When Winnie finds out that Raj, her boyfriend of three years has dumped her for another girl, she never expected to find out via Facebook. To make matters worse, her and Raj were meant to be together as per her family's Hindu's priest's predictions. Somehow, things get even worse for Winnie when she finds out that Raj has been made chair of the student film festival when film has always been Winnie's passion, not Raj's. Winnie is a Bollywood film fanatic, and sees her life reflected in those glossy, flamboyant films and is having a hard time decipher this new turn of events. Working within the festival, she meets Dev, a boy she's always known but never really spoken to that often. It turns out that Dev loves film just as much as she does and they soon form a close bond. However, she still feels like Raj should be the guy because for her it's been written in the stars. She starts to feel something towards Dev but can't seem to put her finger on what is holding her back other than her priest's predictions. With help from her family and friends, Winnie navigates the minefield that is love and high school. My So Called Bollywood Life is a fast paced dramedy that taught me a lot about Bollywood and Indian culture in general. I really like Winnie and her friends, they felt genuine, as did her relationship with Dev and her frustrations with Raj. This will be a huge hit with the students in the high school Library that I manage, I'm excited to promote it to them!
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Kasia is a house-bound teen. Suffering from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), she can't go down the stairs without feeling completely wiped out let alone go to school, meet friends and lead an average teenage life. She spends her days in her room, listening to podcasts and audio books, doing homework and watching the world from her window. Across the street and number 48, she swears she sees a figure in the window of a young girl. This seems strange to Kasia because she never sees her leave the house. Then one evening a car pulls up on her street, a man exits the vehicle and drags a screaming girl into it before stepping on the pedal and driving off. Kasia is shocked and phones the police. Across the street, she sees the shadow of the girl in the window, watching everything unfold. The police have nothing to go on. No one else has reported a missing person and there's no other witnesses. Kasia knows there is another witness but the police tell her that a young girl doesn't live across the street. Is Kasia losing her mind? Has she been cooped up in her room for too long? Kasia makes a new friend when a boy named Nav and his mum move in on the street to make amends with Nav's grandmother. Nav is sympathetic to Kasia and her medical condition, when many teens her age are not. Together, Nav and Kasia try to piece together the mystery of the shadowy girl in the window next door and the abduction that Kasia swore she saw. I won't spoil the novel any further, you'll have to read it! Peny Joelson's writing is fast paced and concise which is what I love in a YA novel. It's also informative without delving into the info-dump that many authors fall victim to. I learned a lot about ME reading this book and I never once felt like i was being dictated to. I've only met one person in my life with ME and only briefly so I was interested in learning more. The frustration that Kasia feels when people in her school don't really believe her that she suffers from a real medical condition and is just trying to get out of school is tough and I can't imagine how that feels. Girl in the Window covers some tough issues but I wouldn't hesitate to give this to a twelve year old student at Glenthorne. I really loved it, fans of mystery thrillers and even books like Everything, Everything will be wanting to read more from Penny! Mo needs to escape. Her mum's new boyfriend, Lloyd, is an abusive brute who has a dark past, the boy she likes, Sam, has his heart set on a new girl and life in Crongton in general can be outright dangerous. When Lloyd goes too far and reveals a horrible secret her mum has been harbouring, Mo vows revenge. As she gets more and more involved in the criminal element of Crongton's toughest residents, she begins to wonder how she got so deep, and if she can ever get out. Straight Outta Crongton is a unique novel in that Wheatle has created his own rhythm and in some cases words that his characters use to describe their situations. It reminded me a lot of A Clockwork Orange in that respect. I never once felt like the language was shoe-horned in, it flows as natural as the concrete pillars in the tower blocks that line Crongton. I really loved Mo, she's a complex character that does some deeply wrong things yet I never once stopped rooting for her throughout the entire novel. She never once stops fighting for her right to be happy and to be respected by everyone around her. She demands that her mother provide a safe place for both of them and when that doesn't happen she storms out. Mo is a fighter and I really enjoyed following her through this journey. I would highly recommend this and the other books in Wheatles' South Crongton series, check them out! The Californian summer is about to descend upon Reiko and her circle of popular friends. Reiko, however, is holding onto a secret. She still speaks to her sister Mika, who died five years ago in a tragic accident. Reiko not only speaks to her, she sees her, feels her and relies on her for advice. When she meets Seth, a troubled yet alluring boy in her school, she feels like she's met a kindred spirit. As the summer drifts on, Reiko and Seth's relationship starts to disintegrate and both teens must decide on what they want out of life. As university application deadlines approach, friendships are strained and Reiko's grip on what is real and what isn't wanes, she wonders if she's coming to a breaking point. Only Love Can Break Your Heart is a dreamy, smart novel about loss, love, friendship and consent. The characters all have flaws, some of them major ones but that doesn't stop you from rooting for them throughout. Webber knows how to write about the teen relationships and she knows how to tug at your heartstrings. We have teens that frequent the Library on a daily basis that are going to devour this novel, I can't wait to get it into their hands. Highly recommend it for ages 14 and up! Xiomara Batista has to be tough. She'd rather use her fists than her words when it comes to defending herself and her twin brother, Xavier. Under the strict rule of her fiercely Catholic mother, Xiomara writes furiously in her prized leather notebook, panting the pages with the words of her heart and soul. When she begins to develop feelings for Aman, the danger of being with a boy she knows her mother would disapprove of is stressful yet tempting for a girl desperate to connect with someone and have her voice heard. Then Xioamara is asked to join a slam poetry event and a whirlwind of events occur, propelling her into a new phase of her life. This is a phenomenal novel, Xiomara is a brilliant and strong lead character that defends her family and rebels against them like any teen would. Set in Harlem, the novel has a beautiful rhythm that would sit perfectly next to Sarah Crossan, Kwame Alexander and Jason Reynolds. I'm going to really enjoy getting the students in our high school turned on to this amazing novel, don't miss it! I recommend it for ages 15 and up! Brynn Haper only has one consistent thing in her life: Television presenter Rachel Maddow. Other than that, she's dealing with a recent breakup, an abusive stepfather and a preppy jerk destroying the democratic political process in her high school. As a homework assignment, she writes a few emails to Rachel Maddow and is thrilled when she receives a response. As a way to catalogue her struggles, fears and determination, Brynn writes dozens of unsent emails to Rachel Maddow, all describing a life in turmoil and pain but full of hope and grit and spirit. When Brynn's ex and the aforementioned preppy jerk get involved in a game of high school rigged elections, Brynn takes matters into her own hands to not only expose them for what they are but to get politically involved herself. Dear Rachel Maddow is one of the sharpest YA novels out there today. Hilarious, infuriating and lightning quick, Kisner captures the excruciating pain that the high school experience can be and that there's still plenty of hope to be found in the youth of today. I recommend it for ages 15 and up! After Moss Jeffries' father was murdered by the Oakland police department and the crime went unpunished, he suffers anxiety and severe panic attacks. Six years later, in high school, Moss and his friends discover that an armed policeman roams their halls and subjects them to random locker checks. When metal detectors are installed, Moss and a few of his friends decide to organise a peaceful protest in order to let the faculty know their concerns. The protest goes horribly wrong and Moss and his new boyfriend Javier find themselves in a hellish situation with no apparent way out. In the aftermath, Moss must confront his fears and stand up for himself and those around him, putting everything he knows at risk. This novel could very well read like a dystopian thriller to those who don't live in the shadow of a corrupt and totalitarian system. It's a truly frightening novel with memorable characters and storyline that keeps you hooked from page one. The relationship between Moss and his mother is touching, Moss and Javier are excellent together and playoff each other nicely. As does Moss and his other friends, one of whom has a more privileged background, making her a source of occasional irritation for Moss as he navigates a world of racism and hate. I can imagine that fans of The Hate U Give will be devouring this powerful story, can't wait to bring it to them at school! I recommend it for ages 15 and up! Nick and Kenny are brothers, and they're also best friends. Their mum isn't around and their dad is doing his best to make up for being a pretty sloppy father. When the boys find an injured rook, Kenny is determined to nurse it back to health. Meanwhile, Nick has bigger problems to worry about. He's being bullied by a boy at school and to make matters worse, Nick's in love with the bully's sister. Desperate to find some courage to ask her out on a date or even speak to her in the hall, Nick decides to stand up to her brother once and for all. This is a decision that will change Nick's life drastically. Rook is a fast-paced and powerful read about family, willpower and standing up for yourself. I am really excited to find some students in the Library who tell me they "hate reading" because this is one that will change their minds. Don't miss it! I recommend it for ages 14 and up! Zélie lives in constant fear. In a land where magic users, or maji, are hunted and disposed of, she knows all too well the dangers that surround her. Majis have been driven to extinction under the authority of a tyrannical king. The king's daughter Amari, however, decides that her father's ways are wrong and sets out on her own. This angers the king who puts a price on her head. In a chance meeting, Amari and Zélie meet as Amari is on the run. Together they flee with Zélie's brother. Chased by Amari's brother, Inan, the three go from one nail-biting adventure to the next as Zélie discovers that she may be the key to bringing magic back to the land. Filled with thrills, Indiana Jones-style adventure and truly original characters, I can't recommend this book enough. If you're looking for strong female characters with complex histories and troubled pasts with tons of great fight scenes, a strong fantasy plot and a ton of grit, this is the book for you. I will be buying quite a few copies of this to keep our teens happy. Highly recommended! Jess is a juvenile delinquent with a penchant for shoplifting. Her home life is the stuff of nightmares. Her step father beats her mother and forces Jess to record the incidents. Jess' brother Liam fled the home a year ago and her mother has seemingly resigned herself to her fate. After being caught shoplifting, Jess is given a community service sentence, primarily picking up rubbish with other youths in a nearby park. It is there that she meets Nicu, a Romanian immigrant who has problems of his own. Nicu is scheduled to be in an arranged marriage and only has a few weeks before he must return to Romania for the ceremony. Both teens feel trapped, lost and hopeless. Together they try to eek out some semblance of normalcy. It doesn't come without a cost, through. Once Nicu is enrolled in Jess' high school, he is at the hands of merciless, racist teens who target him on a daily basis. Jess is at first able to turn a blind eye but soon stands up for Nicu. These actions will have disastrous consequences for both of them. As the clock ticks for Nicu with his impending marriage and for Jess with her stepfather's actions becoming more and more brutal, both teens will find themselves backed against a wall that neither of them should have to endure. A really harrowing and sad read, once again Crossan has created a beautiful story through prose. I loved Briand Conaghan's When Mr. Dog Bites and he does not disappoint here either. I recommend this novel to ages 14 and up! |
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