YOLO

I am not big on # and I am not good with the cool and hip and now sayings.  I think "YOLO" is an old cool and hip and now saying, as this book was published in 2014, when it was hip and now and cool.  But still, I wasn't big on using YOLO then.  Still, this book, YOLO,  was just as good as the other Internet Girls books, which I really, really enjoyed because it wasn't dated, even though it could have been, given its heavy reliance on technology.  The girls have gone off to college.  Maddie is at UCSC.  Zoe is at Kenyon and her boyfriend Doug is also at a school in Ohio, Oberlin.  Angela is at the University of Georgia.  Lauren Myracle is one of my most favorite authors. She just is.  Angela decides to go the way of the Greek.  So there is that angle.  There is a lot in here that kids face when they start college:  hard classes, roommate trouble, choosing a major, long distance relationships (friends and romantic), family rules, drinking, bi-curious kissing, date rape.  And it is all addressed very well, I think.  I know I am officially old when I saw I wouldn't want to go back to that time in my life.  Not that I think things are harder today.  As I have said, some things are harder and some things are easier, but human nature remains that same.  It's just that every part of life has it's own struggles and I guess those are not ones I would like to relive!

Watch Out for the Quiet Ones

Mindy McGinnis has written a tough book.  The Female of the Species starts tough and ends tough.  I loved, loved, loved the character of Peekay, the Preacher's Kid and her parents.  I feel like this was one of those books that really got church right.
The story is told from the POVs of Peekay, Jack and Alex.  Alex is the main character, he sister was raped and murdered by a local man who didn't go to prison due to lack of evidence.  Jack is the guy who falls in love with her, willing to forget his playboy self and just be faithful to Alex.
The book is raw and, I saw someone on goodreads call it brutal, and it is.  It is real life in its worst of times.  But very realistic.
There are stories about abuse to animals, because Alex and Peekay volunteer in an animal shelter, so some of that will be hard to take for some, but it no where compares to the abuse done to humans in the book.  This is getting Printz buzz and I can see why.

Daughters of Eve and Sons of Adam

Daughters of Eve is a wonky little book.  It really is a slice of American life in the 70s.  When women were starting to more boldly demand their rights.  Well, I guess it started in the late 60s. 
The neatest thing I found after reading this book was this article, that Lois Duncan's granddaughter found, then forwarded to her grandma and her grandma wrote back!  I second all of the positive things about this book.  It also gives teens of today a look at what it was like "back in the day."  A very enjoyable read!

Hang in There...

I say that to the characters in book, as most of them probably have thought that giving up and going Home was the best thing, and also to readers of I Crawl Through It.
I read some reviews in which the reader said they just couldn't finish the book.  And I completely understand.
I started it and read a book in between and thought about not going back to it, but I am really glad I did.
A.S. King is an incredible writer.  And I am the first to call someone pretentious!  (Terrible, terrible, but sadly, that is true.) but I don't agree with others who have said that King's writing here is pretentious.  I really don't.  I think that she really is just that smart.  She really is just that creative.  She really does care that much about telling the stories of teens who have experienced trauma.
Make no mistake, this IS an odd book.
It is more surreal than magical realism, but it is well worth reading.
Check out the book trailer, too.

Another Surprise!

I was so blessed to be in Chicago at ALA Midwinter when the Youth Media Awards were announced.  The room was filled with excitement.  As I mentioned before, I was just thrilled that The Crossover won the Newbery.
Gabi, a Girl in Pieces won the Morris Award.  After reading it, and being so cynical about awards since 1954, I was so surprised to find that it won!  This book is awesome.  It just awesome.  Gabi is a girl that you just love right from the start.  And there is so much in here.  Body issues, sexuality, race, drug abuse, rape, hope, love, tradition.  All just done so, so well.  Gabi feels like a real person.