High School Pick: Fat Girl on a Plane

Fat Girl on a Plane
by Kelly DeVos
Harlequin Teen
2018
376 pages
ISBN: 9780373212538

Fat Girl on a Plane is an important book for teen readers tackling issues of self-esteem, body shaming, body image, self acceptance, overcoming obstacles, and rising to challenges. Cookie Von is an aspiring fashion designer with a keen eye and a knack for pattern, proportion, and color. She makes much of her own wardrobe and writes a fashion blog. Fat Cookie is forced to buy two seats on a plane and she vows that she's done being "the fat girl on a plane."

The story jumps back and forth from fat Cookie (in high school) to skinny Cookie in a fashion design program at ASU. Some readers may become disconnected with the way the story is told, but it's a strong story nonetheless.

Cookie has self-doubt and a good bit of self-loathing brought on by stares and comments from complete strangers and most biting of all: rude comments from her super-model mother. One lesson Cookie learns is that fat or skinny, things don't change that much. Sure, men give her approving looks. People take her designs more seriously, but designing for plus-size women isn't considered a real design business.

Through it all, Cookie sticks to her guns and creates plus-size fashionable pieces because she believes that fat people deserve fashion. A woman should not have to wear tents or caftans because she is bigger than runway models. Fashionable pieces can be created and worn by all sizes of women. Fat Girl on a Plane forces readers to view fashion from the eyes of women who have been under served and unrepresented by designers, publishers, fashion editors, models, and media. The plus-size market is a gold mine if someone like Cookie makes it their own. 

Once skinny, Cookie attracts a much older, more worldly boyfriend. This is where this YA novel veers off path. With profanity and sexual references, this book cannot be placed in a middle school library. Cookie is in her first year of college and if there were still a recognized genre as New Adult, that's where this title would be placed.


Recommended grades 9 and up. Profanity, sex.

YA Pick: Spontaneous

Spontaneous
by Aaron Starmer
Dutton Books
2016
355 pages
ISBN: 9780525429746


Laugh out loud hilarious, Spontaneous will leave readers snorting with laughter.  Then they realize that they are laughing at a teenager  who just blew up. While that is not cause for laughter in a normal world, Starmer frames teens blowing up in such a comic way they it is instantly (spontaneously) hilarious. This kind of black comedy is rare in YA and done only by a few writers like Andrew Smith and Libba Bray.

When teens begin blowing up, Mara Carlyle  is present each time a classmate meets a  terrible demise. She has the record, in fact, of most teen blow-ups witnessed.  As time wears on, Mara treats it like combing her hair in the morning--just a part of life. Mara is glib, witty and chatty as the narrator and takes the reader on an entertaining journey through her senior year. While insensitive and blatant, Mara uses it as a coping mechanism against the blood and gore around her. Instead of breakups and make-ups, it's blow ups and clean ups. When it becomes obvious that kids from the senior class are blowing up and it's not some random thing that cannot be explained, the government gets involved and surrounds the city. The kids are now prisoners and then lab rats. What is causing the senior class of Covington High to blow up?  Is it something they ingested? Something they took in an illegal drug? Did they pick up a parasite? Is it a medical condition?

The agent covering the case is FBI agent Carla Rosetti who Mara secretly admires, even striving to be her best buddy. The agent lets her know that the government may indeed be involved. She gives Mara and her  bff Tess burner phones to contact her if they find out anything about the case.

Spontaneous is enjoyable and entertaining although some may find the ending disappointing as the cause of the blowups is never addressed. Readers will have to write their own ending to this novel.

Recommended for laughs! High school grades 9-up. Profanity, lots of sex, bad behavior, alcohol, drugs, partying like it's 1999--hey, they are all blowing up, you know.

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

Book Club Pick: Blackbirds

read a preview

 

Blackbirds

(book 1)

Books 2 & 3 now available

by Chuck Wendig

Saga Press

2015 (paperback edition)

276 pages

ISBN: 9781481448659

From the inside cover:
"A gleefully dark, twisted road trip for everyone who though Fight Club was too warm and fuzzy. If you enjoy this book, you're probably deeply wrong in the head. I loved it and will be seeking professional help as soon as Chuck lets me out of his basement." --James Moran, screenwriter "Doctor Who," " Torchwood," and "Blackbirds."

 

 

Once considered by Starz as a new series, this blogger wishes that one of the cable  networks will consider putting this on the screen.

My review:

 

Gritty, grimy, ghisly, grotesque, gruesome, and gory, Blackbirds roars off the page and puts up one helluva fight. Miriam Black can see how you will die. All it takes is for her to touch someone skin on skin and she can see everything. She just sees it happen once; no replays. This freakish occurrence nearly brought her to insanity until she discovered that she could follow someone (her mark) whose death was imminent and empty their pockets and wallets. Miriam is not greedy but takes only what she needs to survive. Because of this, readers will empathize with her as a character. She is cursed with a condition that forces her to see hundreds of deaths and she makes the most of it. Does she try to keep people from meeting their Maker? Yes, to terrible results. Having failed, she lives with guilt and finds a way to keep herself fed.

 

When she accepts a ride from a trucker, she gets rattled for the first time in a long time. Miriam has a vision that Louis has only a few days to live, but what's get her even more concerned is that Louis calls out the name "Miriam" just before he dies. To Miriam this means she is responsible and present for his death--and it's a grisly, terrible death.

Miriam soon has a run-in with a stranger that leaves her speechless. He's been secretly following (stalking) her, and offers her a partnership in crime. She declines; she doesn't need anyone and certainly not Ashley. What she doesn't know is that she has no choice. Someone's after Ashley and they'll stop at nothing to catch him. As Miriam tries to shake Ashley, she is pulled into the cat and mouse game. On the run from bad guys and trying to save good guy truckerLouis, Miriam and Ashley will have to learn to trust each other or die.

Breakneck speed and taut dialog make this a quick read. Gratuitous violence (think Russian mob type violence), torture sessions, vomit inducing descriptions of grisly scenes and language that would make a sailor blush, and you get the picture. Blackbirds is the best kind of raunchy--a tough bird named Mariam  kicking a** and taking names. I usually don't gravitate to this kind of violence in a book, but Mariam is an interesting character that I wanted to get to know. She is the driving force of this book and the reason I kept reading.

Recommended for readers who aren't squeamish and don't mind profanity that stings.

Recommended grade 11-up--it's pretty racy and violent.

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




 

Adult Book Club Pick: The Fall of Princes

The Fall of Princes
by Robert Goolrick
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
2015
304 pages
ISBN: 9781616204204

Available August 25, 2015

From the first paragraph this sizzling, white-hot novel ignites and its tortured burn doesn't stop until the last embers die out. Our anti-hero, Rooney narrates, "When you strike a match, it burns brighter in the first nanosecond than it will ever burn again. That first incandescence. That instantaneous and brilliant flash. 1980 was the year, and I was the match, and that was the year I struck into blinding flame." I don't think I've ever read a more delicious first paragraph! Goolrick is on fire! (Having read A Reliable Wife and Heading Out to Wonderful, I had high hopes for The Fall of Princes). I was not disappointed. In fact, I am thrilled to have had the chance to read Goolrick's latest scorching tale of blistering woe. The film rights have already been optioned to "Being John Malkovich" producer  Sandy Stern and R.E.M. 's Michael Stipe. I expect this novel to be a huge seller and widely read among book clubs. In my opinion, this is one book that will be talked about for some time.

1980 is the year of free money. Trading on "The Street" can make you millions in seconds. Rooney is at the top of his game and playing for kicks. He scores a dream job at "The Firm"--one of Wall Street's hallowed, manic trading houses where if you're lucky you hope to retire before forty with enough money to jet set. If you're unlucky, you will die, burn out, or go to prison. It's too much for many a young man with his eyes set on blinding success, stunningly beautiful women, outrageous debauchery and off the charts decadence. The 80's were ripe for Wall Street and Wall Street got rich off the headiness of expensive champagne and ever more expensive cocaine.

Rooney is courted while still in college. Firms want the best and brightest. He is wined and dined. His head is spinning until that fateful day one hand of cards decides his life for him. His "interview" is a card game. He knows he's hired when he opens the box given to him by a secretary. It's a pen with the firm's name embossed on it. Rooney says, "Pay attention. You can hear the match strike. You can smell the sulfur...as the train pulls out of the station through the dark tunnels and into the brilliance of the future."

Rooney tells his own cautionary tale of 80's meteoric  success and an even more  terrific, epic nosedive  from grace. From golden boy to nearly homeless and pathetically helpless schmo barely existing in a roach infested apartment with his dreams now mere ashes of a long ago burnt out fire. He never invites the readers to feel sorry for him; Rooney is merely reminiscing on days gone by. Days of wine and roses, of hopeless abandon, drunken antics, coked up nights that somehow turn to day and time to get to the office.

The turbulence of the era, the glitz and glamour, the music of money, the sheer excess sings off the pages of The Fall of Princes and it is a glorious tune. New York's Wall Street has never seemed more exciting, exclusive and elusive than in this magnificent read.

Rooney may have lived a life of excess but he was loved and that makes up for everything. The compassion of strangers comes through in the days of squalor and that hope keeps humans alive.

I will never forget Rooney and I will never forget the storytelling genius who is Robert Goolrick.

Highly, highly recommended for adult readers and book clubs. I was sorry when this book ended. I feel like I will miss Rooney and his foibles.

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: Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls

Suicide Notes From Beautiful Girls
by Lynn Weingarten
Simon Pulse
2015
325 pages
ISBN: 9781481418539

Dark, disturbing, defiant, thrilling and taut, Suicide Notes From Beautiful Girls will keep readers guessing until the very last page. The symbolism of the three burnt matches on the cover will catch the eyes of teen browsers,  but the story and the characters will keep them reading.

Best friends June and Delia drift away from each other, and nearly a year later June is saddened and horrified to learn of Delia's death. June knows it wasn't suicide and she will not stop until she has answers.

As June begins to investigate, she finds out deeply disturbing things about her "friend." Delia was not just keeping secrets, she was lying and doing much, much worse. Just who was this girl that June befriended? No one is who they seem to be in Suicide Notes From Beautiful Girls and that's the darkness (in a  good way) of this book.

Delia is a case study in friendly sociopath. She manipulates, lies, cheats and controls without any shame. She has no conscience and no soul. She asks everything, forgives nothing, and walks away from trouble and even love. June is easily coerced allowing the vibrant Delia to lead the way. Delia is a white hot supernova that will soon burn out, and June is left with mere sparks of dying stardust.

I loved the premise of the story and the first part of the book really raced along. It gets weird in the middle and weirder still at the end. Love triangles and blackmail, deception, deceit and hatred cause all the characters to act with June being the likely loser.

This is one book not for middle school. Profanity, gender identity, sex, violence, underage drinking, bad behavior. Recommended for grade 9-up.

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: Stand Off

Stand Off (Sequel to Winger)
by Andrew Smith
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division
2015
416 pages
ISBN: 9781481418294

Available September 8, 2015

Andrew Smith's earlier book Winger was gut-wrenching, heart breaking, soul saddening, and grief-bound , so much so, that I worried about  Ryan Dean West. He is that kid you can't help but love. That kid you root for and want to befriend. Could Ryan Dean lose a best friend and go on? Could he pick up the pieces and be whole again? Thank goodness I was not the only reader who had questions about Ryan Dean. The answers lie in Stand Off. Ryan Dean is back at Pine Mountain as a senior  and Annie is now his actual girlfriend. Ryan misses Joey greatly. He has not yet come to terms with his loss and he suffers from guilt and anxiety attacks. He worries that NATE (Next Accidental Terrible Experience)  will follow him around forever.

That would be bad enough but the headmaster decides to send in 12-year old student Sam Abernathy to become Ryan Dean's new roomie.  Ryan Dean can't believe it! A twelve year old?! The headmaster thought that Ryan Dean would get along and guide Sam since Ryan Dean came to the school a few years back at the same age. Sam suffers from claustrophobia and insists that the window be open at all times---even in freezing weather! And he watches cooking shows non-stop! Ryan Dean struggles with Sam's cheerful Disney outlook and chirpy squirrel-y voice. And when Sam becomes the manager for the rugby team, Ryan Dean can't escape the happy-go-lucky kid at all.

Annie finds Ryan Dean's rants silly and mean. She asks him to be nice to Sam. She reminds him that when he came to Pine Mountain he was the youngest and smallest boy there. Ryan Dean slowly...ever so slowly warms up to Sam.

Sometimes friendship takes awhile and sometimes friends have been there all along. Ryan Dean re-evaluates his relationships with his teammates and Sam. Growing up is difficult and graduating is scary, but Ryan Dean begins to realize how lucky he is.

I loved Stand Off. Sequels usually can't compare to the first book, but Andrew Smith has another winner on his hands. Ryan Dean is my FAVORITE YA protagonist of all time and I'll say it again: Watch out, Holden Caulfield!

If you don't know Andrew Smith, what are you waiting for? 100 Sideways Miles and Grasshopper Jungle are also sublime reads.

Highly, highly recommended for fans of Andrew Smith. I'm sure his fan club is growing by the nanosecond. Grade 9-up. Amazon has age 12-up and grade 7-up in "product details."

WARNING: profanity, Ryan Dean thinks of sex A LOT, mature content make this book suitable for grade 9-up in my opinion.

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)

LGBT Pick: This Book Is Gay

This Book Is Gay
by James Dawson
Sourcebooks Fire
2015
272 pages
ISBN: 978149617822

Available June 2015

This Book Is Gay  is aimed at the YA audience and questioning teens but it should be required reading in high school--and not just in sex education classes. Dawson addresses the obvious: the definitions of gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, straight and asexual. Perhaps because he identifies as a gay man, he spends more of his time discussing the male homosexual and much less time on the female homosexual. He briefly mentions asexual persons.

Reading more like a memoir  or a personal diary, This Book Is Gay is an enjoyable read. Using actual quotes from people he  interviewed  helps the reader identify with these persons as having a story and being human--not just being identified solely  for their sexual orientation.

I am overjoyed Dawson addresses the fact that kids always say, "Oh, that's so gay!" meaning something derogatory. As an educator I've heard all kinds of labels used in a derogatory way and used to bully others. Kids are killing themselves because they are afraid to go to school. Kids are cutting themselves or hurting themselves in other ways. The homophobia has to stop. And adults who see it must step in and address it. Dawson offers a "QUIFF" system. When you hear homophobic language, think "QUIFF." These are the terms he uses:
Q-Question it. Ask, 'What do you mean by that?"
U-Understanding-Say, "Do you know what gay actually means?"
I-Institution-Say, "This school is a tolerant place; you can't say that"
F-Feel, State how it makes you feel. "I consider that offensive and homophobic"
F-Funny, make a funny comment.

and he cautions, do not to stand up to someone when it's obvious they are on a rampage. Keep your safety in mind first.

Lively, comic illustrations by Spike Gerrell  lighten the mood and text. Many of those people interviewed said they wished they had had a book like this one when they were in their tweens/ teens. Did you know 21% of people question their sexuality or gender between the ages of 6-10, and 57% do so ages 11-15?

The book also contains a chapter for parents of a teen who has come out and a list of helpful contact sites, URLs and phone numbers--not to mention a glossary of terms used in the text. One thing U.S. teens may embrace is the fact that so many British terms are used. Anglophiles will be pleased to learn some new terms to pepper their Twitter feeds with.

Highly Recommended for grade 9-up. Mature subject matter, facts about sex, gender issues, body image. Someone really needs to write a similar book for grades 6-8.

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)

 

Summer Pick: The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls
by Anton Disclafani
Riverhead Books (Penguin)
2013
388 pages

Back in the woods of the Blue Ridge Mountains lies a beautifully serene riding camp and school for girls of means. The girls come to Yonahlossee for a variety of reasons--their wealthy families are too busy to raise a teenage girl, their family is caught up in the Depression and trying to hold onto what little they still have, their  family is at a crossroads, or their family is burying their guilt and a shameful secret. Thea Atwell is sent to Yonahlossee for the latter--she is beginning to realize her rash actions and powerful passions have torn her family apart.

Thea has grown up with her rtwin brother and their parents on their rural farm, far from other kids and pressures. Thea has lived a sheltered life among the Florida orange groves and riding the fields on her pony. When Thea steps outside these boundaries, her mother insists that she be sent far away. Thea is mortified and afraid, alone for the first time at age fifteen. How will she cope among girls her age when she's never been around others? How will she be able to survive without the constant companionship and love of her own twin?

Thea loves the riding lessons with stern taskmaster Mr. Albrecht and even finds a group of girls she fits in with. When she realizes that the riding camp is a year-round facility, she understands the depth of her mother's anger.

As Thea learns more about life and love, she comes dangerously close to hurting everyone around her once again.

Highly recommended for book clubs and readers grade 9-up. Mature subject matter. Sexual misconduct.

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: Notes From the Blender

Notes From the Blender
by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin
Egmont
2011
229 pages

Cantagious, comedic, cantankerous, and full of teen angst and teenage spasmic hyperbole, Notes From the Blender is a hilarious romp of a ya novel. Told in chapters by Neilly and Declan, both male and female readers will laugh out loud at the characters and most likely, their very own foibles.

Declan is a sixteen year old who loves black Death Metal, violent video games, porn sites, and girls! A random thought through Dec's head is most likely sexual--even if it is about his middle-aged therapist. You would think that Dec with all his character flaws would not be a likable character; you would be dead wrong. Dec is a flawed underdog, to be sure, but his sense of humor and comedic timing as well as his delivery of biting sarcasm to his bullies make him charming and lovable.

Dec misses his mom who died in a car accident--Dec was in the car but not injured and has blamed himself for her death since then. Dec's dad is worried that Dec is getting becoming too goth and dark and sends him to his Aunt Sarah's church which happens to be a little different than most churches--she is the paster and her life partner, also female lives with her. When Dec's dad springs the news on him that he is remarrying, Dec goes off the deep end.

Neilly is thrown for a loop when her father leaves her mom for a man! Now her father is marrying that same man. If that isn't enough, her mom has been hiding secrets from her, too. When Neilly goes home from school one day, she walks in on her mother cooking in the kitchen wearing nothing except a towel. Dec's dad is playing house with Neilly's mom! And that's not all, they are getting married and expecting a new baby. Neilly and Dec will become step-siblings....

Laugh out loud, swallow-your-milk-and-choke-on-it-until-it-comes-painfully-out-your-nose funny--this is the funniest novel of the year, and I would say it is bound to garner all sorts of ya and YALSA attention. Anyone with a sense of humor will love this book. I love Dec and Neilly!

Highly, highly recommended grades 9-up. Mature themes, F word, sex, masturbation, condoms.

There is a book giveaway posted on my blog for Notes From the Blender. Deadline for posting is June 14, 2011 at noon. Don't miss your opportunity to win a free copy. Post your comment today.

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

Fallout

Fallout
by Ellen Hopkins
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2010
672 pages

In the third book of the trilogy that includes Crank and Glass, author Ellen Hopkins returns to Kristina Snow's story of drug abuse and reveals what Kristina's children have had to suffer.

Told in poetry by the children: Hunter, Autumn, and Summer, and the mother, this book is raw and gritty. Readers will likely empathize with one or all of the children and feel pity for Kristina.

The book deals with mature situations of drug and alcohol abuse, sexual situations, and abuse. It's not a pretty story but an important one. Addiction hurts not just the user but the entire family, and they all suffer from the Fallout.

Recommended grades 9 and up. NOT recommended for middle school due to language, sex, alcohol and drug references, and mature themes.

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

Destroy All Cars

Destroy All Cars
by Blake Nelson
Scholastic, 2009
218 pages

Move over, Holden Caulfield. There's a new misanthrope in town, and his name is James Hoff, the teen protagonist in Nelson's latest YA novel. James is a dark soul who is fed up with consumerism, mindlessness, abuse of the planet by humans, and humans, in general. He thinks most Americans feel that "mental accuracy is a bad thing," and writes rants in his journal that his English teacher compares to "manifesto stylings." He thinks the answer to saving the planet is to destroy all cars. James is a thoughtful character who has difficulty fitting in with his peers--peers who are typical flat characters interested in high school gossip, clothes, who just broke up, who is back together, who is hooking up, who is in trouble, and other vapid conversations. Also troubling James is his parents' complete lack of passion for anything that matters to him. They keep pushing him to pick a college, and he keeps avoiding the topic. He has no plans for post-high school. He is just trying to make it through his junior year.

The only person James connects with is a high school activist, Sadie Kinnell, who tries to save the planet by starting in her neighborhood with a petition to save a pond from greedy developers. James and Sadie have a love-hate relationship, and do end up having sex, but they both are sorry afterwards. James feels regret and is wistful to be the "old" him before the encounter. Readers will feel empathy for James, a typical teen who is confused, lost, and searching for answers to easy questions like: where do I want to go to college? and hard questions like: why do people have to have kids?

Grades 8-high school. Some language, sex, though not graphic. Recommended for high school collections.