Lock and Key, by Sarah Dessen
Dessen, Sarah (2008). Lock and key. NY: Viking Children’s Books. 432 pages.
Sarah Dessen’s popularity among the patrons who compete with me for YA materials at my library is evidenced by the amount of time it took me to finally get my hands on this book. It’s been pretty much a year since publication, and I’m [...]
Marcelo in the Real World, by Francisco X. Stork
Stork, Francisco X. (2009). Marcelo in the real world. NY: Arthur A. Levine Books. 312 pages.
In spite of my populist ways and commitment to questioning the often elitist adolescent books awards, reviews and ratings systems, I was curious to read Stork’s well-reviewed novel for young adults. Plus, it had a pretty cover.
Told from the first [...]
The Waters and the Wild, by Francesca Lia Block
Block, Francesca Lia (2009). The waters and the wild. NY: HarperTeen. 113 pages.
I just don’t know what to think about Francesca Lia Block anymore. I’ve always been a fan of her delicately gothic urban fantastic young adult novels; lately, however, I’ve felt a bit let down. I had read an interview with FLB in Voice [...]
Into the Wild Nerd Yonder, by Julie Halpern
Halpern, Julie (2009). Into the wild nerd yonder. NY: Feiwel and Friends. 256 pages.
Fifteen-year-old Jessie has always suspected that she is, at heart, a nerd: an ace in all the advanced classes at school, Jessie occasionally sits in on drums for her older brother’s punk band but attributes her ability to her math skills. Somehow [...]
Touch, by Francine Prose
Prose, Francine (2009). Touch. NY: HarperTeen. 272 pages.
This is another one of those books about which I disagree with one of the major review sources–in this case, Booklist–who gave Francine Prose’s third (I think) YA novel a starred review. Here’s the thing: I think that, in the case of Prose, the author’s reputation has preceded [...]
Gamer Girl, by Mari Mancusi
Mancusi, Mari (2008). Gamer girl. NY: Dutton Juvenile. 224 pages.
When fifteen-year-old Maddy’s parents divorce and Maddy, her eight-year-old sister and their mother move in with their grandmother in New Hampshire, Maddy is crushed to leave her Back Bay Boston brownstone, private school and gang of friends. After a disasterous first day at school–in a funny [...]
No Such Thing as the Real World, edited by Harper Teen
Various authors (2009). No such thing as the real world. NY: Harper Teen. 246 pages.
A lot of times collections of young adult short stories by various authors seem to become engineered excuses for the anthologized authors to take a stance on a thematic issue or try a hand at writing outside of their usual genre [...]