Sad, but true

Tessa is going to die. I’m not ruining the story by telling you that because from the title I think anyone could have figured that out. Her time is limited. She has inoperable cancer and she has decided to make her own bucket list of things she must accomplish before the big day.

While Tessa is trying to complete the list she must deal with various hospital visits, a regiment of drugs and a failing body. In addition, she has a few complex relationships. Her estranged mother, her overbearing father, a little brother and a friend who has some very serious issues of her own she must work out.

I liked the story, but I found Tessa’s character to be grating at times. I understand that she was dying, and so the attitude she had was spot on; but there were times where I just wanted to get on with it because she was bothering me so much.

As I read the story I tried to think who would enjoy this. It’s pretty depressing even for young adult standards. But then I thought maybe sometimes a person needs a sad book to realize the good things they have in their lives.

For students looking for a complex story that takes them on an emotional rollercoaster ride, then this is the story for them. For students who are looking for something a little more upbeat then stay away.

Not another teen runs away from home book!

Almost Home is the story of seven teens living on the streets. The cast of characters includes such catchy names as Eeyore, Rusty, Squid, Scabius and Critter. Then we have the common names of Laura and Tracy. The story is interwoven so you get every characters perspective of life on the streets. The book doesn’t hold any punches and is gritty and realistic.

Overall I enjoyed it. I think Ms. Blank does an excellent job of showing the reader how brutal life on the streets really is. This is her first novel and I look forward to her second.

With that said, I think I have had my fill of these types of books. I mean how many teen runaway books can someone read in a year? I am clocking it at three for 2008. I’ve read Miles from Nowhere and Living at the Edge of the World in addition to Almost Home. They are all very good and compelling novels, but I think I am burnt out and therefore this is the best review I can write.

So I’ll say this…

For students who are interested in the tale about runaway teens that is gritty and realistic then this is the book for them. If you are looking for something different and have had your fill of runaway teen books then I strongly suggest you pass!

Have a great new year everyone!

What a girl wants

There has been some comparison to the book Climbing the Stairs. While both are set in India during World War II, they are different books. I felt that Keeping Corner had more detail about Indian culture and I came away with a better understanding of a young woman's plight not so very long ago.

In Keeping Corner we have twelve year old Leela who has been married at a very young age. Leela is your typical girl, and that's what I love about her. She isn't bookish and she really doesn't care about politics. She is interested in looking nice and wearing pretty clothes and jewelry. That is the extent of her life, and I think that makes her so much more interesting as a character. I mean what young adult doesn't like those things? Leela's life is turned upside down when her fiancé dies. Now she is a widow at a very young age and must "keep corner." She has to shave her head; lose her pretty clothes and jewelry. The community views her as bad luck. Leela is trapped insider her house for an entire year.

While she is in mourning Leela's schoolteacher comes and helps her with her lessons. Leela doesn't want to be taught anything. She dislikes school. Yet, as time goes on Leela becomes more interested in her studies and she enjoys hearing about Gandhi. She grows as a character and realizes there maybe something out there for her. Maybe she can change how people view women.

Keeping Corner is an excellent story that has a lot of great details about the era and the plight of women. There is also an index in the back (something Climbing the Stairs didn't have).

I think students who are interested in historical fiction will enjoy this novel as well as students who enjoy reading about other cultures. There is no romance in this novel however, so that may turn some teens away from the book. However, I strongly encourage people to read this novel.

Chicks that kick butt

Recently, while on historicalfictiononline.com I came across this rockin' cover. It's a young adult novel that will be released later next year. And since there aren't enough adventure stories with strong female characters I thought I'd showcase this one.

Ms. Pon was kind enough to write a summary:
"No one wanted Ai Ling. And deep down she is relieved—despite the dishonor she has brought upon her family—to be unbetrothed, free, and not some stranger’s subservient bride banished to the inner quarters.

But now, something is after her. Something terrifying—a force she cannot comprehend. And as the pieces of the puzzle start to fit together, Ai Ling begins to understand that her journey to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams in search of her beloved father—missing these many months—is so much more than that. Bravery, intelligence, the will to fight and fight hard . . . she will need all of these things. Just ass he will need the new and mysterious power growing within her. She will also need help.

It is Chen Yong who finds her partly submerged and barely breathing at the edge of a deep lake. There is something of unspeakable evil trying to drag her under. On a quest of his own Chen Yong offers that help…and perhaps more."


Release date is sketchy. Amazon says 4/28, but the author's editor says not until summer 2009. Either way, it looks to be a cool book about a strong female character. Looking forward to reading and reviewing it.

Daddy's little girl

Well, I did it. I finally got around to reading an Ellen Hopkins book. These books are very popular, but I find them difficult to read. I'm not a poetry girl, never was and never will be. So I avoided these books like the plague. But, since I like to think of myself as a cool hip librarian (that's debatable of course) I gave it a go.

This is a novel about identical twins Kaeleigh and Raeanne. To everyone around them they have the perfect family. Their parents have money and good jobs, but what happens in people's homes can be shocking and disturbing. Things aren't always what they seem.

Kaeleigh has caught her father's misplaced attention (incest), while Raeanna spirals out of control and begins down the dark path of drugs sex and alcohol. The story is told in alternating chapters between the girls.

Ms. Hopkins tells this chilling story in poetry format as she has done with her other books. At first I was unsure if this format could do the story justice, but I think it does. You get a disturbing picture of the girl's family life.

Teens that loved Ms. Hopkin's other books will enjoy this one as well.

Who ya Gonna Call?

For Halloween I thought I’d read a cool ghost story. Who doesn’t like a nice gothic tale of ghosts a mystery and more ghosts? The Spirit has gotten great reviews on Amazon, and it was about a Victorian couple so I thought I’d give it a go, seeing how I love historical fiction and ghosts. Win/win. Right? Wrong.

First I need to stop reading teen historical fiction because it makes me want to bang my head up against a wall. Ok, that was harsh. Let me rephrase that. Historical fiction for teens set in the Victorian Era makes me want to bang my head against the wall. There. I said it.

Tess and Tobias Goodraven are seventeen and they are married. Oh and they are quite rich as well. Yes, of course they are..hmmm. Anyway, the first chapter is something I didn’t quite understand about a lake and a father and a daughter. Maybe I shouldn’t have been watching the nightly news and trying to read this at the same time. But anyway in the second chapter we meet the main characters. Who have had a tragic past, wrote lots of letters throughout the years because they were separated at a young age, and when they see each other after X amount of years they marry. I think the main reason for marriage is because Tess wanted to get away from her governess.

So we have a madly in love couple, who barely know each other. Check.
They are very rich. Check.
They live alone in a very expensive rich house. Check.
They are ghost hunters. Check.
The story was too absurd for me to continue. Check.

I couldn’t get past the checklist above and to be honest from what I read (3 chapters..or maybe it was 4) I wasn’t impressed by the writing. I wanted a neat gothic story, but all I found was this contrived story that couldn’t hold my interest. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe other readers will enjoy it more. If you did, please tell me why. I’d love an explanation.

What is your path in life?

Vidya isn't a typical Indian woman because she dreams about going to college. The thought consumes her and she can think of nothing else. She likes to read and enjoys school, and unlike other girls around her she doesn't want to get married.

Everything is going well for her, until the day her father is brutally beaten by an English soldier. With her father unable to work she must move into her grandfather's house, which is occupied by an interesting cast of characters, including some cruel family members. Vidya's life is miserable. The only solace she finds is going upstairs to the library where she reads for hours. However, going into the library is entering the men's quarters and it is forbidden. No woman is allowed in the library.

While in the library Vidya meets a young man named Raman. He's unlike the others in the household because he treats her like an equal and encourages her to read. As time goes on Vidya begins to develop feelings for Raman but she doesn't know if she is willing to give up college for a man. Vidya must choose her path in life, marry like a proper Indian woman should, or be an outcast and go to college.

This book was differend compared to so many that I have read; because this novel takes place in India during World War II. Ms. Venkatraman does an excellent job of immersing the reader in Indian culture. She explains the foods, festivals and different customs. The caste system is explored in this book as well as the gender roles.

The only drawback to this book is there was no glossary. The author uses so many Indian words, which is wonderful, but I think the addition of a glossary would have helped students.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and I think it would be an excellent book for a social studies teacher to use.

For teens who like to read about history, politics and other cultures this is the book for them.

A Powerful novel about Hurricane Katrina

No doubt some are thinking "this chick is like Volponi's personal cheerleader!" Well, you'd be right. Anyone who can get my teenage students, especially the boys, to read a book is someone that needs to be talked about. Frankly, I think the man is amazing.

Once again Mr. Volponi creates a fast paced story that will engage readers. Miles cannot stand living with his mother and his new stepfather. The apartment is too cramped, there are too many kids. Miles has to escape..but where can he go? His mother finally allows him to move in with his father, a man he hasn't seen for most of his life. The relationship with Miles and his father is lukewarm at best. Miles’ father doesn’t have an interest in football and only cares about Jazz. Before the two can work on their relationship Hurricane Katrina hits.

The reader is given a vivid and often painful narrative of what life was like in the Superdome. We see these events through Miles' eyes. He is a frightened, confused young man who struggles to understand the inhumanity that is taking place around him. As always, Mr. Volponi does not shrink away from uncomfortable situations and paints a very realistic vision of what happened during those horrible days inside and outside the Superdome. There is some swearing in this novel, but once again it is never done to shock the reader but further the storyline.

Students who want a realistic portrayal of Hurricane Katrina will enjoy this book. For students who enjoyed Mr. Volponi’s other novels I have no doubt they will enjoy this one as well.

This is a very powerful book about a sad chapter in our country's history.

My first Manga Experience

This was the first manga book I read. Now I won’t lie, I was one of those confused people trying to read it like an American comic book. Thank god I read it in the safety of my own home so no one would laugh at me.

Anyway, Emma is a work of historical fiction which means there are no crazy fantasy elements to the story. The book takes place in England during the 1890s, I think. It could also take place in the early 1900s. But that aspect really doesn’t matter. Anyway, Emma is a young maid working for Kelly Stownar. One day Mrs. Stownar has a guest and that is William Jones who is a very wealthy young man. The reader learns that after Mrs. Stownar’s husband dies (very soon after their wedding) she gains employment as Mr. Jones’ governess. William is taken by Miss Emma (oh god no not another wealthy man falls in love with a poor girl story!) But yes that is what we get as the reader experiences their awkward blooming romance.

The author, Kaoru Mori, is said to have studied countless hours for this book. She researched her heart out! Oh really? First off, if you want to say you are 100% accurate then you better back it up, which Ms. Mori cannot do. There are a few inconsistencies throughout the book, but I’ll only list three.

We have William giving gifts to Emma, which would be quite scandalous. The only time people were allowed to give gifts is when they were courting, and these two aren’t courting. Plus with the social divide I’m not sure how they could court but I'm sure that's explored in later books As the story progresses we have Hakim, one of William’s friends come to England. Hakim decides one day to ride an elephant through the streets of London. Yeah, once again we have historical accuracy.

Now, maybe it’s me. Maybe I’m just a bitter historian who hates it when people say things are historically accurate ( *ahem* The Luxe / Emma) and then they don’t deliver. Don’t get me wrong, if you don’t care about the little historical hiccups along the way and just want a fun read then…don’t read this.

I’m not sure where the story is going but I found it really tiresome and old. This had been done a million times before and frankly I don’t want to read about another rich guy falling for the maid.

If teens are looking for a non fantasy love story with historical details then this maybe for them. American readers don't see these types of books, and that's one thing I do like about manga. The Japanese market, unlike the American comic book industry, are reaching out to female readers.

Dark Gothic Romance

Leslie’s life sucks. Her father drinks a little too much..ok way too much, her brother is a druggy and she is struggling to pay the bills with her job as a waitress. She is also dealing with a dark secert.

As she tires to pull her life together, Leslie decides she needs to get a tattoo. She believes that in doing so she will be reclaiming her body and it will set her free. What she doesn’t know is that this tattoo is going to link her to the fairy world and that her life will forever be changed.

I enjoyed Ink Exchange. Lets face it, I’m a cover snob and the cover caught my attention. So I decided to give it a go. I liked the story, but I did get a little confused with the characters and who belonged to each fairy kingdom. The author also wrote Wicked Lovely, and I’ve gotten conflicting reports on which book to read first. Is this a series? So I never read Wicked Lovely, which could be one reason why I was confused.

Looking beyond that point I enjoyed the characters, and the pacing of the novel. There was also a little romance thrown in, which added to the story. It was really cool to read about a fairly/human love affair. The vampire thing has been done to death so I applaud Ms. Marr for trying something different.

I think the same teens who liked the Twilight Series will enjoy Ink Exchange.

I saw an episode like this on The Wonder Years

Andrea Anderson is a typical high school girl. Her drunken father ran away from home when she was younger so now she is living with her mom. She’s blends in with her surroundings and that’s because she isn’t popular and she doesn’t do anything extraordinary. In her mind she isn’t pretty (oh no not another girl who thinks they’re ugly!) and she doesn’t have any real friends. Andrea sits back and observes the world around her.

One day Andrea’s mother tells her that their neighbor is ill and in the hospital. She wants Andrea to walk the neighbor’s dog. Andrea is reluctant at first, but agrees. Later, when the neighbor comes home they strike up and interesting (although somewhat predictable) relationship.

As the story progresses, Honora asks Andrea if she will work around her house doing little jobs because Honora is sick with cancer. Andrea quickly accepts because she enjoys walking Honora’s dog and enjoys her neighbors company. The time with Honora is a time of self discovery, blah, blah, blah…

Everyone I knew raved about this book, and maybe that was the problem. Maybe I was so hyped up when I got it that when I started to read it I couldn’t understand what all the hype was about. The ending was predictable and I could see it coming from a mile away. Some have said that’s not the point, it’s about Andrea’s self discovery. Yeah, ok, fine, but I still wasn’t sold on that either. The book is OK. I found the characters typical. Andrea thought she was ugly, Honora reminded me of some hippy sage, and her mother acted like an average mom.

I suppose the good part is that this is a story about a young woman trying to find herself. I’m sure there are other books out there like this, but I can’t think of any at the moment. Typically, it’s always the young man who is trying to discover who he really is.

For students who enjoy books that are about average teens, living typical lives then this is the book for them. For those who want something with a little more excitement and less predictability then this is not the novel for them.

But I still think I saw an episode like this on The Wonder Years.

This is where the bad kids go

“Your parents sent you to Lake Harmony because they love you.”

So begins the story of Garrett, who is 15 years old. Garrett is kidnapped in the middle of the night and transported in the back of a truck to somewhere in upstate New York. He doesn't know where he is going and that's how his kidnappers like it.

Garrett’s parents are upset with his behavior and feel that he is out of control. Nothing they said or did made Garrett obey their rules. His parents thought he was out of control. So with no other options they send him to Lake Harmony, a boot camp for teens.

Adjusting to life in Lake Harmony is very difficult for Garrett, who believes he should not be there. His crimes, in his opinion, were minimal compared to the other teenagers. He stole from his parents, and had an affair with his teacher. Garrett didn't know what was so so bad about that.

As the story progresses the reader watches Garrett’s struggle as he tries to keep his identity and fights against the brainwashing and harsh conditions at the facility. The methods of punishment are severe and make for an interesting read.

Overall, I liked this book, but I thought that Garrett was a little too perfect. He had above average intelligence, and I thought this hampered the book a little. If he were a typical rebellious teen then I may have enjoyed the book more. At the end of the novel Mr. Strasser gives a list of articles he used when researching the book which maybe helpful for students who want to find out more about boot camps.

You can't handle the truth!

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson has brought a lot of attention to rape victims. Chris Lynch’s book is different. It is told from the perspective of the rapist.

Keir is a fun loving senior. He is a football player and earns the name “killer” after he tackles and paralyzes another player during a game. He pulls the average teen pranks and has an interesting relationship with his father, whom he refers to by his first name. Keir also abuses drugs and thinks nothing of it. Afterall, he's still a "good guy."

The story is told through a series of flashbacks which all leads up to the rape, or supposed rape. Keir tries desperately to convince Gigi he “loves” her and that it wasn’t rape. She’s knows it was rape. Finally, in the last few chapters the reader is finally told what took place.

The topic is interesting and Keir is a very disturbing character. I know he has some problems, but even looking past his issues I cannot like him as a main character. He bothers me, but maybe that’s the point. Maybe I shouldn’t like him? Maybe I am supposed to hate him?

Overall, it was a decent read. It was a National Book Award Finalist, but I felt this book was more disturbing than award quality.

While book talking this novel I have told students that if they enjoyed Speak they may find Inexcusable interesting. I explain to them it is a book about rape and is from the guy's point of view. At first, students are interested in this novel, but the majority tell me that Speak is their favorite of the two.

Nonfiction: It isn't always about dead white guys

When my students hear the word "non fiction" and "project" they panic. For most, reading fiction is bad enough, but no one wants to read non fiction because it's full of "dead white guys" and "who flanked who at the battle of Gettysburg." What students don't realize is there is a large slection of non fiction books that they may find interesting.

If teens, and adults, are looking for a gritty story about being homeless and what it takes to survive, this is the book for them. Tina S. spares no details and shares her horrific story with readers as she struggles through homelessness, addiction, jail time, and her fight to reclaim her life.

The story is told through a series of flashbacks. First the reader is introduced to Tina S. and her dysfunctional family. Her stepfather sells drugs and also does them. Her mother is out of work, and everyone(including her brother and sister) are living in a welfare hotel called Prince George. Plus, she smokes a lot of pot, occasional drinks and doesn’t always go to school.

She hates life until she meets April, whom she believes is the coolest person she ever met. April has a carefree attitude that Tina is drawn to and soon the two are constantly hanging out. It is only a matter of time before Tina gets sucked into the world of homelessness and begins living in Grand Central Station.

The language and details in this book are startling, but that’s what makes it so powerful. Tina writes with raw emotion. She goes into graphic details about an abortion, how she robbed people, and her addition to crack.

I felt sorry for Tina, and then there were incidents that made me want to hate her. Tina S.’s story is filled with pain, suffering, loss and redemption. A must read.

Do we want another prequel?

When I first saw there was going to be a prequel to Anne of Green Gables, I thought, why God, why? I mean do we need a prequel? We had a sequel to Gone with the Wind and we also had a spin-off book entitled Rhett Butler’s People. Plus there are slew of sequels to Jane Austen's novels. I won’t lie, curiosity got the better of me and I decided to loan this one from the library.

The story starts off with Anne’s parents and who they were. Both, we find out, were school teachers. They die very early in Anne’s life (she was a few months old) and she is taken in by a friend of Anne’s mother. She has the best of intentions, but as time goes on, her husband continues to drink, and she has more children. The friend starts to become cruel and resents Anne. There is a death and Anne is shipped off to another family with three sets of twins. We gain a little insight into her life there, and another death occurs and she is off to the orphanage.

To be honest, I thought that there would be more information about the orphanage, but really I think there were only 50 pages of it. The majority of the novel is Anne living with her first family. And no matter where she goes she is nothing more than slave labor.

If nothing else, this book reminded me how grateful I am that my ancestors fought for the rights I now have. Throughout the entire novel women were nothing more than broodmares. They hated, or strongly resented, their children and were tired and cranky. No one seemed happy.

The story was good. I enjoyed it. Now, did this story need to be told? Nah. I think the world could have gone without a prequel to Anne of Green Gables. But this is coming from someone who has never read the series(tried numerous times, but could never finish). Although I will say that I am now interested in the books and may try to read them over the summer.

For people interested in this novel, I say give it a go. It was well written.

Mr. Volponi does it again with another gritty urban teen story

Rooftop is another excellent book by Mr. Volponi. Once again he is able to capture the harsh reality of inner city life without being preachy or condescending.

Clay is arrested for smoking pot while his cousin Addison is a crack dealer. Both attend Daytop, which is a day treatment program to help teens stay away from drugs and to make better choices. Clay struggles to stay clean and tries to get his GED. Meanwhile, Addison has a harder time of leaving his past behind and goes back to his old ways.

One night, Addison chases another teen who owes him money. Up on the rooftop a terrible incident occurs and Addison is shot by a white police officer in front of Clay. Now Clay's world is changed forever. Not only does he have to deal with the death of his cousin, but he has to decide if he will tell the truth about what happend on the rooftop. Some community members will be angry by what he has to say. But does Clay fold to community pressure or does he tell the truth about what really happened that night?

Students who liked Black & White will enjoy Rooftop as well. I highly recommend this book.

Tell me Lies, tell me Sweet Little Lies

Anna, Emma and Mariah are three average high school girls. Their lives are rather mundane until one night Mariah invites Anna and Emma to her boyfriend’s house when his parents aren’t home.

It was going to be a fun party, but when Emma's parents do not see them at the movies(where the girls said they would be) her parents start making phone calls. The girls are worried their parents are going to find out that they were at a party. Frightened by the punishment they could receive the girls make up a harmless little lie. The girls never thought that their lie would balloon out of control or that innocent people could be hurt.

The story is another multiple narrative and consists of Anna, Emma and Mariah. Each girl’s perspective on the events was interesting and added a lot to the story. But I think what made this story so unique and so chilling was how believable it was.

I think most teens will enjoy this book.

An Interesting book about Gay Teens

Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez is an interesting, and frank book about the lives of three gay teenagers. Well, two are gay and Jason isn’t sure if he is or not.

The main characters are Jason, Kyle and Nelson. Each has their own set of problems which makes this book interesting and down to earth. For instance, Jason has a girlfriend, but isn’t sure if he is gay and struggles with the truth. Kyle hasn’t come out to his parents and is afraid to do it. To make matters worse his father is a drunk and Kyle struggles with an abusive home life. Nelson has no father, is in love with Kyle, and makes some really bad choices that could endanger his life. Thrown into the mix we have the boys dealing with students who are homophonic and the typical drama of high school.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It showed me the different issues that these characters had to deal with without being preachy. I liked how the story was broken down into three points of views. Each chapter represents a different character's perspective. By printing the characters name in bold at the beginging of each chapter the reader is instinantly connected to the character. As a person who hates multiple narratives in stories I found this very helpful. The author did a good job of staying away from the gay sterotypes. Overall, I think the book was well done.

For students who enjoyed Rainbow Boys there are two other books in the series including Rainbow High and Rainbow Road. Mr. Sanchez has also published his new book entitled The God Box.

For more information on author Alex Sanchez check out his website

Hot for Teacher!

Teach Me by R.A. Nelson deals with a disturbing topic that seems to be happening more frequently. I will confess that as an educator this book was difficult to read. The novel is about a 17 year old senior and her budding relationship with her teacher.

The idea that a teacher would cross the line and have a relationship with their student is troublesome. I wouldn’t have given this novel a second thought, but it came highly recommended. It was awarded Booksense Fall 2006 Kid’s Pick, a TeenReads.com Best Book of 2005, and a selection for the 2006 NYPL Books for the Teen Age.

It was because of these awards that I decided to give the book a chance.

Carolina is a high-school senior living in a small town. Her life is dull and uninteresting until she meets Mr. Mann. He is the new English teacher. Their relationship begins to grow and then they cross that line that is never to be crossed between teacher/student and consummate their relationship on her 18th birthday. Carolina begins to daydream of a future with Mr. Mann until he quickly calls off their relationship. Devastated by the rejection Carolina begins a downward spiral that has the potential to hurt everyone around her.

I will confess that I was disappointed by this book. With all the awards it received I thought it would have been written a little better. Much to my dismay, the book isn't as good as one would think.

For one, Carolina or Nine, as she is called, is much too intelligent for her age. I am fully aware that there are very smart teenagers. I see them all the time in the library, but Nine’s level of intelligence was a bit much. She thought like an adult. Her attitude was annoying as well. I didn’t find her to be a likable character.

The progression of the relationship was believable. Also, Nine’s psycho attitude(that’s all it can be called) is also understandable, however it did become tiresome. I mean how many times can you stalk someone and not get caught? The situations she is in are so unbelievable sometimes it’s just painful to read.

The resolution at the end was pathetic. At the end of the novel I couldn’t help but wonder what was the point of all the angst and crazy stalker like attitude if it ended the way it did? It was extremely disappointing, and I thought the author could have done so much more.

Young Adult Books aren't Important

It’s the day after Christmas and I decide to head out to the bookstore because I have been waiting for The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray. This is the third book in the Gemma Doyle series.

Now, this series has become very popular. I do believe that A Great and Terrible Beauty made it to the New York Times best-selling list.

Sweet. Hence, one would think the book would be easy to find.

Wrong.

I went to my local Barnes & Nobel store (the one on Rt. 31). B&N has bestsellers and all the popular authors, so they must have Ms. Bray’s latest book.

Wrong.

In fact, when I asked the lady behind the counter where I could find the book she told me, “We don’t have any in stock but we can order it.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This is one of the most popular teen series and one of the largest store chains doesn’t have it in stock? Unacceptable.

So I went to Walden book store, thinking that well maybe they would have it. Again they didn’t have it either. Well, I take it back. They had it, somewhere in the back, but couldn’t find the book. The young lady helping me was very kind in trying to locate the book, but with a store growing with costumers who needed assistance she had to abandon me. I could accept that but I couldn't accept that somewhere in the back was a missing box of books. If it had been a box of Harry Potter books do you think they would have lost them?

I went to Target. It was a last ditch attempt to try and find the novel. I went to the small YA section and was greeted by empty shelves. I had struck out again.

I'm sorry but I'm more than annoyed. This is a hot YA series. If James Patterson or Jodi Picoult had released a book the day after Christmas do you think it would be proudly displayed and well stocked in Barnes & Nobel? You better believe it would. But, since this is a YA book it deserves to be overlooked?

So the quest contiunes. I could always order it from Amazon, but by the time I do that my Christmas break will be over and I won't have time to read it. Plus, that's not the point of this little rant. The point is that if this had been an adult book by a popular author I do believe things would have been handled differently. But I guess if it's a young adult book it just doesn't matter, that is, unless you are J.K. Rowling.

For those who wish to find more information on the series Random House has a great website:

Gemma Doyle Series