An Interesting Topic

After is one of those interesting topics that is rarely discussed. The idea that a mother could have a child and throw it in the garbage like a discarded hamburger wrapper is something a lot of people cannot wrap their heads around. But maybe that's a good thing.

Devon Davenport tries to be the perfect student. She is great at soccer and wants to be the best player she can be. Besides being an amazing athlete she is a great student. However, Devon makes a big mistake. She ends up having unprotected sex and then gets pregnant.

Most of the story is told in flashbacks as Devon tries to remember how she became pregnant and how she tried to cover up, and forget, her pregnancy.

I enjoyed this book because of the subject matter. I think the author did a good job of trying to get inside Devon's mind and explaining why she would throw out her baby. While I did enjoy the book I'm not sure I was sold on the ending. But this is a personal preference, and I won't give it away. Some readers may enjoy it.

Students who are looking for a mature book will like this one. The subject matter is handled very well and it's one of those real life stories a lot of my teen patrons crave.

Death becomes her

Meridian is not like other girls, and she has know that since she was a child. For some strange reason things come to her, bugs, people, animals and they die.

Despite this weird factor she tries to get on with her life, but things take a dramatic turn when she becomes 16. Meridian can't live with her family anymore and is forced to move away to live with an elderly aunt she knows nothing about. To make matters worse Meridian doesn't know if she will ever see her family again.

When she is at her aunt's house begins to understand why dead things are attracted to her. Meridian also learns that she is half human and half angel.

If life wasn't bad enough for Meridian she has to deal with Tens, who isn't very friendly towards her, and a crazy ultra religious cult who is out to harm the town.

One reason I enjoyed this book so much was because it was faced paced and got right into the action. There wasn't 10 chapters of nonsense before the action happened. I love that, and I think teens will too. Also the story was unique(which can be a rarity these days with all the urban fantasy novels around).

I think teens looking for an interesting urban fantasy novel will enjoy Meridian.

This Saturday I will have an interview with Ms. Kizer. Be sure to check it out!

I'm Paul Volponi's number one fan!!!!!

Or so it feels like it sometimes. I'm a big advocate of his work, and sometimes I feel like I'm the only one. I'm not sure why more people do not know about Mr. Volponi. In my opinion he is one of the best young adult authors out there. Plus his books deal with male issues, which are so hard to find. All of his characters are strong, yet flawed and are very interesting. My male students love his books and even the reluctant readers are drawn into his fast paced stories. Response is Mr. Volponi's latest book and it is great.

Noah is a young black man with some issues. He got his girlfriend pregnant and isn't sure if he loves her. He is a super senior and is in his 5th year of high school. Noah hates working at the local burger joint because it doesn't make him enough money but he needs the job. Noah needs the cash for his baby daughter. He also needs the cash so his nagging girlfriend..or whatever she is..will get off his back.

Deciding he needs to make some quick cash, Noah and his friends decide to jack a car. The problem is things do not go as planned and he runs into three Italian boys. One bashes his head in with a baseball bat.

The community where Noah lives is divided. There are the blacks and the Italians and neither get along very well. The town is divide by this incident. Was it racially motivated? Or were the Italian boys protecting their neighborhood from thugs?

The reader watches as Noah struggles with the issues of race relations, prejudice, hatred, and his own desire to do something better with his life.

As with all Volponi novels this is a quick read. There is some language issues, but to be fair this has to be one of the tamer books by him. I believe the f bomb is only dropped a few times.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait for the next one which is Homestrech and comes out September 22.

Dull. Painful. Agonizing Do not read this....

The concept of the book sounds really interesting. Calder is a Fetch. He has been dead hundreds of years but looks 19. His job is easy. Calder is to bring souls to the next world. But life isn’t easy for Calder when he falls in love with a mortal and soon the balance is disturbed.

I was excited to read this book, but my enthusiasm quickly faded. The author dropped the ball with this book. She made it dull. For instance, Calder falls in love with a mortal woman who is nursing a dying baby. But later his unhealthy, and somewhat creepy, infatuation turns cold when he realizes the woman of his dreams is not what he had hoped for.

Enter the Romanovs. I love the Romanovs and I love Russian history however those who are not well versed in this time period may find the story difficult to follow. The problem is the author does a poor job of explaining who the Romaovs are and unless you know your Russian history you will not understand the way the author ties history into this story. There are various historical events that are mentioned, including the Titanic, but unless you know your dates you might miss these nods to historical events.

The middle part of the story deals with a very unexciting quest around the world to find some dumb key. I never under stood this part of the story because I thought I read that Fetches don’t need a key to open a door…but maybe I got confused. Anyway the middle is quite dull and if you need something to help you fall asleep on some sleepless night then read the middle part of this book.

The love story was nonexistent. First Calder falls in love with a mortal woman then he moves on…to nothing. Then I am supposed to believe that there has been some burning romance between Calder and Anastasia because the author says so in the end of the book but doesn’t show it. Someone please explain to me how that works?

I can’t see how any teen would enjoy this. I know that’s a powerful statement to say, but I think the author had a great idea but executed it poorly, very poorly. Students of supernatural stories won’t enjoy it because it drags on and on. Students who love supernatural romances won’t like it because there is none. Students who enjoy historical fiction..well they may enjoy it.

Overall, I would pass on this book. I hear the author’s first book, A Certain Slant of Light, is quite good. Maybe I should have read that one.

Has anyone else read The Fetch. I would be interested to hear what you think.

Oh no! Not another Homeless teen book!

Joon-Mee is a 12-year-old Korean-American who runs away from her trouble home. She, like so many teens out there, has had it with her family. Joon wants to be free and she ends up on the mean streets of New York City in the 1980s.

The novel was good, but I have read three other novels about the same subject and I see a lot of overlapping in them. The book was good, but it didn't stand out among the crowd as the best of the best. I mean common, how much more is there to write about when it comes to this subject? Bad home life. Kid can't take it anymore. Kid runs away. Kid meets older street kids. Kid does naughty things in order to survive(drugs, prostitution, stealing etc. etc.) Kid sees the error of their ways and becomes good again. YAWN.

Despite the fact that I'm a little sarcastic here (could you tell?) the book has its merits. I think students will enjoy this book. It touches on some subjects that teens love to read about, such as drug abuse, prostitution, and racism. The characters are interesting and realistic. The language is gritty and could scare off a few parents or school librarians.

Yet with all the gritty realism aside I just couldn't enjoy this book. Maybe I have had my fill of teen runaway novels.

For students looking for a book about runaways then this is for them. However if you have read two or more books about teen runaways then I would steer clear of this one. It feels like the same ol' same ol'.

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.

Not your typical historical fiction novel

My last Skirt is based on the true story of Union solider Jennie Hodgers.

The novel opens in Ireland, where Jennie and her brother Tom are very poor. Their father tells Tom he has a job as a shepherd, but Tom doesn’t want the job. Knowing that the family needs money Jennie decides to dress up like a boy and work for the bishop. During this time Jeannie realizes that there are more opportunities for boys than there are for girls, and so begins her transformation into a boy.

Their father dies and the children leave for America where Jennie continues to dress like a boy. Tom is extremely jealous of his sister who is hard working and gets all the praise. Tom decides to tell everyone that is brother is really his sister and thus Jennie must flee. She cannot live like a girl now that she has experienced the freedom of a young man.

War Between the States breaks out and Jennie decides she is going to enlist and become a private. Jeannie is known as Private Albert Cashier and fights along side her comrades for the Union.

The story was alright. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat compelled by the action. It was interesting to read how Jennie disguised herself as a man and the lengths she had to go to keep her secret. For readers looking for a woman soldier falling in love with another soldier then they will be disappointed. I was glad we didn’t get the typical love story, but then again I was hoping for it as well. The book was a decent enough read, but it just didn’t grab me like most historical fiction novels do.

That being said, Jennie’s life is very interesting and sad. The reader also experiences her life after the Civil War and into 1913. I felt sorry for Jennie as I read what happened to her after the war. In order to have the freedom of a man had she had to sacrifice a great deal. I wonder if she was truly happy.

For students looking for a historical fiction read that isn’t typical, and then this is for them. For those who are looking for a little romance and a nice pretty story that ends with rainbows and butterflies this is not the novel for them.

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.