Girls Getting Out of Here

I know, I know, it's been a long time since I posted, and I don't really have a good excuse - this summer I read a lot, but it was mostly not stuff I wanted to post about. But I just read the second of these two books, and I wanted to write about them and how they are similar, and different.

True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet is by Lola Douglas, and it is about Morgan Carter, a famous Hollywood actress (think maybe Hilary Duff or a younger Lindsay Lohan). Morgan ends up in rehab after a dangerous evening of drugs and alcohol, and her mom and her business manager decide it is best for her to disappear for awhile. She goes to live with an old friend of her mother's in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Morgan has always gotten everything she's wanted, and has lived a jet-set Hollywood lifestyle. Now she is forced to totally change so that she won't be discovered in Fort Wayne before her handlers think she's ready. Not to mention that Morgan is still trying to deal with her abuse of drugs and alcohol and live a different life in Indiana than she did in Los Angeles. This book is easy to read - it's a series of journal entries and letters from Morgan back to Hollywood. You may think Morgan is spoiled and a brat at the beginning of the book, but by the end, you are rooting for her to succeed. And a sequel comes out in November, so you can continue reading about her life.

Amazing Grace by Megan Shull is about Grace "Ace" Kincaid, a star tennis player who is also a model and celebrity by 15 (think the Williams sisters or Maria Sharapova). One day, just when she is getting ready for the US Open, she decides to take a break from the crazy life she's been leading, with a bodyguard, manager, stylist and more people around her every day than she can count. She calls her mom and her mom brings a friend to rescue Grace - she goes with Ava to Medicine Hat, Alaska to hide out for a while. Grace does some of the same things Morgan does - they both dye their hair and change their names in order to hide who they really are. However, Grace was never a spoiled brat, and quit the tennis world because she was tired, not because she had a drug problem. Grace learns to appreciate the world around her, and is welcomed back into "real life" by the people around her. This story, too, is written in short journal entries - some as quickly as three minutes later than the first.

So these books definitely have some similarities - the journal entries, the hiding out from the press, living with an old friend of the family. But they also have some differences - for instance, when the girls are eventually found out, their new friends react very differently. They have different experiences in their new towns - Morgan has more of a suburban life, with a typical high school, and a group of friends who are not the most popular, but have a lot of activities. Grace lives in rural Alaska, where the most there is to do is wander around the one-street town or go snowmobiling (and watch out for moose). And because Grace was less spoiled and into fame, it isn't as hard for her to accept her new life as it is for Morgan. In Morgan's first week in Indiana, she blows $500 (all she's been given for the first month) in one shopping spree at the mall.

While I think I like True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet the best, I recommend both of these books - they are quick and easy to read, and it's fun to read about what happens to both of these girls in their new lives. Check them out!

Do You Know Who Your Neighbors Are?

This book opens with Nadira and her family traveling to Canada. She and her family have been living in the United States on expired tourist visas for many years. They go to school and work every day in New York, trying not to be noticed. Nadira's sister Aisha is smart and wants to go to college, but she knows she will never be able to go if the schools find out that she is not in the United States legally. Nadira has always been the younger sister, with not much expected of her. Ask Me No Questions takes place after September 11th, and the Department of Homeland Security is beginning to detain adult males that do not have legal citizenship. Nadira's father wants to try and get the family asylum in Canada so they can get citizenship. But when they try to cross the border into Canada, her father is arrested and detained.
Nadira and Aisha return to New York to go back to school, and are faced with all of the lies they tell every day to cover up their illegal status. Will Aisha be able to go to college? Will their father be deported back to Bangladesh? Nadira begins to take matters into her own hands in a surprising way.

This book made me think about all of the people who live the life Nadira's family does - worrying every day that they will be deported. Budhos makes this story your own - you feel like you are in the car with Nadira and her family on the way to Canada, watching her father be arrested in front of her. Don't miss this book!!

Ipods - the newest thing in teen books

I just finished Just Listen, by Sarah Dessen. It's her newest book, and if you don't think you've read any books by Sarah Dessen, I'll bet you have. She wrote the books Someone Like You and That Summer, which were made into the movie How to Deal with Mandy Moore. Her books are mostly about teenage girls, trying to deal with problems with family, friends, and boyfriends, and they are really good. She also lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (where I went to graduate school - Go Heels!), so I like her for several reasons, really. And if you're really interested, this is the link to Sarah's blog: .

She writes something everyday, and it's usually about her real life. I think it's sort of cool that she watches American Idol and tries to get her dog to behave, just like the rest of us.
Anyways, back to Just Listen. Annabel begins the first day of school her junior year worried about what her best friend Sophie is going to say to her. Before Annabel even gets out of the car, she knows. Sophie calls her a name through the window of Annabel's car, so everyone around them can hear her. Now everyone knows that Sophie and Annabel are no longer friends, something Annabel has been keeping a secret all summer long. But Annabel isn't ready to talk about what happened with Sophie, at least not yet.

The reason for the title of this post is because much of this book revolves around music. Annabel begins a friendship with Owen Armstrong, who she has never talked to before. Owen is really into music, and carries his Ipod around with him everywhere. As Owen and Annabel become closer, he expects her to be as honest with him as he is with Annabel. But there is a lot in Annabel's life that she can't talk about - what happened between her and Sophie, things that are going on in her family, her modeling career.

The Ipod is not just a marketing ploy in this book - Owen cannot live without his music, and as he introduces more and more music to Annabel, neither can she. This book is about all of the things going on in Annabel's life, and all of the assumptions that she has made which have left her feeling alone. But being alone also helps Annabel get the strength to talk about all of the things that she has kept quiet for so long. This is a great book with a little bit of romance and a lot of true friendship. And one Ipod.

Enthusiasm

Julia Lefkowitz goes by Julie. Her nickname helps show how she approaches life - a little laid-back, willing to accept most things that come her way. Her parents have gotten divorced in the last year, but while she isn't happy about the situation, and her mother is struggling financially, things are going okay. The only thing Julie worries about is that she is almost 16, and has never had a boyfriend.

Julie's best friend Ashleigh is what Julie calls an "enthusiast" - she bounces from idea to idea, never really sticking with anything. One minute Ashleigh is into art, the next into a rock band. But when Ashleigh gets into something, she really gets into it. So when Julie loans Ashleigh her copy of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, Ashleigh begins to talk like she is in the 19th Century. She starts to dress only in skirts or dresses so that her "lower limbs" won't show. And Ashleigh decides that she and Julie should dress up and crash the local all-boys boarding school dance to meet their perfect Mr. Darcy (the name of the main love interest in Pride & Prejudice).
Julie goes along with Ashleigh because it is easier than fighting with her, but she really does not expect anything to happen. Imagine her surprise when she meets the guy she has been seeing all over town. She wonders if he could be her Mr. Darcy, but then Ashleigh declares he is her Mr. Darcy too. What is Julie to do?

This novel is full of love triangles and miscommunications. The girls win parts in a play at the all-boys school, and that only adds to the drama of the story. This romantic comedy is fun to read, and it keeps you guessing about what will happen next. You will want to keep reading to find out Ashleigh's next enthusiasm, and to find out whether Julie or Ashleigh will get their Mr. Darcy.

See You Down the Road

Have you heard of the Irish Travelers before? According to Wikipedia, they are a nomadic group of Irish origin. In the United States, the Travelers do exactly what their name implies - go from town to town looking for jobs. There have been news stories about the Travelers who pull cons on the elderly or unsuspecting people. This story gives a different side of the Traveler culture.

For Bridget, this is the only life she has ever known. Her father works hard when he cons people - sometimes tarring driveways or roofs with tar that will wash off with the next rain. Her mother will persuade people to buy a trailer that might fall apart in 6 months. Bridget, who's 16, is working in a clothing shop and going to school. But within a week, the family is on the road again, going to small towns to get money any way they can.

Bridget has a lot of questions about how her family is living. Her parents keep a lot of secrets from her. Her mother won't let Bridget touch her cell phone in case Bridget finds out information about... what? Bridget doesn't know. Travelers custom dictates that Bridget be engaged by 16, and she is engaged to a friend, Patrick. She knows that she loves Patrick already, but she isn't sure that she wants to marry him. She feels sorry for some of the people that they are hurting through their cons, and wonders if she could leave the lifestyle and go to college. But she knows if she leaves this lifestyle, she will be kicked out of her family, and they will never speak her name again.

There aren't any answers in this story, but it is worth a read. Kim Ablon Whitney, who wrote the book, did extensive research before she wrote the novel, including having a Traveler read her book. Bridget is wondering who she is and how she fits into her family - something everyone wonders from time to time. Read it and send a comment to tell me what you think of the book.

Is She Having Sex?

Got your attention with that title, didn't I? I want to talk about a book I just read called Sandpiper by Ellen Wittlinger. Sandpiper is a teenager just finishing her sophomore year of high school. She has gotten a reputation at school for her willingness to go, well, almost all the way. Sandpiper feels like this is the only time that anyone pays attention to her, and some attention is what she wants most. Throughout the book, Sandpiper's family is totally involved with her hippie mother's second wedding. Her father, who is still close with the family, has lots of different girlfriends all of the time, and is too busy to spend much time with Sandpiper. She has lost her two best friends because of her reputation. And Sandpiper's life has suddenly become out of her control. One of the guys Sandpiper dated lately has gotten angry at how quickly she moved on to another guy and starts to threaten Sandpiper and her family.

But this story is really about how Sandpiper finds her real identity, hidden under all of her loneliness. She meets the Walker, a teenaged guy who doesn't have a home, and is hiding a secret from the world. As they walk around their town together, she begins to discover who she really is. This person - she begins to call herself Piper - is not someone who needs guys for the attention, she is someone in her own right. Part of the process of becoming herself means learning who she isn't, including trying to shed her reputation. It will not be easy, but Piper will come out of this alive. I think this book is a great book for anyone struggling with who they are and who they will be. Piper writes some great poetry during this book, and the whole book really makes you think about families and how you find your place in them.

Strong, Independent Girl Coming Up

So, I have been reading the Claidi Journals, written by Tanith Lee. I am going to go right out on a limb and say that I am not really a fantasy gal. I mean, I have read and enjoyed all the mainstream stuff - Harry Potter, Golden Compass, that sort of thing. But I have never really been patient enough for all of the world-building that goes along with most fantasy novels. I read Wolf Tower (the first of the series) after it was recommended in an old review journal I was looking at. I was interested enough to check out the rest of the series. But now I am 3/4 of the way through the series, and I am seriously loving this series. Let me go back and give you some highlights.

There is a girl named Claidi, who has been a slave in a royal palace since she was young. The story is that her mother was a princess who fell in love with a slave. When Claidi was born, her mother and the slave were banished, and Claidi was left to become a lady's maid in her father's place. Suddenly, a whole slew of events begin to turn Claidi's understanding of her life upside down. Claidi is asked by one of the queens of the palace to help a prisoner escape and to go with him on his journey. As she begins this journey, she takes along a stolen journal.
The journal (and us as readers) are along for all of Claidi's adventures, and she has many. They are all related to the royal structure of her world, and how she relates to that world as a possible princess. I won't give away too many plot twists, but there are quite a few.

What I love about these books (Wolf Tower, then Wolf Star, then Wolf Queen and Wolf Wing - which I haven't read yet) most of all is Claidi herself. Even as a servant, Claidi has had a strong sense of herself. She does not bow to the normal fashions, as the other servants do, and in fact she thinks the ladies she serves are fairly silly. As Claidi journeys out into the world, she is forced to think for herself. Her plans and ideas sometimes go a little wrong, but Claidi quite often takes care of herself. She is independent and does not need a man, although there is a little romance throughout these books. Claidi admits it when she can't deal with a situation, and sometimes (okay, more than just sometimes) gets herself into trouble. Sometimes she isn't sure what to do. These books are about Claidi's freedom, and how she explores and creates her own identity after she leaves the royal house. There is something special about Claidi, and it keeps the adventures going. It keeps me coming back for more. This is a great series. Pick it up when you want to get lost in a good read.

Looking for Alaska

I know I am a little behind the times on talking about this book - we got our library copies in May, and it has been talked about on all of my listservs lately. It's on the library's mockPrintz list - go to www.tempe.gov/library/mock.htm if you want to see the other titles. We're voting on those January 17th, by the way.

Anyway, all of this to say that I just finished Looking for Alaska by John Green. I will say that books that have a school setting are some of my favorites (loved Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas, for example), so I had a feeling I would like this book from the beginning.

Miles Harter is a high school junior who doesn't really have any friends in his Florida town. When he is given the chance to go to Culver Creek, the Alabama boarding school where his father was a student, he jumps at it. Miles is fascinated with the last words of famous people, and one of his favorite last phrases comes from the French author Rabelais, who said "I go to seek a Great Perhaps". Miles wants to seek the Great Perhaps before he dies, so he's willing to try something new.

When he gets to Culver Creek, Miles is immediately submerged into a whole new world. He is welcomed into his roommate's group of friends, and begins to learn to subvert authority with them. He tries to experience as many things as possible in his effort to seek the Great Perhaps, including drinking, smoking and love. He begins to fall in love with the enigmatic (that's mysterious to you) Alaska Young, who is troubled and funny and a prankster of the highest degree. She is beautiful and fun to be around, and she makes Pudge (Miles' new nickname) feel happy to be with her - most of the time. Alaska is also moody and can be frustrating. Miles spends the whole novel looking for the true Alaska, and I'm not sure he ever knows her.
But this book isn't just about Pudge's love for Alaska. The book is split into two parts - Before and After. The before section counts down in days (seventy-six days before) and the after section counts forward in days (nine days after). It is in the event that splits the book that Pudge really begins to feel part of the Great Perhaps. And it isn't Alaska that he turns to for help, but his friends. This book has all of the quirky friends you could ever want, and it is really about celebrating those friendships.

I thought this book was really great - as I mentioned above, I am a big fan of school books (why didn't my parents let me go to boarding school???), and this book has all of the best and worst things about school. One of the pranks involves blue hair dye in someone's hair gel, and someone else has their shoes peed on. But it also has some of the other things I like in a good book - great friends and a little bit of love. I'd recommend it. But Karen and maybe Kristin, I know you ladies have read this book too - want to comment?? I'd like to hear what you think of it, and whether you think it might win the Printz.

Changing Faces (Real TV series)

I picked this book up because it was about one of my favorite topics - reality TV (who will admit it's not their favorite topic??). If you are a fan of any of the reality TV shows, this book will probably get you interested in reading this story, and continuing with the Real TV series. This book is also Christian fiction, but it's not preachy - the story is very realistic and fun to read.

Olivia is a high school senior who has always been very academically strong, but hasn't had time for too much else. This year she finds out that in order to break the three-way tie for valedictorian, the school will look at volunteerism. Olivia has never done any volunteer work, and scrambles to find something through her youth group. She ends up at a homeless shelter for women and children in crisis. This homeless shelter begins to change her life in ways she could not predict, challenging her perceptions while introducing her to new friends and ideas. At the same time, Olivia and her best friend Jane are having a hard time staying friends as Olivia becomes busier and busier. The one TV show that they never missed was Changing Faces – a makeover show they watched together and talked about nonstop. How will Jane feel when she finds out that Olivia has a chance to be on the actual Changing Faces show due to her work with the shelter? Olivia is a typical teen in that she struggles to make it all fit, including her time with God. She goes to youth group, and has discussions about God and prayer with some of her friends, but this book is not too preachy. Olivia’s faith is just part of her life and busy schedule. Changing Faces is a nice chick lit/Christian fiction combo, and we have other books in the series if you like this one.

The Art of Keeping Cool

Well, this is my first post to the blog and I am sure everyone else is saying "finally!!". Sorry!! I have been reading Newbery contenders for our mock Newbery in January, so I haven't been reading much teen stuff. But now I'm reading teen books again!

I just read The Art of Keeping Cool, a historical fiction novel set in WWII in Rhode Island. It was written by Janet Taylor Lisle. Robert and his mother and sister move to the coast of Rhode Island during WWII when they can no longer keep their family farm in Ohio working. Robert's father has gone off to fly for the Royal Air Force in England, before America has entered the war. They are living in a house owned by Robert's dad's parents, who live down the road, along with his aunt and uncle and cousin, Elliott.

Elliott is an artist - he can draw sketches of what he sees that are realistic and funny. He spends a lot of time alone, roaming the woods and avoiding their house. Robert and Elliott's grandfather has a mean temper, and Elliott has found that it is best to "keep cool" and stay out of his way. In Elliott's roaming, he has discovered the home of a German painter, Abel Hoffmann. When they begin to know Abel, they find out that he came to America just as the Nazis were coming to power. The townspeople in their small town don't really trust Abel, since they have been told by the local Naval base that there are German submarines just off the coast of Rhode Island, spying on the Americans.

There are enormous Naval guns at the local Navy base, pointed out to sea in hopes of scoring a direct hit on a submarine, and protecting the American shore. One day, during practice manuevers for the Navy, Robert and his young sister sneak into the Naval base to watch the guns being fired. While they are there, they see Abel Hoffmann, watching too, and taking notes. Now Robert is faced with a dilemma - does he tell the police about Abel's suspicious activities, making Robert a patriotic hero? Or does he confront Abel, and find out what he was really doing on the Naval base? As the tensions of WWII build, Robert is trapped between patriotism and friendship.

This is a really good book, with a lot of suspense. I also liked the setting, since I lived just off the coast of Rhode Island for a couple of years, on Nantucket. What happens to Robert, Elliott and Abel will make you really think about what you would do in this situation.