Arntson, Steven. The Trap.

Arntson, Steven.  The Trap.  Houghton Mifflin/Harcourt Brace  2015      247p  $16.99  ISBN 978-0-547-82408-6  ms/hs  Fantasy  VG-BN     

The day before the start of the school year in their new junior high school, twins Henry and Helen, along with best friends Nicki and Alan, decide to see what the town bully, Carl, has hidden in the woods.  Carl happens to be Alan’s brother, and when Carl discovers what the friends have been up to, he blackens Henry’s eye.  Carl then goes missing.  What they find in Carl’s hide-out are some interesting books, and Henry puts them in his rucksack.  He is particularly interested in the book he finds on the bottom of the pile, Subtle Travel and the Subtle Self.  He follows the directions in the book and finds himself in a new realm of existence.  The next day, he shares this with his sister and friends, and it leads them on a dangerous and adventuresome journey, as they realize this is the key to finding Carl.

This well-written, fast-paced novel is set in 1963 Iowa and touches on the civil-rights issues of the time. The themes of prejudice, the low job market, and the differences among people regarding race are carefully woven through the plot, and the story addresses the importance of treating people as human beings, rather than discriminating based on racial or other differences.  The author has mastered thoughtful writing and the art of storytelling, and the reader will notice this as he or she “hears” the narration of these junior-high students.
    

The fantasy in this story almost feels realistic, as the true concepts of Fibonacci and the “subtle self” play out in the plot, leaving the reader to ask, “What if?”  This book demands discussion, and young readers will be engaged and delighted with the adventure.  The Trap deserves recognition as a “Book of Note.”
     

Summary: Set in 1963 Iowa, twins Henry and Helen and best friends Nicki and Alan find their “subtle selves” and a new dimension of existence when they search for Carl, the town bully and Alan’s brother, and they discover a curious book among his things.            

Fantasy-Fiction, Civil rights-Fiction                       --Virginia McGarvey

Ignatow, Amy. The Popularity Papers.

Ignatow, Amy The Popularity Papers
Amulet see Abrams, Harry 2010 207p 15.95
978-0-8109-8421-9 elm/ms School stories VG-BN


This book, written as a dual journal, tells the tale of two fifth-grade girls who decide to “crack the code of popularity” and figure how they may achieve this measure of success before they reach the sanctified halls of middle school.
This book, written as a dual journal, tells the tale of two fifth-grade girls who decide to “crack the code of popularity” and figure out how they may achieve this exalted measure of success before they reach the sanctified halls of middle school. Best friends, Julie and Lydia, begin to analyze the popular girls and try to discover what makes them so. Their involved plan could pass for a science experiment complete with hypotheses, goals, and, hopefully, final successes. They keep a diary of their observations and descriptions of the students they consider part of the in crowd throughout the school year to help them. This notebook is filled with alternating “handwritten” entries in different colored inks and delightful illustrations that enhance the clever repartee between the two girls. While nothing works out quite the way the girls plan, their account accurately reflects the angst of those on the sidelines looking in. Happily, their supportive families and their true friendship will help them overcome any difficulties. The characters are well developed, the plot is well paced, and the situations spot-on in this laugh-out-loud novel. Realistic Fiction Ogintz, Susan

Girls Acting Catty.

Margolis, Leslie. Girls Acting Catty.
Bloomsbury see St. Martins 2009 179p 15.99 978-1-59990-237-1 ms/jr Annabelle has found friends at her new school, but she also finds herself in the middle of a severe rivalry with another group of girls, which is courting her friendship as well. How can girls be so mean? This engaging tale is perfect for the sixth-grade set, who are just starting to enter the preteen world of boys, cliques, and yes, cattiness. The examples of meanness are all too realistic and will give some youngsters pause about their own behavior. The resolution is satisfying, as Annabelle does the “right thing” and tells off her tormentor, the “popular” girl who is used to getting her way. Realistic Fiction Kennedy, Carol

Halpern, Julie. Into the Wild Nerd Yonder.

Halpern, Julie. Into the Wild Nerd Yonder.
Feiwel and Friends, 2009 247p 16.99 978-0-312-38252-0 secondary When high school sophomore Jessie's long-term best friend transforms herself into a punk and goes after Jessie's would-be boyfriend, Jessie decides to visit "the wild nerd yonder" and seek true friends among classmates who play Dungeons and Dragons. High school sophomore Jessie Sloan loves math, sews her own unique skirts and has had a longtime crush on one of her older brother’s band-mates. What saves Jessie from the dreaded nerd label is her entree to her brother’s punk rock band. Her two best friends, Bizza and Char, use their friendship with Jessie to become the band’s biggest groupies, with Bizza going so far as to giving Jessie’s crush a blow job and getting an STD from him in return. Realizing that she and her friends have grown apart, Jessie searches for new friends but is dismayed that the group she seems to click with are the Dungeon and Dragon playing nerds and in the social strata of high school, association with them will “further my downward spiral into the position of First Official Dork.” As she tells her father, “I don’t want to be a nerd” and she struggles with the concept of cool and making peace with her inner nerd. She becomes more confused by her attraction to Henry, who wears his pants too short and his gym shoes too white. Jessie’s eye-opening journey from mathlete punky kid sister to Imalthia the D&D fighter who swings a big sword is honest and uncontrived. She is an engaging character, honest, direct and at times confused by the choices she must make. The plot mirrors the search for identity that many teens face in high school, with confusion that sex and alcohol define popularity and an unexpected realization that not all stereotypes are true. Halpern, through Jessie, makes it clear to readers that some choices have disastrous consequences and that in light of that, nerd-dom isn’t so bad after all. Note: brief but frank discussion and language of STD’s and a sex act make this book appropriate for high school readers. Zajko, Rosanne