Fun Pick: Girls Like Me

Girls Like Me
by Lola StVil
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
2016
320 pages
ISBN: 9780544706743


Girls Like Me is a novel written  in verse and a series of chat room posts. Shay Summers is a high school teen who has lost both her parents--her mother abandoned the family and her father died in a car accident-- and now Shay is living with her stepmother. Shay uses food as a crutch to help her deal with her pain and loneliness. Even though Shay has two good friends, she feels alone in the world. On a whim, full of teen angst, and  bored, she answers an interesting post in a chat room.

Shay is surprised and delighted when the guy (?)  responds and their  posts to each other are fun and clever. The boy keeps pushing for a photo of her, but  Shay is terrified to send him one. Then he will know she's not the beautiful, skinny girl she knows that he imagines her to be.  Shay's self-doubt, body image and boredom make her a believable and loveable character that readers will empathize with. All teen girls struggle with doubt and  questions like: Am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Do people like me?

The social media aspect of the book drives the interchange between Shay and a mysterious boy she becomes enamored with. Readers are drawn into Shay's world and they see how funny and how beautiful she truly is. Godot (the boy) is clever and snarky. Together they are playful magic.

BFFs Boots and Dash are the type of friends every teen would want to have, but each has a huge problem/concern of his/her own. Boots is dying; she is handling it the best she can, but really, how can a teenager even think about not living to see 20 years? Dash is afraid to come out to his family; he knows that his father will not only be disappointed but he thinks his dad will never accept of forgive him.

The only drawback to this books is the cover! While it is true that readers  like to read books with characters like them; that being said, girl or boy readers with weight/body issues are  not likely to be excited about carrying around a book with a "curvy girl" on the cover and with the title Girls Like Me. One can only imagine the comments and bullying asides that would ensue.

Highly recommended for  high school readers and collections. A fun read that touches on important issues.

Not recommended for middle school: talking about sex in the chats. Sexual and mature content.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review. 

YA Pick: Me Being Me Is Exacly as Insane as You Being You

Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You  Being You
by Todd Hasak-Lowy
Simon Pulse
2015
646 pages (no kidding!)
ISBN: 978144495739


The girth of this novel will scare away some readers but not if they realize most of the book is written in short, choppy lists. The format is easy to love and easy to read.

Readers will empathize with the main character. Darren's life is messed up! His parents divorce, his older brother goes to college, his best friend moves away, his dad drops a bombshell (he's gay), and later Mom tells him that she's moving across country. No one is acting as they "should," and Darren begins listing everything wrong with everything.

The format works and lets readers see what's bothering Darren through third person point of view as Darren refers to himself in the third person. Emotions leap off the pages through Darren's lists. He feels grief, disappointment, sadness, loneliness, and surprisingly, great compassion.

Through the lists, Darren's voice comes through. He's just a kid who's learning how to fit in. He's a bit overweight and self-conscious, he's seriously crushing on a cute girl, he's not speaking to his dad, he's mad at this mom, and he's disappointed with his brother. All this adds up to the expected overblown teen angst so familiar in YA, but the author does it better. Darren is a character who comes through the pages. Readers will commiserate with him as he navigates through the problems and obstacles with sarcasm and wit.

I thought the novel dragged in several places and easily could have been cut 150 pages or so and still would be a compelling read. A shorter book may have packed a stronger punch. Boys will believe in Darren and girls can study teen boy behavior. It's quite entertaining.

Recommended grade 9-up. This is NOT for middle school. At all. Sex, drugs, rock and roll, profanity. The usual suspects.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Guest Blogger: Teen Blogger's Pick: You and Me and Him

This blog post was written by teen Joshua Gandara who shared his review with me.

You and Me and Him
by Kris Dinnison
HMH for Young Readers
2015
288 pages
ISBN: 9780544301122

You Me and Him by Kris Dinnison is a downright roller coaster of emotions--love, betrayal denial, embarrassment, and self-hate . In this story Maggie, an overweight high school girl,  and her gay best friend Nash have lived in their little town since they can remember. They've always had a close friendship, but when the new guy Tom--your classic hot body Prince Charming, that every girl wants-- arrives it creates a little tension between Maggie and Nash. Nash calls "Dibs" first and Maggie concedes. In a small town every girl must have the new guy and what are the odds that  Tom will fall for either of them? As  Tom hangs around with the duo, he begins to feel a little attraction to Maggie.


After testing her friendship with Nash, the reader will truly understand Maggie and the bonds of friendship. My Thoughts: This book is amazing and I love the way Maggie who is not your typical YA female protagonist in the physical looks department she can still find romance. Very often in today's society we see the stick thin, beautiful model getting all the love, but finally here someone isn't judged on her appearance but rather  by her personality and heart. The book is told in Maggie's voice so we get an insight to her emotions which aren't always so sweet and dandy, but at the end of the day who doesn't like that? Reading this showed me the true boundaries of a friendship and even reminded me in a special way never, ever judge a book by its cover because the book that might not look the best always turns out to be the best book you'll ever read. Don't be put off by the cover art. This is a book for you!

Highly recommended grade 9-up. Profanity.

THIS IS TEEN BLOGGER 100, Joshua Gandara.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I (Pamela Thompson) received the ARC from the publisher. Teen reviewer Joshua Gandara asked to read and review this book. We received no monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Teen Pick: Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders

Fat Boy vs the Cheerleaders
by Geoff Herbach
Sourcebooks Fire
2014
320 pages
ISBN: 9781402291418

Available May 6, 2014

Geoff Herbach tells a story like no other YA author can--he tells it with outrageous humor, spot-on teen dialog, and believable snark.

Gabe Johnson is the butt (pun intended) of the whole school's jokes. They call him names, they laugh at his butt shaking dances, and jocks go out of their way to defeat him. Popular cheerleaders Janessa and Emily  take cheap shots at Gabe calling him Chunk. This band geek is about to explode, and when he does, he will enrage fellow band students to stand up to the cheerleaders and jocks.

When the funds from the coke machine are diverted from Gabe's school band to the cheerleaders for a new dance team, Gabe makes a stand...this is not just a stand. It is of epic proportions. Gabe LOVES band--and now the principal is cancelling summer band camp so the cheerleaders can have their dance team? With the help of his friends and supporters, Gabe stirs the entire school and community of small town Minnekota Lake into an uproar.

The novel is told in the form of Gabe's statement to his attorney Henry Rodriguez. Gabe finds himself needing representation after an unfortunate series of events.

The character of Gabe is believable, loveable, and he turns out to be harder than steel instead of soft as a marshmallow. This fat boy is mad and working on himself. He won't be the butt of their jokes forever, he decides. The only reason he's the center of the mean kids' wrath is that he makes himself the center of it. Gabe realizes he has more than one fight on his hands. He just needs to convince himself that he is capable of changing himself. Once his mindset has changed, the kids can't get to him anymore.

Readers who love an underdog will love Gabe and his journey to become a winner. They will be rooting for him and his cause.

Highly recommended grade 9-up. Language. Mature situations. On-line bullying.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this ARC from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Teen Pick: A Trick of the Light

A Trick of the Light
by Lois Metzger
Balzer + Bray
2013
208 pages

Available June 18, 2013

Stunning, heart-wrenching, and painful, yet uplifting and hopeful, A Trick of the Light is an important book for teens. Mike Welles is an intelligent teen who loves stop-action cinema and classics like the original 1933 King Kong film; he and friend Tamio spend hours discussing cinema and playing video games. Things at home are...sad and different. Suddenly, there's a wedge between his family.

As Mike's mom falls into despair and depression, sleeping all day and not working, Mike's dad strays from the household. Mike begins to hear a voice in his head that controls him. To control his situation at home, Mike listens to the voice and turns to Amber. She knows everything about food and what foods to avoid--Mike stops eating and begins to run for miles, the voice grows stronger--urging him to stay strong and lose weight. The voice controls Mike, but he's getting weaker.

People start to notice. Mike has a fight with Tamio and won't return his phone calls. Mike's mom and dad both think he's losing too much weight. Mike resorts to tricks to keep them off his back. He's hiding his food intake and weighing himself with extra weight in his pockets.

Told from the male point of view, A Trick of the Light addresses negative body image and weight issues for boys. Recommended for readers who liked  Halse's Wintergirls.

Recommended grade 7-up. Amazon and the publisher says for readers 14-up, but it has no profanity and no mature content other than eating/purging/ anorexia discussion.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

High School Pick: A Really Awesome Mess

A Really Awesome Mess
by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin
Egmont
2013
288 pages

Available July 23, 2013

Poignant and true, laugh out loud hilarious and  at the same time gut-wrenchingly sad, A Really Awesome Mess is the story of two broken teens who are desperate for answers even if they think they have life all figured out.

Emmy is sent to Heartland Academy when she pulls a prank on a male student. Her parents are mortified and realize that Emmy needs help. Emmy is angry; she has never fit in with her "perfect" American family. Her parents and sister are tall and white. Emmy is adopted from China--not tall, not white-- and while she is grateful for her opportunity to live a "normal" life, in the back of her mind she wonders what happened to her real mother. Who could walk away from her own child? Emmy harbors resentment that she's not the perfect American daughter and feels like her white parents love their own natural child more than her.

Justin is sent to Heartland Academy when his rich father catches him in an embarrassing situation with a girl and Justin takes a handful of Tylenal and lands in the emergency room. Heartland counselors work with Justin on his anger issues. Rounding out the group of teen misfits is Mohammed--an angry, aggressive kid from Sierra Leone--who is pretending to be something he's not, Jenny  who refuses to speak--she has "selective mutism," Chip--a real "tool"  and Diana--the girl who likes to stir things up. The group has to work together for one week and get no demerits to begin to earn extra phone and Ipad time. The kids are on their best behavior and some of them are doing better than they have ever done.

Told in alternating chapters by Emmy and Justin, A Really Awesome Mess captures teen angst and anger at its best and at its worst. A trip to the fair turns manic when the kids "rescue" pigs--and it reminded me a bit of Bless the Beasts and the Children. Readers who like novels told from the male and female point of view will like this novel. Readers who liked Notes From the Blender--Cook's and Halpin's first venture--will likely enjoy their second novel.

Highly, highly recommended for grade 9-up. Language, mature situations, sexual situations, snarky, bad teen behavior. Not for middle school!

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Reads for Girls

Vibes

by Amy Kathleen Ryan
Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008.
249 pages

Meet Kristi Carmichael--quirky, inconsistant, moody, self-absorbed, a little overweight, and she can read minds! Because of this ability, she sees the real thoughts of peers and adults who judge her because of her weight and appearance. This only makes her more moody and self-absorbed and causes her to binge on junk food. The more she tries to lose weight, the more she seems to self-sabotage.

Kristi listens to opera on headphones to drown out other people's thoughts that she is able to hear. She feels, "Opera is the perfect soundtrack for the tragedy of modern life." Dealing with high school angst, body image, and her parents' impending divorce doesn't make her life any easier.

Girls will gravitate to Kristi--especially those girls with weight/body image issues. Kristi is at times confused, embarrassed, searching, and mostly, angry--not unlike any other teen-age girl. She is a typical hormonal teen--except for the fact that she can "hear" what others are thinking. The outcome of the book is trite--Kristi's problems seem to melt away when she finally finds a boyfriend, and he's totally HOT! Kristi says, "And I'm still me, a big-breasted, slightly freaky, opera-loving, possibly psychic seamstress, and cat enthusiast who now has a totally hot boyfriend." The message to girls seems to be--get a boyfriend and everything else will be fine. If girls read Vibes for fun and not for life's lessons, they will likely enjoy the read. Like many recent novels, Vibes has a gay character. Recommended for YA collections, grades 8-high school.