Customer Comments

Natalie has come a long way to get to senior year in Palmetto. She's changed her looks and taken on a new background. Now all she has to do is win Palmetto Princess and she'll finally feel accepted. She has the perfect boyfriend and the best connections. There's only one person who can mess things up for her and that's Natalie herself. Betrayal starts out strong - I love Natalie's snarky voice. She's on the top and she knows it. She makes the rounds of the school, touching base with all the right groups ensuring that she and Mike will be Princess and Prince this year. We meet Justin (JB) while Natalie's on her rounds and we get the first hint that Natalie is not what we think. As the story goes on though it morphs into more of the rich, high school soap antics type book we know so well. The way Natalie decides to callously cover up her mistake just bored me. The more I found out about her the less interested I was in her story. I also felt there were too many pieces thrown in that weren't necessary to the story - Natalie's dad, Double D threatening Natalie, the whorish ways of the sophomore girls... I thought the ending was a copout also. What ever happened to Baxter and OP? Since a man can't change are we to assume Natalie couldn't change either? For me, this book will only be purchased by request, so I give it 1 copy. I usually have a few students or teachers in mind when making a purchase and I couldn't think of any that might want to read this. But, I admit, these types of books are not my faves. I may have had a bias going in...

If I could go higher than 5 I would. I thought The Help had great voice. I could see the three main characters in my head. I loved the way Stockett introduced history without overwhelming the story. This book works for Young Adults and adults alike.

Although I think the Camp Club Girls idea has potential there were too many coincidences used to move the plot ahead. The girls all immediately became friends and one of them had a backpack full of spy equipment. The dog they found was never discovered by anyone else even though he howled and messed up their room. The girls were even able to catch their arch-nemesis crying over people expecting her to be perfect because her father's a minister. ( As a preacher's kid myself, I don't feel that was the entirely realistic.) The girls were able to sneak around the camp without getting caught and found every piece of evidence they needed. I also felt the scriptures were inserted into the story instead of being a part of the story. All said, I give it 0 copies. Now, I'm hoping it was just this particular book that has issues. This is a planned 24-book series with a variety of authors. I'll be reading Sydney's DC Discovery in the hopes that the series improves.

Meet Finn. He's slowly fading. His hair is getting whiter. His skin is paler. And he doesn't want to go to school or see people or do any of the things he used to do before The Terrible Day That Changed Everything. Finn has this thing for name meanings. Findlay stands for "fair hero". Finn doesn't feel like a hero, he feels like a failure. He wasn't able to stop The Terrible Day That Changed Everything. Maybe that's why he's disappearing. So in a combination present-day journal/everyday story Finn tells us about his life now and then. That's really all I can tell you because the story depends on you reading it. Finn talks to you. He shares with you. He waits for you. He wants to tell you about his family and his hopefully one day soon girlfriend but right now best friend Meli. The Last Invisible Boy is sad and hopeful and beautiful. There were so many lines to write down and remember: p. 5 - I'm vanishing in bits and pieces, like a disease that will not kill me but will erase me. p. 36 - I love happy endings. I just wish there were more of them. p. 44 - Most people think that Meli is my girlfriend, probably because I tell them she's my girlfriend... p. 95 - Here's something I know. I'd give the whole world...for one more visit with my dad... It's just so simple and moving. You should read it. Go ahead. I'll be here when you get back.

Kimberly Cameron, aka Skim, is a high school student trying to make sense of what's happening this year. She thinks she wants to be Wiccan so she visits a "circle" with her friend Lisa. She feels like an outcast and the only person who understands her is Ms. Archer, whom everyone else feels is weird. Lisa and Ms. Archer help Skim get through the year, each in her own way. I thought Skim was enjoyable and felt the writing and pictures went well together. Due to mature themes, I would recommend this one for high school and above.

Joyce and Gina are best friends ending their junior year of high school. They are determined to make this summer one of transformation. They want to look better, prettier, to stand out and be noticed. When they go back to school in the fall, they want people to say Wow. Who wouldn’t want that? What steps are you willing to take to be “pretty”? Joyce’s Aunt Gomo offers her the chance of a lifetime. She will pay for Joyce to get her eyes done. Get her eyes done? Will that work? Is that all she needs to be beautiful? Joyce has a decision to make. Will the surgery get her what she wants? The Fold follows Joyce on her quest for popularity. She has to decide how far she wants to go to get what she wants. Although this story has a great premise, it is predictable and slow-moving. Joyce’s obsession with John Ford Kang is unrealistic based on what he writes in her yearbook. Her loathing of her sister Helen is selfish and has no basis and knowing what we do about Gomo – leads us to the conclusion long before we get there.

Spanking Shakespeare alternates between laugh out loud hilarty and heart-holding somberness. The format was inspired: alternating between Shakespeare's "memoir" and Jake's book. You felt as if you were getting an inside look at the whys and wherefores of Shakespeare and his family. I also loved the main character and his brother's names: Shakespeare and Ghandi. Funny, funny stuff. Check out Jake Wizner's website and create your own obituary! www.jakewizner.com

Coe Booth nailed the problems of poverty. How do you NOT sell drugs when your family is almost homeless? What do you do when your mother isn't taking care of you? What about your girlfriend/boyfriend? Will they still love you when you have less to offer? Does it matter if you go to school? This book was a fast, easy, and realistic read. Coe Booth painted a picture that I won't soon forget. I can't wait to read her next book!