Guitar Girl

Guitar Girl
By: Sarra Manning

240p
Puffin

ISBN-10: 0142403180
ISBN-13: 978-0142403181

Annotation: Molly Montgomery discovers that life as a rock and roll star is not all it is cracked up to be, and now she wants out.


Summary:

Molly Montgomery opens the novel by saying “I’m nineteen years old and being sued”. She is the lead singer of the British punk band The Hormones, a band who has sky-rocketed to success. One problem, Molly wants out! She has seen the effect of success has had on her band mates and wants no part of it. She has attempted to balance all that life has thrown at her for too long and now all she has to do is figure out how to escape. This novel walks us through the alcohol-laden celebrity parties, makeovers, and dirty backhanded deals with Molly leading the way, humorous situations and snappy banter,will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next.

Well written and filled with magazine type articles all about Molly, this novel will create a world its own, perfect for the teen who always wanted to be a rock star. Teen reader who are looking for a step up from the Sure to entice and entertain Guitar Girl keep you rocking out and begging for an encore.

Looking For Alaska

Looking for Alaska
By: John Green

221p
Dutton's Children Book

ISBN-10: 014241221X
ISBN-13: 978-0142412213

Annotation Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash.

Summary:
When Miles begins his first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Birmingham, Alabama he is liked but not well known, that is until he meets his dorm mate Chip, a genius with tons of ill will towards the wealthy that attend the school.

Chip just happens to have one person that may change Miles' life forever, Alaska Young. Alaska has the ability to make anyone fall deeply in love, with just a glance. She is beautiful and intelligent and dangerous. A Holden Caulfied of sorts, Miles tries to woo the gorgeous Alaska, until something tragic occurs.

This novel is filled with stark realism, it is filled with feelings of loss and grief. Green does not produce a warm and fuzzy happy ending, which makes the character all that more real. Teens will appreciate the depth that Green goes to provide a story with such drama on a level accessible to them.

Strong language and sexual references are abound so readers beware.

How To Build A House

How To Build A House
By: Dana Reinhardt

240P
Wendy Lamb Books

ISBN-10: 0375844538
ISBN-13: 978-0375844539


Annotation:
17 year old Harper Evans hopes to escape the effects of her father’s divorce on her family and friends by volunteering her summer to build a house in a small Tennessee town devastated by a tornado.

Summary:
This poignantly written novel by Dana Reinhardt, introduces us to our well developed protagonist; Harper Evans. Evans is a 17 year old girl concerned with the environment, who is forced to deal with the fact that her father, Art, is getting a divorce from the only mother she has ever known, her step-mother Jane. Harper decides to join a summer volunteer program in Tennessee for a chance to escape from the problems at home. It here where she must deal with many of the issues surrounding the divorce, all the while trying to make the lives of one family better.
Reinhardt does an exquisite job comparing the building of the house with Harper’s emotional healing. In the end Harper has opened up to the possibly of love, made new friends, and moved beyond the ill feelings and blame she held for old friends and family members. Showing us all the importance of family and the idea that family can take on many different shapes and sizes.

This novel depicts the hard work and subtle rewards one can receive by doing good for someone else. Teens interested in volunteer organizations such as Habitat for Humanity will get an honest taste of what life is like for people devastated by natural disasters. This book would be perfect for anyone looking for a Traveling Pants read-a-like, and will leave you with the warm and fuzzies.

Someday this Pain Will be Useful to You

Someday This Pain Will be Useful to You
By: Peter Cameron
p.229
Farrar, Straus & Giroux

ISBN-10: 0312428162
ISBN-13: 978-0312428167

Annotation :
Eighteen-year-old James living in New York City with his older sister and divorced mother struggles to find a direction for his life.

Summary :

James has just graduated from high school and is unsure of his life's direction. He is working aimlessly at a job given to him by his Manhattan socialite mother at an art gallery. It is here where he meets the much older man John, who happens to be his mother's assistant. But when James is accused of sexual harassment by John, he has a feeling that his summer will be unlike any other.

Not your ordinary young adult novel, this book will sure to strike a humorous chord with its audience. This coming-of-age has its fill moments of humor, sadness and tender affection. For all of you who have ever wondered what life would be like if you had done something differently, than this is the novel for you.

Deftly written, this novel will appeal to both adults and young adults alike.