Teen Territory

Jenna and Lucas are pains at home.

Jenna is too silly and free-spirited for her prestigious and acadademic family. Her parents worry about her, and her younger sister doesn’t even want to be seen with her. Lucas, son of a single mom, gets horrible grades despite his intellect. Both teens and families are surprised when a representative from Camp Fielding visits their home to invite/recruit them.

Camp Fielding is weird.  There are no real teachers, only elaborate problems and scenarios for campers to decipher.  There also seems to be a problem with mysterious disappearances, strange dead baby birds, and campers who suddenly become eerily intelligent. As they race to figure out what is causing their fellow campers to cough up feathers, Jenna and Lucas realize that they aren’t sure what is more frightening; what they’re uncovering, or the fact that it’s too crazy to believe!

Discovering the secret of Camp Fielding is intense, and it unfolds at various points in the story.  This creepy and yet funny book made some realistic points about academic pressure, hormones and the benefits of not fitting in. Realism aside, there were mythical and political points that should engage any reader that loves a good mystery.

Good, quick read.

Sistrsic92 (Meg) by Cheryl Dellasega

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Written in text/blog, this second installment of the Bloggrls series grew on me.
When I first started reading, it began to sound like so many other after-school specials but the topic it addressed snuck up on me so quickly I was knocked back and had to finish it.

Read more »

The corny names Jack and Jill were the only boring things about this book.

Jill is a seventeen year-old girl. All GIRL, as she has to say to herself. She spends a lot of time reminding herself of this because instead of the normal menstrual cycle that other girls have, Jill endures something more painful than cramps. For her cycle, she becomes Jack, a hormone-fueled teenage boy.

She and her mother have been to all kinds of doctors over the past four years, trying to find a reason or solution but to no avail. So for now, when Jack arrives, Jill is confined to her home, and her friends at school all believe she’s getting stressful blood transfusions. She stocks up on supplies to entertain Jack with, and he pretty much keeps a low profile for the few days he’s around.

But things are changing. 

Read more »

The World Is Mine by Lyah B. LeFlore

This book is a great picture of what hip hop youth culture is really like.

If you’re tired of reading the stories that glorify only the violence or profane worlds of hip-hop and the urban music scene, then this series may be perfect for you.

Blue Reynolds is a young, hip 17 year-old who doesn’t necessarily want to make his mark on the world by attending Howard University and becoming a lawyer the way his father has. He’s more interested in the P.Diddy/Berry Gordy school of fine hustling. His best friend Collin, also the son of a lawyer, is feeling that he doesn’t want to attend Georgetown and practice law just to please his dad. Together with their friend Whiteboy, a graphic and tattoo artist, the three friends embark on pulling together their own entertainment company, Blue Up.
On the path to stardom in the music scene there are a lot of ups and downs as romance, parental clashes and the struggle to get away from the streets, tries to catch up to them. For Blue, the appeal of being the hottest promoter in DC could lead to making some pretty shady choices in the eyes of his father and his girlfriend Jade. Collin, desperate to please his dad, may be biting off more than he can chew when he decides to helm the business end of Blue Up instead of pursuing Georgetown fame. And Whiteboy can’t seem to get far enough of way from the violence and gang life that lurks around his growing tattoo business.

Read more »

Review by Miss Susan

It’s not unusual for a manga series to hinge on a dramatic gimmick, but as gimmicks go, this is kind of a cool one. At this elite boarding school, all the students are actually clones of famous figures from history. This could end up disintigrating into Hetalia-esque manic goofiness, but while it has its moments, the heart of the story lies with what’s going on at the Academy: what is the Academy’s real agenda for the clones, and exactly how much of a clone’s destiny is really predetermined?

Read more »

Never do we get a story about young, single teen fathers. Quite often the males are portrayed as deadbeats who are so childish and immature they don’t even stay with the girl, and especially not the child itself. This book was a refreshing and emotionally sensitive contrast.

I appreciated the care with which the author made the decisions of Bobby, our 16 year-old protagonist stand out on the page. He was a well-rounded character with thoughts and feelings that appealed to both his maturity and also his youth.
The story here was not without depth and the pain felt by this boy and the two families he stood between in the choice to raise his daughter alone, was clearly felt. Excellent, excellent story and beautifully told.

Review by Miss Regina.

I finished it in an hour.

It is in graphic format, which is why my first comment will be:

Ross Campbell’s drawings in this book made me want to go surfing, joy-riding across the country and take a bath.

No, seriously, the story of Brody was one I couldn’t put down right away.  She’s the rebel, tom-boy, outspoken friend that we all have.  Unfortunately for this friend, one of her surfing days ends up with her leg becoming shark food.

Read more »