I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone
By:Stephanie Kuehnert
352p
MTV Publications
ISBN-10: 1416562699
ISBN-13: 978-1416562696
Annotation:
Growing up in a small Wisconsin town, Emily Black is a slutty, obstinate punk rocker and is expected to turn out just like her mother. A mother who abandoned her husband and small child (Emily) to pursue a life filled with punk rock.
Summary:
Emily loves to hear the stories of her mother’s antics and trying to emulate them as best as possible, secretly hoping that by creating a punk rock band she’ll be able to be closer to her, if only in spirit. When her punk band rises to stardom, she gets the fated meeting with her long lost mother only to realize some of the mistakes she made early in her mother made early in life are being repeated by Emily herself. This novel is gut wrenching at time as it is humorous. Emily is a strong willed character who is unwilling to accept the idea that her mother abandoned her.
This novel is tough, filled with bad language and even worse situations. Kuhnert creates a real punk feel in her first novel. Readers will love Emily’s attitude and sharp tongue. Perfect for the more advanced teen reader looking for something with a little substance and grit.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone
Off The Bus and On The Record:
Off the Bus and ON The Record: 22 Candid Interviews by the Teen Journalists of the Rock Star
Edited By: Aaron Burgess
160p
Zest Books
ISBN-10: 098007326X
ISBN-13: 978-0980073263
Annotation: Twenty Two up and coming teen journalist interview their favorite musician
Summary:
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to interview your favorite rock star?What if you could ask Linkin Park “what they liked on their pizza?” or any number or silly or meaningful questions. Well here’s your chance. In this new book, teenagers had the opportunity to interview their favorite rock stars and this is their stories. This compilation pulls all the best interviews from the television show Rock Star Stories. Great for the rock music super-fan or just someone looking for a good read.
Teens are able to consider what they would ask if they were ever in the midst of their favorite celebrity. No question is too silly or too simple. Through this book, teens are able to see all that they could achieve if they are willing to work hard.
Twisted
Twisted
By Laurie Halse Anderson
272
Puffin
ISBN-10: 0142411841
ISBN-13: 978-0142411841
Annotation:
After finally getting noticed by someone other than school bullies and his ever-angry father, seventeen-year-old Tyler enjoys his tough new reputation and the attentions of a popular girl, but when life starts to go bad again, he must choose between transforming himself or giving in to his destructive thoughts.
Summary:
Brutally honest, this novel delves into the mind and thoughts of a seventeen year old guy. Tyler Miller has just spent the entire summer doing manual labor and all he has to show for it, is a reputation, a tan and some freshly developed muscles. When he returns to school he is catching the eye of numerous girls from the popular clique, most he is uninterested in. However one stunner catches his eye, Bethany. This girl is unlike all the rest, she also happens to be the daughter to Tyler's father's boss.
As Tyler attempts to manuever the difficulties of being a teenager, we are able to relate to his circumstances and root for him to win the girl all while keeping his nasty temper underwraps.
Can he finish out his senior year, can he be successful? You'll have to pick up the book and find out.
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.
Black Box
Black Box
By: Julie Schumacher
176p
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ISBN-10: 0385735421
ISBN-13: 978-0385735421
Annotation:
When her sixteen-year-old sister is hospitalized for depression her parents want to keep it a secret, fourteen-year-old Elena tries to cope with her own anxiety and feelings of guilt that she is determined to conceal from outsiders.
Summary:
A realistic look at the effects of depression and the problems that can surround it.
Fourteen year-old Elena is responsible and reliable while her older sister Dora is the exact opposite. As Elena tries to deal with not only her sister’s illness but also the constant questioning from friends at school, and the fighting at home it becomes difficult for her to maintain her composure. As her parents refuse to acknowledge Dora’s condition, Elena feels more and more isolated and alone. Intent on not showing emotions, Elena finds solace in the friendship of her classmate Jimmy; a social outcast who has experiences with the practices at the local mental institution.
Throughout the novel Elena, deals with the constant emotional uncertainty of her sister while she is both in and out of the institution and her strange behavior once she returns. Elena become suspicious of her sister and begins to research her medicine, which is where we come to learn the meaning of the title (Blackbox is a warning label stating that these people should be under constant supervision) as well as her strange behavior at school.
This novel is no Disney story, it deals with difficult situations in a manner that is accessible to teens, the novel also includes websites and information about depression and suicide prevention, which may be helpful for people looking for more information.
Venomous
Venomous
By: Christopher Krovatin
336p
Ginee Seo Books
ISBN-10: 1416924876
ISBN-13: 978-1416924876
Annotation:
High school junior Locke, must deal with his emotionally driven violent outbursts before they endanger his family and force him to lose his friends
Summary:
Locke Vinetti has been dealing with violent outbursts or as he calls it the Venom for as long as he can remember, he has become a social pariah and that suites him just fine. However, all of that changes when he becomes involved with a group of friends known as the Tarot, in which each member is represented by a tarot card. Now he is accepted by his friends (anger issues and all), and has even managed to find himself a girlfriend.
This novel is told with alternating chapters one focusing on Locke and the other on his super powered alter-ego “Blacklight”. However, once the Venom causes trouble between Locke and the rest of the Tarot, Locke must look inside himself and find a way to control his inner demons. This novel is extremely weird, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Teens will be able to relate with Locke and his alter-ego and want to see him overcome his anger. The novel does touch on the ideas of the consequence-free boozing sex and drugs, however that is not the main premise of the novel and teens will appreciate the harsh realities and realistic storyline of a teen handling and controlling his anger.
Two Parties, One Tux and a Very Short Film about the Grapes of Wrath
Two Parties, One Tux and a Very Short Film about the Grapes of Wrath
By: Steven Goldman
320p
Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
ISBN-10: 1599902710
ISBN-13: 978-1599902715
Annotation:
Mitch, a shy and awkward high school junior, negotiates the difficult social situations he encounters, both with girls and his best friend David, after David reveals to him that he is gay.
Summary:
Goldman introduces us to Mitchell an intelligent but lazy high school junior. The story opens as Mitchell is told by his best friend David that he is gay. Since David and Mitchell do nearly everything together (movies, school, and attend parties) Mitchell must now reexamine all aspects of his relationship with David; and find the perfect date for prom.
This book is made more interesting when David and Mitchell make an experimental short Claymation film based extremely loose on Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath filled with biblical imagery and controversial nudity scenes. Mitchell decides to show his film in place of turning in a paper on the novel, and his problems spiral out of control. Mitchell must now deal with the impending judicial review on his film, which may cause him to get expelled, plus the expanding sexual animosity between him and David. In addition, Mitchell has garnered the attention of Danielle the extremely attractive and recently single popular girl at school.
Goldman’s first novel is told with a dry wit that at times can be humorous, but can also come off as slow. His main characters seem, likeable enough and tend to mirror much of the attitudes of adolescents, however the problems that Mitchell faces and the his attitude for much of the book comes off as whiny and unfeeling.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Just Listen
Just Listen
p.400
Puffin
ISBN-13: 978-0142410974
Isolated from friends who believe the worst because she has not been truthful with them, sixteen-year-old Annabel finds an ally in classmate Owen, whose honesty and passion for music help her to face and share what really happened at the end-of-the-year party that changed her life.
Summary:
What could be worse that being caught by all of your friends, with your best friend's boyfriend?
That is exactly what Annabel is asking. Gone is her popularity and her friends, she has accepted a self sentence of social exile, because she can never admit what really happened in that closet.
Annabelle is a nice girl. She is so nice that she is willing to do nearly anything for anyone to keep them happy, even if that means she has to suffer by being the doormat toher friends and family. Until one day when she is she and her best friend Sophie have a falling out and her world comes crashing down. Annabelle is shunned by nearlyeveryone, everyone except for Owen. Owen is a likeable guy who also happens to be a nut for alternative music, knows something isn’t right. As Annabelle begins to come more and more withdrawn and unwilling to speak up, the perfect life she once had is starting to crack at the seams. The only person willing to speak to her is Owen, but can she trust him?
Teens who love novels by author Laurie Halse Anderson will instantly be drawn into the drama that is Just Listen. Beautifully written, this novel will leave you haunted by hungry for more.
