Choker by Elizabeth Woods

Published: January 2011

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Pages: 233

Copy: borrowed from library

Summary: Simon and Schuster

Sixteen-year-old Cara Lange has been a loner ever since she moved away from her best and only friend, Zoe, years ago. She eats lunch with the other girls from the track team, but they're not really her friends. Mostly she spends her time watching Ethan Gray from a distance, wishing he would finally notice her, and avoiding the popular girls who call her "Choker" after a humiliating incident in the cafeteria. Then one day Cara comes home to find Zoe waiting for her. Zoe's on the run from problems at home, and Cara agrees to help her hide. With her best friend back, Cara's life changes overnight. Zoe gives her a new look and new confidence, and next thing she knows, she's getting invited to parties and flirting with Ethan. Best of all, she has her BFF there to confide in.
But just as quickly as Cara's life came together, it starts to unravel. A girl goes missing in her town, and everyone is a suspect—including Ethan. Worse still, Zoe starts behaving strangely, and Cara begins to wonder what exactly her friend does all day when she's at school. You're supposed to trust your best friend no matter what, but what if she turns into a total stranger?

WOW! Yep, that about covers it. This book, a debut title from author Elizabeth Woods, was a marvellous read. It had me on the edge of my seat, just about from the very first page, and it just kept getting better. Tense - that's the word that I think best describes the book. The tension is so thick, that you could almost cut it. At one point, I was getting so uncomfortable I had to put the book down and go and make a cuppa. I couldn't handle it anymore. I just needed a break. But then of course I went straight back to it and didn't stop 'til I reached the end.

What an ending! It came at me from left field. The reader is so absolutely certain they know what is going on, and then Wham - there's this twist that is so unexpected it just blows you away. The characters are so real and their reactions so typical, that you are just sucked in to this story, which is basically about a girl who is being bullied at school and how she copes with the pressure. Oh, I'd love to tell you more, but it would just be full of spoilers, and I don't want to do that. It's a quick read - I got through it in less than 24 hours - but it is worth every minute. If you are a fan of contemporary suspense you will not be disappointed in 'Choker'. Try it - you'll see!

Delcroix Academy: The Candidates by Inara Scott

Published: August 2010

Publisher: Hyperion

#Pages: 293

Copy provided by: Bought

Summary: Goodreads

Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that's not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia's mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just...happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to anyone, belieiving this way she can supress her powers and keep them hidden. But when recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy show up in her living room to offer her a full scholarship, Dancia's days of living under the radar may be over. Only, Delcroix is a school for diplomats' kids and child geniuses--not B students with uncontrollable telekinetic tendencies. So why are they treating Dancia like she's special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make Dancia feel welcome. And then there's her mysterious new friend Jack, who can't stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at the Academy and wants Dancia to help him figure out what. But Dancia isn't convinced. She hopes that maybe the recruiters know more about her "gift" than they're letting on. Maybe they can help her understand how to use it...But not even Dancia could have imagined what awaits her behind the gates of Delcroix Academy.

I started 'The Candidates' at 10.00 pm last night and finished it at 11.30 am this morning. Could not put it down. I loved the characters, the suspense, the romance, the uncertainty - in fact the whole shooting match. Everything about it seemed real to me, even tho' it is basically a variation on the 'X-men' theme. It was so much fun to read.

Dancia has powers that she doesn't know how to control, but isn't inclined to abuse them - just a nice, sweet girl who tries to avoid the spotlight and blend into the background, rather than hurt people.

'Thank you, oh thank you. He must have hit the steering wheel, because a crack ran down one lens of his sunglasses, and a thin line of blood connected his eyebrows. But he was alive.' (36)

Jack is the good-looking, bad boy, that you can't help but like - tortured, but with a reason.

'I cringed. Jack was using his cold, I-don't-give-a-crap voice, the one I'd heard him use on Trevor and teachers who tried to get him to behave in class.' (140)

Cam is the good-looking, good guy that you crush on, but there's something not quite right about him. That sense of 'not-quite-right' is almost palpable and I just loved it.

'We made our way out of the library, my hand tucked inside Cam's. I ran through a hundred different reasons why he might be holding my hand, none of which involved his everlasting love and devotion.' (114)

I really wasn't sure what was going to happen with the 'triangle' of Dancia, Jack and Cam, and without giving away anything, I found myself really pleased with the way things turned out, although I am sure that there will be major twists in the follow-up - 'The Watchers' - which I think is due out next August, but don't quote me on that.

A wonderful start to a new series. Can't wait for the next one.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Published: April 2010
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Audio Copy provided by: Overdrive courtesy of library
Summary: Goodreads

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.
Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both them legions of faithful fans.

I had read quite a bit about this title in various blogs and found it quite intriguing, so when the opportunity arose for me to listen to it, I jumped at the chance. What an experience it has been. The story is narrated by MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl, who provide the two different voices of both Will Graysons. They are absolutely superb at projecting the differences between the two characters and even burst into song when the occasion demands it. I was completely enthralled by the story, and I can't actually imagine just reading it now.

This was a wonderful story about discovering who you really are and allowing yourself to be ok with that. The cast of supporting characters are perfect, with Tiny Cooper taking the prize for best overtly gay teen ever - think of the character Damian in the movie 'Mean Girls' x10 and you've got the picture. His is so much larger than life that you can''t help but love him. The two supporting female friends are fleshed out nicely and are allowed to make mistakes that they learn from. The parents of both boys are a very real presence without being too obtrusive and I liked that.

The story is about finding love, falling in love, being in love, coping with love and all the consequences that arise from that. Perhaps I should add, surviving love. I thoroughly enjoyed Will Grayson, Will Grayson. It made me laugh out loud and cry too - which gets you strange looks when you're driving the car in traffic! - and I would highly recommend it for boys and girls. It might even work for an ISU as a portrait of contemporary coming of age.


Note, perhaps this isn't for younger teens, there is a fair bit of language and sexual suggestion throughout the book, but I honestly can't imagine the book having such a strong impact if it wasn't there. If you don't like language or non-heterosexual relationships it won't appeal to you, but otherwise, give it a try.

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Published: Sept 2009

Publisher: Little Brown and Company

Pages: 405

Copy Provided by: Library

Summary: Goodreads

Summary:

Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

Review:
Violence in the community. It is all around us and we often point fingers and judge but when you start to peel back the layers and learn about the people involved, it isn't always so black and white. This was such a powerful book. I had seen it on the shelves and walked by over and over again. I hate to say it but I really chose not to read it because I didn't like the cover. One day, I decided to branch out and try. I'm so glad I did.

Hate List was such a compelling book. Val and Nick created this list to share between themselves as an outlet for their feelings of being ostracized and criticized for being different. Nick just chose to take it one step further. Val's return back to society is a long climb and she encounters a mix of both positive and negative experiences and has to learn to re-integrate herself back into society and deal with the intense feelings of guilt that she carries. It doesn't help that she still loves Nick, someone who has now been characterized as a heartless murderer. She is seen as both a villian and a hero in the shooting and I loved watching her grow. Yes, it is another story about coming into your own and growing up.

If you enjoyed Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Piccoult, you might like this as well. This book made me cry....but in a good way. Let's see if it does the same for you.

It All Started With a Dare

Author: Lindsay Faith Rech

Published: Sept. 13, 2010

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

# Pages: 312

eARC provided by: Publisher and Netgalley

Summary: Netgalley

Self-proclaimed nobody CG Silverman sees her move to an upscale new school as her chance to be somebody different. Her devil-may-care attitude attracts the in-clique, and before CG realizes it, a routine game of truth or dare launches her to iconic status.
While this rebel image helps secure CG's newfound popularity, it also propels her through a maze of unprecedented chaos, with each new lie and every dare opening doors that, in most cases, were better off left shut.
CG is on a collision course with disaster. Will she be able to keep up the façade? Or will the whole world find out she's a fraud?

'It all started with a dare' had me laughing from almost the very first page. Ms Rech's dry sense of humour is just wonderful, and I was chuckling my way through the entire book. But don't think that the book was just funny. There were actually some fairly serious themes throughout the book. One that stood out very strongly to me, was the idea that every action has consequences. Situations keep arising in the book and CG just gets in deeper and deeper, no matter what she does. I actually found myself getting quite nervous for her at one point, which just goes to show what a well written character she was. CG's surprise at quickly becoming one of the 'in crowd' seemed quite genuine, and I didn't feel it was unreasonable that she would want to stay there.

One of the things that becomes apparent early on in this book is the extremely colourful language that Ms. Gibsons' characters use. Now I personally did not find this offensive, but some people might. A lot of the language is used as internal dialogue, and I don't know about you, but I often say a lot of things under my breath that I wouldn't actually say out loud, so it all rang true for me. It's a fact of life that teens swear, even if they try not to in front of adults, and for me this helped make the situations in the book more real.

As I read further into the book, I was reminded in many ways of the movie 'Mean Girls' with Lindsay Lohan. Dont' get me wrong, it's not the same story, and I do believe the situations that arise in the book could be a little more serious, but if you've seen and liked the movie, you'll certainly love the book.

The most important thing I got from this book is the message that it's ok to be yourself, whether that means being popular or not. I would actually put this book in the category of 'cautionary tale', but you'll laugh out loud while learning your lessons!

Confessions of Georgia Nicolson

Confessions of Georgia Nicolson Vols 1-10 by Louise Rennison

Published: Various

Summary: Curlypow

Obtained: Curlypow's collection

The 10 volumes that comprise the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson cover approximately 2 years in the life of ordinary British schoolgirl Georgia. She and her best friends, the Ace Gang, navigate the complex and troubled waters of high school with humour and tears. They cope with the highs and lows of first love, while dealing with angry and jealous prefects, unreasonable teachers, unsympathetic parents and the occasional demented cat. Georgia is in the unenviable position of having to decide between boyfriends, which turns out to be a much harder task than anyone would believe. The path to true love is definitely not smooth for Georgia!

I absolutely love this series. It was published over the course of 10 years and I have waited anxiously for every volume to come out. Sometimes I think that I relate to this series because I went to school in england and I remember 'nicker warmers in the blodge lab' (for the un-initiated, that is a radiator that can be sat on in the biology lab- I used one often in the cold winters)and other uniquely British items. But if you're not sure what things are you can always check out the glossary at the back of the books. Ms Rennison has managed to capture the realities of school with humour and insight. What exactly does 'see you later' mean in boy/girl language? Does anyone out there really know? Georgia goes from having no boyfriend to having 3, well not really 3, because Dave the laugh doesn't really count- does he? Well may'be, he certainly is a good snogger (kisser), but she only went out with him to make the Sex God jealous, and then the Luurve God came on the scene and .... Oh you'll just have to read them for yourselves.

I have just re-read all 10 volumes in 3 days - I know, get a life Curlypow. I didn't intend to read them that way, it just happened. I couldn't stop myself. I sat in my chair with my cup of tea and a box of kleenex and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The kleenex I must point out, were for tears of laughter, not sadness. The books are laugh-out-loud funny even after a third or fourth reading. In my humble opinion, these are an absolute, must have summer read. So if you haven't already met Georgia, pop off to the library, or bookstore and get aquainted, and if you have read them before - well they're worth reading again!

Vol. 1 Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging

Vol. 2 On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God

Vol. 3 Knocked Out by my Nunga Nungas

Vol. 4 Away Laughing on a Fast Camel

Vol. 5 Dancing in My Nuddy Pants

Vol. 6 Then he Ate m Boy Entrancers

Vol. 7 Startled by his Furry Shorts

Vol. 8 Love is a Many Trousered Thing

Vol. 9 Stop in the Name of Pants

Vol. 10 Are These my Basoomas I See Before Me