Category Archives: musings

Jul7

Post ALA Roundup

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Just got back from ALA and I am giddy with meeting authors! I met Tamora Pierce (and am currently reading Trickster’s Queen to review for SLJ), Jane Yolen, Janet Tashjihan, and Kate DiCamillo. I also saw Angela Johnston, Jennifer Donnelly, Carolyn Mackler, Helen Frost, K.L. Going, and Andrew Clements. I am starstruck.

I also got a galley of the new Meg Cabot novel called Teen Idol. It was cute, but maybe not quite up to the quality of All American Girl, or the Princess Diaries books.

Teen Idol is about Jen Greenley, who on top of being the mystery advice columnist for her school paper, is asked by the administration to be a part of another secret: famous movie star Luke Striker is coming to her high school as an undercover student to research a role. Jen has been asked to show him around, and as per usual with Meg Cabot, chaos and hilarity ensues. It will be big, yes, and it was cute, yes, but perhaps not her best. Look out for it!

Apr8

Musings: Teen Parents and Gossip Girls

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More commentary, less book review:

I have been wanting to read The First Part Last and Hanging on to Max… we read Make Lemonade for my librarians-who-like-teen-books group and I expressed the need for some teen parent stories that don’t involve stereotypical teen parents… such as poor, black or hispanic, uneducated, unsupportive families or the reverse… grandparents raising the babies… because my sister is a teen mom and she isn’t any any of the above. Maybe I could get her to write her story!

When I was in high school a friend of a friend got pregnant, she was middle class, white, had a committed boyfriend who did not run off, regular kid with good grades… she had the baby and went to college… is this book out there? Are authors/editors/publishers afraid it would be condoning sex as a teen because if you get pregnant & keep the baby it might not be the end of the world? If they are making decisions like that thinking it affects the morals of teens than they should stop printing Gossip Girls…

… and speaking of Gossip Girls I am reading the second one You Know You Love Me because as I said here before… it is like heroin… easy to get, cheap, unhealthy, and I keep going back for more!

Nov14

Musings: Can we recommend a book based on it’s promising synopsis and PW review?

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Musings: Can we recommend a book based on it’s promising synopsis and PW review?

Shaw, Tucker. Flavor of the Week. Disney/Hyperion, 2005. ISBN 978-0786856985 224 pp. $

unstarred

One should never recommend a book based solely on its review in “Publisher’s Weekly,” but I just wanted to give you all a heads-up on a new YA book called Flavor of the Week by Tucker Shaw. It sounds awesome. Feel free to vote me off the island if you are offended by my recommendation made without reading. But, I have a feeling that none of the hip book readers here will be disappointed with this title.

Here’s a description from Amazon:
Cyril Bartholomew isn’t exactly everyone’s idea of a dream date–he’s a little on the heavy side. Not that he gets pushed around or anything, but it does cause him to keep one very important secret from everyone: he loves to cook. The only person who knows this secret is his best friend, Nick. Nick is just about the opposite of Cyril-he’s a really attractive track star who is cool in a rebellious sort of way. Cyril has never been jealous of Nick, though… until the day that Nick decides he is interested in Rose Mulligan, Cyril’s long-time secret crush. Flavor of the Week is a classic love triangle between three very unclassic teens, with lots of delicious food courses in between. Plus, over 15 amazing recipes to help you take care of the hunger pangs this book is sure to bring on.

***Okay, I admit it, it’s the food thing that caught me.