5 comments about Tears Of A Tiger.

1. This gripped me from the opening scene and I kept reading it to the end. It uses an interesting narrative device, interspersing newspaper reports and school announcements with the conversations of the various characters.
   The book is rather obviously directed at the young adult market. Draper is not content to tell a story like it is. The story is meant to teach a lesson. Her wish to send a message to young people shows through, most notably in her handling of dialog. Her young, hard-drinking party-going, African-American basketball players never utter an obscenity or racial epithet.
   She spells dialect phonetically in a selective way. When Andy expresses a negative she spells it "naw" instead of "no". When Andy is speakin' to a psychologist his periphrastic verbs end in an apostrophe, but when the psychologist is speaking he gets a g at the end. This misspelling makes reading harder, not easier and the effect is patronizing.



2. given as donation to 3rd party from their request list, haven't read it, price ok, service and quality good



3. I read Tears of A Tiger after Forged By Fire for a Young Adult Literature course that I am currently taking. At the beginning of the novel, I didn't think that Tears of a Tiger would be as good as Forged By Fire, but by the end of the story, I loved it just as much! Some reviewers said that the storyline from Forged By Fire progressed too fast, but I thought that aspect of the book was appealing. It was necessary for Forged By Fire to progress so quickly in the last twenty pages because it was the perfect segue between Tears of a Tiger and Darkeness Before Dawn. The reason that I really began to enjoy reading Tears Of A Tiger was because the novel touched on the common issues that African-American boys face pertaining to education, such as low expectations from teachers and little opportunity other than sports for young black men to be successful. I thought the book was powerful in its discussion of suicide because for African American men, it is quite easy to feel invisible in school, in the family, and in society, and I have not yet read a novel in which the male African American protagonist commits suicide for a reason other than sexual orientation. I was looking for a book for my 13 year old nephew to read while he is visiting with me for the summer, and I will definitely allow him to read this book because I think he will enjoy reading it and because he will also be able to think critically about some of the unfortunate experiences he has had in his young life.



4. very sad but very good. i couldnt put it down. i love the whole series and could read them all over and over again. I REALLY LOVED IT!!!!



5. Do Tigers Really Cry?
   I was really disappointed that I couldn't read November Blues. The book seemed very interesting, just by reading the back summary. Because the book was checked out from the school library and I couldn't find it in the public libraries, I decided to settle with Tears of A Tiger. Sharon M. Draper, an award-winning author, poet, and National Teacher of the Year, wrote both November Blues and Tears of A Tiger. I'm not the type of person that enjoys reading just for the fun of it. I thought this would be hard because I had to read, but it turned out great. The book Tears of A Tiger was extremely realistic and jaw dropping that I couldn't put it down. Any teenager would love this book because the plot has its ups and downs and it's unpredictable, and the style and language are realistic. The book is written in mostly dialogue, which I think makes it easier to read since it puts you at the scene. I really enjoyed this because I can relate to the characters. Not only because they are seniors in high school, but also I have been put into similar situations, I'm a teenager and I know what high school students think about, and death is not one of them.
   Most high school seniors never really think about death. Everyone knows what's really on their minds is college, relationships and fashion. High school seniors also go through depression, stress and struggle, but they never discussed them. In the book Tears of A Tiger, it's all about depression, stress, and struggle. Andrew Jackson, one of the main characters, also known as Andy, goes through a lot of depression, stress and struggles. Andrew Jackson and his three friends, Robert Washington, B.J. Carson, and Tyrone Mills, all basketball players for Hazelwood Tigers (except B.J.) decided to go and hang out after an amazing win. Before the game, Andy put a pack of beers in his trunk to keep them chilly until after the game. As the four friends left the game all excited, they decided to drink (except B.J.) to celebrate. Andy, the one that bought the beer and the one that was driving, begins to swerve. As the car swerved and the horns from other vehicles blew, the four friends begin to laugh. While laughing and swerving, a wall came from nowhere and then... SKEERRR...BANG! The little red car crashed and then caught on fire.
   The three students who escaped serious injury were able to jump from the four-door Chevy immediately after the accident, say witnesses. Washington, however, who was sitting in the front seat next to the driver, had his feet on the dashboard. The force of the crash sent his feet through the windshield, pinning him inside the automobile. The car's gas tank then exploded. Although Jackson tried frantically to rescue Washington, he and his friends watched helplessly as Robert Washington burned to death (2).
   After the tragic accident, none of the three teens have been the same. Not only did they all struggle to get over the tragic car accident but the tragic loss of a best friend as well. Because Andy was the driver, he struggled the worst: struggling to get over the guilt of killing his best friend.
   As the story continues, Andy struggles with his relationship with his girlfriend Keisha Montgomery and through the guilt of killing his best friend. He is sent to a psychologist after the accident to talk about his problems and how he feels and to prevent him from doing anything to harm himself. Will having this psychologist prevent him from harming himself? He gets comfortable with the "shrink," so he calls him and has his girlfriend to help him out as well. As Keisha tries to help Andy calm down and forget about the tragic accident, he constantly brings up the accident and all the memories that he had with Rob at certain times or on certain days or holidays. As Keisha continued to put up with his mood swings and random tantrums, I kept wondering, would she ever get tired of it and leave?
   Dealing with the guilt, his grades at school and his friends, Andy still maintains himself in order to be a good brother to his little brother Monty. Andy notices that his parents paid no attention to him and paid little attention to his brother. Andy tries to tell Monty, through experience, how life really is and how he messed up. As the conversation gets deeper, Andy tucks Monty into bed and tells him good night. Andy then goes to his room and not to long after, falls asleep. In Andy's dream, Rob tells Andy that he owes him because it's his fault that he is dead. He then later tells him that he is waiting. Will Andy be able to recover from this dream? Will Andy ever be able to snap into reality and forgive himself and forget what happened?
   I enjoyed Tears of A Tiger just as much as I enjoyed Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. These books have two main similarities: first, the style/language of the book is written in dialect. The dialect in Hurston's novel is more difficult to understand and makes it harder to read, but the dialect in Draper's novel flows more, and makes it easier to read. I talk in a similar dialect around my friends, because of that, I guess Tears of A Tiger made more sense to me. The style and point of view are similar. In both of these books, the narrator is one of the main characters: either telling their story of their life (Their Eyes Were Watching God) or retelling an event that happened (Tears of A Tiger). I recommend this book to young adults because it teaches teens a lesson as well as entertains them.

5 comments about Eleventh Grade Burns #4: The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod.

1. The Vlad Tod series really surprised me. The books get better with time. They are a very fast read that keeps you engaged and wanting more. I'm an avid reader of "vampire teen" books and this series is as the top of a short list. If you've enjoyed other teen vamp series you should really give this one a shot.
   
   If I had to give it a grade I would say it's an A-/91%. (I had to grade it. It's the teacher side of me coming through.)



2. I am LOVING this series. So many twists and turns that literally had me ylling at the book, gasping, and even crying a little. and the end? A cliffhanger that totally came out of the blue and is making me even more excited for the next book!



3. vlad is every girls dream boy! hes all emo but loveable... this was my favorite book of the whole series.. i love twilight but i also love this book because its not anything like twilight* im cant wait for the 5th book... it comes out a day after my b day september 21st!



4. Even after i kept pressing the next button on my kindle hoping i would keep going... Sadly it didnt work. Its an absolutely phenomanel book. I belive everyone from when they first start reading to the breath taking ending will be captured in the story and feeling of this book. I started to feel like i was there and i was Vladimir again it was the greatest book Ive ever read. 5 stars for sure.



5. I am a big reader and this is a book both me and my son can read and discuss. This is the only series I have been able to get my 14yr old, computer game passioned child to actually read.

5 comments about Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines.

1. This is a good book. I don't know what some of the critics of this book were expecting but if you really want to be inside a drug addicts head this is the book. They think of nothing but themselves and drugs. He told it like it is and that's why it was a good read. If he would have told it any other way it wouldn't have been his story. Not only that but if there was ever a book that made me NOT want to do drugs, it's this book.
   
   I will admit that he definitely seemed detached from his story but that only helps explain why it's so easy for him to relapse over and over. It doesn't have a warm and fuzzy ending because for a lot of drug addicts the end is death.
   
   Also, to the people who feel sorry for "Zelda", boo hoo. You can't tell your life story without the people who were in it. He didn't say their names and it's not his fault if people can put two and two together.
   
   I read this book in a day. I would recommend it to anyone thinking of trying drugs. I think this book could save lives.



2. I bought this book for my brother as a gift. Although I have never read it, when he received it, he was ecstatic about it. I guess it had been a book he had been wanting to read for quite some time. I was happy he was pleased with the purchase! It was also sent quickly.



3. This is a memoir I found in the Young adults section. IT IS NOT a read suitable for young adults! It has language, explicit sexual situations, and explicit drug use. Now, with the disclaimer given...it is a fairly honest read of a young man battling his many addictions. The books has an incredible voice. The author manages to capture the many emotions he experienced without losing the reader.
   
   The book was a too "raw" for me, but gives an accurate insight into the life of an intelligent young man, who is a slave to his dependencies. Nic Sheffield's story starts in the middle of his addiction and the reader gets a taste of the confusion that is always present in his mind regarding his choices. Tweak is more adult version of Jay's Diary or Go Ask Alice.
   
   The book could have been better organized, but I see the editor's reasoning in leaving the erratic flashbacks to mimic his actual drug-induced thoughts. It is a great book on "how not to live your life" and I recommend it to anyone who is trying to understand someone with a chemical or emotional dependency.



4. Read this book and you'll find out all the disturbing ups and downs of Nic Sheff and his addition to mainly METH but a load of drugs and life problems. His story is told fluidly without hesitation to not disclose his upmost secrets. He tells you, what he did, what he thought, why he did and he keeps going and going. I personally don't have anybody in my world that was impacted with this type of insane addiction but you dont need too. In the end, you will understand that no matter how many rock bottoms, how many bad corners turned and how different a person will change that in the end nothing can come between you and your value to LIFE.
   You will see in this book on Nic Sheff's addiction that he probably stopped valuing life. But with the power of family, love and hope... anything is possible again. Though not fully rehab'd and saved... his life is now a rehab process, forever. It was an amazing story that fuels my love for life to stay clean and keep everything and everyone in my world drug free.



5. This book comes out srong from the start,and stays addictive to the very last chapter. It hits home even harder to know that this is based on someones actual life,and that they went through everything in this book. I would tell everyone and anyone to read this book!

3 comments about The Haunted (The Hollow, Book 2).

1. This book fascinated me as much as the first installment, The Hollow. The love story between Abby and Caspian is utterly wrong but so beautiful! In the first book Abby believed she was crazy! Crazy to believe she was in love with someone or something that was suppose to be dead! Her discoveries at the end of The Hollow lead to a long stay with her Aunt who helped her find her way. Only to return home in the second installment, The Haunted, to be right back to square one. CRAZY... Crazy in love with her dead boyfriend...
   
   New colors (tales) weave in and out of the beautiful fabric of the story! When this saga finishes it will be a beautiful beautiful (did I say beautiful) tapestry of lyrical delight. Does that make sense? I must not make any sense because I am so captivated by the book. I should have waited a day to write this review because my mind is reeling...
   
   I read this book in two days. Purchased it the day it came out, read a chapter, resolved to finish the book I was already reading, then immediately opened the Haunted again once I finished my other book. I couldn't put it down. It captivated me as much as the first book. Jessica Verday captured the innocence of true and timeless love. Every exhausted flick of my eye was focused on finishing another page of the story.
   
   My only disappointment in this book...
   
   Is the wait for the next installment. Please Jessica write fast!!!
   
   This book is totally appropriate for young young readers and totally engrossing to us old 30 somethings like myself who want to escape in a world of fantasy and love!
   
   So Ms. Verday are you done weaving the next book yet??



2. I really enjoyed Jessica Verday's book The Haunted. Her first book of the series was OK. I loved the sleepy hollow theme and the characters were OK so I decided to go for book 2.
   
   Much better! The thing that made me like this book the most are the characters. Abbey and Caspian are both much stronger more likable characters. As Abbey returns home to Sleepy Hollow their relationship definitely blossoms throughout the book to something more intense. Abbey's friendship with Ben also goes through some changes. I don't feel like much was really accomplished plot wise until the last couple of chapters but I enjoyed the writing and dialogue between Abbey and all of the other characters so much that I didn't seem to mind. The last few chapters give you a preview into what book 3 will be about and it sets up book three nicely. I really enjoyed this book and am now eagerly awaiting what Verday comes up with next.



3. Source: Received from publicist. Many thanks goes to Loretta from Simon & Schuster for sending me this book for review. This book was received free of charge in exchange for an honest review.
   My Rating: 4/5
   
   The Haunted opens up with Abbey heading back home to Sleepy Hollow. She is still dealing with her friend Kristen's death, and her relationship with Caspian. She is back to her perfume making and is trying to figure out what exactly is going on with Caspian, and herself.
   Abbey is a more formidable character in this installment, she is learning more about herself, and also seems more sure of herself. In my review of The Hollow, I stated that I hoped that she would grow more of a backbone, and she seems to have definitely evolved from that person into a newer, stronger, more resilient one. Caspian has also grown as a character. I really enjoyed reading about the two of them, but wish that we could have seen more of Nikolas and Katy. I think Verday has hit her stride in this installment and many questions asked in The Hollow are answered in this book. The book starts off slowly, and gains momentum, capturing the reader's interest while setting the stage for its haunting conclusion. As an avid fan of anything to do with the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, I enjoyed the paranormal element, and hope to see more of them in the final installment. I absolutely loved this book and am happy that Abbey is figuring things out.
   All in all, a spectacular read. Based on this book alone, I would have to say that I would buy the full trilogy, and add it to my re-read shelf. Fans of the first book will love this installment. Those who didn't enjoy the first book should give Verday a second chance as this book was exceptional. It is slow to start, but the payoff is worth the wait.

5 comments about Life As We Knew It.

1. Pfeffer writes an exceptional story in which an absurdly apocalyptic event alters the course of the human race. As told through the eyes of a young teenager, her friends and family the reader is shown how Mother Nature can so profoundly affect even the simplest actions in our lives. Their hardship for food, warmth and safety teaches us strong lessons on perseverance and determination.
   
   Living solely on their sheer will to survive the reader can feel the natural elements and desperation surrounding Miranda and her family as they continue to struggle do their best to endure. Always putting their best feet forward it is a rare, but eye opening, moment when one falters. Though not as common as one would think moments of desperation do occur most specifically surrounding the health of family members and the quest for knowledge in a world filled primarily with radio silence.
   
   Those who have yet to read should be advised that at times the story got a bit repetitive and lengthy with similar hurdles the family was to overcome or endure. Having said that, given the plot it can be imagined that days, weeks and months went on where the same happened. Scavenging and hoarding food, searching for anything to manage the elements (warmth or chill), and protecting the home front and family to the best of all ability.



2. As soon as I picked up this book and saw it was in journal style, I was like "crap". I don't do books that are journal style or poetry style. My problem, I already had all three of the books in this series. So I decide, I'll give it a try, I can always find something else to read, although it was highly recommended by a blogger that I had found very reliable in the past. Within a few chapters, I was totally captivated and totally unaware that it was written journal style. Even though, I quickly got tired of Amanda's bratty, poor me attitude (she was a teen after all) I continued on with this wonderful novel. The twists and turns come at you very quickly and while earth as we knew it, was changing very,very quickly, Amanda matured at a much slower rate. You will cry with her and get angry at her but still rejoice in the small day to day victories. This book stayed with me much longer than I would have thought which is why I've resisted writing the review to this awesome series. I was afraid that with time it would not be both horrifying and hopeful all at the same time. I was wrong. Though it has been months, this book has resonated with me like no other. Every time, I check my pantry before going grocery shopping, this little mental bell goes off that makes me extra vigilant that I am well stocked.



3. 2 words that describe the bookDisaster Diary
   
   3 setting where the book took place or characters I met
   
   * Setting: a small town in Pennsylvania (probably during the time of the George W. Bush administration based on the snarky comments in the book)
   
   * Miranda is your typical 16-year-old girldreaming of a date to the prom, obsessed with a local figure skater who has a shot at making the Olympics, resentful of the homework her teachers pile on, conflicted about her parent's divorce and father's remarriage, confused about the changes in two of her best friends in the past year. But suddenly, all these "petty" problems become unimportant when a cataclysmic event takes place that changes life for everyone on the planet.
   
   * The moon has always been an ever-present fixture in the skysomething Miranda and everyone else takes for granted. So when scientists announce that the moon is going to be hit by a meteor, everyone is excited to see what happens. Treating it like a party, Miranda and her family gather outside to watch this historic event. But when the meteor hits, the results are catastrophic and severe. Suddenly, "life as we knew it" is gone as the moona new closer, ominous looming presence in the skymakes its presence known in ways scientists never foresaw.
   
   4 things I liked or disliked about the book
   
   * The book is written in diary format so we experience the disaster from Miranda's point of view exclusively. We experience the fall-out of the moon disaster as Miranda doesfrom scrambling for food at the grocery store to the slow shrinking of her daily world. This was both a strength and a weakness of the book, in my opinion. On the one hand, you get to see Miranda's world change from her point of view. On the other hand, you don't get the "big picture" of what the moon is doing to rest of the world, which I kind of wanted. However, this is a series of three books, and I understand that the next book provides a different view of events.
   
   * I'm not sure whether something like this could really happen, but I think Pfeffer came up with some "neat" ideas of what the fallout might be if the moon got knocked out of its orbit. If you like dystopic disaster stories, this one is a doozy. I'm sure the scientist types might be rolling their eyes at some of the events in the book, but if you just go along with it, it is a freaky little ride.
   
   * Pfeffer does a good job of getting inside Miranda's head. I thought Miranda's reactions and emotions seemed like those of a typical teenager. Despite the disaster, Miranda still manages to clash with her mom. She has moments of weakness and shame, and moments where she steps up to the plate. She feels anger for what is happening to her and resentful about the decisions her mother makes to protect her younger brother Jonny. It was refreshing to have a character who wasn't a perfect person; Miranda is flawed and messy and very human. As such, I could relate to her. (Even if she does forget that she was asked to the prom! Thanks, Alyce, for pointing this out.)
   
   * Miranda's friend Megan was bothersome to me. We learn that Megan has found religion and gotten heavily involved with her church. I felt unsure what Pfeffer was trying to do with this character. At times, it seemed like an attack on religion or religious types. At other times, it seemed like Pfeffer was simply presenting another type of reaction to contrast Miranda's viewpoint. The parts with Megan were a bit odd to me, and I'm not entirely sure what I thought of them.
   
   5 stars or less for my rating:
   
   I'm giving the book 3.5 stars. If you love Young Adult dystopian books, you'll probably love this book (and series) to pieces. I totally see the attraction of the book, yet I didn't fall in love with it or feel like I have to rush out and read the next book right away. Of course, I was someone who liked Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games series but didn't love it (which didn't stop me from preordering Mockingjay). If reading about end-of-the-world type stuff from a realistic teenager's point of view is your thing, this book would be a must read. I guess it isn't necessarily my thing. I've been on a pretty good reading streak lately (at least three 5 star books in the past few months) and this book just didn't get me as excited as the books I recently read by Michael Chabon, Jeffrey Eugenedies and Marcus Zusak. And as far as dystopia, I much preferred the personal dystopia that Joshua Ferris created in The Unnamed, which I also recently read.



4. but I didn't because it's classified as "YA" and I didn't think I'd be interested. My daughter read it, however, and said "Mom, you would LOVE this book." It still took me awhile to get to it, but I'm glad I did.
   
   I'd give it a 4.5 actually, but that's not an option here. I liked it a lot. Another book in diary form, which is getting old, but it was well done. As we only hear Miranda's voice, there is a little bit of a disconnect with other characters, but it still was better than most.
   
   I liked it so much, in fact, that today I ordered The Dead and the Gone and This World We Live in so that I could continue the saga without break, though I hear there is room for a fourth book in the series.
   
   There was continuity, growth in the characters, togetherness of family and starving. Lots of starving.
   
   The mom planned well and this family was better off than most. We don't really hear about other families and how they fared, but there weren't a lot of people left in their town. This family, however, trudged on and made it through, though not totally intact as the people they were before the asteroid.
   
   A well done effort from a great storyteller.



5. Let's get one thing out of the way right off the bat: I have seen Armageddon way too many times. I've seen The Day After Tomorrow way too many times. Basically, I tend to gravitate toward natural disaster movies. The more disaster, the better! This is my motto. Roland Emmerich and I would be great friends.
   
   Naturally, I would eventually stumble across Life As We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer. It has everything I want: totally asinine global disaster caused by a completely impossible event that would never, ever happen ever. Ever. Usually, this sort of thing isn't a problem with me. For whatever reason, this time it is. What happens is this: an asteroid hits the moon. Instead of providing a fun show for everyone on earth, the asteroid happens to pack enough punch to send the moon hurtling out of its orbit. It strolls right up to the earth, and establishes a new orbit, and causes mass chaos. The tides go crazy, gobbling up coastal cities (except for Washington, DC, which somehow manages to escape this fate). Earthquakes rock the world. Every volcano on earth (including Yellowstone) erupts.
   
   We're told of all of this in Miranda Day's diary. Miranda, a rising high school senior, is only sixteen when the world goes to hell, but she valiantly keeps writing down all the details as all of this goes down. The little trooper. Through her diary, we learn about the electrical outages, the price gouging at the gas pumps, the food hoarding, stockpiling wood for winter, the death lists, the roving teen gangs, the starvation diets, and baseball camp. Because even during the end of the world, there's baseball camp.
   
   This is all well and good as a diary. It reads realistically for as unrealistic as the whole situation is. My main problem with this book happens to be the diary. It does a good job describing desperation, but it doesn't give any hint at all about why we should care about these people. The situation grabs you, but the people don't. They're flat aspects on a page, not living people I care about. In a book that demands that you care about the people during an apocalypse, where they are literally fighting for survival, you want to connect with them on some level. All you get are base emotions that are told to me instead of shown.
   
   Then there's the plot. There isn't one. The world ends, it keeps ending, and lots of people die. The end. While that might be realistic and true to life, it's only absorbing because it's the apocalypse. If you're used to apocalypse fare, you need something else to happen because while huge tidal waves and food shortages are interesting, it's just scenery. Something needs to happen. These characters limit themselves to surviving in a house. Mentions are made of threats that could present a problem for them (roving armed gangs, for instance), and still nothing happens. Opportunities are explicitly laid out in front of these characters that would jump start a plot, and they routinely turn those opportunities down. Go to school every day? Nope, that's too dangerous. Move to where it's rumored to be better? Why, that would present hazardous adventure! Can't have that! It's not that you have to get out of the house to have a plot, but for the love of god let something happen to these characters. It's just day after day of chopping wood and eating canned string beans. This does not a story make.
   
   All in all, it started losing my attention by the end. I'd gotten to the last reference I could take of canned goods, I suppose. I don't think I'll bother with the other two in the series.

5 comments about Speak.

1. A couple of weeks ago, I read You, a YA novel that, for all its compelling thoughts and voice, got so involved in having a clever plot that it forgot that the best thing about "slice of life" books is when they remain grounded in everyday life. I mention that to say that Speak, by contrast, is the sort of YA book that manages, miraculously, to do almost everything right. Speak is the story of Melinda Sordino, a young girl who starts her freshman year of high school abandoned by her friends, misunderstood by her parents, and slowly withdrawing into a near-mute state. The reasons for this remain murky for some time, although Anderson foreshadows it well and deals with the nature of Melinda's crisis well. There's a lot here that I loved, but what Anderson really creates is a rich, thoughtful character whose psychology and scars seem genuine, not forced, and one whose story truly feels believable and relatable. The book stumbles at a few points - there's some heavy-handed symbolism, the art teacher is a bit absurd, and the climax is a bit silly. But they're all minor, forgivable points when woven into such a rich characterization. By the time you finish the book, you truly feel as if you know Melinda well, and she feels like someone who could easily be around you at any time. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical going in, but I really loved Speak a lot, and I totally understand the push to include it in English classes - and agree with it 100%.



2. This was another book my teen needed for her book report.I preferred ordering the books she needed,show she could take her time to enjoy reading and so she could get a better understand of the book with out rushing to return it to the library.Once again the book was very affordable and we recieved the book within days after ordering.Once again the amazon websit was easy and simple,and "Yes I'll be back"



3. Have you ever had an entire school cafeteria look at you with hate in their eyes? Seen someone whisper something to someone else and know, without a doubt, it is about you? Fourteen year old Melinda Sordino has. She called the cops at her first high school party over the summer and now she is a social pariah. Only no one knows she had a reason. A good one. She'll barely admit it to herself.
   Halse Anderson artfully and authentically describes the life of a high school outcast in a way that is both humorous and heartbreaking. It is fun to read because sometimes I find myself laughing out loud and other times I am holding back tears and sniffling. Her description of high school's social hierarchy and the journey to being comfortable in your own skin brings me back to my ninth grade year.
   The book deals with the very real and very serious issues of teenage depression and sexual assault in a way that it is accessible to teens who have dealt with all or none of the above. Any teenager who has struggled with some issue can relate to Melinda's struggle, even if it is not the same. I think using Melinda's struggle with her art project, the rendering of a tree, as a parallel for her struggle to face herself added a neat symbolic dimension to the book.
   This is a book that despite it's serious, controversial subject matter I have taught and will teach again because of its ability to connect to the teenage experience and accurate portrayal of adolescent struggles and issues. It's only weak point? The ending. Both myself and my students have lamented the lack of real closure we feel at the end of the book. However, as real life generally doesn't clean up into a well-rounded fairy tale ending, perhaps we shouldn't expect our books to as well.



4. Melinda begins high school as the outcast who called the police to a party that took place in the summer before the start of school. She has never been asked why she called the police and her best friends have abandoned her.
   
   Melinda carries a very real secret with a lot of pain involved. She is holding back speaking to most people and her grades and social life come to a dismal fall.
   
   Melinda has quite the personality, something that the reader is aware of, but not necessarily the people that she deals with.
   
   This book is very well written, you really do feel Melinda's pain, you just don't know the reason behind it until the end of the book. So sad that people she considered her friends don't bother to try to find out the reasoning behind her call to 911.
   
   Says so much about the torment that is adolescence, the hormonal changes and angst to becoming one's self.



5. My daughter has to read this book as a summer reading assignment. I ordered it from Amazon.com because the price with shipping was cheaper than driving to the local bookstore. It was in very good condition. Thank you!

5 comments about Amelia's Notebook.

1. I read this book when it first came out when I was 9 years old. I just loved it then. The drawings were cute, and the character was relatable. I spent many hours writing a journal in the style of Amelia. Great to get your girl who is between 7 and 10 years old.



2. My daughter (3rd grade), is not crazy about reading and I usually have to twist her arm for her to get her reading minutes in for school. She loves these Amelia books and read them without any nagging! Priceless!



3. Start here to be inspired. A variation on the graphic novel that appeals to upper elementary girls, especially.



4. I love Amelia's notebook's especially this one because it is actually how girl's think when they move to a new place.



5. when i was in third grade my teacher read my class this book and i thought it was going to be one of those boring books they usually read. well actually, it was really cool! my sister is kind of like cleo and i am like amelia. it was real funny and i really want to own that book you peoplez should read it.
   

5 comments about What's the Big Secret?: Talking about Sex with Girls and Boys.

1. We feel it vital to teach our young children about such topics as soon as they are ready to fully understand them (age 8 in our opinion) and this we have done, but this particular book contains too many conflicting moral issues for us to use as a text to share with our children. A much better choice for our family was "Amazing You" and "Changing You". We had mild differences with these texts, but they proved to be great discussion starters with the children. "What's the Big Secret" went too far across vital moral lines for us to even consider using as discussion material. To each his own, but we wanted to post in case others wanted a heads-up.



2. I got this for my 9 y.o. who has started asking a lot of questions. It was an easy way to get the discussion going. It gave him good information, without being overly clinical and boring, and allowed me to fill in whatever information he still had questions about.



3. An excellent reference book to help parents in talking with their school age children about sex.
   Came highly recommended by a good friend who used it to talk about sex to her children.



4. There are far too few good quality books about bodies and babies that one can read to young children, but as a sex educator this is one that I like to recommend. Well worth it - and it can help parents become comfortable talking to their kids about this challenging topics.



5. Really neat book - my 8 year old has read it a few times now. This is a good introduction if you have a middle-aged child who might be wondering WHAT is the BIG SECRET?
   
   I definitely do not recommend it for younger children - too much information for little ones. Perfect, though, for a second-grader who is starting to hear lots of rumors about bodies and babies.
   
   I recommend that all parents have a variety of books like this for their children to pick up and read in privacy - a minimum of four or five books so children are getting the facts straight from a variety of accurate sources! T

5 comments about Go Away, Big Green Monster!.

1. Don't own this book. They read it at school. All I know is my kid was never scared of monsters before but now she is. Thanks a lot. Nothing else to read at school?



2. I bought this 'out of print' book for my 3 year old granddaughter, and it was the best buy I could have made. Everyday we read this book together and now she knows the words and can "read" it herself. It's a very fun book!



3. This is one book that my child can't get enough of. He has is memorized as to what comes next.



4. I purchased this book for my nephew's son. It was a favorite of my children when they were little. The monster "builds" as you turn each page until he is complete. Then kids have the power to make the big green monster go away as they continue to turn. "And don't come back until I say so!" My three year old had the whole thing memorized and read it over and over to his little brother.



5. this is a fun book for my 4 year old. She can "read" it for herself and thinks it is very funny. It is colorful and she really enjoys it.

5 comments about Savvy.

1. It would be nice it the people who publish books had a real grasp on what age group children read at for the decisions they make on placement of books by age category. This book might be classified more as six to nine rather than nine to twelve. And further, as with all the books being published for young people currently, there is a lack of sophistication in the books, a general down-grading of the writing, where simple sentences, even ones stuck full of adjectives in order to disguise a lack of ability, are shoved upon the kids of today. When one looks at the literature of yesterday, one sees that there was not this downgrading of writing, just because of age. Children were expected and required to challenge their brains and by doing so, grew them.
   
   Can't say I hated the whole thing, but isn't it about time that the publishing industry started publishing some of the writers who are, shall we say, better at more than just a simple sentence?
   
   Oh, and this author apparently feels that making a mother and a girlfriend into shrills is appropriate. For shame on her. How many times have we seen that? Isn't it bad enough that hollywood constantly denigrates mothers and girlfriends...I would never recommend this book for that reason, and for many others.



2. I purchased this book for my two children who will be entering 4th grade. I am a busy mom who never finds time to read, but after receiving this book from Amazon, I decided I'd attempt to read it before they did. I immediately became attached to the characters and couldn't put the book down, reading it in two days! My son is reading it now and he can't wait to find out what Mibs' savvy is! I'm pretty strict on what my kids are exposed to (books, television, music) and this book meets my approval! Ingrid Law is an excellent writer and I look forward to reading her next book!



3. I purchased more books to share with my family, the story was wonderful! I hope this author creates more!



4. no exageration in saying that this is the best book i have ever read. the first time i read it i literaly couldnt put it down. this is a book that you will end up reading over and over again, picking up small details you didnt notice the first time. i was instantly hooked by the amazing story of mibs and the adventures and problems she faces. this book made me wish i was part of the beaumont faimily and had a savvy of my own.
   i reccomend savvy to anyone who enjoys reading good books! you will love this story!
   also, the cover is beautiful and i cant wait for scumble to come out!
   ~mal (age 14 but first read this book when i was 12 and still reads it today)
   =^-^=
   
   
5. Thank you, thank you, thank you! My son, a rising 4th grader, is in love with this book. He has never read anything like this and it is a challenge for him but he loves it. There are words he doesn't understand but asks and other than that, he said the story is one of the best he has read! We are so excited because our son is not a voracious reader and this book "got" him! :)