My Life in…

I was watching Dirty Sexy Money last night (thank you Tivo) and noticed that the episode’s writer was listed as Jake Coburn and wondered if it was the same guy who wrote Prep.  A quick Google search told me it was.

That’s been happening a lot lately.  Liz Tigelaar who wrote the great book PrettyTOUGH writes for Brothers and Sisters (and formerly Dawson’s Creek!).

Of course, there’s Rob Thomas (Rats Saw God) who created Veronica Mars, in addition to having a hand in the new 90210.  Stephen Chbosky (Perks of Being a Wallflower) wrote for Jericho but now that that’s been cancelled I really would like him to write another novel.  Cherie Bennett (Sunset Island) and her husband Jeff Gottesfeld (collectively better known as Zoey Dean) write for The Young and the Restless and have previously written for several other soaps.

Are there any other YA authors writing for TV shows?

I love this book and decided to use this as a Speak Out book since I know it would be a great discussion book. This is the easiest book to booktalk in the world, especially in an urban, multiracial setting as someone will inevitably yell out “It’s the black kid who gets arrested, right?” and then every teen wants to read the book. It’s interesting to root for teens who have screwed up so badly, and was especially interesting to contrast these boys with Tyrell.

Grade: A-
Book #62 of 2008

I love Jason Segel, Kristen Bell and Judd Apatow so I was expecting to like this and wasn’t disappointed.  It wasn’t as laugh out loud funny as some of the other movies in this genre but the touching moments were more genuine.  It felt almost like a grownup big budget Freaks and Geeks episode.

Grade: A-
Movie: #1 of 2008 (lost track of the earlier ones)

Book Eval Review: Gemma’s sister is getting married to a guy she’s been dating for a month who has a crazy family. Gemma is also taking and enjoying drama class despite a history of stage fright and having to partner with Raven, one of the juvenile delinquent DeHead brothers who cause trouble in their town. While the premise of the book is lighthearted, the tone shifts as Gemma develops a fondness for Raven and his family and a tragedy happen. Give this to girls who like both light chick lit and meatier books and you’ll have an audience for this one.

This book truly surprised me. It started out very light and fluffy but really became very moving. I thought the DeHead boys were excellent, particularly Raven and was glad that the protagonist’s transformation wasn’t too quick.  The fiance’s family was hysterical.

Grade: B+
Book #26 read in 2008