Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson April 26, 2007

Author:

Anderson, Laurie Halse
Title:

Speak
Publisher & Date:

Penguin, 2003
Recommended Age Range:

14 and up 
Plot Summary: 

Fourteen-year-old Melinda is an outcast.  The summer before her freshman year of high school, she went to a big party with her best friend but ended up calling the police.  Everyone at the high school hates her because they think that she called the police to break up the party.  Little do they know that she actually called the police because she had just been raped at the party by Andy Evans, a popular student and a senior at Melinda’s high school.  The trauma of the incident coupled with the resentment from her peers causes Melinda to completely withdraw from others and voluntarily become mute.  Andy Evans has not only stolen Melinda’s virginity and peace of mind, but also her voice.  Melinda finally begins to find her voice through her art class and her supportive and innovative art teacher, Mr. Freeman, and also through David Petrakis, a fellow student who is not afraid to speak his mind. She finally admits that she has to speak up in order to save an old friend from suffering her same fate. 
Reader Appeal: 

Due to the main character’s shyness and experiences, this book may appeal to those who are also shy, afraid to speak up or who have gone through similar traumatic experiences.  Due to the pacing of the writing, it would also appeal to those with patience for slowly developing plotlines. This book would not appeal to anyone looking for an action-packed adventure, fantasy novel, or romance as it lacks all of those elements, aside from 2 pages of action at the end of the novel.    
Literary Merit: 

This novel was written with the natural dialogue of a young teenager and nicely exhibited many of the characteristics typical in early adolescent development such as the fishbowl feeling, struggling with identity, and moodiness.  The plot development and pacing were slow, presumably to add more punch to the climax of the story, where the reader discovers the horrible truth about why Melinda called the police the night of the party.  Some readers, however, may find that the conclusion of the story, while happily girl-power-esque, too neat to be realistic or not worth the slow pacing of the previous 190 pages.   

Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar April 19, 2007

Author:

von Ziegesar, Cecily 

Title:

Gossip Girl 

Publisher & Date:

Little, Brown & Co., 2002 

Recommended Age Range:

13 and up 

Plot Summary:

Annoyingly addictive novel about the drama of being a wealthy, privileged teenager in New York City.  The plot is set in motion when the stunning Serena van der Woodsen returns to the exclusive Constance Billard School for Girls after being kicked out of boarding school.  Her homecoming sets the social life of New York’s teenaged elite in a tizzy as old flames and old jealousies rise again to meet her.  As she struggles with how her friendships have changed since she left, Serena befriends a new group of teens that show her a little different side of the city, and a little different side of her old friends. 

Reader Appeal:

This book would appeal to girls who are eager to read ahead, enjoy series novels, enjoy “Sex and the City,” follow the exploits of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan., or who are outsiders who secretly want to change the popular kids.   

Literary Merit:

This book has about the same level of literary merit as the Sweet Valley High series or less, given its frequent mention of designer clothing and trinkets.  While that is arguably the reality of the fictional teens portrayed in the novel and real teenagers in general, the novel’s convenient product placement advertisements seem rather insidious.  If you can overlook that, it is a fun, entertaining read that keeps your attention for the length of time it takes for the heroine of the story to possibly hook up with the sensitive, quiet poet, and save his sister from being raped.

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky April 19, 2007

Author:

Chbosky, Stephen

Title:                                       

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Publisher & Date:               

MTV Books/Pocket Books, 1999

Recommended Age Range:           

14 and up 

Plot Summary: 

A quiet, bittersweet coming of age novel about shy, observant Charlie, who is just beginning high school.  His best friend committed suicide the year before, and Charlie is trying to find his place in the high school as well as in the world in general.  Charlie likes to look from the sidelines, preferring to observe than to participate.  He eventually befriends some caring high school seniors, who lead him through the often-confusing world of adolescent friendships, relationships, drugs, and good music.  As he begins to open up to his new friends, Charlie begins to remember why he began to retreat into himself after the death of his aunt. 

Reader Appeal: 

This book would appeal to fans of psychology, The Smiths, problem novels, literature, reading, writing, and those who are shy. 

Literary Merit: 

This novel was well-written, moving, and had an inventive style. The entire book is structured as letters to an unknown person, so the reader comes to realize certain plot points as the narrator, Charlie, slowly begins to remember them.

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon April 12, 2007

Author:

Haddon, Mark

Title:                                     

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Publisher & Date:                

Double Day, 2003

Recommended Age Range: 

14-adult 

Plot summary:

The unlikely hero of this bittersweet and compelling novel is 15-year-old autistic math genius Christopher Boone. The novel begins with Christopher’s discovery of the neighbor’s dog, dead on the lawn.  Christopher decides that he is going to solve the mystery, just like his favorite character, Sherlock Holmes.  In attempting to solve the mystery, however, he discovers a complex and often confusing world of human emotion and relationships, which he must try to interpret through his unique view.  Far from being a victim, the reader sees how Christopher overcomes his fears to solve this mystery and also comes to a fuller understanding of the relationships between his parents and his neighbors.

Reader appeal:

This book would appeal to fans of psychology, Sherlock Holmes, unlikely heroes, unusual characters, and stories about overcoming obstacles.   

Literary merit:  

The writing in this novel was amazing. It clearly illustrates Christopher’s interpretation of the world so that as a reader you come to understand that while he is bad at interpreting and expressing emotion in others, he feels altogether too much.  He is so sensitive to the particulars of the world, in fact, that he must devise patterns and consistencies of his own in order to deal with what he sees is utter chaos.