Popular and notorious Margo Roth Spiegelman shocks Quinten out of his low-key, rule-abiding existence when she drags him along with her on a night of pranks and misadventures. When Margo disappears the following morning, Quinten believes she left clues to her whereabouts behind, hoping he will find her. As he searches for clues, he realizes there’s much more to Margo than the queen bee people perceive her to be. Through the Whitman poem she leaves behind and the abandoned hideaway Quinten discovers, he learns about seeing past the faux exterior to knowing someone as they are and the importance of building a genuine interconnected community.
Quinten and his pals Ben and Radar team up to unlock the mystery of Margo’s disappearance. Radar’s parents’ odd collection provides that quirky humor classic to Green’s novels, though Ben’s constant trilling about girls becomes repetitive and obnoxious. The transformation of Quinten’s view of Margo is a bit predictable, though it’s deepened by the exploration of “Leaves of Grass” by Walt Whitman and the story’s metaphor centered around “paper towns,” a reference first made by Margo herself.
As a native Central-Floridian, many moments in the story’s setting really resonated, calling to mind specific memories of drives down Florida’s roads and highways. It was fun reading something set in places so familiar.
While this was a fascinating story, it’s hard to compare it to Green’s other novels. The Fault in Our Stars in particular is a tough act to beat. Readers may enjoy this one more by reading it before devouring TFIOS.
Profanity and Crude Language Content
Extreme word choice, moderate frequency.
Sexual Content Quinten’s best friend is pretty much obsessed with girls, whom he refers to as Honey Bunnies. While he has limited success, his comments can be crass and repetitive. Quinten looks through an open doorway at a couple having sex, hoping for a glimpse of the girl topless. One of Quinten’s friends plans to lose his virginity with his girlfriend on graduation night.
Spiritual Content Margo briefly mentions her Jewish heritage.
Violence A bully picks on Quinten and his friends.
Drug Content
Quinten goes to a party as the designated driver and witnesses his friends and other teens drinking alcohol and being generally and ridiculously drunk.
Chirp begins fifth grade looking forward to another year of beloved family traditions: dancing with her mother, bird-watching hikes, and impromptu performances with her older sister Rachel. But something is different in the Orenstein house. Rachel hushes Chirp when she asks questions or wants to show her mother some new dance steps. Chirp can’t understand how these things could make her mother sad like Rachel says.
Then comes her mother’s devastating diagnosis. There will be no more dancing. As her mother’s health deteriorates, Chirp’s family unravels. Even her father’s ever-positive, talk-about-it outlook can make this okay. Nothing will be okay again.
Chirp struggles to understand the new roles her family members adopt in the crisis and to interpret the behavior of the temperamental boy who lives in her neighborhood. This is a story about grief, about the way life doesn’t stay the same, but morphs into something new when we least expect it.
Each wonderful character brings a story of his or her own, and though the reader is limited to Chirp’s version of events, it’s easy to imagine the tales that fill the space between each line. As a young bird-watcher, Chirp often relates her experiences and emotions through the birds around her. Nest is filled with a rich emotional landscape, one that transcends words, just as its narrator’s emotions would lie beyond the capacity of an eleven year-old child to explain. It’s brilliantly done. Truly a great story.
Profanity and CrudeLanguage Content
One brief instance of mild profanity.
Sexual Content A couple very oblique, brief references to sex. (A girl worries that someone might think she’s a “lezzie;” school children ask their teacher if she’s going to teach them sex education.)
Spiritual Content Chirp’s family celebrates her Jewish heritage and does not observe Christian holidays. Sometimes other kids make fun of her family for this. One girl comments to Chirp that even if her family doesn’t ask Jesus into their hearts, surely God will still let them into heaven.
Violence A boy bears a bruise on his face following an unexplained home situation.
Drug Content
Chirp goes with her sister to a party at which the adults smoke marijuana. She is frightened and goes home.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Palmer, Hannah, Claire and Kat begin the spring semester ready for any challenge. Kinda. Palmer wants to be among the elite writers of the university magazine, but she can’t seem to break into the group. That is, without a glass of Moscato in her hand. After years of being the supportive best friend to the girl who could have any guy, Hannah finally has a boyfriend of her own. When a chance to see Germany with her guy arises, Hannah really wants to go, even if it means missing the spring break beach trip with her roomies. Surely Palmer, of all people, will understand?
Claire and Kat almost have their own secret code. After the trauma Claire endured in France and Kat’s unexpected loss, they seem to sense the things that trigger the other’s grief. Counseling has helped Claire make progress toward healing, but when her mom flakes out and forgets to pay for, well, everything, Claire is stuck. Trying to break through her mom’s hyper haze isn’t working and though Palmer offers to pay for everything, Claire doesn’t want to be a charity project.
Running is the only salve to Kat’s wounds. Everything seems to remind her of her brother, but he’s gone. With pressure to perform on the soccer team building around her, Kat’s only escape is to work out until she’s too tired to feel anything. More and more, though, she finds herself alienated from those she loves most.
Smith really captures the beat of college living and the relationships between the girls and other students on campus. Hannah’s first-boyfriend experience will resonate with many as will her battle for balance in her relationships with her new love and her old friends. Palmer’s personal drive and her vulnerability to alcohol are well-explored without glorifying what she’s doing. Consequences follow her choices to drink.
Claire’s story offers a whole different perspective. As the functional one in her relationship with her mother, Claire struggles to maintain a healthy distance from her mother’s unhealthy behavior, something she’s never managed to do in the past. Her friends rally around her as a supportive community and a great message of hope.
Smith has been hailed as a brave voice, telling it like it is, and fearlessly digging through some of early adulthood’s tough issues. In the third novel in her Status Updates series, she lives up to that reputation, peeling back layers of denial and revealing hurting hearts and soothing them with the balm of hope in God.
Profanity and Crude Language Content
No profanity.
Sexual Content Brief references to making out. A boy spends the night in one of the girls’ rooms, though she insists they simply fell asleep talking.
Spiritual Content Through their experiences with addictive behaviors, the girls realize they need more than personal strength and determination to achieve their goals, whether social or academic. They realize their needs for mutual support they receive from one another and, even more, spiritual support from faith and relationship with God.
Violence None.
Drug Content
Palmer uses wine to loosen up socially. Her friends notice what she does not: that more and more she turns to alcohol to relax and connect with others, and it’s getting out of hand. Claire battles her mother’s neglect from a distance, worrying when her mother’s behavior indicates she may be using (or overusing) some sort of pharmaceutical stimulants.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
A car accident changes everything for Willow, a twelve year-old prodigy. Her family is gone and she is at the mercy of the state’s resources for childcare. As she pulls together the paths of her life that have led her to this tragedy, she reaches out to the only friend she has: a young Vietnamese girl whose brother shares the same guidance counselor as Willow does.
Mai convinces her mother to care for the girl and fight for long-term custody. At first, the sole proprietor of a nail salon resists her daughter’s urging, but she can’t help but be captured by Willow’s grief and loneliness. Together she and the guidance counselor, Mr. Dell Duke, weave a web of support around the lost but brilliant girl and the loose association quickly becomes a community which, like Willow’s incredible public garden project, grows into a family.
Willow’s stunning and awkward brilliance sets her apart from other kids. Where her parents nurtured and understood her quirks and intelligence, much of the rest of the world seems intimidated and annoyed by it. Willow struggles to cope by digging deeper into knowledge, her one comfort.
While she often fumbles through social situations, Willow is deeply self-aware. She often recognizes when she offends her companions and quickly works to right the situation. Her awkwardness is so endearing and her desire to please and earn affection can’t help but charm even the hardest hearts, but her social awareness almost makes her too perfect. A struggle to correct or repair the fallout of failed social moments may have provided additional conflict and character development as well as an essential, though admittedly predictable flaw.
The story itself is filled with warmth and realism without losing itself to controversial language or situations. The protagonist’s youth recommends her to younger readers, but the complexity of the characters’ relationships makes this a valuable read for both middle school and high school students. Counting by 7s reminds us of the power of community and in caring for one another, regardless of family connections or racial differences. This is a book not to be missed.
Profanity and Crude Language Content
None.
Sexual Content None, though at the end of the story, two adult characters make plans to live together unmarried.
Spiritual Content None.
Violence None.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review
A cruel comment from a classmate sends thirteen year-old Wendy into a spiral of self-doubt. What can she expect when even her own father barely takes an interest in her life? Mysterious notes from “AFREND” help Wendy see there’s still hope. Who could the notes be from? A cute boy perhaps? When the nasty comments continue to wear her down, Wendy is forced to take drastic measures. She tries changing who she is, hoping it will be enough put the taunting behind her.
This story delves into the anxiety and excitement of middle school, brought to life by a charming narrator. Wendy struggles to find value in herself while her classmates often undermine that journey. I loved the little notes she receives and how those affected her.
When even her best friend takes a jab at Wendy, she decides it’s time to make some changes. She breaks down the process of making a friend into simple steps and commits to following those steps. It sounds simple and obvious, but as I read it I thought, you know, I wish someone had broken this down for me as a seventh grader. Wendy makes it look so easy. And indeed it should be.
She also learns that her classmates lives aren’t what they seem. She discovers some of the students who relentlessly pick on her have dark secrets of their own. She begins to empathize with them as she learns who they really are, despite the fact that they’d picked on her in the past.
The same way that life doesn’t reach neatly finished moments, the story resolves with some unfinished conflict. Because Wendy has made progress toward being the best version of herself – friendly and less self-focused – it’s easy to hope that the other issues in her life will find their own resolutions, too.
Toney’s novel is a great story for middle school students, especially those struggling to find a social niche. While her life isn’t perfect, Wendy’s optimistic attitude and creative spirit make her an easy character to enjoy and admire.
Profanity and Crude Language Content
No profanity.
Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content Quick prayers punctuate Wendy’s inner thought life. At a funeral, Wendy’s mom and a friend’s dad briefly discuss whether a suicide victim would find a home in heaven. (No judgment is passed or conclusions drawn.)
Violence/Graphic Content While this story tackles some big issues that are too common among teens – anorexia, suicide and bullying – these events are not the focus of the story. No graphic content or glorification occurs.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
With summer in full swing, hopefully you’ve found yourself with some extra reading time. Out of over 70 books I’ve read since January 1, 2014, these are the top ten best. If you’re looking for a hot summer read, check these out.
We Are the Goldens by Dana Reinhardt The emotional intensity. The slow, dramatic build-up. These are things I love about this story.From my review: “Reading this novel is like taking that first ride on a roller coaster and feeling the adrenaline and rush building over each tick-tick-tick as the coaster inches up to the top of its track until its riders can look out over the imminent fearsome drops and wild loops ahead. Reinhardt nails the emotional turmoil of teen relationships and the anxiety of difficult choices, creating a powerful story about both the healing and destructive powers of love.”
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart If you like stories that take you unexpected places, this is a must-read. I finished the last page of this book and had to pry myself away from it because I wanted to return to page one and read it again.From my review: “This is an amazing story, full of stark, beautiful prose and gut-wrenching emotion. Cadence experiences the fullness of love and loss, and through Lockhart’s phenomenal storytelling, readers can’t help but share in those moments. Like the best stories, the conclusion of We Were Liars turns all its previous chapters inside out and forces the reader to reexamine every element of the story, especially the explorations of both healing and destructive forces within a family.”
All the Truth that’s In Me by Julie Berry Historical fiction is not my top go-to genre, but this one really hooked me. I couldn’t help caring for Judith and rooting for her as she struggled to regain her voice.From my review: “As a lover of angsty teen novels, I found it refreshing to read a historical novel so emotionally charged and yet so hopeful. How many times have we read novels which ultimately condemn the rigidity of the Puritan culture? I loved that this novel didn’t go that route. Not that the leadership were without fault, but that hope, forgiveness and love – which believes the best – ultimately triumphed. Great story. Highly recommended.”
Stay Where You Are and Then Leave by John Boyne My first experience with the work of this author (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) left me absolutely stunned. He has an incredible way of reaching into a historical moment and holding it in front of our faces, challenging us to act, to respond. That’s powerful writing.From my (soon to post) review: “Using the viewpoint of a child allows the story to explore how the war affected those on the home front without focusing on the violence of the battle front. No one humanizes characters the way that an admiring young boy does. He grieves for his neighbors who’ve been removed to internment camp and for his father’s friend, a conscientious objector who is severely beaten for his convictions. Alfie’s voice fills the pages of the story with compassion.”
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale I stayed up most of the night reading this book for the first time. I’m not a huge fan of novels written as diary entries, but this one really hooked me with its vast landscape and rich culture.From my (soon to post) review: “The expert writing and diary format make it easy to forget that this is not a historical account of some ancient kingdom. Dashti’s goodness and loyalty make her an easy character to admire.Though she never takes up weapons made of steel, her cunning and bravery in the face of powerful enemies make her a worthy role model for young readers.”
Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee This novel is reminiscent of the great stories that pull ordinary children into extraordinary worlds. I loved the larger-than-life museum setting and the interplay between members of the grieving family.From my review: “This is a whimsical tale full of fascinating creatures and loveable characters. Though Ophelia herself is the real hero, her father finds his strength and stands with her in a demonstration of protection and solidarity. Middle grade readers will enjoy Ophelia’s tale and the emotional journey she faces is sure to encourage readers dealing with losses of their own.”
Me Since You by Laura Weiss In a culture that gawks via internet at everything from awkward to cruel, author Laura Weiss weaves a powerful story about the devastating wounds inflicted on those starring in unfortunate viral videos.From my review: “Rowan’s story packs a serious emotional punch. It is loss come to life. Weiss describes a gut-wrenching grief exacerbated by the (sometimes well-meaning) friends and family members of the grieved. The voices of wisdom and comfort come from those who’ve lost someone themselves. (How true to life is that?!) In addition, she forces readers to examine the fallout which come from people posting cruel comments to one another over the internet.”
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein Women pilots in World War II? Memorable quotes? Heartbreaking sacrifice? Yes, yes, and yes! Such a great book.From my review: “While some of the content definitely places this novel in a category for older teens, it is a powerful story brilliantly told. Author Elizabeth Wein brings to life the story (inspired by history) of two courageous women who served England during World War II. Wein captures not only an intricate physical description of the places in the story, but the desperate, patriotic feel of war-time existence.”
Like Moonlight at Low Tide by Nicole Quigley The notes of loss, hope and courage create a strange sort of harmony in this novel. I love the Florida setting, because it’s home to me.
From my review: “Missy’s story is peppered with moments of keen emotional insight and turmoil, though some of Missy’s realizations seem too far beyond her maturity level. Her spiritual conversations with Josh are at first sincere and different, but at times his explanations seem a little dense and formulaic. Still, Missy’s moment of conversion is genuine and as powerful as the emotional pain that make her such an easy character to connect with”
A Cast of Stones by Patrick Carr I enjoyed the epic feel of the story-world and the fact that Carr sidesteps the obvious plot, giving readers a more unexpected story.From my review: “Carr’s deft and thoughtful storytelling can’t help but leave readers eager for the next chapter in the fascinating world he’s created. Errol’s unexpected and expertly crafted transformation from cowardice to heroism makes this novel both moving and memorable.”
