tiny pink books

King of the Screwups by K.L. Going
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.

After getting in trouble yet again, high school senior Liam is kicked out of his home with his retired model mother and CEO father to live in a trailer park with his gay glam rocker uncle, Pete.  Trying to win the acceptance of his constantly disapproving father, Liam attempts to stop screwing up and change into the kind of person his father will value.  Of course, this doesn’t go smoothly, resulting in, you guessed it…more screwups!

This was a fun, light read with a sweetly positive message.  Though the premise and the characters are exaggerated and therefore less than realistic, they are enjoyable and, in their hearts, easy to relate to.  I was in a bit of a reading slump when I picked this up and this was the perfect book to pull me out of it-fluffy at first glance, but with an important, warm fuzzy self esteem message.

Haters by Alisa Valdez-Rodriguez
Little Brown, 2006.

When 16-year-old Paski is whisked away from her beloved hometown in New Mexico, she struggles to fit in and find her place in her new Orange County high school.  Topmost of her problems is ultra popular and ultra mean Jessica Nguyen.  Facing potential romance, a twist of psychic ability, and adult issues than she’s ever faced before, Paski rides mountain bikes, makes friends, and figures out where she wants to stand in the social world of her new school.

I liked the first half of this book.  Paski is a refreshing character–she’s tough, she’s smart, and she’s unique.  I also liked how the author tackled some very “growing up” issues like birth control, awkward (but so necessary) sex talks between Paski and her father and peer pressure.  I also liked the way there’s just a touch of a supernatural story here, with Paski’s psychic ability.  The problems I had with this book had to do with the ending.  For all Valdez-Rodriguez’s realism at capturing the evils of the high school social world, the ending pushed way too far and felt tacked on and hard to swallow.  That said, it was still an enjoyable book…just quite disappointing in its end.

Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee
Arthur A. Levine Books, 2009

Maybelline “Maybe” Chesnut is nothing like her former beauty pageant queen mother, Chessy, who constantly brings in a stream of new husbands.  Hiding in her baggy clothes and rainbow colored hair, Maybe doesn’t really fit in at school or at home.  After Chessy’s latest fiancé attacks Maybe, she sets off, running away to Los Angeles to find her biological father with her two best friends, Ted and Hollywood (aka Daniel).  As her friends find their places in the glitzy world of Hollywood, Maybe struggles to find her own place and discover who she really is.

This was a decent book.  It’s one of those books that was fun to read-the characters, including Maybe, are all larger than life, charming, and lovable.  Although the plot (and, to a degree, the characters) are somewhat unrealistic, the sweet charm and light heartedness of everything here will win over the non-cynical reader.  This was an okay, fluffy read for people who just want something a little bit quirky, a little bit sugary and a lot happy ending.  Reader seeking anything deep or twisty, go elsewhere!

Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
Penguin Books Australia, 1992

Josephine Alibrandi is a smart, sassy seventeen year old, living in Sydney during her last year of high school.  She’s got a lot to think about this year, as she struggles with her identity as an Australian-Italian, her first boyfriend, her relationships with her mother and grandmother, and meeting her absentee father for the first time in her life.  There’s a lot of heavy issues in this coming of age novel, but if I had to put my finger on the biggest one to Josephine is the idea of balancing two cultural identities.

While the characters in this book are universally appealing, especially headstrong Josephine, I think it may be more enjoyable to adults than teens at this point.  It’s very much dated in the early 90’s and, perhaps at least here in America, the concept of an Italian struggling to fit in, culturally, seems a ghost of the past.  Still, this was a satisfying read that was hard to put down in the end.  I’m not sure who I’d recommend this one to, other than librarians and readers who liked Marchetta’s other novels.

Along For the Ride by Sarah Dessen
Viking Juvenile, 2009
Along for the Ride is a typical Sarah Dessen coming of age novel.  By typical, I mean that there’s nothing all that new here–realistic characters, the well paced story, and a well crafted emotional landscape of being confused and at that age where you’re deciding who you want to be in life.

Auden, an overachieving, a-type girl with problems (this time it’s her parents’ divorce) is thrown out of her element and winds up meeting a quirky cute boy with problems as well (dead best friend).  She helps him, he helps her, both of them grow.  If you’ve read the fabulous The Truth About Forever, you have practically read this one, but even so, I’d recommend both!  Sarah Dessen does what she does so well that the repetition doesn’t both me.  Recommended for Sarah Dessen fans and/or readers seeking a realistic coming of age story (complete with a few tear jerker moments and that general sweet/warm hearted feeling that you get at the end of every good coming of age story).

The Indigo Notebook by Lauren Resau
Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2009.

From Thailand to Guatemala to Morocco, Zeeta has grown up traveling the world with her jet-setting mother.  When Zeeta moves to Ecuador, she is determined to find a man for her mother and make her settle down into a normal, stable life.  But new friends, a new boy, and a dangerously intriguing mystery send Zeeta on a journey that changes everything.

Although the mystery becomes a little too neatly wrapped up in the end, the likable characters, especially the smart and sassy Zeeta, and the exotic Central American locales will captivate readers, even reluctant ones.  It is clear, that Resau has traveled a fair bit, and the travel elements of the book are delightful and wanderlust inspiring.

So in short:  Good book.  Exciting and fun travel elements…  Strong female character with good wits and a winning personality.  Girls will love it.  This one did!

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
Riverhead, 2009

Juliet, Naked delivered everything that I was expecting for a Nick Hornby book–it was amusing, albeit slightly depressing, witty, and fairly enjoyable.  Juliet, Naked is about the intertwining lives of an aging, has-been of a rock star, an obsessive fan, and a woman who has wasted the last 15 years of her adult life.  A good solid read for those who like their drama quirky and riddled with pop culture references.

Maze Runner by James Dashner
Delacorte Books, 2009

The first in a soon to be trilogy, Maze Runner is a YA science fiction book about a colony of boys living in a strange, isolated environment surrounded by a giant maze.  While their general memories are in tact, mysteriously enough, the specifics of their memories (who they are, how they came to be there, etc.) are gone.  When 16-year-old Thomas arrives to the colony, slowly, things begin to fall apart.  The writing is basic, but it gets the job done with an efficiency that works.  With enough fast-paced action and psychological mystery to keep most readers turning the pages, Maze Runner is a fun and intriguing read.  Although the ending leaves a little to be desires, I’m pretty sure I’ll still be excited to read the sequel when it comes out.  While there’s an inevitable comparison to The Hunger Games, Maze Runner is different, with much less character development and internal drama.  It’s a fun, fast paced book that sets up a trilogy.  Recommended to reluctant readers!

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009

Sixteen year old Terra would be drop dead gorgeous, if not for the port wine stain birthmark on her left cheek.  Years of surgery after surgery have failed to remove it and years of living under the thumb of her psychologically abusive father have left Terra feeling imperfect and damaged.  When a new family, including a strangely attractive goth boy, befriends Terra and her mother, everything changes for both of them.

This was a decent book, though I found the writing to be a bit long and meandering.  There is a mapmaker theme to the story as well, which is taken, in my opinion, a too far with a wealth of map/journey metaphors.  Still, I’d recommend this book to girls who want long, heart

Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten
Point, 2009

Ellie’s sister Nina disappeared two years ago.  Although most people in her life have given up hope and moved on, Ellie can’t stop thinking about Nina.  When a clue to Nina’s disappearance surfaces in Ellie’s world, she cannot help by follow the trail, suddenly finding herself on a cross country road trip with a near strange named Sean, possibly the only person who understands what Ellie is going through.  As each clue leads her to another, the mystery of Nina’s disappearance grows deeper…and Ellie finds herself quickly wrapped in a world of murder, mystery and romance.

I was very impressed with Wherever Nina Lies.  Not only does it manage to take the mystery/suspense element of the story and turn it into a very fast and exciting read, but it also manages to take the emotional element of Ellie’s loss (not to mention the lack of closure she experiences) and make that sadness palpable.  While I will say this is a tearjerker (yes, it made me tear up in public…alas!), it is first and foremost a page turner.  From cover to cover, I could not put this book down.  Every spare second that I had over the two days I read this, I had my nose buried in this book.  Even though I found the ending to be unrealistic and a little “lifetime movie of the week,” I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Recommended to reluctant readers (especially girls).  I think readers of both suspense and drama will like this, as there is plenty for everyone.  Adult readers open to teen books will enjoy this too…it’s definitely a teen book, but it’s also definitely a quality book.