Kissing Kate
Lauren Myracle
ISBN 0-525-46917-6
198 pages
Dutton, 2003
Genre: LGBT, Contemporary Life
Readers Annotation
Lissa and Kate have been best friends forever, but after they share a romantic kiss at a party, their relationship is strained.
Plot Summary
Lissa and Kate have been best friends forever. Kate, a beautiful gymnast, has always had confidence enough for both of them. After they share a romantic kiss at a party, their relationship is strained. Though Kate initiated the kiss, she stops speaking to Lissa. Lissa finds herself starting her junior year without a group of friends, since her previous friends were really Kate's friends. Through her weekend job at a restaurant delivery service, Lissa gets to know Ariel, a girl from school she'd previously dismissed as too kooky. Ariel sets up a social outing with their boss, an overweight, middle-aged single woman, whom Lissa had previously dismissed as sort of pathetic, and introduces her to Finn, a cute, funny boy who has a birth defect. Lissa realizes that she has been prejudging people and pushing them away without really getting to know them.
At the same time, she struggles with the realization that she is in love with Kate. Kate wants them to return to their old friendship, without even acknowledging what happened between them. When pressed, Kate admits she has feelings, too, but is too concerned with what her family and classmates would think if she came out as a lesbian. Meanwhile, Lissa's younger sister's new friend makes pronouncements on everything--including how gross gay people are--and Lissa's uncle, who has been their guardian since their parents died in a car accident, has the courage to start a new romance and change and grow as a person. Lissa observes all of these people's different reactions to change and being different and wonders whether she should patch things up with Kate and pretend that nothing has happened or take ownership of her new identity.
Critical Evaluation
Though Kissing Kate is very much about Lissa's eventual realization that she can't and won't deny her romantic feelings for Kate, its themes are broader than LGBT. Lissa's acceptance of her sexual identity, whatever it is (Ariel warns her not to be to quick to put a label on herself: maybe she's lesbian, maybe she's bisexual, or maybe she loved Kate the person), is part of a larger self-acceptance that's common to the adolescent experience. Lissa is a realistically flawed person who has been hiding herself her entire life, yet judging people who put themselves out there. While she's presented with a number of previews of how difficult life as a gay person might be, she decides the greater crime is to live a lie, a half-formed life.
There is a running subplot throughout the book about Lissa's attempts to engage in lucid dreaming that I did not think was very successful. While Lissa's interest and success in this new-age topic, despite her previous identity as a skeptic, is meant to show her growth as a person and provides the context for Ariel and Lissa's friendship, I felt like it took up too prominent space in the plot long after it had served its useful purpose.
I very much enjoyed Lissa's relationship with her younger sister. Lissa is both a sister and a mother to her sister, who was only two when their parents died; she realizes that her sister is developing a toxic friendship, but she handles it very well, subtly showing her sister her new friend's true colors and letting her come to that realization on her own. One can see that Lissa wishes her own mother were still alive, helping her work out her own issues with Kate.
About the Author
Lauren Myracle is perhaps known for her "IM Girl" series that started with ttyl, reviewed in this blog. She is a young adult author whose work has been frequently challenged: ttyl for its adult themes and Kissing Kate for its lesbian content. Her latest offering for middle school readers, Luv Ya Bunches, recently made headlines when it was banned from Scholastic Book Fairs because one of its four main characters had same-sex parents.
Curriculum Ties
The book could be used in a school setting to discuss identity and/or lesbian and gay themes.
Booktalking Ideas
1. Explain Kate and Lissa's history and current strained relationship.
2. Discuss Lissa's new friendship with Ariel and how it helps her reevaluate herself.
3. Explore Lissa's family and her relationship with her sister. Is it easier to see other people making mistakes than to see those mistakes in ourselves?
Reading Interest/Level
This book would be of interest to both junior high and high school students.
Challenge Issues
Though there is some alcohol involved--Kate is drunk when she first kisses Lissa, and Lissa later gets drunk after school with Finn and Ariel--this book's main challenge issue is the fact that it's centered around two teenage girls who are romantically involved. I personally do not think there is anything in this book that wouldn't be appropriate for junior high or high school students, but it is a frequently challenged book.
Should it be challenged, the librarian should be able to explain and defend her library's collection policy to the challenger and show how Kissing Kate meets those criteria. S/he could point to the book's numerous positive reviews as proof of its worth.
Selection Criteria
Kissing Kate was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults.
Showing posts with label contemporary life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contemporary life. Show all posts
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Stargirl
Jerry Spinelli
ISBN 0-679-88637-0
186 pages
Alfred A. Knopf, 2000
Genre: Contemporary Life
Readers Annotation
When Stargirl enrolls in an Arizona high school, at first the student body embraces her eccentric ways. Soon, though, they turn against her, and the narrator Leo urges Stargirl to conform.
Plot Summary
Leo is a student at a high school in Mica, Arizona, where conformity is praised above all else. A new student named Stargirl shakes things up. She serenades classmates at lunch with her ukelele, carries a pet rat around everywhere, and performs random acts of kindness. At a football game, she's a tireless cheerleader, cheering for absolutely everyone, including the opposing team. The student body is infatuated and charmed by Stargirl's eccentricities. However, when the basketball team starts winning games, the students no longer tolerate Stargirl's penchant for cheering the opposing side. The entire student body shuns her, pretending she doesn't exist.
Leo, the narrator, is fascinated by Stargirl, and he's caught her eye, too. Hanging out with her after school, he learns that Stargirl's desire to spread love and happiness extends past the walls of the high school. She scours the newspaper for human interest stories, looking for small ways she can make perfect strangers perfectly happy. Leo is bothered by the horrible way the students treat Stargirl--perhaps more bothered by the fact that he's becoming a social outcast himself--and convinces Stargirl to try and conform more to group expectations. She shows up to school in normal clothes and starts calling herself by her given name, Susan. But can Stargirl be happy being like everybody else? Will Leo still love her if she's just like everybody else? And will everybody else even accept her as a regular student, or has she already branded herself an outsider?
Critical Evaluation
Stargirl is a short but moving work about non-conformity. This is a topic that will really resonant with young adults, who often worry both about fitting in but also about maintaining their individuality. Leo narrates the story from his perspective as an adult, so he's able to clearly articulate some important thoughts about the way that social groups work in high school. As long as Mica High School remains relatively undistinguished in sports and academics, the students are happy to accept Stargirl's message of universal love. However, as soon as the basketball team starts winning, they immediately start identifying as winners--and expecting to win--and view Stargirl's philosophy as almost traitorous.
Though Leo ultimately fails Stargirl and asks her to compromise herself for his own comfort, Spinelli is not unkind to him. He's young and doesn't realize that asking Stargirl to pretend to be someone else will spoil what he liked about her in the first place. Stargirl's final act at school, however, is triumphant, and Leo learns his lesson. The ending shows Stargirl's lasting influence at Mica High, long after she has left, and Leo, older and wiser, wishes he had held onto their relationship. The final sentence, though, leaves some hope for their future.
Technically, Spinelli structures the book in an interesting way. The first half of the story is told by Leo using mostly first-person plural--we did this, we did that--showing his total identification as part of the group mob. In the second half of the story, after Stargirl helps Leo find his own voice, he switches to first-person singular and is able to speak about what he specifically thought and did.
Other Books in the Series
A sequel, Love, Stargirl, told from the perspective of Stargirl, was published in 2007.
About the author
Jerry Spinelli is a Newbery-Medal winning author of books for children and young adults. He considers himself a writer for everyone, not just children, so many of his book have wide appeal for teens and adult readers, even though their protagonists are slightly younger. He has explored the issues of popularity and of being an outcast in many of his novels. Stargirl is his best known and most popular novel, and it has inspired teens at various high schools to create their own Stargirl societies.
Curriculum Ties
This philosophical little book would be a great choice to explore the issues of social dynamics, conformity, and individuality.
Booktalking Ideas
1. Talk about Stargirl's arrival at Mica High. Ask how such a character would be received at their school.
2. Explore Leo and Stargirl's relationship. Should he ask her to change, or should he just accept being an outcast himself?
3. Talk about the students' relationship with Archie, the old retired paleontologist who serves as their unofficial mentor and guru.
Challenge Issues
None
Selection Criteria
Stargirl was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year and also is a New York Times bestseller.
Jerry Spinelli
ISBN 0-679-88637-0
186 pages
Alfred A. Knopf, 2000
Genre: Contemporary Life
Readers Annotation
When Stargirl enrolls in an Arizona high school, at first the student body embraces her eccentric ways. Soon, though, they turn against her, and the narrator Leo urges Stargirl to conform.
Plot Summary
Leo is a student at a high school in Mica, Arizona, where conformity is praised above all else. A new student named Stargirl shakes things up. She serenades classmates at lunch with her ukelele, carries a pet rat around everywhere, and performs random acts of kindness. At a football game, she's a tireless cheerleader, cheering for absolutely everyone, including the opposing team. The student body is infatuated and charmed by Stargirl's eccentricities. However, when the basketball team starts winning games, the students no longer tolerate Stargirl's penchant for cheering the opposing side. The entire student body shuns her, pretending she doesn't exist.
Leo, the narrator, is fascinated by Stargirl, and he's caught her eye, too. Hanging out with her after school, he learns that Stargirl's desire to spread love and happiness extends past the walls of the high school. She scours the newspaper for human interest stories, looking for small ways she can make perfect strangers perfectly happy. Leo is bothered by the horrible way the students treat Stargirl--perhaps more bothered by the fact that he's becoming a social outcast himself--and convinces Stargirl to try and conform more to group expectations. She shows up to school in normal clothes and starts calling herself by her given name, Susan. But can Stargirl be happy being like everybody else? Will Leo still love her if she's just like everybody else? And will everybody else even accept her as a regular student, or has she already branded herself an outsider?
Critical Evaluation
Stargirl is a short but moving work about non-conformity. This is a topic that will really resonant with young adults, who often worry both about fitting in but also about maintaining their individuality. Leo narrates the story from his perspective as an adult, so he's able to clearly articulate some important thoughts about the way that social groups work in high school. As long as Mica High School remains relatively undistinguished in sports and academics, the students are happy to accept Stargirl's message of universal love. However, as soon as the basketball team starts winning, they immediately start identifying as winners--and expecting to win--and view Stargirl's philosophy as almost traitorous.
Though Leo ultimately fails Stargirl and asks her to compromise herself for his own comfort, Spinelli is not unkind to him. He's young and doesn't realize that asking Stargirl to pretend to be someone else will spoil what he liked about her in the first place. Stargirl's final act at school, however, is triumphant, and Leo learns his lesson. The ending shows Stargirl's lasting influence at Mica High, long after she has left, and Leo, older and wiser, wishes he had held onto their relationship. The final sentence, though, leaves some hope for their future.
Technically, Spinelli structures the book in an interesting way. The first half of the story is told by Leo using mostly first-person plural--we did this, we did that--showing his total identification as part of the group mob. In the second half of the story, after Stargirl helps Leo find his own voice, he switches to first-person singular and is able to speak about what he specifically thought and did.
Other Books in the Series
A sequel, Love, Stargirl, told from the perspective of Stargirl, was published in 2007.
About the author
Jerry Spinelli is a Newbery-Medal winning author of books for children and young adults. He considers himself a writer for everyone, not just children, so many of his book have wide appeal for teens and adult readers, even though their protagonists are slightly younger. He has explored the issues of popularity and of being an outcast in many of his novels. Stargirl is his best known and most popular novel, and it has inspired teens at various high schools to create their own Stargirl societies.
Curriculum Ties
This philosophical little book would be a great choice to explore the issues of social dynamics, conformity, and individuality.
Booktalking Ideas
1. Talk about Stargirl's arrival at Mica High. Ask how such a character would be received at their school.
2. Explore Leo and Stargirl's relationship. Should he ask her to change, or should he just accept being an outcast himself?
3. Talk about the students' relationship with Archie, the old retired paleontologist who serves as their unofficial mentor and guru.
Challenge Issues
None
Selection Criteria
Stargirl was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year and also is a New York Times bestseller.
Monday, November 9, 2009
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things
Carolyn Mackler
ISBN 1844282937
304 pages
Walker Books, 2006
Genre: Humor; Chick Lit; Contemporary Life
Readers Annotation
Overweight teen Virginia has always tried extra hard to win the affections of her picture-perfect family, but when an incident shows that they're not so perfect after all, she decides to live life on her own terms.
Plot Summary
Virginia's best friend Shannon has moved across the country--from Manhattan to Walla Walla--and now that her older sister has joined the Peace Corps and her older brother has started at Columbia, her parents have more time to obsess over her. While she's played the role of the dutiful daughter, they've mostly ignored her in favor of her flashier--and thinner--older siblings. Now, though, her mother--a therapist famous for her advice on how to relate to teens and a former fat girl herself--is convinced that all of Virginia's problems would go away if she just dropped a few dress sizes. Her father, who is quite vocal about how attractive he finds thin women's bodies, goes along with the plan.
Virginia is glad to be finally getting some attention from her parents, so she goes along with their wishes. But when her brother is kicked out of Columbia, she's forced to reexamine her family dynamics. Thrust once again into the background, Virginia finds comfort in food. But she also realizes that her family has some serious communication problems and that she's through living life on anyone's terms but her own. She makes some changes that force her parents--and her classmates--to take a look at her and see the real Virginia for the first time.
Critical Evaluation
The Earth... was a genuinely funny, uplifting look at how a teenage girl learns to love and accept herself. I thought Mackler's portrayal of Virginia's family was wonderful. In the beginning, Virginia is so desperate to be included as an equal member in her family that's she's willing to overlook a lot of egregiously bad treatment on the part of her brother and her parents. But as she starts to examine their behavior, she realizes that she deserves a lot better. Certain things like her older sister's decision to join the Peace Corps make a lot of sense once Virginia's parents have shown their true colors; when Virginia's sister writes her a letter at the end of the book, it's nearly as cathartic for the reader as it is for Virginia. We know that she'll be OK.
The decision to have Virginia's best friend move away for the year was a smart choice, too. Virginia is forced into a position as outsider at her school, so she's forced to take a good look at the social dynamics at play. At first, we accept Virginia's conclusion that the popular kids will only talk to other popular kids, etc., but eventually we realize--as Virginia's beloved teacher Mrs. Crowley already has--that Virginia has chosen her isolation. A supporting cast of characters, including the eccentric Alyssa and the blond, bland cheerleader Brie, who has problems of her own, fill out the cast nicely.
Teenager girls will be rooting at Virginia's transformation; it puts an emotional context to the typical teenage rebellion. It may inspire them to shake things up a little themselves!
About the Author
Carolyn Mackler has written four young adult novels. The strong feminist undertone to The Earth.... may be explained by the fact that Mackler started out her career as an intern for Ms. magazine. She confesses that in high school she never quite fit in, which may have inspired the character of Virginia.
Curriculum Ties
The book could be used to talk about families and self-acceptance.
Booktalking Ideas
1. Write the booktalk in the form of the lists that Virginia uses.
2. Talk about Virginia as compared to her family--why does she feel like such an outcast?
3. Talk about Virginia as compared to her classmates--why does she feel like such an outcast?
Reading Interest/Level
Because of a few more adult themes, this book is probably most appropriate for high schoolers. SLJ and Booklist both recommend it for grades 7-10, and while junior high students would probably enjoy and relate to it, librarians should be aware of some potentially controversial material.
Challenge Issues
This book has been one of the most challenged books in recent years. Virginia uses some strong language at times in the book. Her older brother is found guilty of date-raping a fellow students. Virginia self-injures herself when she's feeling particularly unhappy. Masturbation is mentioned several times in the book. Virginia gets drunk on New Year's Eve.
If the book were to be challenged, the librarian should familiarize herself with the library's selection policy and be able to explain and defend it to the challenger. She could point to the book's positive reviews, as well as its status as a Printz Honor Book, as proof of its worth.
Selection Criteria
The book was selected as a Printz Honor Book.
Carolyn Mackler
ISBN 1844282937
304 pages
Walker Books, 2006
Genre: Humor; Chick Lit; Contemporary Life
Readers Annotation
Overweight teen Virginia has always tried extra hard to win the affections of her picture-perfect family, but when an incident shows that they're not so perfect after all, she decides to live life on her own terms.
Plot Summary
Virginia's best friend Shannon has moved across the country--from Manhattan to Walla Walla--and now that her older sister has joined the Peace Corps and her older brother has started at Columbia, her parents have more time to obsess over her. While she's played the role of the dutiful daughter, they've mostly ignored her in favor of her flashier--and thinner--older siblings. Now, though, her mother--a therapist famous for her advice on how to relate to teens and a former fat girl herself--is convinced that all of Virginia's problems would go away if she just dropped a few dress sizes. Her father, who is quite vocal about how attractive he finds thin women's bodies, goes along with the plan.
Virginia is glad to be finally getting some attention from her parents, so she goes along with their wishes. But when her brother is kicked out of Columbia, she's forced to reexamine her family dynamics. Thrust once again into the background, Virginia finds comfort in food. But she also realizes that her family has some serious communication problems and that she's through living life on anyone's terms but her own. She makes some changes that force her parents--and her classmates--to take a look at her and see the real Virginia for the first time.
Critical Evaluation
The Earth... was a genuinely funny, uplifting look at how a teenage girl learns to love and accept herself. I thought Mackler's portrayal of Virginia's family was wonderful. In the beginning, Virginia is so desperate to be included as an equal member in her family that's she's willing to overlook a lot of egregiously bad treatment on the part of her brother and her parents. But as she starts to examine their behavior, she realizes that she deserves a lot better. Certain things like her older sister's decision to join the Peace Corps make a lot of sense once Virginia's parents have shown their true colors; when Virginia's sister writes her a letter at the end of the book, it's nearly as cathartic for the reader as it is for Virginia. We know that she'll be OK.
The decision to have Virginia's best friend move away for the year was a smart choice, too. Virginia is forced into a position as outsider at her school, so she's forced to take a good look at the social dynamics at play. At first, we accept Virginia's conclusion that the popular kids will only talk to other popular kids, etc., but eventually we realize--as Virginia's beloved teacher Mrs. Crowley already has--that Virginia has chosen her isolation. A supporting cast of characters, including the eccentric Alyssa and the blond, bland cheerleader Brie, who has problems of her own, fill out the cast nicely.
Teenager girls will be rooting at Virginia's transformation; it puts an emotional context to the typical teenage rebellion. It may inspire them to shake things up a little themselves!
About the Author
Carolyn Mackler has written four young adult novels. The strong feminist undertone to The Earth.... may be explained by the fact that Mackler started out her career as an intern for Ms. magazine. She confesses that in high school she never quite fit in, which may have inspired the character of Virginia.
Curriculum Ties
The book could be used to talk about families and self-acceptance.
Booktalking Ideas
1. Write the booktalk in the form of the lists that Virginia uses.
2. Talk about Virginia as compared to her family--why does she feel like such an outcast?
3. Talk about Virginia as compared to her classmates--why does she feel like such an outcast?
Reading Interest/Level
Because of a few more adult themes, this book is probably most appropriate for high schoolers. SLJ and Booklist both recommend it for grades 7-10, and while junior high students would probably enjoy and relate to it, librarians should be aware of some potentially controversial material.
Challenge Issues
This book has been one of the most challenged books in recent years. Virginia uses some strong language at times in the book. Her older brother is found guilty of date-raping a fellow students. Virginia self-injures herself when she's feeling particularly unhappy. Masturbation is mentioned several times in the book. Virginia gets drunk on New Year's Eve.
If the book were to be challenged, the librarian should familiarize herself with the library's selection policy and be able to explain and defend it to the challenger. She could point to the book's positive reviews, as well as its status as a Printz Honor Book, as proof of its worth.
Selection Criteria
The book was selected as a Printz Honor Book.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
ttyl by Lauren Myracle
ttyl
Lauren Myracle
ISBN 978-0-8109-8788-3
209 pages;
Amulet Books, 2004
Genre: Epistolary; Contemporary Life; Humor;
Readers Annotation
Three best friends rely on their friendship for support during their sophomore year, in this story told exclusively through their IM logs.
Plot Summary
Cute, boy-crazy Angela, tough, sarcastic Maddie, and responsible, thoughtful Zoe are a trio of best friends who call themselves the Winsome Threesome. As they enter their sophomore year, they vow to remain as close as ever. Maddie counts down the days until she can get her driver's license. She starts the year complaining to her friends about Jana, the school's queen bee mean girl, but ends up forming a friendship with her. Angela and Zoe, though, suspect Jana may be more interested in Maddie's license and car than Maddie herself. Zoe joins the Christian fellowship. Her growing friendship with Mr. H., its faculty sponsor (and her English teacher), worries her friends, though Zoe swears his interest in her is strictly professional. Angela crushes hard on a series of boys; she's convinced each one is "the one," though her friends have seen her repeat the pattern often enough not to take her too seriously.
Will the Winsome Threesome remain as close as ever, or will they grow apart as their lives start to take them in different directions?
Critical Evaluation
I was a bit skeptical about how the book's structure would work--the story is told exclusively through the logs of their IM sessions--but I actually really enjoyed how the story unfolded. In their IMs, the girls talk about incidents at school, the TV shows they're watching, funny things that happened at work, mean things their parents said, the online quizzes they're taking. These small details, which might not make it into a more traditionally structured novel, work to give the reader a more intimate view of what these girls' lives really look like.
While the girls do occasionallyy join a group chat session, mostly they talk one-on-one. This also helps us get a more well-rounded view of the girls and their friendship because they interact in slightly different ways with the other two. And, just as often happens in real life, at times the trio is threatened when one girl feels that the other two are ganging up on her. This format also brings up the issue of the unreliable narrator; sometimes one girl lies to another, and sometimes the other girls (and reader) see the truth of a situation before the girl involved does.
It's a quick, breezy, satisfying read--a great book to recommend to reluctant readers.
Other Books in the Series
ttfn (2007)
l8r, g8r (2008)
About the Author
Lauren Myracle is a best-selling, often-praised and honored author whose works have also been frequently challenged. Besides the "IM" series, she is best known for Kissing Kate, a romance involving two girls, and Rhymes with Bitches, about a group of high school mean girls. Both books have been frequently challenged for their content, though they were also included a collection of best books for teens.
Curriculum Ties
This novel could be used as an example of non-traditional storytelling, a modern take on the epistolary novel.
Booktalking Ideas
1. Talk about the book's structure, explaining how it gives the reader an intimate peek in their lives.
2. Talk about Maddie's relationship with Jana. Why she does she jump at the chance to be her friend, even though she knows she's mean?
3. Talk about Zoe's budding friendship with Mr. H. Should a teacher be friends with a student?
Reading Interest/Level
Though the book's take on friendships, relationships, and navigating social territory would appeal to both junior high and high school students, some potentially controversial content makes it more appropriate for older teens.
Challenge Issues
The book does contain some strong language, though it's used sparingly and realistically. Mr. H is clearly trying to seduce Zoe, which has huge challenge potential. Also, Maddie attends a frat party, where she gets drunk and is egged on to take off her top and do a striptease for the guys at the party, who throw money at her.
If the book were challenged, the librarian should read the book and point out that none of these incidents are portrayed in a flattering light. The librarian should be explain to explain and defend the library's collection policy to the challenger, pointing to ttyl's many positive reviews, including a starred review in SLJ, and its huge popularity with teen readers as proof of its worth.
Selection Criteria
ttyl was named a Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. It was also included in Anita Silvey's book 500 Best Books for Teens.
Lauren Myracle
ISBN 978-0-8109-8788-3
209 pages;
Amulet Books, 2004
Genre: Epistolary; Contemporary Life; Humor;
Readers Annotation
Three best friends rely on their friendship for support during their sophomore year, in this story told exclusively through their IM logs.
Plot Summary
Cute, boy-crazy Angela, tough, sarcastic Maddie, and responsible, thoughtful Zoe are a trio of best friends who call themselves the Winsome Threesome. As they enter their sophomore year, they vow to remain as close as ever. Maddie counts down the days until she can get her driver's license. She starts the year complaining to her friends about Jana, the school's queen bee mean girl, but ends up forming a friendship with her. Angela and Zoe, though, suspect Jana may be more interested in Maddie's license and car than Maddie herself. Zoe joins the Christian fellowship. Her growing friendship with Mr. H., its faculty sponsor (and her English teacher), worries her friends, though Zoe swears his interest in her is strictly professional. Angela crushes hard on a series of boys; she's convinced each one is "the one," though her friends have seen her repeat the pattern often enough not to take her too seriously.
Will the Winsome Threesome remain as close as ever, or will they grow apart as their lives start to take them in different directions?
Critical Evaluation
I was a bit skeptical about how the book's structure would work--the story is told exclusively through the logs of their IM sessions--but I actually really enjoyed how the story unfolded. In their IMs, the girls talk about incidents at school, the TV shows they're watching, funny things that happened at work, mean things their parents said, the online quizzes they're taking. These small details, which might not make it into a more traditionally structured novel, work to give the reader a more intimate view of what these girls' lives really look like.
While the girls do occasionallyy join a group chat session, mostly they talk one-on-one. This also helps us get a more well-rounded view of the girls and their friendship because they interact in slightly different ways with the other two. And, just as often happens in real life, at times the trio is threatened when one girl feels that the other two are ganging up on her. This format also brings up the issue of the unreliable narrator; sometimes one girl lies to another, and sometimes the other girls (and reader) see the truth of a situation before the girl involved does.
It's a quick, breezy, satisfying read--a great book to recommend to reluctant readers.
Other Books in the Series
ttfn (2007)
l8r, g8r (2008)
About the Author
Lauren Myracle is a best-selling, often-praised and honored author whose works have also been frequently challenged. Besides the "IM" series, she is best known for Kissing Kate, a romance involving two girls, and Rhymes with Bitches, about a group of high school mean girls. Both books have been frequently challenged for their content, though they were also included a collection of best books for teens.
Curriculum Ties
This novel could be used as an example of non-traditional storytelling, a modern take on the epistolary novel.
Booktalking Ideas
1. Talk about the book's structure, explaining how it gives the reader an intimate peek in their lives.
2. Talk about Maddie's relationship with Jana. Why she does she jump at the chance to be her friend, even though she knows she's mean?
3. Talk about Zoe's budding friendship with Mr. H. Should a teacher be friends with a student?
Reading Interest/Level
Though the book's take on friendships, relationships, and navigating social territory would appeal to both junior high and high school students, some potentially controversial content makes it more appropriate for older teens.
Challenge Issues
The book does contain some strong language, though it's used sparingly and realistically. Mr. H is clearly trying to seduce Zoe, which has huge challenge potential. Also, Maddie attends a frat party, where she gets drunk and is egged on to take off her top and do a striptease for the guys at the party, who throw money at her.
If the book were challenged, the librarian should read the book and point out that none of these incidents are portrayed in a flattering light. The librarian should be explain to explain and defend the library's collection policy to the challenger, pointing to ttyl's many positive reviews, including a starred review in SLJ, and its huge popularity with teen readers as proof of its worth.
Selection Criteria
ttyl was named a Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. It was also included in Anita Silvey's book 500 Best Books for Teens.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White
The President's Daughter
Ellen Emerson White
ISBN 0312374887
304 pages
Feiwel & Friends, 2008
Genre: Contemporary Life
Reader's Annotation:
Sixteen-year-old Meghan Powers' relationship with her mother becomes even more complicated when she becomes the first female President of the United States.
Plot Summary:
Meghan Powers is a pretty typical teenager; smart and sarcastic, she lives for tennis, hangs out with her friends, and loves to tease her younger brother. Her family life drastically changes, however, when her mother, the senior senator from Massachusetts, decides to run in the Democratic primary. Her parents are usually off campaigning, and Meghan finds herself with unwanted attention both from people and teachers at her high school and from the media. Things get even stranger when her mother wins the primary. Megan goes from hanging out in Boston with her best friend Beth to staying at the Presidential Suite in the Waldorf-Astoria.
When her mother wins the election and is sworn in as president, Meghan and her family move into the White House, where life gets really weird. Not only is it kind of strange to be waited on by the Cast of Thousands (the nickname Meg and her brothers come up with for the large White House staff), but now every move the First Family makes is captured by the media. Meg's relationship with her mother, too, is complicated; Meg admires how beautiful, smart, and honest her mother is, but she also wishes that she weren't so ambitious and that she were around more. Meg wonders if she can ever carve out an identity for herself, or whether she'll always be the President's daughter.
Critical Evaluation:
White's novel is at once an interesting political piece and an intimate look inside a very smart, very funny teenage girl's head. The novel is well-researched, and the reader gets a very inside view at what life is like both inside a national political campaign and in the White House. The political aspect of the book is exciting and accessible, appealing to political junkies and those readers who may be new to politics.
Meg's family is both appealing and honestly drawn. Her parents and brothers are all complex, fleshed-out characters. Her father, like Meg, is both proud of his wife's talents and accomplishments, but also fiercely protective of his family; a life in the spotlight is not one he would have chosen for himself or his children. Her brothers lovingly tease Meg, as younger brothers do, but there is a real sense of love among the siblings. In the character of Meg's mother, Katharine Vaughn Powers, White creates a character equally driven by her love for her family and her personal ambition, not to mention her honest desire to serve her country and improve the lives of Americans.
The story is told in the third-person, but entirely from Meg's point of view. Meg's voice is unique; smart, cynical, at times slightly bratty and immature; at others wise beyond her years. She's a realistic and wonderful teenage girl.
Other Titles in the Series
White House Autumn (2008)
Long Live the Queen (2008)
Long May She Reign (2007)
Note: The President's Daughter, White House Autumn, and Long Live the Queen were originally published between 1984 and 1991. In 2007, White published a fourth in the series, Long May She Reign. The events in that novel take place immediately after the end of the third book, though White moved the setting from the '80s to the modern day. In 2008, her publisher released updated versions of the first three novels, also setting them in the modern day. They remain largely the same, though White took out some outdated things (old technologies or pop culture references) and added in some contemporary things, like cell phones and email.
About the Author
Ellen Emerson White wrote a number of young adult novels in the 1980s. She is largely known for her smart, strong, funny, and complicated female heroines. She's written under several pseudonyms; as Zack Emerson, she published a young adult series about the Vietnam War, and then under her own name, she wrote The Road Home, a standalone novel involving some of the same characters from the point of view of Rebecca, an army nurse. White has also written an adult mystery novel.
Curriculum Ties
American politics
Booktalking Ideas
1. Talk about the political aspect of the book, tying it into the 2008 election with the Democratic primary between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
2. Talk about Meg's relationship with her family, especially her mother.
3. Talk about how Meg's relationships with her friends and classmates change as her mother grows in prominence.
Reading Interest/Level
9th grade and up, though some junior high students may enjoy it.
Challenge Issues
None, though there is some mild language and a scene where Meg attends a party where underage people are drinking beer.
Selection Criteria
I read and enjoyed this novel as a teen myself and was excited to read the recent sequel and the updated version released last year. Shows you how a great book really does hold up!
Ellen Emerson White
ISBN 0312374887
304 pages
Feiwel & Friends, 2008
Genre: Contemporary Life
Reader's Annotation:
Sixteen-year-old Meghan Powers' relationship with her mother becomes even more complicated when she becomes the first female President of the United States.
Plot Summary:
Meghan Powers is a pretty typical teenager; smart and sarcastic, she lives for tennis, hangs out with her friends, and loves to tease her younger brother. Her family life drastically changes, however, when her mother, the senior senator from Massachusetts, decides to run in the Democratic primary. Her parents are usually off campaigning, and Meghan finds herself with unwanted attention both from people and teachers at her high school and from the media. Things get even stranger when her mother wins the primary. Megan goes from hanging out in Boston with her best friend Beth to staying at the Presidential Suite in the Waldorf-Astoria.
When her mother wins the election and is sworn in as president, Meghan and her family move into the White House, where life gets really weird. Not only is it kind of strange to be waited on by the Cast of Thousands (the nickname Meg and her brothers come up with for the large White House staff), but now every move the First Family makes is captured by the media. Meg's relationship with her mother, too, is complicated; Meg admires how beautiful, smart, and honest her mother is, but she also wishes that she weren't so ambitious and that she were around more. Meg wonders if she can ever carve out an identity for herself, or whether she'll always be the President's daughter.
Critical Evaluation:
White's novel is at once an interesting political piece and an intimate look inside a very smart, very funny teenage girl's head. The novel is well-researched, and the reader gets a very inside view at what life is like both inside a national political campaign and in the White House. The political aspect of the book is exciting and accessible, appealing to political junkies and those readers who may be new to politics.
Meg's family is both appealing and honestly drawn. Her parents and brothers are all complex, fleshed-out characters. Her father, like Meg, is both proud of his wife's talents and accomplishments, but also fiercely protective of his family; a life in the spotlight is not one he would have chosen for himself or his children. Her brothers lovingly tease Meg, as younger brothers do, but there is a real sense of love among the siblings. In the character of Meg's mother, Katharine Vaughn Powers, White creates a character equally driven by her love for her family and her personal ambition, not to mention her honest desire to serve her country and improve the lives of Americans.
The story is told in the third-person, but entirely from Meg's point of view. Meg's voice is unique; smart, cynical, at times slightly bratty and immature; at others wise beyond her years. She's a realistic and wonderful teenage girl.
Other Titles in the Series
White House Autumn (2008)
Long Live the Queen (2008)
Long May She Reign (2007)
Note: The President's Daughter, White House Autumn, and Long Live the Queen were originally published between 1984 and 1991. In 2007, White published a fourth in the series, Long May She Reign. The events in that novel take place immediately after the end of the third book, though White moved the setting from the '80s to the modern day. In 2008, her publisher released updated versions of the first three novels, also setting them in the modern day. They remain largely the same, though White took out some outdated things (old technologies or pop culture references) and added in some contemporary things, like cell phones and email.
About the Author
Ellen Emerson White wrote a number of young adult novels in the 1980s. She is largely known for her smart, strong, funny, and complicated female heroines. She's written under several pseudonyms; as Zack Emerson, she published a young adult series about the Vietnam War, and then under her own name, she wrote The Road Home, a standalone novel involving some of the same characters from the point of view of Rebecca, an army nurse. White has also written an adult mystery novel.
Curriculum Ties
American politics
Booktalking Ideas
1. Talk about the political aspect of the book, tying it into the 2008 election with the Democratic primary between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
2. Talk about Meg's relationship with her family, especially her mother.
3. Talk about how Meg's relationships with her friends and classmates change as her mother grows in prominence.
Reading Interest/Level
9th grade and up, though some junior high students may enjoy it.
Challenge Issues
None, though there is some mild language and a scene where Meg attends a party where underage people are drinking beer.
Selection Criteria
I read and enjoyed this novel as a teen myself and was excited to read the recent sequel and the updated version released last year. Shows you how a great book really does hold up!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Intensely Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Intensely Alice
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
ISBN 978-1-4169-7551-9
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2009
269 pages
Genre: Contemporary Life
Reader's Annotation:
Alice spends the summer before her senior year hanging out with old friends and seeking out new experiences.
Plot Summary
Alice is worried she'll spend the summer before her senior year missing her boyfriend Patrick, who's already left for classes at University of Chicago, but she easily fills her time hanging out with "the gang" who have been friends since middle school. They goof off and hang out at the Stedmeister's pool, but they also spend a week volunteering at a soup kitchen and another week apartment-sitting for her brother Lester. Alice also has plenty of solo adventures: she serves as a bridesmaid at her cousin's wedding in Chicago (even getting to go to the slightly risque bachelorette party!) and combines that trip with an overnight visit to Patrick's dorm.
Life seems pretty charmed and full of possibilities, but everything changes when senseless tragedy strikes at the end of the summer. Alice is first comforted at how it unites her group of friends, but then upset and frustrated at the different way in which her friends express their grief.
Critical Evaluation
Intensely Alice is the 24th book Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has written about Alice. I've read most of them, starting with The Agony of Alice (first published in 1986!). At their best, the Alice books combine frank, honest treatment about many hot-button issues (molestation, teen pregnancy, anorexia) with a tone that's funny and authentic. Sometimes they can seem a little didactic, but Intensely Alice largely stays away from this tendency. In this book, Naylor is really skilled at interweaving small experiences from the everyday into a larger picture. For much of the book, Alice anticipates the night she'll spend with Patrick in his dorm room. When the time comes, the evening is treated with honesty and respect, and thanks to the low hygiene standards of three guys sharing a college dorm room, some trademark Alice pratfalls.
Naylor weaves in a lot of discussion about religion in this book; she has a group of teens discuss the topic at the homeless shelter, and Alice has many conversations about religion with a co-worker who's about to enter seminary to become a priest. Alice stays away from jumping on board with any specific religion or denomination, or even a definite belief in God, but she has a strong moral compass, telling her father, "All I know is I want to be a part of everything that's good and true and real."
The tragedy that ends the book is genuinely unexpected and moving, especially for long-time readers of the series. Unlike some of the other Alice books, this one could stand on its own to a reader unfamiliar with the other books.
About the author:
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has written over 130 books for children and young adults. She's written a large variety of styles, from picture books to young adult novels to mysteries. She won the Newbury Medal in 1992 for Shiloh, which has two sequels; all three Shiloh books were made into movies. She's written 24 books about Alice McKinley since 1986; Alice progressively gets older in each book, starting as a soon-to-be 6th grader and now a soon-to-be high school senior. Naylor plans 4 more books in the series: three for Alice's senior year of high school, and then one final book which will take Alice from age 18 to age 60.
Genre
Coming of Age/Comedy/Romance/Drama
Curriculum Ties
This books is not particularly suited for use in a curriculum.
Booktalking Ideas
1. Speak in character as Alice, catching the audience up on what her friends have been up to, and what she's looking forward to this summer.
2. Talk about the importance of friends and the many fun, silly, and serious things Alice's group of friends does throughout the book
3. Focus on a few of the really humorous incidents in the book, such as the bachelorette party
Reading Level/Interest Age
9th grade and up
Challenge Issues
Teenage sexuality; teen pregnancy; religious discussion
The Alice books are frequently included in ALA's list of most frequently challenged books for their frank discussions of teen sexuality and hot-button issues like homosexuality and molestation.
If challenged, one should be clearly aware of the selection policy at their library and be ready to explain that to the challenger. One could point out the positive reviews the series has received over the years from various professional reviewing journals.
Selection Criteria:
I've been reading the Alice books since I was in middle school, and I'm always curious to pick up the latest one.
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
ISBN 978-1-4169-7551-9
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2009
269 pages
Genre: Contemporary Life
Reader's Annotation:
Alice spends the summer before her senior year hanging out with old friends and seeking out new experiences.
Plot Summary
Alice is worried she'll spend the summer before her senior year missing her boyfriend Patrick, who's already left for classes at University of Chicago, but she easily fills her time hanging out with "the gang" who have been friends since middle school. They goof off and hang out at the Stedmeister's pool, but they also spend a week volunteering at a soup kitchen and another week apartment-sitting for her brother Lester. Alice also has plenty of solo adventures: she serves as a bridesmaid at her cousin's wedding in Chicago (even getting to go to the slightly risque bachelorette party!) and combines that trip with an overnight visit to Patrick's dorm.
Life seems pretty charmed and full of possibilities, but everything changes when senseless tragedy strikes at the end of the summer. Alice is first comforted at how it unites her group of friends, but then upset and frustrated at the different way in which her friends express their grief.
Critical Evaluation
Intensely Alice is the 24th book Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has written about Alice. I've read most of them, starting with The Agony of Alice (first published in 1986!). At their best, the Alice books combine frank, honest treatment about many hot-button issues (molestation, teen pregnancy, anorexia) with a tone that's funny and authentic. Sometimes they can seem a little didactic, but Intensely Alice largely stays away from this tendency. In this book, Naylor is really skilled at interweaving small experiences from the everyday into a larger picture. For much of the book, Alice anticipates the night she'll spend with Patrick in his dorm room. When the time comes, the evening is treated with honesty and respect, and thanks to the low hygiene standards of three guys sharing a college dorm room, some trademark Alice pratfalls.
Naylor weaves in a lot of discussion about religion in this book; she has a group of teens discuss the topic at the homeless shelter, and Alice has many conversations about religion with a co-worker who's about to enter seminary to become a priest. Alice stays away from jumping on board with any specific religion or denomination, or even a definite belief in God, but she has a strong moral compass, telling her father, "All I know is I want to be a part of everything that's good and true and real."
The tragedy that ends the book is genuinely unexpected and moving, especially for long-time readers of the series. Unlike some of the other Alice books, this one could stand on its own to a reader unfamiliar with the other books.
About the author:
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has written over 130 books for children and young adults. She's written a large variety of styles, from picture books to young adult novels to mysteries. She won the Newbury Medal in 1992 for Shiloh, which has two sequels; all three Shiloh books were made into movies. She's written 24 books about Alice McKinley since 1986; Alice progressively gets older in each book, starting as a soon-to-be 6th grader and now a soon-to-be high school senior. Naylor plans 4 more books in the series: three for Alice's senior year of high school, and then one final book which will take Alice from age 18 to age 60.
Genre
Coming of Age/Comedy/Romance/Drama
Curriculum Ties
This books is not particularly suited for use in a curriculum.
Booktalking Ideas
1. Speak in character as Alice, catching the audience up on what her friends have been up to, and what she's looking forward to this summer.
2. Talk about the importance of friends and the many fun, silly, and serious things Alice's group of friends does throughout the book
3. Focus on a few of the really humorous incidents in the book, such as the bachelorette party
Reading Level/Interest Age
9th grade and up
Challenge Issues
Teenage sexuality; teen pregnancy; religious discussion
The Alice books are frequently included in ALA's list of most frequently challenged books for their frank discussions of teen sexuality and hot-button issues like homosexuality and molestation.
If challenged, one should be clearly aware of the selection policy at their library and be ready to explain that to the challenger. One could point out the positive reviews the series has received over the years from various professional reviewing journals.
Selection Criteria:
I've been reading the Alice books since I was in middle school, and I'm always curious to pick up the latest one.
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