Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I enjoyed this third book in the Perfect Chemistry trilogy but the characterization of Luis Fuentes and Nikki Cruz seemed rushed. I didn't feel the depth of personality that developed slowly but surely with Alex and Brittany and Carlos and Kiera. There were not many adult figures that played a role model type role in the original two books and I would have liked to have seen more development of Officer Reyes instead of all three brothers believing he was trouble with no interest in their mother. Elkeles can still get the heat going with her descriptions of Luis and Nikki's yearnings or spurnings. Teens will enjoy this book, but it just didn't hit the mark of the first two with the human drama, drugs and gangs, it seemed too contrived, but I will be asking my students what they think as well.



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Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher

Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Such a good book, you will love Logan Witherspoon. He is such a great teen, angry, sensitive, and totally ambushed by his long time girlfriend; he is having a very difficult time getting over her cheating on him. Katcher does a great job of showing how very, very small Logan's hometown is, how his single mother's job is taking its toll on her and the stifling smallness of his trailer park home and high school where everyone knows everyone's business. And into this small town community, comes Sage Hendricks, tall and pretty with braces who seems to like Logan immediately (much to his surprise).As Logan and Sage learn more about each other, Logan finds Sage has almost no freedom to date, she was home schooled for much of her high school years. Logan finds himself becoming more and more attracted to Sage despite her limitations, until one kiss changes life for Logan as he knows it. It is then that Sage reveals why it is so important that she have a friend, one who will stand by her and understand her. Sage reveals her big secret--she is a boy. Now Logan has his own reasons for keeping this hideous secret; he doesn't want anyone to know he kissed a boy, he over-reacts and forbids Sage to tell anyone and that he can't be her friend anymore. There is so much about this book that you will love; Logan and Sage are characters you will relate to; they laugh, they cry, they endure. But I even liked Logan's friends, his mom, and his sister, Laura. Katcher definitely deserved to win the Stonewall Award for this book (he definitely gets the transgender issue, but he understands teens, high school and friendship and how important identity is in defining who we are; I highly recommend this for high school teens.



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Saving Audie: A Pit Bull Puppy Gets a Second Chance by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

Saving Audie: A Pit Bull Puppy Gets a Second Chance by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


After I returned from the ISTE Convention in Philadelphia, Vickie Cobb posted "We still believe that books, especially good books about the real world, are important for children. Visit: www.inkthinktank.com and sign up for our FREE database so that teachers can find out how award-winning nonfiction aligns with national standards. Check out INK Link: Authors on Call and see who is available to meet teachers and students via interactive videoconferencing. Subscribe to our blog Interesting Nonfiction for Kids where authors themselves share insights on how to present issues and content about the real world in ways to engage, inspire and inform kids on the subjects required by your curriculum. And ir you have any questions, please contact me: vicki@inkthinktank.com" and this led me to this pearl of a book! I am a dog lover, read the book,


and now Dorothy Hinshaw Patent has written a truly amazing book about one of the Vick dogs who was rescued and finally found his forever home! The photographs are breathtaking (especially the back cover, with Audie in pants--you have to read why!) and those involved in helping save these dogs, also save this puppy. Audie was lucky enough to find a permanent home, get surgery for bad knees and overcome his trust issues from being chained and kept isolated from important human and animal contact. This book will be enjoyed by our life skills students and I recommend it for all ages, especially if you are a dog lover!



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Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this book! A great romance, coming of age in a foreign country, and the theme of belonging resonated with me and I think teen girls will enjoy the Anna, Etienne St. Claire, Toph, Bridget, Josh and Rashmi, and Meredith dynamics. Both Anna and Etienne have problems with their dads; Anna's dad decides to send her to a Paris boarding school when she would really rather stay in Atlanta with her best friend, Bridget. and her blossoming romance with Toph. After taking 3 years of Spanish, Anna really feels like an outsider. Meredith makes her feel a part of their crowd from day one and Anna begins to feel "at home" thanks to her friendship with Meredith, Josh and Rashmi, but it Etienne she is drawn to and he seems to always sit next to her, make her laugh and get her out to see Paris, the movies, and the eateries ---even though he does have a serious girl friend, Ellie. It is when Etienne finds out his mom has cancer, when Anna and Etienne are the only ones spending Thanksgiving at the boarding school that Anna really begins to believe they have a chance at romance. I really enjoyed Anna's love of movies (it was great knowing all the great old movies) and she reviews them on her blog. Perkins has a way of creating so much harmony between Etienne and Anna, but then she does an even better job of creating lots of tension. I couldn't stop reading, I wanted to find out if they were ever going to have that KISS!



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Girl Wonder by Alexa Martin

Girl Wonder by Alexa Martin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I was not a fan of the lead character, Charlotte Locke. It is tough to move your senior year, but Charlotte seems to run headlong into the wrong best friend, pink haired Amanda, and her ex-boyfriend, Neal. Charlotte is jealous, mean and petty to her brainiac brother, James Henry. She goes from being a daughter who confided in her mother, to one who hides what she is doing and where she is going from her mother. Charlotte tells us she is afraid, yet she smokes, joins the debate team, does acid and secretly sleeps with Neal (he wants to keep their relationship a secret)so what is she afraid of---oh yeah---she wants to be popular and that propels her to do all these things that were not her before. She also shows disdain for Milton, a neighbor who is mentoring James Henry. Milton is secure in who he started a mushrooms club (I even liked his descriptions of the good and bad mushrooms!!!), snowboards, skis and wants to befriend Charlotte. When Charlotte does acid at a party, she really makes some bad decisions and it is in this aftermath that she finds out what kind of "friends" Amanda and Neal are...It is interesting to see Charlotte start to realize what a gigantic mess she has made of her life and how all her decisions have been so bad---but can she right her wrongs?



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Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai

Shooting Kabul by N. H. Senzai

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I sooo loved this book! A great book for middle/jr high as well as high school for its depiction of a Muslim family fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan after 9-11. Fadi and his family have tried to stay in their beloved country but the war has driven them from their home. Fadi's father, Habib, has paid the last of their money to flee their homeland. Fadi's family is close-knit, loving, and care deeply for each other. Fadi's mother, Zafoona, is ill and his sister, Noor, is helping her escape and Fadi is responsible for Mariam, his little sister. It is when they are leaping from one truck to another, that the Taliban attacks, and Mariam breaks away to pick up her doll, that Fadi loses his grip on his little sister. Once the family reaches safety in the United States, they try to locate their precious family member, in whatever way they can. Fadi begins school in a country very foreign to him, but he makes friends and also experiences bullying because he is Muslim. What I really enjoyed was how Fadi mentions his favorite book, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and how he relates to Claudia and her escapades in the museum. Fadi loves photography and uses his father's camera which took many a picture in Kabul. It is this love of photography that inspires Fadi to join a school contest in which the winner will win a trip---and Fadi is determined to win that trip and return his lost little sister to their heartbroken family. Fadi has so many things against him but he also has determination and with his new found friend, Anh, they both hope to bring Mariam home---but, will they succeed? This such a great book, great characters, believable plot, and the themes of belonging resonate in each chapter of this wonderful book.





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Muchacho by Louanne Johnson

Muchacho by LouAnne Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The voice of main character, Eddie Corazon was strong, confused, and angry but once he met Lupe, Eddie begins to awaken to what life can hold for him. Eddie still makes some bad mistakes and his humor is often biting but so is his life. He doesn't get along with his dad, has a major attitude, lives in a rundown area of New Mexico, and uses humor and sarcasm to describe his friends, teachers, school and just life in general. There are gangs, drug dealers, criminals that populate Eddie's world. But we find out pretty quick Eddie is a secret reader, he listens in class, and wants to be more than a "poor Mexican kid from a bad neighborhood" and with the help of Miss Beecher, a short-lived teacher in his school; Lupe a girl Eddie meets at dance class; Sgt Cabrera who sees something in Eddie and gives him a book to read after escorting her through his school, and finally getting arrested and sent to live with a trusted family friend, Eddie starts to get it....A book for reluctant readers, teens who enjoy urban fiction, and those who like romances, multicultural literature, this book will appeal to everyone---JUST read it!



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