Monday, February 16, 2015

Three Girls, Three Books, Three Very Different Lives

I've been a reading machine lately (yes, it has to do with setting a goal for the year and this year I VOW to make it!).  This is going to be a tri-review of three great books girls may love, relate to, or know someone who is going through these situations.  All of the books are different and all have a large dose of hope.

Backlash by Sarah Darer Littman
Scholastic 2015, on-sale date 03/01/2015

Lara and Bree are sisters.
Bree knows her older sister gets all the attention, but the kind she's receiving isn't something Bree will ever want to have.  Her parents are hovering over the hospital bed, hoping Lara's attempt at suicide doesn't take her life...

Lara and Sydney were friends.
But high school changed that when Lara lost weight and became cheerleader.  Sydney feels used, but more than that, she's no longer in the spotlight.  But that's okay...she's got something up her sleeve just dying to come out.  All for Bree...

Sydney and Liam are brother and sister.
Liam doesn't know why Sydney has to be so involved in other people's lives, especially her obsession with Bree.  They used to hang out all of the time in the treehouse, where only a fence separated the families.  Not anymore.  Liam misses Bree the most and hopes they can start to hang out soon, even if their sisters don't anymore...

Lara and Christian, status unknown
They met on Facebook and Lara can't believe her luck.  He's handsome, cute and knows her so well.  They've been chatting for awhile and things are getting more personal.  She's hoping he'll invite her to his school's big dance.  She can't wait to meet him...

One is a liar, One is a lie; One is a defender, One is a protector.  All of their lives are about to change...  Recommended for JH/HS





Better Than Perfect by Melissa Kantor.
Harper Teen, 2015 expected pub date 02/17/2015

Juliet Newman has two big goals she's working on.
Goal number one: make the perfect 2400 SAT
Goal number two: early decision into Harvard

But those are difficult to do after her parents divorce.  Her mom, always put together and totally supportive of Juliet's schedule and life, lays in bed most of the time with her pill bottles lined up on the bedside table.  Her father, always the handsome, well-dressed businessman, lives in Manhattan now where there is hardly any contact.

But that's okay because Juliet has the love of her life, Jason. They've been dating for four years and are both hoping for Harvard early decision together.  They just sync and Jason has been Juliet's rock through her parents' divorce.

Juliet has no idea that her life is about to be far from perfect....her mother is now in ICU from a drug overdose and this one incident creates a tailspin in Juliet's orderly life.  While trying to understand this devastating situation and how it will impact her, she literally bumps into Declan, a new student and amazing singer in a band.

Juliet must navigate through her now messy life and ask the hard questions:  What does she really want, and what does she really need?  She is in control of all of her relationships, including the ones with her parents, but will she make the right decisions? Cans her life be better than perfect? Recommended for HS




Kiss of Broken Glass by Madeleine Kuderick
HarperTeen, 2014

Kenna has been Baker Acted, which means she has to spend 72 hours in a mental facility because she was caught.  Kenna knows the witch who narc'ed on her just wants her out of her best friend Rennie's life, out of The Sisters of the Broken Glass...

Now, Kenna has to face reality.  Her parents are going to know what happened and freak out.  Her perfect step-sister will only shine more, and her little brother Sean, so innocent to the situation...

Kenna knows she's not like the other patients who are here. There's Donya with the multi-colored hair and a penchant to deviate from normal; Skylar who's as tiny and fragile as a robin; and Jag, whose relationship with his father is rocky, at best.  At group, they talk about addiction, about goals to keep, about alternatives.  Kenna has learned which are the answers she needs to give, even if they aren't the truth.  Because she doesn't have an addiction...



"Elbow on the sink.
Right hand trembling."

"Lungs are feeling tight.
Heart is thumping hard.
Rennie's words are swirling in my head.

Just one cut to feel alive..."

What happens after 72 hours are over?  Recommended for JH/HS




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