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The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain

Published October 2, 2009 RAC , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  522

RAC:  Yes

CeeCee Wilkes is a sixteen-year-old girl whose mother died when she was twelve.  Now she is a high school graduate and living on her own trying to support herself as a waitress.  She hopes to save enough money to go to college one day.  Her favorite regular customer, Timothy Gleason, is rich and handsome, so she is thrilled when he shows some interest in her.  Soon they are dating and she feels she is in love with him and finally has a place to belong.  When he tells her his sister is on death row for a murder that was self defense, CeeCee finds herself helping in a scheme to get her freed.  Timothy and his brother plan to kidnap the governor’s wife in order to get him to release their sister.  Meanwhile, CeeCee is supposed to watch the hostage while the negotiations go down.  What CeeCee doesn’t count on is the fact that the governor’s wife is 8 months pregnant with a high risk pregnancy.  When the stress of the situation leads her to go into labor early, CeeCee does not know what to do or where to go and the situaiton quickly escalates out of control.  Once the baby is born, CeeCee is unable to stop the bleeding and the woman dies.   CeeCee knows that her life will never be the same again and she has some very difficult decisions to make.  Will she ever see Timothy again?  Will she have to change her name?  Will she have to go to jail for her role in this crime?  What will happen to the baby?

For readers who enjoy Jodi Picoult, Anita Shreve, or similar authors this would be a good story.  It delves into the emotions and motivations of the characters while following an interesting story.  Readers will come to care about what happens to CeeCee and the baby despite the terrible circumstances that bring them together.  The ideas of taking responsibility for one’s actions and second chances are pronounced throughout the story.  The plot will keep readers thinking about justice long after finishing the book.

The School for Dangerous Girls by Eliot Schrefer

Published September 29, 2009 RAC , Realistic Fiction 4 Comments
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  341

RAC:  Yes

Angela Cardenas is sent to the Hidden Oak School for Girls for a reason she does not readily explain.  Her family does not even take her to the school.  Instead, she has to take a bus and then walk up a big hill to get there.  When she arrives she is placed in a temporary facility with other new girls who begin to disappear one by one.  When she is finally taken to live with the general population of girls she notices that she is the last one to arrive, even though several girls remained in the temporary facility when she left.  She begins to grow suspicious when she asks about them and is severely punished.  Despite several warnings against finding these girls, Angela decides she has to know where they are and if they are okay.  Are they in danger?  And if so, can she save them without meeting a similar fate?

This book follows Angela as she tries to come to terms with the reason why she has been sent to this school, but at the same time tries to find out why there are so many secrets about the school.  Is the school really looking out for her best interest or are they merely hiding some illegal actions and punishments that are currently practiced at the school?  The story drags a bit in places, but there is a surprise in the plot when Angela slowly discovers what they do to the bad girls.  Readers who like gritty books and survival stories will enjoy this.

Defying the Diva by D. Anne Love

Published September 14, 2009 RAC , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  257

RAC:  Yes

Haley Patterson was a perfectly happy freshman with two best friends and a place writing for the school newspaper.  After she writes something for the paper that the most popular girl in school, Camilla Quinn, takes offense to Haley’s life changes dramatically for the worse.  Camilla spreads vicious rumors about Haley and forbids anyone to talk to her.  Everyone is terrified of Camilla turning on them and suddenly Haley finds herself alone and tortured by everyone all day long.  This bullying takes its toll and by summer vacation she wants to hide out.  When her parents send her to stay with her aunt for the summer, her aunt insists she get a job at a nearby county club.  Haley is unsure of how to make friends anymore and how to trust people in general, but she begins to realize that some of the people she has met over the summer are truly good people who want to get to know her.  Can she let her guard down and become friends with them?  Can she tell her parents or aunt why she had such a difficult spring?  Can she ever return in the fall to face Camilla?

This story discusses bullying from a girl’s perspective.  Nothing physical is ever done to harm Haley, but the mental abuse is just as bad as anything else she could imagine.  The power of peer pressure and the need to fit in and feel accepted is very real and present in every high school.  Haley’s story of despair to hope and eventually revenge is a good story to give those suffering from this type of bullying hope.  However, in many instances students do not have the support system Haley finds.  It’s important for all students to be aware of this type of bullying and to be willing to stand up for those around them that are the victims of it.

Out of Reach by V.M. Jones

Published September 10, 2009 RAC , Realistic Fiction , Sports 1 Comment
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Genre:  Sports/Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  264

RAC: Yes

Pip McLeod hates it when his dad comes to his soccer games because he yells the entire time.  He yells from the sidelines about every call, every play, and every score.  When a talent scout for a more competitive league comes to the game Pip tries hard to do his best and has a good game, but when the scout does not choose to talk to him he has to hear about all of his mistakes all the way home.  Pip has had it and no longer even likes to play.  His older brother, Nick, is a great player and chosen for the elite team, which doesn’t help Pip’s feelings of failure.  One day on his way home he sees that the new sports complex has a door propped open and he finds himself wandering in.  He notices a big room with walls for indoor climbing and feels drawn to it.  After trying a little climbing on his own, he realizes that this is something he loves to do.  The problem is how to tell his parents he wants to do this and how to pay for lessons when they are on a very tight budget.  In the end, Pip (who becomes Phil around the other climbers) must do what he needs to do in order to challenge himself and put himself into a more positive environment than he is used to, which means entering a very challenging competition to prove he has what it takes to be a superior climber.

For anyone who likes sports or climbing stories this is a good story.  There are not that many books about climbing, especially indoor climbing, which makes this story interesting.  Pip’s struggles with his family, friends, and even himself are all somewhat relieved once he starts climbing.  Communication is a big issue in this story as Pip and his father fail to communicate their true feelings to each other and instead let the tension and anger build and fester. Many readers will be able to identify with Pip in some way.

The Temptress Four by Gaby Triana

Published September 10, 2009 RAC , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  247

RAC Book:  Yes

Fiona, Killian, Alma, and Yoli are four best friends who are planning to take a cruise together after their high school graduation.   The night before graduation a fortune teller at a carnival predicts that one of them will not come home from the cruise and that the cruise itself will be full of strife.  Even though none of them want to admit it, this prediction bothers all of them.  As they  leave for their journey, Fiona has a fight with her boyfriend about a dress she wants to pack.  His stubbornness and determination to tell her what to do makes her wonder if he really is the right guy for her, especially when she meets another guy on the cruise.  Meanwhile, the girls do find themselves fighting more than usual and Killian and Yoli pull ridiculous stunts to get themselves noticed by a wild boy.  Will one of them get in over their heads?  Will they find a dangerous situation they can’t handle?  Or, is the fortune teller merely a fake and they have nothing to fear on this trip of a lifetime?

This story follows four friends as they celebrate graduation for a week on a cruise and at the same time decide if the decisions they have made are the right decisions for them.  Fiona, for example, is unsure if the life she has perfectly mapped out is actually what she wants right now.  Killian doesn’t even know what she wants, but she knows what she doesn’t want to do with her life.  Through the course of this trip, the four will begin to separate as well as come together as they realize their time as a foursome is drawing to a close.  The ending is interesting and will not disappoint readers, but it is foreshadowed throughout the story so it is not a real surprise.  Readers who like books about friendship will enjoy this.

Don’t Judge a Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter

Published September 2, 2009 Adventure , RAC , Realistic Fiction 7 Comments
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  263

RAC Book:  Yes

In this third installment of the Gallagher Girls series, Cammie Morgan is back with her friends and about to start junior year in the private spy school, Gallagher Academy.  Before going back to school, Cammie decides to visit her friend, Macey, on the campaign trail with her father who is running for Vice President of the United States.  When they are unexpectedly attacked by skilled kidnappers, Cammie realizes how much danger her friend is in and worries about keeping her safe.  Abigail Cameron, Cammie’s aunt, is brought to the Gallagher school in order to protect Macey and keep anyone out who might blow the academy’s cover of being a snooty prep school for wealthy girls.  Meanwhile, Cammie can’t help but think about Zach, who left her at the end of the last book to go back to his spy school, Blackthorne.  She  feels like he is always on her mind for no apparent reason.  Is she paranoid or a very perceptive spy?  Can the Gallagher Girls manage to keep Macey safe during this crazy and very public election time?

This series is a lot of fun and many students eagerly awaited this third installment.  They were not disappointed in the quality of the story.  The election added an interesting new spin on the girls’ spy training because they were actually in real danger many times during the course of events and had to act as real spies would act in order to create new and adventurous plans to protect themselves.  The characters are just as interesting as ever and the story kept a brisk pace.  The only complaint I heard was that it went by too quickly.   All in all, a fun ride.

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass

Published May 29, 2009 Award Winners , RAC , Realistic Fiction 5 Comments
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  12 and up

# of Pages:  289

RAC Book:  Yes

Award Winner:  Iowa Teen Award 2009-2010

Jeremy Fink still mourns the loss of his father five years ago, which is why he is so happy when his father sends him a wooden box for his thirteenth birthday.  A lawyer had been holding it for him all this years.  The box claims to have the meaning of life in it, but requires four keys to open and unfortunately, they are lost.  As Jeremy and his best friend, Lizzy try to find the keys they end up meeting a lot of interesting people and Jeremy becomes very interested in their views of the meaning of life and what everyone’s purpose is on earth.  As the journey goes on Jeremy wonders if he is meant to open the box or if he is supposed to learn the meaning of life for himself.

Jeremy Fink’s story seems rather simple at first, but as the story evolves the reader sees that there are in fact many layers to this story as Jeremy learns about himself and all of the people he has developed relationships with.  The characters are interesting in a way that they are easily remembered and the reader cares what they have to say to Jeremy and Lizzy as they go on their quest.  The ending was very satisfying and leaves the reader thinking about Jeremy’s quest and his final conclusions.  Highly recommended for anyone from junior high to adulthood.

Invisible by Pete Hautman

Published May 15, 2009 Award Winners , RAC , Realistic Fiction 2 Comments
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  149 p.

RAC Book:  Yes

Award Winner:  Iowa Teen Award 2009-2010

Doug Hanson is the social outcast of the school.  He has trouble interacting with people, he spies on the prettiest girl in school, and he spends all his time building a train set in his basement.  His parents make him go to counseling even though he doesn’t think he needs it.  The most important thing to him in life is his best friend, Andy, who lives next door.  Doug admits that they have gotten into trouble together in the past, but he doesn’t like to think of those times.  Doug sees Andy as everything he is not.  He plays sports, has lots of friends, and even performs in school plays while Doug fails to interact at school at all.  Doug begins to realize that people including his teachers, parents, and therapist are deeply worried about him.  The question is whether they have a right to be.

There is an aspect of this story that is not immediately apparent, but becomes so fairly quickly.  Most readers will be able to pick up on it early on in the book, which may or may not entice them to keep reading.  It is unclear if this plot element is supposed to be apparent to the reader early on or it if it supposed to be a surprise at the end.  Either way, it is a plot development that has been used quite a big in movies and television.  The character development is strong in this book, but some of their motives seem confusing.  For example, if Doug’s parents are so concerned about his behavior why don’t they try to do more to help him before it is too late?  Readers who liked Laurie Halse Anderson’s Twisted will like this title as well.

Side Effects by Amy Goldman Koss

Published May 8, 2009 Award Winners , RAC , Realistic Fiction 5 Comments
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  143 p.

RAC Book:  Yes

Award:  Iowa Teen Award Winner 2009-2010

Izzy is a fifteen year old girl telling the story about when she was diagnosed with Lymphoma and how her life changed because of it.  This is a story about a girl who survived Cancer, but that does not mean it was easy.  Izzy had to struggle with terrible side effects from the Chemo, being treated differently at school, and even watching her family suffer as they watched her become weaker.  Izzy was surprised at how different people reacted to the news that she had Cancer.  Some people believed she must have done something bad in a past life, others kept telling stories of people they knew who had Cancer and died, and still others left her alone because they did not know what to say.  She missed the days when all she worried about was school and tests, but Izzy makes it very clear that her story is important because not all people die from Cancer.

This is an honest story about a young person with Cancer.  It depicts the many difficult aspects of having Cancer, both physical and mental.  Amy Goldman Koss wanted a book out there that did not end with a person dying because there are too many books and movies that end that way.  She wanted a book about a person who fought it and lived.  The reactions of Izzy’s friends and family were also interesting and might help any young people who know someone who is very sick.  It can be difficult to know how to react in a situation like this.  An interesting and quick read.

Burned by Ellen Hopkins

Published May 5, 2009 Award Winners , Poetry , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction/Poetry

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  530 p.

RAC Book:  Yes

Awards: Iowa High School Award Winner 2009-2010

This story is told in poetry form and follows a young girl named Pattyn whose strict family belongs to the Church of Latter Day Saints.  She is the oldest of six girls and her father does not hide the fact that he would prefer boys.  He often drinks and then hits Pattyn’s mother and the other members of the congregation look away.  As Pattyn begins to think about boys, love, and women’s roles in life she begins to question everything her family stands for.  After some mishaps at school she is sent to live with her aunt who opens her eyes to a different way of life.  Will she ever be able to break free of her family?  Will she ever be able to protect herself from her father’s wrath?

This story depicts a very dysfunctional family through the eyes of the oldest teenager daughter.  She struggles with finding right and wrong and wonders if she is wrong to want a better life than what her mother has.  The time she spends with her Aunt is refreshing as Pattyn begins to learn and grow in a bigger world than the one her family has shown her.  Her summer romance with Ethan shows her what a good relationship is like with open communication and mutual respect.  The story ends ambiguously and many readers will wonder what actually happens to Pattyn.  The ending reminds readers that sometimes there is no happy ending for the characters you have come to care about.  This is a serious book that discusses serious issues.  Fans of A Child Called It or The Rules of Survival will find this interesting.  Those looking for a lighthearted romance need to keep looking.

Fade to Black by Alex Flinn

Published April 29, 2009 Award Winners , Realistic Fiction 1 Comment

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  184

RAC Book:  Yes

Awards:  Iowa High School Award Winner 2009-2010

This book follows three different perspectives:  Alex, Clinton, and Daria.  Alex is a new student in a small town school where everyone knows he is HIV positive.  At the beginning of the story he is attacked in his car by a baseball bat.  The attacker breaks the windshield so that he is cut by the glass.  Daria, a student with Down Syndrome, is the only witness and believes the assailant to be Clinton Cole.  Clinton has made it known that he is afraid of catching AIDS and wants Alex to leave the school, but swears he did not do this crime.   Did Clinton do this and if he did not will he be punished anyway?

The three perspectives in this book help the reader to understand where each character is coming from.  As the three perspectives follow the events after the attack it becomes clear that Alex and Clinton both have many issues they are dealing with at home and at school.  Some of the issues they deal with at school are fear, guilt, and a desire to fit in and be “normal.”   At home they find that they want to please their parents without allowing them too much control over their lives.  This book emphasizes how difficult it is to be a teenager and be different in any way.  Teenagers are always wondering what if their friends are real friends and would stand by them during difficult times and these three people are disappointed by what they find.  This would be a great story for any high school student to read because it helps them think about situations from other people’s perspectives.  It also helps them realize that everyone feels self conscious about something and that people are more aware of what people say about them than those who say mean things realize.  Also recommended are Alex Flinn’s Books Breathing Underwater and Diva.

Night of the Howling Dogs by Graham Salisbury

Published March 24, 2009 Adventure , RAC , Realistic Fiction 8 Comments
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction/Adventure

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  191

RAC Book:  Yes

This book is based on a true story about a Boy Scout Troop who go into Halape, Hawaii for a weekend campout.  When an earthquake strikes unexpectedly and causes a tsunami, the boys’ survival skills are put to the test.  All of the boys are put in peril and although some of them do not get along, must work together in order to survive.

The fact that this story is based on fact makes it all the more exciting and adventuresome.  As the boys strive to survive this ordeal they come to learn a lot about themselves and each other and begin to appreciate each of their different backgrounds.  Readers who enjoy reading about true survival stories should not miss this one.  It is mainly catalogued as fiction because a few minor details have been changed, but the body of the story is based on fact.  Overall, this is an exciting and suspenseful journey.

Confessions of a Serial Kisser by Wendelin Van Draanen

Published February 10, 2009 RAC , Realistic Fiction 3 Comments
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  13 and up

# of Pages:  294 p.

RAC Book:  yes

Evangeline is going through a difficult time as her parents have recently separated due to her father’s infidelity and she cannot bring herself to even look at him let alone talk to him.  Her best friend, Adrienne, is very supportive but is also very involved at school and is therefore not around as much as Evangeline would like.  After reading one of her mom’s romance novels Evangeline decides that what she needs is a true “crimson kiss.”  In order to find her perfect kiss she begins going around kissing random people and soon gets a reputation.  As rumors swirl about her she must decide what it is she is really looking for and how she can center herself before spinning completely out of control and losing everyone she cares about.

This story is about a girl who is struggling with her parents’ separation and finds herself trying to look for things in life that she thinks she wants.  In the end, she discovers that she does not even really know what she wants and she must face some of the difficult situations she has been trying so desperately to avoid.  The main situation being that she refuses to speak with her father even after his repeated attempts to communicate.  The story is entertaining and will be popular with teenage girls.

Kiss Me Kill Me by Lauren Henderson

Published February 3, 2009 Mystery , RAC , Realistic Fiction 8 Comments
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  260 p.

RAC Book:  Yes

Scarlett Wakefield goes to an exclusive private school called St. Tabby’s where she has two best friends and aspires to be an Olympic gymnast.  She is shocked when one day the elite group of girls in the school asks her to join them for a party.  She immediately drops her best friends in favor of this new group which causes a permanent rift.  When she is at the party she ends up kissing one of the most popular boys in school and he unexpectedly dies of an allergy attack.  No one is able to understand why he had this reaction and why he did not have his epinephrine pen on him.  She soon becomes blamed even though there is no proof that she did anything wrong.  Her life becomes so miserable that she is forced to move away and go to the private school her grandmother is headmistress of.  As she relives that horrible day when Dan died she cannot seem to stop punishing herself.  One day she receives a mysterious note in which she realizes that there is much more to this incident than she knows and she is determined to find out what it is.

This story is interesting and captures the reader’s attention from the beginning.  Anyone can identify with the feelings Scarlett has throughout the book.  The mystery element also becomes intriguing as most readers will not know right off what actually caused Dan’s death.  The only issue with the story is that the ending is unsatisfying and feels unfinished.  Whether a sequel is planned or not does not excuse the fact tht the ending feels too abrupt.

Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi

Published January 30, 2009 RAC , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages:  136 p.

RAC:  Yes

Miles recently moved to live with his musician father in New Orleans and is still trying to get used to his new city when Hurricane Katrina unexpectedly changes his life forever.  Miles, his father, and his uncle all end up in the overcrowded Superdome.  There are terrible living conditions, including not enough food, gang activity, and limited bathrooms.  They also lose the freedom to come and go freely.  Miles and his family try to make the best out of their stay, but face many hardships as they try to wait out the storm.  In the process, the people around Miles struggle to come to terms with the fact that their entire lives and the city they love are all gone.

Many people saw accounts of Hurricane Katrina on the news, but this book gives an inside view of what it would have been like to actually live through this catastrophe.   There are some violent and difficult situations that arise as people panic and strive to keep their families safe.  For anyone who has not been in a situation this sudden and severe this can be an eye opening read about the many aspects of human nature during a natural disaster.

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