Prom & Prejudice

Eulberg, Elizabeth. Prom& Prejudice.

New York, NY: Scholastic, 2011. Print.

Annotation: For Lizzie Bennett, a music scholarship student at Connecticut's exclusive, girls-only Longbourn Academy, the commotion over prom is senseless, but even more puzzling is her attraction to the pompous Will Darcy, best friend of her roommate's boyfriend.

Booktalk: This is a classic Jane Austen tale written for our modern day but with some new twists. It is a clever, modern romance. Watch the video for the inside scoop with the author Elizabeth Eulberg.

 

Honors & Awards

Not yet but favorably reviews

image credit: bookblather.net

Princess in the Spotlight

Cabot, Meg. The Princess Diaries, Vol. II, Princess In the Spotlight.

New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2000. Print.

Annotation: Mia, the fourteen-year-old New York City-raised heir to the throne of the tiny European country of Genovia, manages to alienate her best friend, her family, and her soon-to-be-subjects in the space of one national primetime interview.

Booktalk: So I just couldn’t stop reading after starting the first Princess Diary book, seeing poor Mia suffering all the “princess lessons”. Not my idea of dreaming of being a princess for sure. Let’s look at what happens on

Monday October 20^th

As if I don’t have enough problems. As if my life isn’t over already. I just don’t see how much more I can be expected to take. I mean apparently, it is not enough that

1. I am the tallest girl in the freshman class.

2. I am also the least endowed in the chest area.

3. Last month, I found out my mother has been dating my Algebra teacher.

4. Also last month, I found out that I am the sole heir to the throne of a small European country.

5. I have to take princess lessons from my paternal grandmother. Every day.

6. In December, I am suppose to be introduced to my new countrymen and women on national television (in Genovia, population 50,000, but still).

7. I don’t have a boyfriend.

Do any of Mia problems sound like the ones you are having this week? Get comfy and read on to find how Mia prepares for her upcoming interview in Princess in the Spotlight.

Awards & Honors

· New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age

· ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

www.harperteen.com

image credit: openlibrary.org

Bras & Broomsticks

Mlynowski, Sarah. Bras & Broomsticks.

New York, NY: Delacorte Press, 2005. Print.

Annotation: Living in New York City with her mother and her younger sister, Miri, fourteen-year-old Rachel tries to persuade Miri, who has recently become a witch, to help her become popular at school and to try to stop their divorced father's wedding.

Booktalk: Rachel thinks that magic can be the answer to all her problems. Although she thinks that it is completely unfair that her young sister Miri got the powers she will just have to convince her to work on spells that will solve her problems like:

1. Making her popular and on the A-list crowd

2. Getting on the dance team for the most important event at her school.

3. Having a perfect complexion.

4. Getting a boyfriend and taking her to Spring Fling.

5. Canceling her father’s wedding

Yes, Rachel thinks this is going to be her year to shine. But what if magic doesn’t really fix problems just makes bigger messes?

Honors & Awards

· Summer Children’s Book Sense Picks

· Kentucky Bluegrass Master List

Randomhouse.com

image credit: fictiondb.com

YA voice: Pearl, age 12

I read "Chick Lit" because I find it entertaining occasionally, though it can get repetitive.
I like to read it because when you read a book for the first time you practically feel an adrenaline rush as the story unfolds and when you read the book the second or third time it feels like an old friend is welcoming you to read their story.

Annie On My Mind

Garden, Nancy. Annie On My Mind

Farrar Straus Giroux, 1982. Print

Annotation: After meeting at a museum in New York a wonderful friendship develops. These two young women discover their attraction to one another and begin to fall in love. This is not without challenges and questions in their own minds and of the world around them.

Booktalk:

“There’s no need for us to pretend to be other people any more, ever again, is there Liza?” Annie said softly. My eyes stung suddenly and Annie touched the bottom lids with her finger, asking, “Why tears?” I kissed her finger. “Because I’m happy,” I said. “Because your saying that right now makes me happier than almost anything else could. No-there’s no need to pretend.”

Seventeen-year-old Liza first meets Annie at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. From Liza’s point of view she tells the development of their relationship of friendship and then the confusion that Liza feels over her new discovered sexuality. These two young people meet in what seems like completely different worlds. Liza attends a private school and has great expectations from her teachers, parents and herself and wants to attend MIT. Annie lives in a lower middle class family and is a talented vocalist who attends public school and hopes to attend college at the University of California, Berkley. Their story is an exploration of the friendship and first love between the two girls. Annie and Liza are both confused and struggle with the possibility that they might be gay or just in love.

Honors & Awards:

• ALA Best Books for Young Adults
• ALA/YALSA Best of the Best
• Booklist Best Booksellers' Choice
• ALA/YALSA 100 Best Books for YAs
• Margaret A. Edwards

http://www.nancygarden.com/books/teens.html

image credit: nancygarden.com