You have to know when to hold 'em

Huck is a high school student living in Caldwell. His father is one of the best poker players around and has taught his son everything he knows. When his father suddenly dies Huck takes the stills his father has showed him and decides to win the local poker tournament. But in doing so will he lose his identity?

I love Mr. Volponi’s books and I’m always raving about them. This book is good, however I think the subject matter may deter some readers. I wasn’t hooked on this story as I was with Black & White, Hurricane Song or Rooftop. I find poker very dull, and I think this is one reason I didn't like the book as much as I have enjoyed Mr. Volponi's previous books.

I think teens, especially boys, will love this book because of the male characters, realistic dialogue, situations and the poker games. However, for me I just couldn’t get as excited about this book as I did with the others. Still it is a good read and one the guys will enjoy.

What have I become?

Purge is the story of Janie Ryman, a 16 year old girl who suffers from bulimia. The story is told in first person and uses a series of flashes backs.

Janie is at Golden Slopes, a facility that helps teens with eating disorders. During her treatment, Janie meets an interesting cast of characters, including a wrestler who is anorexic but doesn't think he has a problem, Helen, the Queen of Lean, various doctors and secondary characters that helped give this book depth.

The novel does not try to sugarcoat anything. It paints a realistic and painful story of young people who have eating disorders. The one thing I enjoyed was that the book had male and female characters who suffered from anorexia or bulimia. I thought this was a nice touch because, as we all know, it is not a female problem.

There is a sex scene with the main character and her boyfriend, which has some people raising their eyebrows. I found it to be rather tame(but then again my tolerance level could be very high) and I don't think that high school girls would think twice about it. The aftermath of the sexual encounter I thought was prefect, realistic, and very sad. I know many women(teens and adults) who can relate to the situation.

At the end of the book there are websites, treatment centers, and also books that can help teens if they have an eating disorder.

At times it seemed like there were too many issues going on at once and it did make my head spin a bit. The ending seemed a little too cliché for me as well. Yet with that said I think this is a powerful novel that teens will really enjoy, and unfortunately can relate to.

For teens looking for a realistic story filled with teen angst and pain then this is for them. For those who dislike drama, this is not the book for them.

This book will be released on April 1, 2009.

Special thanks to Ms. Pon

Today, I received an ARC copy of Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon. I can't wait to read this one! Thanks so much!