8 posts tagged “realistic fiction”
Breaking up is really, really hard to do (Dating Game 2)
By "Natalie Standiford"
I read this because I had read the first book in this series, and I wanted to see how this would stack up. (You may recall I found the first one to be Hilariously Awful)
And you know what? Either these girls are growing on me, or the author figured stuff out better, but this one was quite a lot better than the first one. Maybe the first one had to set up so many characters and situations, this one was freed up to just explore the plot.
It follows the same formula as the first book, alternating points of view in chapters between best friends Holly, Madison, and Lina. Each chapter also starts off with a brief horoscope that foreshadows the events to come in that chapter.
Continuing from the first Dating Game novel, Holly is now second-guessing hooking up with nice guy Rob (who drives her crazy asking permission every time he wants to kiss her); Madison is still pining after unattainable senior Sean; while Lina is hopelessly in love with their teacher.
Madison gets some character growth in this book, evolving from the love-struck girl desperate for popularity in book 1 to developing her artistic talents in this book (and meeting a cute artist boy who helps her move on from Sean, sort of). Holly is also more developed here - in the previous book, all we really knew was that she was a blond bombshell who wouldn't take crap from anyone. Her storyline of wanting to get rid of Rob to realizing maybe she was too hasty in trying to break up with him, will probably ring true to a lot of girls. Finally, Lina gets the most cringe-worthy moments as she finds her beloved teacher's on-line personal ad and starts e-mailing him, pretending to be a film student in grad school... and then she agrees to meet him! You are cringing but obsessively reading on to see how that trainwreack will go over.
Anyway, this is a much better book than the first one, in part because there is a lot less casual use of drugs and alcohol (maybe there were complaints about this in the first one? It wasn't even the drug and alcohol use that bugged me there, but the fact that it didn't really have to be there and seemed to be trying to be "cool" or something to impress readers). I would put this series in the same category as the "Mates, Dates" books, not quite as good as the Georgia Nicolson books, not as trashy as the "Gossip Girls" books...
Rating: A nice, sweet pick for girls ages 12 to 14.
By "Natalie Standiford"
I read this because I had read the first book in this series, and I wanted to see how this would stack up. (You may recall I found the first one to be Hilariously Awful)
And you know what? Either these girls are growing on me, or the author figured stuff out better, but this one was quite a lot better than the first one. Maybe the first one had to set up so many characters and situations, this one was freed up to just explore the plot.
It follows the same formula as the first book, alternating points of view in chapters between best friends Holly, Madison, and Lina. Each chapter also starts off with a brief horoscope that foreshadows the events to come in that chapter.
Continuing from the first Dating Game novel, Holly is now second-guessing hooking up with nice guy Rob (who drives her crazy asking permission every time he wants to kiss her); Madison is still pining after unattainable senior Sean; while Lina is hopelessly in love with their teacher.
Madison gets some character growth in this book, evolving from the love-struck girl desperate for popularity in book 1 to developing her artistic talents in this book (and meeting a cute artist boy who helps her move on from Sean, sort of). Holly is also more developed here - in the previous book, all we really knew was that she was a blond bombshell who wouldn't take crap from anyone. Her storyline of wanting to get rid of Rob to realizing maybe she was too hasty in trying to break up with him, will probably ring true to a lot of girls. Finally, Lina gets the most cringe-worthy moments as she finds her beloved teacher's on-line personal ad and starts e-mailing him, pretending to be a film student in grad school... and then she agrees to meet him! You are cringing but obsessively reading on to see how that trainwreack will go over.
Anyway, this is a much better book than the first one, in part because there is a lot less casual use of drugs and alcohol (maybe there were complaints about this in the first one? It wasn't even the drug and alcohol use that bugged me there, but the fact that it didn't really have to be there and seemed to be trying to be "cool" or something to impress readers). I would put this series in the same category as the "Mates, Dates" books, not quite as good as the Georgia Nicolson books, not as trashy as the "Gossip Girls" books...
Rating: A nice, sweet pick for girls ages 12 to 14.
The Dating Game #1: The Dating Game
By "Natalie Standiford"
OK, so I just finished reading this book, and while at first I thought it was The Worst Book Ever Written, I have since decided that it is simply Hilariously Awful. This is the first of a series, and I look forward to reading the next few.
What makes this book so Hilariously Awful, to me, is the fact that the subject matter would be best suited to probably 16-17 year olds, but the language and dialogue and overall writing style is better suited to 12 year olds. So I don't know who it is really aimed at. I guess 12 year olds? But that is fairly creepy considering:
a) how obsessed with sex the three main characters are
b) the casual drug and alcohol use in the book (with no real negative consequences)
And I have no problem with YA books that deal with either of these things - but when the style of a book makes it seem like it is clearly marketed to 12 year olds, I find this all somewhat offensive. But at the same time, throwing all of this stuff in the book does make it more realistic - what high school party didn't include drinking and/or pot? I guess, though, since characters in book are usually a few years older than the intended audience (i.e. these girls are all 15 and 16, which is why 12 and 13 year olds would be reading these books) the characters are acting almost like role models to the kids, and if the characters are drinking screwdrivers and making out with potheads and getting themselves into extremely dangerous situations - I guess I am afraid that 12 year olds will be going out and trying to emulate this behaviour.
Man, I am getting old. Probably kids would read this and just think, "Man, that is awesome, I can't wait till I'm in high school and my life is like this!" Or, alternately, kids would think "Geez, I was doing all that stuff back in Grade Three" (because kids are growing up faster these days)
Anyway. The bottom line is: the writing style is so unbelievably crappy (for instance, the introductory chapter's desription of all of the girls feels like a throwback to Nancy Drew books or something where you have to describe exactly what all of their hair is like, how tall they are, and what they are good at) - but, I will freely admit, that the characters are spunky and fun and I do think that 12 and 13 year old girls would eat this up. That may make me feel kind of bad for them, but there really are worse things they could be reading.
Oh, and also - this book makes very good use of modern technology. An example is how the girls fill out an on-line quiz for "what is your love aura" (while drunk, incidentally), e-mail the results to a classmate, the classmate posts it on her blog, and at school the next day, everybody knows that one of the girls is apparently a slut because she has a red love aura. That sequence of events, which would not even exist ten years ago, seems realistic and a good handling of the way that teens use the internet.
Rating: A good pick for girls aged 12-14
By "Natalie Standiford"
OK, so I just finished reading this book, and while at first I thought it was The Worst Book Ever Written, I have since decided that it is simply Hilariously Awful. This is the first of a series, and I look forward to reading the next few.
What makes this book so Hilariously Awful, to me, is the fact that the subject matter would be best suited to probably 16-17 year olds, but the language and dialogue and overall writing style is better suited to 12 year olds. So I don't know who it is really aimed at. I guess 12 year olds? But that is fairly creepy considering:
a) how obsessed with sex the three main characters are
b) the casual drug and alcohol use in the book (with no real negative consequences)
And I have no problem with YA books that deal with either of these things - but when the style of a book makes it seem like it is clearly marketed to 12 year olds, I find this all somewhat offensive. But at the same time, throwing all of this stuff in the book does make it more realistic - what high school party didn't include drinking and/or pot? I guess, though, since characters in book are usually a few years older than the intended audience (i.e. these girls are all 15 and 16, which is why 12 and 13 year olds would be reading these books) the characters are acting almost like role models to the kids, and if the characters are drinking screwdrivers and making out with potheads and getting themselves into extremely dangerous situations - I guess I am afraid that 12 year olds will be going out and trying to emulate this behaviour.
Man, I am getting old. Probably kids would read this and just think, "Man, that is awesome, I can't wait till I'm in high school and my life is like this!" Or, alternately, kids would think "Geez, I was doing all that stuff back in Grade Three" (because kids are growing up faster these days)
Anyway. The bottom line is: the writing style is so unbelievably crappy (for instance, the introductory chapter's desription of all of the girls feels like a throwback to Nancy Drew books or something where you have to describe exactly what all of their hair is like, how tall they are, and what they are good at) - but, I will freely admit, that the characters are spunky and fun and I do think that 12 and 13 year old girls would eat this up. That may make me feel kind of bad for them, but there really are worse things they could be reading.
Oh, and also - this book makes very good use of modern technology. An example is how the girls fill out an on-line quiz for "what is your love aura" (while drunk, incidentally), e-mail the results to a classmate, the classmate posts it on her blog, and at school the next day, everybody knows that one of the girls is apparently a slut because she has a red love aura. That sequence of events, which would not even exist ten years ago, seems realistic and a good handling of the way that teens use the internet.
Rating: A good pick for girls aged 12-14
How to be popular
By Meg Cabot
So, a lot of Meg Cabot's books are really super crappy. Take one "unique" teen girl (unpopular and/or vegetarian and/or misunderstood and/or artsy and/or thinks she is a lot weirder than she is) and add one kooky best friend (renegade filmmaker or daughter of religious zealots or farmgirl) and add the gorgeous but secretly mean head cheerleader who the heroine used to be friends with, and the gorgeous quarterback boyfriend of the mean cheerleader who the main character is in love with... throw in misunderstandings, excessive use of the phrase "I mean", and extremely current pop culture things that leave the books really weirdly dated (i.e. a character is thinking about Party of Five in the first book in a series and by book Four is talking about The O.C. as though those shows existed within two years of each other) - oh, and also the fact that the heroine is totally clueless that, although she thinks she is in love with the Stupid Quarterback, but she is actually in love with the Geeky Guy Who Is Her Friend.
This one follows the generic Meg Cabot style, but does have some interesting other stuff. Yes, there is the mean head cheerleader (I think she is not a cheerleader in this one though - shocker!) and the "outsider" heroine is in love with the quarterback boyfriend of the mean girl... but there is interesting stuff about the heroine's family (very fertile mother who owns a bookstore; grandfather just built a planetarium to woo an older lady), and OK, yes, so she realizes at the end of the book that - OMG! - she is actually in love with the guy who was her friend all along (who saw that coming!) - but, whatever. I don't know. This one was OK.
Rating: This one is OK, in Meg Cabot terms. Definitely a girl book (duh) and I'd say best for ages 12-16.
By Meg Cabot
So, a lot of Meg Cabot's books are really super crappy. Take one "unique" teen girl (unpopular and/or vegetarian and/or misunderstood and/or artsy and/or thinks she is a lot weirder than she is) and add one kooky best friend (renegade filmmaker or daughter of religious zealots or farmgirl) and add the gorgeous but secretly mean head cheerleader who the heroine used to be friends with, and the gorgeous quarterback boyfriend of the mean cheerleader who the main character is in love with... throw in misunderstandings, excessive use of the phrase "I mean", and extremely current pop culture things that leave the books really weirdly dated (i.e. a character is thinking about Party of Five in the first book in a series and by book Four is talking about The O.C. as though those shows existed within two years of each other) - oh, and also the fact that the heroine is totally clueless that, although she thinks she is in love with the Stupid Quarterback, but she is actually in love with the Geeky Guy Who Is Her Friend.
This one follows the generic Meg Cabot style, but does have some interesting other stuff. Yes, there is the mean head cheerleader (I think she is not a cheerleader in this one though - shocker!) and the "outsider" heroine is in love with the quarterback boyfriend of the mean girl... but there is interesting stuff about the heroine's family (very fertile mother who owns a bookstore; grandfather just built a planetarium to woo an older lady), and OK, yes, so she realizes at the end of the book that - OMG! - she is actually in love with the guy who was her friend all along (who saw that coming!) - but, whatever. I don't know. This one was OK.
Rating: This one is OK, in Meg Cabot terms. Definitely a girl book (duh) and I'd say best for ages 12-16.
Speak
By Laurie Halse Anderson
Douglas & McIntyre / Fsg Kids (1999), Hardcover, 198 pages
So, this book is about Melinda, who was raped the August before her Grade Nine year. She called the cops after it happened, which resulted in the party being broken up, which has resulted in everybody in school hating her.
The title comes from the fact that she has more or less stopped talking after this event happened. The arc of the book is really her metamorphosis back to life, and how she is able to heal from this incident. I enjoyed how her art class is helpful in allowing her to explore her emotions and ultimately learn to reveal them.
There is also a very nice metaphor with her struggles to draw a perfect tree - she comes to realize that it is not perfect, that the imperfections are what make the trees real, and how small plants can survive underneath a bed of dead branches.
What I really liked about this one was how her former friends gradually return to her - not with big declarations of apologies, but kind of sheepishly and naturally, as it would happen in real life. And I was so glad when she finally stood up to her vain friend Heather.
Oh, and this book is totally funny! Which I had not expected. Melinda is so dry and sarcastic in her descriptions of high school life, and you can see how even through this terrible time, she has not lost her sense of humour. All of the details of high school life, especially the deranged teachers and their idiotic assignments, are spot-on.
Bottom line: Totally excellent book! Very recommended, especially for teen girls ages 13-16.
By Laurie Halse Anderson
Douglas & McIntyre / Fsg Kids (1999), Hardcover, 198 pages
So, this book is about Melinda, who was raped the August before her Grade Nine year. She called the cops after it happened, which resulted in the party being broken up, which has resulted in everybody in school hating her.
The title comes from the fact that she has more or less stopped talking after this event happened. The arc of the book is really her metamorphosis back to life, and how she is able to heal from this incident. I enjoyed how her art class is helpful in allowing her to explore her emotions and ultimately learn to reveal them.
There is also a very nice metaphor with her struggles to draw a perfect tree - she comes to realize that it is not perfect, that the imperfections are what make the trees real, and how small plants can survive underneath a bed of dead branches.
What I really liked about this one was how her former friends gradually return to her - not with big declarations of apologies, but kind of sheepishly and naturally, as it would happen in real life. And I was so glad when she finally stood up to her vain friend Heather.
Oh, and this book is totally funny! Which I had not expected. Melinda is so dry and sarcastic in her descriptions of high school life, and you can see how even through this terrible time, she has not lost her sense of humour. All of the details of high school life, especially the deranged teachers and their idiotic assignments, are spot-on.
Bottom line: Totally excellent book! Very recommended, especially for teen girls ages 13-16.
Tell it to Naomi
by Daniel Ehrenhaft
Delacorte Books for Young Readers (2004), Paperback, 208 pages
This book, Tell it to Naomi, is pretty bad. It apprently should appeal to fans of "The year of Secret Assignments", of which I am a fan, but unfortunately this book is a really stupid plotline and maybe with another couple of drafts could have been better, but sadly, it is crappy.
Example of crappiness: THE DAY AFTER he does his first advice column, EVERY KID IN SCHOOL is quoting to one another and they all think he is soooo smart. Now, really, how many high school kids even READ their newspapers? I thought that was pretty dumb.
Bottom line: This book is really, really dumb. Not recommended for anybody. OK, maybe extremely bored 12-14 year old girls, but they would be better served watching a re-run of the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson TV show than reading this crap.
by Daniel Ehrenhaft
Delacorte Books for Young Readers (2004), Paperback, 208 pages
This book, Tell it to Naomi, is pretty bad. It apprently should appeal to fans of "The year of Secret Assignments", of which I am a fan, but unfortunately this book is a really stupid plotline and maybe with another couple of drafts could have been better, but sadly, it is crappy.
Example of crappiness: THE DAY AFTER he does his first advice column, EVERY KID IN SCHOOL is quoting to one another and they all think he is soooo smart. Now, really, how many high school kids even READ their newspapers? I thought that was pretty dumb.
Bottom line: This book is really, really dumb. Not recommended for anybody. OK, maybe extremely bored 12-14 year old girls, but they would be better served watching a re-run of the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson TV show than reading this crap.
Car trouble
By Jeanne DuPrau
(2005), Hardcover, 288 pages
"Car Trouble" by Jeanne DuPrau is really pretty good. It is about this nerdy high school grad who sets out to drive to California to start a job at this sketchy computer company - and he meets this mysterious but personable hitchhiking surfer with a mysterious past, and also the daughter of a con artist.
All the road trip stuff is fun, and parts reminded me of my own road trip through the southern U.S. And then there are some old-school Gordon Korman type elements involving the con artist - that took me by surprise, but which really added something good to the book, rather than just being "nerdy boy discovers there is more to life than computers" blah blah blah.
Rating: Good for guys and girls, aged 14-17
By Jeanne DuPrau
(2005), Hardcover, 288 pages
"Car Trouble" by Jeanne DuPrau is really pretty good. It is about this nerdy high school grad who sets out to drive to California to start a job at this sketchy computer company - and he meets this mysterious but personable hitchhiking surfer with a mysterious past, and also the daughter of a con artist.
All the road trip stuff is fun, and parts reminded me of my own road trip through the southern U.S. And then there are some old-school Gordon Korman type elements involving the con artist - that took me by surprise, but which really added something good to the book, rather than just being "nerdy boy discovers there is more to life than computers" blah blah blah.
Rating: Good for guys and girls, aged 14-17
Can you spell revolution?
By Matt Beam
Harper Collins Canada (2006), Paperback
So, I just finished reading this book, Can You Spell Revolution, by Matt Beam. I had read his earlier book, Getting To First Base With Donalda Chase, which I though was pretty good -- nothing earth-shattering, but sweet and probably a good book for like a 10-12 year old, especially boys.
Anyway, this book was also OK, if a bit heavy-handed. The premise is neat - this mysterious new boy comes to school and he recruits four other students to join his secret "Revolutionists" club, and so they all pretend like they aren't really friends during school, but meet secretly in the woods after school. Each one plans an "Act of Dissent," and models their plan after a historical revolutionary figure.
Chris, the main character, is trying to make the mandatory school assemblies more fun for students, and models himself after a member of the French Revolution. The way that the events of the book quasi mirror actual historical stuff is neat, although the author spells out some of these connections soo clearly for readers - it would have been neat if there was this level that people who know history would recognize, but not everybody would realize. But I guess this book, though categorized as a YA book, is really more for 10-12 year olds and so is written a bit more simplistically than other YA books I have been reading.
My only real complaint in the book, and again maybe this is related to the age group it is targeting, but one character is always kind of mysterious when talking about his home life and it is handled really, really clumsily. For instance, he says stuff like, "Yeah, my Mom and Da... I mean, my Uncle," and the other characters don't pick up on this sort of thing? Anyway, this is a good book for 10-12 year olds, especially kids who are into history. I think even maybe 8-12 year olds would like it.
Bottom line: Sweet and probably good for boys ages 10-14 who aren't necessarily big readers.
By Matt Beam
Harper Collins Canada (2006), Paperback
So, I just finished reading this book, Can You Spell Revolution, by Matt Beam. I had read his earlier book, Getting To First Base With Donalda Chase, which I though was pretty good -- nothing earth-shattering, but sweet and probably a good book for like a 10-12 year old, especially boys.
Anyway, this book was also OK, if a bit heavy-handed. The premise is neat - this mysterious new boy comes to school and he recruits four other students to join his secret "Revolutionists" club, and so they all pretend like they aren't really friends during school, but meet secretly in the woods after school. Each one plans an "Act of Dissent," and models their plan after a historical revolutionary figure.
Chris, the main character, is trying to make the mandatory school assemblies more fun for students, and models himself after a member of the French Revolution. The way that the events of the book quasi mirror actual historical stuff is neat, although the author spells out some of these connections soo clearly for readers - it would have been neat if there was this level that people who know history would recognize, but not everybody would realize. But I guess this book, though categorized as a YA book, is really more for 10-12 year olds and so is written a bit more simplistically than other YA books I have been reading.
My only real complaint in the book, and again maybe this is related to the age group it is targeting, but one character is always kind of mysterious when talking about his home life and it is handled really, really clumsily. For instance, he says stuff like, "Yeah, my Mom and Da... I mean, my Uncle," and the other characters don't pick up on this sort of thing? Anyway, this is a good book for 10-12 year olds, especially kids who are into history. I think even maybe 8-12 year olds would like it.
Bottom line: Sweet and probably good for boys ages 10-14 who aren't necessarily big readers.
I am the messenger
By Marcus Zusak
Knopf Books for Young Readers (2006), 368 pages
This book is the Best. Book. Ever. No, it really is. So, so good. And Australian. And I bought it at this great kid's bookstore in T.O. It is about this 19 year old cabdriver who doesn't know what he is doing with his life, and then he accidentally stops a bank robbery and then suddenly starts getting these cards in the mail, with addresses on them, and those are all people he has to help.
It is not sappy, though, it is really funny, and also touching, and sweet.
And if you read it, please talk to me about it because I want to know what you think about the ending. Endings are tricky, y'all, and I guess this ended the only way it could. But a good ending is rare. And this is an OK ending. Not a crap ending, but just OK.
Bottom line: This is one of the best books I have ever read. The ending falls sort of flat, but the rest of the book more than makes up for that. Recommended for ages 15 and up (it is practically an adult book, really). Younger kids might like it if they are very strong readers.
By Marcus Zusak
Knopf Books for Young Readers (2006), 368 pages
This book is the Best. Book. Ever. No, it really is. So, so good. And Australian. And I bought it at this great kid's bookstore in T.O. It is about this 19 year old cabdriver who doesn't know what he is doing with his life, and then he accidentally stops a bank robbery and then suddenly starts getting these cards in the mail, with addresses on them, and those are all people he has to help.
It is not sappy, though, it is really funny, and also touching, and sweet.
And if you read it, please talk to me about it because I want to know what you think about the ending. Endings are tricky, y'all, and I guess this ended the only way it could. But a good ending is rare. And this is an OK ending. Not a crap ending, but just OK.
Bottom line: This is one of the best books I have ever read. The ending falls sort of flat, but the rest of the book more than makes up for that. Recommended for ages 15 and up (it is practically an adult book, really). Younger kids might like it if they are very strong readers.
