April 1, 2011
Gr 7 Up-Similar to the "Bluford" series (Townsend), these high-interest contemporary urban fiction books focus on teenagers trying to navigate adolescence in the midst of difficult situations. After Benito's father is deployed to Iraq, the teen does his best to be the man of the house. When Xavier returns, the family is overjoyed, but soon realize that being a soldier has changed him from the cheerful soccer-playing dad they knew into someone who is fearful, tense, and angry. With the strength of their family bond, they struggle to help him and to regain the closeness and stability they once enjoyed. In Plan B, Lucy's life is perfect; she has a caring mother, great friends, and, best of all, a boyfriend whom she loves. However, after Lucy and Luke make a careless decision, their lives change forever, and she needs to find the right answer for them. In Recruited, Kadeem is ecstatic when scouts shower him with gifts, dinners, and parties and he realizes that his dream of playing college football may be coming true. His happiness quickly turns to dread, though, as he learns that the incentives offered to him are violations of recruitment policy. Given the chance to help stop the unethical behavior, he has to make a heartfelt decision. These well-written stories reinforce the importance of family, friends, values, and thoughtful decision-making. Characters that readers will identify with and care about are combined with realistic plots that reflect society today. Excellent purchases, these books will attract and engage reluctant readers.-Margaret Auguste, Franklin Middle School, Somerset, NJ
Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 1, 2011
Grades 8-12 Just making it into a triple-digit page count, this is the first entry in the new quick-reading Surviving Southside series. Narrator Lucy is a dancer from a single-parent home, and her boyfriend, Luke, is a baseball player from a successful nuclear household. Their plans for post-high-school happiness are thrown into disarray when Lucy becomes pregnant. How the teens, their friends, and their families deal with the situation forms the heart of this story, in which everyone is surprisingly supportive. After debating between adoption, abortion, and parenthood, Lucy and Luke are still unsure of what to do, and a visit to a doctors office ends with the words, I dont know. Lets go. The teens realistic debates and ambivalence will hit home with the target audience. A cover featuring ethnically vague teens, large margins, and rapid pacing likely enhance this books appeal as a solid offering, particularly for adults and teens seeking high-lo novels.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2011
Lucy is looking forward to a bright future with her boyfriend Luke--until she gets pregnant. Now that future will include abortion, adoption, or keeping the baby; as Lucy acknowledges, "the choices all sucked." An ambiguous ending keeps readers guessing. The problem-novel text grows melodramatic, but reluctant readers may be drawn in by the high-interest (if simplistically treated) topic.
(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)