Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe

Coriell, Shelley  Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe      

 Amulet see Abrams, Harry      2012  297p  $16.95      978-1-4197-0191-7           ms/hs  VG     Realistic Fiction

KDRS radio station cannot survive without some new lifeblood, and it finds that lifeblood when Chloe comes aboard, looking for a junior service project that will benefit the community.  The spoiled, shoe-loving sister of five overachievers, Chloe is in the market for new goals and new friends, especially since her two best girlfriends, Mercedes and Brie, have begun to ignore her at school.  Not knowing the reasons why, she jumps into her role as a radio station promoter and finds herself rising to new popularity as Queen Chloe, the queen of the airways, who will ask her classmates at Del Rey High real questions in the hope of increasing the number of listeners and attracting promoters to keep the station solvent. 

As she continues to be a target of scorn by Brie and Merce, Chloe finds some solace in her relationship with her grandmother, who is suffering from Alzheimers but is in denial, as well as in her relationship with Duncan, her KDRS compatriot who is handy at repairs, but painfully shy.  The reasons for Duncan's reticence slowly begin to make sense to Chloe as she attempts to befriend him.  His life story provides a dramatic contrast to Chloe’s.  Chloe has her hands full, not only with her grandmother, her two ex-best friends and Duncan, but also with Clem, the head of the radio station, who has a caustic personality and powerfully negative feelings toward Chloe.  All the conflicts come to a head in a “mini series” of climaxes that will please teen readers who want lots of turmoil along with some action. 

This book is Shelley Coriell’s debut novel, and Coriell has proven that she can tell a good story with believable, engaging characters and a solid plot.      Martha Squaresky        Friendship, High School Stories, Radio

 

Beale, Elaine Another Life Altogether.

Beale, Elaine Another Life Altogether
Spiegel&Grav see Random 2010 402p 26.00
978-0-385-53004-0 hs VG
In this coming of age story, Jessie and her family move to a new town where she thinks she can start her life all over again and leave her problems behind. Little did she know that this would not be the case as she and her family battle mental illness, sexuality conflicts and bullying.
Jessie’s mom has been hospitalized for her bipolar disorder and suicide attempts and Jessie tells her friends she is away on a cruise. When the truth comes out, her classmates tease her. Her ineffectual father decides to move the family to a new countryside town and Jessie thinks this will be a new start for herself, too. She becomes friendly with two girls, who she thinks are popular, but are really bullies. They mock and bully a male student and Jessie doesn’t stand up for him at first, but later realizes she must. When she does, her feelings for her friend’s sister, Amanda, are exposed. Meanwhile, Mom is still fighting her mental illness and Jessie desperately wants to love her mom despite her behavior. Jessie is holding back secrets throughout the book: her mother’s illness and her own conflicted sexuality. It is a truly absorbing story, set in 1970’s Britain, but universal in its concepts of teen angst. Beale’s writing is engrossing and true to life as she explores the feelings and insecurities of a teenage girl. Some parts are written in a humorous vein, but the overall story line is quite serious. The ending? Well, it could be happy or not; it seemed open ended to me. Due to its mature themes, this very good book will do best in a high school library. Due to its mature themes, this very good book will do best in a high school library. Weinraub, Tina

Donaldson, Joan. On Viney’s Mountain

Donaldson, Joan. On Viney’s Mountain
Holiday House 2009 231p 16.95 978-0-8234-2129-9 hs
When Englishmen buy up land and start to clear the land for a town, Viney, a talented weaver wants to find a way to stop the progress. Along the way she learns about herself and finds love. In the Tennessee Appalachian mountains, Viney, a very talented weaver, lives with her older brother and sister. As she is gathering herbs and plants for dyes, she sees a group of English gentlemen clear cutting of a section of forest. She wants to find a way to stop the coming of the town and the destruction of her beloved forest. Her sister goes to work in the town and Viney considers her a traitor. As Viney interacts with the foreigners to try to find their weakness, she meets two young men and pretends to let them court her. Along the way she discovers she has feelings for one of them. He wants to be able to buy land before making a commitment, so they head their separate ways.
This book is based on the real community of Rugby built in in the 1880’s. Several buildings survive and can be visited. Viney is a weaver and weaving terms and the process are features throughout the novel. There is an extensive glossary of both mountain terminology and English terms used to give an authentic feel to the narrative. Also included are web sites about the town of Rugby and weaving.
This book gives a good historical picture, well researched, but also includes mountain lore, weaving, and a love story.
It is an excellent read for high school students. Joan Theal

Lynch, Janet Nichols. Messed Up.

Lynch, Janet Nichols. Messed Up.
Holiday House 2009 256p 17.95 978-0-8234-2185-5 ms/hs

During the year 15 year old Mexican American, R. D., has to repeat 8th grade, his grandmother leaves him in the sole support of her boyfriend. When he dies, R. D. has to find the skills necessary to navigate his world on his own. When 15 year old Mexican American R. D.’s grandmother leaves to be with her new boyfriend, he stays with her old boyfriend Earl. His mother is in prison for drug dealing and his father, who was only 13 at his conception has been out of R. D.’s life since he was a baby. R. D is repeating 8th grade, gets suspended frequently, but is basically a good kid. When Earl dies suddenly, R. D. is left to live on his own and tries to keep it a secret so he won’t be sent to a foster home. He stays in the house and attempts to garner the skills necessary such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, and bill paying. He also attempts to keep Earl’s auto repair business going. R. D. is in a special class at school, endeavors to avoid Latino gang violence, and is trying to evade the advances of a tough girl who wants to be his girl at any cost. His realization that he does have the ability to succeed changes his perception on life. The characters are well developed and ring true; Lynch has a good grasp of what conditions can be for some teens. The situations that R. D. finds himself in are often at the same time humorous and sad. This title is well-written and will hold the interest of high school males (as well as some females). This would be an excellent selection for high school libraries looking for books that are of high interest to male readers. Recommended for Tristate Books of Note. Tina Weinraub

Higgins, Dalton. Hip Hop World.

Higgins, Dalton. Hip Hop World.
Groundwood see Douglas McIntyre 2009 144p 18.95 978-0-88899-910-8 hs
Groundwork Guide

This overview of the hip hop rap culture takes an international stance as it examines the history, effects, and social issues that the music addresses. Higgins, a writer and critic of popular media, has written an overview of the hip hop rap scene of today as it relates to the past and the future of the culture of this music. He is Canadian but takes an international stance as he examines the history, the effects, and the social issues that the music addresses. Higgins discusses where the music came from, where it is today, how it works, and where it is going. Subjects that are tackled include: racism, sexism, classism, the use of the “n” word, and drugs. The writing is not just reporting about the world of hip hop, but is a critical introduction to the music that offers opinions about this growing and controversial music. There is an immediacy to the writing that puts forward an original perspective on the music. At the end of the book, there is a Hip Hop Timeline encompassing the time between the birth of rap up to 2009. Extensive notes and an index complete this book. This title will be an excellent addition to high school libraries as it offers a unique point of view about a topic that interests many teen readers. Recommended for Books of Note. Tina Weinraub

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