I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone

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.

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.