Book Review: Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer

In alternating narratives, Sara Bennett Wealer tells the story of two talented teens--Kathryn and Brooke. Both girls are exceptional singers and, though they used to be very close, they have a rivalry that has spiraled out of control.

Brooke seems to have it all. She is the most popular girl in her class, she has talent, money, and people generally look to her to decide who's cool and who's not. Of course, life is not as perfect as it seems. Brooke is lonely and desperately wants her absent father's love and attention. She is surrounded by people who want to be near her so that they can be popular. None of her friends care about her passion for singing; they only care about parties and dances. Brooke finds a true friend in Kathryn during her junior year, but by their senior year their bitter enmity has completely clouded over any friendship they might have had.

Kathryn is more content in the shadows than in the limelight when it comes to being popular. That is, until she gets a taste for the spotlight when Brooke invites her to a sleepover their junior year. After that fateful night, Kathryn is kept busy with parties and activities and shows with all of her new friends. In particular, Brooke seems to want to hang out with Kathryn and talk about music. But, when Kathryn unwittingly betrays Brooke, their friendship crumbles and so does Kathryn's new popularity.

In the end, the only thing these two unlikely friends have in common is their desire to win at the Blackmore--a prestigious singing competition. And, it seems that both girls are willing to crush the other in order to win.

*   *   *

Rival is an excellent debut for Sara Bennett Wealer.  It is always a risky venture to write a book where the main characters are complex and not always sympathetic. There were points in this book where I didn't like either of the main characters, but this dislike was because the girls are presented as real people who make real mistakes and use poor judgment. It would've been much easier for Ms. Bennett Wealer to present one of the girls as "right" and the other as "wrong." It's much more difficult to make each girl complex in their own way. 

In addition to the characters, I loved the format of this book. It alternated between main characters and from their junior to senior years. In all of this, I was not confused in the least by which character was speaking and when the scene was taking place. It was interesting to flip between the girls' senior year, when they hated each other, and their junior year, when they were inseparable. Through the shifting time periods, the relationship and the motives behind the girls' actions becomes much more complex and interesting. 

I loved that this rivalry was based, for the most part, on singing. There were some jealous moments based on boys and beauty, but that was not the crux of the girls' conflict. That story has been played out, in my opinion. In this book, the girls are vying for something real and based on hard work and merit. This focus on singing took away from some of the catty, stereotypical competition over looks that is often portrayed in YA lit. This story was far more serious and interesting than a typical girl-hates-girl story. 

This is an awesome debut novel and I cannot wait to read more from this author. I can imagine that there are several students in my classes, particularly those girls involved in chorus and one of our school's music programs that will understand the richness of this book.

**Thanks to The Teen Book Scene for providing this review copy**

Book Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Is it possible that I like Gayle Forman's Where She Went even more than If I Stay? I didn't know that this was possible. I am a little taken aback. But, from the very first chapter, I was captivated by this second book and could not put it down. Now, I did have a difficult time putting down If I Stay, but there was something so compelling about this book, even without the lure of tragedy and melodrama.

**Please don't read this post if you haven't read If I Stay and want to. I'm going to have to SPOIL it for you if you do! There's just no way to talk about Where She Went without revealing what happened in If I Stay.**

Okay. Phew. I don't want to spoil anything about this series for anyone!

This second book is narrated completely from Adam's point of view. I have to admit that I was intrigued by this from the very start. I loved Adam in book one, but I completely fell for him in book two. He just seemed even more real to me in this second installment. Even though he's now famous and touring the world, his feelings and character just ring true to me.

And Mia. Love Mia. In some ways, she's even more complex in this second book than in the first. She, too, has become an accomplished musician, but there's something about her struggle to both move past and remember that fateful night on which If I Stay is based that feels very real to me. If you've ever had any sort of trauma in your life, I think you'll understand what she's going through.

I love that Adam and Mia are not perfect. I love that they are not fixed and that, though they've experienced success, they don't always feel deserving or good about it. All of this rings very true to me. And, Foreman made some great choices with this book. I loved that she start most chapters with lyrics from Adam's hit record, which is actually written about Mia. I found most of the lyrics to be interesting and to add to the narrative. I want to hear his music!

I know that many of you are waiting for this book to come out and that you cannot wait to read it. In my opinion, this is a great second book to a story that could have ended with the first. But, after reading Where She Went, I am happy to know more about Adam and Mia and understand where they'll go from here. I loved it.

**Thanks to Around the World ARC Tours for this reading opportunity**

Character Interview + Book Giveaway: Maria from Marina Budhos' Tell Us We're Home

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview one of the main characters of Marina Budhos' book Tell Us We're Home. This book is about a strong friendship between three girls who find themselves united by a common thread: they are all the poor, immigrant children of maids in a wealthy New Jersey suburb. This book has been called a YA version of Kathryn Stockett's The Help. Here's my interview with Maria.

Hello Maria!

I am sorry to admit that you were not always my favorite person in this story. I was upset at you for much of this book because I did not always agree with the choices that you were making and the way that you treated some of the people in your life, particularly your mother. But, by the end of the book, I felt as though you has changed the most and I felt like I was super proud of you. How has this transformation affected your life for the better?

The biggest change is I feel more confident.  I’m not trying to please everyone all the time.  I think I kind of romanticized some kids, especially the American kids, like Tash.  Lola says I had stars in my eyes.  And maybe she was right.  It feels good to be a little more grounded.  Sometimes it’s a little harder, though.  I don’t get lost in my fantasy-head as much anymore.  And I feel as if I can see through some of the phony kids more.  But that’s probably good stuff—it’s what you need getting through high school.
 
I am not from an area of the United States that is even remotely like the one described in this story. I live in a rural part of the country where most people are very poor. There are some immigrants living and traveling through our state, but not in the isolated area where I live. Do you wish that you lived in an area where the average white people were less wealthy? Do you think that would have made a difference in the treatment that you and your family received in this story?

I can’t say I wish I lived in an area where the average white people are less wealthy, because I don’t know what that’s like.  I think it’s true that where I live I learned there really are all these levels to people.  What street you live on, what kind of car your parents drive, what camp they send you to—it all means something.  It’s a lot to understand and decode for someone coming from the outside.  So maybe in that way it might have been different if we were on the same economic level as everyone else.  But still, no matter what, it’s hard being different in any area, especially when a lot of people in my family don’t speak very good English.  And the impression I get is people have a lot of prejudice against Mexicans these days, so it’s especially hard for us.
 
I was appalled at some of the events that took place surrounding the treatment of day laborers and young men like your cousin, Renaldo, especially the game of "Jumping Mexicans." What would you like to say to those people who are willing to hurt another person just because of their nationality or immigrant status?
 
To realize that we are no different than all of you.  In fact, we have to do a lot of scary and hard things, just to be regular.  Like my cousin standing around in a parking lot, hoping someone picks him for a job and doesn’t throw a can at him.  Or my mother having to ride a bus really late at night, sometimes not in great neighborhoods.  Ever since the stuff with Renaldo, I’ve done some reading, and I’ve learned that a lot of people feel we’re taking jobs away from ‘hard working Americans.’  But I just wish they’d see how hard we work.  My uncle, he works all the time.  If his boss needs him for an extra job, he never says no.  The lights are on in our house all the time because somebody is always coming home from a shift, or a double shift, or some extra job. I just want people to understand that.
 
I love that you're a bit of a revolutionary by the end of this book. Who are your heroes?
 
My biggest hero right now is Sonia Sotamayor!  Can you believe we have a Latina Supreme Court judge! No, seriously, she’s my hero for other reasons.  She is calm and reasonable, and she got where she did through so much hard work.  I loved that story of her arriving at Princeton and she realized she was so far behind and she took the summer studying and reading all the books that the rich kids had already covered.  And now look at where she is!
 
You're in high school now. What are your plans, if any, for college? Will you continue to fight for human rights?
 
I think I learned that I am a fighter.  I didn’t know that about myself.  I hate hurting people’s feelings or having any big conflicts.  But I learned so much recently by being, well, not all that nice.  That sometimes you do hurt feelings.  And it hurts you inside, too.  But it’s worse to keep it all bottled up inside you.  Maybe that’s what human rights means.  That after a certain point, even those of us who want to stay nice, we can’t stand it any more.  We have to burst out.  We have to fight for what’s wrong.  We have to speak the truth.

I want to go to college, of course.  But right now I’m trying to focus on high school and not getting too distracted.  (There are a lot of cute guys, here, hey!)  But seriously, I’ve got a lot on my plate: doing my work, and being a part of clubs, and helping my family.  It is different for me.  I still have a lot of responsibilities at home.  And Mami, she’s proud of me, and she wants me to go to college, but I don’t think she wants me to go away for college, like most of these American kids do.  That would be too hard.  So I’m taking it day by day.  Change comes little by little, I guess.

And, I always try to bring every interview that I do back to my classroom. Right now we're studying the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in my sophomore English class. Do you feel that young people have the power to change the world for the better?
 
I totally do.  But it isn’t easy.  And I think I learned something too.  It’s not enough to just want to change the world. You have to ask Why do I want to change the world? Am I doing it because it makes me look good, or I feel a little better for a while? Or it makes me look cool in the eyes of other kids? That’s not enough.  You really have to want change because you think it will be something better for everyone.  Because you have a vision of what the world can be.  

*  *  *

Wow. Thanks to Maria (and Marina Budhos) for this incredibly powerful interview. I love it when authors are able to capture the beauty, pain and truth of real life in their writing. This book, Tell Us We're Home, is painfully truthful, but ultimately inspiring. Thanks again!

Giveaway details: I have one copy of this book ready to send off to one US resident. To enter, simply comment on this review explaining why you'd like to read this book. This giveaway closes February 7th at midnight (EST).  Make sure to leave an email with your comment so that I can hunt you down if you win!

Book Review: Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard

In every way, Grace is a wallflower. She is a former child pageant star, who had one shining moment of retaliation where she lifted her dress in front of her entire town. That ended both her days on the pageant circuit and her rebellion.

Since this one memorable outburst, Grace has faded into the background. Not that she's not worthy of notice. She is an awkward beauty, an honors student who has skipped a grade and may skip over another, and is brilliant about science. But, none of this compares to the mystery and larger-than-life, rumor-laden legend that is Mandarin Ramey.

Though the stories that surround Mandarin's life are not exactly savory, Grace is entranced by her. Everything about her confidence and beauty seems exotic, unaffected, and mature to Grace. Wherever Mandarin walks, Grace (and many others in the town) follows with her eyes.

When a teacher places Grace and Mandarin together for a school project, Grace cannot believe her luck. She is obviously uncomfortable around such an experienced, legendary figure, but her curiosity gets the best of her. This is Grace's chance to get to know the girl behind the legend, and to be noticed. Trouble is, Mandarin's life is not as exotic as it seemed and Grace may not like the type of attention she gets. But, either way, her life will be forever changed.

*   *   *

This was a great book. It wasn't as full of YA drama as other books I've read, and it felt like a true-to-life teen story. I think that Grace's life (and possibly Mandarin's) are more common than not. What smart girl living in small town America doesn't dream of a different life? What uncommon girl living in small town America doesn't have a trail of rumors following her? 

This read was perfectly paced, not too fast and not too slow. I thought that the relationship between Grace and Mandarin was touchingly real and sad all at the same time. I can think of a few Mandarins who live in my town and know more than a few Graces. They felt like real girls to me. 

Also, I couldn't help but be reminded of John Green's Looking for Alaska as I read this book. Grace and Miles have the same starstruck, naive love for their larger than life idols. And, in both books, the idols retain much of their mystery and seem to be truly untouchable. Distant. Unreal. 

I am happy to have read another engaging and well-written Contemps Challenge book. I have another one waiting on my TBR and cannot believe how awesome they all have been. Seriously. Love Ms. Hubbard's writing and characters and I can't wait to read more of her work. Cause there will be more. I just know it!

**Read as part of an ARC Tour from I Read Banned Books**

Book Review: I Am J by Cris Beam

Ever since I was little, I have always known that I was a girl. I am definitely not a "high maintenance" type of woman, but I have an inner girly-girl that will not quit. I cannot imagine what my life would have been like had I been born in a body that did not match the gender that I felt myself to be. I think it would be devastating.

Yet, this happens to people all of the time. They grow up feeling like their insides do not match their outsides. And, in our current society, the outsides are what count. To schoolmates, teachers, parents, relatives, strangers on the street. Gender is not changeable, but fixed.

I Am J is the story of a teen who identifies as transgendered. He was born "Jennifer," but has changed his name and hos outer appearance to "J."  From the start, this story is well-written and seems to capture the inner struggles and thoughts of J. Every bit about J's thoughts and his need to be accepted as a teen boy ring true. Just as a typical teen girl might try to match her teen role models, J watches young men to model his actions and reactions. Even so, learning the postures of other men is not enough; J wants to be a man.

Even though he parents are somewhat supportive, they are not understanding J's situation completely. They think (or maybe even hope) that J is a lesbian; which is not true. J is attracted to girls, but he is a boy. He just has girl parts.

But, he may not have girl features and parts for long, if he can help it. He has heard of and researched hormone therapy, and desperately wants to turn eighteen so that he can start getting testosterone shots.

Unfortunately, he's not eighteen. And, problems at home are threatening to force J out of his family's apartment and onto the street. He has a the support of his friend Melissa, but she doesn't completely understand what he's going through. It isn't until J is away from his friends and family that he can truly transition to the man he wants to be--the young man that he is.

*   *   *

As a teacher, there is nothing more difficult and wonderful than helping teens to realize their visions of who they are and who they want to become. With most teens, this process thinking about possible career paths and interests, with others the process is more laborious and deep. 

I have had the pleasure of working with a few teens who identify as transgendered. As I stated in this intro to this post, I do not know what this feels like. But, as an educator, there are lots of differences and situations that my students experience that I cannot identify with. Even though I cannot identify with the feelings and emotions of these students, I do have a responsibility to help them to find a safe place within our school where they will feel comfortable and a post-secondary experience that will allow them to transition to the next phase of their life comfortably. 

This book will find a welcome space on my classroom shelves. I can only imagine the comfort that it could bring to a transgender teen to know that they are not alone--that there are others like them who might share similar feelings, thoughts, worries. Or, this book could open the mind of many non-transgender teens, those who don't know what it feels like to go through this transition. Either way, I am happy to have read this book and cannot recommend it enough. It is a must-have for classrooms and a should-have for others interested in learning more about this topic, or in reading a good book. Because, in the end, that's exactly what it is.

This book will be released on March 1st. Check back later in March for an interview with one of the characters.  Thanks to Teen Book Scene for planning this tour!

Book Review Losing Faith by Denise Jaden

Even though Brie and her sister are not at all close, Brie cannot help but feel completely lost and distraught after Faith's violent and mysterious death. The sisters may have been close in age, but their personalities were eons apart. As the younger sister, Brie does not even try to live up to the shining example set by her older sister. She is close to having sex with her boyfriend and lies to sneak out of her parents house for parties. Brie is a bit of a wild child in contrast to Faith, who spends every free moment reading the Bible and attending her local youth group.

The night that Faith dies, Brie bribes her into giving Brie a ride to their family's church. Of course, Brie has plans to go to a party with friends and her boyfriend, but she's not going to tell her "perfect" sister this. Faith seems to not want to go, which is weird since she never passes up a chance to spend time at church. Finally, Faith agrees to bring Brie to town. And that's the last time that Brie sees Faith alive.

According to police, Faith wandered away from her youth group friends that night while they were on an outing at a mountain. Later, a scream was heard and Faith's dead body was discovered at the mountain's base.

After the "accident," nothing is right in Brie's world. Her parents are unresponsive. Her boyfriend and friends can still only think about sex and parties. Even teachers are concerned with their own stuff--No one is paying attention to Brie and how she's coping with her sister's death.

Perhaps this lack of attention is what causes Brie's gaze to drift and for her to raise questions of her own. Why was her sister acting so weird about going out on the night of her death? Who is the strange boy that hung back from the crowd at Faith's funeral? And why is Faith's best friend avoiding Brie?

As it turns out, Brie and her sister had more in common than Brie originally thought. Faith was just as mysterious and skillful at keeping secrets as Brie.

*   *   *

I enjoyed this book a whole lot. I loved that there was a mystery at the center of this story and that it was filled with suspense. As far as religion goes, I am more with Brie than with Faith. Even though I don't identify with Faith's views, I loved getting to know her through her sister's quest to find out what really happened the night of her death.

Beyond Brie and Faith, I also liked getting to know some of the minor characters in this book.  The school's resident "freak," Tessa, was probably my favorite. I would love to read a book written from her perspective. 

And, even though this book followed a familiar pattern to lots of other YA books (close family member dies, parent(s) become absent, main character is alone), it somehow felt fresh. I think that this is because of Brie's character. She does not seem like someone who is going to wallow in misery, but is more about action. Without this dynamic main character, this book would've fallen flat. 

I read this book as part of the Contemps Challenge. I have to say that I've read a bunch of these books now, and every one has been a winner. I hope that this streak continues, particularly because I have quite a few more to read!

Book Review: Black Box by Julie Schumacher

I sometimes keep a book at school on my desk and read it during Silent Sustained Reading during the school day. Sometimes, the book will go home with me and other times it will languish on my desk for a while until I finally finish it. This book is of the latter category; I've had it on my desk for a couple of weeks and have read it every day.

The fact that I have not taken this book home to finish is not a commentary on how well I appreciated or enjoyed this book. It's almost like the structure of the book, which is almost like a series of short vignettes than actual chapters, allowed me to read ten or fifteen pages and then set it down for a later reading. It had a bit of a meditative affect on me--I couldn't stop thinking about the characters in it once I got into the book, but didn't want to rush them through the story. I am a fast reader, but sometimes like to slow down the process for a book that requires a more thoughtful reading. This book, for me, is one such read.

Black Box is the story of a girl named Elena and her experiences over the course of a few short weeks. The book opens with her beloved older sister, Dora, having survived a suicide attempt. Dora is in treatment for her depression, but Elena is feeling lots of guilt and anger about the situation. Her parents are not absent or abusive, but they are a little lost in exactly what they should do to help their daughters. And, both daughters do need help.

Elena turns to a boy she just met, Jimmy, for help. He wears a lot of black and is generally known as a bit of an outcast, but seems to understand what Elena and Dora might be going through. Jimmy tells Elena that his brother tried to commit suicide and has had treatment. Jimmy and Elena forge a tight friendship and a tiny little romance--though this is not at all the focus of the novel.

I decided to finish this book today after having listened to a podcast of This American Life last night while doing dishes. One segment in that podcast dealt with a man who had recorded interviews with a friend who had attempted suicide and who still planned to kill himself even after being rescued by emergency workers. This story troubled me deeply; I have know a few people who have committed suicide and I know the pain and devastation that a suicide (attempted or successful) leaves.

At the end of this story, the author includes a little afterward, where she says that a friend told her not to publish this book because of the subject matter. While I understand that it is hard to imagine any teen wanting to commit suicide, I know that it happens. I think, as the author points out, that depression can leave those experiencing it and those around a depressed person with feelings of loneliness and absolute desolation. Books can help to bridge that void. Characters can speak to the reader when a relative or a counselor or a friend might fail.

This book may not be for every reader, but I am happy to have it on my classroom shelves. I know that it will be of some comfort to a handful of my students who are dealing with their own issues of depression or who are trying to deal with the depression experienced by people they love and care about.

Audiobook Review: Room by Emma Donoghue

I have to admit that when I first started listening to the audiobook version of Emma Donoghue's Room, I was disturbed by the voice of the main character, Jack. He's a five year-old, so the adult reading for his voice was just not working for me. I soldiered on, though, and have come to love the voice of Jack.

I can't believe I actually listened to this book given the plot description. It's about a woman in her mid-twenties who was kidnapped seven years prior to the start of the story. The man who kidnapped her, dubbed "Old Nick" by Jack, has kept her in a locked outbuilding "room" for the past seven years. In this room, she has birthed two children, who were a result of the repeated rape she experienced most every night. One child was stillborn, but Jack lived. And now he's five.

This story would be so very different if it were told from the perspective of Jack's mother. But it's not. So, the reader (or listener in this case) sees the tiny world of Room through Jack's eyes--innocent and naive as any five year-old's. His language and phrasing and the way that he makes sense of the world are both amusing and frustrating. Like his mother, I sometimes lost patience with Jack and wanted him to understand more than he did. Or could.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot in this review, but I will say that this book is so very disturbing--not in a leering, gross sort of way, but in a way where I'm admiring Emma Donoghue for having the presence of mind and the strength to write it in the first place. In my listening, I definitely wondered about the women (and children) who have been assumed dead and then found years later, hidden in backyards and basements. Some of these women have had children while in captivity. I am sure that at least one or two of these stories inspired or shares similarities with Room.

At times, I felt a bit voyeuristic just listening to this story. I didn't want to intrude on the privacy of a woman who has endured more abuse in her lifetime than a person should ever be expected to endure. I also didn't want to shame Jack for not knowing the ways of the world. Because he's just a child. And then I was able to just relax and listen, delighting Jack's observations of our crazy world that he sees only through a television set. He is at once adorable and annoying and innocent and active. A true five year-old!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who's interested in (and has the stomach for) this type of story. I enjoyed listening to it, but sometimes wished that I could just read it at my own pace. The audiobook version is well-done, with several readers contributing voices. And that Jack. He's with me for good, I'm afraid!

Book Review: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Dash is a bit of a Christmas curmudgeon. He is not into the spirit of the season, and appears snarly to those who encounter him around the holidays. He avoids the shopping masses that overtake his home city, New York City, by keeping his regular routine. He buys yogurts and paces the aisles of The Strand Bookstore. It is during a trip to his favorite used bookstore that he spots something unusual in the Salinger section--A red moleskin notebook peeking out from the stacks. He opens it and find a set of challenges. Dares, really. And so starts this fun, funny, heartwarming and witty Christmas tale.

Lily, of course, feels the opposite about the holiday season from Dash. She is peppy, musical, and wears lots of Christmas gear--majorette books, striped tights, a red winter hat, and a puffy holiday skirt. She bakes cookies and has tons of Christmas spirit. What Lily lacks is someone to share her joy with. She wants more than anything to be with her family, caroling and eating and giving presents. But, her family has spread for the holidays and she finds herself alone and lonely.  Until Dash takes up her challenge and starts giving her assignments in return.

This book is the sort of thing that I would have wanted to happen to me when I was a teen. Like Lily, I was pretty quirky, but I was a bit more like Dash with his sullen, petulant mannerisms. I connected deeply with these characters and wanted them to find each other--If not for true love, than for true companionship and friendship.

This book completely and entirely reminded me of JD Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. I want to ask the authors if this was the inspiration for this story. It is similar in setting, tone, and plot. It's almost like Levithan and Cohn wrote a happier, more hopeful version of Catcher. Dash is so like Holden Caulfield in his witty, inner-monologue sort of way. I loved Dash in the same way that I love Holden. I'm just happy (and I don't think that this is a spoiler) that Dash makes it out of this book without entering a mental hospital. The books weren't that similar!

Definitely, this book is a great Holiday-inspired read. I don't think that it's too Christmas-y for those Scrooges out there who are content in their loathing of the holidays. But, there's this underlying fun and recklessness about these characters that will make even the Scroogiest of Scrooges wish that they, too, could find a fun little book of dares and have the wherewithal to take up the challenge. 

**This book counts toward the Holiday Reading Challenge hosted by Nelly of All About {n}**

Book Review: Adios, Nirvana by Conrad Wesselhoeft

It's almost a year after the fact, and Jonathan is still dealing with the death of his twin brother, Telemachus. Or not dealing. Living but not moving forward.

Jonathan learns that he's going to have to repeat his junior year if he doesn't follow through with the plans set forth by his teachers and principal. This plan is no collection of worksheets, but more like a series of challenges personally designed to wake Jonathan from his mourning, to get him back into his life again.

Part of the plan is that he attends all of his classes and completes all of his homework, which doesn't seem to be much of a stretch for him. He's smart enough and, with the help of Red Bull, he doesn't sleep. The more creative parts of the plan require Jonathan to perform a song at that year's graduation ceremony--Jonathan's an excellent musician, but not used to performing without his twin. Finally, Jonathan must write the life story of a local war vet who's personally requested Jonathan after watching him win a poetry competition.

Thus begins the journey of this novel, where Jonathan will either succeed in regaining his life, or drown in the longing for his brother to return.

Many of you know that I am a teacher, but what I don't usually talk about is the fact that I work (pretty exclusively) with teens who are considered to be "at-risk." In our local jargon, this means that my students will probably not graduate if they have no intervention. I am telling you this because this story, this character, Jonathan, reminded me of so many young men that I've met over the eight years that I've been doing this.

Jonathan typifies the most difficult type of at-risk teen to work with, in my opinion. He is super smart, creative, sensitive, and in serious pain. He is gifted, so school work does not really pose a challenge to him. His mother is a single mother, and is very lax and in a great amount of anguish over her son's death. More than this, Jonathan pretty much sees the world for what it is--a series of hoops to jump through, a means to an end.

I was impressed with the way that the school dealt with Jonathan. Rather than coming up with a generic, impersonal academic plan, they allotted time for Jonathan to find his strengths and his bearings as a teen who has lost his twin brother, his best friend.

This book is raw and beautiful and mentions all sorts of music and writers that I love. Poetry and lyrics and intelligence are a focal point. Jonathan feels like a real person, one that you'll want to encourage, unsure if he'll actually make it.

I loved this book for its writing, its realism, and its honesty. Very good indeed.

Book Review: Chasing Windmills by Catherine Ryan Hyde

I think that Catherine Ryan Hyde might just be my new favorite author. I've read two of her books recently and am about to start a third. In discovering this author, I feel like I have found someone who gets to the very basis of what makes us human, what makes us need and hurt. She is a master developer of characters with real motivations and authentic voices.

Chasing Windmills is an emotional roller coaster, and much of the ride left me feeling panicked. I just never felt comfortable putting this book down because I had to find out what was going to happen to the main characters. And, this book goes back and forth between two main characters. So the suspense was heightened at the end of each section.

The female main character, Maria, is a young mother in her twenties. She is living with her high school boyfriend, who is anything but a sweetheart. She frequently has bruises from his violent outbursts and has taken to riding the subway at night while she's supposed to be at work. Her boyfriend can't know that she was fired from her job, and Maria needs the escape that the subway brings to keep her sanity.

And then she meets Sebastian. He's not yet eighteen, but can't wait for his birthday. Ever since his mother died when he was a young boy, his overprotective father has kept him a virtual prisoner in his apartment. Every element of Sebastian's life is controlled by his father. Sebastian has no friends, except for an elderly neighbor woman who lives in his building. He rides the subway at night as a way to cure his insomnia. When he meets Maria, she's all he can think of.

It isn't long before these lonely souls start dreaming of an escape. But, with Maria's increasingly abusive and obsessive boyfriend and Sebastian's neurotic father watching their every move, how is Maria going to get her two young children, herself to safety?

This is a gripping story that does not offer up any easy answers to the main characters' situations. I loved the quiet tension and pain that the author created for these characters. They were not loud, but suffering in silence in a huge city. I can't help but think that there are too many real-life Marias and Sebastians who are looking for a way out of their painful day-today existences. Hopefully, books like this one will show these young people the possibilities that exist when you seek help in getting to a safe place.

Character Interview + Magnet Set Giveaway: Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala

Holly Cupala's Tell Me A Secret is a gripping novel about a teen girl named Miranda who has lost a sister and is finding out that her friends, boyfriend, and parents are not the people she thought they were. And, she's just found out that she's pregnant. Rather than find support among the people who know her best, Miranda finds the advice and help she needs to stay strong in an online chat room for women who are expecting. She poses as an older girl who has it all figured out--which could not be further from the truth.

In this online forum, Miranda meets a woman named Nik, who really helps her to feel strong and supported. Like Miranda, I fell in love with Nik and was so very excited to interview her. Here is our little chat, which contains some spoilers if you have not read this book. Make sure to enter the giveaway for the Tell Me A Secret magnets at the bottom of this post, which will be sent to you by Holly Cupala herself!

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I have to say that I was moved by your relationship with Miranda. As a teacher of at-risk youth, I often work with teen parents. How were you able to be so available but so lovingly firm with Miranda?

Thank you, Hattie! I have a feeling we would get along well. I’m not sure if I was firm with Miranda, but I think she deserved for someone to tell her the truth. She had herself so mixed up in confusion—in things her family told her, in what she believed, in all those memories she wrapped herself up in—that I’m not sure she could really see what was going on. I’m glad I could be there for her.


There were times as I read Tell Me a Secret when I wished that you were Miranda's mother. You seemed to be calm and caring when Miranda needed that the most. What advice do you have for mothers of teen girls?

It’s easier to trust someone outside of your family sometimes, someone who isn’t all wrapped up in the family patterns. But no one can replace a girl’s mother. You can’t control your daughter, but you can be her advisor. You can show her with your actions and not your words. You can listen and respect her opinion. You can be a place of safety.

You have all of these wise sayings for Miranda when she's going through hard times. Where do these come from? Are they something you heard growing up, or lessons you've learned along the way?

Wisdom comes from all over—you know it when you see it. I had a friend who said, “It’s the grit that makes the pearl,” and I’ve found that to be true. When I was going through a hard time myself, a wise woman told me the reasons for difficult events might not be in the past—they may be in the future, for how we respond and what we do with those experiences. It gave me hope in a dark time. I’ve never forgotten that.


I am so sorry that you lost your baby, Micah James. How are you doing now? Do you plan on trying to have a baby again?

By the time you read this, I might be on that road again. You never know. I’m hopeful about the future, as always. I’ll keep you posted, Hattie!

What's your relationship with Miranda like now that she's in college and is living at home?

Miranda has grown up quite a lot since all of this started. I see her trying to make it on her own, but also relying a lot more on the people who care about her. She’s a good employee, even if she hates every minute at the bank. She’s a pretty resilient girl, even if she doesn’t think so.

Any words of wisdom for a struggling pregnant (or not pregnant) teen who might be reading this post?

If I could take you aside and hug you, I would. Hold onto that little thread of faith you have—in yourself, in the future, in what you know is true. Don’t give up. Find friends. In the end, the hard things in life are what matter the most.

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Thanks, Nik! Now, you all have a chance to win a set of Tell Me a Secret magnets, which Holly Cupala will send to you herself. (She sends the best stuff!) If you'd like to win this gift from Ms. Cupala, just leave a comment about this book or this interview and leave an email address so that we can contact you (Closes 12/ 13). Thanks for reading!

Book Review: Freefall by Mindi Scott

Wow. I just finished reading Mindi Scott's debut novel, Freefall, and the only word that's coming to my mind is wow. I knew that this book was going to be good, but I had no idea that it was going to be great.

How does a woman like Ms. Scott get a male voice so very right? I am not a male (or a teenager for that matter), but I have to imagine that the voice and persona and thoughts and actions that Ms. Scott created for the main character, Seth, are what it is like to be a guy who's a teen. It felt so very authentic, so real. I connected deeply with Seth and some of the minor characters because they felt real, too. So good.

Freefall starts with Seth, a talented bass player who's just lost his best friend Isaac. They had been partying, and Isaac had wanted to sleep under the stars. Seth did not, so he went inside. When Seth woke up, Isaac was dead. He had choked on his own vomit in the middle of the night.

Of course, Seth blames himself for Isaac's death. Isaac was such a force in Seth's life that Seth feels as though nothing will ever be the same. And he's right. There is no same, but there's a whole of of different that can be healthy and good. For one, Seth decides to stop drinking. He and Isaac had gotten into a habit of drinking heavily most nights, and this pattern continued after Isaac's death. Only, Seth was drinking with friends and alone. Not good.

Then there's the issue of communication. Seth is not a great conversationalist. He keeps all of his feelings and fears bottled up to the point where the little that he does let out is very sarcastic and potentially hurtful to whoever is talking with him. He uses this blase front to keep people away. But, when he meets a beautiful, intelligent girl by a pool at a party one night, he finds that he wants to open up. But, he doesn't really know how.

This book is told in a sort of journal style, with dates and times at the top of each section. I honestly lost myself in this book and did not want it to end. It just has that authentic quality to it, that realness that makes a book unforgettable and characters feel like actual people. I feel like I have known Seths and Isaacs before. Again, I don't know how Ms. Scott did this. But, I'd like for her to do it again!

I read this book as part of the Contemps Challenge. I'm loving all of the books that I've read thus far, which is pretty amazing. It's a great challenge and you should all look into joining if you haven't already.

Book Review: Willow by Julia Hoban

I've read other books that deal with teens who self-mutilate, but none have been as engrossing, developed, or as realistic as Julia Hoban's Willow.  In comparison, other titles feel a lot more shallow and less holistic. Willow is nothing short of disturbing and breath-taking.

In this book, Willow is a smart, authentic-seeming teenage who is living a nightmare. She has labeled herself a "killer" because she was driving the night that she and her parents suffered a fatal car accident. She is the only survivor. Never mind that Willow's parents had that second bottle of wine and were too impaired to drive home, never mind that the rain was torrential, never mind that Willow only had her learner's permit. She blames herself and wants everyone else to.

Too ease her pain (or possibly to validate it) Willow begins to cut herself. I have never read a book that describes this process, mentally, emotionally, and physically in such excruciating detail. It is sickening in its reality.  Willow successfully hides her addiction to cutting successfully until a boy named Guy catches her doing it. After this, Willow makes him promise not to tell anyone. He agrees and they begin a rocky but intensely close relationship.

Normally, I would want Guy to tell someone quickly so that Willow could get help. This is me as a reader who works with teens every day. This is me as an adult looking in a judging Willow and Guy and wanting someone to help Willow, to force her to change. But, that would not make such a compelling read. Because the relationship between Guy and Willow is so authentic, so based on feelings and fears and mutual respect that I don't want that to be messed up with Guy telling on her. But, I don't want Willow to continue cutting, either.

In this way, the author puts the reader in Guy's shoes. If he tells, Willow may be forced to get help. But, if she's not ready for help then she will continue to cut (or try another route to ease her pain) without actually working through her sadness and loneliness and pain. Sure, Guy is a teenager and cannot be expected to take on Willow's problems, but I do think that he does a great job of caring about her as a person. He helps her work through her problems in a natural, caring manner. He's not looking for sex, but for her companionship. This is refreshing.

I would hope that teens (and adults) who read this book understand more about the psychology behind cutting. I don't hope that teens (or adults) will try to take on the problems of someone who is cutting; that is scary to me. But, I do recognize that friends have an enormous role in the lives of those who are hurting. I think that Guy models an engaged, concerned friend who just does not know how to help someone who is in as much pain as Willow.

This book is a must-have for high school libraries and classrooms. I have worked with students in the past who have arms scarred up and down from cutting. I feel like this book has allowed me some insight into this world, of which I admittedly have very little understanding. I will definitely put this book in my classroom and use Willow's story as a point of reference for future situations where I find that a student in my care is self-mulitating.

If you've read this book, please let me know what you thought.

Book Review + Book Giveaway: Far From You by Lisa Schroeder

Nely from All About {n} is hosting a Holiday Reading Challenge. For this challenge I've read one book so far. It's one that I actually heard about on Nely's blog. It's called Far From You and I actually have two copies, so one will go on my classroom shelves and one will go to one of you!

I was intrigued by this book because it is a novel told in verse. And the cover is pretty stunning.  I love reading poems and am trying to support novels in verse because I'm excited about the rising popularity of this genre. So, I decided to start this reading challenge by reading this book.

Far From You is the story of a teen girl girl who  lost her mother to cancer years ago. Just recently, though, her father is now remarried and his new wife is pregnant. It's all too soon for Alice.

Sometimes, Alice can be a tough character to feel close to. She is distant from her family, and doesn't want anything to do with her stepmother or the new baby. She does want to re-establish a relationship with her father, but seems to shut down whenever he's around. Of course, this makes her character all the more believable. And, I wanted to see her through to a less angry place. I had faith that she'd get there. But, I didn't know how.

On the way home after a Thanksgiving road trip, Alice, her stepmother, and the newborn baby find themselves stranded in a snowstorm. It is here, in the close quarters of the SUV that Alice's anger and frustration and sheer loss comes to a head. She and her stepmother, Victoria, have the inevitable fight but then move to a place of understanding. And, Alice gets to see Victoria, her new sister, and her mother in a whole new way. Once this trip is finished, Alice will never be the same.

I read this book in the space of a couple hours. It was riveting and so very quick. The verse format makes it possible to absolutely devour this book, but still feel connected to the characters. I was truly pulling for Alice by the end of the book. Which is not how I felt after I first met her.

So, I'm off to a great start in this Holiday Reading Challenge and I'm excited to see which one of you will win my extra copy of this book! To enter, please leave a comment about why you'd like to read this book. This contest is US only; but, I have other international contests coming soon!

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Good luck and Happiest of Holidays to all of YOU!

Book Review: The Julian Game by Adele Griffin

As far as popularity goes, Raye is on the outside and loves to look in. She is new scholarship student at the Fulton School, a ritzy city school where the children of the rich and brilliant go to prep for their Ivy League years. Her nights are spent watching movies and pigging out with her best friend, Natalya. This all changes when the most popular girl at school, Ella, asks Raye for help in getting revenge against the most gorgeous, charming boy in town: Julian.

Raye is quick, and shows Ella a fake facebook profile that she created with Natalya as a bit of a joke. The profile is for a beautiful girl named Elizabeth, who claims to have recently come to the US to attend college. Natalya and Raye have fun using this profile to "friend" those that would never talk to them in real life. When Raye offers up Elizabeth as a way to get revenge against Julian, Ella jumps all over it.

Julian takes to Elizabeth quickly. Raye poses as Elizabeth for hours and hours every day, having great conversations with Julian. Quickly, the conversations become more and more intimate. Eventually, Raye is going to have to decide whether or not she can continue as Elizabeth, or try to date Julian for read. If she chooses to play along as Elizabeth, Julian will lose interest and realize that it was all a bad joke. If Raye chooses reality, Ella is going to punish her. And Raye knows that it will be painful.

I loved this book. The cover is great, and so is the message: Social networking can be dangerous. This message is obvious, but it never felt all that preachy. I didn't feel as though my students would be turned off from it. Certainly, my students are not over-privileged teens causing trouble online. But, there have been many cases of cyberbullying and online harassment in the past few school years. 

I think that this topic of the dangers of social networking and the different types of bullying that have resulted from new and emerging technologies is here to stay in YA lit. There is a lot of room for more of this topic in YA, and I'd be interested to hear about more titles that incorporate this topic into their plots.

Book Review: Teenage Waistland by Lynn Biederman and Lisa Pazer

Marcie, Age 16, Starting Weight: 288 LBS.

Robert, Age 16, Starting Weight: 335 LBS.

East, Age 15, Starting Weight: 278 LBS. 

All three of these teens join a whole bunch of other teens in entering into an experimental study of the effects of the Lap-Band on teen patients. Each of the teens chosen for this study is obese, and each has some underlying emotion issue that has caused their weight gain. Though some of these teens don't want to admit why they need help, they know that they do. And, they're willing to try anything to get it.  

I think that this book is a pretty revolutionary one for teen readers. We've all seen reality shows where people compete to lose weight, and we've all seen the emotional layers that come off as the pounds melt away. And, we've all seen the headlines: America is an obese nation. 

Given our current nutritional climate, this book should be of some help and inspiration to those who find themselves teen-aged and morbidly obese. The stories of these three teens and the others profiled in the book could be anyone's life. Sure, there are some dramatic sub-plots that all teens won't be able to relate to, but the lives portrayed in this novel are fairly typical. The lives of the teens are not all bad and they're certainly not all good. They have issues with parents and siblings and pressure to fit in and date. Unfortunately, most lack the confidence to pursue relationships with others. So, when they come together, they form an easy alliance. 

My hope would be that this book not go unread by teens (and adults) who have not had significant issues with food or weight in their lives. I think that one aspect of this book that was done extremely well was the portrayal of the realistic feelings and emotions that these teens feel in relation to carrying their weight and shedding it. Skinnier people do not necessarily make happier, more well-adjusted people. So, there is enormous potential for others to learn to be sensitive to others who find themselves in a toxic relationship with food. 

There are so very many YA books that deal with anorexia and bulimia, but there are so few that talk about binge eating and overeating. I am not saying that there should not be books about the first two eating disorders, but there is definitely room to hear about the realities of those who hide emotions or stuff down feelings with food. This is a type of eating disorder as well. And, it's one that we need to understand more about if we ever hope to heal a growing number of people in our country who are hurting--especially our kids.

Book Review + Book Giveaway: Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde

I read this book in one sitting. I had been saving it for a Sunday afternoon because I knew that it was going to be an easy-to-get-into read and that I wouldn't have to put it down. What I didn't plan on were the range of emotions and the huge revelations that I'd have about relationships and identity and human nature. I guess you just can't schedule that stuff in.

I've never read a Catherine Ryan Hyde book before, but now I want to read all of them. She created some of the most realistic teens that I'd ever read about in the space of less than 200 pages. Not that there is a page length requirement for reality, but I was just impressed at how quickly I recognized these characters as real people.

Jumpstart the World is the story of a teen girl named Elle who is struggling and lonely. She is alone in a way that a lot of teens I know are: Her mother is otherwise occupied in her own life, and friends don't come easy. Even more, Elle doesn't seem to be very comfortable in her own body or in her thoughts and feelings. She's a little emotionally bankrupt at the start of the book. So, when she meets her new neighbor, a kind man named Frank, she is surprised at how quickly she feels a connection with him.

Frank is a great listener. He's in his thirties and is interesting. He works as a vet tech and eats homemade chicken noodle soup made by his girlfriend. Quickly, Elle and Frank forge a friendship and a habit of good talks out on the fire escape.

And Elle starts to make friends at school. Sure, they're a little different. Outcasts, even. But they genuinely seem to like Elle and accept her for her eccentricities. She even has them over for a little "party". But, when Frank comes over for a quick hello, Elle's view of him changes. Her friends point out that Frank may be transgendered. Elle cannot deal with this, and the fact that she may have a crush on Frank. Because what does that say about her?

This cast of characters, this setting, this set of issues and problems seems very real to me. Yes, there are some less-than-plausible situations and parts of this story, but it rings true on the whole. I am happy to have this book on my classroom shelves and hope that it makes its way into the hands of someone who needs it. Whether that person be someone who's questioning their own sexuality, or thinking about identity in a much more general sense, I think that it has the potential to help.

And, I have one copy of this book for one of you! To enter, simply leave a comment with an email address. This contest is open to US residents only. Sorry to my international friends! A winner will be drawn on Monday, Nov. 15th.

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Book Review: The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt

This week, a former student finished a tour in Afghanistan. His family and our local community have all breathed a collective sigh of relief. He is such a good person and I cannot wait to see him when he returns. It is with this young man in mind that I picked up Dana Reinhardt's The Things a Brother Knows.

Though there are few connections between this fictional story and the teen I know, there is no doubt that each have seen and done things during their service that they will never forget. Some experiences might have been wonderful, but I bet there will be troubling thoughts and adjustments to be made when returning to their former lives.

This book is told from the perspective of a teen boy, Levi, the younger brother of Boaz, who joined the Marines rather than go to any of the Ivy League colleges he'd applied to. The relationship between Levi and Boaz wasn't exactly tight before Bo left and went to war. But, when he returns and doesn't talk or leave his room, Levi is stunned. Gone is the golden child, the overachiever who Levi has always looked up to.

When Bo's computer breaks and Levi offers up his laptop as a replacement, Levi gets an insight into Bo's world. What he finds is confusing and scary. It seems that his brother is obsessed with military sites, with blogs maintained by Marines, and is planning some sort of trip to Washington DC. Levi doesn't know exactly what's going on, but he knows it can't be good.

And then Bo leaves, supposedly for a trek on the Appalachian Trail. Levi knows better. He knows that his brother isn't looking to find nature. So, Levi does what any loving, concerned brother would do: He follows Bo.

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I can't stress how very real and gripping this novel is. I read it in about three hours. I just could not put it down. Every character rings true, every bit of dialogue and situation seems like it was drawn from real life. I loved the main character, Levi, and his family and friends. His brother was a little harder to understand and to get to know, but that's the whole point. He's unavailable. 

Unfortunately, this story is going to feel far too real for some of the people who read it in the next few years. We have lots and lots of young men and women who are returning from places that their families and friends will just never understand. No matter how well-meaning and loving we all are, there are going to be rough spots. Some will emerge more able to cope than others. Some will be distant. All will need us to be as patient and willing to reconnect with their loved ones as Levi and his family are in this book.

Author Guest Post: Catherine Ryan Hyde

For this author guest post, I asked Catherine Ryan Hyde to write about her choice of including a trangered character in her novel Jumpstart the World.  Here's what she had to say:

As some of you may know already, I grew up with a transgender sibling.  When I was about 13 or 14, I had to learn to call my sister my brother and switch from “she” to “he.”

I managed.  I don’t mean to make it sound like the trouble was all mine.  Sometimes I think people make too much of their own discomfort as a friend or relative of someone in transition.  Really you are not being asked to do anything but accept change.  Maybe I’m lucky, because I got a good early lesson in acceptance.  That’s the kind of lesson that comes in handy as life unfolds.

This is actually not the first time I’ve included a transgender character in one of my books. Pay It Forward---yes, Pay It Forward—contains the character of a transgender teen.  Gordy is his name.  He’s a teenage boy with a female gender expression, not really in transition yet, but presenting himself as female whenever he can get around his angry stepfather.  Unfortunately, his character never made it into the movie, so most people don’t know about Gordy.  See, that’s another good reason to read the book instead of just seeing the movie, for those interested in LGBT characters in fiction.

I knew why I wrote him into that book, too.  I was so outraged by the violence and abuse faced by transgender people.  The way someone will cross over from the other side of the street to start trouble.  To get in their faces, push them.  Ask them, “What are you?” (Uh, a human being?)  Call them “it.” When it happens to someone you care about, it’s pretty damned unbearable.  So I wanted to make that point.  Okay, it seems strange to you, fine.  Walk the other way.  Why would you even take it on as a personal problem?  You’re a total stranger.  What’s your point of engagement?  Why do you even care?

Not too long after I wrote Pay It Forward I met my friend Doug (I dedicated the book to him).  I read an article about a local transgender man (female to male) in the newspaper. I was so impressed by the courage it takes to come out like that in a small-town setting.  I didn’t know him at all, but I knew he’d just done a radio interview with a guy I know, so I got his email address and sent him a note of support.  I wanted to applaud him for that article.  In case he got any other, less supportive, notes.  He wrote back, and we’ve been friends ever since.

One thing has been experienced in common by both these transgender people in my life:  the fear and helplessness involved in a hospital stay.  When you read Jumpstart the World, if you do, you’ll see how that came into play.

I think I’m pretty disturbed by how much misunderstanding remains around the subject of transgender.  And I want to make a small contribution to clearing it up.  It’s hard for me to believe that many people still think it’s a mental illness, but there are those who still do.  Transgender people are not so disturbed that they don’t know what gender they are.  Transgender people are not so disturbed that they don’t know what gender they are.  A transgender person is someone whose insides don’t match their outsides.  It could have happened to you.  As it turns out, it didn’t.  But if it had, you’d understand, and you’d wish others would be open to understanding.  Or at least accepting.

So that’s why I wrote about the subject on more than one occasion.   Because I know from experience that when you know a transgender person, acceptance is not hard.  So, after this, maybe you’ll know Frank (from Jumpstart the World).  And maybe that will help just a little.  Maybe that will add a little understanding and acceptance to the issue.  I hope so.  I think it’s overdue.

Thanks to Catherine Ryan Hyde for visiting this blog and for writing such amazing books!