When I listed the titles from the books I reviewed, I kept all the titles that were in lowercase as lowercase.  If, however, I saw the title in caps on the titlepage, I did capitalize it.  I think the authors used lowercase letters to convey a message, whether of desparity or low self esteem or possibly not even having the strength to capitalize, not caring enough to hit the shift key.

LiSalyers

New York, New York. Delacourt Press. 2008. 230p.

All Amanda and her mother can do together is fight!  She constantly criticizes Amanda – nothing she does is good enough for her mother!  Her sister Melody seems to have the perfect relationship with her mom – too bad Amanda really can’t stand either one of them.  She calls Melody, “Malady” and refers to her mother as “The Captain”.  Her supportive Aunt Jen and her best friend Paige try to be there for her and sometimes her dad steps up to the plate for her, but not very often.  Her life seems to be defined by the huge fights she has with her mother, but suddenly, something at school changes all that.  A hot guy likes her!  Amanda thinks she found a way to get what she always wanted.  She makes a deal with Rick, the most popular boy in school, to trade her virginity for a date to the homecoming dance.  But when he turns the tables to get what he wants, it leaves her out in the cold and with only a lukewarm body as a date to the dance.   This was the final straw, so Amanda starts to unravel.  She withdraws into herself and can only find release when she writes poems.  Her teacher notices her poetry, too, and encourages her to enter one into a contest.  She finds out that her poem is going to get published and wanted to tell everyone, but WWIII breaks out at Thanksgiving dinner.  When her mom finds out her best friend has died, she stops being so demanding and controlling and reaches out to Amanda to try and mend fences and they both silently agree to try again.

I would have liked to read this when I was a teen, I think, but for some reason, all I could think of after I read this book is that I would be horrified if my daughter ever read this.  Possibly because of the brutal straightforwardness of how Amanda’s homecoming experience played out, but can’t this girl ever catch a break?  I am glad Baldini did not   glorify the “first time” experience, and was impressed with the frank dialog that followed.  The poems written by Gabrielle Biederman as Amanda were a nice touch and helped convey the depth of Amanda’s emotions.  Even though it has a happy ending, it was a very long route to get there; this is definitely not a light-hearted read.  I also don’t think that many boys would be interested in this book so fraught with teenage girl problems.

3Q, 3P, J S

I think teens 15 and older would enjoy reading this book.

The cover is definitely aimed at the teenage girl market – a thin, pretty girl in a party dress. Purple, at that.   Since the story leans primarily towards a mostly female audience, I think that is the smart thing to do.  Guys won’t be caught dead reading this in public, though.  

Tags:

• Keepin’ It Real
• Date rape
• Teen relationships

New York, New York. Dutton Books. 2006. 228p.

Child prodigy Colin, famous for his appearance on a game show as a child, has fallen into obscurity, save for his quirky habit of only dating girls named Katherine.  After being in relationships with 19 different Katherines and dumped by 18 of them over a 13 year period, Colin has had enough and he and his best friend Hassan, decide to go on a roadtrip for the summer to mend his broken heart and ego.  After driving from Chicago to Tennessee without even getting to stop at one tourist trap, Hassan complains until Colin relents and suggests they stop to see the grave of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Gutshot, Tennessee.   An attractive Lindsey Lee gives them the tour and Colin is disappointed to discover her name is not Katherine, although Hassan encourages Colin to go for it anyways.  Hollis, Lindsey’s mother, recognizes Collin from the KranialKidz game show and invites the boys to stay for dinner, which quickly turns into several weeks.  While in Gutshot, the boys help out, hang around with Lindsey and her friends, and Colin tries to perfect the calculations of the Theorem that will make all of his troubles disappear.   When the boys finally leave for Chicago, it will be with a little more direction in their lives having more empathy towards others, all because of the things they saw and did in Gutshot, Tennessee.

I loved the unpredictability of this book, along with the non-stop banter between Colin and Hassan, with Lindsey joining in, too.  Colin’s self-centeredness is annoying and his preoccupation with completing his relationship theorem was wearing thin so I was glad to see his Eureka moment de-emphasizing that obsession.  I think all of the complicated math stuff was to emphasize how much of a nerd Colin is, but I am glad there wasn’t more of it.  Plus, I kept getting his Katherines mixed up, so I am glad he found a Lindsey.  A fun read, especially on a roadtrip!

4Q, 3P, J S

I think teens 14 years and older will enjoy this book.

I think the math equation looks interesting and belongs on the cover, but the rainbow of girls’ silhouettes at the top of the bookjacket snaking to the back, just doesn’t make sense.  Color is not synonymous with math and I fail to see the significance of the rainbow color scheme.  It won’t put off too many teen girls from picking up the book, but you won’t catch any boys reading it openly, I bet.

Tags:

• Keepin’ It Real
• Anagramming
• Tennessee
• Teen relationships

Custer, Washington. Orca Book Publishers. 2006. 273p.

Sixteen year old Dylan knew she was different since she started developing; it started as just a little niggling inside her, always whispering to her that she was not like other girls.  Even though she had the most popular boy in school for her boyfriend, Dylan was sure she was in love with her best friend, Jocelyn, Joc for short.  And lately, Dylan was having a hard time hiding it.  Although Joc was very flirty with guys and girls alike, every touch just set Dylan on fire.  When Dylan attends a neighboring school’s dance and unexpectedly kisses a girl, it gets people whispering.  When she takes a stand on a risqué library bulletin board display that she designed, things get very complicated, very fast!  Despite the teasing and cruelty of classmates, Dylan finally has the strength to come out, but it takes a lot of soul searching and support from family and friends.  Not everyone is thrilled with her announcement, but Dylan feels like the real her is finally free for the first time in a long time.

This is a really good book for teens who are struggling with issues about their sexuality.  I like it a lot and my heart goes out to Dylan for all of the anguish she has to endure in discovering and then proclaiming her revelation of being a lesbian.  I love that her family is so supportive, but realistically, I think she would have gotten much more flack from classmates, neighbors, and extended family members.  This is a good book for all teens to read to foster empathy for all their classmates, too.

3P, 3P, M J S

I believe that students should be able to read this book when they are in puberty, so they can be aware that homosexuality is an option for them.  More than likely for most teens, homosexuality is not covered in health class.   I believe that teens 13 years and older would enjoy reading this book.

The cover garners a lot of attention by using the three colors that stand out the most:  yellow, red, and black.  Also, the black and yellow stripes emanating from behind the girl as well as the red banner slapped across the front cover also jumps right out at readers.  I think teens will pick up this book because of the graphics and also because of the surprising title.

Tags:

• Sexual Identity
• Lesbians
• Teen girls
• Romance
• Gay teens

New York, New York. Simon Pulse. 2004. 537p.

Crank is a powerful story told in verse about high-school junior Kristina George Snow.  She is court-ordered to visit with her father in New Mexico, who she hasn’t seen in eight years, despite the fact he has a history of drug abuse.   She wanted to go, was bored maybe with her perfect life in Las Vegas, but she also wanted to let Bree out to play.  Kristina became Bree when the plane landed in New Mexico and never looked back.  Bree allowed her to do things a straight-A student would never think to do, and take risks she never ever would have dared to take.  While on her short visit Bree became addicted to drugs and it changed her life forever. She was completely hooked by the time she returned to Las Vegas and found out how easy it was to get high anywhere.  On crank, Kristina, aka Bree, partied, broke curfew, lied, and stole.  Her judgment, or lack thereof, got her into a bad situation and she was raped, and later discovered she was pregnant.  At the end, Kristina ends up with a crack-addicted baby at seventeen.  Kristina, or is it Bree, is still a recovering addict and still slips up every now and then.

While a very powerful story, I personally did not like it.  It’s very hard for me to read about a girl who throws her life away because of drugs, but I think it is very important for teens to read it.  Reading a book completely in verse was a new experience for me, but I have to admit, after a few pages, I didn’t think of it as a huge poem anymore.  Hopkins’ choice of words was so effective; it was truly moving, while heartbreaking at the same time.  I think teens will appreciate the straightforwardness of the presentation of this subject and embrace this work as realistic fiction in a verse form. 

4Q, 5P, J S

I think teens 15 years and older would enjoy reading this book.

The book cover fits the story perfectly, consisting of a black background with the word CrANK spelled out in crank on the front cover.  It is understated, yet powerful, to match the book and teens will appreciate the simplicity, I think.  The ragged white letters of the drug stand out on the black background.

Tags:

• It Doesn’t Always Have to Rhyme: Verse
• Drug abuse
• Drugs
• Crank
• Teen drug abuse
• Addiction
• Pregnancy
• Drug-addicted babies
• Written in verse

New York, New York. Antheneum Books for Young Readers. 2008. 245p.

Best friends Chris and Win take the summer off after graduating from high school and embark on a cross country bicycle trip to the West Coast.  On the last week of the two month trip, Win ditches Chris and disappears.  Chris, pissed at Win’s selfishness, only makes a halfhearted effort to find him, then gives up and continues his trip to the West Coast.  Only when FBI agent Abe Ward comes to question him does Chris discover that Win is still missing and hasn’t contacted anyone.   Between Win’s father and Agent Ward, not to mention private investigators, breathing down his neck demanding answers, Chris realizes the only way to stop the wild accusations is to figure out what happened to Win.  A fanny-pack full of cash and Win’s cryptic ramblings and sudden outbursts now seem to take on a new meaning as Chris recollects different snippets from their trip as he searches for the truth of Win’s disappearance.  As Chris looks for Win and remembers the liberating trip they took just a few months prior, he discovers something else he wasn’t searching for – himself.

Told in a series of flashbacks, Bradbury constantly switches between the voyage of discovery the guys had trekking cross-country and the tense and panic-ridden impromptu grilling sessions Chris is subjected to by Agent Ward and Win’s father.   Details of Win’s poor rich kid life get more depressing as the book goes on, and readers seem to develop a sense that Win did actually plan to disappear all along.  Touching in its poignancy, this book shows how two people who thought they were close, best friends even, need to reacquaint and rediscover themselves in the process.  This is a wonderfully written mystery that has twists and turns to the very end – a very satisfying read.

5P, 3P, M J S

I think teens 13 years and older will enjoy reading this book.

The front cover is mostly yellow and features a person walking away from a bicycle with the footprints, shadow, and silhouette of the person in all black.  Black is symbolic for darkness and nothingness, hence disappearing; the silhouette suggests a namelessness to this person, almost as if this person is easily forgettable or wants to be invisible.  The skid marks on the back of the jacket, as well as the title which is not completely lined up properly on the front, projects the series of shocking surprises throughout this book- readers have to stop, regroup their thoughts, and then continue to discover what really happened.  The cryptic title, shift, alludes to multiple meanings.  Shift can refer to how bicyclists move from one gear to another while riding bikes, or it can refer to a change in a way of thinking.  It can also stand for how two best friends drift slowly apart without noticing.  Also, the white color of the title is also the color of ghosts and reflects how hard they are to find.   The cover makes a statement with the title not completely lined up and only the back part of the bicycle visible – I think it will draw teens’ attention.

  Tags:

• On the Edge of Your Seat: Mystery, Suspense, or Thriller
• Cycling
• Mystery
• Teen boys

New York, New York. Little Brown and Company. 2005. 498p.

Bella Swan leaves her mother in New Mexico to move and reconnect with her estranged father in Forks, Washington.  As Bella tries to settle into life at in the small northwestern town, her lab partner in Biology, Edward Cullen, seems in turns both repulsed and obsessed with her.  She is baffled as he first ignores then takes an interest in her and yet he seems to always show up to get her out of a jam.   She is dazzled by his beauty, longs to be near him, and aches when they are apart.  Baffled by all of his strange quirks, she has several theories about him and then narrows it down to the only feasible, yet utterly ridiculous possibility.  Edward is a vampire.  He reluctantly confesses and then informs Bella how dangerous it could be for her safety to be around him.  Although Edward and his family are “vegetarian” vampires who only drink the blood of animals, at any time, one of them could “slip” and not be able to resist Bella.  As they try to build a relationship together, other complications arise, such as the intrusion into the area of a small vampire clan who do drink human blood. 

Meyer completely reawakens all the feelings a seventeen year old girl would feel when she is near a guy she is totally crazy about.  I feel like I am in high school again when I read this book.  The banter in this book is so engaging and realistic it makes it virtually impossible for most to put the book down once started, including me.   This series of books has been the most enjoyable I have read in a long time – and what teenage girl can resist a good love story?  Although the tale does have suspenseful elements such as fight scenes and includes both vampire and werewolf lore and legends to keep teen boys interested as well.

5Q, 5P, M J S

I think anybody 13 years and older will enjoy reading this book as long as the sheer size does not intimidate them. 

The cover in its blinding simplicity uses the popular red, black, and white color scheme; the image of the red apple perhaps alludes to the “forbidden fruit” in the bible or the poisoned apple in Snow White.  Both are things that are too good to resist, yet we know we really shouldn’t have them, much like Bella’s attraction to Edward and Edward’s attraction to Bella.  But there is just one thing on this book’s cover that makes it irresistible to practically every teenage girl I know – one little word: Twilight.   

Tags:

• The Way it Could Be
• Vampires
• Werewolves
• First loves
• Teen romances
• Washington

New York, New York. David Fickling Books. 2006. 218p.

Bruno, a naive nine year old son of a German commandant, befriends a Polish boy on the other side of a barbed wire fence, not realizing that the fence is the perimeter of the horrible concentration camp Auschwitz.  Bruno’s father is an up-and-coming star in Hitler’s Third Reich and was promoted and transferred from Berlin to take charge of the concentration camp.  There were no children for Bruno to play with anywhere around the house where Bruno’s family was living, so after his morning studies, he would explore.  One day he came upon a little boy sitting in the dirt near the edge of a fence, even though Bruno was told never to go near that fence.  The two boys quickly become friends, especially since they share the exact same day of birth, and Bruno sneaks away every day that he can to see his friend, Schmuel.  Bruno, a privileged little boy, is terribly self-centered and brings food to his starving friend only when he hasn’t eaten it on the walk over, although Bruno always has plentiful access to food whenever he wants.  Schmuel, however, is always grateful.  Through their entire friendship, Bruno never quite realizes that Schmuel is a prisoner and is not there of his own choice.  The day before Bruno and his mom and sister are scheduled to return to Berlin to live, he visits Schmuel one last time and decides to embark on the greatest adventure ever!  He puts on Schmuel’s extra pyjama-type uniform the prisoners wear in the concentration camp and slips under the gap in the fence.  He tells Schmuel he will help him look for his missing father, but he really wants to explore and experience life on the other side of the fence.  Since Bruno’s head was just shaved recently due to a lice infestation at his house, he blends in.  Unfortunately, the boys get herded into a death march to the gas chamber and they both perish. 

I loved this book because it gives teens another perspective at the horrific atrocities of war through the eyes of a young German boy who just does not know any better.  The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a book that will stay with readers long after it is read.  Boyne does an excellent job writing as a nine year-old while making it glaringly obvious that there is much more to this story than meets the eye.  Its heartbreakingly simple narrative by a naïve, yet kindhearted child, pulls at the heartstrings as the story unfolds and ironically ends with his demise.  I find it interesting that the author never mentions the actual name of the concentration camp or that it is, in fact, a concentration camp, using Bruno’s naivety to skirt the issue.  Being written in a small boy’s point of view, there are no overly-violently described scenes, they are merely glossed over after a brief mentioning.  Although can be easily read by a middle school student, there are inferences that might not be fully understood if World War II and the history of Germany’s Hitler has not been adequately studied.   I did notice, however, that in a few places in the book, the word, “pajamas” is sometimes spelled, “pyjamas”.  I wasn’t sure if that was a proofreader’s oversight, seeing how the author is from Ireland perhaps that is the accepted spelling of the word there, and not all the instances of the word were caught to be switched for the American printing of the book. 

5Q, 4P, M J S A/YA

I think 13 year olds and up will enjoy reading this book.

The cover is brilliantly designed, so simple, yet so effective, although to teens it must not seem very impressive at first glance.  It is the design of the fabric of the uniforms which the prisoners of the concentration camp are issued and must all wear.   The understated cover design, along with the absence of a brief summary on the back of the bookjacket, at the author’s request, is a perfect selection for this book.   Of course the cover design becomes much clearer after the book is read, because of the significance of those striped pajamas.

Tags:

• The Way It Was
• Auschwitz
• Hitler
• Germany
• World War II

New York, NY. Rodale, Inc. 2008. 306p.

This book is a handy guide to use to make better choices in what to eat.  Choosing dozens of popular chain restaurants, helpful swaps are highlighted and grievous empty calories or un-nutritious choices are highlighted.  The introduction is edged in gold and briefly explains how and why you should use this book.  It also briefly covers how out of shape Americans are and how the food industry is condoning and encouraging this by its advertising.  Chapter one, edged in green, explain the eight healthy foods to eat every day and their healthy alternatives as well the 20 unhealthy ones to try to avoid at all costs!  Chapter two, edged in red, focuses on popular chain restaurants; a two page spread features two dishes, one on each page, and list the calories, fat grams, saturated fat grams, and sodium content for each.  On the right, a particularly unhealthy dish is spotlighted, while offering a healthy choice instead on the left page, hence its title, “Eat This, Not That!”.  Then, under each healthy and unhealthy item, three more are highlighted showing their facts and highlighting how healthy or unhealthy each item is.  Chapter three, edged in orange, a menu decoder, uncovers where many of the fat and calories are lurking in menu wording.  Chapter four, edged in bright yellow, covers holiday and special occasion foods.  Chapter five, edged in green, deals with supermarket foods, while chapter six, edged in blue, deals with drinks.  Chapter seven, edged in deep red, discusses which foods to eat according to different moods, and golden edged chapter eight, deals with foods for children.

As the writer mentions in the introduction, the purpose is not to read this book, but to use it.  The color coding makes it easy to flip immediately to the right section.  This paperback’s compact shape, measuring just 6.5”square, allows it to be transported fairly easily, but I can’t help but think if it were a little taller and narrower, it could be placed in more of teen’s bags, purses, and pockets.  This innovative book is a great tool to have in the constant battle of trying to eat healthy in this society, and I love how it contains a supermarket section as well, but I wish it would offer more than four choices in the restaurant section.  Figure conscious teens will appreciate the tips on how ala carte choices can save major calories and still allow them to eat full sized meals without feeling deprived.  The photographs do a great job at making the healthy dishes look just as appetizing if not better than their unhealthy counterparts on their right with the bright colors from the fresh vegetables practically jumping out of the picture.  I love this book and I think it is very handy to have on hand while dining in a restaurant or for trips to the grocery store. 

4Q, 3P (will appeal broadly to the girls, not so much for the boys, I think) J S A/YA

I think 14 year olds and up will enjoy reading this book.

The bright yellow cover is a great attention grabber and the pictures of the two hamburgers facing off give teens a great indication of what’s inside.  The punches of red and black also accentuate the bold color scheme.

Tags:

• Too Good to be True Nonfiction
• Eating healthy
• Food
• Fast food
• Dieting