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Reality teen issues

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Please list your first name only and your state or country with your booktalk!  

 



Rebluntay ( Virginia )

The Dear One

By: Jacqueline Woodson

     A girl name Feni , who’s just turning 12. Has been through a few things throughout her lifeHer grandmother dying who was her best friend. Her mom drinking problems causing her parents to go their separate ways. And her mom drinking also caused Feni’s only friend to not come over because Feni mom said some rude things to her. Now on her birthday Feni mom Catherine has gave her some news that she doesn’t like the morning of her birthday. Catherine’s close friend Clair has been going through a lot of things since college, years ago. Now it’s starting to happen again. Clair’s 15 year old daughter Rebecca is pregnant, & Clair wants her to stay with Catherine & Feni until the baby is born. Feni doesn’t like that at all. She feels as if she’s going to have to take care of Rebecca because her mom always has to work. Feni also don’t want Rebecca to stay in her grandmother room. Feni grandmother died when she was eight. She was dragged four blocks from a bus. It messed Feni up really bad; she didn’t talk for 2 months. Feni keeps a picture of her grandmother though. Catherine’s other close friend her & Clair grew up with Marion came by. She gave Feni a present for her birthday, but things turned. Catherine & Marion got into a little argument with Feni about Rebecca staying there.

So as days the go by, the day for Rebecca to come was here. Seem like a few things changed. Rebecca didn’t eat meat so basically no one in the house could eat it. Feni feels just because Rebecca doesn’t eat it doesn’t mean everyone has to stop eating it. Rebecca seemed to be real rude & bossy when she first came into the house. Feni & Rebecca seems to not like each other, But Feni is just Curious. She stare at Rebecca belly a lot. She wonders how can a girls so young get herself in trouble like this.

      I really enjoyed this book. Some parts are so sad. It’s really heart touching. I would love to see a movie on this. It really inspires me to read it to little girls & teach them about Pregnancy & how not to judge people. Also about boys & love. And how a baby cannot make a man stay. Most importantly a baby can slow your life down & ruin your future. Drinking can also ruin a lot of things. This book has taught me a lot. It’s a great book!

 

 

 


 

 

Diamond Greene, Richmond Virginia, USA

 

The Dear One ; By: Jacqueline Woodson

I really enjoyed reading the book, The Dear One. It was very interesting and touching. I would read this book 3 times a day if i was capable. I myself would highly recommend this book to young teen girls. Also to teens that think they want or planning on having a baby. It showed how two different people that are not alike at all (rich and poor) could grow a friendship and get along. It also showed how 2 different people from different worlds could learn and grow to accept each other. The Dear One approaches many real life situations (teen pregnancy and different backgrounds). The characters Afeni and Rebecca really touched my heart in this book. So yes, read it and see how you like it.

 

 



Manaiya Miller 
Virginia 

Divine Confidential
She’s back! Divine Matthews-Harrison is back in Atlanta where the fun yet a lot of drama begin. Since being with her mother, the talented R&B artist Kara Matthews, over the summer, she’d miss her Aunt Phoebe, Uncle Reed, and who can’t forget her cousins Chance and Alyssa. But her main reason to go back to ATL is her boo, Madison. Both Divine and Alyssa are going into the 10th grade. Divine wants to date, but she doesn’t realize how a relationship can change a person, especially if it’s involved with sex. She believes that when a person’s 16 years old, basically they’re an adult and they can date whoever they want. Both Aunt Phoebe and Uncle Reed are explaining to Divine and Alyssa that dating can wait and they should focus on their studies. But you know Divine, she won’t take “no” for an answer. Divine has a lot of thinking to do if she really wants to convince her aunt and uncle to date. While she’s doing it, there are obstacles that she has to go through but she doesn’t know if it’s easy for her to pass.


 

Mark Peppers (Virginia)

Until We Meet Again is a novel about a kid a girl who gets out of school for summer and is excited. Darcy was very excited. She thought that her summer was going to be great until someone threatened to take her boyfriend away from her which it messed up her whole summer. She was very sad and depressed. Darcy parents broke up and they thought about getting back together. They finally told her and her little sister that they were going to give their marriage a second chance. She been through a lot growing up. Her life was very bad at a point of time. People will never understand because they never been in the situation.


 

Alexia 1/13/2014 

Keeping It Real by: L. Divine

Jayd Jackson is in High school and finally gets her first car. She gets the car and the car is in more trouble than it’s worth. One of her best friends is getting sent to continuation school. Her friends just can’t seem to stop fighting.  Jayd does hair and is trying very hard to make good grades in school. She braids and she is trying to make potions for hair. Drama always seems to pop up even when you are doing well. This book talks about all the struggles that teenagers are dealing with. Pregnancies, drugs and violence is occurring where the characters live in Compton. Teenagers go through the same thing as the people did in this book. This book makes you want to read the whole series of her books. The book was very good. Something drastic happens at the end of her high school career. I recommend this book to everyone. It is very good.


 

 

Jazlin - Virginia

Skinny by Donna Cooner 

 

          Skinny is a novel written by Donna Cooner. This novel is about an adolescent girl, Ever, who is going through a problem many teens in this nation is going through, obesity. Ever hides behind her weight, like many other teenagers she feels trapped by her weight. She feels like her weight controls her everyday life. The title of the book is mentioned a lot through the novel because 'Skinny'is actually a voice in Ever's head that disables Ever from actually opening up to people. Ever gets fed up with 'Skinny' and tries to get rid of 'her'. Ever goes through a life changing experience and still finds herself being taunted by the voice I'm her head. Ever is a mentally disturbed girl, a voice in her head keeps her away from people and it is very hard to connect to her throughout the story. Although, the secondary characters are likable they are not described or developed enough. The only character I liked in this book was the antagonist, and you're not supposed to like those usually but she was the most described and exposed and developed in the story. I feel like Donna Cooner did not describe the difficulties of Ever's situation well at all. First, Cooner made it seek hard but bearable then she hardly talks about how hard it really it at all and you're only reminded about it in the beginning of some chapters which was very confusing to me as reader. Don't get me wrong, I like the concept of the book it's very interesting to see a very young girl go through changes like that but it was poorly described and too much went on which was distracting to the main plot. I do and don't recommend this book. Do, because it's very informing and helps people realize how hard it really is being detached from the world. Don't, because this book makes the reader confused on to what's really happening to Ever. The ending was terrible. It turned into like this exorcism of 'Skinny' which made me feel like I was reading a children's book but Ever turns out to be happy with a little twist at the end.


 

 

Harrison - Virginia

Brian's hunt- Gary Paulsen

     

     Brian’s Hunt is an action packed book that will keep your eyes glued to the book. Brian is a 19 year old that loves nature, he hates living in civilization with his parents so he decides to go out on his own into the northern woods and live. He has some friend’s way up north in the woods and that is his destination, Brian packs all his stuff and he only has a few bags and a canoe. It is amazing what he does with these few things he packed, Brian uses everything so wisely. Brian's hunt is also a good book for information; it describes very well survival techniques that Brian uses during his travels. The author makes him seem like he is an expert at the wild, Brian knows everything about animals, land, weather, the rivers and lakes. The book has two parts in my opinion, the first part being about his adventure and the second being about the rescue and his hunt. A dog wonders to Brian one day and has a severe gash in his side, after helping the dog his senses tell him to move north to his friends quick. Once Brian reaches his friends he discovers that they are dead, he is angered by this and sets out on a mission to kill the thing that killed his friends. Overall I enjoyed the book because of how the author made it to where Brian was always talking about something that I did not know about surviving in the wild. It really is a good book for a person that loves adventure and loves being in the woods. I would recommend it to anyone because it is fun to read and never gets boring.


 

 

“To Catch a DREAM” by Anne Schraff was a pretty interesting book. I had a strong connection with this book because as I turned every page something that was happening in Abel’s life was happening in mine. Abel is a 16 year old teenager, trying to find a job to get a car. Abel ends up in bad predicaments almost every day. He’s a good kid with a lot of negative things surrounding him. His parents are very negative towards everything he does. My parents aren’t necessarily negative all the time, but they can be. His best friend Ernesto, is a wise teenager and helps Abel through all his problems. Elena is a crazed mom that accused everyone, but herself for things that happened around the donut shop. My dad would blame any and everybody before he takes the blame for something he’s done around the house. Sarah is Elena’s daughter, and she is an out of control 13 year old. Surprisingly Elena admitted that she was jealous of her own daughter because of the attention her father gave her. That jealousy caused a lot of turmoil in that family. Claudia is an adorable coworker of Abel’s, and of course he had a thing for her. Hector Porch is Elena’s brother and business partner didn’t really care for Sarah. I would recommend this book because it’s very relatable. As a teenager you might be going through the same things Abel went through. The drama is suspenseful. You never know what’s going to happen next. It was kind of boring at first, but after chapter 3 it’s a page turning.

 by quanisha  

 


 

Andrew (Virginia)

Cut - Patricia McCormick 

The Book “Cut” by Patricia McCormick tells the sad and revealing tale of a shy and outcast girl of Callie. When I started reading I kind of thought of the book and movie Carrie by Stephen King who tells a similar tale but McCormick put her on twist and from a friends experience Callie was born and so was “Cut”. Callie is going through a rough time with her personal problems and life and to her cutting herself is taking the pain away which ends almost killing her. Callie has problems there’s no doubt but she’s just confused and scared and really doesn’t know how to cope with her life struggles. Today, one in twelve teens cut themselves and it’s most common in girls between ages 13-19, Callie was 15 and she became that one out of twelve. No signals or warning came to her friends or parents because she has always been soft spoken, quiet, and kept to herself. I believe “Cut” is a very revealing tale one girl’s life and how it can relate to the teens of today and why we should get help for those who really need it like Callie before it’s too late. The detailed and vivid descriptions just bring the book to life, like I had an idea of what I was going to be reading about but it totally took me by surprise when I was done. From it all, I learned that cutters are just regular people who have a different way of coping with their issues and we shouldn’t judge them based on that labeling them and having them to go “cut” again, instead we should be helping them deal with their life issues. I personally enjoyed the book for numerous reasons but I’ll only say two, I enjoyed the book because it was just real and from the heart there was no inspiring tale or love story, and second it was heart touching like it made me feel like I was Callie myself going through these struggles with no one to help me, the connection between myself and the Character is what made it feel real. I would most definitely recommend this book to others because it’s simple, shocking, and a story with deep and real emotions that opens one’s heart and mind.


 

Sherante' (Virginia)

A Matter of Trust

The book "A Matter of Trust" is about the life of 3 high school teenagers. They go to the same high school by the name of Bluford High. The three main characters are Darcy, Hakeem and Brissana. Darcy and Hakeem are boyfriend and girlfriend. Darcy and Brissana used to be very close friends but now hate each other. Soon Darcy starts to realize that brissana is trying to steal he boyfriend and questions Hakeems loyalty. Darcy also has to deal with her grandmother who is getting sicker and sicker by the day. She also is dealing with her father trying to ease his way back into her and her sisters life after leaving them 5 years ago. Darcys mother works long hours which gives Darcy a more responsible role in watching after her little sister Jamee who's such a handful. After running away from home Darcy has to keep a close eye on her sister on top of all of the other things she has going on in her life.  I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend this book because its pretty accurate to a teen's everyday life and the struggles teenagers have to go through no matter if it's at home, school or boyfriend/girlfriend problems.  

 


Shakira (Virginia)

        In Someone To Love Me by Anne Schraff there is a lot of suspense and drama. It keeps you on your toes and is a great book if you like to read about things that could happen in real life. She makes it interesting by not telling everything about one character in one chapter she spreads it around due to the plot. The story is also very unpredictable but it all makes sense at the end. You can feel the emotion of each character through the book and you can very much so feel their pain. Although there was a lot of struggling , pain and sorrow in this book there is also a lot of happy and cheerful moments. She is a wonderful author and I would defiantly recommend this book and the rest of series to others. The series is great for young adults and teenagers who don’t really like reading because regular books  doesn’t catch their attention because they cant relate to it or its boring. Not the Bluford series. On a scale from 1-10 I give it 9.5 I defiantly recommend it to others.

 

 


 

Shelby (Virginia) Pushing the Limits

 

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry is an emotional reality teen romance about two troubled teens, Noah and Echo, both mourning the loss of loved ones. It is an insightful story about teens learning to open up to each other, letting go of the past and moving forward. They both go through their own sets of ups and downs but somehow they seem to open up to each other by connecting. The author makes you question what has happened to Echo in the past throughout the whole book. I was hooked from the beginning so much so that as soon as finished the book I was barely able wait to read the rest of the series. Some might say that the book is to long but as so as you start reading it the pages fly by and next thing you know it’s almost over. It was interesting that the author included the different points-of-view between the two main characters. The thing that I disliked the most about the book the was the continuous profanity in it even though I think that the thoughts and actions of the teens in this book and the other books in the series are very realistic to teens now-a-days. I really enjoyed this book and what I liked most about the book was how unique the names were, Echo and Aries. I would most definitely recommend this book to other teens my age.

 

 


 

 Noel Cherry

Ms. Pedersen

1st Block

 

                                                                                                               The Baptism                                                                                                              

 

 

                                                             The Baptism is one of the best books I've read so far. The book is about two twin brothers, named Leon and Luke, who are preparing to get baptized. The story is based in North Carolina around the seventies. The story comes mainly from brother Luke perspective. Brother Leon is a a very real and curious individual. Luke is more of a mama's boy, unlike Leon. Luke hangs around Leon, who is always getting into something, but doesn't do half of the bad things Leon does. The two boys live in the house with their Mom, older brother Joe Nasty, and step Dad Filthy Frank. This book is different from majority of the books I've read because; the chapters go by the days of the week. This book kept me craving another page. Some type of drama was always going on throughout this book. I would highly recommend this book to anybody. It's not too long and not to short, it's just right.


 


Brittany, Virginia

Thirteen Reasons Why

This book is about a young girl named Hannah Baker that has killed herself but no one really knows why. No one really liked her either..besides Clay. Anyways Clay was doing some work one day and a box showed up on his doorstep and what might've been in it. Shoes? Clothes? Nope. It was cassette tapes. Of course he wanted to see what they were all about. He recognized the voice talking but he didnt want to believe it. It was Hannah. She said that if you received these tapes then you are one of the thirteen reasons why she killed herself. But Clay didnt understand, he loved her. Why would he be the cause of her death?

 

What I thought about the book?

I absolutely loved this book because it was so much suspense and thinking to do with this book. I was hooked just from reading the first page and I never wanted to put it down. A lot of people can learn from this book and notice some signs of suicide of people around them because all it takes is one person to help or hurt you.

 

Would I recommend it?

Of course I would recommend it because if teaches you a lot about people and that everyone isn't your friend..it's called pretending.

 

 


 

 

 

Jamie 
Virginia  

 

For freshman Melinda Sordino high school wasn’t a big thing to look forward to.  Try being the most hated girl, along with losing a  bestfriend the summer before. We find Melinda not wanting to talk about it or anything for that matter. She struggles finding herself but acquires a lot of things being alone.  Just like many other teens high school grades become a drag and a stress in itself.  She does however have art a new talent she finds shes good at to express a little bit. But when IT becomes a closer arising problem, what can she do? Will anybody ever figure out her story. Her art might actually save her a lot. Maybe a friendship, Melinda starts to believe she’ll never be anybody. I myself as a  teen enjoyed the book. It gave you insight on things that do happen. The good the bad & the ugly. I recommend it to teens its very inspiring. You never know when it might be your turn to SPEAK ;)

 



 
 
 Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby is about teenager girl named Joey who is deaf.  Her mother will not allow her to learn sign language because she is afraid that other people will think she is not normal.  Joey struggles to read lips, but basically the only person she really understands is her mom.  One day she meets her elderly next door neighbor and discovers that he knows sign language.  He invites her back to his house and introduces her to his chimpanzee Sukari (who also signs.)  Joey is ecstatic about learning sign, but her mother forbids it.  Secretly Joey starts sneaking over to her neighbor's house for sign language lessons.  One day, her mom catches her.  WIll her mom allow her to continue to learn sign?  Or will she be turned away from Sukari and her neighbor forever?  Be sure to check out this book to find out!  --Amy (Texas)
 
I made a booktalk about this book...please check it out.  

 

Repossessed  By A.M Jenkins - This is a story about a boy named Shaun, His body was actually taken over by a "Fallen Angel" right before his own death, In this story the demon expiriences things that only a NORMAL Human would know of, such as smell, touch, and sight. He is amazed at how interesting and controlling the human life can actually be. Shauns body is in for a long ride as he is actually making himself a better person from the "inside" ahem ahem. Shaun eventually realizes what he has in life, and starts to realize how important you really are to the world. Plus he met a pretty girl over time.  This was my favorite book of the year, it recieves a :thumbup: - Ricky D. SEP Iowa

 


 

 

Witni (Iowa)- Gossip Girls. My book is about these girls that live in New York are all very rich, and some of them are very stuck up. Blair and Serena usted to be best friends, untill Serena sleeps with Nate, Blair's boyfriend. Then they stopped talking, until Blair's mom wants to get re-married. Blair's mom decides that she wants Blair and her friends to be her bridesmaies, so Blair has to put up with Serena for the weekend. They day Blair's mom got married was Blair's birthday. She decided she was going to try to be friends with Serena, so they became friends again. 


 

Cassidy  (Iowa)- Gossip Girls series, it's a book about a group of teenage friends who have a lot of money, they soon find out that just  because they have money, doesn't mean they have happiness. Every single one of the spoiled friends have their own problems. Whether it's because your in love with your best friend's boyfriend or because you idolize someone that doesn't know your name.


 

Beth (Iowa)  Leslie's Journal- My book was about a girl who getts a boyfreind and he is abusive.  Then she figures out that the he has also been abusive to other people.  She goes and tells her parents and they don't beleive her.  They go to court.  He gets put in prision.


Kyle (Iowa) 

 

 

 

 

Fade To Black

 

Fade To Black, written by Alex Flinn, is a book about a high-school student who has been diagnosed with AIDS and how he copes with peer pressure and bullies. The theme of this book would be dealing with the fact that there are bullies out there and that you have to be nice to everyone no matter what.

            In this book there are three main characters who express there points of views. There is Alejandro or Alex Crusan, Clinton Cole, and Daria. They each talk from first person point of view. It takes place in Pinedale, Florida. Alex Crusan is diagnosed with AIDS and he has to go to school and get ridiculed by students that attend there. The biggest bully is Clinton Cole and his friends. Clinton bullies Alex everyday until he takes it one step to far and accidently hurts Alex. Daria is a mentally challenged girl who likes Alex and watches everything he does.

            I am sixteen years old and I felt this book was okay for a high-school student. It had a good plot and good suspense but I didn’t really like the whole idea of the plot being about AIDS or HIV. My expectations were exactly where I thought they would be after finishing this book because it didn’t have a lot of action. I thought it was going to be okay and it was.

            The characters in this book were believable because they seemed to be normal high-school students. There were some points in the book where it would get boring and hard to keep reading, but when the action and suspense did happen it was a page turner. The style of the writing was different from anything I’ve read before because it had three different characters each telling there side of the story. Word choice was good in this book because the characters talked like high-school students.

            The one thing that I would do to change this book would be to create more action between Clinton Cole and Alex Crusan. The book showed a couple of things that proved Clinton Cole to be a bully but I feel they could have included more.  Other than that the book was set up well and was a good read.

            If you were in a situation where you could put your bully away and get him or her in trouble, would you? In this book it shows how even though Alex got bullied by Clinton he was still nice to him and cared about his well-being.

            I think this book is suitable for anyone that is in high-school or is diagnosed with AIDS or HIV. It could even be a book for someone who knows someone with HIV or AIDS. I would give this book a 4 star rating.


 

 

 

Kirstin (Iowa)

BURNED

Burned, written by Ellen Hopkins is defiantly a great read full of excitement, calamities, love, and surprise. Hopkins book shows the life of Pattyn Scarlet Von Stratten, a Mormon girl, who is tired of the Mormon lifestyle and suddenly, goes against her family and the rules of her home, church, and school. Burned is a book relating that people deal with tragedies all different ways.

Pattyn’s father spends most of the time drunk and angry while her mother dreads taking care of an entire household of nine and one on the way. Pattyn outrageously rebels against her Mormon lifestyle and falls into a great amount of trouble. Her father decides to ship her off to her aunt’s house far into the country for the summer, hoping to get her to stay out of trouble. She learns quite a bit by living with her aunt and even meets a new boy, Ethan. Little does her father know that was probably the best thing for Pattyn.

The authors writing style is real eye catching. The way she wrote the book is a new way of reading and writing. It will literally keep you on the edge of your seat. Hopkins fast paced style of writing is so powerful it will keep you turning the page. No matter where you’re at you will want to be reading Burned.

I at seventeen years old read this book for my high school popular fiction class. I expected it to be a quick and exciting read and I didn’t think it would be when I opened the book to page 532. Little did I know I wouldn’t want to put it down no matter where I was at or what I was doing at the time. Expectations were well met with this book

I as reader enjoyed the book a ton. It’s a book more about finding your inner self and who you really want to be in life and I as well as any teenager could well relate. Being a teenager you face many tribulations whether they are happy, sad, or about love and finding your fairytale ending like all girls wish. We all grow and mature and all have to find who we really are and reading a book like Burned and being a part of Pattyn’s journey and realizing she goes through the same things that a teenage girl goes through you really like knowing that you’re not alone. That is way I liked this book.

If I were the author I would have not had Pattyn lose the love of her life by any means. They would have lived happily ever after. Yet Hopkins novels do end tragically this one I would have made different from the others I would have drawn out the ending a little bit further and added lots of more detail. I would have also added more of Ethan’s perspective.

This is a very appropriate novel that I recommend any high school student should read. It is a very exciting and surprising eye opener that any teenager could relate too and Burned will have you reading until late hours of the morning!

 


 

 

Allison (Iowa) 

Truth About Forever

 

 

            The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen is a thought-provoking novel with a fresh outlook on life. The theme, you are truly happy when you are being true to who you are and not who others want you to be, is what the main character, Macy Queen, doesn’t realize.

            Macy Queen is going to be a high school senior and thinks that she has everything figured out. She has a boyfriend, Jason, who she thinks is the portrait of perfection. He is smart, cute, and has his whole life figured out. That’s what Macy believes she needs after her father died unexpectedly the day after Christmas. Of course she blames herself because she didn’t get up to run with him that morning. This story takes place on the East Coast in a small town, and follows Macy as she spends the summer preparing for her SATs and working at the library.Meanwhile Jason is away at a camp for smart people, also known as “Brain Camp.” Little did she know her life was about to change when she met the Wish catering crew.

            I read this book for my Popular Fiction class and I chose this novel because I’ve read other Sarah Dessen novels and loved them. When I began reading this book, I thought it would just be about a teen who learns that life isn’t always what it seems. However, as I got further into the book, it made me start to think about life and what being happy really entails. When I finished it, I was left with a whole new set of questions about life that can’t be answered with one single answer, its different for everyone. Overall, I really liked this book and learned a lot while reading it.

            The characters in the book were very believable, even Jason. They showed real emotions and reactions you would expect from a normal person. Once example is when Macy draws her feelings inward when her father dies because her sister took care of all of the crying for both her and her mom. “When my dad died, we all reacted in different ways. My sister seemed to take on our cumulative emotional reaction: she cried so much she seemed to be shriveling right in front of our eyes. I sat quiet, silent, angry, refusing to grieve, because it seemed like to do so would be giving everyone what they wanted.” (12) The beginning of the story is a bit slow but after a couple of chapters of the author telling about the life of the main character, it picks up and gets very interesting.

            There are many questions about life that are asked in this book. A few examples are: Does perfection exist?  If you are perfect, are you truly happy? Should you change who you are to be with someone else? These questions do not have a definitive answer, but are different for everyone.

            I would recommend this book for anyone who is questioning what the purpose of life is or anyone who just wants a good read. I think it’s a good choice for a high school student because it deals with issues a student might and are possibly dealing with. I give this book 4 ½  stars. This book won’t let you down in compassion, questions, and some possible answers.


 

 

Courtney (Iowa)

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

 

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen is a novel about finding ones inner self. In this novel it is about a 16 year old girl, Caitlin, finding who she really is.

The book starts with Caitlin waking up on her 16th birthday to find that her older sister, Cass, has ran away. Caitlin’s parents are in such a panic they don’t even remember to say happy birthday or acknowledge Caitlin. The only person who remembers is her sister who left a present before she left that morning. Throughout the novel the reader learns to understand things from Caitlin’s point of view. The reader learns that Cass has always been the perfect daughter. She is the smart, athletic, and all around good girl. This is hard for Caitlin because even though she loves Cass very much she feels like the runner up daughter. Once Cass is gone it’s up to Caitlin to fill in the empty spaces.

Caitlin gives in to her best friend, Rina, and becomes a cheerleader. This makes her mom so proud and gives her mom something to do, other than cry over Cass’ leaving. After a game one night Caitlin meets a boy named Rogerson at a car wash. She ends up seeing him again at a party later that night and leaves with him. What the reader and Caitlin do not know is that being with Rogerson may end up hurting Caitlin worse than her sister leaving.

The setting of the novel is an average city. Caitlin and her parents live in a housing development called Lake View. Rogerson lives in an upper class housing development not far from Caitlin. The tone of the novel is serious, fun, sad, and much more. It is perfect along with perfect word choice with each situation.

I loved this book. I wasn’t expecting a great novel, I just chose one to read and get it over with. This book definitely exceeded my expectations. I loved the author’s style of writing and plan to read more of Sarah Dessen’s novels. She made everything realistic; nothing was far fetched or dumb. She kept the reader into the book, she drug your heart into it. The reader got a great description of all the characters, the setting, and how Caitlin felt at all times.

The only thing I would change about the novel is possibly adding to the end. Give the reader more of a closing. Other than that the novel is perfect the way it is.

Dreamland tells the story of finding ones inner self. It really questions how far you’ll go for love or how much you’ll take. I give the novel a 5-star rating.


 

 Stacey (Iowa)-Begging for Change- My book is about this girl named Raspberry and she lives with her mom and they lived in the projects to start out with.  They moved into an aparment and her mother was trying to clean up the neighborhood and this one girl named Shekita didn't like it so she hits the mother in the head with a metal pipe.  Raspberry is hanging out with her friend, Zora and she went to the bathroom and Raspberry stole some of her money. They aren't friends anymore.  One day her dad comes to visit and her mom is at work and her dad steals money from her and it was about 200 dollars and he used it to buy drugs and beer.  Now Raspberry knows how Zora feels about getting stolen from.  I wonder what will happen with their friendship with Zora and her dad.


 

 

Ashly M. (Iowa) The Reef – Tate Beaumont and her parents are searching for a long lost ship at sea, The Isabella, but what she finds is not what she expected. Matthew Lassiter is cute, sexy and dangerous. He and his uncle are also after The Isabella, which according to legend holds a cursed necklace within. Matthew believes that it was the dreaded cursed necklace that killed his father. Now someone knows that they have found her, and they’re going to do anything to get the necklace from Matthew and Tate. They must join together, put their differences aside and find the killer, before he finds them.

 
The Face on the Milk Carton by: Caroline B. Cooney
 Janie Johnson drinks milk one day and sees a missing girl on it. She gets a flash back of the same dress and hair style as the girl. Janie then wonders why she doesn’t look like her parents or have any baby pictures. She finds a picture of a lady who looks just like her. She asks her parents but they don’t say anything. So Janie runs away to go look for her mom.

 
Monster By: Walter Dean Myers
Steven Harmon is on trial for being part of robbery. But you really don’t know if he is because the other side of it was because he was actually there to get something. So throughout the book you’re wondering if he’s guilty or innocent and his parents and his own layer thinks that he’s guilty. So he doesn’t really have a chance against the court.

 

 Courtney(Iowa), Until We Meet Again, By. Anne Schraff--(for teens) A teenage girl named Darcy who goes to Blufford High thinks everything is going great with her family, friends, and boyfriend ; until everything unexpectidly changes. Her boyfriend is moving, and her grandma is ill, her dad is moving back in. There is so much drama, and not enough time.

 

Courtney(Iowa), Brothers in Arms, By. Paul Langan and Ben Alirez---(for teens) Martin Luna is a teenage boy in highschool, who is always chiling with his homies, getting drunk,and into fights. Until one day his little brother Huero , who Martin has always pushed away gets shot ina driveby. Things starty to change immediatly as his mother transfer him to a new school. His gangster life and ways change.

 

Courtney(Iowa), The Gun, By. Paul Langan--(for teens) Tyray is a young teenager whose life revolves around bullying kids smaller then him; for there money. Until one day Darrell, a kid Tyray bullies is tired of getting bullied, and starts a fight. Darrell wins, but ends up breaking Tyray's arm. Tyray is up for revenge by getting a gun. Read to find out the shocking ending.


 

 

CeCe Mills (Iowa)--Grace Happens-- (it is considered Young Adult) This book is about a girl whose mother is an actress and she has no idea about her father. She and her mom return to her mother's home town for a vaction. It tells of her adventure in trying to figure out who her father is.

 


 

CVH (IA) Black and White by Paul Volponi. The author speaks of "black and white" issues, but he also goes deep into the human soul and gives guidance on how to live a content, happy life. This book could be a self-help book on dealing with the "big and small" mistakes made in life, change, stress, and growing up! There are numerous quotes I admire, but my favorite is: (school officer speaking to Marcus mother) "I know he's made some mistakes. But that's what adolescents do. Marcus is the type of young man who's going to learn from what he did wrong. He's going to pick himself back up and succeed. And one day, other kids from this neighborhood are going to look up to him for that." (p.131) The book is open-ended at the end. But that's okay and will leave the reader content. There will be ups and downs after the final page and much food for thought in the reader's imagination.


 

Virginia (IA)-- The Pact by Jodi Picoult. Christ and Emily grow up next door to each other. Best friends, but as they reach adolescence, they fall in love. Now Chris is on trial for the murder of Emily. He claims it was a suicide pact, but he also says that he was never suicidal, it was all Emily's urgent need to die.

 

TyAnh(IA)--The Face on the Milk Carton by: Caroline B. Cooney. Janie Johnson drinks milk one day and sees a missing girl on it. She gets a flash back of the same dress and hair style as the girl. Janie then wonders why she doesn’t look like her parents or have any baby pictures. She finds a picture of a lady who looks just like her. She asks her parents but they don’t say anything. So Janie runs away to go look for her mom.

 


 

 

 

TyAnh(IA)--Monster By: Walter Dean Myers. Steven Harmon is on trial for being part of robbery. But you really don’t know if he is because the other side of it was because he was actually there to get something. So throughout the book you’re wondering if he’s guilty or innocent and his parents and his own layer thinks that he’s guilty. So he doesn’t really have a chance against the court.

 


 

Jody(IA)-When It Happens-By:Susane Colasanti-

It’s about a girl who’s tired of boys who’s not up to her expectations. She wants a real relationship. But she hasn’t found the right guy. Then there’s a guy who has some flings but the whole time he wants the girl that wants a real relationship. And the girl doesn’t know that. This book is in two people perspectives.

 

Jody(IA)-The Beast-By:Walter Dean Myers-

About a guy who is going off to a better school leaving behind his girlfriend. But he has to go so he could get a better future. When he goes back to his hometown to visit, he sees things differently. He never noticed the little details and finds out so much stuff. He even found out stuff about this girlfriend.

 

Jody(IA)-Inexcusable-By:Chris Lynch-

It’s about a senior name Keir. He’s a really good guy. Well that’s what the author makes you think. But anyways, there’s a girl that is his best friend that doesn’t think he’s a good guy. Because the night of their graduation she saying he raped her but he’s saying that it wasn’t rape.


 

Kimberly (Iowa)--Ribbons of the Sun by Harriet Hamilton. This is a book that will make you cry, or at least it did for me. Its about a 12 year old Indian girl who suffers through the horable tragedy of being sold to a white family. She ends up getting pregnant and is on the street with a baby and no idea what shes doing. Can she make it or will she try to end it all?


 

 

 Shelby-- I am reading the book Ask Again Later by Jill A. Davis right now. This book is probably one of my favorite books I have read in a long time. It is one of those books that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Its is a about a women named Emily who had some very bad and some good relationships. Some of those relationships include Her and Her father. She does not call her dad she calls him by his firsat name Jim. He walked out on her and her mother when she was about 4 or 5. The have a strained relationship. Her and her mother are becoming pretty close because she finds out her mother has breast cancer and takes care of her. Then there is a guy named Sam who she has feelings for he is going through a divorse so she is there to comfort her i believe they will end up having something but i have not gotten to that place yet. I recommend this book to anyone who like real life kind of stories you can relate to.

 


 

 

Angelica (Iowa)

Deadline Review

Deadline by Chris Crutcher is a fiction novel about a senior in high school, Ben Wolf, that finds out he has cancer and has a year to live. A theme of this book is that you should live every day like it’s your last and never take things for granted.

Ben’s mom has a kind of bipolar disorder and has these crashes all the time. He always wants to help her get better and come out of her constant cycle of depression and mania. However, his dad always makes him leave the house for the night so he can take care of his wife himself. Then there’s Ben’s younger brother, Cody, who everyone in Trout High calls “Big Wolf.” He is the “big” one because even though he is a year below his brother, he is much bigger than him. So Ben is “Little Wolf,” according to everyone else. Ben reads Malcom X and shares his ideas of the book with the town drunk, Rudy.

Deadline is told in the first person point of view, by Ben. The tone is pretty much the same in the whole story, because Ben is just trying to make the best of his one year in Trout, Idaho with all of his friends, Dallas Suzuki (his girlfriend), and his parents. Ben’s goal is to do everything he’s ever wanted, all in one year. He dates the girl of his dreams, becomes a football star, and impact as many people as he can before his “deadline.”

I enjoyed this book, but it was too easy of a read for me. I like books with a wider vocabulary, because it’s more challenging and I learn from them, along with finding something to do. I think it’s interesting and bold of Ben to try that hard to name that street after Malcom X. However, before reading this I didn’t really expect it to be very difficult, so I wasn’t disappointed. As long as the reader goes into the book knowing it won’t be very challenging, they should enjoy this book.

I like the way the author characterized Rudy, Dallas, and Ben. Rudy was the town drunk and had no respect for anyone. He just stayed to himself all the time. Dallas, Ben’s girlfriend, was very confident and didn’t let anyone deceive her. She is a good example for many teen girls. Ben was a strong and realistic person. I can see someone being just like him; I kind of am, but not if I was dying. He’s kind of a rare personality, but definitely realistic. Deadline was kind of slow-paced in parts of the book, but it always picked right up.

If I were told that I have cancer and only have one year left to live if I didn’t receive therapy, I wouldn’t be torn at all on which decision to make. Ben decided not to take the therapy and just live his life to the fullest. I want to live as long as I can, healthy, and if it takes chemotherapy to do that, then so be it. Some other people would take Ben’s side, but it’d be a very hard decision to make, especially for someone as young as Ben, who was eighteen years old.

Someone who likes to read about people’s trials and tribulations, would enjoy this book. It’s more of an easy read than other books, but if the reader just wants something to do to pass the time, and they don’t need to have an intellectual novel, Deadline is definitely the one to check out.


 

 

Angelica (Iowa)

 

Side Effects Review

 

Side Effects by Amy Goldman Koss is a teen reality novel about a girl, Lizzy, with cancer. The theme of the story is to never give up when you are having problems, and to always try to have a good attitude about it.

Amy wakes up one day with swollen glands, so her mother brings her to the doctor. Her dad shows up too and after school, she calls her friend Kay. When she tells her about the cancer, Kay thinks she's kidding and goes on with some drama from school. Then when she finds out that it's true, she comes to the hospital with her mom to visit Lizzy. The whole time she's in the hospital, she's trying to get this kid from school to feel bad for her by calling him, but he doesn't even care. Side Effects is told in the first person point of view, by Lizzie. The tone stays the same because she has the same sarcastic, humorous attitude in the end as she did in the beginning. The setting is mostly in the children's hospital she has to stay at. The conflict in the novel is that Lizzy has lymphoma and is trying to fight it.

I generally like books that involve teen struggles, because it shows how good I have it. It's also interesting to read about how others' lives are, because I've never suffered like that or known anyone with cancer, where they were in critical condition. I would probably read this book again, just because I'm a sarcastic person and I understand Lizzy's humor in here.

I like the way Amy Goldman Koss characterized Lizzy in Side Effects, because like I said, I'm a sarcastic person and I understand her humor. I was laughing most of the time reading this, a cancer book for crying out loud. I just think Lizzy's personality made the book really interesting to read. It's also very believable because when older kids are in children's hospitals, they feel exactly like she did -- babied. This was a page turner, but the reader kind of figured out what was gonna happen in the end, judging by the picture on the cover. I know they say "don't judge a book by its cover," but in the picture she has a strong stance, she is bald which means she's going through chemotherapy, and in the book description she talks about kids that beat cancer. She says she's one of them. The ending is pretty obvious, and I'm not even ruining the ending here because the cover tells the ending. I think the purpose of the book isn't so much to make the reader wonder whether she beats it, as much as it's trying to show how she lives with cancer and fights it.

I've always had the idea that if I were ever on life support, I'd want to stay a vegetable. I'd never want anyone to "pull the plug," and the same goes for if I had cancer. I'd go through the treatment to fight it, not like what the kid in Deadline, by Chris Crutcher did. He didn't get treatment and just lived life to the fullest for his last year. That is not what I would do at all.

I recommend this book to any teen who is either struggling with cancer, doesn't fully understand it, or knows someone who has it or is fighting it. It's a little informative but not too much information all at once, and it's a more light-hearted side of the issue.

 

 


 

Catherine (Iowa)

Book review for Speak

 

            Laurie Anderson’s Speak is a novel about a young girl who is lonely all because of the doing of one guy. She is now not speaking to anyone. This novel proves that you have to fight back and to never let someone control your life.

            This novel starts with a girl named Melinda who is starting her 9th grade year. The view of this novel is first person as Melinda tells what is happening in her life. Also, she tells why everyone hates her and why she became mute. She had a strong friendship with Ivy and Rachel but that changed. Even though not one person wanted to be her friend a new student came to school, her name was Heather. She knows nothing about Melinda’s past and about her reputation. She was there for Melinda but later does not prove to be a good friend towards the end of the novel. Melinda also talks about this guy, Andy Evans. He is the cause the cause for all these problems.

            At first, this book bored me. I did not care about Melinda describing her teachers and other students. Soon enough though there were other characters getting into the setting. The writing style was a little annoying when the author randomly capitalizes words. Also, I did not like when Melinda called characters by different names that she made up. I chose this book randomly for my popular fiction class. I think it was a good choice.

            I did want to know more about this Andy guy. Also, I wanted to know what happened that was so bad that kept Melinda from having friends and talking. One last thing I wanted to know was why her parents did not do anything to help her and why they were not involved with Melinda. All of these things kept me turning the pages and reading.

            I would change the ending to this novel a little. I would go further into Melinda’s sophomore year. I would go into whether or not she becomes friends with her old friends again and if her family starts to come back together. Overall, this was a good book and I give it a 4 out of 5 star rating. This book is more for high school students. It is not a good challenge for adults.

 


 

 

 

Angelica (Iowa)

 

Smiles to Go Review

 

Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli is a teen drama novel about a high school kid named Will Tuppence that has to overcome different tribulations. The theme of the story is that sometimes in order to get what you want, you need to just be patient and take life as it comes.

Will and his two friends, BT and Mi-Su, always have Monopoly night at either Mi-Su or Will’s house. Will has a little sister, Tabby, that sometimes has to tag along because his parents are out and can’t watch her. She’s always trying to pester him. The story is told in a first person point of view, by Will. The tone changes a lot in the story. It starts out with the reader wondering what in the world is going on, and Will is rude to his sister and never is truly happy with anything. In the end, he finally laughs out loud, which he hasn’t ever really done, and due to a big accident with his sister, he is always sweet to her from then on. The setting of Smiles to Go is in their town, and there are many conflicts. A few are that he wants to date Mi-Su, he can’t figure out how to get his sister off his back, and the world is disappearing proton by proton and no one can do anything about it.

I enjoyed this book because it was a real page turner. I read it in two days because I could never put it down. Whenever I had free time, I picked it up, even if I only had enough time to read a few pages.

BT was my favorite character because he was so funny and laid back. I didn’t like how Mi-Su was characterized because she was just a tease to BT and Will, and acted like a tramp most of the time. This is a realistic story because most little siblings try to pester their brothers and sisters, teens have problems with relationships, and also with friendships. Sometimes in the suspenseful parts, the author wouldn’t put any punctuation; it sped the scenes up a lot and made them more thrilling for the reader. The writing style was laid back, but the author didn’t sound uneducated like it’s very easy to do sometimes when writing like he did.

My brother is also a pest and I’m pretty mean to him sometimes. A lot of older siblings don’t understand their little brothers or sisters, and are maybe too hard on them. If people would stop and try to figure out why their sibling is acting that way, there could be more harmony in the home.

Anyone who enjoys reading about friendships and life at home, or even are a little curious about science, this is a good book to pick up because it’s a little dose of protons and friendships.


 

 

Courtin Jayd by:Teonna (Richmond, Virginia)


This is a book about a girl name Jayd. She lives with her grandmother and her three uncles. That she thinks needs to grow up. She goes and vist's her mother on the weekends in her apartment. Her grandmother thought that her mother was not fit to take care of her. Jayd has been through alot in her life starting off with her exboyfriend coming back into her life. She already has a boyfriend name Jermany. Her ex boyfriend has a crazy ex girlfriend name trish she won't leave him alone. He also has a baby mother and she is crazy too. He current boyfriend Jermany his family does not like Jayd because she is black and he is white. Every time she is around them they aways have something to say to her. Jayd also has a special power. She has a spiritual confidant. She has dreams about stuff and most of the time it comes true. Her grandmother is heavy in that kind of stuff. I really enjoyed this book its a great book. I like the fact that I never can put the book down when i'm reading it. I would recommend it to everyone because it's a great book.

 

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