White, Tracy. How I Made It to Eighteen

White, Tracy How I Made It to Eighteen
Roaring Brook Press see macmillan children's pub 2010 151p 16.99
978-1-59643-454-7 ms/hs Graphic novel E-BN
In graphic novel format, the author recounts her admission and stay at a mental health facility. Excellent graphics extend the narrative showing viewpoints from friends, family, fellow residents, and doctors. Unsettling yet hopeful. Outstanding! For grades 7-12.
Tracy White recounts her admission and stay at a mental health hospital. Stacy became a party girl using pills to self-medicate while at boarding school and knows she will surely die if she continues her current path. Told in a timeline format, readers meet “Stacy” as a 17 year old boarding school student through the voices of four friends: two longtime friends, a boarding school roommate and a fellow resident of the treatment center. Each friend has her own problems. The pages are divided into distinct “comic frames” however the dialogue bubbles and even the graphics in the frames often extend into another pane. Memories are related in frames that have a gray background and thoughts float at the top of a frame. Excellent graphics, uncluttered in black and white, add intensity to the narrative. The reader slowly comes to realize the trauma Stacy experienced as White reveals the death of her father, her distant mother, an inappropriate encounter with an apartment employee and her own choice of friends. Never quiet truthful, Stacy finally reveals her bulimia. The reader experiences Stacy’s turmoil firsthand as well as receiving information from patient charts, therapy session discussions, and interviews with her four friends. The reader will long remember Stacy and her struggle to become a “happy” person. Strongly recommended for grades 7+ Strongly recommended for grades 7-12. Students struggling with depression and self-abusive actions will recognize themselves in Stacy. Students who know someone who is depressed will gain insight into their friend’s behaviors and state of mind. McNicol,Lois

The Scoop on What to eat. by Kathryn Gay

Gay, Kathlyn. The scoop on what to eat.
Enslow, 2009, 112p, $31.93, 978-0-7660-3066-4.

A comprehensive overview of diet and nutrition for young people. Includes information on such issues as obesity and eating disorders, diets, supplements, vegetarian eating, the food pyramid, exercise and related topics.
Something for everyone, as far as research is concerned, is included in this comprehensive overview of all aspects of diet and nutrition. Hot topics, such as eating disorders and obesity, are highlighted, as well as general information on good nutrition, fast and junk foods, the food pyramid, and the importance of exercise in any healthy eating regimen.

Illustrations are colorful and well-placed within the text. Text boxes provide easy access to quick facts and supplemental material. Chapter notes, a glossary, bibliography, Internet addresses and index supplement the text. This book received high marks from our Family and Consumer Science teachers, and is useful for hot topic research as well as personal curiosity.

This book is part of the Issues in Focus Today series. There are 32 books in this edition of the continuing series. The series focuses on hot social and scientific topics for young adult readers. PN