who is fully supportive of the main character.

Beyond the friendship and romance elements, there’s a strong message of figuring out what you want and going for it, no matter what others might say to try to hold you back. Doing what you can to reach your dreams by working hard is an important part of this novel. There are also strong parental figures who are supportive of their child, which is always nice to see.

Overall, Amy Fellner Dominy has written a cute, fun, easy to read romance and drama book that middle school girls are always asking me for. I think they’ll really enjoy AUDITION & SUBTRACTION, especially those band students. I know I did!

Title: PARTNERS IN CRIME (Sleuth or Dare Book 1)
Author: Kim Harrington
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Number of Pages: 179
Source of Book: Bought the paperback from Scholastic Book Clubs

Whodunit?

When
best friends Darcy and Norah have to create a fake business for a
school assignment, they come up with a great idea: a detective agency!
Darcy loves mysteries, and Norah likes helping people, so it’s a perfect
fit.

But then their pretend agency gets a real case.
Someone is missing, and it’s up to Darcy and Norah to take on the
search. Unfortunately, there’s someone else out there who doesn’t want
the two detectives stirring up any trouble. . . .

With the help of hidden clues, spy gadgets, and trusted friends, can Darcy and Norah crack the case in time?

I really enjoyed Kim Harrington’s young adult debut book, CLARITY, also a mystery book, so when I saw that she had a middle grades mystery series also, I made sure to get it right away. Part of the reason is that so many of my students liked CLARITY also, so it’s always nice to have a favorite author in the classroom, but also because some of my students aren’t ready for the maturity of the young adult book yet, so I was hopeful that the SLEUTH OR DARE series would be a good fit for my other readers, and I’m sure it will be.

PARTNERS IN CRIME is a perfectly middle grades book. The writing level and complexity of the subplots and main mystery are all right in that sweet spot. The mystery was a bit obvious to me, but again, I’m not the age or ability level of the intended audience. It didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book at all though. One thing that is really nice is that the mystery is such that it’s a great fit for younger middle grades students who want to try mystery but aren’t ready yet for more complex novels.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the characters in this book. There was quite a bit about their relationships with their families, and the arc the characters take to accepting and appreciating their own families is a nice message.  In addition, the two main characters are not the popular girls, but instead each have their own interests aligned with their intelligence and abilities. It’s nice to see a story with these characters who are into astronomy and technology being the strong leaders of the book, and even though they’re not popular, they still have good relationships and confidence in themselves. There are some subplots relating to bullying and typical middle school dynamics that are handled well also.

Once again Harrington has struck just the right voice. The book is written with a strong female lead and in such a way that it sounds like she’s talking right to the reader. This allows us to get insights into what’s happening, but also stay fully engaged in the story. Overall PARTNERS IN CRIME is a fun, quick mystery with heart. I look forward to reading the next two books in the series: SLEEPOVER STAKEOUT and FRAMED & DANGEROUS and handing these off to my students.

Title: EVERY DAY
Author: David Levithan
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Number of Pages: 336
Source of Book: ARC from NetGalley & publisher at ALA

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There’s
never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made
peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get
too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine
until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets
Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A
has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he
wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

With his new novel, David Levithan, bestselling co-author of Will Grayson, Will Grayson, and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,
has pushed himself to new creative heights. He has written a
captivating story that will fascinate readers as they begin to
comprehend the complexities of life and love in A’s world, as A and
Rhiannon seek to discover if you can truly love someone who is destined
to change every day.

There’s something poignant and beautiful and humane in all of David Levithan’s writing and EVERY DAY is no exception. It’s a look into the human condition and wants and desires of the soul. It goes beyond the corporeal factors and gets to the heart, while acknowledging that in some circumstances and in some situations, the body is in charge affecting the mind and soul.

I admit I had a weird sense of deja vu while I was reading. I was describing the premise to my librarian and she said it sounds Quantum Leap-ish, and it is in a way. I used to watch that show often, so that may be why.

The suspense of the story kept me turning pages, not wanting to put it down, and staying up too late because I couldn’t stop reading. Each chapter is a different day/person, some longer and some shorter, so there were natural break points, but that also kept me wanting to read to find out what would happen in the next body on the next day. 

What would you do to prove your love for and to someone? To what lengths would you go to see that person? All of these elements and questions are integrated seamlessly into this story along with elements of acceptance and gender and relationships, both romantic and friendly and also family-related. There were sweet moments in all variations of relationships with no judgement and no preaching, just being, which is one of the things I find so strong about Levithan’s writing.

I was left with a feeling of, Huh…that’s it? at the end, but the more I processed and decompressed from it, the more I realized the quietness and rightness and possibilities left by the ending. As A says, “Every person is a possibility.”

How different each person’s life experience must be based on their soul
and body and circumstances. This idea really hit home with
me even more while reading EVERY DAY. What makes a person who they are? There are some universal
questions in this story and they’re addressed in a spectacularly
thoughtful way.

Title: THE WAITING SKY
Author: Lara Zielin
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: August 2, 2012
Number of Pages: 224
Source of Book: My Awesome Sister Classroom teacher, Brian Wyzlic, bought the hardcover at her signing event in MI for me!

One summer chasing tornadoes could finally change Jane’s life for the better.

Seventeen-year-old Jane McAllister can’t quite admit her mother’s alcoholism is spiraling dangerously out of control until she drives drunk, nearly killing them and Jane’s best friend.

Jane has only one place to turn: her older brother Ethan, who left the problems at home years ago for college. A summer with him and his tornado-chasing buddies may just provide the time and space Jane needs to figure out her life and whether it still includes her mother. But she struggles with her anger at Ethan for leaving home and feels guilty–is she also abandoning her mom just when she needs Jane most? The carefree trip turned journey of self-discovery quickly becomes more than Jane bargained for, especially when the devilishly handsome Max steps into the picture.

Holy wow. THE WAITING SKY is incredibly absorbing. Lara Zielin’s writing voice is so engaging. It was definitely a stayed up too late reading because I didn’t want to stop and woke up the next morning thinking about it anxiously wanting to know what was going to happen kind of book. The suspense Lara Zielin built throughout this story was undeniable. The way in which the characters handle the alcoholism seems very real and honest. I imagine any teens or students who are dealing with these issues in their own lives would really relate to what Jane is going through. I imagine any friends of those teens would really relate to Cat and Ethan trying to help Jane see clearly what’s happening and how she’s ruining her own life trying to save her mother’s.

THE WAITING SKY is an honest portrayal of a real girl who needs help, and those who are trying to help her see the light are the voice of reason. The juxtaposition of the tornado stories with Jane’s own family dynamics strengthens this shorter novel. The human emotion of this story within the family dynamics, interspersed with the anticipation and aftermath of the tornado chasing, adds a level of suspense that make it a page-turning read. It’s life or death with the tornados, and it’s life or death for Jane and her mother. There are high stakes in both areas, and whether or not Jane will make it out okay, is up in the air. It sounds like a heavy story, and I wasn’t sure if I was in the mood to read it, but once I started I realized that although it deals with some heavy topics, because of the way Jane is written in such a real way, I just wanted to root for her and keep going – it never felt overbearing.

I really loved the characters in this story and their interactions with each other. They’re all messed up in their own ways, but also all look out for each other. The older brother, Ethan, is a favorite for sure. And Max provides a balance to Jane that is desperately needed. There are all sorts of little moments within the context of these bigger issues that add sweet elements to the story and lighten up the heaviness of the topic, but still keep it real. THE WAITING SKY has an alcoholic mother and it has tornadoes, but it’s about Jane and her journey to understanding and acceptance and fighting for herself. It’s a coming-of-age book in the best sense of the phrase. Overall, it’s an intriguing, honest story that has a voice that makes me want to be friends with the characters, and read more of Lara Zielin’s books.

Title: WONDER
Author: R.J. Palacio
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (a Random House imprint)
Release Date: February 14, 2012
Number of Pages: 313 pages
Source of Book: Bought a hardcover & got a signed copy from publisher at ALA

I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.

August
(Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him
from going to a mainstream school—until now. He’s about to start 5th
grade at Beecher Prep, and if you’ve ever been the new kid then you know
how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie’s just an ordinary kid, with
an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he’s
just like them, despite appearances?

R. J. Palacio has written a
spare, warm, uplifting story that will have readers laughing one minute
and wiping away tears the next. With wonderfully realistic family
interactions (flawed, but loving), lively school scenes, and short
chapters, Wonder is accessible to readers of all levels.

There’s just something so powerful about what R.J. Palacio has created with WONDER. The world of upper elementary and middle school teachers and librarians has been all abuzz about this book since February, and I knew it was a book I would have to read, but I also knew it would be a book that I would likely want to use for a read aloud with my students, so I held off until close to going back to school so it would be fresh in my mind. If you still haven’t gotten to it yet, I urge you to do so as soon as you can because this is one of those books that must be read and shared with children and teens. Even if you don’t have or work with kids, read it, and share it with someone who does. This is one of those titles that exemplified for me the power of Twitter – I may not have known about it if it wasn’t for my Personal Learning Network out there, and I am so thankful that I have.

WONDER is a book that makes you think. It brings up the hidden parts of all of us that you may be ashamed of, brings it to light, and helps you to know how to do it better. It’s about acceptance and understanding. It’s about being…no…choosing kind. It’s about relationships. It’s about family and parents and siblings and friendships and school and teachers and students and principals and how all of those people interact to create someone’s experience. It highlights the importance of adult interactions with children. It highlights the importance of both verbal and non-verbal behaviors and how those can impact someone’s view of others and one’s self. It highlights our fears and our hopes and our dreams. It makes you think and leaves you a better person than when you entered this story. It’s the wonder of WONDER (#wonderofwonder).

I could get into some of the specifics of this book. The way Palacio chose to write so splendidly and honestly in Auggie’s voice. The way Auggie helps us to see inside the mind of someone we may have known or seen in the past, and what our actions may have meant to them. The way the various voices that get to tell this story enhance the reader’s experience so much. The way the use of emails and letters in certain parts highlights important moments in the story. The way Palacio flawlessly interweaves the multiple storylines and characters’ experiences to create this complete book. The way that this realistic story can appeal to upper elementary students, middle school students, high school students, and adults. The way it opens a readers’ eyes to actions and thoughts that may be hard to be honest about. The way it creates precepts for life that could make all the difference. But the experience of this book is about so much more than that. It’s about the human experience, and how we can all be better at it.

I can only be thankful that so many students will be experiencing WONDER in their classrooms this year. I can only be thankful that R.J. Palacio’s story may make those children take a second to think differently about bullying, and even more than that, their simpler interactions with others. I can only be thankful that the message to Choose Kind is permeating the world of education this year. We can only hope that more people get this message and pass it on, and the way to start is by sharing this book with others. So I encourage you to read WONDER, to pass it along to others, and to always choose kind.

Title: FLIRTING IN ITALIAN
Author: Lauren Henderson
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (a Random House imprint)
Release Date: June 12, 2012
Number of Pages: 336
Source of Book: Hardcover for Book Divas review & NetGalley eARC

In Flirting in Italian, Lauren Henderson, bestselling author of Kiss Me Kill Me, follows four girls’ unforgettable summer in the magnificent Italian countryside.


     Four girls. One magical—and possibly dangerous—Italian summer.
Family mysteries, ancient castles, long hot nights of dancing under the
stars . . . and, of course, plenty of gorgeous Italian boys!

When Violet sees the painting at the museum that looks exactly like herself, she knows she must find out more about it. Since her dark Mediterranean looks have never looked like her Scandinavian and Scottish parents, it makes her start questioning how she could look so similar to this Italian painting. Thus begins Violet’s desire to get to the castle in Italy where this was painted to try to find out some answers. When she finds a two month summer “school” program that will teach her the language, culture, and art history (her prospective college major) – along with a visit to this castle – she knows she has to go. Arriving in Italy, Violet finds Kelly, another Brit, and Kendra and Paige from the United States, having no idea what the four of them are in for. Their initial impressions of each other grow and change as they get to know each other better and bond through their classes. And the focus turns to seeing how Italian teens interact and flirting with the cute boys they find. But there’s still the mystery of what is going on at that castle and why Violet looks so much like the girl in the painting-and when visiting, the people there see the resemblance right away. Who will she get to know and what will she find out during her summer in Italy?

The first thing I noticed in this book is that it is written/narrated from a British perspective, which I hadn’t realized going into it, so some of the slang and terms took some getting used to. It starts off with this mystery of how Violet is connected to this castle, but it seems as if that ends up taking a secondary storyline once she actually gets to Italy-it’s always in the background, but doesn’t get resolved. Once in Italy, it turns into Americans vs. British vs. Italians and the constant comparisons of the differences, which began to seem a little stereotypical and repetitive instead of growing from it. I felt that this book was missing a little bit of the understanding of why people were acting the way they were. Why is the daughter of the school runner so nasty to the four girls? Why is Luca so hot and cold to Violet? As much as I enjoyed the bonding of the four girls in the school and seeing their friendships grow and their support of each other, there are hints to backstories and motivations that I didn’t feel were fully developed in this book. It ended up reading more like a boarding school/travel/party and flirt kind of book, rather than what I was expecting. I did appreciate the personality of Violet and her attitude toward what she wants, but (as I suppose the title should have suggested) it was more about the girls flirting with and finding Italian boys-but there was some growth Violet had to go through in discovering more about herself, her motivations, and how she wants to be perceived.  The ending seemed to come quickly and felt unfinished to me, and then I saw the note that there is a companion book, so it really did seem as if it’s a part one of a story because the mystery is left hanging and it seemed to end right in the middle of a climactic moment.

Title: FROM WHAT I REMEMBER…
Author: Stacy Kramer & Valerie Thomas
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Release Date: May 15, 2012
Number of Pages: 462
Source of Book: Bought the hardcover on the recommendation of Jen (@mentortexts)

KYLIE: Tijuana WHAT? I
should be putting the finishing touches on my valedictorian speech.
Graduation is TODAY, and is this a wedding band on my finger.

MAX:
It all started with Kylie’s laptop and a truck full of stolen
electronics. Okay, it was kind of hot, the way she broke us out like
some chick in an action movie. But now we’re stranded in Tijuana. With
less than twenty-four hours before graduation. Awesome.

WILL:
Saving Kylie Flores from herself is kind of a full-time occupation.
Luckily, I, Will Bixby, was born for the job. And when I found out she
was stuck in Mexico with dreamy Max Langston, sure, I agreed to bring
their passports across the border — but there’s no reason to rush back
home right away. This party is just getting started.

LILY: I
just walked in on my boyfriend, Max Langston, canoodling with Kylie
Flores, freak of the century. Still, I can’t completely hold it against
him. He NEEDS me. It’s even clearer now. And I’m not giving him up
without a fight.

FROM WHAT I REMEMBER… is a mash-up of a John Hughes movie and The Hangover. I really enjoyed it, and I’m sure pretty much everyone of my generation that grew up with these types of high school drama movies will too; I’m just not sure how it will connect with this generation of teen readers.

I liked so much about this book, and really enjoyed reading the story told from multiple perspectives, but there one quirk that made it a little tough for me to get into right away was all the pop culture references which could date it too quickly, but after about 100 pages, that changed and then I was so hooked that I didn’t want to stop reading. The characters I was supposed to dislike, I did. The characters I was supposed to like, I did. The characters I was supposed to change my mind about, I did. The characters I was supposed to cheer on, I did. The characters who were supposed to surprise me…well, that’s where things didn’t go quite that way for me with all of them. I did feel that it was a little predictable in some ways, but in other ways was unpredictable. However, it could just be that I’m getting really good at reading those foreshadowing clues, or they were pretty obvious because of the idea and style of the story, but either way, it was still fun to read. Basically, FROM WHAT I REMEMBER… is pretty much a takeoff on teen movies, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously. I mean, any book that begins each chapter with a quote from a movie, which proceeds to be the lesson for that chapter, is pretty open about telling you that it’s going to follow a pretty standard movie-like story arc.

The multiple voices telling the story made it that much more interesting and entertaining, and for the most part, each voice was pretty distinct in its tone. Max and Kylie are the big stars of this book, though, and I felt for them and enjoyed their discoveries. Their one night in Mexico was so sweet with all of their conversations and opening up that it made me root for them to figure it all out and be there for each other. That being said, there were a few secondary storylines that I’ve not seen so often and were a pleasant surprise to me. Namely, Will as the out gay best friend, who is still working through some issues and actually trying to find himself (which may not be as he appears to show it in the beginning), and Jake, the little brother with Asperger’s. I actually felt that Jake’s few chapters, when we saw into his mind and thinking, were some of the strongest of the whole book.

I cheered for Kylie’s graduation speech at the end (and wanted to snag some takeaway quotes for my classroom walls), and rooted for everything to turn out as it did. FROM WHAT I REMEMBER… is an enjoyable ride of a story. It has some mature scenes that make it not so much a younger middle school book, but I’d be interested to hear what some older teen readers think of it. I would pair it with DITCHED: A LOVE STORY by Robin Mellom, which it, in fact, reminded me of quite a bit, and at the end found a sneak peek for in this book, so I’m not the only one thinking they’d be a good fit!

FROM WHAT I REMEMBER… would make a great beach/summer read. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you read/have read this one!

Title: REVIVED
Author: Cat Patrick
Publisher: Little, Brown
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Number of Pages: 336
Source of Book: ARC from publisher

As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.

A
secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can
bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has
been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary
risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a
new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy
begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she
discovers the agency’s true goals, she realizes she’s at the center of
something much larger—and more sinister—than she ever imagined.

I really enjoy Cat Patrick’s writing style. It’s an easy contemporary romance style with a unique twist (at least in the two books she’s written so far – FORGOTTEN and REVIVED. FORGOTTEN made my Best I’ve Read list last year, so I was really excited to see that Cat Patrick had another book coming soon, and grateful to Little, Brown for getting me an advanced copy to read. I went into this one hopeful, and I was not disappointed.

The romance. Cat Patrick writes romances with good guys. I so appreciate authors who are writing about the good, sweet guys who are respectful and act appropriately. It’s a good example for teens to see in books. It doesn’t mean there’s not drama and difficulty, but I appreciate the relationship between Daisy and Matt. It felt a little bit instalove-ish at first, but it didn’t bother me too much because she got to know him a bit more.

The suspense/mystery part with the medical miracle is interesting. The way it was all laid out and explained down to the small details made it believable to me. I could see something like this happening. All of the secondary characters involved because of it were intriguing. However, I did feel like some of those storylines were hinted at, but not wrapped up. But, I didn’t guess who would be responsible at the end, and that was quite the dramatic scene.

Then there’s the part of death and dying that permeates throughout this book. Issues of accepting the inevitable and wanting to be sad/angry/hopeful/relieved/etc. all come into play. It felt really honest and true and although it was done within the context of this larger issue throughout the whole book, Audrey’s storyline was very touching and meaningful to me.

There is also an overlying theme related to friendships, and they can be very difficult for teen girls, especially one who moves around quite a bit. I appreciate seeing these types of storylines (reminded me a little of Sarah Dessen’s What Happened to Goodbye as far as moving a lot and friendships, and think it’s another thing that teens need to read about and want to read about as they’re trying to figure out their own friendships.

Along with that was the issue of families and parents and who really cares for you. I enjoyed the development and growth of Daisy’s relationship with Mason, her father figure. It felt real to me and their interactions were interesting to read. Mason became one of my favorite characters by the end of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading REVIVED, a suspenseful contemporary romance dealing with life and death. I guess I realize through writing this that it was very multilayered. I will definitely be awaiting Cat Patrick’s next book, THE ORIGINALS coming in 2013, as I enjoy getting lost in her books and spending time in her stories.

Title: TAKE A BOW
Author: Elizabeth Eulberg
Publisher:  Point (a Scholastic imprint)
Release Date: April 1, 2012
Number of Pages: 278
Source of Book: ARC from NCTE Convention

From the fantastic
author of The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom & Prejudice comes a story
of all the drama and comedy of four friends who grow into themselves at a
performing arts high school.

Emme, Sophie, Ethan, and Carter
are seniors at a performing arts school, getting ready for their Senior
Showcase recital, where the pressure is on to appeal to colleges, dance
academies, and professionals in show business. For Sophie, a singer,
it’s been great to be friends with Emme, who composes songs for her, and
to date Carter, soap opera heartthrob who gets plenty of press
coverage. Emme and Ethan have been in a band together through all four
years of school, but wonder if they could be more than just friends and
bandmates. Carter has been acting since he was a baby, and isn’t sure
how to admit that he’d rather paint than perform. The Senior Showcase is
going to make or break each of the four, in a funny, touching,
spectacular finale that only Elizabeth Eulberg could perform.

I adore Elizabeth Eulberg and I love, love, love her books and writing. It all started with THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB in January 2010, I was drawn in by the cover and I immediately loved it and recommended it to a few students who started passing it on to each other until I had to buy a second copy to meet demand. Then came the wonderfulness of PROM & PREJUDICE last year which was a lovely modern retelling of the classic Jane Austen story (and a title my students recently chose for an impromptu book club). You may have seen me mention one or both of those titles on twitter whenever someone asks for a cute, light-hearted, contemporary with some romance. The thing I love most about her books is that they are very accessible read and completely appropriate for the middle schoolers I recommend them to the most. And TAKE A BOW is no exception. In fact, I think this might be her best one yet!

One of the cool things about Elizabeth’s books is that they all incorporate music in some way. Now, if you follow her on twitter or her blog, you’ll quickly realize that Elizabeth loves music in real life and is always on the look out for the next concert, and I think that’s something that many students can relate to. Sometimes it’s more subtly included than others, but it’s always there. In TAKE A BOW, it’s a huge part of the story, but also done in different ways based on the characters. As I was reading I kept thinking back to Fame and that this is what it must really be like in these performing arts high schools. I love the whole concept and setting for this book-it’s like high school drama on steroids when you add in the musicians and actors. This is one of those books where you’re going to want to say, “I’m with the band!”

There is an honesty to Elizabeth’s writing that I really appreciate and can relate to. It’s not angsty just to be angsty, these teens are dealing with real issues that affect their lives and hopes for the future. Carter, Sophie, Ethan, and Emme are each their own definitively unique characters and all come across and realistic portrayals of people we could all know out in the world. They are not stereotyped, they have depth, they have real emotions and feelings, and they aren’t always perfect. Even the good guy (and I appreciate having a true good guy, not just the bad boys) isn’t perfect in how he deals with his emotions and feelings, which is realistic. They are teens and they are learning how to get by and figure out their lives in this cuthroat environment reaching for their dreams. Even the secondary characters are well-drawn and add some needed commentary and humor. I really appreciated that this story was told from the four different points of view, and the way in which they overlapped was so well done that I got the feeling of the complete story. Sometimes it was a little hard to distinguish what was happening in the present from the past memories helping us get background, but the voices were each distinct from each other.

I passed my ARC on to one of my students who was looking for a new book (and who had read Elizabeth’s other two books and loved them) and asked her to share her thoughts with me when she was done, and she gave me a bullet pointed list of her thoughts. This is what she had to say (*caution-spoilers ahead): “Liked how it was from four people’s points of view and how they all knew each other. Loved how Sophie was using Emme by Emme didn’t realize it for awhile, loved how Emme stood up to Sophie, glad Sophie got what she deserved. Love the band. LIked how they were talking about college. Liked Carter’s point of view. Liked how Ethan has always like Emme and glad Ethan and Emme are a couple.” And my favorite comment from my student: “Loved how the book made me want to read more every time I put it down!”

This is definitely one to add to any middle school or high school classroom library or recommendation list. Especially recommend it to your drama kings and queens and your passionate musicians. And I hear it’s already on store shelves, so go get it today and come back and let me know your thoughts about it! I am eagerly anticipating whatever Elizabeth Eulberg will share with us next!

Title: PAGE BY PAIGE
Author:  Laura Lee Gulledge
Publisher: Amulet Books (an imprint of Abrams)
Release Date: May 1, 2011
Number of Pages: 192
Source of Book: Bought a signed copy at the NCTE Convention

Paige Turner has just
moved to New York with her family, and she’s having some trouble
adjusting to the big city. In the pages of her sketchbook, she tries to
make sense of her new life, including trying out her secret identity:
artist. As she makes friends and starts to explore the city, she slowly
brings her secret identity out into the open, a process that is equal
parts terrifying and rewarding.Laura Lee Gulledge crafts stories and
panels with images that are thought-provoking, funny, and emotionally
resonant. Teens struggling to find their place can see themselves in
Paige’s honest, heartfelt story.

I haven’t read as many graphic novels as I would like to, but this is absolutely one of my favorites I’ve ever read, and I don’t think that will chance no matter how many I read! I’m so thankful that I saw Paul Hankins talking about it on twitter because when I saw in the booth at NCTE, I snapped it up right away. This is the kind of graphic novel I know I’ll be able to hook my students with. It has quite a bit of girl appeal as Paige is a teen whose parents moved her to a new city and she has to start all over at a new school. As she’s discovering her new city, she is also struggling to discover herself. It starts off with Paige staring at a blank sketchbook page, a realistic metaphor for a teenage girl starting at a new school and learning how to reinvent herself. This is a universal coming-of-age story written in an engaging way for a teen audience. It’s quiet and subtle, much like Paige herself, with a beautiful art style, not so much comic book style. It’s also about being brave and honest and true to oneself-all messages we all can use at times.

I really enjoyed how Laura Lee structured the pacing of this book by dividing each section with the month of the school year, and Paige trying one piece of advice her grandmother gave her. Each piece of advice is something for Paige to do to help her come out of her shell, take risks, and stand up for herself. Paige (and Laura Lee) is a wonderful artist and many of the drawings are very creative in perspective and focus. I enjoyed the artistry of this book as much as I enjoyed the plot. Paige is an honest and likeable and realistic character as a teen girl, and the group of friends she makes are also really likeable. I wanted to be friends with all of them. Through meeting them and getting their support, Paige is able to take chances and trust that her feelings are valid and starts to gain confidence in herself. One of my favorite scenes was when the group of them went to the park and put happy vibes out for people to see. PAGE BY PAIGE is a book that I would recommend to anyone (whether they’ve read a graphic novel before or not) and I have confidence it will be fully enjoyed. In fact, many of my students have already done so (although I did have to teach a few of them how to “read” a graphic novel first so they would get the full effect of this book).

Title: CATCHING JORDAN
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: December 1, 2011
Number of Pages: 281
Source of Book: Requested from publisher at NCTE because I loved the cover and premise and really wanted to read it.

What girl doesn’t want to
be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn’t
just surrounded by hot guys, though – she leads them as the captain and
quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of
the guys, and that’s just fine. As long as she gets her athletic
scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there’s a new guy in
town who threatens her starring position on the team… and has her
suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate.

CATCHING JORDAN is a cute contemporary romance with a unique twist. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book, and Jordan is a refreshing character who tells it like it is and doesn’t put up with crap from the boys who she is surrounded by as she is the quarterback of the football team. It’s a unique setup for some high school drama, and drama definitely ensues with football and relationships and friendships and family, but it all seemed very realistic. Jordan’s relationship with her mom and brother and guys on the football team was fun to read, but there is strain with her dad, who happens to be a pro football player, but doesn’t seem to want her to play. Then there is the fact that Jordan’s only friends seem to be the guys on the team, as the cheerleaders are pretty nasty to her and she feels like she doesn’t have anything in common with other girls. The thing that was interesting about Jordan was how much she seems to be in control of everything, and is honest in her narration, but isn’t able to see what’s really in front of her. Of course, that seems to be pretty typical for teens as they are pretty much focused on themselves in their own little world. But, as Jordan grows throughout the book and starts to realize more of what’s around her, I began to like her even more. She started to realize what was really important to her and what she needed to be able to live with herself and as herself. This led her to start advocating for herself more and to her making decisions that were right for her.

As much as I enjoyed it, I had a little bit of an issue with this book because of Jordan. It’s mostly a personal preference type of thing, I think, but I had a hard time believing that this girl, who had never even kissed a boy before Ty showed up, was willing to sleep with him so quickly after they got together. I was fine with the insta-attraction (I get the crush thing) and even the love triangle element and her being clueless to part of it, but this one thing stuck with me. In her narration she gives all the guys on the team a hard time for sleeping around, and doesn’t want to get a reputation, which I completely understand, but I guess it just seemed a little bit out of character for her to go so far so quickly. It could just be me, and the fact that I’m a teacher, but I didn’t see any realistic, emotional consequences to that choice. But, they did at least use protection.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, fun, straight-forward contemporary read. I especially liked the added element of the creative writing that Jordan comes to discover she enjoys. As she starts journaling to get her feelings out since she can’t talk to anyone about them (can totally relate to that!), Miranda made the choice to include some of the poems Jordan has written in between chapters. It was a unique and interesting choice by the author to allow the reader to get more insight into Jordan’s feelings even as she was unable to tell them to use herself. I also have to add that I loved the secondary characters. The guys on the team who are her best friends are so hilarious with how they treat her, especially when she wants to talk relationships, and how protective they are of her. And I especially liked her older brother and what a great relationship they had. The ending was just perfect for this type of book with all of the elements – her dad, her choice of college, her boy situation, and her friendships – coming together as I had hoped they would.

Title: SHUT OUT
Author: Kody Keplinger
Publisher: Poppy
Release Date: September 5, 2011
Number of Pages: 273
Source of Book: ARC from Little Brown School & Library
Author’s Website: kodykeplinger.com

Goodreads Summary:
Most high school sports
teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it’s a civil
war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part,Lissa is
sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to
go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And
on three separate occasions Randy’s car has been egged while he and
Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of
sweaty boys for her own boyfriend’s attention

Then Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the
other players’ girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won’t get any
action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What
they don’t count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible
girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their
libidos first. But what Lissa never sees coming is her own sexual
tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling…

*************************

OK, so the cover of this book grabbed my attention and the premise sounded intriguing to me – I love girl power books – so I knew I wanted to read this one, and I’m so glad I did. I really enjoyed this book. Yes, it has mature content, but I didn’t feel it was too overly graphic (actually less than I expected). And, yes, it was a little bit predictable at times, but, knowing the premise and type of book it is, I expected a little bit of that. This book was like comfort food – just what I was in the mood for and made me feel good. I still haven’t read Kody’s first book, THE DUFF, but now I’m going to move it up on my list. She is a great contemporary writer; this book was just an easy, enjoyable read. I had fun reading it – even literally laughing out loud at some parts!

The rivalry was dumb between the boys’ sports teams, and the way it works out in the end is entertaining, but along the way, some really important things are learned. Lissa grows quite a bit in this book into knowing herself and being stronger in order to do what’s right. Lissa’s character, and in fact some of the secondary characters as well, is pretty multi-layered. She’s dealing with the sudden death of her mother, and because of that, has some definite control issues. Cash’s character also has more to him than originally meets the eye, and I absolutely appreciate a respectful, caring, good guy character in young adult books.

Overall, I think this book can be empowering to younger readers in some ways. The way it handles the idea of girls being ashamed of, embarrassed by, afraid of, or wanting to do sexual activity is treated in such a non-preachy way. It shows that everyone feels differently, and that’s all okay. Not everyone is actually having sex or, in some cases, anything close to it. It’s ultimately about doing what’s right for you as an individual based on your feelings and beliefs, and it shouldn’t matter what other people have to say. Seems to be a pretty good message for young girls to get in my opinion. Do what’s right for you and don’t let anyone pressure you into something you’re not ready for. The boys who are pressuring girls are shown in a bad light in this book, and I’m glad that happens. When they go on the strike, and some girls mention a concern about their boyfriends cheating on them, it’s put right out there that if the guy is going to cheat on you because of this, he wasn’t a good guy to be with in the first place. There are a lot of misunderstandings and missed connections, but ultimately, the good guy with good, honorable intentions who wants to take care of the girl the right way, is noticed in the end. But, that only happens because the characters choose to finally sit down and talk with some straight-forward, honest communication with each other. It shows how much easier and less dramatic things can be if we just talk about them. The messages are all subtle, but they’re really honest too, and that’s why I think they’ll be easy for teens to accept.

One of the things I liked the most was actually the elements of the girl friendships throughout this book. As the girls spend more time getting to know each other and get more honest with each other, they realize that there’s more to each of them than they maybe had realized. The development of the friendships, and rekindling of others, and the way they stick up for and support each other is one of the most powerful parts of this book. It’s not about mean girls; it’s about girls standing up for each other and doing what’s right to help each other out. As I was reading SHUT OUT, I was reminded of two other books that would be great to hand a girl who liked this one: NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL by Siobhan Vivian and THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB by Elizabeth Eulberg.

Title: AMEN, L.A.
Author: Cherie Bennett & Jeff Gottesfeld
Publisher: Ember (a Random House imprint)
Release Date: July 12, 2011
Number of Pages: 256
Source of Book: Book Divas for review
Author’s Website: www.cheriebennett.com

Goodreads Summary:
When Natalie Shelton
and her family move from Minnesota to Beverly Hills, more changes than
their zip code. Natalie’s mom accepts a position as pastor with the
Church of Beverly Hills—and Natalie’s along for the ride. Before she can
blink, she’s living in a mansion once owned by Ricardo Montalban, going
to school with hot young Hollywood stars, and partying in the park with
kids who know no limits. It’s an amazing new life—but if she doesn’t
watch out, Natalie could find herself seriously messed up. Natalie has
values . . . but how long can she hold on to them?

When Natalie Shelton’s family moves to Beverly Hills from Minnesota, they don’t really know what they’re in for. Why the move? Because Natalie’s mother is a well-known church pastor. During the family meeting to decide whether to go, Natalie is the only one who voices a no vote. When they arrive they find they’re unexpectedly living in a former star’s mansion, partying with kids who have very different values, going to school with Hollywood royalty, and her mom is heading a church with people used to throwing their money around and getting their way. Natalie doesn’t know how to feel – until she meet a girl from church who could be a friend – and then meets another girl who is a friend, although she has a disreputable past. Natalie meets more kids from schoool, including a boy who she’s not sure about, and her Midwestern views about people start to change. When Natalie’s friendships test her faith, trust, strength, and morals – and her family members start to get corrupted by the Beverly Hills lifestyle, the choice comes down to staying to see it through or heading back to the familiar back home.

Based on the premise of this story, I thought it had a lot of potential, but only lived up to some of it. Personally, I wasn’t a big fan of the writing style – there was lots of name/label dropping, at times it turns to second person as Nat talks at the reader, and there seemed to be many instances of telling so the setting was not an naturally developed. Every time there was a new setting, the story seemed to pause to explicitly describe all of the details (maybe because the author has a screenwriting background?). As a midwesterner myself (Wisconsin), I felt that the Minnesota references were a little cliche and overdone. Unfortunately, for me, the good messages from what Nat learns and how she decides what kind of person she wants to be (and whose opinions she should trust) get lost a little bit because of feeling out of touch with the writing style. There were, however, some things that I really liked: the mother as a pastor aspect juxtaposed against Beverly Hills values, Nat’s relationship with her parents, their parenting style, and the authenticity of Nat’s relationship struggles and beginnings with both her developing girl friendships and the boy romantic interest. I liked Nat a lot though – she’s genuine, smart, non-judgmental, thoughtful, and caring as she looks for true friends and real relationships in a sometimes inauthentic city.

Title: BREADCRUMBS
Author: Anne Ursu
Publisher: Walden Pond Press (A HarperCollins Children’s imprint)
Release Date: September 27, 2011
Number of Pages: 313
Source of Book: ARC requested from publisher

Goodreads Summary:
Once upon a time, Hazel
and Jack were best friends. They had been best friends since they were
six, spending hot Minneapolis summers and cold Minneapolis winters
together, dreaming of Hogwarts and Oz, superheroes and baseball. Now
that they were eleven, it was weird for a boy and a girl to be best
friends. But they couldn’t help it – Hazel and Jack fit, in that way you
only read about in books. And they didn’t fit anywhere else.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” Breadcrumbs is a story of the struggle to hold on, and the things we leave behind.

BREADCRUMBS is a beautifully told tale of friendship, faith, hope, and magic. It’s starts off in the real-world as we get to know more about Hazel’s friendship with her neighbor Jack. And then something happens, and Jack changes, and then disappears. The second part of the book takes place in the woods as Hazel steps into a fantasy world that she didn’t know was there. Overall the style was really unique in the way the narrator seemed to
speak directly to the reader with asides at times, so I felt more
involved and a part of the story. There are chapters interjected that
tell what’s happening in the fantasy world and the stories are
interwoven seamlessly.

Hazel believes in magic and fantasy. She also believes in her friendship with Jack because he’s pretty much her only friend in her new school, so when he changes toward her and that ends, she doesn’t know what to do. But when she finds out that Jack has disappeared into the woods, she knows she needs to save him. She has so much faith in her friendship with Jack that she is willing to do whatever she can to save her friend. The fantasy elements of classic tales that occur in each successive chapter in the woods are engaging and meaningful.

This story is about belonging and believing and doing what’s right even when no one believes in you.  It’s about trusting your instincts and staying true to who you are. It’s about starting a journey and learning from the outcomes. One of the most significant lines to me was a moment of understanding for Hazel, “This is what happens on journeys-the things you find aren’t necessarily the things you had gone looking for.” It’s all of those things wrapped up in beautiful prose and a masterful way of telling this fantasy story. This fantasy story is like a breath of fresh air wrapped in a warm blanket. This one comes out next week and will be a wonderful addition to a middle grades collection. It releases in one month, so get your pre-orders in now.

Title: WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON
Author: John Green & David Levithan
Publisher: Dutton Books (a Penguin imprint)
Release Date: April 6, 2010
Number of Pages: 320
Source of Book: Received ARC at the ALAN Workshop 2009
Author’s Website: http://johngreenbooks.com   www.davidlevithan.com

Goodreads Summary:
One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.

Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both them both legions of faithful fans.

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First of all, I need to say, these two authors are both amazing in their own right, but put them together and you get an explosion of awesomeness. However, they definitely don’t pull any punches with their writing – it’s very mature (in content and theme), intelligent, and in your face. The pacing never lets you put the book down as you first wonder how the two Will Grayson characters are going to meet and then, once they do, how this epic high school musical is going to be pulled off at the end and where that will leave all of the various relationships.

This collaborative novel is written in alternating chapters between the two Will’s voices. Stylistically, the two Will’s are distinguished not only by their uniquely strong voices, but also the format in which his chapter was written (Will #2 does not use any capitalization or quotation marks and writes in an instant messaging style for dialogue). They are fresh, honest, confused, damaged, conflicted, real teen voices. One is gay, one is straight with a gay best friend. I appreciated so much that it just was that way-it didn’t feel forced or put in to preach about-it just was. Another aspect that I appreciated was the way in which Will #2’s depression was handled and explained. I think it’s important for teens to see this in characters they read about and to better understand it for themselves and how they handle friends that may deal with it. It’s more than just feeling down, it’s being depressed mentally, and Will explains that really well.

The characters are dealing with relationships (friendly and romantic (gay and straight)), truth, peer pressures, and figuring out who they really are and how to honestly be that person in this world. It’s a wonderful coming-of-age story set with the backdrop of Chicago while taking place in the classrooms and halls of the high schools, the homes, the computers, the phones of these characters. The cast of characters are all well-written, engaging, entertaining, multi-dimensional, and real. It’s humorous, it’s serious, it’s frustrating, it’s enlightening, it’s wonderful. It’s about love – both romantic and platonic – and the ways in which we can show that to others and help support and stand up for those we love. The ending will make you want to stand up and cheer for these characters you’ve grown to adore.

Title: MY LIFE UNDECIDED
Author: Jessica Brody
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, Giroux (a Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group imprint)
Release Date: June 7, 2011
Number of Pages: 320
Source of Book: ARC review request from publisher
Author’s Website: http://jessicabrody.com
Book Website: http://mylifeundecided.com

Publisher Summary:
PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!

But don’t take my word for it, read the book and decide for yourself. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scream in frustration. Or maybe that’s just me. After all, it’s my life.
*************************
MY LIFE UNDECIDED is a super-cute book with a wanting her to get it right, unique premise. What a great idea in today’s online world – Brooklyn is screwing up all the time because she’s making bad choices – so she decides to let anonymous blog readers make the choices for her. It was a predictable book, but in a good way (kind of like watching a teen movie). The story turns out how I would expect, but took an entertaining and interesting path to get there. Brooklyn is dealing with the pressures to be better what with her older sister seemingly being the perfect one, with her supposed best friend keeping her in the right clothes and looks for being popular, and with her parents pressuring her to make better choices. But as she comes to realize later in the story, “Perfection is only a word that makes you feel bad about yourself.”

This book provides strong messages for today’s teenage (and sometimes older!) girls in a straight-forward way that is clear, but not too preachy because it’s all done in Brooklyn’s great teen voice. Jessica Brody has written a fun character who talks right to the reader and is funny, sarcastic, sassy, at times frustrating, but figures it all out in the end. She comes to realize that normal feels safe, but may not be the best choice. This book shows the fickleness and somewhat ridiculousness of high school social constructs, but with Brooklyn’s struggle it’s a realistic portrayal of the difficulties teens face in being popular versus being oneself. It’s a book about learning from mistakes and making choices. It’s also about her realizing that she has choices and doesn’t have to do what’s expected. It’s breaking out from the mold of high school public opinion to what really makes her happy.

And, of course, there’s a romance storyline throughout. There is definitely going to be a guy you’re rooting for – and wanting to shake Brooklyn for not seeing what’s right in front of her. It’s obvious that the dorky, but caring guy is the one she should be with, especially when she realizes that he just gets her – even when she isn’t figuring it out for herself. Brian is the guy who helps her realize that she should be with “the person who makes [her] feel like [she’s] worth something…all on her own.” In the end, Brooklyn realizes that “sometimes the most obvious choices are the hardest to see” but I don’t see anything hard about the choice you should be making to read this book!
*Don’t forget to enter my giveaway of a galley of this book HERE.

Title: WILL WORK FOR PROM DRESS
Author: Aimee Ferris
Publisher: Egmont USA
Release Date: February 8, 2011
Number of Pages: 240
Source of Book: Book Divas review
Author’s Website: aimee-ferris.livejournal.com

Goodreads Summary:
Quigley Johnson has, reluctantly, given up the rest of her last year of high school to take part in her best friend Ann’s Betterment Plan, which will turn them into the best-dressed, most sought-after, most admired girls at their senior formal. Because – hey – who doesn’t want the perfect prom, complete with a dream dress and a devastatingly handsome date?

This road to the prom dream may just end in disaster.
*************************
WILL WORK FOR PROM DRESS was a really cute, fun read. It ended up having more heart than I expected, but it did take a little while to get to it. This book has elements of celebrity and fame; friendship and honesty; figuring out what’s important in life; choosing which direction to go with life’s path; learning to like oneself as is and learning to like others for who they really are. Ferris did a great job of adding humor and comedic misunderstandings into this story and creating ridiculous working situations for these two girls as they try to find jobs to earn money for their prom dresses. They’re working on bettering themselves to find dates to prom, and numerous antics happen along the way that take them a direction they didn’t expect with boyfriends and family and school.

I really appreciated the message that comes at the end of the book when Quigley makes decisions about her life that relate to her realizing what home and family really means. It was a light, cute book with some good messages; however, it was a little bit predictable and I felt it lacked some character depth in places. One thing I noticed also was the “YA pet peeve” of the missing parents – Quigley’s parents are mentioned, but never appear in the book; however, Ann’s mother is well represented and serves as a mother-figure in many senses. The romantic subplot is enjoyable as well especially because Zander is a really good and sweet guy and nothing goes too far, something which can sometimes be missing in books like this. Also, it is a very honest relationship beginning/progression as it’s not lust at first sight. It’s a very real growing of feelings based on how he treats her, while she is confused and doesn’t know where she stands with him. Their relationship also endures a major conflict that is resolved in a good way. Overall, I enjoyed the book for the plot, humor, unique take on celebrity, realness of the relationships, and the relationship between Quigley and Zander, and I think many teen girls will as well.

3.5 STARS for WILL WORK FOR PROM DRESS

Title: WHERE I BELONG
Author: Gwendolyn Heasley
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: February 8, 2011
Number of Pages: 289
Source of Book: Bought the paperback
Author’s Website: www.gwendolynheasley.com

Goodreads Summary:
Meet Corinne. She’s living every girl’s dream in New York City—shopping sprees at Barneys, open access to the best clubs and parties, and her own horse at the country club. Her perfect life is perfectly on track. At least it was. . . .

When Corinne’s father is laid off, her world suddenly falls apart. Instead of heading to boarding school, she’s stripped of her credit cards and shipped off to the boonies of Texas to live with her grandparents. On her own in a big public school and forced to take a job shoveling manure, Corrinne is determined to get back to the life she’s supposed to be living. She doesn’t care who she stomps on in the process. But when Corrinne makes an unlikely friend and discovers a total hottie at work, she begins to wonder if her life B.R.—before the recession—was as perfect as it seemed.
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So…I didn’t love it, but I liked it (and a few of my students have already read it and really liked it).This is a really light-hearted book that’s not too deep and a little predictable, but it’s entertaining. It’s a familiar storyline – city girl out of her element in the country learns to like the people and not be so shallow and becomes more likable in the end. I think my biggest struggle was that I really didn’t like Corinne throughout much of the book – and I find it tough to get through a book where I don’t like the main character, even if I know that they’re going to come around in the end (although, Corinne’s letter to the reader at the start of the book warns that you’re not going to like her very much – cute idea!). And I did really like where Corinne ended up at the end of the book. I do think this book has the potential to become dated pretty quickly because there are a lot of brand names and pop culture references thrown in throughout the book and they’re very current right now. I also thought it wrapped up pretty fast – I was finally liking Corinne and where she was headed, so I wanted a little more of the story with her at that point.

It was a fun book with the Texas themed stuff and the small town setting. One of the best parts of the book was the secondary characters – I loved the little brother, new best friend, the jock boy who we’re not sure about in the beginning, etc. I thought they were the most entertaining part. It’s a little stereotypical, but it’s exactly what you might be looking for in this kind of book – and it delivers for that expectation. There were two main themes for this book that hit home with me: “The company you keep is the most important part of life.” and love is “the ability to go away and to come back again as if nothing has changed even though everything has changed.” Those two ideals are something Corinne has to learn and the reader enjoys her journey getting there.

3 STARS for WHERE I BELONG

Book 8 of 12 for DAC 2011