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Withering Tights by Louise Rennison

5/6/2012

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Withering Tights (Misadventures of Tallulah Casey, #1)
Author: Louise Rennison
Publication Date: 6/28/11
Publisher: Harper Teen

Blurb: Wow. This is it. This is me growing up. On my own, going to Performing Arts College. This is good-bye, Tallulah, you long, gangly thing, and hellooooo, Lullah, star of stage.

Tallulah Casey is ready to find her inner artist. And some new mates. And maybe a boy or two or three.

The ticket to achieving these lofty goals? Enrolling in a summer performing arts program, of course. She's bound for the wilds of Yorkshire Dales—eerily similar to the windswept moors of Wuthering Heights. Tallulah expects new friends, less parental interference, and lots of drama. Acting? Tights? Moors? Check, check, check.

What she doesn't expect is feeling like a tiny bat's barging around in her mouth when she has her first snog.

Bestselling author Louise Rennison returns with her trademark wit, a hilarious new cast, and a brand-new cheeky heroine who is poised to discover plenty of opportunities for (mis)adventure!

Review:

A new series from Louise Rennison and, thank vati, it does not disappoint.

Talullah Casey is Georgia Nicolson's 14.5-year old cousin and an aspiring performer. She is lucky to have been accepted to a performing arts college Dother Hall for for the summer semester. Here she acquires new (mad) mates and surrenders herself to the wonders of theatre. What is disappointing though is that it turns out, Dother Hall is an all-girl school. How are girls supposed to enhance their love lives if there are no lads around? Will their sexual experiences remain limited to: getting her bottom felt at a bus stop (Tallulah); having her bra undone through a T-shirt by an unknown guy who ran right away on a bike (Jo); having her cousin put an ice cube down the front of her T-shirt and then offer to get it out for her (Vaisey); watching a boy wear her freshly-washed pants on his head (Flossie)? Luckily, some boy-toys emerge - there are Phil and Charlie shipped to the nearby Woolfe Academy to be taught how to become decent citizens, a local emo boy-band headed by a very-very bad cad appropriately named Cain, then there is an "older man" Alex, the list goes on... Let the summer of theatre and love begin!

I thoroughly enjoyed this romp. It might not be quite as hilarious as Georgia's books, but it still gave me a lot of laughs. Tallulah is much less flamboyant than her cousin, shier and more subdued, but has her moments. The mates are weird and funny, the lads are vair attractive but hard to understand, as usual.

On the negative side, the ending is very open. There is hardly any resolution to any love drama. And secondly, Withering Tights is pretty much the same thing as Georgia's diaries. The setting and the players are different, but the plot is the same - boy troubles, lippies, body insecurities (non-existent corkers a.k.a nungas and knobbly knees - compare to Georgia's nose misfortunes), mad mates, and snogging experiences. But I won't complain, I love this stuff and I am ready to read about these adventures once again. And the theatre bits are a hoot too. I've always known artistic people were crazy, here is another confirmation.

Withering Tights is a great, very light, funny read. I am looking forward to the next book in this series. Have one request for Rennison though - can we get an update on Georgia/Dave relationship? After all, Lullah is G's cousin, she should know what's what, right?

4/5 stars

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On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God by Louise Rennison

5/6/2012

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On the Bright Side cover
On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, #2)
Author: Louise Rennison
Publication Date: Harper Teen
Publisher: 5/28/02

Blurb:
Georgia Nicolson has started dating the Sex God (aka Robbie). So life should be perfect . . . except in Georgia's life, nothing is ever perfect. Her cat, Angus (the size of a small Labrador), is terrorizing the neighborhood. Her sister, Libby (who is slightly mad), hides her pooey knickers at the bottom of Georgia's bed. Then the Sex God breaks it off because she's too young. It's time for a plan. It's time for a Red Herring. It's time for Georgia to become a "heartless boy magnet!"

Review:

The only thing I am going to say here is that Dave the Laugh is the best boyfriend ever. I have no idea why, for so long, I thought the Sex God Robbie was a good choice for Georgia. Dave is a total dream boat...

...and yes, I know I am twice his age.

This snippet is for my present and future entertainment:

8:35 pm
You can make a sort of nose sling out of pair of knickers [panties:]! Like a sort of antigravity device. You put a leg hole over each ear and the middley bit supports your nose. It's quite comfy. I'm not saying that it looks very glamorous. I'm just saying it's comfy.

8:40 pm
It's not something I would wear outside of the privacy of my own bedroom.

8:45 pm
It's a good view from my windowsill. I can see Mr. Next Door with his stupid poodles. He's all happy now that Angus has gone off poodle baiting in favor of the Burmese sex kitten.

8:46 pm
Oh hello, here comes Mark, my ex, the breast fondler. At this rate he will be the one and only fondler. I will die unfondled. He must be coming home from footie practice. I don't know how I could ever have thought about snogging him; he wears extremely tragic trousers. He is looking up at my window. He has seen me. He's stopped walking and is looking up at my window. Staring at me. Well, you know what they say - once a boy magnet always a boy magnet. I'm just going to stare back in a really cool way. All right, Mr. Big Gob, Mr. Dumper. I might be the dumpee but you still can't take your eyes away from me though, can you??? I still fascinate him. He's just looking up at me. Just staring and staring.
Mesmerized by me.

8:50 pm
Oh my god! I am still wearing my nose hammock made out of knickers.

8:56 pm
Mark will tell all his mates.

8:57 pm
He will now call me a knicker-sniffer as well as a lesbian...


4/5 stars

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Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

5/6/2012

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Angus, Thongs cover
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, #1)
Author: Louise Rennison
Publication Date: Harper Teen
Publisher: 4/10/01

Blurb: 


Angus:
My mixed-breed cat, half domestic tabby, half Scottish wildcat. The size of a small Labrador, only mad.

Thongs:
Stupid underwear. What's the point of them, anyway? They just go up your bum, as far as I can tell.

Full-Frontal Snogging:
Kissing with all the trimmings, lip to lip, open mouth, tongues ... everything.

Her dad's got the mentality of a Teletubby (only not so developed). Her cat, Angus, is trying to eat the poodle next door. And her best friend thinks she looks like an alien -- just because she accidentally shaved off her eyebrows. Ergghhhlack. Still, add a little boy-stalking, teacher-baiting, and full-frontal snogging with a Sex God, and Georgia's year just might turn out to be the most fabbitty fab fab ever!


Review:

There are times when I just HAVE to read something to perk me up, something light and silly and mindless. Louise Rennison's books always do the trick. It doesn't hurt either that this first book in Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series is a winner of Printz Honor, proving that even the silliest story about make-up, boys, and snogging can be written brilliantly. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging never takes itself seriously or tries to teach some kind of moral lesson. Instead, its only aim is to provide tons of fun; and the book succeeds at it every time I read it. I do not think there is any point for me to sing this novel any more praise to convince you to give it a try, rather, I will list some quotes here for you to see if Louise Rennison's humor is your cup of tea.

Thursday, October 15th

my bedroom
midnight

I wish I'd never started this snogging business. I feel like I've been attacked by whelks. I can't see Peter anymore. Why is he so keen on seeing me, anyway? I haven't had a chance to say more than two words before I am attacked by the whelks again. I can't go out with him anymore. How can I tell him though?

1 a.m.
I'll make Jas do it.

Friday, October 16th

9 p.m.
I just got Jas to dump Peter for me. I said for her to let him down gently, so she told him that I had a personal problem. He asked what, and she said that I thought I was a lesbian. Cheers, Jas.

Monday, October 19th

4:00 p.m.
It's all around school that I am a lesbian...

* * *

Wednesday, December 2nd.

8:30 a.m.
Dashing out of the house, Jas and I almost fell into Mark, waiting by the corner. Jas (big pal) said she had to run to her house first and she would see me at school. I went a bit red and walked on with him walking beside me. He said, "Have you got a boyfriend?"
I was speechless. What is the right answer to that question? I tell you what the right answer is... a lie, that's the right answer. So I said, "I've just come out of a heavy thing and I'm giving myself a bit of space."
He looked at me. He really did have the biggest gob [mouth:] I have ever seen. "So is that no?"
And I just stood there and then this really weird thing happened... he touched my breast!!! I don't mean he ripped my blouse off, he just rested his hand on the front of my breast. Just for a second, before he turned and went off to school.

12:30 p.m.
What does it mean when a boy rests his hand on your breast? Does it mean he has a megahorn? Or was his hand just tired?

4:30 p.m.
Why am I even thinking about this? No sign of Mark (the breast molester) when I got home, thank goodness.

4:45 p.m.
Still, you would think if a boy rests his hand on your breast he might bother to see you sometime.

* * *

Sunday, February 7th

11:00 a.m.

Got dressed in short skirt, then me and Jas walked up and down to the main road. We wanted to see how many cars with boys in them hooted at us. Ten!! (We had to walk up and down for four hours... still, ten is ten!!!)


Oh, how I wish I could tell I never participated in this last activity!

4/5 stars

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YA Review: The Treasure Map Of Boys by E. Lockhart

4/16/2012

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The Treasure Map of boys cover
The Treasure Map of Boys: Noel, Jackson, Finn, Hutch, Gideon—and me, Ruby Oliver (Ruby Oliver #3)
Author: E. Lockhart
Publication Date: 7/28/09
Publisher: Delacorte Books For Young Readers

Blurb(GR):
Ruby is back at Tate Prep, and it’s her thirty-seventh week in the state of Noboyfriend. Her panic attacks are bad, her love life is even worse, and what’s more:

Noel is writing her notes, Jackson is giving her frogs, Gideon is helping her cook, and Finn is making her brownies. Rumors are flying, and Ruby’s already-sucky reputation is heading downhill.

Not only that, she’s also: running a bake sale, learning the secrets of heavymetal therapy, encountering some seriously smelly feet, defending the rights of pygmy goats, and bodyguarding Noel from unwanted advances.

In this companion novel to The Boyfriend List and The Boy Book, Ruby struggles to secure some sort of mental health, to understand what constitutes a real friendship, and to find true love—if such a thing exists.

Review:

The fourth book in this series is most definitely my favorite, but it’s this one that really cemented Ruby Oliver into my fictional-soul-sister-for-life hall of fame forever and ever. In book two, Ruby was struggling to be a better friend – to be more considerate and thoughtful – while at the same time stand up for herself and respect her own feelings. But how far should she go in the name of friendship? How much should she sacrifice? It’s easier to see that line with frenemies like Kim and bad-news-boys like Jackson, but what about friends she genuinely cares about and wants to keep? How much of herself should she repress in order to do so?

“And why was it that I had to lie to my friend in order to do the right thing by her? In order to be a good person, I had to pretend I didn’t feel the way I felt. Was that what good people did? Denied their feelings and acted fake?”

I think that this is Ruby’s book about taking a stand. It’s about recognizing her real friends and saying goodbye to bad ones. And for the friends who lie somewhere in between, it’s about vocalizing all of her thoughts and grievances and feelings, and giving them a chance to respond. Maybe it will destroy the friendship, or maybe it will forge even stronger bonds, but either way it’s better than repressing everything. And I absolutely love that Ruby doesn’t ever get everything “right.”

Two of my favorite aspects of this series as a whole are Ruby’s parents. Ruby’s mom is a serial health-craze follower, performance artist, poor listener, and a loud mouth. Ruby’s dad is a specialty gardener, kumbaya-lover, emotional analyzer, and is generally irresponsible. They both make a ton of mistakes, don’t really get Ruby, and argue with each other at almost every turn. AND YET. And yet, they are both caring parents who have a healthy marriage. I love this passage from Ruby:

“ In life, there’s no happily-ever-after-into-the-sunset. There’s a marriage, complete with arguments, bad hair, lost hair, mentally unstable children, weird diets, dogs that fur up the couch, not enough money. Like my parents. That’s their life I just described – but then, there they were, talking on the phone about my dad massaging my mom’s groin area after yoga; cuddling on the couch; holding hands and wearing stupid Great Dane paraphernalia.

That’s all we can really hope for. In fact, I think it’s as close to happily-ever-after as things get.”


The ability of E. Lockhart to write quirky, hilarious, three-dimensional characters who I inevitably fall in love with is amazing!

Perfect Musical Pairing

Cyndi Lauper – I Don’t Want To Be Your Friend

This song is such an anthem! I loved seeing Ruby finally stand up and tell Jackson exactly how she felt. And the showdown at the CHUBS bake sale was hilarious! No more Ms. Passive Nice Girl, Ruby!

4/5 Stars
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Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart

4/11/2012

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Real Live Boyfriends cover
Real Live Boyfriends: Yes. Boyfriends, Plural. If My Life Weren't Complicated, I Wouldn't Be Ruby Oliver (Ruby Oliver #4)
Author: E. Lockhart
Publication Date: 12/28/10
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Blurb: Ruby Oliver, the neurotic, hyperverbal heroine of the The Boyfriend List, The Boy Book, and The Treasure Map of Boys, is back!
 
 
Ruby Oliver is in love. Or it would be love, if Noel, her real live boyfriend, would call her back. But Noel seems to have turned into a pod-robot lobotomy patient, and Ruby can’t figure out why.

Not only is her romantic life a shambles:
Her dad is eating nothing but Cheetos,
Her mother’s got a piglet head in the refrigerator,
Hutch has gone to Paris to play baguette air guitar,
Gideon shows up shirtless,
And the pygmy goat Robespierre is no help whatsoever.
 
Will Ruby ever control her panic attacks?
Will she ever understand boys?
Will she ever stop making lists?
(No to that last one.)
 
Roo has lost most of her friends. She’s lost her true love, more than once. She’s lost her grandmother, her job, her reputation, and possibly her mind. But she’s never lost her sense of humor. The Ruby Oliver books are the record of her survival.

Review:

This is a series conclusion that doesn't disappoint.

Granted, the book started rather rocky for me. You see, Ruby now (finally) has a boyfriend after getting no proper action due to her uber-slut reputation. But the moment she gets him, our girl is back to her Jackson-time antics, meaning, her guy is the most important part of her life, the epicenter of her existence. When things get difficult with him, she is back to her insecure self - being fake about her feelings, trying to be the bestest girlfriend and pretending being cool when she is hurt, holding her concerns back and then finally exploding and pouring them out publicly to everyone's embarrassment, flirting with other guys when her problems with her "real live boyfriend" are unresolved. Oh, Ruby, Ruby, I wanted to scream, have you not learned anything at all? Were your years of therapy a complete waste? Are you destined to be another Carrie Bradshaw jumping around single at 40, self-sabotaging, being insecure and trying to be what a guy wants instead of yourself?

To my relief, it turns out Ruby is not a lost cause. She did learn something and she does come out on top and shows the level of maturity I have never seen in her before. Yes, there is hope for all neurotic girls out there.

I love this series. Even though Ruby Oliver is not always easy to bear - her neurotic character traits are very much exaggerated. But her romantic (mis)adventures and personal struggles are very familiar ones. I think these books highlight many issues teen girls face - how to be a good friend, how not to be so boy-obsesses, how to be assertive in relationships - and handle them very well, responsibly.

I've enjoyed these books very much, but I hope never to see 5th Ruby Oliver book in print. I want to believe this neurotic, panic-attack prone girl had learned all her lessons and won't be back to her old behavior and endless obsessing about things that do not matter.

5/5 stars

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The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart

4/11/2012

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The Treasure Map of Boys: Noel, Jackson, Finn, Hutch, Gideon—and me, Ruby Oliver (Ruby Oliver #3)
Author: E. Lockhart
Publication Date: 7/28/09
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Blurb:: Ruby is back at Tate Prep, and it’s her thirty-seventh week in the state of Noboyfriend. Her panic attacks are bad, her love life is even worse, and what’s more:

Noel is writing her notes, Jackson is giving her frogs, Gideon is helping her cook, and Finn is making her brownies. Rumors are flying, and Ruby’s already-sucky reputation is heading downhill.

Not only that, she’s also: running a bake sale, learning the secrets of heavymetal therapy, encountering some seriously smelly feet, defending the rights of pygmy goats, and bodyguarding Noel from unwanted advances.

In this companion novel to The Boyfriend List and The Boy Book, Ruby struggles to secure some sort of mental health, to understand what constitutes a real friendship, and to find true love—if such a thing exists.

Review:

"The Treasure Map of Boys" is the third book about Ruby Oliver, a 16-year old girl unsure of what and who she wants in her life. Ruby's life is messy and stressful and she always seems to be trying to figure out how to deal with her overbearing parents, ex-boyfriend, potential boyfriends, her on and off friends, and undeserved reputation of a roly-poly slut.

Once again, E. Lockhart doesn't disappoint. Her knowledge of the inner works of a teenage girl's mind is profound and portrayal of Ruby is extremely realistic, albeit often painfully so. My only complaint is that in spite of a lot of self-examination and sessions with her shrink, Ruby still appears to be stuck in the same place where she was at the beginning of "The Boyfriend List." Her inability to articulate what she feels and to be frank about her feelings with her friends is particularly frustrating in this installment compared to the previous two books. So many problems in her life could have been avoided by honest communication.

I am not sure that I want Ruby to have a boyfriend at the end of this series anymore. Her life is too wrapped up in boy business. Her main goal should be to work on herself instead of angsting about inconsequential things. Ruby is an interesting person and has a lot to offer, but she is absolutely incapable of handling relationships with guys at this point. But the 4th (and as far as I know) last book is called Real Live Boyfriends. Oh, Ruby, Ruby...

5/5 stars

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The Boy Book by E. Lockhart

4/11/2012

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The Boy Book: A Study of Habits and Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them (Ruby Oliver #2)
Author: E. Lockhart
Publication Date: 9/26/06
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Blurb:
Here is how things stand at the beginning of newly-licensed driver Ruby Oliver's junior year at Tate Prep:

 • Kim: Not speaking. But far away in Tokyo.
 • Cricket: Not speaking.
 • Nora: Speaking--sort of. Chatted a couple times this summer when they bumped into each other outside of school--once shopping in the U District, and once in the Elliot Bay Bookstore. But she hadn't called Ruby, or anything.
 • Noel: Didn't care what anyone thinks.
 • Meghan: Didn't have any other friends.
 • Dr. Z: Speaking.
 • And Jackson. The big one. Not speaking.

But, by Winter Break, a new job, an unlikely but satisfying friend combo, additional entries to The Boy Book and many difficult decisions help Ruby to see that there is, indeed, life outside the Tate Universe.

Review:

"The Boy Book" is the second book about Ruby Oliver. While I thought the first book was great by itself and didn't actually require a sequel, I enjoyed this installment just as much as the first one. In this book Ruby continues learning about relationships with boys and her friends and figuring out how to balance both, although very often she remains her own worst enemy. Once again, plenty of lessons about love, friendships, female empowerment, written in a very clever and engaging way. Needless to say, loved it.

I won't linger on raving about this novel and will finish this review with this Public Service type bit of seemingly common dating knowledge that sometimes gets forgotten, quoted directly from Ruby's Boy Book and applicable to men of all ages:

Boy-Speak: Introduction to a Foreign Language

What he says: I never felt this way before.
What is understood: He loves me!
What he means: Can we get to the nether regions now?

What he says: I'll call you.
What is understood: He'll call me.
What he means: I don't want to see you again.

What he says: It's not you, it's me.
What is understood: He's got some meaningful problem going on in his life that's blocking him from being anyone's boyfriend, even mine, though he likes me so much.
What he means: I like someone else.

What he says: We're just really good friends.
What is understood: Nothing is going on between him and that other girl.
What he means: We have a flirtation, but I don't want you to bug me.

What he says: I am so messed up.
What is understood: He needs my support and help.
What he means: I want you to leave me alone.


5/5 stars

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The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

4/11/2012

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The Boyfriend List cover
The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver (Ruby Oliver #1)
Author: E. Lockhart
Publication Date: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publisher: 3/22/05

Blurb: Ruby Oliver is 15 and has a shrink. She knows it’s unusual, but give her a break—she’s had a rough 10 days. In the past 10 days she:

lost her boyfriend (#13 on the list),
lost her best friend (Kim),
lost all her other friends (Nora, Cricket),
did something suspicious with a boy (#10),
did something advanced with a boy (#15),
had an argument with a boy (#14),
drank her first beer (someone handed it to her),
got caught by her mom (ag!),
had a panic attack (scary),
lost a lacrosse game (she’s the goalie),
failed a math test (she’ll make it up),
hurt Meghan’s feelings (even though they aren’t really friends),
became a social outcast (no one to sit with at lunch)
and had graffiti written about her in the girls’ bathroom (who knows what was in the boys’!?!).


But don’t worry—Ruby lives to tell the tale. And make more lists.

Review:

I can't help it, I simply adore E. Lockhart's YA books. As far as girly, chick-lit books about relationships go, hers are the best. And this is coming from a person who isn't into chick-lit.

Just like in The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, E. Lockhart explores the challenges of being a teenage girl. In “The Boyfriend List” we learn about Ruby Oliver through her relationships with boys (not necessarily her boyfriends), how these relationship affect her life and if they are at all healthy and constructive.

Ruby is not a perfect character – she makes mistakes, she hangs on to boys for all the wrong reasons, she doesn’t appreciate her real friends enough. In short, she does everything that other teenage girls do. But in the end, through looking back at her dating history, analyzing her own family dynamics and talking to her therapist, Ruby learns how to be more assertive, get what she wants from her relationships with boys and simply becomes a more self-aware person.

I can not praise Lockhart’s writing style enough – it is funny and clever. I like how the author deciphers relationships through Ruby's experiences. I love that the underlying message of this book is for girls not to become complacent and emotionally dependent on boys, that dating a popular guy is not the most important thing in the world. It is a sad thing to say, but I feel like many grown women need to read this novel, just to get a better understanding of their dating patterns and mistakes. Many still have no idea how to get what they want out of their relationships with men. This book is better than any relationship self-help book out there.

5/5 stars

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YA Review: Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

2/19/2012

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Anya's Ghost cover
Anya's Ghost
Author: Vera Brosgol
Publication Date: 6/7/11
Publisher: First Second

Blurb(GR):
Anya could really use a friend. But her new BFF isn't kidding about the "Forever" part . . . Of all the things Anya expected to find atthe bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who's been dead for a century. Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya's normal life might actually be worse. She's embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she's pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend--even a ghost--is just what she needs. Or so she thinks. Spooky, sardonic, and secretly sincere, "Anya's Ghost "is a wonderfully entertaining debut from author/artist Vera Brosgol. "Anya's Ghost" is a 2011 "Kirkus" Best Teen Books of the Year title. One of "School Library Journal"'s Best Fiction Books of 2011.  One of "Horn Book"'s Best Fiction Books of 2011.


Review:

It’s been a while since I’ve read a real graphic novel that’s not just text with illustrations.  So it may be partly because I’ve been missing the format, but I was completely blown away by this book.  It made me remember everything that’s possible in a graphic novel, but impossible when the story is confined to mere words.  Beyond that, I think that it takes an incredible amount of talent to convey so efficiently and precisely the story, characters, emotions, and just everything in the space of a drawing.  Vera Brosgol infuses every cell with so much meaning and emotion.

I think that I fell in love with Anya on about page two.  She is a curvy, sarcastic, insecure, unmotivated, smart, snarky, dark, sweet Russian girl who wishes to be everything that she’s not.  All of this comes across within the span of a few pages.  There are very few words to this book, but any more would be simply unnecessary.  The story is rich and detailed and complex as it is.

Anya has a hopeless crush on the school basketball captain, and an envious sort of hatred for his girlfriend, the perfect blonde Elizabeth. When she falls into a well one afternoon, she discovers that she’s not alone. The ghost of a young girl lingers there, her body left to desiccate for ninety years. Anya is scared at first, but soon she discovers just how useful a ghost can be.

There is a lovely message within these pages too.  Anya feels so much like an outsider, and the bullying that she suffers as a child after immigrating to the U.S. encourages her to turn away from her identity and heritage.  This is a
common feeling for young people who must start over in a new place, but it is also a feeling universally shared by teenagers.  I think that a lot of young people have that insecurity, that feeling of ill-fitting discomfort, like your entire person just doesn’t quite belong anywhere.  There can be a tremendous amount of pressure to change and mold and adapt yourself to assimilate.  Anya rejects everything curvy and smart and Russian.  But Anya finds out that not all that seems perfect actually is, and that it’s a good thing to be different.

This theme is nothing revolutionary, but the humor, the dash of the paranormal, and the fantastic artwork all contribute to the extraordinariness of this book.  I highly recommend this for everyone.

Perfect Musical Pairing

Regina Spektor – Raindrops

Regina seems like an obvious choice for this book, and this song is very fragile and sweet, like I imagine Anya is on the inside.  This is a song about looking for connection and hoping to meet that special person that’s still unrevealed.

4.5/5 Stars

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YA Review: Babe in Boyland

2/11/2012

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Babe in Boyland Cover
Babe in Boyland
Author: Jody Gehrman
Publication Date: 2/17/11
Publisher: Dial


Blurb (GR): When high school junior Natalie - or Dr.
Aphrodite, as she calls herself when writing the relationship column for her school paper - is accused of knowing nothing about guys and giving girls bad relationship advice, she decides to investigate what guys really think and want. But the guys in her class won't give her straight or serious answers. The only
solution? Disguising herself as a guy and spending a week at Underwood Academy, the private all-boy boarding school in town. There she learns a lot about guys and girls in ways she never expected - especially when she falls for her dreamy roommate, Emilio. How can she show him she likes him without blowing her cover?

Review:
For those of you who read my reviews, this one might feel like a bit of déjà vu.

Which is exactly how this book feels to me.  Granted, sometimes this premise is done well.  But mostly, it’s not.

I actually think that this theme could use a reboot, especially in this day and age, with gender roles becoming more and more fluid and undefined.  I would love to see one of these characters discover that the old, “Men are From Mars, Women Are From Venus” paradigm is a load of crap and that we’re all actually just human beings, more similar than we are different.  Why do boys say they’ll call but then don’t?  Perhaps because they’re playing into age old stereotypes about how they’re supposed to act, or perhaps they’re just nervous about failing miserably, like we all are.  Is it true that boys think about sex every eight seconds?  No, that’s not true.  They actually think about it every five seconds, just like we all do.

So yes, this book does not exactly bring anything new to the table.  In fact, while I was reading it I was so strongly reminded of that 1980’s film, “Just One of the Guys” that I made my entire family re-watch it with me in the name of research.  On Christmas.  It’s a good thing that they love me.

It turns out that there really are quite a few similarities.  Both main characters are high school journalism students, who cross dress in the name of research and are hoping to win a prize.  Both characters infiltrate a new school.  Both are popular as girls, but then become losers as boys.  Both characters are bullied by the popular guy.  Both can’t seem to get their boy persona quite right, until they give in and stuff a sock down their pants.  Both have that scene where they run to a boys’ urinal, only to stare at it in dismay.  Both must fend off unwanted advances from a girl.  Both end up falling for a boy who’s a loser-fringe type guy but also has a perfect physique and a winning personality (because you know, that happens).

But I guess that I could have just described many of the large number of movies, television shows, and books that have all capitalized on this idea.

I did enjoy Natalie learning to appreciate the “underdogs hiding in plain sight” around her, and her growing respect for the non-superficial characteristics.  But then most of that seems nullified when she falls for Emilio, a character who has very little substance at all, and seems mostly defined by his stellar abs and caramel skin.

And if anything, Natalie emerges from her little experiment with gender roles even more solidly defined.  ”There is a divide, though, between male and female worlds, and those worlds have different rules, different customs, different cultures.”She exults in her freedom from “boyhood”, becoming even “girlier” by wearing pink and glitter and indulging in exaggerated emotional responses.  

This is a fun, fluffy, cute read but it’s been done before.  Many times.  If you’re looking for something novel or revolutionary, I would give this one a pass.

Perfect Musical Pairing

Midnight Star – Girl’s Got Something Boys Ain’t Got

If you’re going to flash back to the eighties anyway, might as well just go there!  For journalism antics,
cross-dressing, and traditional gender roles only slightly challenged, I would actually suggest watching this movie!  It has a zany brother!  And thirty year olds playing high schoolers!  And boobs!

2/5 Stars 
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