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Teen Scene

MAY 17, 2010
Fat Cat by Robin Brande
Cat admits she’s fat, but there are other things she won’t admit to, including her feelings for Matt, her former friend whom she’s nursed a grudge against for four years.  Cat is smart, too, and in the toughest science class at the high school. Her assignment is to create a seven month long science project, related to a random magazine picture she gets on the first day of class: a picture of prehistoric people, Homo erectus, to be exact. Cat notices the woman’s naked body is lean and strong, and hatches her project. She’ll live more like the hominids, and maybe in the process prove that people in this day and age are unhealthy and overweight due to both food choices and an overabundance of technology. In the midst of walking everywhere, eating whole foods, and avoiding phones and TV, Cat does lose weight.  And with her new figure comes the interest of a few boys, her first dating experiences, and learning that true love is about more than her physical size.  I enjoyed this book for two reasons. Cat is a funny, bright and engaging character, and when the book was over, I missed her. The second reason is that Robin Brande doesn’t go for the easy way out in her novels. She allows her characters to face the hard stuff and struggle for an outcome that feels both real and earned.  Grades 8-12.

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MAY 13, 2010
The Wand in the Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy edited by Leonard Marcus

 In interviews with thirteen notable authors of fantasy literature for children, Leonard Marcus elicits from them answers to such questions as, "What kind of child were you?", "How did World War II (or other world events) affect your writing?", and "Do you have a daily work routine?"  A succinct but easily remembered answer to this last question was recorded by Jane Yolan.  "Yes," she answered "BIC - butt in chair."  It was of interest but not really surprising that many reported a great admiration for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  (One wonders if the present day Harry Potter books will engender similar responses from authors when they have been in existence for fifty years.)  The inclusion of photographs of the writers such as Garth Nix, Tamora Pierce, and Philip Pullman when they were children adds a human touch while facsimiles of revised manuscript pages show that the craft of creating fantasy is one that requires painstaking, exacting labor.  Especially useful to young people aspiring to be authors themselves are the answers given to "What advice do you have for youngsters who want to become writers?"  It usually boils down to . . . Read, Write, then Read more!  They might also be advised to read Marcus's other books wherein he interviews picture book creators and authors of humorous books.  This book will be welcomed by those in grade six and higher and may be found in the new young adult non-fiction collection.

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MAY 13, 2010
With Their Eyes edited by Annie Thoms

For young people who were in preschool or kindergarten on September 11, 2001, With Their Eyes presents a thought-provoking record of the effects of the destruction of the World Trade Center on the population of New York's Stuyvesant High School, which is located a mere four blocks from Ground Zero.  English teacher, Annie Thoms, challenged her students to interview a disparate assemblage of eye witnesses to the terror attack on that bright fall day and then to transform the verbal records that they gleaned into a play featuring a wide variety of monologues with students representing teens from all grade levels as well as members of the staff and the faculty.  Although at times the accurate transcribing and use of "like," "uh," or "you know" is somewhat distracting, at the same time their faithful communication allows the hearer or reader a genuine picture of the person who is being quoted.  Some remembrances seem almost light-hearted (in view of the depth of the tragedy) while others depict reflections of significant change and introspection.  All seek to communicate the results of that fateful day - a definite plus for junior and senior high schoolers of today who were too young to personally remember the day that the history of the world changed forever.

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MAY 10, 2010
Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
Fifteen-year-old Sam’s summer is off-kilter.  Her mom has been sent to alcohol rehab, leaving her with her pastor father who is more available to his parishioners than he is to Sam.  Sam misses her mom, who was a good mother when she wasn’t drinking excessively. And while Sam attends the church youth group, she doesn’t feel a part of things. As the pastor’s kid, she’s treated differently, sometimes even by her best friends. There are other issues associated with being the pastor’s kid, including not having enough money, being expected to be an example, and having to share her father. If all of this wasn’t enough, a younger girl in their church goes missing, and Sam finds her faith is no longer the comfort and strength it had been.  Zarr writes with compassion and understanding about a teenager going through a crisis of faith, as well as creating a story that’s high in suspense and tension. The ending surprised and pleased me. Ages 12 and up.

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