Mates, Dates and Mad Mistakes

Hopkins, Cathy. (2004). Mates, dates and mad mistakes. New York: Simon Pulse.

Reading Level: Grades 6-10

Summary:
Izzie is feeling rebellious. She gets her belly button pierced, gets drunk and high a couple times, fights with her mom, and snogs an older bad-boy. She realizes that she doesn't need to change or give in to peer pressure to be cool, and that she should never neglect her mates for a boy. And she makes up with her mom.

Comments:
This book series is like a bad teen tv series. The actors are all 10 years older than they're supposed to be (i.e. One Tree Hill). In one scene Izzie (14 years old) is singing in a band in a pub, and all her friends are there (late at night). There are lots of things for 14 year olds to do that aren't what their 18 year old counterparts are doing. Hopkins seems to keep rushing her characters to grow up, though at the end of the books they always resolve that they're fine the way they are...uhhh. But, like bad teen tv series, the books get a bit addictive and you want to see what ridiculous things the characters do next.

Rating: 3/5

Mates, Dates, and Sole Survivors

Hopkins, Cathy. (2002). Mates, Dates, and Sole Survivors. New York: Simon Pulse.

Reading level: Grades 6-10

Summary:
School is out, and 14-year-old London native Lucy doesn't know how to spend her summer vacation. All her friends recently acquired boyfriends, and Lucy feels like the odd one out. This situation doesn't last for long. At a get-away weekend with her father, Lucy meets what would seem to be her dream boy. But the dream is soon over when Lucy's friends disapprove of her relationship. Are her friends being too critical, or is Daniel not the same boy Lucy fell for?

Comments:
This book is quite bland. It's a popular series at the moment, and I can't figure out why. The narrative is decent and moves at a fast pace. One interesting feature of the series is that the four friends take turns narrating books in the series, so the reader gets to know each girl very well. There are a few humorous situations, but the majority of the book Lucy is obsessing over boys. At first she wants a boyfriend. Then she decides she is fine without a boyfriend, as she has great mates. Very soon after that resolution she meets Daniel and is delighted to finally have a boyfriend. There is no depth to the book, and it's hard to take the girls' independent attitudes seriously when they are constantly on the lookout for new boyfriends. Also, 14-year-olds do not have serious, thoughtful conversations with their friends in coffee shops. Well, maybe they do in England...

Rating: 3/5

Definition

Schrag, Ariel. (1997). Definition. San Jose: SLG Publishing.

Reading Level: Grades 10-12

Summary:
Ariel, a 16-year-old girl, recounts some of the highlights of her Grade 10 year. Events include many No Doubt concerts, hanging out with friends, obsessing about chemistry, and working through feelings she has towards friends, both male and female.

Comments:
This book is quite strange. It has the feel of a diary, with the look of a graphic novel. Ariel Schrag created the book when she was 16 years old, so it is coming from immediate, first-hand experience. The graphics are good, and it's interesting how certain characters change their look depending on how Schrag viewed them at a particular moment. The book covers a lot of sensitive subjects, such as drugs, sex, and bisexuality. Ultimately, it is a story about friendship, and how your friends can always make you feel normal.

What I don't like about the book is that the story seems to ramble on without a purpose, then all of a sudden at the end a theme appears. It would have been more engaging if there was a hint of the theme throughout the rest of the book.

Rating: 3/5

Jacob Have I Loved

Paterson, Katherine. (1980). Jacob have I loved. New York: Avon Books.

Reading Level: Grades 6-10

Summary:
Sara Louise (called Wheeze by most) Bradshaw has lived all her life on a tiny island off the shore of Maryland. She has always had to compete with her golden twin sister, who seems to be more popular, more talented, and more loved. Set in the 1940s, Jacob Have I Loved is Louise's story of the trials of being the other sister, of being a girl in a man's world, and of finding your own identity while living in the shadow of someone else's.

Comments:
This book is infuriating, but in a good way. Anyone who has siblings will find something in this book to relate to, and even people without siblings will find it difficult not to feel some of the rage Louise feels towards her sister. Paterson creates many scenes where Louise's sister Caroline isn't really doing anything wrong, but seeing the situation through Louise's eyes, the reader feels that Caroline is purposefully being malevolent. Louise's grandmother is also quite the evil character. She was the one character in the book who was unbelievable; no grandmother could ever be that mean!

Another interesting aspect of the book is Louise's crush on a man old enough to be her grandfather. The island has such a small population that Louise has to make fantasies about her and the mysterious old man. The painfulness of her crush is tangible, and the knowledge that the situation is impossible creates tension. The reader gets the feeling that Louise is being stifled in soul and in potential on the tiny island, and it is a relief when Louise finally leaves. The bad feelings between Louise and Caroline are never resolved, which was a bit of a disappointment. In the end, the fact that Louise is finally comfortable with herself and her own life shows that we are responsible for the way we feel, and only once we accept ourselves will others value who we are.

Rating: 4/5

Looking for Alaska

Green, John. (2005). Looking for Alaska. New York: Dutton Books.

Reading Level: Grade 9+

Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Miles transfers from public high school in Florida to a private boarding school in Culver Creek, Alabama. At Culver Creek, Miles meets new and interesting people who become his friends. One of these new friends is an impetuous girl named Alaska, who quickly gains Miles' admiration. When someone is killed in a car crash, Miles and his friends are left stunned. They must work through where their friend has gone, and what it means to be the ones left living.

Comments:
This book deals with many issues facing today's teens: popularity, peer pressure, oral sex, parental pressures, relationships with the opposite sex, and general angst. Parents are not around at the Culver Creek school, so the students have much more freedom that typical teens. Miles takes up smoking and drinking, gets his first girlfriend, and manages to pull off a number of dangerous pranks with his friends. I don't agree with the prevalence of smoking in the book. The characters are constantly smoking, and rarely get into trouble for it. Another thing I'm concerned about is the unhealthy food the teens seemed to love. Everything is deep fried, yet there's no phys-ed class. The fried food is mentioned numerous times in the book. Small things like this may leave lasting impressions on teens reading the book.

On a more literary note, the book was quite well written. It remains interesting throughout, though the second section (after the accident) seems longer than necessary. The characters are enjoyable, though more mature than I picture 16-year-olds to be. There is some good philosophy in the book about life after death and the meaning of life. I really think this sort of discussion is necessary today when many teens may have questions about death that religion is not answering for them. The book also contains lots of humor. I would recommend this book to teens with an appropriate maturity level.

Rating: 4/5

The Amber Spyglass

Pullman, Philip. (2000). The amber spyglass. New York: Laurel Leaf Books.

Reading Level: Grade 7+

Summary:
This is the final book in Pullman's His Dark Materials series. Lyra and Will, separated at the end of the last book, are finally reunited. They continue their adventure together, visiting the land of the dead, and helping fight the great battle against the Authority. Lyra and Will grow closer and develop a deep appreciation for each other. As the adventure progresses, the truth of the subtle knife is revealed, and Lyra and Will have to face the hardest decision yet of their perilous journey.

Comments:
Pullman's final book in the series does not disappoint. He pulls tightly together everything from the first two books in a complex, ever-thrilling story. Lyra and Will remain fascinating characters to read about, though Lyra never regains the sparkle she had in the first book. It is very interesting to finally find out what "Dust" is, how it's made, and its importance. This book presents many more religious themes than the first two did. Pullman advocates the use of free will through his condemnation of the Authority. For Pullman, it is the positive aspects of society (creative thought, patience, curiosity, kindness, etc.) that create in our lives the heaven for which followers of the Authority search. I would highly recommend this series of books to anyone, teen or adult.

Rating: 5/5

Ann and Seamus

Major, Kevin. (2003). Ann and Seamus. Toronto: Groundwood Books.

Reading Level: Grades 7+

Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Ann Harvey lives with her family on Isle aux Morts, Newfoundland in the early 1800s. She enjoys her simple life, but wonders what else her future may hold. One day, a ship is shipwrecked near Ann's home, and her and her father and brother row out to eventually save over 100 people. One of these survivors is Seamus, a young man from Ireland. Ann and Seamus fall in love, but Seamus is looking for adventure in America, and Ann must choose between her life in Newfoundland, or risking everything to follow Seamus to America.

Comments:
This story is based on true events, which gives it more impact. It is also written in free verse. Though it is poetry, the language is still accessible, and does not contain too much complexity to turn off teens who are unused to reading poetry. The book contains both the point of view of Ann and of Seamus, which allows both characters to be developed. I'm not really a fan of lengthy poetry, so the book didn't appeal to my tastes. However, there were some quite good verses in the book, which I was able to appreciate.

Rating: 3/5

Troubling a Star

L'Engle, Madeleine. (1994). Troubling a star. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers.

Reading level: Grades 5-7

Summary:
Vicky receives a trip to Antarctica for a birthday present from her aged friend, Aunt Serena. Despite warnings she finds in her school locker, Vicky heads to Antarctica for both an adventure and to visit her sort-of boyfriend who is conducting research there. Along the way, Vicky meets many new friends, encounters political intrigue, and finds out that she may be in life-threatening danger.

Comments:
Compared to the other books I've been reading, this book seems very amateur. The writing style is very simple. The situations are not remotely believable as something that would happen to a girl in grade 11. It was also strange that Vicky wrote so many letters. It's hard to remember that back in 1994 people weren't yet using computers and email frequently. I'm not sure if young adults today would really connect with this sort of realistic fiction; it doesn't mention text messaging, cell phones, or the Internet even once. One positive point is that L'Engle incorporates environmental concerns in her book. However, the environment is mentioned so often that it becomes a little too much. Readers are able to get a point in other ways than reading dialogue of people talking about the same issue every few pages. The main thing I disliked about this book was the protagonist. Vicky did not seem like a real person, so it was hard to take the book seriously.

Rating: 2/5

Eragon (movie)

Fangmeier, Stefen (Director). (2006). Eragon [Motion picture]. Los Angeles, CA: Fox 2000 Movies.

Rated PG

"You are stronger than you realize. Wiser than you know. What was once your life is now your legend."

Summary:

A 17-year-old farm boy, Eragon, finds a large blue egg in the forest. He takes the egg home, where it hatches into a small, blue dragon named Saphira. Eragon learns that has been chosen by the dragon as her dragon rider. The last dragons and dragon riders were killed long ago when a rogue dragon rider turned on the others. Eragon discovers that his and Saphira's help is needed to defeat the tyrannical king. With the help of an old villager, one of the last remaining dragon riders, Eragon and Saphira journey to find rebel fighters, preparing for battle along the way.

Comments:

I found this movie highly entertaining. I have not yet read the books, so I did not have any expectations going into the movie. The characters are appealing, though a bit one dimensional. The movie shows that even though Eragon is young for the job he was given, he is able to make up for lack of experience with courage and determination. Eragon makes his own decisions, and takes responsibility for them. The movie shows many desirable qualities in Eragon, but does not present them in a didactic way. It is not a sophisticated film, but it has some strong points in its ablility to evoke emotion and its likable characters.

Rating: 4/5