Salter, Sydney. Swoon At Your Own Risk
Graphia see Houghton Mifflin 2010 357p 8.99
978-0-15-206649-9 ms/hs Realistic Fiction VG
Polly sees the humor in situations including her sexy grandmother, her lack of a permanent boyfriend, and her interactions with peers. Polly’s summer goal is to forget about boys, but with her job at a water park that is hardly possible. Grades 6-10.
Polly is a boy magnet having had several boyfriends but never long-standing relationships. She has sworn off love for the summer and hopes to spend time with her best friend Jane. She is trying to figure out if, as the AP student that she is, she prefers to hang with the academic crowd, be the party girl, join the sociable yearbook committee or whether the nerdy science crowd is more her style. Due to declining family income, she is forced to take a summer job at a water park and monitor bratty little kids while interfacing with an ex-boyfriend team leader and a sniping girl blogger. Polly is a fresh voice that sees the humor in almost any circumstance even while agonizing about relationships. Her advice columnist grandmother, who is anything but a demure senior citizen, comes to live at her house and dispenses sound advice about boys and girlfriends. Girls will devour this frothy confection and wish for more books about Polly as she settles into what seems to be the best relationship with a longtime friend who actually puts Polly first in the romantic relationship. As Polly comes to understand her family’s dynamics including her divorced father’s new life, readers will sympathize with Polly’s journey through adolescence. Safe enough for 6th graders yet mature enough to be read by 16-year-olds. Fun reading any time of year. Grades 6-10.
Recommended for the depiction of a strong female character that has doubts about how to get a boyfriend who is not self-centered and will respect her. A spunky girl who is optimistic about the future and sees the humor in any situation. Grades 6-10. McNicol(3),Lois
Love Stories - Fiction
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Lynch, Janet Nichols Addicted to Her
Lynch, Janet Nichols Addicted to Her
Holiday House 2010 220p 17.95
978-0-8234-2186-2 jr/sr Multicultural E-BN
Monique is just beautiful and in Rafa’s eyes she can do no wrong. She is an angel...but she has a side that even if he does not want to recognize it, he finds it disconcerting. Then as much in love as he is, he begins to see things he does not like but still believes he can overcome them or can he? Rafa is good at wrestling if not one of the best on his team. His best friends believe he can achieve a scholarship if he continues his winning style. Then Monique, only the most beautiful girl in the world, looks at him and notices him. For Rafa this is a dream come true. Although Monique has a boyfriend, their relationship is kind of violent and Rafa happens to be there the day they have a very ugly fight. He offer his shoulder for her to cry on and she willing takes his comfort.
Rafa is in seventh heaven with his new girlfriend but this new relationship is taking up all his time. Now he barely makes it to wrestling practice and one day he decides to just skip out completely. Then he forget to pick up his little sister after school. Next he resorts to lying to his mom about his grades, his wrestling practice and his reasons for coming home late. Monique fills every minute of his life. If only her ex-boyfriend would leave her alone.
Life begins to crumble for Rafa, his sister is angry at him, his friends will not give him the time of day and his beloved girlfriend is beginning to demand too much of his time and his little brother is on the road to trouble.
Then Rafa’s family is hit with a tragic event that changes everything for everyone, placing Rafa at the head of his family with responsibilities he has never had to shoulder before. In his mind he has to rethink his priorities in his life and choosing the right path is not the same as choosing his immediate happiness. He realizes that to sacrifice some things, he might be able to rethink his choices and hurt less people even if it means losing the one thing he has wanted for a long time. Diaz, Magna
Holiday House 2010 220p 17.95
978-0-8234-2186-2 jr/sr Multicultural E-BN
Monique is just beautiful and in Rafa’s eyes she can do no wrong. She is an angel...but she has a side that even if he does not want to recognize it, he finds it disconcerting. Then as much in love as he is, he begins to see things he does not like but still believes he can overcome them or can he? Rafa is good at wrestling if not one of the best on his team. His best friends believe he can achieve a scholarship if he continues his winning style. Then Monique, only the most beautiful girl in the world, looks at him and notices him. For Rafa this is a dream come true. Although Monique has a boyfriend, their relationship is kind of violent and Rafa happens to be there the day they have a very ugly fight. He offer his shoulder for her to cry on and she willing takes his comfort.
Rafa is in seventh heaven with his new girlfriend but this new relationship is taking up all his time. Now he barely makes it to wrestling practice and one day he decides to just skip out completely. Then he forget to pick up his little sister after school. Next he resorts to lying to his mom about his grades, his wrestling practice and his reasons for coming home late. Monique fills every minute of his life. If only her ex-boyfriend would leave her alone.
Life begins to crumble for Rafa, his sister is angry at him, his friends will not give him the time of day and his beloved girlfriend is beginning to demand too much of his time and his little brother is on the road to trouble.
Then Rafa’s family is hit with a tragic event that changes everything for everyone, placing Rafa at the head of his family with responsibilities he has never had to shoulder before. In his mind he has to rethink his priorities in his life and choosing the right path is not the same as choosing his immediate happiness. He realizes that to sacrifice some things, he might be able to rethink his choices and hurt less people even if it means losing the one thing he has wanted for a long time. Diaz, Magna
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Warman, Jessica. Breathless.
Warman, Jessica. Breathless.
Walker & Co 2009 311p 16.99 978-0-8027-9849-7 ms/hs Katie loves to swim, in fact it is the only thing that seems to bring calm and meaning into her turbulent home life. But under her popularity at her new boarding school and budding romance, lies a secret that Katie is afraid will tear her newly invented life apart. In this debut novel, Warman establishes herself as a welcome new voice in YA fiction. Katie has a lot on her plate, a schizophrenic older brother who is incarcerated in a prison for the criminally insane, parents who retreat intowork and alcoholism to deal with their problems. When she is sent to a boarding school, she retreats to the one thing that calls her otherwise chaotic life - swimming. She slowly begins to reinvent herself, only to have the secret she so desperately wants to keep (her brother) brought out into the open. Themes of friendship, love and self-worth are woven seemlessly into this coming-of-age, coming-to-grips story that will resonant with older middle school and high school readers. Nominated for 2010 Best Books for Young Adults. Conflict Naismith, Pat
Walker & Co 2009 311p 16.99 978-0-8027-9849-7 ms/hs Katie loves to swim, in fact it is the only thing that seems to bring calm and meaning into her turbulent home life. But under her popularity at her new boarding school and budding romance, lies a secret that Katie is afraid will tear her newly invented life apart. In this debut novel, Warman establishes herself as a welcome new voice in YA fiction. Katie has a lot on her plate, a schizophrenic older brother who is incarcerated in a prison for the criminally insane, parents who retreat intowork and alcoholism to deal with their problems. When she is sent to a boarding school, she retreats to the one thing that calls her otherwise chaotic life - swimming. She slowly begins to reinvent herself, only to have the secret she so desperately wants to keep (her brother) brought out into the open. Themes of friendship, love and self-worth are woven seemlessly into this coming-of-age, coming-to-grips story that will resonant with older middle school and high school readers. Nominated for 2010 Best Books for Young Adults. Conflict Naismith, Pat
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Soto, Gary. Partly Cloudy: Poems of Love and Longing.
Soto, Gary. Partly Cloudy: Poems of Love and Longing.
Houghton Mifflin/Clarion/Graphia/Kingfisher 2009 100p 16.00 9780152063016 jr/sr
A hundred pages of love and longing. Partly Cloudy is a book for all teens; boys and girls. The girls have the part of “A girl’s tears, her song” and the boys have the part of “ A boy’s body, his words”. Poems of the heart for boys and girls. A hundred pages of love and longing. Partly Cloudy is a book for all teens; boys and girls. The girls have the part of : A girl’s tears, her song and the boys have the part of: A boy’s body, his words.
The poems are refreshing and simple conveying the messages in a heartfelt manner. The book Partly Cloudy is a book that is best describe in this manner
“Love is like weather:
sometimes stormy,
sometimes sunny,
sometimes partly cloudy.
And so the poems are such that they will capture the teens heart and say in words what they feel. Gary Soto has been able to write simple versus that say so much and talk about everything from a bruised heart, a yearning heart, and a first love. Poems of the heart for boys and girls. I suspect the book will not be on shelf very often. Magna Diaz
Houghton Mifflin/Clarion/Graphia/Kingfisher 2009 100p 16.00 9780152063016 jr/sr
A hundred pages of love and longing. Partly Cloudy is a book for all teens; boys and girls. The girls have the part of “A girl’s tears, her song” and the boys have the part of “ A boy’s body, his words”. Poems of the heart for boys and girls. A hundred pages of love and longing. Partly Cloudy is a book for all teens; boys and girls. The girls have the part of : A girl’s tears, her song and the boys have the part of: A boy’s body, his words.
The poems are refreshing and simple conveying the messages in a heartfelt manner. The book Partly Cloudy is a book that is best describe in this manner
“Love is like weather:
sometimes stormy,
sometimes sunny,
sometimes partly cloudy.
And so the poems are such that they will capture the teens heart and say in words what they feel. Gary Soto has been able to write simple versus that say so much and talk about everything from a bruised heart, a yearning heart, and a first love. Poems of the heart for boys and girls. I suspect the book will not be on shelf very often. Magna Diaz
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
McCafferty, Megan. Perfect Fifths
McCafferty, Megan. Perfect Fifths
Crown see Random 2009 258p 22.00 978-0-307-34652-0 college
Jessica literally runs into Marcus, a high school sweetheart, ten years later in an airport . Hilarious moments including Manilow fans and an orthodontics challenged teenager lead to true happiness in only 18 hours. Sexual references limit use in high school. Jump on the Jessica Darling roller coaster for another hilarious ride - the fifth book in the series. She is late for a plane. As she struggles to make the flight, she literally crashes into her high school sweetheart as she runs to catch a plane. The jetway is all ready closed and Jessica is forced to stand in line to book another flight. Trying to book an alternate flight, she is surrounded by middle-aged Barry Manilow fans leading to many a belly laugh for the reader to enjoy. An orthodontics-challenged teen girl and her mother provide a humorous outsider’s viewpoint to pop culture and show up multiple times throughout the book. Marcus and Jessica share a meal at the airport. After ten years, both are still unmarried and have never lost feeling for each other. However, the extensive dialog at the airport restaurant slows the pace of the book. With many travelers stranded and the airport hotel with no rooms, Jessica and Marcus agree to share a room until the next morning’s flight. Reminiscences of the last ten years are shared by both Marcus and Jessica in the alternating viewpoint narrative. Ladies man, Marcus, ends up being called a pervert as he rides the elevator in his underwear and hotel robe. As he enters the lobby, he is kidnapped by the Manilow fans who insist he karaoke a Manilow song that had special meaning for Jessica and Marcus. As Jessica arrives in the bar, she cheerfully joins in the karaoke singing. True love blossoms and Jessica and Marcus seem destined for a happy ever afterlife. Sexual references limit the audience for this 20-something novel to grade 12 and above but fans of the series will clamor for it. LMN
Crown see Random 2009 258p 22.00 978-0-307-34652-0 college
Jessica literally runs into Marcus, a high school sweetheart, ten years later in an airport . Hilarious moments including Manilow fans and an orthodontics challenged teenager lead to true happiness in only 18 hours. Sexual references limit use in high school. Jump on the Jessica Darling roller coaster for another hilarious ride - the fifth book in the series. She is late for a plane. As she struggles to make the flight, she literally crashes into her high school sweetheart as she runs to catch a plane. The jetway is all ready closed and Jessica is forced to stand in line to book another flight. Trying to book an alternate flight, she is surrounded by middle-aged Barry Manilow fans leading to many a belly laugh for the reader to enjoy. An orthodontics-challenged teen girl and her mother provide a humorous outsider’s viewpoint to pop culture and show up multiple times throughout the book. Marcus and Jessica share a meal at the airport. After ten years, both are still unmarried and have never lost feeling for each other. However, the extensive dialog at the airport restaurant slows the pace of the book. With many travelers stranded and the airport hotel with no rooms, Jessica and Marcus agree to share a room until the next morning’s flight. Reminiscences of the last ten years are shared by both Marcus and Jessica in the alternating viewpoint narrative. Ladies man, Marcus, ends up being called a pervert as he rides the elevator in his underwear and hotel robe. As he enters the lobby, he is kidnapped by the Manilow fans who insist he karaoke a Manilow song that had special meaning for Jessica and Marcus. As Jessica arrives in the bar, she cheerfully joins in the karaoke singing. True love blossoms and Jessica and Marcus seem destined for a happy ever afterlife. Sexual references limit the audience for this 20-something novel to grade 12 and above but fans of the series will clamor for it. LMN
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Perfect Chemistry.
Elkeles, Simone. Perfect Chemistry.
Walker & Co 2009 360p 9.99 9780802798220 hs
Alex Fuentes is a gang member. Brittany Ellis is a blonde cheerleader from a wealthy family. Two teenagers from different worlds are about to collide and crossover boundaries into an unknown destiny of love and discovery. What transpires is a perfect chemistry that will have everyone questioning their values, feelings and reevaluating of their lives. A must read! Brittany appears to be the perfect golden girl head cheerleader, blonde wind blown hair, blue eyes, good grades and dating the captain of the football team. What no one knows is that Brittany leads a secret life full of family problems and is dealing with the care of a beloved sister that suffers from cerebral palsy.
Alejandro "Alex" fuentes is a gang member, owns a motorcycle, and acts as if he is the man to be feared on campus. The truth; Alex fears for his two younger brothers and is hoping to be able to keep them from joining the gang. He is going to make sure they have a future even if it means he will have to sacrifice himself.
Then comes the day when school starts and in chemistry class the perfect girl has to sit next to the "mean" gang member. Mrs. Peterson the chemistry teacher is a teacher to be reckoned with and what she says goes. The project should have been simple but life is not simple and love is fickle. When Brittany and Alex sit next to each other and must interact with each other sparks always fly. But are these sparks the beginning of something else? The crossover is not easy and leaving the gang is not like getting out of a club. The choices these two teens face is full of questions, uncertainties, strange friendships, violence and even death.
Teens will love this book!!! MD
Walker & Co 2009 360p 9.99 9780802798220 hs
Alex Fuentes is a gang member. Brittany Ellis is a blonde cheerleader from a wealthy family. Two teenagers from different worlds are about to collide and crossover boundaries into an unknown destiny of love and discovery. What transpires is a perfect chemistry that will have everyone questioning their values, feelings and reevaluating of their lives. A must read! Brittany appears to be the perfect golden girl head cheerleader, blonde wind blown hair, blue eyes, good grades and dating the captain of the football team. What no one knows is that Brittany leads a secret life full of family problems and is dealing with the care of a beloved sister that suffers from cerebral palsy.
Alejandro "Alex" fuentes is a gang member, owns a motorcycle, and acts as if he is the man to be feared on campus. The truth; Alex fears for his two younger brothers and is hoping to be able to keep them from joining the gang. He is going to make sure they have a future even if it means he will have to sacrifice himself.
Then comes the day when school starts and in chemistry class the perfect girl has to sit next to the "mean" gang member. Mrs. Peterson the chemistry teacher is a teacher to be reckoned with and what she says goes. The project should have been simple but life is not simple and love is fickle. When Brittany and Alex sit next to each other and must interact with each other sparks always fly. But are these sparks the beginning of something else? The crossover is not easy and leaving the gang is not like getting out of a club. The choices these two teens face is full of questions, uncertainties, strange friendships, violence and even death.
Teens will love this book!!! MD
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