My Life in…

Although this is probably the most intriguing premise for a book I have read in a long time, it fell a bit short of expectations.  Four girls named Sarah are in a girl gang who go around causing trouble (usually through theft).  Sarah A has all of the power in the group and Sarah T (the narrator) is feeling the pressure to keep her spot in the group.  Unfortunately, in spite of the interesting setup, Sarah B and Sarah C are virtually indistinguishable, plots about family mental illness seem out of place, and the point where the book begins is far after the heyday of the Sarahs which would have been much more interesting.  Cool cover though.  I bet teens will like it.

Grade: C+
Book #54 of 2008

I cannot say enough about the Jonathan Coulton concert at the Highline Ballroom. Even though I had a drink spilled on me, they were playing Beck before the show started so I can’t complain. The openers Paul and Storm won over the audience with their first song. I can’t resist a funny band that sings everything in harmony. Jonathan Coulton was amazing. He opened with my favorite song “The Future Soon” and even covered “Birdhouse in Your Soul” by TMBG. Even though we were Rickrolled not once, but twice it was an absolutely amazing concert. The sound was amazing and thanks to the tables I had a great view of the stage for the first time ever (I’m short.) It was fun to see a concert with a whole bunch of fellow nerds and the geek humor flowed the entire night. I told Stefan that we should have brought a sign that said, “Hey, we’re from Jersey and looking for friends.” It might have been effective there.

The entire setlist can be found here.

I saw Rachel Vail read from If We Kiss in 2005 and immediately ran to the book table and bought it. She gave such a funny reading that I knew I would love. I still think that one is her strongest book, but I also enjoyed Lucky. The reason it stood out is not for the characters or the plot which were fairly standard but because Rachel Vail is so effective in writing from the perspective of an eighth grader. There is no adult voice creeping in. The best example of this is the way the girls discuss the boys they dated in sixth grades. Adults think of sixth grade boyfriends and roll their eyes. To these girls, it was a big deal and at that age, it should be a big deal. Middle school girls will love this book and feel like this really is their world.

Grade: B+
Book #53 of 2008

Although I have to grumble a bit about the preciousness of calling your protagonist Clio, I loved this book. Maureen Johnson has a gift in crafting interesting characters and stories. The Bermudez Triangle, 13 Little Blue Envelopes and The Key to the Golden Firebird took very familiar teen characters and put them in unique situations. Girl at Sea (like Suite Scarlett) has more in the way of unique characters which I appreciate, in addition to its odd setting. I loved the relationship with the Dad, her friendship with Elsa and the way she interacted with Aidan. The manga artist tattoo was a crazy and lovely touch.

Grade: A-
Book #52 of 2008

After I finished reading this, I was even more angry than I was when this book first came out at whoever designed the original hardcover for this book which was horrible. The paperback one is much more attractive but doesn’t necessarily bring out the teens in droves. I remember reading the reviews for this and sort of being intrigued but the cover totally put me off. I probably never would have gone back to it if Carlie hadn’t selected it as one of our Speak Out! books for this year. I am so glad I did. This is a truly special book. It has all the makings of a problem novel in its premise, but deftly sidesteps all cliches and sentimentality. You grow to love the main character and the people in her life quickly. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes realistic teen novels.

Grade: A
Book #51 in 2008

I can’t objectively review the Alice books. I’ve been reading Alice since I was twelve and now spend each year eagerly waiting for the new book to be released. This one was stronger than some of the other books in the series, but wasn’t one of the best. I did like Patrick’s role in the book and that Elizabeth came out of her shell a bit. I didn’t love Pamela’s storyline and thought that Alice, Liz and Pamela would have spent a lot more time discussing this from the beginning. I’m glad Phyllis Reynolds Naylor didn’t go the cliche route with prom night even though I was expecting it.

Grade: B+
Book #50 of 2008

I thought this book was interesting overall but poorly constructed and edited.  I can completely buy the outlandish premise of the book, but everything seemed very cookie cutter in the beginning.  I don’t buy Christopher as a love interest because the character told me about him but I don’t really even see him until a scene at the end.  Worse than that is that this book is entirely setup.  There is no real plot arc, just exposition to set you up for the next part of the story.  I think the book needed to be a lot longer, but edited more carefully to give us more of a character arc for the main character and some of the supporting characters.  I love many of Meg Cabot’s books but this one didn’t quite work as a standalone.  I will read the next one in the series, since I expect there will be plot development beyond the initial premise.

Grade: C+
Book #49 of 2008

E. Lockhart is one of my favorite ya authors and I’ve read both Mlynowski and Myracle before and enjoyed their books. This one was…good…but nothing really special. I liked that the characters worked at Waffle House and that class issues were brought up. I also liked that the Christian girl was well rounded if somewhat irritating. I didn’t find Mel’s love interest to be all that interesting however. An okay story surrounding by solid writing and characters.

Grade: B
Book #48 of 2008

I was really in love with Bass Ackwards and Belly Up when I read it last year, but in the meantime I had forgotten a lot of what had happened. It took a little while for me to get caught up but once that happened this book hooked me just as much. I love that though the books have a similar feel to the Sisterhood of the Traveling pants and other books of that ilk, the characters really stand out. They make interesting choices and even their love interests are fairly well developed and unique. It felt very finished at the end of the story as the Year of Dreams comes to a close but we can always hope for a trilogy.

Grade: A-
Book #47 of 2008