Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick

Amber Appleton is a lot of things, to a lot of people. At school, she is the leader of the Franks Freak Force Five: a group of misfits thrown together who became fast friends, and manage to survive high school by hiding out in Mr. Franks Marketing Class. She is the staunch defender of the weak, and proud of her friends.

After school, she becomes an honorary KDFC (Korean Diva for Christ) at St. Dymphna's. In an effort to teach Korean immigrants English, she has resorted to using soul music. The ladies in her group use their Korean-English dictionaries to translate The Supremes Complete Songbook, and every week they come back for more.

At the Methodist Home, she's the Princess of Hope as she battles Joan of Old to cheer up everyone in the place. Joan comes at her with every nasty, pessimistic, depressing thing she's got (Nietzsche is a favorite), but every week Amber still manages to make her smile. The battles give the old folks something to look forward to, something to believe in.

At Donna and Ricky's, she's a constant companion and cook: keeping Ricky company after school, coming over early to cook breakfast, and staying later to cook dinner. Even though Donna insists she doesn't have to, Amber loves cooking for them, and feels like it's a small thing to repay all they do for her.

For Private Jackson, she is a pen pal, a companion, and a haiku writer.

At home, she's the proud owner of Bobby Big Boy, a mangy mutt she found abandonded and half-starved. She nursed him back to health, and they've been together ever since.

For the last several months, Amber and her mom have been living in Hello Yellow, the school bus her mom drives. She knows that things are starting to get desperate, but she won't let it get her down...until the unthinkable happens. What becomes of the princess when she loses her hope?

Written in a catchy style that teens will like, Quick captures a spirit and an idea. We all have a breaking point; how do we move on? Amber is a great character, and really fun to read about - I liked watching her succeed (oh c'mon, it's not like you really believed she wouldn't overcome in the end).

"'Here's a little secret between old friends,' Donna says, and then bends down to whisper into my ear. 'Most people-even adults, even grown men-are like teenage boys, only they pretend they are not.' Donna stands up and winks at me. 'People like you and me need to tell them what to do, so that the world won't get too messed up. They want you to give them instructions. They need you to do this. And you know what needs to be done, because you have a good heart-and you have courage. I've seen your good heart at work time and time again over the years. You're all good. One hundred percent. So trust your instincts, and speak your mind tonight. Be brave,'" (Quick pg. 69, 2010).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick August 2013
Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Quick, Matthew. (2010). Sorta Like a Rock Star: A novel. New York: Little, Brown.

Quick, M., Holloway, C., & Listening Library. (2010). Sorta Like a Rock Star: A novel. [sound recording]. New York, N.Y: Listening Library.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

It's 1938. Maddie, is enchanted by the new planes. Being mechanically minded, she hangs about at the local air field. It's there that she first meets Dympna - the first female pilot she's ever met. After that, every Saturday is spent at the Aerodrome. In October of that year, the Civil Air Guard is formed, offering free flight training to those who qualify! It doesn't hurt her chances that everyone knows her, and soon enough, she is flying solo. In a year, she has her pilot's license. Then the war hits, and all civilian flights are grounded.

Enlisting in the Women's Auxilary Air Force (WAAFs), soon Maddie's an Aircraftwoman, directing traffic and coaxing planes down to the runway. It's there that she first meets Queenie, the only German speaker on base. A German pilot sends out a distress signal asking for directions to land, mistaking his location. With Queenie translating Maddie's instructions into German, the two manage to get the enemy bomber on the ground after dumping his remaining ammunition, where he is remanded into custody. They are fast friends.

Interspersed with the story of their meeting, the writer of this account shares with us her situation: she has been captured by Nazi agents and tortured for information. Against her better judgment, she is sharing this true account of airfields and plane models. Along with the codes to the 11 radios found in her wrecked plane. She knows that when her account comes to an end, they will kill her. No one escapes from the Nazis.

Maddie eventually makes it to the ATA (Air Transport Auxilary), and begins transporting planes all over Britain. Even to a secret location. One night, a familiar face surprises her. Queenie! Could it be? She, too, is involved with the Secret Ops? "Careless talk costs lives," is all she will say. Then it's that fateful night, when they are paired together for an unauthorized mission to France, and everything goes all wrong. They are separated, and then Queenie disappears. Maddie fears the worst - she could be dead, or worse, captured.

Part two: Maddie's side of the story. After their crash, she's stuck in France with no ID, living in fear. There's no official word for when they'll be able to get her back home, and still nothing about Queenie. The Resistance may be on their side, but she'd prefer they kept their hands to themselves! To say nothing of her bed, if you can call it that, in a crawlspace under the eaves. What is to become of a grounded pilot, and a captured spy?

Masterfully written, and suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat, this historical espionage novel is cleverly disguised as a tale of two girls meeting and becoming the best of friends. I can't wait to read the companion novel! This author will be on my radar. It won the Prinz Honor for 2012.

"It's awful, telling it like this, isn't it? As though we didn't know the ending. As though it could have another ending. It's like watching Romeo drink poison. Every time you see it you get fooled into thinking his girlfriend might wake up and stop him. Every single time you see it you want to shout, 'You stupid ass, just wait a minute,' and she'll open her eyes! 'Oi, you, you twat, open your eyes, wake up! Don't die this time!' But they always do.
I wonder how many piles of paper like mine are lying around Europe, the only testament to our silenced voices, buried in filing cabinets and steamer trunks and cardboard boxes as we disappear-as we vanish into the night and the fog?" (Wein 174, 2012).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein (Companion to Verity) Sept. 2013
Violins of Autumn by Amy McAuley
A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper (The Montmaray Journals)

Wein, Elizabeth. (2012). Code Name Verity. New York: Hyperion.

Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo

Amelia has angst. She's 15 and in love with a 21 year old. He's everything she's ever wanted...funny, cute, smart, deep, clever, goes to uni, thinks she's interesting. There's only one problem: he's 21. She knows that it's impossible, that he'll never look at her the way he looks at Kathy, the 22 year-old who attends the same uni as Chris, and is pretty, uninterested, and the subject of an on-again-off-again crush known as "the Kathy virus."

What's the use? So she enjoys the time she has with him. She treasures the moments they get to talk at the registers, rejoices every time he stays after his shift to help her with her homework, or invites her out after work. Amelia pines away for the boy she will never have, falling hard.

Chris has his own issues: he's focusing on Kathy to try and push Michaela out of his head. That entire situation was too messed up to even mention, except when he's too lubricated to use good sense, and his true emotions come out onto the page in waves of bitterness only too easy to relate to, and maybe a little to close to home at times. Amelia figures into his story in flashes, bits and pieces here and there. In his Search for the Perfect Woman, however, she doesn't make the cut. Let's face it, he's desperate, but not that desperate.

As time passes, these two come into closer orbit, sharing stories, and life views. They begin to connect in a way that even he recognizes as meaningful. It doesn't change the circumstances, or the fact that she's a high schooler on her way up. He's about to finish uni and still in some kind of holding pattern, with no real direction for his life. They are in different places, this can't possibly happen.

Then there is that horrible night when she is so drunk, and that other boy from checkout comes on to her. It's just a kiss, what's the big deal. Amelia didn't know Chris could be such a dick! Teasing her mercilessly, calling her out in front of everyone - why does he even care? Does he care? Feelings are so complicated...

The story flips back and forth between diary-style narratives, letting each tell their side. Buzo accurately captures both ages and voices very well. It was a love story, but not the kind you see on TV. It was so authentic. I will look for more by this Aussie author. Her prose is refreshingly real.

"I just got back from a thoroughly enjoyable evening in the company of Amelia, whose cult following is gaining momentum. If I were less of a prick, I might feel a bit guilty about the way I've been torturing her this week. But I think we all learned something. I took her for pizza after work and let her drink Big Girl drinks. I know, I know, but if I don't lead her astray, who will?
Somehow I ended up telling Amelia about Michaela. I really must have forgotten that she is a youngster and should be treated as such. Being the gentleman I am, I walked her home. When we got to her house, she peeked through the front curtains before letting herself in. That's what reminded me of Sophie from The BFG.
I really like talking to her. I like how she turns everything over and over in her mind, and that she doesn't censor herself. Being with her is easy. I seem to laugh....
1 a.m.
If she were even just two years older, she'd be leading the Field," (Buzo pg. 116, 2010).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:

Holier Than Thou by Laura Buzo (currently only available in Australia)
Not Exactly a Love Story by Audrey Couloumbis
Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman
How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

Buzo, Laura. (2012). Love and Other Perishable Items. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

We Were Here by Matt de la Peña

Miguel arrives at the group home after spending time in juvy with no expectations. The first thing he does is get in a fight with one of the other boys living there. That night he wakes up with that crazy Chinese kid Mong watching him sleep. The next few weeks he steers clear of everyone else, and sticks to himself. There isn't any point, right? He's alone wherever he goes. After what happened, there's no hope for him. He'll just serve his time, write in this stupid journal the judge ordered him to keep, read any book he can get his hands on, and hopefully this year will be over soon.

When they want him to call his moms, he makes a pact. Miguel knows she doesn't want to talk to him, so he's going to call some other number and pretend to talk to her. The look in her eye when they came to take him to juvy was almost like relief.

When his bunkmate from juvy shows up at the Lighthouse, he can't believe his rotten luck. Rondell gets put in his room again. The guy is huge, like you can't even believe. If Miguel was scared of anything anymore, he might even be scared of him... Jaden, their group supervisor, plays all like he's everybody's friend. Pretty funny coming from one of the only white boys in the place.

When Mong comes to him and tells him about his plan to break out, Rondell overhears. Without really even thinking it through, the three of them are on the road to Mexico. Mong's got a plan all in place. Miguel swipes almost $800 from the Lighthouse to get them some money to survive on. He feels mad guilty about that, but it is what it is. The plan is to get to Mexico and become fisherman. Miguel can get behind that, his family is from Mexico. Hell, his gramps snuck across the border.

On their way down the coast, the boys build a tentative friendship as they sleep out on beaches and snarf tacos. One night, Mong takes them to his childhood summer home, where his dad would bring him as a kid. Miguel swiped more than just money from the Lighthouse, and he knows what happened to Mong's family. He knows how Rondell ended up where he is too. It makes what comes next both easier and harder to accept.

What do a grip of teenage group home kids, on the run with no place to go, have going for them? Maybe each other. Maybe a whole lot more. It's a touching story of hard knocks, real life, and second chances. Well written, de la Peña captures the voice of a tough teen of the streets in a heart-felt way. Highly recommended, especially for high school boys.

"I read the first twenty-something pages, and right off I knew why it was so popular. It was the way the kid, Holden, talked about stuff. And how he seemed so honest about everything that was going through his head. The only thing I wonder about sometimes, though is why some rich kids like him complain about their lives so much. I know everybody's situation is hard in its own way, but when you look at a kid like Mong or Rondell, when you read their files and think about how they never even say a word about it, they just deal, and then you start reading about some prep school kid like Holden, and how the whole time he keeps complaining and complaining...I don't know, I just think about that sometimes," (de la Peña pg. 143, 2009).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:

Mexican White Boy by Matt de la Pena
Tyrell by Coe Booth
Muchacho by Louanne Johnson

de la Peña, Matt. (2009). We were here. New York: Delacorte Press.

All You Get Is Me by Yvonne Prinz

Roar isn't looking forward to a summer full of farm-girl chores. She didn't ask for this life, she didn't ask to be uprooted from the city and plopped down out in the boonies to start over. This was all her dad's idea: they were going to be organic farmers, and get a fresh start. Roar was willing to admit they needed one after her mom disappeared, and left no forwarding address. They both needed a change.

She agreed to move to po-dunk middle-of-nowhere, and taking care of ungrateful chickens. In exchange, he builds her a dark room. Roar has practically been attached to her camera since she was six years old. She has made at least one really good friend in Storm, and the summer is shaping up to be pretty okay.

They're on their way to market one day, and some woman is riding their bumper, but on a one lane road, there isn't much they can do. Things go into slow motion when she attempts to pass them, pauses to flip them off, and plows head first into oncoming traffic. The woman herself seems fine, but the car she hit isn't so lucky. The driver of the other car is an illegal woman named Sylvia, and she doesn't make it. In the passenger seat is her baby, Rosa. Roar's dad asks her to photograph the scene, and she knows what's coming. He's going to make this into one of his causes.

As much as she knows that he's trying to do the right thing, she also knows that stirring up this kind of trouble is never easy. Roar also knows that the rest of the town won't appreciate this. The person she never expects to feel sympathy for is the driver's son, Forest, who shows up at their market stand that weekend gazing at her with those sea green eyes. He unsettles her, she doesn't quite know what to think.

Should Roar even give Forest the time of day? Should she tell her dad to drop the lawsuit before the town takes it out on them? How do you know what the right thing to do is when there's no one there to tell you?

"I suppose that the reson I like taking photos of these girls is that I'm drawn to the idea of transformation, the idea of changing who you are. The appealing thing about putting on makeup and fancy clothes is that you get to be someone else for a while. I learned that from my mom. She was always transforming herself into someone else. Her ultimate transformation was becoming someone who wasn't a mother anymore. At least not mine," (Prinz pg. 147, 2011).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:

The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz
Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers
Exposed by Kimberly Marcus
Flash Burnout by L.K.Madigan

Prinz, Yvonne. (2011). All You Get is Me. New York: Harper Teen.

XVI by Julia Karr

Nina's best friend Sandy may be excited to turn 16, and get her required tattoo that let's the world know she's officially legal to have sex...but Nina dreads it. Ginnie,her mother, always warned her to think for herself. She knows that Media twists the truth, and she fears what boys will do if she isn't willing to comply. Nina doesn't want to become a sex-teen. No thanks! She's seen first hand how getting pregnant can keep you tethered to someone. Just look at Ginnie and Ed, her younger sister Dee's father. He's already married but he still hangs around. Mostly to beat up on Ginnie. A fact that baffles Nina even more: that Ginnie stays with him.

Nina just wants to focus on moving up. Not with FeLS though-Female Liason Specialists-becoming top tier still isn't enough to make her turn her back on her family and friends for two years. Not to mention what the program actually entails...which includes dozens of girls who never returned. No, Nina wants to be a creative and protect her family. No boys allowed.

When she saves Sal in the park, she thinks he's homeless. Getting lost in his beautiful brown eyes or even running into him again were never on the agenda. When he starts showing up places, and hanging out with her friends, there isn't much she can do to avoid him. It's hard to deny the spark between them, but she has bigger issues.

Her mother...why didn't she call Ginnie "mom" more often? How can she be...gone? Everything is happening so fast. Moving in with her grandparents means moving back to their old school, but it also means dealing with Ed all on her own. Her sister never saw Ed for who he really is, and Nina fears he will want her for a "Cinderella girl" to his own family. She won't let that happen.

Nina befriends Wei, a girl from her new school whose parents also knew her parents when they were kids. As Nina gets to know her better, she learns Wei's family - and maybe hers too - are involved in some pretty dangerous stuff. The secrets keep piling up, and she doesn't know how to keep them all. The deadling of sixteen is looming over everything, getting closer every day. Can Nina survive it all? Can she keep her friends and family safe?

*Library Link*

"Sometimes I wondered if I was some kind of freak myself. Most every girl my age was getting primed for turning sex-teen. I had my reasons for never wanting to have sex. I just didn’t have anyone to talk about them with," (Karr, 2011).

If you liked this, check out:

Truth by Julie Karr (XVI, Book 2)
The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
Matched by Ally Condie

Karr, Julia. (2011). XVI. New York: Speak.

Skinny by Donna Cooner

Ever Davies knows how people feel about her: Skinny tells her. Fat. Ugly. Disgusting. Freak. Pitiful. Skinny is the voice in her head, the only voice of truth in a world of lies. A world that stopped making sense when her mother left her alone when she lost the battle to cancer. Her dad tries, but it's not the same. His new wife is a blonde, perfect, perky, skinny cookie cutter of what she will never be...just like her two step sisters.

Food is the only thing that seems to offer comfort. Food and Rat, her best friend. Everyone else just looks at her like she's a beached whale, and silently judges her, or not so silently. Little do they know there is another voice inside her. Ever can sing. I mean really sing. Not that it means anything. 15 year-old girls who weigh over 300 pounds don't get the lead in the musical. It's just a pipe dream, until the day she'll never forget. The day that changes everything, forever.

She doesn't even know why she agreed to this stupid award in the first place. Her whole M.O. is to be invisible, and sitting on a stage in front of the whole student body is not. Inhale, exhale...just get through this. That's when it happens. The chair she's sitting on. It...it just...I mean...I...suddenly Ever is on the floor filled with the most profound shame of her entire life.

That's when she decides. She's got to make a change, things can't go on this way. With the support of her family and her friend, she's going through with a life changing surgery. If she can follow the rules, this fall she will be a completely different person. Jackson will see her. She will be trying out for the musical. Things will be different. They have to be, right?

This hit home with me in more ways than one. I have a close friend that is going through this process, and it really helped me understand more of what she will experience. I also loved that the author points out that we all have a Skinny inside of us telling us that we aren't good enough, that encourages us to push people away. Working with teens, I see this so often. Change is possible, but real change happens inside too. You have to change your preconceived notions about who you are, and how other perceive you before you can move forward. Ever has to see that people aren't against her before she can grow into the new person she wants to be. (Steps off her soap box.) Highly recommended for fans of issues books, and anyone with low self-esteem. I listened to it on audio, and enjoyed it.

"It's s simple solution, really. Girl loves boy. Boy loves girl. Girl gets fat. Boy leaves. Girl cuts her stomach up into a little bitty pouch to get boy back," (Cooner, 2012).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:

Fat Cat by Robin Brande
Perfect by Natasha Friend
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

Cooner, Donna D. (2012). Skinny. New York: Point.

Cooner, Donna D., & Morton, Elizabeth. (2012). Skinny. New York: Scholastic Audiobooks.