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

Along for the Ride

Dessen, Sarah. Along for the Ride.

New York, NY: Penguin, 2009. Print.

Annotation: Auden gets a chance to recapture the carefree teen life she missed while her parents were going through a divorce when she goes to spend the summer with her dad and his new family in a charming beach town and meets fellow insomniac Eli, an intriguing loner fighting demons of his own.

Booktalk: What does one find to do in a small little coastal town all during the night? Well there is definitely the Gas/Gro for coffee and snacks but Auden doesn’t consider herself a store-goer. We are going to follow Auden, an insomniac overachiever who doesn’t really know how to let loose, live, have fun. Her ambitions for achievements in academia make less favorable abilities to connect with people. She is not sure what to do with the summer after she graduates high school and before she starts her freshman year at a prestigious university. So, on a whim rather than stay at home with her overbearing, intellectual, egotistical mother, she decides to visit her father, his new wife, and her new baby sister in the beach town of Colby. When she packs, she fills an entire suitcase with her textbooks to get an early start on college reading– because that’s the kind of girl Auden is, but that’s not who she’ll be at the end of the summer. With the help of Eli, another loner and fellow night owl that becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests. Auden will learn to just go along for the ride.

Honors & Awards

YALSA Pick for Teen’s Top Ten 2010 No.7

www.ala.org/teenstopten/

image credit: openlibrary.org

YA voice: Jayrn age 14

I love to read "Chick Lit"! To be honest I am a huge girly girl! I love the drama and the humor in it. It covers every day things so sometimes I get good advice on girl things. But overall the romance and the humanity of it draws me.

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.