Where do you go when you die?
Heaven or
The Undiscovered Country or
The Shadowlands or
The Big Sleep or
The Great Unknown or
The Great Beyond or
Elysian Fields or
Valhalla or
Fortunate Isles or
Isle of the Blessed or
The Kingdom of Joy and Light or
Paradise or
Eden or
The Firmament or
The Sky or
Wherever you are, whatever it's called
(242-243)
Like Owen then says, "Very thorough, but they never write Elsewhere" (243).
Elsewhere is where Lizzie Hall goes after she's hit by a taxi outside the mall shortly before her 16th birthday. In Elsewhere, you grow younger instead of older. You have avocations instead of jobs, because they're supposed to be something you actually want to do. You can get hurt, but you can never die, well, because you're already dead. Lizzie is upset when she finally realizes that she's dead because she thinks she'll never get her drivers' license, she'll never fall in love, and she'll never grow old. Well, she's right on one account, but just because you don't grow old doesn't mean you don't still grow.
While in Elsewhere, Lizzie lives with her grandmother, Betty, who died of breast cancer before Lizzie was born. Now Betty is a 30-something lady with a red convertible and an overflowing flower garden. Lizzie gets an avocation working with dogs and speaking their language, which is something that she's very good at. She also meets her favorite musician, Curtis Jett, who recently died of a drug overdose. She learns three-point turns and how to parallel park from a cute guy named Owen with someone else's name tattooed on his arm.
Ah, Owen... Lizzie soon discovers that she loves Owen, who died in his 30s but is a hunky 17-year-old in Elsewhere by the time Lizzie meets him. But that tattoo... Emily. Emily was Owen's wife back on Earth and he just can't seem to forget her, that is, until she comes to Elsewhere, too. Still in her 30s, Emily doesn't quite love Owen the way she used to, and finally, on the (reverse) day of when Owen got his tattoo on Earth (when he was 16) it disappears, and he realizes that he loves Lizzie now, not Emily.
Lizzie has just given up on Owen, though, right before that tattoo disappears. Since she died young, she can be a Sneaker, someone who died young on Earth and has the chance to go back before they reach babyhood for the second time. She decides she doesn't want to be on Elsewhere anymore, so she goes to the river where babies return to Earth, is wrapped in swaddling clothes as a teenager (awkward) and then she's on her way back to be reborn. Floating down the river of life, Lizzie decides she doesn't want to go back, but she's wrapped so tightly in her mummy swaddling clothes that she can't escape. Meanwhile, Owen realizes he loves her and goes out to rescue her. Now, Lizzie has everything she ever wanted in her life on Earth (minus the high school diploma and college and all that). She's happily in love with a cute guy, she has a job she enjoys, she has friends and loved ones.
Then the time comes, nearly 16 years after she died and went to Elsewhere, Lizzie is a baby again. She's wrapped in swaddling clothes (for the second time, they fit much better now) and is sent down the river to be reborn to a new life and a new family.
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2005 (Vol. 73, No. 16)) says of Elsewhere, "Zevin's smooth, omniscient third-person narration and matter-of-fact presentation of her imagined world carries readers along, while her deft, understated character development allows them to get to know her characters slowly and naturally. Hopeful and engaging."
Deborah Stevenson, Associate Editor (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September 2005 (Vol. 59, No. 1)) says, "Creative touches abound in the depiction of the Elsewhere lifestyle and in the human possibilities therein, and readers from a broad range of beliefs will find this a quirky and touching exploration of the Great Beyond."
This would be an excellent book to share with teens if they've recently lost someone they love, but are far enough past the death to have come to terms with it and are able to read something lighthearted.
Zavin, Gabrielle. 2005. Elsewhere. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux. ISBN 9780374320911
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Weetzie Bat
Weetzie Bat and her best friend Dirk are two hip teens living in a fantastical, glittery, LSD-trippy LA. Dirk comes out to Weetzie when they're on the town, scoping for hunks, or Ducks as they're called, and then Dirk's hippy grandma gives Weetzie a magic lamp. Weetzie gets three wishes, a Duck for Dirk, A Secret Agent Lover Man for herself, and a cute little house that they can all live in, happily ever after.
Magically, all these wishes come true! Unfortunately, Weetzie decides she wants something else, a baby, but My Secret Agent Lover Man does not want one. He's too busy making his crazy movies and the world is too full of hate and sickness to have a baby. Weetzie has one anyway, a love-child with her two gay best friends. My Secret Agent Lover Man leaves the love nest, only to impregnate a witch, then he returns after Weetzie's baby, Cherokee Bat, is born. The witch curses My Secret Agent Lover Man and leaves her baby on the doorstep. Witch Baby is taken into the love nest to join the happy family.
After several more weird drug references, an AIDS scare, and other hipster trials, Weetzie goes to visit her dad in New York, begging him to come back to her mother in LA. He decides that LA is a crazy place and he never wants to go back, so much so that he kills himself. Everyone is sad and then the book is over.
This book was too much for me. I didn't understand half of it and it really bothered me. I'm a teenager, let's have a baby with no repercussions! We don't have jobs, but we do have a car and a house and babies and love! All you need is love! It's just too much! The fantasy elements were few and far between (a genie at the beginning and a witch at the end) and the entire book just seemed like an acid trip with all the colors and feathers and glitter and nonsense. There are so many other books I would recommend to my teens before I even thought about sharing this one with them.
The only part I did enjoy, however, was the arrival of the genie on page 26.
Weetzie could see him -- it was a man, a little man in a turban, with a jewel in his nose, harem pants, and curly-toed slippers.
"Lanky lizards!" Weetzie exclaimed.
"Greetings," said the man in an odd voice, a rich, dark purr.
"Oh, shit!" Weetzie said.
"I beg your pardon? Is that your wish?"
The Los Angeles Times Book Review says of Weetzie Bat, "One of the most original books of the last ten years."
Yes, it is original. The review didn't say good.
Block, Francesca Lia. 1989. Weetzie Bat. New York: Harper & Row. ISBN 0060205342
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Stuck in Neutral
How would you feel if you heard someone describe you like this: "A 'retard.' Not 'retard' like you might use the word to tease a friend who just said or did something stupid. I mean a real retard. Real in the same way that total means total. As in total retard: Everybody who knows me, everybody who sees me, everybody, anybody who even gets near me would tell you I'm dumb as a rock" (4)? What if someone said it to your face? How would you feel then? If you’re like Shawn McDaniel, who has been described in this way, you may get upset, but no one would ever know it.
Shawn McDaniel is the main character of Stuck in Neutral. He is a fourteen year old boy who is confined to a wheelchair with severe cerebral palsy. He can't function on his own, drools, uses the restroom on himself, etcetera. Everyone thinks he's mentally retarded, but he's not. He has cerebral palsy, but inside his head, he's intelligent, witty and sarcastic. He can remember everything he's ever heard or seen. He understands everything that happens around him although he's not in control of his body. Shawn also has seizures, which everyone around him thinks are painful and terrible, but Shawn has a type of out-of-body experience with each seizure. He can travel from his home in Seattle, Washington, to distant places and see and feel things he's never known before. Shawn's life may seem terrible to you, and sure, he'd like to not be stuck in a wheelchair being called names and never getting the girl, but his life is okay with him.
Stuck in Neutral is written from Shawn's point of view. The reader sees the story develop around Shawn. We see him living his life in the wheelchair and how, even though everyone thinks he's "a retard," we see that he's really not. Even his family treats him this way, especially his father. He doesn't believe that Shawn is living a happy life, which develops the theme of quality of life and how we determine it. Shawn seems to be moderately happy confined to his wheelchair. He's come to terms with it and accepts it, even though it's difficult to understand why. Since no one really knows how someone with severe cerebral palsy is feeling, the book is an interesting take on it, allowing the reader to see it from the mind of someone suffering with it (although we have no way of knowing if that's really how someone with CP feels). When Shawn's father decides that Shawn is suffering too much, that he's not living a happy life, the reader gets to decide if Shawn's father ends his suffering or if he has a change of heart.
Since there is not really any way of knowing how the mind of someone with cerebral palsy works, as in, we don't know if the person is intelligent and understands what we say, it is an interesting read. This really could be how it is. This is a definite strength of the book. A weakness of the book, however, is that I find it awkward. I think it may be because the author has a son like Shawn, which makes me think, Has he thought about killing his own child? and I don't want to think about that.
The CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2001) says, "Trueman's captivating first novel is hard to put down and has a delicious open ending. It will likely inspire lively discussion among teen readers of ethical issues such as euthanasia and quality of life." Kirkus Reviews (Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 2000 (Vol. 68, No. 11)) says, "Though character is not the author's strongest concern here, ... Shawn will stay with readers, not for what he does, but for what he is and has made of himself."
To share this book with teens, it might also be a good idea to pair it with the companion novel Terry Trueman wrote in 2004 called Cruise Control that is from Shawn's brother's point of view. It would be interesting to read it and compare the two.
To close this review, I'd like to share a bit of Shawn's father's Pulitzer Prize-winning-poem that begins chapter nine on page 52.
Inside my chest
where my heart should be,
a ghost bird
is flying into a terrible wind,
a frozen winter wind,
and its eye is covered in ice,
and it has no voice,
and it is fading out of itself,
falling and falling.
Trueman, Terry. 2000. Stuck in Neutral. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 9780030285180
Shawn McDaniel is the main character of Stuck in Neutral. He is a fourteen year old boy who is confined to a wheelchair with severe cerebral palsy. He can't function on his own, drools, uses the restroom on himself, etcetera. Everyone thinks he's mentally retarded, but he's not. He has cerebral palsy, but inside his head, he's intelligent, witty and sarcastic. He can remember everything he's ever heard or seen. He understands everything that happens around him although he's not in control of his body. Shawn also has seizures, which everyone around him thinks are painful and terrible, but Shawn has a type of out-of-body experience with each seizure. He can travel from his home in Seattle, Washington, to distant places and see and feel things he's never known before. Shawn's life may seem terrible to you, and sure, he'd like to not be stuck in a wheelchair being called names and never getting the girl, but his life is okay with him.
Stuck in Neutral is written from Shawn's point of view. The reader sees the story develop around Shawn. We see him living his life in the wheelchair and how, even though everyone thinks he's "a retard," we see that he's really not. Even his family treats him this way, especially his father. He doesn't believe that Shawn is living a happy life, which develops the theme of quality of life and how we determine it. Shawn seems to be moderately happy confined to his wheelchair. He's come to terms with it and accepts it, even though it's difficult to understand why. Since no one really knows how someone with severe cerebral palsy is feeling, the book is an interesting take on it, allowing the reader to see it from the mind of someone suffering with it (although we have no way of knowing if that's really how someone with CP feels). When Shawn's father decides that Shawn is suffering too much, that he's not living a happy life, the reader gets to decide if Shawn's father ends his suffering or if he has a change of heart.
Since there is not really any way of knowing how the mind of someone with cerebral palsy works, as in, we don't know if the person is intelligent and understands what we say, it is an interesting read. This really could be how it is. This is a definite strength of the book. A weakness of the book, however, is that I find it awkward. I think it may be because the author has a son like Shawn, which makes me think, Has he thought about killing his own child? and I don't want to think about that.
The CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2001) says, "Trueman's captivating first novel is hard to put down and has a delicious open ending. It will likely inspire lively discussion among teen readers of ethical issues such as euthanasia and quality of life." Kirkus Reviews (Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 2000 (Vol. 68, No. 11)) says, "Though character is not the author's strongest concern here, ... Shawn will stay with readers, not for what he does, but for what he is and has made of himself."
To share this book with teens, it might also be a good idea to pair it with the companion novel Terry Trueman wrote in 2004 called Cruise Control that is from Shawn's brother's point of view. It would be interesting to read it and compare the two.
To close this review, I'd like to share a bit of Shawn's father's Pulitzer Prize-winning-poem that begins chapter nine on page 52.
Inside my chest
where my heart should be,
a ghost bird
is flying into a terrible wind,
a frozen winter wind,
and its eye is covered in ice,
and it has no voice,
and it is fading out of itself,
falling and falling.
Trueman, Terry. 2000. Stuck in Neutral. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 9780030285180
The Killer's Cousin
David Yaffe is a high school senior... again. Recently acquitted of the accidental death of his girlfriend, David moves in with his aunt and uncle in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to avoid the sideways glances of his former friends and to finish high school. He believes that this move will help him to forget what happened to his girlfriend, the trial and the heartache, but he is wrong. In the attic apartment above his aunt and uncle's house, David hears a mysterious humming and sees shadowy figures. His aunt rarely speaks to him, his uncle is slightly aloof, and his cousin, Lily, is a troublemaker. Her parents never see it, though, but that's probably because they're still upset over the tragic suicide of their other daughter, Kathy, which happened some years before. Lily is in the spotlight, being the go-between of her parents, until David moves in. Now she plays evil tricks on him, trying desperately to get him to reveal the way he feels now that he's a killer, and to get him to leave the attic that once belonged to her sister. Through several plot twists, secrets, lies and the like, David discovers that his cousin Lily killed her older sister. After he finds this out, Lily tries to kill herself by setting the house on fire, but David rescues her and promises, "We'll help each other ... When it hurts, when we're afraid, if we're ever tempted (to kill again)--we tell each other. I'll help you. You'll help me. We won't use the power we have. And we'll find ways to do good. To .. to atone" (226).
David tells this mysterious story, the story of Lily, the killer's cousin, but reveals his story at the same time. By telling Lily's story, which tells his own, the reader sees the theme of living with consequences develop. David must live with what he has done, and so must Lily. Together, the two realize this and learn to live despite the terrible things they've done in the past.
This book is very intriguing and would be great for reluctant teen boy readers and those who like crime shows like Law and Order, NCIS and CSI. The only thing that I did not like about the book was the fact that Lily's parents saw no problem with the things she was doing, or ignored them, and put the blame on David. I believe to a certain degree that everyone thinks their child is precious, but you have to realize there's a problem eventually, and before the child burns the house down.John Peters (Booklist, September 1, 1998 (Vol. 95, No. 1)) says of The Killer's Cousin, "Positioning her characters in an intricate, shadowy web of secrets, deception, bad choices, family feuds, and ghostly warnings, Werlin winds the tension to an excruciating point, then releases it in a fiery climax... Melissa Thacker (VOYA, October 1998 (Vol. 21, No. 4)) says, "David and Lily are sympathetic characters, who compel readers to discover the whole truth behind their stories. Once they get started, readers will be hard pressed to put this book down."
To share this book with teens, it could be a good idea to read it along with another teen murder mystery by Nancy Werlin, The Black Mirror. A fun activity to include after this reading would be to have a murder mystery dinner, where the teens have to use the sleuthing skills they've obtained from reading these books to figure out who-done-it.
What follows is my favorite selection from The Killer's Cousin, from page 175, when David finally realizes the truth:
I was David Bernard Yaffe. I had not meant to kill Emily. I had not meant even to hurt her. But I had, and now I lived forever with the abyss that separated me from people who didn't know what it was like, to have killed. To be a killer.
Acquittal had nothing to do with it. I was a killer. And I knew in my gut when I met another of my kind. Until then, I had refused to see it. I hadn't wanted to know the truth. But the knowledge had been there, somewhere in me, for a long, long time. Guilt knows guilt.
Like knows like.
Lily had killed Kathy.
Werlin, Nancy. 1998. The Killer's Cousin. New York: Delacourt Press. ISBN 9780385325608
David tells this mysterious story, the story of Lily, the killer's cousin, but reveals his story at the same time. By telling Lily's story, which tells his own, the reader sees the theme of living with consequences develop. David must live with what he has done, and so must Lily. Together, the two realize this and learn to live despite the terrible things they've done in the past.
This book is very intriguing and would be great for reluctant teen boy readers and those who like crime shows like Law and Order, NCIS and CSI. The only thing that I did not like about the book was the fact that Lily's parents saw no problem with the things she was doing, or ignored them, and put the blame on David. I believe to a certain degree that everyone thinks their child is precious, but you have to realize there's a problem eventually, and before the child burns the house down.John Peters (Booklist, September 1, 1998 (Vol. 95, No. 1)) says of The Killer's Cousin, "Positioning her characters in an intricate, shadowy web of secrets, deception, bad choices, family feuds, and ghostly warnings, Werlin winds the tension to an excruciating point, then releases it in a fiery climax... Melissa Thacker (VOYA, October 1998 (Vol. 21, No. 4)) says, "David and Lily are sympathetic characters, who compel readers to discover the whole truth behind their stories. Once they get started, readers will be hard pressed to put this book down."
To share this book with teens, it could be a good idea to read it along with another teen murder mystery by Nancy Werlin, The Black Mirror. A fun activity to include after this reading would be to have a murder mystery dinner, where the teens have to use the sleuthing skills they've obtained from reading these books to figure out who-done-it.
What follows is my favorite selection from The Killer's Cousin, from page 175, when David finally realizes the truth:
I was David Bernard Yaffe. I had not meant to kill Emily. I had not meant even to hurt her. But I had, and now I lived forever with the abyss that separated me from people who didn't know what it was like, to have killed. To be a killer.
Acquittal had nothing to do with it. I was a killer. And I knew in my gut when I met another of my kind. Until then, I had refused to see it. I hadn't wanted to know the truth. But the knowledge had been there, somewhere in me, for a long, long time. Guilt knows guilt.
Like knows like.
Lily had killed Kathy.
Werlin, Nancy. 1998. The Killer's Cousin. New York: Delacourt Press. ISBN 9780385325608
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
Eric Calhoune and Sarah Byrnes have been friends for nearly forever. They make the perfect pair... Eric is fat and Sarah Byrnes's face and hands were burned when she was three and are horribly scarred. They didn't have any other friends. They only had each other.
Several years have passed. Eric has joined the swim team and has earned the nickname Moby because he's a swimmer, but eats even more than he did before. His plan? Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. He cares so much for Sarah Byrnes that he's afraid to lose weight and make new friends for fear of leaving her behind. She acts tough and pretends she doesn't care about anything, that nothing fazes her, but it's just a faŅ«ade.
One day, in the middle of class, Sarah Byrnes just quits. No more talking, no clever responses, no sarcastic quips. Nothing. In her catatonic state, she goes to Sacred Heart's mental facility. Eric visits her every day and soon discovers the truth behind her scars and the reason why she's in the hospital. Her father burned her when she was little and now plans to kill her. Eric wants to save his friend, so he turns to someone he knows he can trust, his favorite teacher and swim coach, Ms. Lemry. Lemry drives Sarah Byrnes to Reno in search of her mother, the only person who can tell the truth about her father and get him locked up for good. Sarah Byrnes's father knows something is up and goes to his daughter's only friend, Eric, for answers. To get those answers, he cuts Eric's face and stabs him in the back. This does not help his case, of course, and after a bit of a tussle, Mr. Byrnes heads to jail and Sarah Byrnes is adopted by Ms. Lemry. Everything is all wrapped up in a nice little package. Convenient, yes? Too convenient? I think so.
Written from Eric's point of view, we see only his side of the story. He's been kept in the dark about his best friend's scars, but still protects her and, honestly, risks his life for her. Not only does he face her father, who is completely crazy, but he also overeats on purpose, which can't be good for his health. This intense friendship is a strength of the book, as are Sarah Byrnes's sarcastic remarks, Eric's jokes, and the antics of Eric's new friend Ellerby. However, in my opinion, it's just too neatly wrapped up in the end. Could it happen that the 17 years and 364 days old Sarah Byrnes is adopted by her school teacher? I suppose. That kind of happened in Matilda, right?
The novel also has a swimming backdrop and in several scenes, Eric tells about the tricks he and Ellerby play on another student, making him swim harder than he has to, but honestly, I didn't understand really any of the swimming scenes, the way the were described was confusing for a non-swimmer, so that could deter others from reading it, once they make it to those parts.
All in all, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes was a good read, especially from chapter 11 or so onward. It would be a good book to share with boys who like sports, but want a more mysterious, story-driven plot instead of just relying on the sports to carry them through. It could be paired with other swimming stories by Chris Crutcher, such as Whale Talk and Stotan!
Janice Del Negro of Booklist (Booklist, Mar. 15, 1993 (Vol. 89, No. 14)) says of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, "Crutcher ties up loose ends and subplots a little too rosily for real life, but his book is satisfying all the same. It's strong on relationships, long on plot, and has enough humor and suspense to make it an easy booktalk with appeal across gender lines." Susie Wilde of Children's Literature says, "Once the story takes hold you move along at such a rapid clip that by the end you're holding on for dear life."
My favorite part of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is the letter that Sarah Byrnes writes to Eric. Here's a portion of it, from page 130:
These kids up here, they act like the toughest kids in the world, just like me, but this is the first time I've ever seen under that toughness--in anybody else or in me. I'm really scared, because if I'm going to have a life, I'm going to have to act different, and I don't know if I can.
Crutcher, Chris. 1993. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 9780688115524
Several years have passed. Eric has joined the swim team and has earned the nickname Moby because he's a swimmer, but eats even more than he did before. His plan? Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. He cares so much for Sarah Byrnes that he's afraid to lose weight and make new friends for fear of leaving her behind. She acts tough and pretends she doesn't care about anything, that nothing fazes her, but it's just a faŅ«ade.
One day, in the middle of class, Sarah Byrnes just quits. No more talking, no clever responses, no sarcastic quips. Nothing. In her catatonic state, she goes to Sacred Heart's mental facility. Eric visits her every day and soon discovers the truth behind her scars and the reason why she's in the hospital. Her father burned her when she was little and now plans to kill her. Eric wants to save his friend, so he turns to someone he knows he can trust, his favorite teacher and swim coach, Ms. Lemry. Lemry drives Sarah Byrnes to Reno in search of her mother, the only person who can tell the truth about her father and get him locked up for good. Sarah Byrnes's father knows something is up and goes to his daughter's only friend, Eric, for answers. To get those answers, he cuts Eric's face and stabs him in the back. This does not help his case, of course, and after a bit of a tussle, Mr. Byrnes heads to jail and Sarah Byrnes is adopted by Ms. Lemry. Everything is all wrapped up in a nice little package. Convenient, yes? Too convenient? I think so.
Written from Eric's point of view, we see only his side of the story. He's been kept in the dark about his best friend's scars, but still protects her and, honestly, risks his life for her. Not only does he face her father, who is completely crazy, but he also overeats on purpose, which can't be good for his health. This intense friendship is a strength of the book, as are Sarah Byrnes's sarcastic remarks, Eric's jokes, and the antics of Eric's new friend Ellerby. However, in my opinion, it's just too neatly wrapped up in the end. Could it happen that the 17 years and 364 days old Sarah Byrnes is adopted by her school teacher? I suppose. That kind of happened in Matilda, right?
The novel also has a swimming backdrop and in several scenes, Eric tells about the tricks he and Ellerby play on another student, making him swim harder than he has to, but honestly, I didn't understand really any of the swimming scenes, the way the were described was confusing for a non-swimmer, so that could deter others from reading it, once they make it to those parts.
All in all, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes was a good read, especially from chapter 11 or so onward. It would be a good book to share with boys who like sports, but want a more mysterious, story-driven plot instead of just relying on the sports to carry them through. It could be paired with other swimming stories by Chris Crutcher, such as Whale Talk and Stotan!
Janice Del Negro of Booklist (Booklist, Mar. 15, 1993 (Vol. 89, No. 14)) says of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, "Crutcher ties up loose ends and subplots a little too rosily for real life, but his book is satisfying all the same. It's strong on relationships, long on plot, and has enough humor and suspense to make it an easy booktalk with appeal across gender lines." Susie Wilde of Children's Literature says, "Once the story takes hold you move along at such a rapid clip that by the end you're holding on for dear life."
My favorite part of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is the letter that Sarah Byrnes writes to Eric. Here's a portion of it, from page 130:
These kids up here, they act like the toughest kids in the world, just like me, but this is the first time I've ever seen under that toughness--in anybody else or in me. I'm really scared, because if I'm going to have a life, I'm going to have to act different, and I don't know if I can.
Crutcher, Chris. 1993. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 9780688115524
Friday, September 30, 2011
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging
The Bibliography
Rennison, Louise. 2000. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 9780064472272
The Characters
Georgia Nicolson, a totally fab 14-year-old British girl, is the main character of Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging. Other characters include her 3-year-old sister, Libby, her parents, Mutti and Vati, her best friend, Jas, and her massive cat, Angus. Oh, and her sex-god of a love interest, Robbie. While the book is Georgia's diary, the other characters are what fill the diary with ridiculous problems and strategies for teen survival.
The Plot
Georgia writes about her life as a 14-year-old budding woman in this diary of a novel. She shares her ups (I am now nearly Robbie's girlfriend, hahahaha. Summer love, summer love!!! (234)) and downs (Eyebrows haven't grown back. (21)) and inner-most thoughts (Am I schizophrenic as well as a lesbian? (47)) in this hilarious diary. Will she make it through this year at school without completely embarassing herself? Probably not!
Rennison, Louise. 2000. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 9780064472272
The Characters
Georgia Nicolson, a totally fab 14-year-old British girl, is the main character of Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging. Other characters include her 3-year-old sister, Libby, her parents, Mutti and Vati, her best friend, Jas, and her massive cat, Angus. Oh, and her sex-god of a love interest, Robbie. While the book is Georgia's diary, the other characters are what fill the diary with ridiculous problems and strategies for teen survival.
The Plot
Georgia writes about her life as a 14-year-old budding woman in this diary of a novel. She shares her ups (I am now nearly Robbie's girlfriend, hahahaha. Summer love, summer love!!! (234)) and downs (Eyebrows haven't grown back. (21)) and inner-most thoughts (Am I schizophrenic as well as a lesbian? (47)) in this hilarious diary. Will she make it through this year at school without completely embarassing herself? Probably not!
The Setting
England
...Which is why there is a glossary and why none of the words will really make sense to a teenager outside of the UK reading this book. But that's what gives it so much charm!
The Theme
growing up while attempting to be normal
England
...Which is why there is a glossary and why none of the words will really make sense to a teenager outside of the UK reading this book. But that's what gives it so much charm!
The Theme
growing up while attempting to be normal
...like that's possible for any teenage girl, but that's all Georgia wants... and boobs, and a boyfriend, and a smaller nose, and a million other things every other teenage girl wants
The Style
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging is a diary of a fourteen year old girl with a crush, best friends and a giant cat. These sometimes fragmented entries full of thoughts and feelings are really what make the book special.
The Strengths and Weaknesses
The book is absolutely hilarious. Laugh out loud funny even. (I'd never say LOL.) I nearly cried when Georgia waxed off her eyebrows! Anyone who picks up this book should get a good laugh out of it. Definite strength.
The Style
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging is a diary of a fourteen year old girl with a crush, best friends and a giant cat. These sometimes fragmented entries full of thoughts and feelings are really what make the book special.
The Strengths and Weaknesses
The book is absolutely hilarious. Laugh out loud funny even. (I'd never say LOL.) I nearly cried when Georgia waxed off her eyebrows! Anyone who picks up this book should get a good laugh out of it. Definite strength.
The only weakness I can think of is that there is quite a lot of British slang in the book, but there's a glossary, so it shouldn't be a problem, really. Also, a lot of it is pretty easy to figure out. And all of us plain-ol' US folk should really pick up on that fancy way of British speaking anyway!
The Favorite Lines
"monday september 28
11:00 a.m.
At break I told Jas and Jools everything. They went, 'Ergghhhlack, that's truly disgusting. Your cousin? That is sad.' Jools said that she had actually seen her brother's 'how's your father' quite often. She said, 'It's quite nice, really, like a mouse.' She lives in a world of her own (thank God). Well bless us, Tiny Tim, one and all, I say" (66). Georgia's diary entry the day after her cousin tried to kiss her and what her friends thought.
The Reviews
Teri Lesesne (VOYA, June 2000 (Vol. 23, No. 2))
... Georgia is relentless in her journal entries, which come across as comic riffs. She questions all authority, wanting to know WHY and HOW and WHEN. It is Georgia's distinct voice that will capture readers and leave them wanting a sequel so they can find out how Georgia's budding relationship with Robbie pans out. The clever title and catchy cover surely will attract loads of readers. The only element that might keep this book from flying off the shelf is the preponderance of British slang in Georgia's journal entries and in the conversations among the main characters. Although the author includes a glossary at the end of the novel, some teens may not find using it repeatedly "double cool with knobs," but rather "poxy."
Michael Cart (Booklist, July 2000 (Vol. 96, No. 21))
American readers wondering what on earth "full-frontal snogging" is will find the answer in the helpful (and hilarious) glossary appended to this antic diary of a year in the life of an English girl named Georgia Nicolson.Snogging is, simply, "kissing with all the trimmings," and it's much on 14-year-old Georgia's mind these days. For even though she's still reeling from her devastatingly bad decision to go to a party dressed as a stuffed olive, she has fallen in love with an older man (he's 17), a Sex God named Robbie. The trouble is, S. G. is dating a girl named Lindsay who--brace yourself--wears a thong. Honestly, how wet (idiotic) can you get! In the meantime, life on the homefront is spinning out of control. Dad has gone to New Zealand in search of a better job, and pet cat Angus, who can usually be spotted stalking the neighbor's poodle, has gone missing. Although performer and comedy writer Rennison clearly owes a large debt to Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary (1998), her Georgia is a wonderful character whose misadventures are not only hysterically funny but universally recognizable. This "fabbity, fab, fab" novel will leave readers cheering, "Long live the teen!" and anxiously awaiting the promised sequel.
The Connection
A great way to connect teens to this book would be to have them write a diary of the everyday normal things that happen to them. They'd then realize that maybe some of their problems that they feel so terribly about maybe aren't all that bad. I'm sure Georgia thought it was absolutely dreadful when she shaved off her eyebrows, but later, if she were real anyway, she could laugh about it.
Harmless
The Bibliography
Reinhardt, Dana. 2007. Harmless. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN 9780385746991
The Characters
Anna, Emma and Mariah are the main characters in Harmless. Each girl has her own personality that shifts as the lie they told gets progressively worse. Anna is shy, but becomes more outgoing as the story goes on; Emma is Anna's best friend, but recedes into the shadows; Mariah is a wild girl that slowly grabs the reigns of her life.
The Plot
Three girls tell their parents that they're going to a movie, but go to a party instead. When their parents find out that they didn't really go to the movies, they tell another lie in hopes of keeping the party a secret. Then, it blows up in their faces. It's just a harmless little lie...
The Setting
Orsonville, New York
This setting is important for two of the three girls. Emma's family moved to the small town of Orsonville from New York City, which she has a problem with and Mariah also hates the small town life.
The Theme
telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth
Reinhardt, Dana. 2007. Harmless. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN 9780385746991
The Characters
Anna, Emma and Mariah are the main characters in Harmless. Each girl has her own personality that shifts as the lie they told gets progressively worse. Anna is shy, but becomes more outgoing as the story goes on; Emma is Anna's best friend, but recedes into the shadows; Mariah is a wild girl that slowly grabs the reigns of her life.
The Plot
Three girls tell their parents that they're going to a movie, but go to a party instead. When their parents find out that they didn't really go to the movies, they tell another lie in hopes of keeping the party a secret. Then, it blows up in their faces. It's just a harmless little lie...
The Setting
Orsonville, New York
This setting is important for two of the three girls. Emma's family moved to the small town of Orsonville from New York City, which she has a problem with and Mariah also hates the small town life.
The Theme
telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth
What's the harm in telling one little lie? Okay, more than one little lie. Okay, maybe not even so little... These girls have to realize on their own that telling the truth is easier and safer than lying.
The Style
first person, written from Anna's, Emma's and Mariah's points of view
The reader gets an insight into what each girl is thinking, but only in her own chapter. The girls can't quite figure out what her friends are really up to, and that can be seen in each chapter as the story develops.
The Strengths and Weaknesses
I like that Harmless was told from all three girls' points of view. It gives a good idea of what is going on in each of their heads and how the lies are affecting them individually. This is good because it shows teen readers that everyone reacts to things differently.
I do not like that nothing bad really happened. Also, it's not very believable. I don't think any cop would walk into a school and arrest three girls that have never been in trouble before in front of all their classmates for telling a lie. The story would have been better if something would have actually happened. When I first started reading it, I thought that Emma was going to end up pregnant after sleeping with Owen, which would then cause the lie to be that she was raped by the man by the river or even Owen, which would have made for a better story, but no.
The Favorite Lines
The Style
first person, written from Anna's, Emma's and Mariah's points of view
The reader gets an insight into what each girl is thinking, but only in her own chapter. The girls can't quite figure out what her friends are really up to, and that can be seen in each chapter as the story develops.
The Strengths and Weaknesses
I like that Harmless was told from all three girls' points of view. It gives a good idea of what is going on in each of their heads and how the lies are affecting them individually. This is good because it shows teen readers that everyone reacts to things differently.
I do not like that nothing bad really happened. Also, it's not very believable. I don't think any cop would walk into a school and arrest three girls that have never been in trouble before in front of all their classmates for telling a lie. The story would have been better if something would have actually happened. When I first started reading it, I thought that Emma was going to end up pregnant after sleeping with Owen, which would then cause the lie to be that she was raped by the man by the river or even Owen, which would have made for a better story, but no.
The Favorite Lines
"I thought, more than once, more than twice, during those beats when Silas's hand held on to my arm, when his knees were touching mine, of telling him the truth. The truth about our lie. The truth about our lie? Or was it a lie about the truth? Truth and lies. Lies and truths. Lielielielielie. Truthtruthtruthtruthtruth.... Lies destroy you" (194). Mariah deciding whether she should tell Silas, her crush and Emma's older brother, the truth about what happened.
The Reviews
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 3))
... Reinhardt successfully avoids a sanctimonious tone in imparting this moral lesson and infuses the story with enough drama to avoid banality. Worthwhile, but not spectacular.
Linda Martin (Library Media Connection, April 2007)
Harmless is novel with a moral, but never preachy or condescending.... This novel is a page-turner that addresses real-life situations experienced by older teens, making it inappropriate for some middle-schoolers, despite its easy reading. Alcohol use and sexual experimentation are handled in sensitive, straightforward ways, but the negative consequences are clear. Students will like this book for its suspense, believable characters, and the non-judgmental way in which the girls learn right from wrong.
The Connection
Sharing this book, then having a frank discussion about lying and telling the truth would be a good program with a small group of teenagers, but teens that really trust you and wouldn't be afraid to tell you the truth.
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 3))
... Reinhardt successfully avoids a sanctimonious tone in imparting this moral lesson and infuses the story with enough drama to avoid banality. Worthwhile, but not spectacular.
Linda Martin (Library Media Connection, April 2007)
Harmless is novel with a moral, but never preachy or condescending.... This novel is a page-turner that addresses real-life situations experienced by older teens, making it inappropriate for some middle-schoolers, despite its easy reading. Alcohol use and sexual experimentation are handled in sensitive, straightforward ways, but the negative consequences are clear. Students will like this book for its suspense, believable characters, and the non-judgmental way in which the girls learn right from wrong.
The Connection
Sharing this book, then having a frank discussion about lying and telling the truth would be a good program with a small group of teenagers, but teens that really trust you and wouldn't be afraid to tell you the truth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)