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Football Genius by Tim Green

Published June 19, 2010 Award Winners , Sports 2 Comments
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2010 Iowa Teen Award Winner

Genre:  Sports Fiction

# of Pages:  244

RAC: No

Troy believes he can predict football plays if he watches games closely and understands the pattern of the plays.  When his mom gets a job with the Atlanta Falcons he tries to tell the defensive coach his gift so that his favorite team can win a game, but instead he is escorted off the field by security.  In the process of trying to help his team, he gets himself and his mother into a lot of trouble.  His only hope is to somehow contact the linebacker, Seth Halloway, and get him to believe in his unusual skill so that he can help the Falcons win.  Meanwhile, Troy is having trouble with his own football team because the class bully’s dad is the coach and refuses to let Troy play, despite the fact he is the best quarterback they have.  Can Troy ever get anyone to recognize his talent and passion for football?

This fun football story will engage even the most reluctant male readers.  There is excitement, drama, family turmoil, strong friendsip, and of course a lot of football action.  The age level is a big too low for my school, but the story is fun and the characters are engaging.  Sports fans will enjoy this quick read.

Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor

Published January 12, 2010 Fantasy , RAC 2 Comments
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Genre:  Fantasy

# of Pages:  371

RAC:  Yes

In this sequel to The Looking Glass Wars, Redd is struggling to find her way back to Wonderland in order to battle her niece, Alyss, for the throne.  Meanwhile, Alyss is trying to rebuild Wonderland after Redd’s reign of terror and destruction.  Alyss wonders if they will ever be the happy and secure place that Wonderland once was.  Dodge, Alyss’s best friend, is now the head of security and desperately wants to find time alone with Alyss (which is difficult now that she is queen) so that he can tell her how much she means to him.  Hatter Madigan is holed up in a cave far away mourning the loss of the love of his life without plans to ever return to combat until a diary with a surprising message convinces him otherwise.  When Wonderland is attacked and Alyss’s personal bodyguard is taken captive Alyss must decide if it is Redd or if a new nemesis has in fact revealed himself.

This sequel is action packed and every bit as exciting as the first.  Alyss’s struggles as queen are believable despite taking place in a fantasy world.  Readers can identify with many of the characters because their motivations and feelings are written in a way that anyone can understand why they feel the way they do.  The ending is a bit abrupt, but luckily the third installment is ready to pick up where that one leaves off.  Recommended for anyone who loves fantasy and fantasy series such as The Lightning Thief or Maxiumum Ride.

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.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Published January 22, 2008 RAC , Realistic Fiction , Romance Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Romance

Age Level:  12 and up

# of pages:  374 p.

RAC:  Yes

Sixteen-year-old Macy is still trying to cope with not only the loss of her father, but the guilt she felt over the circumstances surrounding his death.  Her older sister has since moved out and gotten married and her mother has thrown herself into her work.  Meanwhile her boyfriend, whom she thinks is so perfect and smart, plans to spend the summer at Brain Camp.  She is supposed to take over his job at the library where his friends are incredibly mean and cold to her.

One fateful night her mother throws a business party and the caterers have some minor mishaps, which makes her mother very unhappy.  Macy is recruited to go check on them and finds them fun and willing to take on challenges.  Delia, the owner, is very pregnant and trying her best to keep things together.  Bert and Wes are brothers who lost their mother to Cancer and only have each other to take care of.  Kristy and Monica are sisters who couldn’t be more opposite as Kristy is friendly and outgoing and Monica only speaks one word at a time.  Macy feels drawn to this crazy group in some way.

When Macy’s boyfriend decides to “take a break” for the summer, she finds herself contacting the catering company for a summer job.  Taking the catering job makes a huge difference to Macy as she tries to deal with her own feelings of grief and those of her mother’s.  At the same time, she grows closer to Wes and wonders if she needs someone who doesn’t make her feel unwanted.

The characters in this book are so believable and captivating that it is hard to put down.  The issues Macy and the others are going through are so real that anyone can connect to them  in some way.  Family, friends, loss, closure, and communication are all themes in this book that help remind us all how important it is to take control of our own lives and not let anyone else do it for us.   Highly recommended.

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