Isabel and the Miracle Baby, by Emily Smith Pearce

Isabel can't stand the baby. Rebekah is supposed to be some sort of "miracle baby" but Isa just knows that thanks to it she has to share her room with a smelly gross infant, her Mom never has time for her, she has no friends (except for Tara who her Mom won't let her be friends with anymore), and she can't do anything anymore. And thanks to her Mom's cancer, Isa has to worry about fires, the sick ladies who come over every week, and now she's saddled with Ben who's just an absolute baby!

Billed as an uplifting story, this fairly short novel (130 pages or so) doesn't really get to redemption until the last few pages. Prior to that, we have to bear through an awful lot of whining and fussing. I will grant that the whole thing has an element of realism to it, but somehow it is hard to be sympathetic to a character who is selfish and mean (even if she has good reasons!). So, it makes for a hard sell of a story. And yet, I'm not sure it could have been written another way. Make your own decision about whether you can put up with it. The other issue is trying to figure out what the audience of this book is supposed to be. Adult readers will probably be more forgiving than younger readers so I envision a child giving up on this story. Older readers will simply feel that Isa is a selfish brat, while younger readers will not understand why she is so bossy and mean.

Picture Perfect, by D. Anne Love

Phoebe Trask has a number of problems to deal with: a mother who leaves to pursue a career, a pushy woman who moves in next door and is making the moves on Dad, protesters disrupting the July 4th parade, an assault on her Dad, a boyfriend with family troubles of his own, and so on it goes. Every day brings a new challenge and by the time one issue has been resolved, two more have appeared.

And that lack of a central plot is basically what sends this novel plummeting to the bottom of my ratings. In place of a story, we have an endless set of subplots, which might make the story realistic (life is not a novel) but does not make for an interesting read. The book, in sum, has no purpose (no lesson learned, no major obstacle overcome, no major change witnessed). And it also does not help that every issue is resolved easily. We build up a conflict but rather than allow it to climax, Love simply resolves it in a sentence or two and we're off to the next subplot. By the time we got to the death and dying subplot (yes, I realize that that is probably a spoiler), I was rolling my eyes and ready to just give up. So, let me save you the trouble and tell you to just give this book a pass.

Almost Home, by Jessica Blank

Elly has been molested for the past year by her stepbrother. After an unrelated sexual assault at school, she latches on to a mysterious girl who hangs out outside her school. This girl introduces Elly to the street, giving her a new name (Eeyore) and bringing her in touch with other kids getting by on the streets of LA. A harrowing, but realistic narrative unfolds, told from a shifting perspective as each teen tells their story of survival.

Shocking and immensely depressing, I would have to be a bit sadistic to rate this high (I can't see myself picking it up for a casual re-read), but that does not mean it is bad. Rather, this is a very powerful work with engaging characters (who you would still probably not want to be in the same room with). A fascinating view of this other world.

Frannie in Pieces, by Delia Ephron

After Frannie's father dies, she discovers a puzzle in her Dad's workshop with her name on it. This is no ordinary puzzle and, as Frannie starts to put it together, strange things start to happen. She finds herself being drawn into the world of the puzzle (quite literally). Frannie becomes convinced that the puzzle will lead her back to her Dad.

As a fantasy story, this book works pretty well, but Ephron's decision to add a BFF and a boy interest seems a bit forced. They don't really add much to the story and it seemed overall as if Ephron was trying to do too much. Still, the characters are interesting and the book is a good read.

Spanking Shakespeare, by Jake Wizner

Shakespeare Shapiro is straddled with a horrible name, a best friend who is obsessed with his own bowel movements, a younger brother (Gandhi) who is massively more popular, and a complete inability to get laid. But he does have an amazing way with words and that charming skill might land him the senior memoir prize (or even more). Alternating between recounting his senior year failures and providing flashbacks on his life and dysfunctional family through excerpts from his memoir, Shakespeare reveals a true talent for ribald wit, which the Bard would have truly appreciated. In the end, he does what any horny 18 year old boy should do ... enroll at Vassar College.

OK, I was being a bit cheeky on that last comment (although it does happen and I truly appreciate the plug for my Alma Mater - and I am sure that Shakespeare would enjoy a career as a Vasshole). This book is laugh out loud funny (which is not recommended on a plane, like where I was reading it). Shakespeare is clever and endearing in an obnoxious 18 year-old male way. As someone who gets occasionally chided for being unable to know what a real teen girl goes through (for the obvious reason that I was there), I feel a greater confidence in saying that Jake has nailed the boy-side of the equation rather nicely (and doesn't do that bad of a job with the girls either IMHO). Any book with chapter titles like "The Time I Watched a Pornographic Movie with My Mentally Unstable Grandmother" and "The Time I Saw My Father Get Drunk and Act like a Complete Idiot" wins at least special mention. This is a special book. Recommended.

A Field Guide to High School, by Marissa Walsh

Andie lives in the shadow of her overachiever sister Claire, but Claire is leaving for college and Andie and her friend Bess are about to start high school. All very scary, except that Claire is determined that Andie should be all prepared and left her younger sister a guidebook to navigating the wilds of Plumstead Country Day School. In this guide, Claire outlines the do's and dont's of school assuring Andie will know how to avoid the pitfalls.

While billed as a funny book, it actually came across a bit dry. Much of the "advice" seemed either cliche or like an inside joke (like you would get it if you knew the school she was referring to). But it was all fairly harmless and entertaining to read. What was far more annoying was the story around the guide itself (the conversation between Andie and Bess) -- easily identifiable by the bold type. My advice would be to skip all of those sections and just enjoy the guide itself.

Shark Girl, by Kelly Bingham

When Jane loses her arm in a freak shark attack, she must learn to cope with her loss and new life. Convinced that she'll never be able to draw again, she seeks new meaning in her life, while coping with the unwanted attention her loss brings her. As much as she hates the sentiment that she'll rise above it all, she eventually does.

A mixture of free verse, dialogs, correspondence, and miscellaneous media, Bingham has attempted to capture the process of healing. It's a valiant effort and not a badly written first novel, but I found it a bit repetitive. As interesting as the premise was, there just was not much that could be done with the story. There is a satisfying dramatic arc, but Bingham is trying so hard to avoid a feel-good ending (while still reaching some sort of satisfying conclusion) that the story stagnates.

Violet On the Runway, by Melissa Walker

Violet finds her height to be a major liability that keeps her from being popular. And while she mocks the popular and beautiful kids at school with her friends, she secretly longs to be one. When a New York talent agent spots her as a new fashion superstar, Violet gets an opportunity she could never have dreamed of. Suddenly, her earlier ambitions pale beside the life she is living. But in true VH1 fashion, Violet discovers that high fashion is not all fun and glamor, and that fame has its costs.

You can predict the formula from the start and know how this story will end up. In itself, being a predictable formulaic story is not a bad thing in a comfort read like this. However, what bothered me more was how thinly Violet's character was developed. I didn't believe that her motivations were real, finding the plot a bit forced as she dumped her friends and then forced again as she tried to reclaim them. It's fun to see the inside of the fashion world (and I'm sure that a lot of readers will find that to be sufficiently entertaining) but this could have been a better book with some more work on Violet herself.

The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D. Schmidt

In this (probably) autobiographical series of stories about growing up in Long Island in 1967, Holling recounts the teacher who hated his guts so much that she taught him to love Shakespeare, running, and camping out. While Vietnam wages on and MLK and Bobby are gunned down, Holling is learning that the Bard has a lot of wisdom to impart and that sometimes a mean lunch lady, a shy Vietnamese refugee, two angry rats, and the daughter of his father's competitor can be useful allies in helping you find yourself.

Imagine a really decent episode of The Wonder Years, then imagine nine of them. Except that these are really good episodes (were there any??). Heck, just imagine something like that but multiply it several times over. I'm no fan of historical fiction and any novel that goes off on baseball is guaranteed to put me to sleep, yet I loved this one. Sweet, insightful, and touching, but not overly saccharine. It was a good pick for a Newbery Honor this year.

Mistik Lake, by Martha Brooks

Mistik Lake, in the middle of rural Manitoba, serves as the setting for three generations of people with secrets. These secrets bind the people together but also cut people off from truly understanding the reasons why a series of tragedies have occurred. But as the youngest generation (represented by Odella and Jimmy) fall in love, their elders realize that it is time to come clean on everything.

I enjoyed Brooks's earlier novel True Confessions of a Heartless Girl, which was a more traditional YA novel (with the minor twist that the main character was a bit of a screw-up), but this is a much more ambitious story. The complicated narrative can make the action a bit hard to follow, but everything comes together in the end in a satisfying way. More of an adult novel about teens than a real YA piece, but no less enjoyable.

If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period, by Gennifer Choldenko

In alternating chapters, the story of Kirsten and Walk unfolds. Kirsten is struggling with her parents' fighting (and possible divorce) and the loss of her BFF to popular girl Brianna. She copes by eating, which exacerbates her problems. Walk is the only African-American kid in the school and trying desperately to fit in. But just as you get a handle on the story and think it is following tried-and-true YA formula, it veers in a totally unexpected direction. And while this initially seems a bit contrived, it raises issues of much deeper importance than normally handled in a novel like this.

A strikingly mature novel, written in a realistic style, that in the end is a winner. The plot twists do seem a bit forced, but it all works out in the end, even if the characters (realistically) do not manage to work out all of their issues. It's rare to find a book about racial (and other) prejudices that doesn't feel the need to preach. That is one of those books. An excellent read with an excellent message: life is all a bit more complicated that we (especially the adults!) want to make it.

Before I Die, by Jenny Downham

Tessa is dying of leukemia. This isn't news to her. She's been fighting the battle for over four years, but now her options are running out. And for the last few months of her life, Tessa has made a list of the things she wants to do before she goes (have sex, do drugs, commit a crime, become famous, etc.). But completing the items on her list proves to not really be the point after all, because dying turns out to be almost as difficult as living.

An unusual YA novel that addresses mortality (and it will spoil nothing to say that she does die at the end, because the point of the book is to explain dying, not living). It won't cheer you up and I recommend a good comedy or two afterwards (I'll have to see what I can find!), but it's a decent book. The dust jacket calls it "uplifting" and "joyous" but I would not go that far. There is hardly anything in this to be happy about, but again that's not the point.

A Crooked Kind of Perfect, by Linda Urban

Zoe dreams of being Horowitz, awing the masses as a piano prodigy, but first she has to learn to play. And then there's her agoraphobic Dad and workaholic Mom to contend with. Never mind a bully who seems to have taken a friendly interest in her and her ex-BBF who no longer wants her around (who knew that socks were no longer cool?). Life IS complicated and there is no way she'll ever get to Carnegie Hall unless she can figure out how to make the Perfectone D-60 organ become the grand piano of her dreams.

Hooray for an absolute winner of a book! From endearing characters to can't-stop-laughing moments, this is a fantastic first novel. I laughed and I cried, but most of all I cheered for a great set of misfits and some heartwarming moments. Neither cloying nor manipulative, this charming story is a must read! Bravo!

Carpe Diem, by Autumn Cornwell

Vassar is a master of planning (from a family of planners) and she's got it all figured out: HS Valedictorian, attend Vassar College (hence, the name!), get PhD, win Pulitzer, and so on. But when her Grandma Gerd (the family flake) invites her to come to Southeast Asia for the summer for less than two weeks' notice, Vassar gets the surprise of her life when her parents insist that she go! Never mind what plans it will ruin. Something is definitely up, but to find out what it is, Vassar will have to go and learn a lot more about Grandma, Asia, and herself than she could have ever possibly imagined.

Long-ish, but entertaining, with a nice mixture of self-discovery, romance, adventure, and some minor suspense. You know how it is all going to end (especially with the amazingly exaggerated beginning), but you have to credit the book for being a decent read. It doesn't drag and you do get caught up in it. Now, why anyone thinks that going to Vassar is their life-long ambition is beyond me (been there, have the AB cum laude to show for it!), but I guess it is better than calling her Barnard!

Song of the Sparrow, by Lisa Ann Sandell

In this verse retelling of the story of the Lady of Shalott, we cover some of the basic foundations of the Arthurian Myth -- Arthur's rise to be king, the drawing of the sword, the marriage of Gwynivere, and more. But the retelling is from the perspective of the women and this creates a different point of view, as they play a much more integral part in the story than usually befalls their characters.

Telling the story in verse is a bit lazy (it saves the trouble of transitions or deep character development) and the research a bit spotty (who ever heard of mending chain mail [!] with a needle and thread?), but the story is decent and the pacing good. As an adventure, this works fairly well and is a quick read. But it is a bit thin though and I would have preferred a meatier story (perhaps like that recent retelling of Orphelia's role in Hamlet?).

For Now, by Gayle Friesen

In this sequel to Losing Forever, Jes is still blurting out whatever pops into her head at the most inopportune moments, but her life is evolving. Her Mom has become pregnant and blending Cal and his yoga-meditation fanatic daughter Angela into the family is proving trying. Jes's friend Dell is swept away by a creepy boyfriend and Jes herself needs to figure out if she wants to date boy-next-door Sam or not.

Mildly humorous and generally well-written, the biggest problem with this story is that it really isn't about anything. In a fairly realistic way, events happen and people change, but it is mostly about getting from where the book started to where it ends. In a serial, that would make for a decent book, but taken by itself, this story does not have much of a purpose.

The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney, by Suzanne Harper

When Sparrow gets a chance to transfer to a new bigger high school, she jumps at the chance. Anything she can do to get to a place where no one knows her or her wacky family, the better! You see, her family are spiritualists (mediums to the spirit word) who make a living out of contacting the dead. And Sparrow, the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, doesn't want anything to do with it. She's been hiding her own talents since she was 5 in an attempt to simply be normal. But a boy at school and an annoying ghost are doing everything they can to change all of that.

Clever and funny, with lively characters and a fast-moving storyline, this is a good read. It falls into the category of a guilty pleasure for me, because it does not have a great deal of substance, but it's still fun. While there are a number of underdeveloped elements in the story, nothing will grate on you if you want some light entertainment.

Girl At Sea, by Maureen Johnson

Clio is forced to leave her great incipient job at the galaxy art store, working with boyfriend-to-be Ollie, and spend the summer in Italy on a boat. But before you roll your eyes and tsk tsk about Clio being some sort of spoiled brat, keep in mind that Clio's absent Dad previously got her nearly killed and later on got her a big tatoo on his arm, so he's not the wisest of Dads in the package. And this summer jaunt is some sort of ultra secret mission involving sunken treasure, men with guns, and a love triangle. So, it's not exactly fun in the sun!

Johnson writes well and combines an engaging heroine and a lot of drama into her stories. It's taken me a while to in fact become familiar with her style, which combines typical teen angst (parental conflict, fighting with friends, and insecurities about the opposite sex) with action sequences that start normal and then quickly veer into melodrama. It really shouldn't work and if you tried to explain this book to a friend, they would look at you like you were nuts (too touchy feely for boy readers and too much action for the angsty Judy Blume graduates), but it really does work. A truly enjoyable and fun read with satisfying emotional depth.

The White Darkness, by Geraldine McCaughrean

Sym has always been a bit obsessed by Antarctica, and under the tutelage of her doting Uncle Victor, she has learned a great deal about it. Victor has little tolerance for formal schooling and a lot of influence with Mum (ever since her Dad died), so when he proposes a trip to Paris in the middle of exams, but that trip to Paris quickly becomes a trip much further south. And, in the land of her dreams, Sym discovers that her uncle is a bit different than she imagined. But inside herself, she her a friend - the ghost of Capt Oates of the ill-fated Scott expedition to the Pole. Will it be enough to save her in the bitter wilderness of Antarctica?

Yes, it's this year's Printz winner, so it deserves a lot of respect, but it's hard for me to take seriously anyone who idolizes Scott (one of the greatest fools who ever explored - a point carefully ignored by the Brits who can't stand the idea that a Norwegian did it better by not being an arrogant twat, but I digress....).

British children must either be incredibly gullible and trusting of adults, or the people who write these books want to believe they are. It seems something of a trademark to have a child who lets horrible things happen to them simply because they believe that the grownups will take care of them. American teens (or the adults who write about them) are more cynical. In a post-Nixon America, no one buys the idea that the grownups will take care of you. Rather, we know that you can't trust anyone over the age of 18. This is no small matter. Much of the story centers around Sym's blind faith in her uncle and the horrible (and utterly telegraphed) fact that he is letting her down. That she finally realizes this around page 307 is utterly unbelievable, but if you can't believe it, the book is a hard slog.

Holding aside that tragic flaw, the book has decent writing and once you get used to Sym's precious dialog with the ghost of Oates (I tended to gloss through it because of the sheer tedium), you do get into a good roll. I'll even admit that I had trouble putting the book down once I hit page 150 or so, but that's because it is a decent adventure story and I'm a sucker for Antarctica.

Decent enough read? Yes. Clever story telling? Perhaps. Best YA book of 2007? Not even close.

Derby Girl, by Shauna Cross

They say that a writer should write about what they know, so if you are a kick-ass roller derby star in L.A. who comes out of the Lone Star state, then your first novel is going to be about a young woman in Texas trying to break out of her parochial small town to become a kick-ass roller derby star. Bliss is said small-town roller wannabee, condemned to years of trying to please her mother on the pageant circuit. And while neither her town or her family understands her, Bliss knows what she wants and with the help of some friends, she is going to get it.

Clever and witty, and written in a very colloquial style, this book is an easy read. It's also fast-paced and manages to avoid tiring you out. The slang and constant cool nature of the characters does run the risk of getting old, but as it does, even Cross makes fun of her heroine's heavy reliance on a few choice words. I will take the author to task for never really showing her character struggle (no problem weighs Bliss down for long), but escape lit is supposed to be fun and this one delivers like a whip.