Tantalize, by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Tantalize, by Cynthia Leitich Smith.  Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2007.  310 pp. ISBN 9780763627911


READER'S ANNOTATION
One month before the grand re-opening of Quincie's family's restaurant, their beloved chef has been murdered, possibly by a werewolf.  Or is the new vampire theme of the restaurant attracting real bloodsuckers?

GENRE
Horror, Humor

SUMMARY
After her parents' death, first-person narrator Quincie Morris was left in her Uncle Davidson's care.  Now at age 17, she will help her uncle manage the family Italian restaurant, which they've decided will now have a vampire theme.  When their beloved Chef Vaggio is murdered one month before the grand reopening, they are left scrambling to find a replacement, and Quincie to cling to the hope that her half-human/half-werewolf best friend and love interest, Kieren, was not involved in the killing.  A new chef named Henry Johnson is hired, who is quite talented but also a bit off-putting.  Also problematic for Quincie is the fact that the time has come for Kieren to join a wolf pack and leave Austin.  Then murders begin piling up and Uncle Davidson starts acting very strangely...  Smith continues the stories of these characters in two later novels.

EVALUATION
Of all the monster books I've read this semester, Tantalize has probably been the most fun, and I like Quincie's sense of humor and sarcasm. I think the fact that she, as a teen, is helping to run a restaurant should give teens an enjoyable taste of independence.  And at the same time give an idea of the huge sacrifices that one makes in other areas of life, such as friendship and school, when one takes on such a responsibility. In addition, there is relevant social commentary in this novel, one example being the fact that werepeople have fewer rights than humans and suffer discrimination. One of my favorite aspects of Tantalize is that we don't find out until the end whether Kieren truly reciprocates Quincie's romantic feelings.  And I also love the ambiguity of the ending as far as what Quincie's future holds. What some may find controversial is Quincie's drinking, but her drinking is included to illustrate how alcohol impairs one's judgement.

HOW THIS BOOK HELPS
This book could help teens who find themselves with more responsibility than they can handle, or whose parents/guardians are absent.  It could also help teens who feel they may have a drinking problem.

WHY I CHOSE TO READ IT
I liked the idea of vampires, werepeople, and humans together in one city, and the restaurant aspect sounded fun.

Jumped, by Rita Williams-Garcia

Jumped, by Rita Williams-Garcia.  New York: HarperTeen, 2009.  169 pp. ISBN 9780060760922

READER'S ANNOTATION
Leticia just heard that Dominique's going to beat up Trina after school.  Will she step in to try to change events?

GENRE
Realistic Fiction

SUMMARY
This short novel is composed of three alternating narrators' first-person accounts of one day at high school. Trina is a happy and somewhat vain yet friendly girl who loves creating art.  Dominique lives for basketball, and in all area of life can become aggressive if she feels she's being challenged.  Leticia lives to talk on her beloved cellphone and share gossip. As the novel opens, Trina walks down a school corridor, by chance passing by Dominique and her friends. As is Trina's habit with everyone, she says "Hey" to the girls, even though she does not know them. Dominique believes Trina to be challenging her, and after Trina is out of earshot, Dominique indicates aloud that she'll be beating her up after school.  Unseen, Leticia witnesses the entire scene. Each girl then narrates her day at school  We do not find out until the end whether Leticia decides to warn Trina, or whether Dominique actually follows through with her plan.

EVALUATION
I found this to be a quick and really enjoyable read, narrated in true-to-life teen voices.  Each character's voice is quite distinct.  Yet the girls' similarity is that each is quite self-involved, and does not appear to be much influenced by the opinions of friends/classmates or the lessons they could glean from the often extremely relevant topics that are discussed in their classes.  This self-involvement is really the key to the novel's conclusion, for better or worse. The plot is not fast-paced, but this is not an action novel, but a day-in-the-life story.  The slowness of some scenes mirrors these teens' frustration at their days and lives being constrained by an order imposed by others.  And the fact that the narrators alternate frequently and their voices are so honest more than makes up for the slow plot moments.  The novel's a powerful look at the various factors which may trigger/encourage a teen to bully/hurt another teen --and perhaps even more importantly, the critical role that "bystander" teens who overhear threats of bullying can play in potentially stopping incidents of bullying/violence.

HOW THIS BOOK HELPS
This book could help teens who are being bullied and also bullies themselves to better understand the dynamics of bullying. 

WHY I CHOSE TO READ IT
I'd heard really good things about this author, and am interested in the topic of bullying.

Shattering Glass, by Gail Giles

Shattering Glass, by Gail Giles. New York: Simon Pulse, 2003. 215 pp. ISBN  0689858000


READER'S ANNOTATION  
Young could understand the desire to help another student, but why was Rob so completely obsessed with making Simon popular?  Would Rob stop at nothing to accomplish this, and what would the ultimate consequence be?

GENRE
Realistic Fiction 

SUMMARY
The narrator of this novel is high school student, Young Steward, pressured by his father to excel in academics and life.  He is best friends with Coop, a great athlete, and Bob, a highly sought-after ladies' man, but Young's self-doubt makes him wonder why he himself is popular.  One day a new student named Rob, with charisma to spare, appears at school and makes their group of friends a foursome.  Witnessing how certain students bully Simon Glass, an awkward and geeky boy, he makes it his mission to make Simon popular.  In this task, however, he demands that Simon, Young, Coop, and Bob follow his orders exactly, and feels threatened when any of them takes action of their own volition.  Rob thinks nothing of altering the course of Young's romantic and academic life in order to make his plan proceed smoothly.  Along the way, the boys find out some information about Rob's past which changes their perception of him and points to why he is so obsessed with exerting control.  At a certain point, the boys find out exactly what Rob will do when he feels that he is losing control.  The consequence is dramatic and will change all of their lives.  But who is responsible?  

EVALUATION
I think that Young is fairly believable as a character.   Being raised by a demanding father, he has been conditioned to please others.  Although I was surprised that he gave up a very good relationship with his girlfriend for Rob's seemingly much more momentary whim of transforming Simon, I can also see why Young's feelings of sympathy and loyalty toward Rob -- and Young's strong need to feel needed by friends himself -- might have made him do this.  I love the format of the novel, in the way that Giles intersperses the narrative with extended comments made by several of the characters at some point in the future, after Rob's ultimate release of fury and the deed has been done.  At the end of the novel found myself wanting to know more about Young's future and his reflections on everything that had transpired. But then I think this is part of the point of the novel, i.e., when you put your trust blindly in someone else, without being sure of their ethics, you run the risk of being left with the pieces. What you do with them after that point is up to you. What some may find controversial in this novel is the violent last scene.  It is graphic, but Giles is trying to make a dramatic point.

HOW THIS BOOK HELPS
This book could help teens who are being bullied in the way that Rob bullies Young, Coop, and Bob.  It points out the risk one takes when one gives control of one's actions to someone else.  It will hopefully encourage teens to extricate themselves from the influence of such friends, and also respect the free will of others.

WHY I CHOSE TO READ IT
The possibility of someone like Simon making such a complete turnaround in behavior sounded very intriguing.

Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher

Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2009. 220 pp. ISBN 9780061771316


READER'S ANNOTATION  
Putting together a swim team composed of the most unlikely members, and then winning meets together and sticking it to the jocks and naysayers -- how cool would that be? 

GENRE
Realistic Fiction

SUMMARY
High school senior T.J. Jones, of mixed African-American, Japanese-American, and white ethnicity, was a prominent swimmer in his younger years.  He has avoided organized competition in recent years, however.  That is, until his beloved English teacher, Mr. Simet, approaches him for help with starting a school sports team.  T.J. decides to start a swim team, planning to use it as an example to the jocks and others who bully students in the school who don't fit the prescribed mold in some way.  In particular, he wants to use the team as a vehicle for Chris Coughlin, a developmentally delayed student who has been harrassed for wearing his late brother's letterman jacket, to earn his own jacket.  T. J. thus assembles a team of non-swimmers, each member with a different personality and personal issue.  As they train, they come to know each other and give their all to pursuing their common athletic dream.

EVALUATION
I found T.J. to be very inspiring in his convictions and follow-through.  Both adults and teens can learn much from this character.  Despite the anger that T.J. felt as a young child -- resulting from his biological mother's abuse of him -- and still deals with as a teen, T.J. does the right thing in most situations.  Although he does seem a little too perfect at moments, I think his self-awareness and approach to life are conceivable for an intelligent teen who's been through as much therapy as he has.  I would have liked to read more about his relationship with Carly, as it did seem unrealistic that two high schoolers would have such a hermonious relationship, but then Carly isn't the focus of the story.   And this is positive too; Crutcher's lack of focus on T.J.'s relationship with Carly hopefully demonstrates to teens that being in love shouldn't take over one's life, that one should remain one's own person with one's own interests and goals and friends outside of the relationship.

HOW THIS BOOK HELPS
This book should be helpful to any teen who is being bullied or who has been told they can't do something which they desire to achieve.  It should encourage teens to believe in themselves.

WHY I CHOSE TO READ IT
The idea of creating a swim team from non-swimmers sounded intriguing.

Eighth Grade Bites, by Heather Brewer

Eighth Grade Bites, by Heather Brewer. New York: Speak, 2008. 182 pp. ISBN 9780142411872


READER'S ANNOTATION
Middle school is challenging enough when you've got to make sure to eat blood each day at lunch without the other kids knowing.  Throw in a teacher's disappearance and the arrival of a frankly creepy substitute, and you're in for one interesting year...

GENRE
Horror


SUMMARY
Vlad's an eighth grader who deals with the usual bullies, friend issues, and romantic crushes of middle school, but also is quite unique: he is half vampire. Vlad's late father had earlier broken the vampire code when he revealed his vampire status to his love and married and had a child with her. The couple subsequently fled to the town of Bathory, but soon died in a mysterious fire. Now, odd things are beginning to happen in Vlad's life, including a teacher disappearing and an odd substitute teacher with an interest in supernatural beings taking his place. When it begins to appear that the substitute may know something about Vlad's secret, Vlad decides he must try to learn something about his past and take action. (This book is the first of the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series.)

EVALUATION
This is an engaging story which works for several different reasons.  On one hand, it's just a great school story about a young teen, Vlad, who feels like somewhat of a nobody on campus and is picked on, and longs for a girl whom he believes likes his best friend. Vlad's got a wry sense of humor about things and is often reflective about life and himself.  But the novel is also paced very well, and a wonderful suspense builds about what may have happened to Vlad's former English teacher and the mystery concerning the motivations of the substitute teacher with his odd/intriguing demeanor and assignments. Some nice twists at the conclusion and Brewer's overall handling of how a teen vampire would live amongst non-vampire peers, deal with the need to consume blood, etc., is creative.  The goriness in some of the scenes may be a controversial aspect to some, but it is much lighter than that in horror fiction in general.

HOW THIS BOOK HELPS
I think this is a great book to recommend to any teen, but especially those who appear to be on the outside of the social scene, are being bullied, or just have unique qualities which may make them feel different from others.  The novel has a main character to draw strength from and is a great page-turner at the same time.

WHY I CHOSE TO READ IT
One of my fellow library assistants who has good taste in books had read it and really enjoyed it. 

The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier

The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier. New York: Knopf, 1997. 272 pp. ISBN 0394828054


READER'S ANNOTATION
With a vague yet developing conviction that even he does not yet fully understand himself, Jerry Renault has decided that he will not sell chocolates in the school fund-raiser.  Archie Costello, however, is determined to make Jerry cave...

GENRE
Realistic Fiction

SUMMARY
(This verson is a reissue of the 1974 novel, with added author introduction.)  Jerry Renault, whose mother has just passed away, and whose father is somewhat distant due to having to work late hours, is starting his freshman year at the all boys' Trinity Catholic School. The school holds a chocolate sale fundraiser each year, and sinister acting Headmaster Brother Leon has just doubled the price of each box as well as the quota that each boy must sell. Meanwhile, Archie Costello, leader of the school's secret society, The Vigils, chooses Jerry for one of the assignments that this group often forces members of the student body to perform. Jerry is tasked to refuse to sell chocolates for ten days. Once the ten days are up, however, Jerry -- for reasons even he doesn't fully understand at first -- chooses to continue to refuse to sell the chocolates. As a result, the incensed Brother Leon forces Archie to make sure that The Vigils ensure the chocolate sale's success. The ensuing campaign of harassment and violence against Jerry tests his resolve and his very spirit, leaving it uncertain until the last moment how Jerry will ultimately respond.  The sequel to this novel is Beyond the Chocolate War.

EVALUATION
What makes this novel an amazing piece of writing to me is the completely honest way in which Cormier describes characters' innermost thoughts -- especially their incomplete understandings of their own motives. Examples of this are Jerry's delayed understanding of why he was taking a stand about the chocolate sale and lack of complete self-awareness even in malicious characters like Archie (e.g., "Archie was always puzzled about whatever there was inside of him that enjoyed these performances -- toying with kids..." p. 31).  With its very character-driven plot, the story is riveting, as we are kept guessing about how far each character will go to make their stand or further their own agenda.  One potential controversial aspect of this novel is the violence committed by some characters, yet this violence is integral to the story as it graphically shows what happens when bullying is left unchecked.

HOW THIS BOOK HELPS
This book could help any teen who is being bullied, by making them realize that they are not alone in being mistreated.  It should further help them to realize what may be the consequences of not seeking adult or other assistance against bullies, and what the ultimate emotional cost of unchecked bullying can be.  Teens who suspect that a friend may be being bullied -- by noting changes in the friend's behavior -- will hopefully be inspired to intervene.

WHY I CHOSE TO READ IT
A Girl Scout as a child, I had always hated having to sell those overpriced cookies!  So the idea of a novel about a boy refusing to sell chocolates on behalf of his school -- albeit in a much more serious context -- really intrigued me.