Librarina

12:57pm: Apology...
So, it seems a ton of time has gone by and I still have not updated with a lot of the reviews I need to write... I am going to try to get at least a few done this afternoon. Sorry! I promise I will try to get a better balance going soon. To avoid some of the confusion, I will just be listing the books and audiobooks I have coming up -- no more "current" selection, since that is not exactly accurate with my delays in updating.

Happy Reading!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Audiobook List:
The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
Heat by Mike Lupica
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall

Book List:
Before I Die by Jenny Downham (ARC)
Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer
Sandpiper by Ellen Wittlinger
Love is a Many Trousered Thing by Louise Rennison
Right Behind You by Gail Giles
Thirsty by M.T. Anderson
Big Slick by Eric Luper

1:03pm: The First Part Last
TEEN

Angela Johnson's book about an unintended teen pregnancy is probably the most poignant I've ever read. Alternating between "then" and "now," she takes us through Bobby's transformation from typical teenager to struggling, though devoted, father. While it may be slightly confusing to hear "Bobby then" talking about deciding on adoption and "Bobby now" talking about raising his daughter, the ending will make it clear why he changed his mind. A great story, but definitely one for which you will need a box of tissues handy.

Happy Reading!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Audiobook List:
Heat by Mike Lupica
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall

Book List:
Before I Die by Jenny Downham (ARC)
Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer
Sandpiper by Ellen Wittlinger
Love is a Many Trousered Thing by Louise Rennison
Right Behind You by Gail Giles
Thirsty by M.T. Anderson
Big Slick by Eric Luper

1:09pm: Before I Die
TEEN

Warning: The character in this book has a terminal diagnosis. DO NOT recommend this book to people who want an inspirational/positive book about someone who overcomes their cancer diagnosis!

I received this ARC along with a letter praising Jenny Downham for her amazing story and exclaiming that this manuscript was "fast-tracked" to publication because it was so great. I thought to myself, "Isn't that what all the publishers want you to believe?" Well, after reading the book, I have to admit that I was a little hasty in my judgment. This book WAS amazing in so many different ways. I like Tessa's "honesty" and raw emotion. She has leukemia and knows she has very little time left -- so she compiles a "to do" list. Number one is, quite obviously, sex. What teenager doesn't constantly think about sex in then first place, let alone if they know they will die soon? But to think that this is just a book about a "to do" list would be completely missing the point. Just imagine if you were told that you had only months left to live. What range of emotions would you have to deal with on a daily basis? Would you be able to focus on fun things in the time you have left, or would you be too crushed to even try and get anything more from life? I think anyone who reads this book will come out feeling a little depressed but also a little more alive.

Happy Reading!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Audiobook List:
Heat by Mike Lupica
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall

Book List:
Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer
Sandpiper by Ellen Wittlinger
Love is a Many Trousered Thing by Louise Rennison
Right Behind You by Gail Giles
Thirsty by M.T. Anderson
Big Slick by Eric Luper

1:19pm: Heat
TWEEN

I kept on hearing that Mike Lupica's books were so amazing, but I don't really like sports books, so I kept putting them off. To be a good librarian, nevertheless, I realize (deep down inside) that I need to make an effort to go outside my own "comfort zone" every now and then. After all, I am constantly helping kids who don't want to do their book reports and summer reading assignments, so I can better relate to them if I bite the bullet every now and again too. Well, wasn't I shocked when I realized that I loved this book?!? I mean, I LOVED it!

Michael Arroyo is a 13-year-old Cuban American. He and his brother came over on a boat with their father and now live in New York City; right near Yankee Stadium. Just like many other boys his age, Michael enjoys playing baseball and is on a Little League team. The problem is that he's too good. So good, in fact, that a lot of other teams' coaches think he may not be only 13 years old. And after Danny Almonte was just recently proven to be 14 (too old for Little League), people are not likely to back down. With Michael's father "out of town," and no one in Cuba cooperating in the search for a valid birth certificate, Michael is not sure whether he will be able to help his team in their quest for the Little League World Cup. Curious what happens? Yeah, I thought you might be!

Happy Reading!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Audiobook List:
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall

Book List:
Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer
Sandpiper by Ellen Wittlinger
Love is a Many Trousered Thing by Louise Rennison
Right Behind You by Gail Giles
Thirsty by M.T. Anderson
Big Slick by Eric Luper

1:37pm: Half Moon Investigations
TWEEN

I really like Eoin Colfer's sense of humor. He is just so goofy and silly that I can't help but laugh out loud -- much to my embarrassment when I started this book while waiting to meet someone at the local Target! But, seriously... If you like funny stories, Eoin Colfer is a great author to try. And if you like mystery stories, Half Moon Investigations is an awesome book to read. It all starts when 12-year-old Fletcher Moon poses as his father (he's named Fletcher, too) to study for and graduate from an online detective course. Even though detectives are supposed to stay undetected, Fletcher (a.k.a. "Half Moon") gets found out -- and gets hired to solve a case for one of the popular girls at school. Will the thief just be one of the "usual suspects," or will he really need to use all of the detective skills he garnered online? Find out for yourself when you read the book!

Happy Reading!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Audiobook List:
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall

Book List:
Sandpiper by Ellen Wittlinger
Love is a Many Trousered Thing by Louise Rennison
Right Behind You by Gail Giles
Thirsty by M.T. Anderson
Big Slick by Eric Luper

1:51pm: Sandpiper
TEEN

I first heard of this book because it was featured on the ASIF! blog. I already knew of, and enjoyed, Ellen Wittlinger's book Hard Love, so I figured I would give this book a try.

While I understand that some people object to any mention of sex in a book for people under 18, I think that it is a bit crazy to suggest banning a book in which the character realizes that her early entry into sexual relationships was a huge mistake. Sandpiper, who later takes to calling herself Piper, now knows that she made a mistake when she started having casual oral sex, and she wants to figure out a way to get rid of her bad reputation. Who wouldn't want young people (male or female) to see that this kind of a mistake can cause long-lasting social and emotional damage?

When one of Piper's "ex-boyfriends" gets angry and starts to threaten Piper, and her family, she doesn't know what to do. Her mom is about to get remarried and is, therefore, so stressed that Piper doesn't want to bother her with her own problems. Her father is a womanizer who doesn't know how to deal with Piper's newly "developed" physique, and so she doesn't know how to approach him with this problem either. Her younger sister's own reputation has been tainted by Piper's behavior, so she is not exactly sympathetic to Piper's plight and refuses to believe that the boy in question is really dangerous. Talk about drama! While "real life" may not always be as dramatic as this book, it certainly goes to show that casual sex cannot be simply played off as "no big deal."

Before I get off my soap box, just let me make one final comment to the teens who are likely to say, "Well, that isn't what's gonna happen to me!" ... I realize that this exact scenario may not play out for you, but (to paraphrase Piper's friend Walker): "You're worth more than that."

Happy Reading!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Audiobook List:
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall

Book List:
Love is a Many Trousered Thing by Louise Rennison
Right Behind You by Gail Giles
Thirsty by M.T. Anderson
Big Slick by Eric Luper
Eggs by Jerry Spinelli
Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham