Out of the Mouths of Babes

Sometimes the smallest books pack such a punch. When you least expect it, a book can really get under your skin. Tony Abbot's Firegirl had me thinking about it for a long time after I turned the final page. For such a short book, there is a lot to think about.

Tom, like most boys, just wants the prettiest girl in his class to notice him. He thinks about her all the time, but can't bring himself to talk to her. This is the most confusing thing he has had to deal with, until Jessica arrives at school, that is. Before Jessica arrives, the teacher explains they should be prepared for what she looks like. Jessica was badly burned and is coming to the school to be close to a hospital that will be conducting reconstructive surgeries. This is all the teacher tells them. Nothing more, nothing less. When Jessica arrives and they all see her burned and grafted face, the kids can't stop talking about her.

With no information about how she was burned, the rumors start flying. Kids come up with all kinds of crazy theories about her accident, but none take the time to get to know Jessica. When the teacher asks Tom to bring Jessica her homework after a few days of her being absent, his curiosity leads him to her house. What he doesn't expect is that getting to Jessica will change his life forever. Jessica will change everything Tom thought he knew about his friends and who he really is.

In the book world, 150 pages is nothing. I have read books where the first 400 pages are just background information. To fit in a purpose, an execution, and make it mean something into 150 pages is talent, pure and simple. I didn't know what to think of this book at first. Then, I couldn't stop thinking about it. What stayed with me the most was that in an effort to protect Jessica, the teachers didn't tell the kids about her accident. This was understandable of course- you wouldn't want that information out unless she told people. But the consequences, especially when you are dealing with children was that if someone doesn't know the real story, they tend to speculate. The more time that passes without the real story, the wilder the stories become. Then I began to think about this in adult terms, and it isn't all that different. In fact, isn't this the origin of most rumors- a lack of knowledge that leads to speculation?

Being an adolescent is difficult enough, but being so when you are "different" in anyway is near impossible. Sure kids live through it every day, but how much does it change them in the end? Why don't we share the whole, real truth with people? Adults and children alike succumb to speculation when curious, so why not stop the rumors with the truth. Granted, the truth can be scary at times, but it has to be better than rumors!

This is a powerful story, written in language meant for middle readers but with content that had my 30 year old adult self swimming in my own thoughts for a long time. It is a book that you could think about, write about, and talk about for hours and never truly feel satisfied. And at 150 pages, it is a manageable size that can build the self-esteem of any struggling reader while still challenging them to think, explore, and examine the world they live in.

Where Did it All Begin?

Who doesn't love the "Sex and the City" ladies and all their adventures? Well, upon finding that Candace Bushnell wrote The Carrie Diaries, a young adult novel about Carrie as a senior in high school, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I have always wanted to know more about those girls and just how life was like for them in the mean halls of high school.

Carrie hasn't had things easy, but she still has dreams of becoming a writer. She applied to a summer writing program in NYC, but she was rejected. Now she must resign herself to going to Brown and studying science like her father wants. She wishes desperately her mom were still alive to give her advice about what to do. So she keeps going through the motions, hanging out with her friends, chain smoking cigarettes (it was the 1980's after all), and listening to all her friends tell her about their boyfriends, guy friends, and crushes... until Sebastian Kydd arrives.

Carrie's first run-in with Sebastian when they were young was not terribly promising, but he is still as hot as she remembers. At first she thinks he is dating the head cheerleader (and Queen Bee) Donna LaDonna (feel free to gag a little at that name... I did). But soon it becomes clear Sebastian Kydd wants her more. Carrie is thrilled, until Donna LaDonna wages war on her. Carrie keeps trying ot get to the bottom of the LaDonna/Kydd thing, but Sebastian keeps dodging her questions.

Carrie's dad introduces her to a Brown student he knows and encourages her to spend time with him (in a not-so-subtle way of getting her to go to Brown). She likes George, but he just isn't boyfriend material. Still she continues hanging out with him until George finds out about Sebastian. Then she is left with Sebastian and a group of friends that has slowly fallen apart while Carrie was wrapped up in her own world.

When Carrie's sister gets put in jail for shoplifting and her father makes all three daughters go on lock down, she doesn't get to see anyone (including Sebastian) for 2 weeks. Upon her first jailbreak, there is clearly something up with Sebastian and Carrie's friend Lali. When Carrie runs back into the bar, she gets an eyeful of the two of them making out. Now, boyfriend-less, friendless, motherless, and without the summer writing class, Carrie has no idea what to do. Luckily, George forgives her and along with a few other good friends, and they help Carrie realize she has to go with what she believes in. She starts writing articles for the school newspaper under a pseudonym and exposes high school life for what it really is. When she submits those articles to the NY writer's program, she is accepted and her father agrees to let her go. Thus begins the story of Carrie Bradshaw, columnist...

If this story sounds a little thin, its because it kind of is. If it weren't for the ties I already had to the main character, Carrie, I may not have really gotten in to this story. The beginning was kind of slow and it took some real willpower to spend some time getting into it. When I finally did, though, it picked up a bit. The story was interesting, but I think there were a number of flaws. First, the marketing of this book as YA shoots past the mark. In order to really like the story, you should know of the TV show or original novels by Candace Bushnell, but those are certainly not child-friendly. Otherwise, this is only a mediocre story at best.

The other serious flaw was the time period it is set in- she is a senior in high school in the early 80's when kids and teachers alike openly smoked in and around school, the drinking age was 18, so they could easily sneak into bars and get alcohol. This might not seem too much of a stretch for teenagers, but it really seemed like a different world. In fact, I think younger readers would have a hard time relating to the time period- it is that weird limbo where it is close enough to seem familiar but long enough ago to be so wildly different. If it was earlier or later, it might have been easier to relate to.

The writing is fairly simplistic, but some of the circumstances might be better for an older crowd. There is a fair amount of talk about sex, alcohol, and cigarettes, but I wouldn't say it is in excess. I just think this might be a better book for older young adults or adults who are more familiar with the television show. I know they would certainly appreciate the last paragraph where a certain someone comes to Carrie's rescue!

Not Your Average Vampire Story

For some reason I have this annoying habit of shunning bestsellers, ignoring the fact that they are probably bestsellers for a reason. I have seen the Blue Bloods series, by Melissa De la Cruz, floating around for a while now, and like the other post-Twilight vampires, I have ignored it. At the urging of another YA-obsessed cousin, I gave in and bought the first one. I was fully prepared to dislike this series, but just like what happened with Harry Potter and Twilight once I finally forced myself to read them, I was kicking myself for not starting this series sooner!!

In posh Manhattan, an elite private school called Duchesne has more secrets than you would imagine of the children of the rich, famous, and stylish. Schuyler is an outcast at Duchesne, along with her only two friends, Dylan and Oliver. Kids like Mimi and Jack Force rule the school in a way Schuyler can't even imagine. When one of Mimi's "friends" (followers) is found dead in a members-only night club, things begin to change around Manhattan. Despite the official story that her friend overdosed, the fact that she was completely drained of all her blood brings a secret society to the forefront: The Blue Bloods.

The 400 Blue Bloods are a constantly "reincarnating" (it isn't really reincarnating, but that is the simplest explanation) after they have lived an Expression for 100 years. There are a few Blue Bloods who have lived their immortality in one expression, but that must be approved by the rest of the Blue Bloods. But the most important rules of the 400 involve their lives as vampires- and how they do not abuse or kill Red Bloods (we measly non-vampires). When a new threat is attacking Blue Bloods and draining them of every drop of blood, thereby ending their souls, lives, and immortality, The Committee decides to induct the new Blue Bloods early. Much to Schuyler's surprise, she is invited. With her new Blue Blood secret and status revealed, she learns more about her friends and family than she could ever imagine. After she is attacked, she, Oliver, and fellow Blue Blood Bliss are determined to find out what is killing Blue Bloods when they are most vulnerable- as teenagers.

This is an exciting series that is a mix of Gossip Girl and Twilight. You have the posh Manhattan backdrop full of name-dropping and labels galore. Every school day begins with a detailed description of the Minolos, the Gucci, and the Dolce. The Vampires are the tame variety we got with Twilight, although they do have deep dark secrets. The interesting part of this setting is how De la Cruz used the Blue Bloods to explain much of the fashion industry in NYC, from the top designers to the models on billboards, and almost all the important socialites. How very interesting to use blood sucking to explain these two groups of people!

The writing is about on par with Twilight. It isn't too juvenile, but not too mature either. The story is very tame; there isn't much by way of sex or violence, although there is a great deal of club hopping. Since alcohol doesn't affect the Blue Bloods, it is a constant presence, although not the focus. Blue Bloods is a great series for any Twilight fan who needs something else now that meyer is finished with that series. However, it is also a great series for the Twilight skeptics! This kids who hate the popular series' just for their popularity's sake would probably enjoy this story. With all the high fashion, this is also a great story for the more "cosmopolitan" of kids! I know I am greedily devouring the second installment!

Which Day Would You Repeat Over and Over?

There is nothing better than an author with a powerful breakout novel, and that is just what Lauren Oliver delivers with Before I Fall. In the young adult scene, it is difficult to portray real adolescent situations without being too campy or cheesy. Oliver manages to blow the lid off popularity with this bittersweet novel.

The story starts with Samantha Kingston, number two in the most popular foursome at school. It is Cupid Day at school where the most important thing is to get as many roses as possible, proving to the rest of the school just how powerful and loved you really are. The day winds down with a party at Kent McFuller's house- a boy who isn't worth their time until he gives them a place to party. At the party, Juliet Sykes, who the girls refer to as Psycho Sykes, approaches Sam and her friends to tell them just what she thinks of them- that they are horrible people. After the party devolves and they humiliate Juliet, Sam and her friends get into the car to drive home. All of a sudden, a white streak flashes in front of their car, sending it careening into the woods. Sam knows she is dead.

But then she wakes up the next morning, but it isn't tomorrow- she is reliving the same day over and over again. Each morning, Sam wakes up after the same day knowing she has to change things. She tries not going to the party, stopping the horrible events that unfolded, even giving up and doing whatever she wants because she knows the day will just restart. Nothing can fix what happens to her, her friends, or Juliet. But each day she learns a little more about her life, how she treats others, and the things she used to think were important. She even starts to see Kent in a different light.

This was a gripping story that I simply could not put down. I loved how she lived and learned a little bit more from each and every day. I also loved how Sam began to realize just how fragile her entire existence was. Her friends weren't what they seemed, her popularity was more fear than friendships, and her family was basically foreign to her. It is very hard to examine the social hierarchy of high school without crossing a line and stereotyping. The layers of this story allow the social scene to be peeled back slowly so as to avoid any over-critical analysis.

This is an excellent book for high school aged girls. There is some drinking, talk about sex, although more implied than described, and the car crash and suicides that make the content a bit mature. I might give this to a mature middle school student, but I would be very selective as to the type of student I did give it to. The examination of popularity and social hierarchy are very important for girls especially to see a different view of. Give this book a chance and watch for the next Oliver book to grace the shelves!