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Sofi Mendoza’s Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico by Malin Alegria

Published September 18, 2008 Multicultural Fiction , RAC , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment
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Genre: Realistic Fiction/Multicultural

Age Level: 14 and up

# of Pages: 276 p.

RAC Book: yes

Sofi Mendoza was born in Mexico, but moved with her parents to the U.S. when she was three. She can’t speak Spanish and knows very little about Mexican culture. Her parents are okay that she is “American” because they came to the U.S. to get her better opportunities. Despite the fact that her parents denied her permission to go to a party in Tijuana, Sofi decides to go anyway because she wants to hang out with a boy. Things do not go as planned and on the way back into California Sofi is told her green card is fake and she must stay in Mexico.

Luckily, Sofi has an aunt nearby, but she finds life in Mexico very difficult and different from what she’s used to. There is limited electricity and running water, little access to phone and internet, and bugs everywhere. As Sofi begins to realize how serious her situation is she is forced to learn more about her Mexican heritage and family.

This story touches on many timely issues such as citizenship and illegal immigrants. Sofi behaved as a typical American teen in many ways, but was shocked to see the poverty in Mexico and realized how much she takes for granted. Sofi’s story forces the reader to think about what it would be like to be in the situation many Mexicans face, which is the choice between poverty and ill-education or trying to make it in a country that does not want you. This story was entertaining as well as informative about this topic, despite the fact that Sofi often gets very lucky at getting out of tough or even dangerous situations, and many readers will come to care about Sofi and her family. A good read.

Devilish by Maureen Johnson

Published September 16, 2008 Fantasy , RAC Leave a Comment
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Genre: Fantasy

Age Level: 14 and up

# of Pages: 263 p.

RAC Book: Yes

Jane and Allison have been best friends for many years. Jane is the brainy girl who will say and do what she wants, even if that means she is not very popular. Allison, on the other hand, wants to be popular so bad it is painful to watch. After a particularly embarassing day, Jane is surprised to find Allison transformed into a trendy, articulate beauty. When she tries to find out the cause of Allison’s newfound confidence she is met with resistance. Jane soon meets a young man named Owen who claims he can explain what has happened to Allison. Jane finds his explanation hard to believe, but eventually realizes that it is the only explanation. The only question is why would Allison sell her soul to the devil? And more importantly, can Jane save her?

This unique story is engaging from the very beginning. Allison is so desperate to fit in that you can’t help but root for her, but when it becomes clear that she has indeed made a deal with the devil the story begins to get more complicated. The resolution seems rushed, under explained, and confusing. Since the beginning was so interesting and descriptive, it was a disappointment to have such a meager climax.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Published September 11, 2008 Fantasy , RAC , Romance 1 Comment
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Genre: Fantasy

Age Level: 14 and up

# of pages:

RAC Book: Yes

In this final installment of the Twilight series, Bella ventures down some very grown up paths compared to her previous high school life. Now that she is graduated and preparing to marry Edward she has to deal with any possible repercussions from the werewolves as the treaty between the werewolves and the vampires will be broken. She also must deal with the possibility that she will never see her family again. Despite these worries, Bella marries Edward and feels happy about her decision. On their honeymoon getaway an unexpected twist shakes their relationship to the core and Bella must make a tough decision about her own survival. In the end, her decision puts both her family and her new in-laws in danger as an imminent threat plans to destroy them all.

This series has such a strong fan base that it is impressive how Meyer managed to create an intricate and detailed final book to this saga. Although most pieces ended up fitting together nicely in the end, many readers will be unable to predict some of the unexpected plot twists and what they will eventually mean to the final story. Fans will feel okay about leaving the characters after this story because it thoroughly sets up what will happen to them after this point. There are no unanswered questions and even the most complicated obstacles are discussed. Considering how many things were left up in the air going into this book, it is amazing how Meyer managed to evolve the characters to deal with all of these issues in a way that didn’t seem too contrived or easy. A very strong and unique fantasy story that will be around for years to come.

Peak by Roland Smith

Published September 9, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction , Sports 15 Comments
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Genre: Sports Fiction

Age Level: 14 and up

# of Pages: 246 p.

RAC Book: Yes

Peak was named Peak due to his parents’ love of mountain climbing. They have long since separated and he almost never sees his father, who leads expeditions up Mt. Everest. Peak loves to climb, however, and gets the idea to climb skyscrapers in New York since there are no mountains. After several successful attempts he is caught and there is a media frenzy. He faces several charges and is looking at three years in jail when his father unexpectedly arrives and offers to take him away and pay a huge fine. The judge likes the idea of Peak being out of sight and agrees. Peak’s father has other intentions for him, however, and Peak soon learns that if he goes along with his father’s plan he will not only help his mountain climbing business, but have one of the most difficult and exhilarating times of his life.

This story has everything sports fiction fans love. It has drama, suspense, action, interesting details, and well-developed characters. Mountain climbing is not a subject often tackled by young adult writers, which makes this story that much more interesting. The details are specific and help anyone regardless of experience in this sport learn what it takes to climb high and difficult mountains. Peak’s motivations and desires also help the reader to understand why he feels he needs to climb all the time. Recommended for sports fiction readers, but all will enjoy.

The V Club by Kate Brian

Published August 26, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction , Romance 2 Comments
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Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Level: 14 and up

# of Pages: 280 p.

Eva, Debbie, Kai, and Mandy are all really good friends who in their own way need a way to help pay for college. When a new scholarship comes up offering enough for any of them to go wherever they want to go for four years, they all jump at the chance to apply. The only catch is that a stipulation of the scholarship is for the recipient to be “pure.”

Eva considers herself a perfect candidate since she has only even daydreamed about kissing a boy.  Mandy and long time boyfriend Eric have discussed taking the relationship further, but haven’t yet.  Debbie is shocked to learn that everyone assumes she has shared many sexual partners when in fact she hasn’t.  Kai, the new girl, seems mysterious about the entire discussion of purity.  As each girl struggles with her own personal battles they start to drift apart and get overly competitive for this scholarship money.  The question  is not whether or not their virginity is in tact, but whether their friendship will be after all of the drama that ensues.

The idea of purity to a high school student can vary depending on the student.  This open, honest book about four realistic high school students and their many struggles with relationships, parents, and even college planning will resonate with many high school girls.  It is not preachy in the direction of abstinence or sexual activity, but just tries to show the variety of reasons why high school students do or do not choose to stay virgins.  An interesting, realistic read about a very important but often ignored topic.

Crushed by Laura and Tom McNeal

Published August 19, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction , Uncategorized 1 Comment
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Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Level: 14 and up

# of pages: 308 p.

RAC Book: Yes

Audrey and her two friends grew up going to a very small school and feel uncomfortable finishing their education in a large high school where gossip and bullying are rampant. They all manage by supporting each other. All of that begins to change when a new boy arrives and begins giving Audrey special attention. He seems enamored with her big house and expensive clothes. Everything goes great until Audrey learns that her life is not as financially stable as she thought it was. At that point, the new boy’s interest in her begins to wane.  At the same time an underground gossip newspaper begins mysteriously appearing in the halls and revealing deep secrets of both students and teachers.

This book highlights some of the many issues facing high school students today such as gossip, bullying, dating, money, friendship, and status.  High school students often feel like nothing can hurt them and believe the best in everyone, but this is also the time when they start to experience how tough it can be to be an adult by facing harsh realities from their families, teachers, and peers.  Audrey thought the worst thing that could happen to her was bullying, but quickly learns that many of the aspects of her life she thought were stable were anything but.  Most high school students will be able to identify with some aspect of Audrey’s life whether it be an unstable homelife, bullying, trouble academically, and betrayal from those close to her.  A powerful, but realistic story.

 

Rash by Pete Hautman

Published July 16, 2008 Fantasy , RAC 9 Comments
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Genre: Fantasy

Age Level: 14 and up

# of Pages: 249 p.

RAC Book: Yes

Bo Marsten tells this story from the late 21st century. In this world the USA is now called the USSA and people are monitored closely so that any false move can result in swift incarceration to a work camp. Almost a third of all adults get incarcerated at one time or another due to the stringent rules that have been put in place by the new government. Bo’s father and brother are already at different work camps working off time they have accrued through incidents stemming from their hot tempers. Bo follows suit when he is blamed for spreading a rash around the school. A subsequent public outburst leads him to a work camp of his own.

Once at the work camp he realizes that it would be better for him to become a Gold Shirt, which is the elite group that only has to work eight hours a day and has a lot more options for meals. The Gold Shirts put him through a bizarre tryout and he makes it. He quickly realizes that life as a Gold Shirt is not as simple as he had previously thought. He starts to fear for his safety when it becomes apparent that no one cares if any of them survive their sentences in order to be released.

Bo’s story is very well detailed in how this society is set up and functions on a daily basis. For example, safety regulations are much stricter than we know them to be today. Many activities like riding horses or playing football are against the law entirely. The idea of people working for corporations as punishment for their discretions, varying by degree of severity by quite a bit, makes an interesting tale about how everyone must learn to survive in this society. Students who enjoy futuristic type stories will find this one unique and interesting as they follow Bo’s struggle against the inevitable.

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Published July 8, 2008 Fantasy , RAC Leave a Comment
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Genre: Fantasy

Age Level: 14 and up

# of Pages: 328 p.

RAC Book: Yes

Aislinn has a secret that only her grandmother knows and that is that she is able to see faeries. All of the women in her family have always been able to do this and so Aislinn was trained at a young age to pretend like she cannot see them, because if the faeires know they are seen they will torment the human who has that gift. Unfortunately, one day Aislinn notices that two faeries keep following her and becomes alarmed enough to tell her best friend, Seth. Seth tries to help her figure out what the faeries want and how to get them to leave, but of course the problem is much more complicated than they anticipate.

Keenan is the Summer King, but his power has been bound for many, many years. Unless he can fulfill his mission and find the girl destined to rule alongside him he will never get his power back and catastrophic things will happen to everyone in the world, faeries and mortals alike. Standing in his way,is his mother, Beira, who is the Winter Queen. She is a cunning and deceitful villain who will stop at nothing to win.

Fans of any fantasy series such as Twilight will enjoy this book. The plot is unique and original and contains a lot of mystery, action, and adventure. There are many rules in place that the characters have to abide by in order to win, which makes the plot complicated and unpredictable. So far it has already caught the attention of many students and I think will continue to pull in readers as word spreads. A must read for fantasy lovers.

The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose by Mary Hooper

Published July 1, 2008 Historical Fiction , RAC 1 Comment
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Genre:  Historical Fiction

Age Level: 13 and up

# of Pages:  333 p.

RAC Book:  Yes

Eliza Rose is shocked when her stepmother throws her onto the street and tells her she is no longer welcome at the home she has always known.  She travels to London alone looking for her father who works as a carpenter.  In the meantime she falls upon some hard times trying to survive.  She experiences jail and many other horrors that the poor had to deal with during this time.  She ends up getting rescued by Nell Gwyn, a real person who was believed to be a mistress of Charles II.  Eliza must learn a lot about herself and her capabilities in order to find where she belongs.

The balance of actual people, events, and places with the fictional story make it seem as believable as possible.  Eliza’s story is interesting, if not a bit predictable.  The people she encounters and the situations they are in make the story really interesting and give an idea of what London was like in 1670 for everyone from the monarchy to the highwaymen.  The fates of many she meets are bleak and not everyone gets saved in those situations like Eliza does.  The ending seems quick, but is still an acceptable finish to this delightful story. Fans of historical fiction books will enjoy it.

November Blues by Sharon M. Draper

Published June 26, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction , Uncategorized 21 Comments
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Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Level: 14 and up

# of Pages: 316 p.

RAC Book: Yes

In this sequel to The Battle of Jericho November Nelson is dealing with the death of her boyfriend after a hazing ritual went bad. To make matters worse, she discovers that she is pregnant. She was planning to spend the summer in an Ivy League summer program which would hopefully lead to a very productive senior year. When she tells her mother about her pregnancy she is understandably upset. November faces a lot of difficult decisions as she endures this pregnancy.

Meanwhile, Jericho, the cousin of the boy who died, is having an equally difficult time coping with his friend’s untimely death. He decides to try football in order to have something new to do instead of the band, which he previously loved but now feels is a painful reminder of his cousin. He tries to help November in any way he can, but is struggling with his own emotions as well.

This was a good story about teenage pregnancy and death, but addresses similar concepts to The First Part Last. The characters were complicated and interesting and were the strength of the story. Nothing these characters were dealing with was easy and was not portrayed that way. The ending took an unexpected turn, but was a little predictable nonetheless. Most readers will guess what November’s decision will be, but will enjoy it anyway.

 

The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty

Published June 24, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction 2 Comments
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  494 p.

RAC Book:  Yes

Bindy Mackenzie is a very studious and conscientious high school student.  She is the type who always gets the highest grade in the class and is not afraid to tell anyone what she thinks.  Due to her frank and curious nature she has sometimes alienated students around her.  This year all juniors are required to take a Friendship and Development (FAD) class that she finds useless and a waste of time.  The class asks her to look back at her own life so far and reflect on what she sees.  She finds that she is not happy with her relationships and becomes obsessed with making friends in her (FAD) class.  As she focuses on this more and more she loses sight of everything that was previously important to her.  She also starts to get really sick.  Can she pull herself together to become the person she realizes she wants to be or is it too late?

This story is told through Bindy’s journal and includes diary entries, memos, emails, essays, and even transcripts of conversations she has heard.  Bindy records every thought and interaction she has every day.  As she struggles with her home life, school life, and health her journal ramblings can seem a little superfluous but in the end everything makes sense as the surprising ending unfolds.  Students who make it through some of the mundane chapters will be pleased with how the story ends and will appreciate why the mundane portions of the book were important in order to piece together what happens to Bindy.  The story also discusses many issues that teenagers face everyday and shows students that there are many ways to deal with those issues, some more effective than others.

 

Inkspell by Cornelia Funke

Published June 13, 2008 Award Winners , Fantasy , RAC 1 Comment
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Genre:  Fantasy

Age Level:  12 and up

# of Pages:  635 p.

RAC Book:  Yes

In this sequel to Inkheart, Meggie is living with her aunt Elinor, her father Mo, her mother Resa, and the reader Darius.  Meggie desperately wants to visit the Inkworld where her mother lived for so many years.  She has heard about the magical creatures and interesting characters and landscape and desperately wants to go, but she knows her father would be upset.  Mo doesn’t even like talking about that place.

Meanwhile, Dustfinger has found someone who claims to be able to read people into books.  He wants to go back along with Farid, but in the end only Dustfinger goes.  Farid finds out it was a trick set up by Basta, the villain who got away in the first book.  Now Farid sets out to find Meggie in order for her to read him into the story to reunite with Dustfinger.  When Meggie hears his proposition she decides to write herself into the story as well.  This is just the beginning of an ever evolving story.

This story takes place mainly in the magical world depicted in the book Inkheart, unlike the first book that took place in the real world.  Many new characters are introduced and familiar characters change and evolve.  The twists and turns of the story make sense and instill a fun sense of adventure and a hint of fairy tale aspects.  The book was long and despite that the ending seemed rushed.  It is clearly set up for another book to follow this one.  If that was the intention all along Funke should have cut off this story a little sooner.  It seems like she had a hard time deciding where to end this one and begin the next one.  Those who liked the first one will probably like this one even more because this new world is fun and exciting.

 

Listen! by Stephanie S. Tolan

Published June 10, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction 36 Comments
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Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Level: 12 and up

# of Pages: 197 p.

RAC Book: Yes

2008 Iowa Teen Award Winner

Twelve-year-old Charley is still recovering from a car accident in which her leg was badly hurt. As she struggles to walk with a cane around the lake near her house she finds a wild dog whom she names Coyote. Charley makes it her mission to tame Coyote and keep him as a personal friend. She feels they have a connection and she needs a friend for the summer since her best friend went off to tennis camp.

Listen is a slow moving story about a girl coping with the death of her mother and then a traumatic accident of her own in which she spent many months rehabilitating from. Coyote helps her to come to terms with everything she has lost as well as finding how to move on. Animal lovers will enjoy this book because it accurately illustrates how animals and humans can help each other heal. A good story, but many students may find it too slow without enough action to keep them intrigued and engaged.

Amazing Grace by Megan Shull

Published June 5, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction , Sports 10 Comments
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Genre: Realistic fiction/Sports

Age Level: 13 and up

# of pages: 247 p.

RAC Book: Yes

2008 Iowa Teen Award Winner

Grace “Ace” Kincaid is a world renowned tennis player known not only for winning major competitions like Wimbledon, but for her many endorsements and modeling jobs. One day Grace decides she is very unhappy with her life and asks her mom if she can quit everything she is currently involved in, including the US Open. Her mother readily agrees and works on transforming Grace from a blonde bombshell into a red headed punk chick. As part of this plan, Grace must move to Alaska for three months with a friend of her mother’s in order to avoid the paparazzi and relax for awhile. In Alaska Grace becomes Emily and finds the small town of Medicine Hat to be very welcoming and enjoyable despite its lack of the luxuries she has gotten used to. As time goes on she makes a best friend and a finds a special boy, but her past is still chasing her and she must face the life she left behind.

This story is unique and interesting in many ways. It can be hard to imagine why someone would leave her glamorous life for the simple one she goes to, but it is written in a way that the reader understands why she felt she needed to make the changes she did. It’s inspiring for anyone, but especially young adults who are battling all kinds of pressures for their futures. Recommended.

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Published June 3, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction , Sports 9 Comments
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Genre: Realistic Fiction/ Sports

Age Level: 14 and up

# of Pages: 274 p.

RAC Book: Yes

2008 Iowa Teen Award Winner

D.J. works constantly on her family’s dairy farm since her father hurt his hip. Her mother was forced to take an extra job in order to earn more money and her older brothers have not spoken to the family since Christmas. Running the farm, with some help from her little brother who doesn’t speak, has been difficult for D.J. because she feels like she just goes about her day doing what she is told.

One day, Brian, from the nearby rival of D.J.’s high school comes to work because his football coach feels he needs to get tougher. Things do not go well at first, but eventually D.J. starts training him for football. D.J.’s two older brothers were fabulous football players so she knows what it takes to succeed. As D.J. and Brian become closer it begins to get complicated as her best friend stops talking to her and she decides to try out for her own high school football team. In a place where everyone does what they are supposed to and never speaks up, D.J. decides she wants to do something different and begin saying what she feels.

This story asks many questions about communication, goals, responsibilities, and loyalty to family. D.J.’s family never spoke about anything they were feeling because they didn’t want to start fights, but that just meant they ended up not saying anything. As D.J. realized how unhappy she was always doing what she was supposed to and not what she wanted she decided to make some changes. Everyone must learn to balance responsibilities and desires and this book reminds us of the choices we make everyday that guide our lives. A well-written story that young adults will enjoy.

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