Intensely Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Alice is 17 and torn between longing for the past and looking toward her future. Pamela’s pregnancy, Patrick’s departure for university, and Alice’s preparation for going to college and envisioning her future leave the protagonist wishing for the times when all her friends were still going to high school together and living in the same place. Oh, those times when life was simple and carefree. Unfortunately it takes a tragedy to bring everyone back together- a tragedy that is guaranteed to change Alice and all of her friends forever.

Intensely Alice addresses teen pregnancy, sexuality, questioning one’s faith or beliefs, and the fear of the future, which are issues young adults face as they grow toward adulthood. Naylor continues to develop the friendship between Alice, Pamela, and Elizabeth, and Alice’s boyfriend, Patrick, returns after an absence in the past few books. Readers travel with Alice to go visit Patrick while he is off studying at the University of Chicago and get to see if the couple takes their relationship to the next level. Naylor has reconnected with Alice’s voice in Intensely Alice. In the past couple of books Alice didn't sound like a teenager; whereas now her voice is more mature. Long-time fans of the series will have no trouble sinking into Alice’s story and will be left wanting more.

Intensely Alice is Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s 24th book in the Alice series. Naylor began the Alice series with the protagonist in the 6th grade. She later delivered prequels for a younger audience exploring Alice’s adventures in Grades 3, 4, and 5. The author is planning on writing one Alice book a year until Alice is 18. For every year of Alice’s life, the author delivers three books exploring Alice’s events and experiences. Afterward, she will deliver the 28th and final book, which will reflect on Alice’s life from ages 18-60. The Alice books are released annually in May.

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has had an extensive career writing for children, young adults, and adult readers. She is known for her other series: The Shiloh Books, the Bernie Magruder Books, the Cat Pack Books, the York Trilogy, and the Witch Books. Many of these books and other publications by Naylor are available at the Moore Memorial Public Library in the Children’s, Young Adult, and Fiction sections.

King of the Screwups: A Novel by K.L. Going

Ever feel like you are suffering an identity crisis? Liam Geller, the main character in K.L. Going’s King of the Screwups: a Novel might be able to relate. Liam is incredibly popular at high school. He excels in sports, the girls adore him, and he dresses incredibly well. There is one little problem, though. Although he is adored by all, he can and often is an incredible screw-up. This ability regularly enrages his father and eventually leads him to kick Liam out of the house right before the start of senior year. With nowhere to go, Liam ends up living with his gay uncle, who he calls Aunt Pete. His uncle lives a bit of a glam-rock lifestyle as a DJ in upstate New York, lives in a trailer, and has many colorful friends. Hoping to earn his father’s acceptance, Liam uses this new environment and school to become a model student. However, Liam is torn between being who he really is and living up to his father’s expectations. King of the Screwups takes the reader on Liam’s adventure to find his true self.

Other books in the Moore Young Adult collection by K.L. Going include: Fat Kid Rules the World, which won a Printz Award Honor, and Saint Iggy, an American Library association Best Book for Young Adults.

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Beloved young adult author, Sarah Dessen, recently published her ninth book, Along for the Ride. This story focuses on recent high school graduate, Auden, who slowly begins to realize all the things she missed out on during high school because she chose to focus on her education. Spending the summer with her father, step-mother, and newborn baby sister, in the remote cottage, beach-side community of Colby, only furthers this realization. During her last summer before going off to attend university, Auden, works at her step-mother’s boutique, which exposes her to a whole new world of “girl”: gossip, boys, and friendship.

Auden, in addition to having missed out on many social forays of teen-dom, also suffers from insomnia. She hasn’t slept normally for years, and she spends her night driving around the small cottage town drinking coffee. These all-night adventures eventually lead to a friendship with Eli, a local loner, who also seems to also suffer from insomnia. Both have emotional obstacles they need to overcome, and during the summer they learn to rely on one another and face the many things that may hold them back from living the lives they desire.

Similarly to other Dessen works, this story is character driven. Readers will find themselves attached to the characters and the world in which they live. Other books in the Moore Young Adult collection by Dessen are: That Summer, Lock & Key, Just Listen, The Truth about Forever, This Lullaby, Dreamland, Keeping the Moon, and Someone like You.

Derby Girl by Shauna Cross

Bliss Cavendar cannot wait to finish high school so she can get out of Bodeen, Texas as soon as possible. The small town only seems to offer her misery with its Miss Bluebonnet pageant, lack of hot, cool guys, and cowboy mentality. If it weren’t for her best friend, Pash, and a mutual love of all things indie rock there would be little happiness in the world that imprisons them. That is until Bliss discovers the extreme excitement of roller derby, which takes place an hour away in her cool, indie-dream capital, Austin.

According to Bliss roller derby is her ticket out of small town, narrow-minded living and an escape from her reality of having to soon compete in the Miss Bluebonnet pageant. She leads a double life, high school attending teenager by day/ 18-yr-old heartbreaker roller derby babe by night, which bring her both happiness and pain. She meets and dates the hottest band guy and becomes a roller queen. However, this new life comes with sacrifices, like best friendship, which Bliss discovers is more important that making out with a boy.

The author Shauna Cross is from Austin, which is apparent by her description of the city and hipster hot spots. For those high schoolers who feel stuck and out of place in the typical high school setting, Bliss’ story will make you wish you could transport yourself to Austin’s Lamar Street or South Congress to do some vintage clothes or record shopping. Bliss’ journey around the rink is full of hilarity and growing pains, but it is also dressed in fish nets and roller skates.

The ABC's of Kissing Boys by Tina Ferraro

Parker Stanhope’s junior year of high school did not start out as she planned. She expected to be moved to the varsity soccer team with her three best friends, but the soccer coach, “Heartless” had other plans. Being left behind to sit on the JV squad one more year was pretty high up on Parker’s list of” how to quickly lose your popularity and become a social outcast” list, but insult was added to injury when her supposed BFFs turn their backs on her.

In order to regain her status and three best pals, Parker goes to drastic lengths. She, her brother, and his best friend, Luke, both of whom are pre-law students, devise a plan, which involves the school’s annual sports fair. Knowing the booth that raises the most money awards the coach a prime parking space, they decide to take advantage of the varsity soccer team’s kissing booth. Luke will pay $300 for a kiss, but only if it comes from Parker. “Heartless” wanting the awesome parking space will greedily agree to let Parker on the varsity team, which they will then use to keep Parker on the team with some fancy law school legalese. However, in order for this plan to work, Parker needs to give Luke a kiss that is convincing.

The kiss is a bit of an issue seeing how she’s only ever received a peck on the lips from a boy she briefly dated. Parker finds herself requesting the help of her neighbor, Tristan, who is a freshman. (According to Parker and most of the upperclass, freshman are babies!) Apparently, Tristan learned all the latest kissing techniques while spending his summer at camp. Tristan agrees to secretly coach her in exchange for public acknowledgement at school, which will help his social status.

Parker’s attempt to regain the life she once knew does not go as planned. Parker is caught hanging out with the freshman, which fuels her former BFFs ridicule. The events during the first few weeks of school leading up to the sports fair are at times upsetting and challenging, but they force Parker to realize many things about herself, her friends, and her love of soccer. While working toward kissing perfection and social acceptance Parker learns the importance of true friendship, love, sportsmanship, and loyalty. The fact that she also learns the fine art of kissing is a bonus.

The ABC's of Kissing Boys is a fun, quick read. This is the third book by Tina Ferraro. Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress and How to Hook a Hottie are also available at Moore Memorial Public Library.

Skim by Mariko Tamaki; Illustrated by Jillian Tamaki

Graphic novels are a unique opportunity to allow the reader to visualize the scene writers create in stories. These scenes can enhance the emotion behind the written word, such as fear, loneliness, and extreme delight. The illustrations created by Jillian Tamaki do just that in Skim, which was written by her cousin, Mariko Tamaki.

Skim is the nickname of the title character, Kimberly Keiko Cameron. She attends a preppy private Catholic school in Toronto, where she fails to fit in. She is Wiccan. She is Gothic. She is Japanese-Canadian. The suicide of the school’s star athlete turns his ex-girlfriend, Katie Matthews, and the school into a mourning freak show. The school’s reaction and coping mechanisms only serve to further Skim’s battle with depression, acceptance, and unrequited love. Compared to 90’s teen move favorites, Heathers and Dead Poets Society, Skim is a complicated coming of age story that befits the complications of high school and the heartache of youth.

Skim was nominated for the Governor General’s Award by the Canada Council for the Arts and YALSA’s 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens Award. The book garnered additional press because of the controversy surrounding the Canada Council nomination, which only listed the writer of the story and not the illustrator for the award. A number of internationally recognized comic writers, including Chester Brown and Seth, stepped up to request a revision to the nomination. It won the 2008 Outstanding Graphic Novel Ignatz Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement by comics and cartooning.

Blogger’s note: Skim is one of my favorite reads within the past year.

Gentlemen by Michael Northrop

New to the Moore Memorial Public Library Young Adult collection is Gentlemen by Michael Northrop. The story is centered on four boys, who are known for their bad behavior. Growing up in a small town, Mike (the narrator), Tommy, Bones, and Mixer, are largely ignored and reviled at their high school and among the community. They spend their school days hating their remedial classes and most of their teachers and peers. They are outcast and constantly reminded of this fact.

The story quickly grows suspenseful when one of the boys, Tommy, who was kicked out of class for tossing a desk, goes missing. Around the same time of this event, the remaining three boys also notice their English teacher, Mr. Haberman, begins to act strangely. The combination of these two events allows the boy’s minds to draw wild conclusions as they try to figure out what happened to Tommy. Northrop creates a story that is both suspenseful and deftly communicates the bonds of adolescent friendship in his writing.

Gentleman is an easy read, as it is written like Mike is talking directly to you as he tells the tale. Crime and Punishment, which Haberman is teaching in his class, is referenced throughout the story; however, the reader doesn’t necessarily need to know this classic to be gripped by the plot and taken in by the suspense. Some of the language and content may be a little harsh for younger readers.

Gentlemen is Northrop’s first novel. He has published short fictional works in Weird Tales, McSweeney’s, and the Norte Dame Review. His second Young Adult novel, Trapped, will be out soon.