Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have Review

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(More customer reviews)I was completely absorbed by this book, once I picked it up I couldn't put it down! It is so well written, so funny, with such a wonderful message about being oneself in the face of the tremendous pressure of adolescence coupled with society's twisted love affair with food/war on fat. Given the recent statistic that 66% of Americans are overweight, this book lands smack in the middle of the national zeitgeist with compassion, razor-sharp intelligence and humor. This is a great book for teens and adults - fat or thin.

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What's worse than being fat your freshman year? Being fat your sophomore year. Lifeused to be so simple for Andrew Zansky–hang with the Model UN guys, avoid gym class,and eat and eat and eat. He's used to not fitting in: into his family, his sports-crazedschool, or his size 48 pants. But not anymore. Andrew just met April, the new girlat school and the instant love of his life! He wants to find a way to win her over,but how? When O. Douglas, the heartthrob quarterback and high-school legend, saveshim from getting beaten up by the school bully, Andrew sees his chance to get inwith the football squad. Is it possible to reinvent yourself in the middle of highschool? Andrew is willing to try. But he's going to have to make some changes. Fast. Can a funny fat kid be friends with a football superstar? Can he win over the Girlof his Dreams? Can he find a way to get his mom and dad back together? How far shouldyou go to be the person you really want to be? Andrew is about to find out.

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King of the Screwups Review

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(More customer reviews)Liam Geller is the son of a successful former model and an uptight CEO. The pressure placed on him to succeed from a very young age, combined with the layers of emotional abuse suffered from the words of his father, results in causing him to believe that he's not good at anything except "screwing up". When a final mistake at home causes his father to kick him out he goes to live with his "Aunt" Pete, a man who's been estranged from his family for years due to his refusal to conform to what had been expected of him.
The story goes on to share Liam's struggle of coming to terms with the fact that his parents aren't perfect and he isn't broken, as they've lead him to believe he is. The humor in this story is all a mask of much deeper issues. It's a rewarding read because of the beautifully constructed main characters. But, there will also be points when you'd like to thorw it across the room because of the anger that the other, minor characters, instill in you as a reader.
K.L. Going does a fantastic job of making you feel like you could be a watcher in this smalltown of Pineville, experiencing the ups and downs of Liam and his uncle as a next-door neighbor really would.
The one thing I would state against this book (and the reason I didn't give it the full 5 stars) is that it's not for middle-schoolers. Sure, there may be some kids mature enough to handle the subject matter at that age, but I feel that the majority of 12-year-olds out there would not be able to grasp the dynamics of this story.
These are hard subjects to handle, even for a high-schooler. But I would definitely advise that the sexual innuendo, language and subtle detailing of emotional abuse would be much better received by a slightly older audience than what the cover of the book recommends.
Other than that, A+.

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The Girl with 500 Middle Names Review

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(More customer reviews)Mrs. Haddix has done it! This is a wonderful beginning chapter book for late 2nd/3rd grade readers. This will make a good read-aloud for class or small discussion groups. A terrific lesson on family relationships and values. Good book to help children who have recently transferred to a new school. The characters are enjoyable and endearing. Very believable and current topics for today's elementary age child.

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Pinned Review

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(More customer reviews)Wrestling isn't just a sport to Bobby Zane and Ivan Korske. It's a way of life. From the midnight runs to the cutting weight to plotting maneuvers in their sleep, wrestling is all they think about during the winter sports season. Both compete in the 129-pound weight class, and both refuse to let anything stand in the way of the state championship title.
Beyond their mutual love of wrestling, however, Bobby and Ivan couldn't be more different. Bobby's school wrestling team is known throughout New Jersey for its winning record. His family, though rich, is troubled by his mother's long working hours and his father's infidelity, and news that Bobby's girlfriend might be pregnant leaves Bobby wondering exactly where his life is headed.
Meanwhile, Ivan and his small-town farming father are grieving his mother, who was a strong influence in both their lives, and Ivan's anger and loss are felt by everyone except for his neighbor Shelley, who encourages Ivan's talents. Ivan's only hope of leaving his backwater town of Lemmings is a scholarship to Western Arizona University, but his father wants him to attend college close to home.
Each chapter alternates a point of view, taking the reader through both Bobby's and Ivan's journeys to the state championship. Alfred C. Martino, a wrestling fan, brings the excitement of their matches into the story. Both characters have depth and devotion to the people they love, even though their commitment to wrestling sometimes eats away at their relationships. Reading this book will make you think twice about the dumb jock stereotype.
   --- Reviewed by Carlie Webber


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One Night Review

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(More customer reviews)Gabe is a brash teenage guy who steadfastly ignores the pain of his past and seemingly lives only to toy with girls at parties. Helen is a serious, smart girl who wants to be a plastic surgeon and is uncomfortably aware of her previously deformed face. By chance, the two meet at a party that Helen reluctantly went to with a friend. Somehow, Helen and Gabe connect emotionally in an almost magical way and she is pregnant before the night is over. Helen is forced to deal with a life that changes each day in frightening and awe-inspiring ways.
Yes, this book is written in free verse. But as someone who usually shuns poetry, I can say that this style resulted in some of the most mind-blowingly moving images I have ever encountered in a novel. "One Night" is a quick read, composed of many one-or two paged poems that are each meant to chronicle a particular event or feeling in the lives of Helen, Gabe, and those connected to the two main characters. The poems vary in length, yet Wild writes them in such a way as to make every single word count. With surprisingly few words, she captures Gabe's desolation, Helen's powerful spirit, the upheaval the pregnancy causes, and the pain of labor. Wild is able to write in a way that will keep teens reading, but also to express controversial issues and wrenching emotions in ways that would make great authors proud. This is one of those books that you "travel" through with a racing heart, wanting to absorb every word of each poem, yet rushing ahead to find the next stunning line from this author's pen. With its simplicity yet depth and its hopeful ending, "One Night" is a book that will leave an impression.


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Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) Review

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(More customer reviews)It starts off in a The Hangover-like way when April is jolted awake by her police siren ringtone (her dad's) to find a guy (who is not her boyfriend) laying next to her, and a mess of a house (beer cans and chips everywhere) and two barely dressed guys (one wearing a tiara) sprawled and snoring on the couch. And her dad calls to say he's fifteen minutes away as a birthday surprise. Can you tell I was hooked from there? Because I could barely blink.
The writing was easy going and the characters were very likable and fun. I was slightly flinching throughout the whole book from how real everything seemed. I was not a huge fan of the time-hoping bits. April went back and forth between time-frames and it felt a bit disorienting from time to time, but it did fit with the plot quite well, I just felt transitions could have been slightly smoother and clearer. But it worked.
It was unbelievably fun to read. I would laugh out loud from time to time and slap my hand on my forehead on other times too. April made so many understandably stupid decisions, that you just want to reach out and shake her, while knowing you might have done that same thing. Sarah Mlynowski is a genius on realistic teenage portrayal.
Overall, a very sassy tale of things we shouldn't do that ironically make our lives that much enjoyable and cool. A book you should not miss if you love fun contemporary YA.

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My Lost and Found Life Review

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(More customer reviews)"My Lost and Found Life" captivated me from the very first paragraph and didn't let me go. It is a heartwarming story about a young woman who is thrust into growing up fast, making the best of a bad situation, about making decisions right or wrong, about discovering love, relationships and learning to cope with life's journeys. Ashley's transformation is amazing, and I highly recommend this book to all the mothers out there whose daughters are coming of age and to all the daughters. I believe they will both enjoy it as much as I did. Good job!!

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The Secret to Lying Review

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(More customer reviews)A well written tale of a young man trying to invent himself again with a change in school. Clever twists and creative storytelling make for an enjoyable read from start to finish. A real coming of age story of a journey to become comfortable embracing your identity. Loved it!

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The Nature of Jade Review

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(More customer reviews)Jade doesn't know yet that she wants something more out of life - and that she is about to meet someone that will change her life.
Good student Jade is an overachiever who has developed panic disorder. Sometimes, the medicine she takes makes her antsy at night, so she's taken to watching the online elephant cam from her local zoo. One night, the camera shows her a young boy in a red jacket with a baby boy, and she is inexplicably drawn to them.
Throughout the course of her senior year, Jade finds herself feeling more and more out-of-place with her friends as they discuss their future plans. She's ready for her life to change, but she's not sure how. When she gets a job at the zoo and befriends the elephants and their caretakers, things seem right again.
Then she meets the boy in the red jacket face-to-face. As their relationship grows, secrets are revealed on both sides, and it is that relationship which ultimately gives her the strength to make some extremely difficult choices.
I have never worked with elephants. I never knew a Sebastian. I (thankfully) haven't suffered from panic attacks. But there was something about Jade that mirrored something in me, and that really made me connect with the character.
Deb Caletti's novels are all poignant, well-written, and solid. The Nature of Jade, my favorite of her works, is strong and true. Highly recommended to adults and teens, and placed high on my Best Books of 2007 list.

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First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover Review

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(More customer reviews)Here's a feel good book just in time for the election season. But it's more than just that. Perkins weaves an exquisite cultural sensitivity into her Presidential election drama, drawing on personal experience and what I can only describe as a really big heart. The characters: An adopted South Asian teen. A flower child mom who is a church-going political liberal! Her husband: the kindest, most tolerant Republican (since Abe Lincoln), but not a church goer. The opponent: Hill sans Bill, with a handsome son to boot. But the best character of all is Uncle Mohamed. I can't wait for him to reappear in the sequel.
And yes, there are "bad guys"--an over-the-hill (at 30!) media know-it-all, and the usual paparazzi.
While marketed as a teen novel, ADULTS WILL REALLY WANT TO READ THIS as an antidote to the evening news. Perkins is clearly anchored in reality, even as she tries to bring out the best in (nearly all) of her characters.

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Beauty Shop for Rent: . . . fully equipped, inquire within Review

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(More customer reviews)BEAUTY SHOP FOR RENT represents what's missing in a lot of current YA fiction - good old-fashioned storytelling that doesn't need some sort of gimmick to make it stand out. The quirky cast of characters feel like real people, and not devices created to perform the plot. Abbey's voice sparkles right from the get-go, and her relationship with Granny Po and the rest of the gray widows is both hilarious and moving. This is more than just STEEL MAGNOLIAS for the younger set - this is a lovely coming of age story that stands on its own two feet, just like its heartwarming and headstrong protagonist.
And, despite what another Amazon reviewer seems to think, this is a very, very, very CLEAN read - I'd be as comfortable recommending this to a ten-year-old reader as I would someone going on sixteen.

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Black Box Review

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(More customer reviews)I will start off this review with one word "WOW".
The story of Dora and Elena two sisters who are as close as can be - when the older Dora starts changing - she is sleeping too much, no longer eating and is becoming less and less like herself every day. Eventually, she is diagnosed with a mental illness.
This is the story of how mental illness (depression) affects absolutely everyone it touches.
Elena finds herself having to deal with the fact that her beloved sister is no longer the person she use to be. Elena is heartbroken and scared. Her parents are arguing all the time and somehow most of their friends are now staying away - far away.
It is almost impossible for Elena to deal with it all - as she finds herself going to extremes in order to make everyone "be okay again".
This novel (its very, very short at a little under 180 pages) is extremely touching and sad, which is to say that the author takes a very honest and real view at an illness that for some reason still appears to be taboo.
I love the title of this book - indeed mental depression certainly makes everyone feel as though they are living in a box -
I highly recommend this book to anyone who believes it will never happen to them.

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