Clementine

See my thoughts on Clementine by Sara Pennypacker here.

Geek High

Ever since I saw the cover of Piper Banks' Geek High I thought it looked like a fun read. Miranda is devastated that her mom will be "deserting" her to go to England in order to write her latest romance novel, leaving Miranda to stay with her father, step-mother and step-sister. The only problem is she can't stand her step-family. Different twists of events at school leave her having responsibilities that she would rather not have, and making the situation worse, her crush caught one glimpse of her step-sister and was instantly interested.

I would love to read the second book Geek Abroad when she goes to visit her mom in England since I always love travel books and to continue getting glimpses into Miranda's life.

I am even more excited to read the same author's adult books under a different name. I had heard the titles before, but I never realized it was the same author until I was looking at her site. I appreciate when authors writing for different age groups use different names in order to better market toward their intended audience.

Breathing

I have been plowing through my never-ending to read pile this last week. After spending a lot of time on professional reading, it has been fun to escape away with some middle grades/YA lit. I was so glad to get swept up into Savannah's world in Cheryl Renée Herbsman's Breathing. I quickly warmed up to Savannah's southern dialect, but when Jackson broke out his, visions of Court Foster came rushing in. And who can resist a romance with someone like that?

When Savannah meets Jackson her summer takes a turn for the better. However, she also battles with asthma that gets especially worse when she gets too emotional, and she is geared up for a roller coaster summer - the excitement of starting a new relationship and the heartbreak of having him move away. Throughout the book Savannah teeters on losing herself and her dreams in order to hold on tight to Jackson. As the fly cover says, "Savannah has to learn to breathe on her own, both literally and figuratively." The book had a lot of fun surprises in store, and I would love to see another book with Savannah to see where her life's adventures take her after the ending.

As an educator, I noticed the book is full of teachable moments. I have also been noticing that a lot of authors have really fun websites lately, including Herbsman's.

Wintergirls

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson had the same effect on me as the other three of her books that I have read - it quickly pulled me in. Halse's amazing writing talent depicted Lia's struggle with self-destructive behavior well.

The chapters of the book were presented in a scale format, giving us the sense of how Lia was always obsessed with the number on her scale. They blended from one to the other rather than having the traditional new chapter starting on a new page. As a reader I found it unbelievable to get so caught up into the initial instinct to be on the protagonists side that I sometimes had to remind myself that her parents were not the "bad guys".

Reading Wintergirls right after Jane in Bloom did end up being an interesting combination. Lia gave me insights into the motivations of Jane's sister that were so hard to comprehend while I read it since that mindset is so unfamiliar to me. Of course since I had already read from Jane's perspective, I could understand how horrible it must have been for Emma (Lia's step-sister).

Jane in Bloom

Last night I started Jane in Bloom by Deborah Lytton and was happy that it was summer so I could stay up until I finished it. It was another one of the books that I was excited to read ever since I first looked at the Class of 2k9 site back in December. It met up to my expectations, and I will proudly book talk it to my middle schoolers. Great books are one reason to be excited for the end of summer and the start of a new school year.

Jane's twelfth birthday ends up being a disappointment when she does not get her long awaited earrings and the focus is shifted to her older sister who is struggling with an eating disorder. Jane quickly realizes that she would rather deal with her sister's drama than not have her sister at all. However, Jane has to learn to grieve her sister and navigate through the new family dynamics.

Lytton did an excellent job portraying Jane's emotions and weaving in a story of growth and sense of self, as well as showing the unique bond between the sisters. Coincidentally, this morning I just started Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. So far it is an interesting match up, going from the sister of someone with an eating disorder to the perspective of the teenager battling with the disorder.

Also Known As Harper

Ann Haywood Leal's Also Known as Harper is a timely tale in times of economic crisis. The heartwarming story narrates Harper's life as it is unraveling. Her family no longer has a stable home and her mom has asked her to do the unthinkable, stay home from school to watch her younger brother. Throughout the short span of days that the book encompasses Harper learns a lot about herself and life, as well as revealing multiple layers of her family's history.

I also have a soft spot for books that reference famous literary works, as this one does with To Kill a Mockingbird. The comments about it in this book will provide scaffolding for students one day when they read the book and will provide additional motivation before even picking it up. I am excited to have this addition to my classroom library.

Crash Into Me

Pure brilliance. Crash into Me by Albert Borris is an unforgettable book. Borris' experience working with teens is apparent as he weaves together the complicated stories of four teens on the verge of committing suicide who decided to go on a road trip visiting celebrity suicide memorials before killing themselves at the end of the trip.

Last night as I was reading and about mid-way through the book I thought I would just read to the end of the chapter. Then as I skimmed to see how much longer I had to go it hit me that the book did not have any chapters. This was a stylistic decision that worked well. There were divisions where the text was broken up but no official chapters.

The style of the book built the tension nicely. I noticed Ellen Hopkins' quote on the back of the book saying, "But will their cross-country odyssey push them all the way over? Only the final page turn will tell in Albert Borris's finely crafted tale of friendship forged from a desperate need of connection." I was set up for the emotional roller coaster the book would take me on, watching the four teens sift through their emotions and form bonds with each other throughout the book. I was hoping for a happy ending, but knowing this might be one of the books that could end either way. Even the front cover is ominous. I always loved the cover, but then when I was part way into the book I thought about how their eyes were shut and that it could be foreshadowing that they do die at the end or finally find peace. Many different aspects in style and plot made for a suspenseful book.

Elena

Elena by Diane Stanley had a lot of common themes as Esperanza Rising. Both books talk about wealthy girls from Mexico who suffer tragedies during the time frame of the Mexican Revolution and then end up coming to the United States. Esperanza and Elena are two strong characters who overcome their challenges and set a good example for their families. Elena is a very short chapter book, only three chapters, so there is potential to have students at different reading levels read the two books and discuss them.

I also appreciated the author's notes showing how she took a true story and twisted it into fiction, similar to Muñoz Ryan's comments at the end of Esperanza Rising. Both author notes are excellent insights for students exploring with writing.

Lucy Silag Q&A

Recently Lucy Silag, author of Beautiful Americans, was able to participate in a Q&A. I enjoyed getting to know more about the author of such a fun book (with a second one coming that I can't wait to read).

On your blog you mentioned living in Paris while writing sequels to Beautiful Americans. Did you live in Paris while writing Beautiful Americans as well? If so, did you move to Paris to research for the books or did you go first and then get your inspiration to write?

I was still working full time as a publicist in New York when I was writing Beautiful Americans, so I didn't live in Paris but rather drew upon a few visits I had made there in college. Then right before I sent the book out to publishers I took a trip to fact check some of the things in the book. Then when the series got picked up by Razorbill, I decided that I wanted to write full time and thought where better to write two books about Paris than in the city itself? Living there, even for just a short time, gives me so many new ideas I never would have gotten from afar.

As you were writing Beautiful Americans, did you have a favorite character or sub-plot that you enjoyed writing the most?

I don't know that I have a favorite character, but I love writing dialogue between Alex and Zack. I also get really wrapped up in PJ's haunted past . . . I love getting to bring out that dark side of the story.

It sounds like you have had a chance to travel a lot. Do you have a favorite destination?

I am absolutely addicted to and obsessed with travel. It is kind of ridiculous. My favorite city in the world in Paris, but some other places I've loved are Budapest (that was where *I* studied abroad), Berlin, Nashville, Jaipur (in India), Fiji, and Greece. Honestly, there's nowhere I wouldn't be interested in seeing.

I teach middle school language arts. Do you have any writing advice for my students?

Just do it! The hardest part of writing is getting started, I find. I'll procrastinate, checking emails, or running errands, or whatever, knowing I have a lot of work to do, but then once I get started I'll get a momentum and start having a great time. With young students just beginning to find their own writing style, I'd say write as much as you can, and read as much as you can, too. It takes time for your distinctive voice to emerge, but that will never happen if you don't actually sit down and do it.

We are in a dual immersion school. What are your tips on integrating multiple languages into your writing? I loved the French in Beautiful Americans (even though I don't know French).

Thank you! Some people hate it, but I can't imagine writing a book about France without any French words. I try to use a lot of French words that are either somewhat familiar to non-French speakers (Bonjour, Au revoir, oui, tres belle, etc) or kind of repeat back in the answer in English to explicate a French question. I took a bunch of French classes while writing this book, and I want to put them to good use!

Twilight: The Graphic Novel

This morning at Maw Books Blog I was excited to see a post about a graphic novel version of Twilight. Over at Stephenie Meyer's site I saw that Seth posted about it yesterday as well. It will be fun to see how this project turns out.

Read more information about the project here.

Beautiful Americans Giveaway

Congratulations to Summer, winner of my first monthly giveaway. I am excited to see what you think of Beautiful Americans. Personally, I can't wait for the second book, Wanderlust, to be out later this year.

Email me at mrsvsreviews@gmail.com to let me know where I can send you the book!

Midnight Sun (partial draft)

Last December when I started reading the Twilight Series, I could not get enough. As soon as I finished Twilight I went on Amazon and ordered the rest of the books in the series. Then when I was looking on Stephenie Meyer's blog I was overjoyed to see that she was working on Midnight Sun, Twilight through Edward's perspective. However, my excitement came crashing to a halt as I continued reading the updates about the project and realized that it was on hold because someone had leaked a partial draft on the Internet, changing Meyer's plans to continue.

While she made the version available on the bottom of her last post I restrained myself from reading it. It was not the way she had intended her readers to see it--a partial, working draft. I also knew that it would be hard to start reading, knowing that it was not complete. I kept on hoping that she would later announce that she decided to continue, but so far there have not been any updates. (Hopefully she is working on it and will one day she will announce the surprise that it is ready for release.)

I finally broke down and decided to read the partial draft, and it is good. As expected, it left me wanting to have the full copy. As a reader, I always love multiple perspectives and Edward's version of the story gave so many more details that we were not able to fully see through Bella's version. I imagine that Meyer was really enjoying using her creativity to develop this side of the story. As a teacher, the completed draft would provide great teaching points in perspective and an even higher (if you can imagine) buzz of reading energy than is already very apparent from the Twilight books.

If Meyer does decide to continue with the project I am sure there will be many fans bursting with excitement and ready to buy a copy. I have a student who has read each of the books in the series multiple times (and when I say multiple I mean 6-12 times or more, not just a few). If the series has captivated readers so much then clearly they would be ecstatic to read Midnight Sun giving more insight into Edward.

In the meantime, I can hardly wait for New Moon to be released. We recently had a family reunion and finally convinced the last of the four sisters to read the book. There is a chance that we might all be together again in November when the movie comes out and we all thought about how it would be fun to see it for the first time together.

July Book Giveaways

Simply Megan has a list of July Giveaways on her blog. I will have to remember to check back to her monthly giveaway lists since this month had so many great ones. I entered the following:

A Sweet Disorder over at The Book Girl Reviews. She also has a giveaway for Waiting for You right now. I have seen this book a lot and really want to get a copy.

Reading Keeps You Sane is giving away Sarah Dessen's Along for the Ride. I have heard so many good things about Sarah Dessen's books. I have Just Listen in my TBR pile, and I would love to get more of her books.

The rest looked great as well, but I already owned some of them.

Albert Borris

I am so excited that my pre-ordered copy of Albert Borris' Crash in to Me will arrive any day now! It was one of the books that caught my attention from the first time I looked at the Class of 2k9 site back in December. Not only do I love the cover, but I have also been enjoying all of the books from MTV publishing that I have read. Now the release date has finally come!

I was saddened to see on the Class of 2k9's blog that Albert suffered a stroke back in December. His wife just did an interview for the blog talking about his recovery.

Romiette and Julio

I have always loved anything having to do with Romeo and Juliet since reading it in high school (as well as any other Shakespeare play that I have read). My freshman year of college I even wrote a paper for one of my classes analyzing how Shakespeare's influence shows up so much in current texts and movies. I could not resist reading Sharon Draper's Romiette and Julio. It is a great text to pair with Simone Ekeles' Perfect Chemistry that I read earlier this year.

Once again I enjoyed Draper's style of writing and the way that she incorporates different medias to narrate the story, such as third person narration, news dialogues, dreams, journals, and chat logs. Any play on Romeo and Juliet instantly adds a heightened anticipation for the ending from the start. It was gut wrenching to see the tension build between the teen couple and one of the dominant gangs at their school who did not like seeing a multi-racial couple. Draper utilized her writing craft to have the third person narration to shift away from the teens at the pique of the action, building even more tension. I could not read fast enough to see if Draper would follow the traditional Shakespearean tragic ending or to go for the happy ending.

I also liked that throughout the book there were mentions to Shakespeare's play and how there were coincidences between the teens and the play. It would have been a little odd to have such a similar story between characters with names that even matched up to the original couple without an awareness of the well-known play.

Screwball

While many girls would enjoy Screwball, girls interested in softball will especially love Keri Mikulski's Ashley Clarke novels. T-ball was my first organized sport and one that I followed (leading into regular little league and softball of course) all throughout my elementary years. Aside from one season of intramural softball in college, it has been many years since I have been involved in the sport, but I still enjoyed remembering back to my experiences while reading the book. Mikulski even creatively divided her chapters into innings that correlate to months in Ashley's freshman year.

Aside from the softball aspect, there are many themes common to teenage girls that would be easy for readers to relate to, such as balancing first romances with other aspects of their life and not giving up who they are just for their first boyfriend. Ashley also has to deal with plenty of girl drama.

Screwball was a fun read for the summer, and those who read it will be excited to see that the second book, Change Up will be released soon.

Mrs. V's Monthly Giveaway

The blogging world has sparked my interest for YA novels. What started out as reading books for my classroom library, ended up as many books in my to read list that are not necessarily appropriate for my middle school students. I have been setting such books aside for someday when I just may need a high school YA library. However, it is hard to have these excellent books sitting on my shelf knowing they are too great to not share. Instead of storing them away, here is what I decided to do -- have a monthly YA giveaway. All of the books will be ones that I read and loved, but feel are more appropriate for an older YA audience than my students.

I will give away a book on the 15th of every month. Entries must be in by 12:00 a.m. MT on the 15th, so that I can announce the winner. In order to be considered, you can:

- Leave a comment on this post
- Blog about the giveaways on your blog
- Look around on my site and leave a comment on another post

***You will also get three extra entries if you create and submit a button that I could use for my monthly giveaways.

Just let me know what you have done, and your name will be entered once for each of the options that you do.

For my first monthly giveaway I decided to pass on my hardcover copy of Beautiful Americans by Lucy Silag. The winner will have a chance to catch glimpses of Paris through the eyes of four teenagers from the US on exchange to France. Once you read it I am sure you will be anxiously awaiting the second book in the Beautiful Americans series, Wanderlust.

Read My Lips

This weekend as I packed for a reading during a weekend at my parents, I pulled Teri Brown's Read My Lips from the middle of my to read stack. I have always enjoyed the idea of the rise to popularity and whether or not it is all worth it if you have to give up a part of who you really are. I loved the unique part of this story that Serena's road to popularity is facilitated by her ability to read lips, giving the in crowd loads of gossip they would never find out otherwise. To make it even better, there was plenty of romance in the book. Brown's debut novel was a hit, and I was glad that I chose it this weekend.

Teri Brown also has a fun website.