Random Reads
Teen Book Reviews by Anne Keller
First Lines
Evolution, Me, & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande
The novel opens with the lines "I knew today would be ugly. When you're single-handedly responsible for getting your church, your pastor, and every one of your former friends and their parents sued for millions of dollars, you expect to make some enemies." Evolution vs. creationism is the main topic of this novel which is sure to be widely discussed. Mena begins her high school year a total outcast for an action she took which was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, she was kicked out of her church as a result, her parents barely speak to her, and she is shunned at school. Luckily, she is befriended by her new lab partner who's family provide structure in Mena's otherwise dismal life. Her parents are completely overprotective who forbid her to watch movies like Lord of the Rings or to even go over to a boy's house. The novel doesn't divulge what Mena actually did that makes her such an outcast until later in the novel. Readers will become absorbed in this tale which addresses questions such as Were there dinosaurs on Noah's arc, and can theories of evolutionism and creationism coexist? Don't pass on this one!
Right Behind You by Gail Giles
Chapter One begins "On the afternoon of his seventh birthday, I set Bobby Clarke on fire. I was nine. It was all about Bobby's birthday present. A baseball glove." Giles immediately hooks the reader with these opening lines and delivers a psychological read you won't soon forget. Kip McFarland receives intense therapy in a juvenile facility for his crime and is released four years later. His father is remarried and they move from remote Alaska to Indiana for a fresh start. Kip begins his new life as he carries his secret around. Will he discover happiness or will he self destruct? Giles is a master at suspense and she delivers another great novel that you won't soon forget. The ending is extraordinary. Simple, but so powerful!
Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
The novel begins with, " I was thirteen when my dad caught me with Tommy Webber in the back of Tommy's Buick." Deanna is known as the school slut ever since her father caught her in Tommy's pick-up having sex. Three years later, people still talk about the incident because they live in a small town. Her father barely looks at her, her older brother lives in the basement with his girlfriend and baby, and she may be in love with her best guy friend who happens to be dating her other best friend. To make matters worse, she lands a job at a pizza restaurant where Tommy also happens to work. This story is eloquently written and readers will be sympathetic after reading about Deanna's up's and down's and her ongoing angst. Highly recommend.
The opening lines will hook any reader with "He went to school to learn how to kill me. They taught him how to carry the bomb strapped to his waist, how to dress so that bulging explosives wouldn't show. They taught him to meet people's eyes and walk normally so as not to draw attention. They practiced what to do if someone shouted, "Stop!" or if people started to stare, and when to push the red button." Maya's fiance is killed by a suicide bomber in Tel Aviv. Her fiance, Dov, was killed at a restaurant that Maya was going to meet him at. She feels his death is somehow her fault. Maya relates her pain and grief through alternating chapters as she describes her life in Israel and her life at the University of Virginia. The book touches on the subject of terrorism and muslim culture as Maya describes the conditions in Israel. Maya is able to eventually heal and move forward with her life as she immerses herself in her studies in America. The author clearly portrays the heartache and pain associated with losing a loved one and the struggle to recover.On the Head of a Pin by Mary Beth Miller
The novel opens with "What's he doing with that?" I mutter as Andy pulls his dad's gun from the closet and admires the soft gleam of metal and wood in the dim light of the fire. This novel has all the elements of a story ripped from the headlines: a gun accidentally goes off at a party killing the homecoming queen. The boys involved decide to cover-up the crime. This story is told in alternating chapters between Michael, the boyfriend of the dead girl, and Joshua, a devout Catholic who is tormented with guilt from his sister’s accident. Neither one of these boys shot Helen. Michael was asleep at the time of the accident and Joshua was present but agrees to the cover-up out of fear for his family’s life. The author weaves a psychological tale as each narrator struggles with the emotional pain associated with the tragedy. I read this book in two days and would highly recommend to readers who enjoy novels about tragedy with redemption. Inexcusable by Chris Lynch
The novel begins, "The way it looks is not the way it is," which goes onto describe a date rape. Keir Sarafian is a senior in high school. He has lived a bachelor lifestyle with his father ever since his two older sisters went away to college and his mother passed away. Keir is a good guy, everyone likes him, and he is friends with everybody. When the novel opens, Keir is accused of rape by his lifelong friend Gigi Boudakian. He denies the horrible allegation because someone like himself could not be capable of such a crime, could he? The novel is is narrated by Keir and he shifts between the past and the present. Kier offers the reader a glimpse into his conflicted self and readers will be intrigued with the depth of his character. Lynch does an excellent job of portraying Kier as a sometimes sympathetic character who may or may not be guilty of rape. Readers will not be able to put this book down but may become frustrated by the novel's end.
Wrecked by E.R. Frank
This novel opens with an attention grabbing first line that reads "The day I killed my brother's girlfriend started with me handpicking leaves off our front lawn." Anna is sixteen when she injures her best friend and kills her brother's girlfriend, Cameron, in a car accident. Although Anna was at a party with drinking involved, she was not intoxicated at the time of the accident and Cameron swerved into Anna's lane to avoid a branch. The novel brilliantly addresses the trauma and recovery involved in such a tragedy. Anna eventually attends therapy in order to deal with her guilt and post traumatic stress disorder. Even though the novel is brilliantly written and very engrossing, this reader thought the material was a little flawed since it failed to address the seriousness of underage drinking. While Anna's best friend develops a slight drinking problem, the major issue of drinking seems glossed over. Added storylines involve Anna's domineering father and her relationship with her brother. 
The opening line of the novel will certainly grab the reader with, "It was a wild, windy, southwestern spring when the idea of killing Mr. Griffin occurred to them." Mr. Griffin is one of the most hated teachers at Del Norte High School due to his strong teaching methods. He is a demanding teacher because he cares about his students. The students just hate him. Sue McConnell is one of Mr. Griffin's better students. Some of the other students in the class want to teach Mr. Griffin a lesson. They persuade Sue to help them. They end up kidnapping Mr. Griffin in order to scare him. They blindfold him and take him to a remote mountain location. The students will let him go if he begs. He refuses, the students leave him and unfortunately, Mr. Griffin suffers a heart attack. If you want to learn the outcome of Mr. Griffin's fate, you must read this book. The novel is fast paced and full of suspense.