Book Review Nineteen: Twenty Boy Summer

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler, published by Little, Brown and Company.

I had been wanting to read this book for a while but it was hardcover and expensive and bumped down a few notches on my reading list. I found the perfect opportunity when I got to the Teen Festival and realized that not only was Sarah Ockler there but the book was also just released in paperback! So of course I bought it and had her sign it on the spot. I felt bad that I hadn't read it yet, but she was incredibly sweet. Twenty Boy Summer is her first novel so I think she was pretty excited (and privileged I might add) to be at the Teen Festival with many distinguished young adult authors.

The premise of this novel was intriguing. Anna and Frankie are sixteen-year-old best friends who have been friends their whole life. Their friendship always had a third counterpart: Frankie's older brother, Matt. However, Matt died in a combination heart failure-car accident the year before the novel starts. Before his death Anna and Matt shared a kiss that changed their entire friendship. Their feelings for each other intensified and Matt planned to tell Frankie about the two of them but his death changed all of that. Anna felt she had to keep the secret and her promise to Matt so she didn't admit it to anyone except the pages of her journal.

I find the theme of this book more beautiful and poetic than the actual plot. Anna has to find a way to grieve and remember Matt but also forgive him for leaving her, accept that he isn't coming back, and move on to actually living her life. The theme is taking advantage of every single moment and living life to its fullest. There aren't any second chances, so be grateful for every moment that you have. Anna tends to dwell on her memories and often thinks "what if" in the hopes that if one thing had occurred differently she would have inadvertently saved Matt's life. That would have been devastating for me because my favorite parts were Anna's memories of Matt.

Ockler describes their first kiss beautifully, "I kissed him back. I forgot time. I forgot my feet. I forgot the people outside, waiting for us to rejoin the party. I forgot what happens when friends cross into this space. And if my lungs didn't fill and my heart didn't beat and my blood didn't pump without my intervention, I would have forgotten them, too" (pg 7). Most of the book follows Anna's frustration and exhaustion over keeping this secret from Frankie. Frankie wants them to meet/kiss twenty boys over their summer vacation and in the midst find true love. Anna doesn't have the heart to tell her that she already found her true love. What is unexpected is that Anna does find herself having feelings for a boy in Zanzibar Bay, Sam. I didn't want to think that she could find love so easily after Matt, but she is only sixteen therefore she has her love ahead of her. She didn't get to experience much of love with Matt besides a few weeks of sneaking around. I suspect it would be easier for her to move on than for someone in a serious relationship. I think this makes her sadness revolving Matt's death more about his friendship and his stage as a brother-figure in her life rather than as a potential lover. "But when he died, I saw---nothing. There was nothing left to see. It happened and it was impossible and beautiful and then it ended before it even really began, leaving nothing behind but secrets and broken hearts" (pg 267).

It was a good book and I'm definitely glad that I read it, however it wasn't as much of a page-turner as I was expecting. I wonder if I would have liked it better if the beginning featured Anna's little affair with Matt and then we experienced the car accident in the present and then jumped ahead to the future, rather than being a year ahead and looking back every so often to explain what happened. I think it would have allowed for a wider range of emotions and for me to really connect with Anna better. Regardless, I love how Anna developed during the novel into a mature young woman who not only accepted what happened but also realized that Matt will always be with her, just as Sam will always be with her. She can't allow her life to stall and plateau every time there is a difficult feeling or decision. Every moment will forever change her but she can choose to have them change her for the better.

I will be keeping my eye on Sarah Ockler. If you like Twenty Boy Summer, her next novel is Fixing Delilah Hannaford and will be released November 2010.

Book Review Eighteen: This Lullaby

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen, published by Penguin Group.

I can't pass up a Sarah Dessen book now that I've been introduced to her! This one was no different. I happened to have some motivation to hit up the library one day. I sat there for literally an hour and read the first two chapters of this book. I liked it so much that I went out and bought it the next day. There's just something so enchanting about her books that makes you want to read them in one sitting but at the same time want them to last forever. That's exactly how I felt when I read Audrey, Wait!

Remy, the main character, is a recent high school graduate who is in control, organized, and thinks she knows what she wants in life. She doesn't believe in love lasting forever and she is constantly finding flaws in her endless stream of boyfriends. Her recent ex is Jonathon who she dumps in the beginning of the novel. She plans to have fun during her last summer before college and wants to spend it with Lissa, Jess, and Chloe, her three best friends. They remind me of the three best friends from Before I Fall. Just like Oliver's characters, Dessen gives personalities, histories, and dreams to all of her characters, no matter how minor.

Remy's mother is constantly falling in and out of love. She's been married several times and this novel features her latest marriage to Don, a car salesman. And if there isn't enough focus on love in Remy's life ... her brother Chris is also in love with his girlfriend, Jenny, Lissa with Adam, and even Jess becomes infatuated with a few boys. It's up to Remy and Chloe to remain cynical about the four-letter-word. However, Dexter has the power to change everything. He's a musician, like Remy's father who abandoned her when she was young but left her with a hit song to remember him by, and he's quirky, clumsy, blunt, and in love with her. She allows him a chance, despite his many flaws, but she still doesn't know if she can allow herself to be vulnerable enough to really let him in.

Sarah Dessen always develops her characters really well. They have flaws, they have promise, they have lovable traits, but they also have a past. That is the most intriguing part about Remy. She has this past of upsets that her mother caused. She has this really interesting backstory of watching her mother's failed marriages and her mother wrapped up in her latest novel (her mom is a romance novelist) and a bad reputation for allowing boys to go all the way, drinking, and smoking too much. I felt like there was this whole other story about Remy that I was missing. It's like you're really good friends with a person, you know everything about her, and then she disappears for two years. When that friend comes back things are just like old times, except no matter how much she fills you in on those two years you're still going to be out of the loop. You weren't there to experience it with her. Just like with Remy when she explains her bad side: "Her hair was flat, her face a little sweaty. She looked drunk, but I would have known her anywhere. It was everybody else who always liked to think she was gone for good" (pg 101). This made me wonder if something especially bad had happened to her. Was she taken advantage of in the past? Had she let someone in before only for him to break her heart? I felt like there was a strong backstory that just lingered around waiting to be explained. "How did I know this would be any different? The story could have been the same, easily; me drunk, in a deserted place. Someone there, reaching out for me. It had happened before. Who could blame me for my cold, hard heart?" (pg 108). Only that's the extent that Dessen shares with us.

The other really amazing thing about these characters is that they all influenced each other. Every character had a part in creating the way the rest of the characters turned out. Remy's mother clearly affected her perspective on love, but Remy (maybe inadvertently) also affected the way Chloe dealt with boys; "Because if I wasn't cold, hard Remy, then she couldn't be the Chloe she was, either." If Remy can fall in love with Dexter and throw all of her rules about boys out the window, then Chloe has the chance to fall in love also. I think that scares Chloe just as much as it scares Remy. I also think that one of the main influences on Remy's new view of love (besides Dexter) is her brother Chris. He's seen the worst of what it can do for someone, just like her, yet he focuses on seeing the best it can do.

So, in case you can't tell, I was in awe of Dessen's talent when I read this. I must have highlighted something every five pages. It was definitely worth the 8.99 for paperback.

Book Review Seventeen: Graylight

Graylight by Naomi Nowak, published by ComicsLit.

Honestly, I wouldn't pick this book for myself. My boyfriend bought it for me as a gift and I think he mainly liked the drug-induced illustrations. They truly do have the colors of what I imagine an acid trip to be like. There's an example below of the unconventional format Nowak uses for her illustrations. Generally I am used to there being lines or boxes to separate time or space in graphic novels. The most prominent example of this is Persepolis where not only the words in the box are important but the size of the box as well. If the box were to take up the entire page than that shows the reader it's extremely essential to the theme, plot, and character development. The author wouldn't waste valuable space on something nonessential. However, Nowak disturbs the traditional format of graphic novels and comics by overlapping scenes and characters. She lets her characters expand out of the boxes and into the excess space on the page. They literally are not confined by time or dimension.

The plot of this novel revolves around Aurora. She is a mother who promised her son that no woman would ever hurt him the way that she hurt his father. Basically she is protecting him from falling for someone just as beautiful and powerful as herself. She is also an author (and apparently a witch) who has scheduled an interview with the young journalist, Erik. Erik is smitten with a young woman, Sasha, who is portrayed as beautiful, strange, and a bit of a thief. He invites her along to the interview where she rubs Aurora the wrong way. Sasha steals a book from the home on her way out which forces Edmund to go after her. This is a pivotal point in the plot because she has the opportunity to seduce Edmund and to hurt him. There isn't a huge plot or conflict after this. There's an important turn of events but because it's "a quick read" and not heavy on the dialogue or narration it seems to all be resolved quickly. In order to make the novel last longer and feel suspense I would recommend taking a while to peruse the illustrations and really concentrate on the colors and the overlap.

I like plot. I like character development. And I like words. Therefore this wasn't exactly the novel for me (not to say that it didn't have all three, just that they weren't priorities for Nowak). It had an interesting, yet confusing, storyline. I understand it after reading it over twice, however Nowak complicated the chronology of the story and the setting of the story with her unconventional format and use of color. I suppose it didn't help that the main characters all looked so similar; I was confused in several areas as to who was talking to whom.

Due to a few graphic images and the confusing yet advanced storyline I wouldn't recommend this novel for anyone younger than 13-16. Although I have commented on the strange use of color and its drug-like effect, many of the pictures are indeed beautiful and beg to be studied at length. One will find herself going back to this book long after reading it just to look at these images and marvel at Nowak's artistic talent.

Book Review Sixteen: Far From You

Far From You by Lisa Schroeder, published by Simon Pulse.

The main character of this novel is Alice, named after Alice in Wonderland which was her mother's favorite book. Her mother died of cancer, her father remarried, her stepmother is pregnant with a baby girl... Alice's life seems to be falling apart. When the baby is born Alice feels replaced in her own family and home. The first part of the story follows Alice's life as she struggles with the feeling of abandonment by her mother, betrayal by her father, hurt from her best friend, and love for her boyfriend. It sounds like a typical teenage girl's life. The only thing that upset me was how unkind she was being to her stepmother, Victoria.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: verse form is not a good form for a novel. There isn't nearly enough idiosyncratic detail used to be appreciated as a poem and there isn't enough regular detail to allow the reader to escape into Alice's world. However, Schroeder utilized a lot of metaphors and similes to get her point across:

"The snowflakes

toss and tumble,

each different,

and yet

the same.

The snowflakes

of my life." (pg 5).

Part One shows Alice getting very possessive of objects as if they are her mother and not just memories. Items such as the sketches, the guitar, and the painting become symbols for the past and her inability to move on. It also shows Ivy, her new stepsister, as a symbol for her future without her mother. Alice is torn between a past that brought her happiness and a future that scares her. Alice is tested by this decision between her two lives at the end of Part One. She finds herself lost with Victoria and Ivy in the snow-covered woods stuck inside their car. They're fighting to stay alive when Victoria leaves Alice and Ivy to get help.

Part Two shows Alice's struggle in keeping herself and Ivy alive. You'll have to read it to find out what happens to them, but I can tell you there is a real epiphany when Alice realizes that life is bigger than just her. She also starts to equate Victoria with motherhood and associated herself with Ivy. I think that's a real progression from her previous state of only caring about her own mother.

Interestingly enough, Schroeder was at the Teen Book Festival, as was Ellen Hopkins. It's interesting because their books are very comparable. They both write in verse form, they both tell meaningful yet depressing stories, and they both refer to an overwhelming power as a monster. Hopkins called crystal meth a monster that consumed Kristina and Schroeder later refers to the snow as a monster that hides the world from Alice.

Favorite Quote: "Maybe it's not about

determination

or love

or how hard

you can fight.

Maybe it's just about

fate

and what is meant

to be." (pg 250).

Book Review Fifteen: Before I Fall

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, published by Harper Collins.

I was on vacation knowing that I would soon be bored out of my mind at the airport. I had already finished the three books I brought with me. So what's a girl to do? Head to the nearest Wal*Mart and pick up a new book! Every book was basically about vampires or witches or something supernatural, except this one. (Besides, the part about Samantha's Groundhog day scenario). Also, do you see that quote on the cover? It's from Jay Asher who wrote Thirteen Reasons Why! He loved this book, which means I absolutely had to read it.

The main character is Samantha Kingston. She has three best friends: Ally, Elody, and Lindsay. They're the popular kids in school which mainly reminded me of Mean Girls. There are certain instances where you can clearly see their brutality and bitchiness. They don't have respect for their teachers or parents, they don't really care about the law or manners, and they pretty much want to have fun at whatever cost. But Oliver didn't create one-dimensional characters (thank goodness) so as February 12th continues on I discovered what traits there were to love in Samantha and Lindsay, what made Kent so special, and what in Rob could disappoint again and again.

Plot: Samantha dies on February 12th and wakes up the next day only to discover that it's February 12th all over again. She knows what's going to happen and soon finds that she's powerless to stop her death, powerless to stop the endless cycle of the same day, and that there is another life intricately linked to her own. This plot is unique in that Samantha truly grows as an individual more in her "afterlife" than she did during her "real life." Also, the reader gets to see what small changes can affect the big picture and what mysteries have already affected the characters in ways that they didn't know. I don't want to give it away but you'll soon find out that Juliet is a much more important character than is first let on.

You may or may not know that I intend to write young adult literature. I have a book started but after reading Before I Fall I have the feeling that I have to go back and make my characters more believable. I first constructed them after characters I fell in love with when I was younger: the Sweet Valley High kids, the Babysitter's Club, you know, wholesome good kids. However, that's not really today's teenager. Oliver is more familiar with the way teens really talk and act. I'm not saying there aren't wholesome good kids out there anymore, after all, I'm still one. But I do think they talk more about sex, drugs, and drinking than I wanted to admit. I can't hide from it anymore, which means I'm going to have to rethink how much of the "teenage world" (such as underage drinking, fooling around, and texting) I want in my novel. Oliver, on the other hand, handles it with grace. Her characters are experienced, yet vulnerable, they're badass, yet layered with hurt and empathy. They're lovable and surprising, they're multi-faceted with fully thought-up histories. She reminds me of Sarah Dessen in that regard: these girls don't feel fictional or created.

This novel may not sound like it has a surprising plot but there are truly key points that will surprise you, including the ending, not to mention the suspense and mystery in not knowing how many times Samantha will relive the day, if she'll end up saving herself, whose fate is linked to hers and how she can affect that individual. Jay Asher says it best, "This story races forward, twisting in a new direction every few pages, its characters spinning my emotions from affection to frustration, anger to compassion." Very true, and worth the emotional roller coaster ride.

Book Review Fourteen: Twisted

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, published by the Penguin Group.

So by now you may have noticed that most of the young adult books I read feature female main characters. In fact, it was strange to read Thirteen Reasons Why because most of it revolved around Clay Jensen. Twisted also featured a male main character: Tyler Miller, and it made me feel slightly uncomfortable. I suppose it's because I have more of a connection to females (being one myself) and when I read I immediately become that character. It's harder to feel like I'm inside the novel when it puts me inside a boy's head; I feel out of place and like a Peeping Tom. I think it's worse when there's a romantic interest involved because I feel like those are private thoughts and this boy won't like me knowing them. Ha, I know it sounds crazy, but that's how I felt whenever Tyler brought up his crush on Bethany Milbury. Poor Tyler, Bethany was his father's boss' daughter. Definitely not someone his family wants him dating, not even considering the degrees of separation their social statuses yield them.

I don't think I'll ever understand the way guys think and this book confirms that. Laurie Halse Anderson is AMAZING. She is in my top 3 favorite authors because 1] her style is unique and constantly changing, 2] she can write seriously about topics we've seen a million times and still make them fresh, and 3] she wrote Wintergirls which I LOVELOVELOVE. If you haven't read it, you must. It's a necessity. But back to Twisted. Main plot: Tyler is on probation and parole for doing graffiti on his school. He used to be "Nerd Boy" but since he was arrested everyone thinks he's a badass. That includes Bethany Milbury, a girl he has a crush on. They start spending time together, Tyler is infatuated with her until he decides not to take advantage of her when she's drunk at a party. Unfortunately, someone does take advantage of Bethany and Tyler takes the heat for it, even from his own father.

There are subtle implications of abuse from Tyler's father which kept me guessing throughout the novel as to whether or not he physically assaulted his family. For instance, "But it was not worth the nastiness that he would also inflict on my sister, who already had a tear slipping over the faded bruise from her black eye, and my mother, who was pouring herself the first tonic-free gin and tonic she'd had in weeks" (pg. 99). Although I know the black eye was a sports injury, it still sounds like the family is very scarred from the father. I wasn't sure if Anderson wanted to imply abuse but not show it, or if she neglected to explain either way for the majority of the novel as a message: physical or emotional, it doesn't matter; both forms are just as devastating.

Instead of making the novel just about Tyler and Bethany, Anderson went an opposite route after the scandal. She used that disappointment from Tyler to his father as a grounds for exploring the trust and love in the family. What's missing from Tyler's life isn't a girlfriend; it's his father's love and approval. Throughout the novel Tyler's innermost thoughts explore violence as a means of communication with his father. When he's angry he imagines doing the worst: "there was something in his voice that made me want to ram his head into the concrete foundation" (pg. 53). It seemed really unnecessary and brutal to me, but I didn't grow up in an abusive home. I remember when I was younger and my mom would throw one of her tantrums I would act out, I would scream and say I hated her, I would want to run away, but I never dreamed of hitting her. I think Tyler had a lot of pent up rage from being under his father's control but he was angrier about his mother and sister. He's a protector: he wants to protect the females in his family, and in the past he wanted to protect Bethany. When she was on crutches he picked her up and carried her to the bathroom as a sign of his compassion but also his strength.

Anderson's writing style is complicated and jagged, yet beautiful and smooth. She isn't afraid of literary techniques, such as the metaphor of the video game: Tophet to describe Tyler's voyage through hell, yet she doesn't force them down her reader's throat. She understands that she has to be rough in order to get one to feel the reality of the situation, yet she uses beautiful language and almost poetic short sentences to convey her point. Sometimes less really is more.

While Twisted may have been hard to swallow at some points, it was worth it to get a small glimpse into a teenage boy's mind.

Book Review Thirteen: Evolution, Me, & Other Freaks of Nature

Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande, published by Alfred A. Knopf.

The perfect time to read a new book? On vacation! There's plenty of time while traveling to sit down with a good book and just relax. For example, I read this book while at the airport during my layover. It was an amazingly quick read (which actually was unfortunate later on when I ran out of books!).

Mena Reece is the main character in this novel. She is a religious character which is unusual for me. I'm not a religious person and haven't read a lot of literature with female Christian protagonists. I've read Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah which featured a Muslim protagonist (another book I highly recommend) and of course, The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank with a young Jewish protagonist. However, this was my first novel with a Christian main character; it allowed me the experience to learn about what it's like to grow up with faith-driven parents and knowledge of the Bible.

What was truly interesting about Robin Brande's portrayal of Mena Reece was her positive and negative experience with people of the church. First off, Mena is introduced as being a hated member of New Advantage High School. She lost her best friends, her parents are angry with her, her former friends' parents are being sued because of her, and she was kicked out of her church. However, we aren't told why. Once we finally do learn the reason for this (you'll have to read to find out!) it reinforces some Christian stereotypes by non-Christians: they're not accepting of popular culture, they are stuck-up, they believe homosexuals are sinners, and they are part of a pack-mentality. But what's nice about Brande is that she doesn't stop there, she adds a complex layer of factual information about Christians from Mena's perspective, thus allowing the reader to have a dual perception of Christians. Now the religion is multi-faceted and three-dimensional, there are rights and wrongs, but most importantly, it allowed me to make up my own mind about how I felt on certain topics and see how Mena's upbringing shaped her understanding of the world. She's not a bad individual, we all make mistakes, and I learned to respect her for her beliefs.

The character I really fell in love with in this novel was Casey Cooper. He's Mena's adorable yet brilliant lab partner. They become closer when they decide to do a science project together to get on Ms. Shephard's blog. There's a lot of science involved, as well as religion, mainly due to an evolution debate that becomes a catalyst for Mena to step out of her shell. There are jokes about gravity and Darwin, tidbits on natural selection and breeding, and a lot of arguments based around evolution versus a more conservative/faith-centered approach. Some characters will surprise you, while others, such as Pastor Wells, will simply astound you. He may be a villain in this novel but he doesn't quelch Mena's love for God or her connection to the Bible, which I absolutely respect.

Favorite quote: "He saw me. And his eyes changed. They went from being open and curious and ready to take it all in like they always are to suddenly looking all soft and sleepy..." (pg 164).

I recommend this if you're looking for an informative, yet mysterious quick read or if you're eager to check another Teen Book Festival title off your list.

Book Review Twelve: Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, published by the Penguin Group.

The simplest way to explain the plot of this novel is this: Clay Jensen was in love with Hannah Baker. Hannah Baker achieved an unwarranted reputation in high school. Said reputation was caused by thirteen individuals. Hannah Baker listed thirteen reasons (the thirteen individuals) for committing suicide. She addressed those thirteen people on recorded tapes before she died. Those tapes were then sent out to the first person on her list with clear instructions to continue sending them on until all thirteen individuals knew how they affected her.

Clay Jensen may be the main character/protagonist in this novel, however, Hannah's point of view is clearly articulated as well with alternating passages between her and Clay. Hannah's tape will play in italics and then Clay's thoughts will interject to allow his point of view for the reader. Clay is such a likable character so it was hard for me, as the reader, to imagine that he did something so horrible as to make Hannah suicidal. Asher dealt well with this conflict; he created an aura of mystery by having Clay question what he did as well. Clay was in the dark, the reader was in the dark, and only Hannah knew what happened. However, Hannah insisted on telling her story in numerical order, therefore, Clay and the reader don't know when his story will come around.

The review by Kirkus calls Thirteen Reasons Why "mesmerizing," which, in my opinion, is dead-on. It was difficult to stop reading until I found out why Clay was on the tape, what number he was, what part he played, who the other people were, and why exactly Hannah killed herself. I wasn't happy with the reasons Hannah gave; they didn't seem severe enough unless you take into account a mental illness like depression. Another reason it's so "mesmerizing" is Asher's talent for language. His sentences are abrupt and to the point. He gives you simple, concrete images, yet they are rough and raw and grab out at you: "I unbuckle my seatbelt and lean forward. I clasp my hand over my mouth and squeeze to keep from screaming. But I do scream, the sound dampened in the palm of my hand. And Tony keeps driving" (pg. 214).

One aspect of life that I love in literature is how every individual, no matter how small, can affect an outcome, a story, a life, a love, a success, a failure... we all change each other, for better, for worse, every day. Jenny, Marcus, Alex, Tony: they're all minor characters in the broad spectrum of Hannah's life. However, they influenced her so greatly, so negatively, that she contemplated suicide. They also were interlinked and ended up influencing more lives than just Hannah's.

Favorite Quote: "And when you mess with one part of a person's life, you're not messing with just that part . . . when you mess with one part of a person's life, you're messing with their entire life" (pg. 201).

I don't want to give away what Clay did or exactly where he fell on the list, but I will say that I love how Hannah included him, I love the way Asher kept me waiting and anticipating, and even the way he kept me frustrated. Hannah's reasons, in my opinion, were not justified. Kids in high school are teased, bullied, abused and victimized all the time. I'm not saying that's right, it's just a little fact of life. There's always going to be someone bigger or better or stronger out there who can make you feel worse about yourself, what you have to do is be strong, shoulder on, and find the confidence to keep going. Find something in life that is so worth living that no one else can take away from you. Hannah let those precious bits of life be stolen from her. She didn't give up enough of a fight and for that, I was disappointed. However, suicide is an important issue and many individuals need help for problems just like Hannah's. I hope this novel creates greater awareness of this struggle.

This novel is directly linked to Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. Jay Asher gave her a good blurb on her cover, therefore I picked up the book to read. It also covered the topics of death, fate, and choices. The characters in that novel were weaved together in such a fine manner that intrigued me, delighted me, and reminded me of Hannah's list. More to come on that book later!

Book Review Eleven: Keeping the Moon

Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen, published by Penguin Group.

Keeping the Moon is a novel about fifteen-year-old Nicole Sparks, nicknamed Colie, who goes to live with her Aunt Mira in Colby, North Carolina for the summer. Her mother, Kiki Sparks, is a fitness guru off on an international tour to promote her weight-loss line. Colie and her mother used to be fat, during what they call the "Fat Years" and now that they have both shed the weight they are dealing with their new identities differently. Kiki has embraced this new image and lifestyle and is determined to help others do the same. Colie, however, seems to miss the safety she had behind her fat, although the pain and verbal abuse she received during those years still haunts her. Losing the weight didn't mean losing the insults; kids traded the fat nicknames to slut and "Hole in One," rumors that are just that: untrue and hurtful.

In Colby she acquires a job at Last Chance, a small restaurant in town, and befriends Morgan and Isabel, two girls that are quite different and yet the epitome of what best friends should be. Colie has never had a best friend before, and therefore learns from their relationship with each other while creating one of her own. The relationship between the three girls becomes the focus of the novel as Colie learns what friendship and self-esteem really mean and how they can transform her from her perpetual state of self-defense.

However, just like in Sarah Dessen's other novels, all the characters play a major role, no matter how little their actual part in the novel. Norman, for instance, is a hippie boy who lives downstairs from Mira. He collects odd parts, antiques, useless junk, and above all else, sunglasses. He's an artist and a cook at Last Chance. He doesn't appear to have a lot of stake in the novel, and is mentioned here and there between the fighting and dancing Morgan and Isabel do, however he becomes increasingly important in Colie's life. He also is the one to show her what she looks like to the outside. I loved this character, just as I love all of the male characters Dessen writes. She creates a believable, eccentric male protagonist that has a bit of mystery and charm. He's always likable yet never quite says what he's thinking. He also always likes the female character but it takes her a while to come around or to achieve a certain milestone.

That's what there is to love about Sarah Dessen. Her novels aren't just a "girl meets boy, girl falls for boy, boy and girl are happy together" format. They're more "girl has problem, girl is in process of addressing problem, girl meets boy, boy helps her find herself, girl is happy with herself, girl and boy are happy together." That idea is especially portrayed through Aunt Mira in the book. Mira is overweight, she wears crazy outfits, she rides her bicycle all over town, and she also is a collector of broken items. However, Mira says, "I've always known who I am. I might not work perfectly, or be like them, but that's okay. I know I work in my own way" (pg 171). And that's really the lesson to be learned from this novel. As long as you're happy with yourself just ignore the comments that other people make. They make those because they can't understand you and that scares them. "Because it's so hard, in any life, to believe in what you can't fully understand" (pg 228).

Needless to say, I recommend this one. It's a quick delightful read, it has a lot of good self-image lessons for teens in it, and adorable relationships that are as realistic as they are complicated.

Favorite quotes: "...an electric solar system that pulled things in, turned them around, and gave them a new life all their own" (pg 186).

"You're not the kind of person who smiles for nothing, Colie. I have to earn every one" (pg 189).

Book Review Ten: Rules of Attraction

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles, published by Walker Books.

[I had a chance to read an Advanced Reader's Copy of this novel which was really exciting. It's not set to be released until April 13th! ]

This story was a sequel to Perfect Chemistry which I haven't read. Perfect Chemistry was the story of how Alex Fuentes, a Mexican ex-gang member, falls for Brittany, a cheerleader. Rules of Attraction is about how Alex's brother, Carlos (still affiliated with a gang) comes to live with Alex from Mexico and starts falling for Kiara Westford, an insecure goody-goody. It sounds like the two novels are very similar, Alex and Carlos are the same character type and Kiara and Brittany seem to have very similar backgrounds and moral beliefs. The only differences may be the external storyline about Carlos' setup with a drug lord.

Right off the bat I knew this novel was not suitable for younger teens or pre-teens. I would say 15 and older is a suitable age range due to underage drinking, marijuana use, sexual relations, drug dealing, and extreme cases of violence. The scenarios that are presented seem a little hard to believe at times. Some of it may be contrived just to assure that the characters are believable, whereas they may not be as believable together as they are apart. For instance, I believe that Kiara wouldn't drink but Carlos would, which is exactly how they are portrayed. However, I don't believe that Kiara would be so understanding about Carlos' drinking and just ask for the keys. I think she would have asked him not to, or to have a conversation about how uncomfortable it makes her. Maybe that's because I was uncomfortable with it when I was her age, or maybe it's because teens nowadays do a lot more drinking and drugs than I was subjected to when I was in high school. Other situations that weren't as believable were Kiara's father's willingness to accept Carlos into his home and his willingness to find a solution for Carlos' setup with the drug lord at the end of the novel. I didn't believe it would be that easy for Carlos but it was a nice ending.

Rules of Attraction is a very romantic novel once the two characters admit they are falling for each other. It's hard for them to stay together due to complications in their relationship and Carlos' unwillingness to stop being a jerk and to forget his past. He is fascinated with Kiara though, which I find very appealing.

"What kind of girl wears baggy shirts every day, has a gay best friend, stutters when she's nervous, tapes shower schedules on the bathroom mirror, makes stupid cookie magnets just to piss me off, works on cars like a guy, and gets excited about the challenge of putting a condom on?" (pg. 274). He may not be able to express his feelings to her very well, but the reader knows exactly how he feels at all times and that's very important.

The novel is written from both the perspective of Carlos and Kiara, with the chapters alternating whose voice the reader is connected to. In Carlos' perspective we get a great deal of Spanish language thrown in, for example: pendejo, gringos, and cachorro show up quite a bit. It's not necessary to be familiar with these words in order to understand him, however it shows how attached he is to Mexico and his heritage. Carlos is not only proud of where he has come from but he uses it as a crutch to his advancement in education and the social ladder. It's an interesting and accurate portrayal of teens who have had a rough life: they are proud of their own strength, however they doubt they can amount to much more, and don't see a value in "normal" futures.

The novel ends in a cheesy epilogue set 26 years in the future. It's slightly ironic and lovable, giving some teens hope that two people from completely opposite worlds can find love. Overall I liked the novel and enjoyed not only the main characters but the development of the relationship between Alex and Brittany, Tuck as the gay best friend, and Brandon, Kiara's adorable younger brother. There were some really good smaller scenes that built Carlos' character quite well, and some that actually surprised me about Kiara and how maybe she wasn't such a goody-two-shoes after all.