Monday May 21

Posts Tagged ‘physical intimacy’

« Older Entries

A Librarian Reads Story of a Girl

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

Deanna has been labeled the school slut since eighth grade. Unfortunately the rumors spread about her are based on truth. When she was thirteen  she had a year long fling with a seventeen year old boy named Tommy. It only ended when her father caught them in an act of intimacy. Since then she has lost all but two of her friends and is constantly bullied at school. Even adults in her small town know what happened and look down on her.

Now she is sixteen and summer is about to begin. Her family life is in shambles. Her father hasn’t said one nice word to her since he caught her and Tommy. He also lost his job of nineteen years and is now forced to work a job that doesn’t pay well. Deanna’s mom also works but still tries to get dinner ready for everyone. To make Deanna’s home life even more tense her older brother, his girlfriend and their newborn live in the basement. Deanna’s father is constantly arguing with everyone and telling them they are doing a poor job at making good decisions.

Deanna decides to get a job and daydreams about moving out with her brother’s family and away from her parents. Unfortunately she gets a job at a pizza place where Tommy works. Since it is the only place that will hire her she reluctantly agrees. Deanna tries to hang out with her friends Jason and Lee, who are dating, but always feels like a third wheel. She also harbors a secret crush on Jason that makes fer feel guilty whenever she is around Lee.

Deanna has been hurting for a long time. But this summer is when everything breaks open: her brother’s girlfriend leaves, Lee goes on a ten day vacation leaving Jason and Deanna alone, and to make it even worse Tommy is there hitting on her and calling her names. Will a bad decision define her whole life? How can Deanna begin to untangle all the emotional hurt she has placed on herself, and her family? What does it feel like to be utterly alone and where everyone shuns you? How do you become more than the story people tell about you?

Story of a Girl is an excellent and quick read about a girl who made some bad choices, who is in a bad place but who wants to be better. It is highly recommended for those who enjoy realistic fiction or who are interested in the effects of rumors and bullying. The novel is appropriate for ages 14 and up due to some of the subject matter.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in A Librarian Reads | Comments Off

A Librarian Reads Gemini Bites

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

Gemini Bites by Patrick Ryan

Judy and Kyle Renneker are fraternal twins who live in the middle of a family of nine. Everyone in the family competes against each other just to survive. If you want the biggest helping of dinner you need to make sure you are first in line. If you want an amazing present for Christmas you better start dropping hints in July. That is how life has always been in the Renneker family. But since Judy and Kyle are twins they compete against each other more than any other member of the family and it always seems that Judy wins. When Kyle came out as gay to his family Judy came out as a born again Christian. She is always one-upping her twin.

Then one night Judy and Kyle’s parents make an announcement. The family will have another member soon. Garret Johnson, the son of a friend of their father’s, will be staying with them for the rest of the school year. Garrett’s parents are moving to California but want him to have the stability of staying at one school for his junior year of high school. At first Judy and Kyle are concerned that their home will have one more person squeezed into it, but soon Judy notices that Kyle has an interest in Garret. Now she sees Garret as an opportunity to compete with her brother for a boyfriend.

But Garrett has his own plans. He makes it no secret to Judy and Kyle that he is a vampire. Garrett even has a Van Helsing type stalker at school who has vowed to destroy him. Judy and Kyle aren’t sure what to make of any of this but can’t deny being intrigued. So who will win in this love triangle? Judy? Kyle? Or the vampire?

Gemini Bites is a very funny, yet realistic, story of sibling rivalry gone haywire. Highly recommended for those looking for a quick, fun read about family, romance and vampires. It is appropriate for ages 16 and up due to a few scenes involving physical intimacy.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in A Librarian Reads | Comments Off

A Librarian Reads Girl From Mars

Monday, July 25th, 2011

Girl From Mars by Tamara Bach

Miriam is an average small town girl growing up in Germany. She hangs out with her fiends in the bathroom every morning before school. Sometimes the smoke cigarettes, other times she listens to them talk about their boyfriends or what they did the night before. A small town doesn’t offer much variety for having fun so Miriam lets her friends just drone on and on.  Miriam waits for the eternity of the school day to end only to go home to an empty house, eat, and wait for her mother to come home. Then for one trivial reason or another Miriam and her mother usually end the night shouting at one another. Miriam feels trapped between being a child and an adult, trapped by the small town she lives in, and trapped by her friends boring lives.

Then one day a new girl, Laura, is in her class. Laura is so cool that she evens rolls her own cigarettes. Soon, Laura starts hanging out with Miriam and showing up at the bathroom before school. Miriam isn’t sure what is going on with her new friend but she knows that whenever she looks at her she gets all wonky inside. Soon Miriam’s world doesn’t seem so small and boring anymore because now she has met her first love. Laura knows there is a connection between them as well. But how does a girl from nowhere talk to that someone special, especially someone like Laura. Soon Miriam and Laura start dancing around that attraction between them. They are both trying to figure out how to be more than friends, and how to be themselves, especially in a town where they feel like no one is like them.

Girl From Mars is a great read about first love, the confusion of being a teen and discovering things about who you are and how the world works. It is appropriate for ages 14 and up and contains foul language, drinking, and explorations of physical intimacy. Highly recommended.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in A Librarian Reads | Comments Off

A Librarian Reads Forbidden

Thursday, July 21st, 2011

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Lochan and Maya are eldest of five siblings. Lochan is seventeen and is close to graduating high school. Maya is a year behind him. When they were young their father abandoned their family and ever since then their mother has relied more and more on alcohol. Lochan has tried to be the man of the house and look after his three younger siblings. He relies heavily on Maya for help and as a team they are pretty successful. Unfortunately their mother has started a dating a new guy and she is drinking and partying now more than ever. Their mother would usually only be gone for a night or two, but has now ceased coming home at all. Lochan and Maya are thrust into the roles of parents for their younger siblings now more than ever.

Lochan and Maya are suffering from many symptoms of abandonment and child abuse: guilt, depression, confusion, and an overwhelming sense of responsibility; that they can keep their family together through sheer force of will. They also suffer from one more symptom: the need for a escape, a place where their hopes and dreams of a better life can run wild. Unfortunately they have no time for themselves. On top of their own schoolwork they need to help the younger siblings with theirs. They need to cook, to clean, buy groceries, and get the kids to bed on time.

All the realities of parenthood weigh heavily on their shoulders. At least they have each other as best friends to see them through. But recently there has been lingering glances, and the holding of hands. If Lochan and Maya are acting like the family’s parents, why can’t they be the parents? They begin to feel their only release from the pressures of life is each other and soon they believe they are falling in love with one another. They know that incest is a taboo and illegal, but their hormones and life situation seem to be forcing them into each others’ arms. They also know that their love won’t end well and that there won’t be a happy ending, but their love is the only escape from their lives they have.

As readers we know that Lochan and Maya are doomed from the start, but sometimes people have to learn the hard way that you cannot do everything by yourself, and that by clinging to the pieces of a broken home you only make things worse. Through all of the troubles Lochan and Maya face as they try to stay afloat in life you know they have the best of intentions. But in the world good intentions are not always enough and sometimes they can have disastrous results. Lochan and Maya start down a road of tragedy, forbidden by their responsibilities and depression to find any other way out.

Forbidden is a very well written book that is about the effects of children being left to fend on their own. Within that context it also deals with the taboo of incest, but is mostly used as a plot twist to depict how out of hand life becomes for their family.Readers who come from rough home lives may identify with Lochan and Maya’s feelings of guilt and responsibility. The book does have frequent swearing and a few depictions of physical intimacy. It is appropriate for mature readers 16 and up.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in A Librarian Reads | Comments Off

A Librarian Reads Bumped

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

What if only teenagers could have babies? This is the reality in the world of Bumped. A virus has left everyone in the world older then 18 infertile. Even in vitro fertilization no longer works. Condoms have been banned and society has changed to embrace teenage pregnancy. Advertising teaches children that the most important part thing about them is their ability to reproduce. Teens have babies in order to auction them off to couples who want children. Some teens can go “pro” and get endorsements, college tuition and other awards to have babies with very specific genes.

Melody is one such girl. Her adopted parents have groomed her all her life to be a breeder. Melody is special because of her specific DNA traits. Melody even has an agent that helped her sign a deal with a couple, the Jaydens, who wants the most genetically gifted baby ever. The Jaydens have searched for years to find  the perfect partner for Melody. Melody is getting older though and only has a few years before infertility sets in. Little does she know that the Jaydens have set her up with the most sought after teenage male in the whole world, Johndoe.

But before she can learn the news her life is thrown into chaos by her long lost identical twin, Harmony. Separated at birth, Harmony has grown up in Goodside, a sequestered community of religious conservatives who believe that breeding should only be done within marriage. Melody is sure her sister is here to save her soul. But when Melody’s breeding agent calls to inform her about Johndoe, he confuses Harmony for Melody. Now the twins are mixed up and their lives are spiraling out of control.

Bumped is an excellent book, mixing humor and science fiction while raising important questions about sex in a teenager’s life. The most interesting thing is that answers aren’t easily found. Melody and Harmony struggle with different understandings of life, sex, and how to be a good person. I highly recommend the book but caution that is appropriate for mature readers that are 16 and up.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in A Librarian Reads | 1 Comment »

« Older Entries