Leaver, Trisha. The Secrets We Keep.

Leaver, Trisha.  The Secrets We Keep.  Macmillan(Farrar Strauss/Feiwel&Friends/First Second/Henry Holt/Roaring Brook/Square Fish)  2014 294p.  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-374-30046-3  ms/hs  Conflict  VG-BN    

Although they are identical twins on the outside, Ella and Maddy are very different on the inside.  Ella, the smart, quiet, artistic twin, always feels that people like Maddy better because Maddy is athletic, outgoing, and one of the popular kids in the crowd.  When Ella receives a phone call from Maddy in the wee hours of the morning, she goes to retrieve Maddy from a raging party.  On the way home, with Ella driving Maddy’s car, they get into a horrific accident, and Maddy dies.  But evidence seems to point to Ella being the one who died, because the dead girl is wearing Ella’s coat and shoes and was the passenger in Maddy’s car.  As Ella recovers from her own serious injuries, she assumes Maddy’s persona and struggles to become someone she is not. Complications arise when Ella discovers that Maddy had a damning secret that makes passing herself off as Maddy even harder.  This is a book that deals with the grief process, feelings of inadequacy, and how to right a wrong, and it maintains a somber, almost tortured mood throughout, until the last chapters in which Ella comes forward and admits her deception.  The ending wraps up a little bit too hastily, but readers will be happy that Ella is now on the path to becoming confident of her own identity and is surrounded by the love of her parents and the potential boyfriend who has always believed in her.      

Summary: Twin girls are in an automobile accident.  The surviving twin takes on her sister’s identity in an attempt to please everyone around her except her best friend.  Lies, secrets, and self-worth are at the heart of this novel of grief and identity. Gr. 7-12.      

Twins-Fiction                                                     --Lois McNicol

Littman, Sarah Darer. Backlash.

Littman, Sarah Darer.  Backlash.  Scholastic Press    2015  321p  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-545-65126-4  ms/hs  Realistic fiction  E-BN      

Bullied continuously for being overweight in middle school, Lara suffers from  low self-esteem.  But things start looking up socially for Lara as she enters high school when she makes the varsity cheerleading team and begins making new friends.  Then she meets a gorgeous boy on social media and adds him to her list of friends.  She is smitten by Christian’s good looks and kind words, and he is hinting at asking her to his school dance.  As Lara begins to search online for dresses, Christian turns on her and posts mean, humiliating comments about her on social media, even telling her that the world would be a better place without her.  Lara tries to commit suicide; however, she is discovered in time for her life to be saved.

What follows are the realistically depicted effects on her family as well as the ripple that extends to the entire community, like a stone thrown in a pond. Sarah Darer Littman has written a fabulous novel reflecting current events that are happening all too frequently for teens today.  The fast-paced plot is well written and describes events realistically and precisely.  The credible reaction of everyone affected by cyber-bullying and attempted suicide is not just socially relevant, but it is also well-written.  Readers won’t want to put this book down and will be astounded by the climax and resolution of the story.

This fabulous depiction of real-life events presented through fiction sends a powerful message to readers.  It is a must-read for any middle- or high-school student, and even for parents, that will hopefully send a “think first” message regarding social media.  It is recommended as an Excellent, Book of Note novel.
     

Summary: When Lara “friends” a boy she doesn’t know on social media, it looks like a romance beginning; however, Christian begins posting nasty things about Lara and she tries to commit suicide, causing consequences that affect not only her family, but the entire community.        

Social media-Fiction, Cyber-bullying-Fiction                --Virginia McGarvey

Brody, Jessica. 52 Reasons to Hate My Father.

Brody, Jessica.   52 Reasons to Hate My Father.  Macmillan/Farrar Strauss 340p      $16.99      978-0-374-32303-5   jr/sr  VG-BN   Realistic Fiction

What teenager doesn’t rant and rave that parents are too strict or from another world?  Lexi’s father holds the purse strings to a twenty five million dollar trust fund.  He doesn’t feel that Lexi is mature enough to handle the money because she spends all of her time shopping and carousing the nightlife, and she has recently crashed her new Mercedes while drunk. His solution for solving Lexi’s immaturity and lack of appreciation for money provides youngsters with humorous read.

Her father assigns fifty-two menial jobs that Lexi must successfully complete for a week.  Then to make matters worse, he hires Luke Carver as an intern and assigns him the job of making sure Lexi gets to the jobs on time and completes them.  The jobs provide Lexi with insight into tasks she has never done before.  They include cleaning house with a vacuum cleaner, mucking out horse stalls, washing dishes in a Chinese restaurant, digging graves, milking cows, working as a crossing guard, gutting fish at a seafood market, delivering flowers, and telemarketing, to name a few.  It is at a Don Juan Tacos that Lexi finally realizes that this could be fun and mean something, that there are friends to be made, and that the arrogant intern Luke might not be so bad after all.

In this story, readers learn that love is unconditional and one must give it to receive it.  Lexi’s fifty-two reasons for hating her father become meaningless as she realizes she only needs one reason to love.

Family life-Fiction, Money-Fiction, Romance, Consequences-Fiction                                                                   --Linda McNeil