Monthly Archives: June 2000

Smack by Melvin Burgess

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Smack by Melvin Burgess

Burgess, Melvin. Smack. Harper Teen, 1999. ISBN 978-0380732234 293 pp. $

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Smack is a gritty novel about the agony and ecstasy of heroin addiction. Two British teens run away because they feel cramped by their parents and live a life on the streets. Becoming squatters, they must resort to a life of crime to support their new habit. A tragic and realistic story, told in many different voices. Pair with The White Horse by Cynthia D. Grant and Beauty Queen by Linda Glovach by for a great book discussion.

Stardust of Yesterday (dePiaget Family #9) by Lynn Kurland

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Kurland, Lynn. Stardust of Yesterday (dePiaget Family #9). Berkley, 2001. ISBN 978-0425182383 368 pp. $8.99

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Kurland takes the universal dream of the white knight and makes it happen for her characters. Genevieve inherits a castle and is haunted by a handsome ghost who tries to scare her into leaving and giving up her inheritance. Somewhere along the way, they fall in love. Can a human/spirit relationship work?

Wonderfully detailed writing shows a love for the period as well as talent for telling a good romance.