Reviews (262)

The 10 star book "Tears ofa Tiger"
This book is amazing. It really gets you to think about a lot of things. You always say well that will never happen to me, but niether did Andy. It is a story that so many kids can relate to . Sharon Draper really out did herself in this book. This is the kind of book i could read over and over and over and never get tired of reading it. It really touched me in a special place and thought me that tomorrow is not promised and never take what you have or the people in your life for granted. I give this book 10 stars.

beyond amazing.
words cant explain how good this book was. i had to read it for a school thing and i read it in an hour it was so good. and so meaningful. its one of the reasons i will never drink. im fourteen and all my friends do but i dont plan on drinking ever, and defiantly not getting drunk. i was balling my eyes out. crying SO hard over this book.
Great Read for Middle School children
This book deals very well with controversial topics such as drunk driving and suicide. Draper tells the story in a matter of fact manner that students will read and learn from. As a teacher of middle school children, I found this book very helpful and moving and well researched. Though somewhat predictable and heavyhanded, the story achieves it purpose and would be welcome in any classroom library. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    3. Death    4. Fiction    5. High schools    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Schools    8. Social Issues - Death & Dying    9. Social Issues - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse    10. Social Issues - Emotions & Feelings    11. Social Issues - Suicide    12. Juvenile Fiction / Ethnic / African American   

Editorial Review

Ellen Hopkins's semi-autobiographical verse novel, Read more

Reviews (57)

I loved it!
I loved this book; it went in really deep and certainly described everything very well. I got addicted to it, and, though, at the very first pages it may seem boring, it kicks into high gear very quickly. Though I may not as old as the book recommendedmeto be, I understood it perfectly well. This is a definite book choice to read.

What a great book!
Wow.. I just got this book and wow it took me in like i was there i finish the book in two days i guess i have to get the next book! "Burned" can wait to read that one...

Wow
I didn't quite know what to expect. I'd heard very little about it. Crank was, by far, the best book I've read in a LONG while. Sad, but very true to life. The story was so engaging that I couldn't put the book down even once...I stayed up until 2am to finish it.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    3. Family - Parents    4. Juvenile Fiction    5. Social Issues - Dating & Sex    6. Social Issues - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse    7. Social Issues - General    8. Social Situations - Dating & Sex    9. Social Situations - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse    10. Juvenile Fiction / Family / Parents   

Reviews (31)

Go ask alice is two thumbs down the drain and into the sewer
Go ask alice is an ok book, i think this is a two star book it has good information about what doing drugs could lead upto.i still think this book has alot of fiction instead of facts just to keep the reader interested.some points of the story are major turnoffs for male reader's because it's really hard to relate to certain problems of the opposite sex.The author of the diary uses all these big words and seems articulate but then again time after time makes alot of dumb decisions.Everyone makes bad decisions, but anyone with enough sense would try to get help or change their lifestlye, also the author cleary isnt an fifteen year old girl.

go ask alice
Denise Garcia
Its authenticity aside--does this even hold up as fiction?
Ok, first things first: I determined that this thing was a hoax when I first read it as a cynical eleven-year-old back in '86 or so: that a homeless, nearly-perpetually-high, hitchhiking-across-the-country-and-borrowing-strangers'-clothing "Alice" would be able to keep track of and catalog (remarkably lucid) journal entries written on random "scraps of bags, envelopes, etc." struck me as ridiculously implausible. Its inauthenticity (and the ethics of continuing to publish it as "nonfiction" aside), though, does this book even hold up as fiction? Just barely. I've always been a huge fan of the first-person narrative, and this book does a decent job of entertaining the reader and making her care--a bit--about the heroine (not just the heroin--heh). Also, that the real author (Beatrice Sparks) was, at least, female is a minor plus. On another note, even if the purported identity of _Go Ask Alice_'s author is fake, its groovy late '60s/early '70s cultural references are certainly the real deal, and, unlike most other YA novels' of its caliber from the same period, this thing is still in print! Educationally speaking, I can imagine holding it up side-by-side with the anti-drug public service announcements (produced by the Lockheed Corporation, etc.) of the same period in a unit on social/cultural American history. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    3. Diaries    4. Drug abuse    5. Fiction    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Social Issues - Adolescence    8. Social Issues - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse    9. Social Situations - Adolescence    10. Social Situations - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse    11. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Drugs, Alcohol, Substance Abuse   

Reviews (283)

DELICIOUS JUICY READ....
I LOVED THIS BOOK! I READ THE WHOLE BOOK IN THREE DAYS! I LAUGHED, CRIED, AND MY JAW DROPPED A FEW TIMES. IT TRULY IS A JUICY READ. I RECCOMEND THIS BOOK TO ANY TEEN.
Totally Not Real
It about rich kids doing whatever they want like sex and durgs. I doubt such a family would allow their kids to go around do things like that. Trust me, it's not worth it.

Corruption of Adolescent's Minds
I will always read book reviews over the internet before buying any book again. I don't even want to explain what's in the book because it is completely worthless. I did not have any clue that this book was not intended for a 25-year-old lady. I really thought that this book was a story about the awful consequences of gossip on society, for instance, or a story about a girl who gets caught by her own evil actions after gossiping and spreading rumors around. I did not imagine that it was written in such an inappropriate way to support gossip and other immoral behaviors. Besides it's pointless and disrespectful, since it's supporting something that is totally not innocent. Defiantly, I would not recommend this book for young girls nor for 18 and up, because it does not have any useful bit of information. If people keep reading these kinds of books that corrupt young girls' minds, damages their intellectuality, people will ruin the world. Gossip girl will not help you be clever, impressive, genuine, or popular. Invest your time in a much constructive reads. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    3. Fiction    4. High schools    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. New York (N.Y.)    7. Rich    8. Schools    9. Social Issues - Adolescence    10. Social Issues - Dating & Sex    11. Social Issues - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse    12. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Adolescence   

Reviews (4)

An important teen read with beautiful black and white illustrations
Teenager Jesse is writing the autobiography of his childhood friend and "blood brother" Rise, in a series of sketches, portraits, and comic strips from their times together.Rise is a little older than Jesse and is starting to be pulled in by the allure of the protection of gangs and the easy money of drugs.His biographer, Jesse, is confused by the change in his friend, and by Rise's attempts to turn the local boys' club into a street gang at war with neighborhood rivals.Given the title of the novel, one can only guess what the outcome of Rise's foray into drugs, guns, crime, and the power struggle is going to be.
The comic of Spodi Roti and Wise was brilliant.
This was an enthralling read. I liked the depth of this book and it painted a realistic portrait of poverty and gang life. The best part of this book was the incorporation of the comics and illustrations into the plot. The comic of Spodi Roti and Wise was brilliant. I also liked how most of the main characters in this book were not gang members or looking to be involved in gangs but simply wanted to survive long enough to explore their talents in music and artistry. It's nice to have a book about poverty and class that doesn't stereotype but gives a more realistic and in-depth picture.

An in-your-face tale of growing up and getting by in the inner-city
To pick up a book written by Walter Dean Myers is to expect nothing less than literary greatness. Among his many accolades, MONSTER was the first winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, a National Book Award Finalist, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book, and Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book. He has received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults and has penned over 70 award-winning books intended for a wide age range of readers, from picture books to teen novels. His son, Christopher Myers, is a Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor recipient, and has illustrated a number of breathtaking books for young readers, including his solo effort entitled BLACK CAT.
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Subjects:  1. African Americans    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Drive-by shootings    5. Fiction    6. Friendship    7. Gangs    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. People & Places - United States - African-American    10. Social Issues - Death & Dying    11. Social Issues - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse    12. Social Issues - Violence    13. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Drugs, Alcohol, Substance Abuse   

Editorial Review

Sharon Draper has indeed forged a fiery name for herself in the field of young adult literature--that of a courageous writer, willing to tackle tough, real-life problems while developing honorable, streetwise role models for troubled teens. Her previous novel, Read more

Reviews (116)

Why this book inspired me
Forged by Fire influenced me in may different ways.The more I read the book themore it became violent.It made me think what if I wa sin this situation.Would I have the courage to stand up to my step-father and get help.I learned to perserver and not give up.That is what I learned from this book.

Review by Aaron
I think that Forged by Fired is a good book for teenagers to read. I think it is a good book to read because it tells what to do if you are getting abused by your parents. This is a book that could happen in real life. I think both girls and boys would enjoy this book. I listened to this book on audio tape and I like how the guy could talk in many types of voices. The suspense of the story made me wanting to keep on listening to it. This book is the second book in a set of three. I would recommend reading the other two.

Stop fast forwarding, please press "slow"
I want to stress that the actual plot of the story and the characters were interesting and I enjoyed their purpose, action, dialogue. But I read a review about this book somewhere that said that too much happened at once in the beginning. I don't take peoples' reviews too seriously until I read the book, but this time around, I wish I would have listened.The author tried to cram FAR too much into one small book of 156 pages.The boy was 3 years old at the beginning and by the time it ended, he was 17.People were on drugs, in jail, out of jail, court cases complete, basketball tryouts, friends made, learned to cook, car accidents, dying, all within a few pages.The whole time I read this story, I felt like the author had written an outline of what should happen in each chapter and instead of fleshing it out and letting it grow progressively, she just rammed it altogether and then threw in stuff that happened in a previous book.I read one book by her and bought them all...and now I'm starting to regret it.I hope the fourth one is better, because I loved the first one about Andy, couldn't get into the "Romiette and Julio" book at all, and now this one is crammed.I'm confused over whether I like this author or not--in the book about Andy, the dialogue was on point and the plot was organized and easy-to-understand.In the "Romiette and Julio" book, the dialogue was out of wack and the story was slow. This book had great dialogue and an interesting plot like the Andy book, but it went entirely too fast.I feel like I'm reading books from several different people instead of one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Brothers and sisters    2. Child abuse    3. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General    4. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    5. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    6. Family - Siblings    7. Family - Stepfamilies    8. Fiction    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. People & Places - United States - African-American    11. Social Issues - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse    12. Social Issues - Physical & Emotional Abuse    13. Social Issues - Sexual Abuse    14. Social Situations - Physical & Emotional Abuse    15. Stepfamilies    16. Juvenile Fiction / Ethnic / African American   

Reviews (176)

The -List
Anna Percy is sick of following the "good girl" handbook. She is bored with her perfect grades and perfect prep school life. She would rather do something spontaneous and dangerous with her time. So she jets off to LA to her super rich dads house. On the plane she will meet Ben, from Princeton, who she just might love and in the next twenty-four hours she will go to an Oscar winners wedding, go to two parties, do something she just might regret and meet the Beverly hills a-list, Cammie, Dee, and Sam. The A-List are the rudest people in the world but there will be a surprise with their backgrounds and her present. She got on their bad side as soon as she stepped onto the plane and met Ben. But that is what she wanted isn't it, a crazy life with many imperfections and not to be liked by everyone. Maybe she doesn't want it after all.
Not on my A-list
I read this after the Gossip Girl series, and after I finished reading the A-list, I didn't find it as biting as Gossip Girl. It didn't pull me in like I had expected it to. the A-list is a good book, it's fun and sexy, but the characters aren't as interesting. I wasn't crazy how they were all fighting over the same boy, I was sort of hoping it would be like Gossip Girl where they all have different stories going on at the same time. But whenever the book moved on to a different character, they were all thinking about the boy they liked. So it is a pretty good book, but i'm still deciding whether to move on in the series

What a good book!
When you see the title, The A-List, and a picture of a girl in a bikini on the cover, you may think: oh no, not another Mean Girls wannabee. However, the book, in the end, has a touching ending. The story is about a girl, and she is traveling to LA to visit her dad. When she gets there, she meets the boy of her dreams, and three mean girls who are determined to stop her. The girl learns a lot about herself and her family as they all go through traumatic incidences. I gave this book 4 stars because I feel that Zoey Dean has perhaps recycled a little of her plot from other stories. But, she does a very good job with the rest of story, giving it an ending that makes the story worthwhile. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    3. Fathers and daughters    4. Fiction    5. Girls & Women    6. High schools    7. Interpersonal relations    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Schools    10. Social Issues - Dating & Sex    11. Social Issues - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse    12. Social Issues - Friendship    13. Juvenile Fiction / Lifestyles / City Life   

Features

• Box set

Reviews (19)

gossip girl series
I have read all of the gossip girl books up to "your the one that i want,"in the past week. I cannot keep myslef out of those books.I just bought the next one "nobody does it better" yesterday and already almost done with it.When is the series going to end? I have already read the it girl,notorius,andreckless,they were very good books as well.
i'm addicted to these books!
The books are great. I read through them really fast because they were so good i just couldn't put them down.I had to find out what was gonna happen next. I would highly suggest reading them. There however is some swearing and talk about sex, drugs, and alcohol though but i cant imagine what the books would be like without it.

Good for light reading
These books are great for light reading- nothing serious, but just to take your mind off of all your homework, sort of reading. They're fun, and I find most teenage girls can relate to the bouncy, glamourous and impossibly rich characters' feelings. However, girls should recognize that many of the issues talked about in this book- sex, eating disorders, academics- are much more serious than these books make them sound. When reading these books, be sure to keep in mind that this is far from reality- only a fun escape from some of the more mundane activities in real life. Similar books I'd recommend are Bergdorf Blondes, Georgia Nicolson series, and Sisterhood of the Traveling pants. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    3. Fiction    4. Juvenile Fiction    5. New York (N.Y.)    6. People & Places - United States    7. Social Issues - Dating & Sex    8. Social Issues - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse    9. Social Issues - Friendship    10. Social Situations - Teen Lifestyle    11. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Adolescence   

Editorial Review

The torture and hell of adolescence has rarely been captured as clearly as it is in this classic diary by an anonymous, addicted teen. Lonely, awkward, and under extreme pressure from her "perfect" parents, "Anonymous" swings madly between optimism and despair. When one of her new friends spikes her drink with LSD, this diarist begins a frightening journey into darkness. The drugs take the edge off her loneliness and self-hate, but they also turn her life into a nightmare of exalting highs and excruciating lows. Although there is still some question as to whether this diary is real or fictional, there is Read more

Reviews (1150)

True Story?
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous is a story about a teenage girl written in the format of a diary. Not much is told to us about the setting but the culture seems late 60's and the girl has no name, so we'll call her 'Alice'. Lots of spoilers on this lens.
Amazing book
This is one of the best books i have ever read. This book should be read by every teen out there. Alice has a very hard life for a teen and i think this could be self related to a bunch of teens out. I am 13 years old and when i read this book it woke me up. I have learned so much fomr it and everything. I recommend this book to everyone of the age of 13 and older. This is an amazing story of a teen. This is an easy reader i have read this book in about 5 days because its so good and you just cant put it down! The one law the book has is the ending when she stops writing in her journal and decides to move on. I understood the whole book but the end how she died (if she was addicted to drugs again or not). This is a wake up to the world with drug.

Liked it until i read the last page
I watched the movie first most recently then found out there was a book.I thought it was just some cooky movie from the seventies with Captain Kirk from star trek starring as the father.I got to reading the book and at times wondered about it mainly because it was so different from the movie, but in most cases thats what happens to movies, they chop the book up to shorten it.Anyways, I read the whole thing at work in 2 days and I sort of liked it because I like these types of drug books, they are interesting to see how a person goes through their "drug stages", but the last page of the book bothered me.It said that she dies and I just didn't understand because she was so happy during the last several pages that it made no sense.Was her death just played off to make people think that once you use, you will always use and eventually die.But then i got to reading some of the reviews other people have left on here and it began to sink in that this book might actually be a hoax.Funny though, I think as a teenager, had I read this book, I would have tried drugs because of how they were described and how feelings were described in the beginning of the book, nevertheless, i enjoyed the book although I can really see how it just might possibly be a hoax to conform or keep away kids from drugs. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography - General    2. Children's Books/Young Adult Social Situations    3. Diaries    4. Drug abuse    5. Fiction    6. Social Issues - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse    7. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / General   

Editorial Review

"I loved my mom very much. I also hated her." The confusion and pain experienced by daughters of alcoholic mothers remains a somewhat taboo subject, but is thoroughly explored in this fascinating and inspiring book by Eleanor Agnew and Sharon Robideaux. The two authors come from entirely different backgrounds: one is the daughter of an educated East Coast professional family; the other, from a family of poverty-stricken, uneducated Southerners. What they have in common is their childhood with alcoholic mothers, their consequent suffering of mental and physical abuse, and their struggle with the need to protect, keep secrets, and survive.Agnew and Robideaux gathered the stories in Read more

Reviews (13)

The best book I have found
As an adult daughter of an alcoholic mother, I have read several ACoA books but never really found anything that spoke to me like My Mama's Waltz did. I was amazed at how many issues stem from growing up with an alcoholic mother. It was so comforting to read others' experiences and know that I'm not crazy and other women are going thru the same things. This book is a gem and I have recommended it to my three sisters and a girlfriend. So far, everyone has loved it as much as I did. If you are an adult daughter of an alcoholic mother you have to read this book!!!

Healing words
I have not even finished this book yet, but already I feel like I'm healing. My mother was an alcoholic (now dry), her mother was an alcoholic, and I used to drink heavily myself. It's shedding light on some of my tendencies (trying to bend over backwards to please everyone, feeling abandoned by my mom at times, and so on). It also explains to me some of her behaviors and why she has anger lingering in her life and how it affects her still. Very insightful.

Excellent
My mother was not an alcoholic, but her mother was. I helped me to understand my mother so much better and how being raised by an alcoholic effected her life. As a person in recovery 7 yrs and now a mom, this book solidified my sobriety to see what a burden an alcoholic mother can be to a child. Thank You. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Children Of Alcoholics    2. Clinical Psychology    3. General    4. Mothers and daughters    5. Psychology    6. Recovery    7. Self-Help    8. Sociology Of Women    9. Substance Abuse & Addictions - Alcoholism    10. Agnew, Eleanor    11. Coping with drug & alcohol abuse    12. Fiction / General    13. Robideaux, Sharon   

Editorial Review

Despite her natural talent for singing, 6-year-old Janie knows deep inher heart that if you really want to sing and feel the blues, you gotta beblack. Aren't the tapes of the "ladies"--Aretha, Etta, and Billie--that shelistens to every night in the stinking basement of her first foster home proofenough of that? So the scrawny, blond-haired, blue-eyed child of a heroin addictchanges her name to Leshaya, decides that her unknown father was AfricanAmerican, and shuts down all feeling; only allowing the sorrow of her hard lifeto escape when she opens her mouth to sing. Raised by addicts and drug dealers,Leshaya trusts no one and loves nothing except her music: "Didn't need nobodyelse. I could make love to my own self with that sound ridin' the beat."Finally, after surviving several foster homes, a harrowing heroin withdrawal,and an unwanted pregnancy, 16-year-old Leshaya finds a band and ends up with asingle on the radio. But can even that be enough for a girl so hungry for lovethat she looks everywhere for it except the one place she's sure to findit--within herself? Read more

Reviews (45)

THE BEST BOOK IN MY ROOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This book almost made me cry because janie is a great person but some of the things she does doesnt make any sense she has a baby, she gives baby away but she still loves the baby. But she did what she thought was right in her heart. When she wanted to sing she thoight about the people she was leaving behind. Even though she was very young she was determined to sing with Arethra Franklin. Just thinking about this book makes me feel like everyone makes a promise to themselves but they forget them.perserverence is the key in this book.

Worst Book Ever
I honestly thought that Han Nolan could have done better. I mean yes, there was a moral to it, but it wasn't that great. I read it and did a oral book report. The book has too much going on. First she's with her mom, then her mom gives her away, then she leaves?

Born Blue
This book starts out with a girl who lives in a foster home. Patsy and Pete are the people who run the house.Her and one of her friends love music. Janie loves The Ladies she and her friend Harmon could listen to them for hours. But her mom comes back into her life and Janie starts to see her again. Janie goers jthrough a lot good and bad. Drugs, singing, her mom, guys, wondering her her father is. Janie trys to do the right things but its hard for her, because she wants to have fun. Janie dosnt litsten so people get mad at her a lot. Janie has many people that try to help her but they all fail. Will Janie ever become a famous singer or will she fail? Will she regreat all the dicisions she has mad or will she be happy with them? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abandoned children    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    4. Fiction    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. Mothers and daughters    7. Singers    8. Social Issues - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse    9. Social Issues - Emotions & Feelings    10. Social Issues - Physical & Emotional Abuse    11. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance    12. Reading Group Guide   

Editorial Review

The loveable, disaster-prone hero of Read more

Reviews (113)

Joey Pigza Loses control
Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos was a great book. This book was very funny because of all the dumb things they did in the story. You will have to read the story to find what they did. Joey's dad and grandma are very weird. They are not like your normal parents. This book makes you just want to keep reading and reading. It is excellent for kids of all ages.

Joey's baseball connection with dad
I have 3 main statements two say about how I liked this book.
6th Grader's Review
During his summer, Joey Pigza goes to visit his dad who he hasn't visited in a very long time. His mother, no longer being married to him, does not trust Joey's father for he has had many addiction problems and was very childlike and immature. From his father, Joey inherited ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), which he has dealt with by using patches that supply him with his medications. When he visits his father though, his father doesn't believe in the patches and flushes them down the toilet. Here start the constant wacky events of Joey Pigza's summer with his father.
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Subjects:  1. Alcoholism    2. Attention-deficit hyperactivit    3. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder    4. Baseball    5. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General    6. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    7. Children: Grades 4-6    8. Fathers and sons    9. Fiction    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Social Issues - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse    12. Social Issues - Special Needs    13. Social Situations - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse    14. Social Situations - Special Needs    15. Sports & Recreation - Baseball    16. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Special Needs   

Reviews (34)

A Dark and Intriguing Tale
Although very dark and gritty I enjoyed Valiant very much. On the surface this is the story of high school student Val, who runs away to the city to escape the humiliation of having walked in on her mother and her boyfriend, falls in with the wrong crowd and becomes a drug addict. In addition to this storyline is the fantasy of the sidhe, the mystery of the dying creatures in the city, the troll under the bridge and the intrigue of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. My only (very small) complaint was wishing that Roiben, my favorite character from Tithe, would have been given a bit more depth.

ZERO STARS fora perfectly odious book
A real eye-opener: with all sincerity, I cannot believe Simon and Schuster has published this under the aegis of "Simon and Schuster Children Publishing." The language is execrable, the text jammed with f--- and sh-- and d---. In the early pages the seventeen-year-old protagonist walks in on her boyfriend's amorous dealings with the girl's own mother. And after she hooks up with street youth we are treated to a thorough detailing ofthe materials and the methods of intravenous drug use (only this girl isn't really sure exactly what she's cheerily pumping into her veins), dumpster diving, vandalism, breaking and entering, theft, the tale of a man trying to blind a boy by crushing his eyeball with his thumb, scavenging leftovers from deserted restaurant tables and other like diversions.
Excellent--though scary for a younger reader
This book was the first book my younger daughter chose for her summer reading.My older daughter and I read it, too.This story concerns Valerie, who runs away when she discovers her own mother behaving inappropriately with Valerie's boyfriend.She learns swiftly just how horrifying the life of a runaway can be.There is magic and a very unexpected hero, and some fairly rough action.My younger daughter felt some of these scenes almost too intense, though she later said she loved the book.My older daughter loved Valerie's strength, her struggle to find a moral path in a very nasty world.I like this book because actions have consequences, both bad and good.The pacing is brisk, the characters vivid, and the magical glamour is both compelling and creepy.But I do recommend it to older readers, unless they are ready for strong language and some sexual situations. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - Fantasy    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Fiction    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. Love & Romance    7. Magic    8. Science Fiction / Fantasy (Young Adult)    9. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    10. Social Issues - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse    11. Social Issues - General    12. Social Issues - Runaways    13. Supernatural    14. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Runaways   

Reviews (3)

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Joyce Carol Oates's new book for teens has a long title and it really does sort of give away the ending. Although, the ending is probably not the most important, rather the journey and its twists and turns.
A powerful novel of grief and recovery
Jenna's life is divided into before and after the wreck: before she lives with her mother in New York; after she's alone and hiding her feelings - until she meets the mysterious Crow, who may be the only person who can understand her trauma and why she's hiding it. A powerful novel of grief and recovery emerges from the telling hand of a long-time novelist who does as good a job for teens as she does for adults.

A Soaring Tale of Tragedy and Hope
Fifteen-year-old Jenna Abbott just knows she's to blame for the accident that killed her mother. As far as she's concerned, she should've died, too. The horrific injuries upon waking are only the beginning. For a while, she can escape everything by going "into the blue." Soon enough, she faces reality: her mom is gone; her estranged father wants her to join his "new" family in La Jolla--clear on the other coast; her family has to sell the house that belonged to Jenna and her mom; and Jenna will have to transfer to a new school--scars and all.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    4. Death    5. Emotional problems    6. Fiction    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Loss (Psychology)    9. Oates, Joyce Carol - Prose & Criticism    10. People & Places - General    11. Social Issues - Adolescence    12. Social Issues - Death & Dying    13. Social Issues - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse    14. Social Issues - Emotions & Feelings    15. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / General   

Reviews (6)

Insightful read for teens
What is there to do when you live in a small town and run out of things to do? High school kids at Willoughby Union turn to under aged drinking much like high school kids anywhere. Then a question is asked to the class: "If god went to India he'd have to come as bread. If god came to Willoughby Union, he'd have to come as what?" The answer that came to Kyle: Beer! Realizing how much beer impacted their lives Kyle and his friends get together to form a group called SUDS- Students Undermining a Drunk Society. They plan a rebellion to change the drinking age. Then a terrible accident occurs and the rebellion swerves out of control leaving some behind in the skid marks.
Review of "God of Beer"
The book "God of Beer" is an accurate portrayal of what takes place in a small town where teenage kids have nothing to do and turn to underage drinking as a way to pass the time.It starts with a teacher asking what God would have to come to their town as in order to reach the kids and realize he is there.The main character, Kyle Nelson, answered that God would have to come as beer.This angers the teacher as he had asked the question in comparison to Gandhi saying that God would have to come as bread to India because all the people are starving and they wouldn't realize that God was there unless he came as something they needed.The teacher thinks that it is wrong to compare beer to bread, but a debate ensues that since the kids have all the basic things in life they would be more relatable towards beer than bread.A group of kids forms a group in order to try and raise awareness about drinking and also lower the drinking age to 18.They have parties where they serve unmarked cans to people and most are sodas but some are beers.They do this to show that people can still have a good time without drinking.One member of the group, and probably the most popular of them all, is killed in a car accident after she drove her boyfriend home.She wasn't drunk but he could barely stand walk to the car.He was distracting her from driving which caused for the accident.This is where I think the book is fairly weak.The focus of the first hundred or so pages is all about the club and trying to improve conditions so that people won't have to drink to pass the time and when a member of their club is killed because of someone that is drunk, they completely forget about it.I can see them doing this for a while but the book goes on to explain what happens to each one of them in the upcoming year and it seems they don't care about underage drinking anymore.Most of them have said that they won't drink until they are 21 but they don't try to keep other kids from drinking like they did before.The whole focus of the books shifts because of the death, which is very accurate to what teenagers do if someone dies, but at some point I think that they wouldn't just give up on the club since they have been even more affected by drinking.Garret Keizer does a fantastic job writing this book and I recommend it to anyone because it is written so well but I personally did not enjoy this entire book.

Learning Lessons from the God of Beer
With a flair for the dramatic, Garrett Keizer's "God of Beer" details the struggles of a diverse group of high school friends and their hopes of rescuing their rural Vermont community from drowning in alcoholism.Using a plotline filled with the twists and turns that reflect the nature of everyday high school life, Keizer explores a difficult subject in a highly realistic and painfully straightforward manner with elements of truth and authenticity imbedded within it.Read more

Subjects:  1. Alcohol    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    4. Fiction    5. Friendship    6. High schools    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Social Issues - Death & Dying    9. Social Issues - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse    10. Social Issues - Friendship    11. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Drugs, Alcohol, Substance Abuse   

Editorial Review

Like so many teenagers, Tar and Gemma are fed up with their parents.Tar's family is alcoholic and abusive, and Gemma feels her home life is cramped by too many restrictions. The young, British couple runs away to Bristol in search of freedom, and finds it in the form of a "squat." This vacant building is also occupied by two slightly older teens who share everything with Tar and Gemma (including their heroin habits). For a while, everything is parties and adventures, but slowly Tar and Gemma find themselves growing more and more dependent on the drug--whose strict mandates are even less forgiving than those of the parents they fled. As Gemma says, "You take more and more, and more often. Then you get sick of it and give up for a few days. And that's the really nasty thing because then, when you're clean, that's when it works so well." Read more

Reviews (201)

Boring, boring , boring
Blech.I hated this book.I read a lot of "high drama" books about teen issues as I work with teens who find themselves in this genre.Unlike Speak, or Crank, or even Cut, Smack is a book that doesn't connect with anyone.Oh, and did I mention that it is boring?Don't be misled by the other reviews, this insipid ride to unbelievable town doesn't belong on your bookshelf.

shocking, but true
This book really suprised me in many ways, but mostly how I know a lot of this could really happen. "Smack" describes addiction and all of its byproducts.It is amazing how young Tar and Gemma are when they start out on a life on their own.I was also shocked to hear about their family situations.Gemma's family didn't sound so horrible.The book really captures the spontaneity of youth.Though a sad read, it's realism is worth catching.

Book " Smack" is very interesting book
In my opinion I don't suggest this book to kids that are younger that 13 years old because of the language it has and how it tells you that drugs are the only thing that could make you feel better. As well as, how the teenagers made a bad choices in their life. When I finished the