How I live now by Rosoff, Meg

The reader is quite good. This book seems a little far fetched. It never really explains any of the plot topics. Daisy is sent to England to live with family after her father and stepmother can't deal with her any more. She has an eating disorder, a love affair with her first cousin, a third world war, and many other issues flood this book. None of which are ever really explained or dealt with.

It has feelings of World War II but also a touch of what could have happened after September 11th. More than once the vivid language caught me off guard. I liked the writing style, but I wouldn't say I enjoyed the book. It was very different, and I can't think of a person I might recommend this book too. Perhaps if it was read instead of listened to it would be even better. There is something about the audio that makes it even more realistic.

Good Girls

Title: Good Girls

Author: Ruby, Laura

Publisher:HarperCollins Publishers

Synopsis In this new novel, Audrey Porter is a "good girl" -- a good student, a great daughter, an amazing friend. She's also the last person anyone expects to be hanging out with Luke DeSalvio, the hottest guy at Audrey's school. But Luke is a liar, a player, a dream, and Audrey knows it. She dumps him at her friend's Halloween party with no intention of looking back. But everyone else is looking -- looking at a mysterious and humiliating photograph that has popped up on their cell phones and computers. But who took it? And why? And how will she ever live it down?

Comments

This was well written. I don't feel it received the attention it deserved. On the surface it looked like your average teen angst novel with the good girl gone bad angle. But if you look a little deeper to also is a cautionary tale to teens about protecting their privacy. In this age, anyone can take a picture at any time or place. Then with the click of a mouse or a push of a button everyone in school, town, or the world can receive it.

Audrey learned this lesson the hard way. These embarrassing photos aren't just for celebrities anymore. Every student in her school has the photo and then when it can't get any worse, it shows up in her parents email.

Broken moon

Title: Broken moon

Author: Antieau, Kim

Illustration:

Publisher:Margaret K. McElderry Books

CIP When her little brother is kidnapped and taken from Pakistan to race camels in the desert, eighteen-year-old Nadira overcomes her own past abuse and, dressed as a boy and armed with knowledge of the powerful storytelling of the legendary Scheherazade, is determined to find and rescue him.

Comments

To be honest, it has been a few months since I have read this book. There is nothing like a holiday to help me catch up on the last six months of book blogging.

I read this book after I had read Sold. While some elements are similar, most readers will find the traditional format of the book easier to read. Other than having female characters in developing countries being sold into some sort of captivity, they are totally different. Nadira goes into the camel camps dressed as a boy to save her brother. Throughout her experience she comforts other boys in the camps with stories of the legendary Scheherazade.

It is a short book which provides a window into another country and the things families need to do to stay together.

Impulse

Title: Impulse

Author: Hopkins, Ellen.

Publisher: Margaret K McElderry Books

CIP Three teens who meet at Reno, Nevada’s Aspen Springs mental hospital after each has attempted suicide connect with each other in a way they never have with their parents or anyone else in their lives.

Comments

Ms. Hopkins's books are always interesting to read. They are about five inches thick, but you will hear lots of people comment that "it doesn't count each page only has a paragraph of text."

I would disagree. The format of the book makes is accessible to a larger group of readers who normally wouldn't attempt a book that size, but also provides the readers with a sense of accomplishment when they finish it. The format also allows for separation of characters and division of storylines.

This is one of her more complex stories with three characters talking at the same time. It took me a long time before I could keep the story straight in my head. I was frustrated, but engaged by the characters.

She builds a very realistic setting for these teens. Each comes from a totally different background proving that no one is immune from mental issues. She gives adults a look into the minds of teens. She also allows teen readers to see what other teens might be facing and just because things look good on the surface, doesn't mean that is what it is like behind closed doors.

It tackles tough teen issues.

I'd tell you I love you, but then I'd have to kill you

Title: I'd tell you I love you, but then I'd have to kill you

Author:Carter, Ally.

Publisher:Hyperion Books for Children

CIP As a sophomore at a secret spy school and the daughter of a former CIA operative, Cammie is sheltered from "normal teenage life" until she meets a local boy while on a class surveillance mission.

Comments

Every few books, I throw in one that is just plain fun. I loved the title of this book. There was no deeper meaning. No great teen angst or historical perspective that I learned. It was just a fun story about a secret spy school. Classes teach the girls how to blend into a crowd, different surveillance techniques and technologies, and the languages. Imagine having to go to a lunch with people you see every day, but you don't know what language you will be speaking until you enter the room.

I recommend it to anyone who feels life is getting a bit too serious.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Title: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Author:Cohn, Rachel David Levithan.

Publisher: Distributed by Random House,

CIP High school student Nick O'Leary, member of a rock band, meets college-bound Norah Silverberg and asks her to be his girlfriend for five minutes in order to avoid his ex-sweetheart.

Comments

This is a well reviewed book. It is being made into a movie due out in late 2008. I read it months ago, so the details are pretty hazy. I liked it. It is kind of your average teen angst boy/girl disses by friends, significant other, or society. They are brought together by their taste in music. The two authors work together to write the book Levithan writing Nick's portion and Cohn penning Norah.

It will be interesting to see what kind of air play this book will receive with an movie and a sequel out within the next year.

Does my head look big in this?

Title: Does my head look big in this?

Author: Abdel-Fattah, Randa.

Illustration:

Publisher:Orchard Books

CIP Year Eleven at an exclusive prep school in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, would be tough enough, but it is further complicated for Amal when she decides to wear the hijab, the Muslim head scarf, full-time as a badge of her faith--without losing her identity or sense of style.

Comments

I have been pushing this book on anyone who asks. I went into this thinking it was just another teen novel, but it provided so much more. I gave me a glimpse into a what it is like when a person choses to wear a hijab full-time.

Even though the story takes place in Australia, the author keeps the Aussie slang to a minimum. It isn't just a book about a Muslim girl and the trials she experiences with her choice, it is a book that any teen girl can identify with. The author did a great job showing the difference in Muslim families and the worried Amal's parents had with her decision.

The ending is a bit too neat for me, however the characters are realistic. There are students that are supportive, and those that are not. There are concerns from the school administration, and from her parents. Her parents support her all the way as do her close friends. In the end a lot of her classmates get to know her better because of her decision.

Highly recommended.