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Accidental Love
by Gary Soto
Review by Allison Fraclose, The Unnamed Forest
Marisa has always been a tough chica. You had to be at her school, where everyone was always pushing and shoving and where security guards stood
by the front doors like decorations. So when she runs into the no-good rat Roberto—the boy responsible for the best friend's broken leg and
heart—at the hospital, Marisa doesn't think twice about railing on him.
She never gives a thought to the faceless boy who happened to be at the hospital with Roberto that day until she finds that, after the fight, they walked
away with each other's cell phones. Rene Torres, a stereotypical nerd who attends Hamilton Magnet High, captures Marisa's heart, and brings out a swirl of
protective feelings for the nerdito. Suddenly, Marisa is determined to do better in life, and bring a positive change to Rene's as well. She finds a way to
enroll at Hamilton and makes an extra effort to lose some weight, all the while coaching Rene on wardrobe choices. Rene convinces her to try out for
Romeo and Juliet, where they are much more akin to the main characters than those actually selected for the starring roles.
Although Marisa feels she has changed for the better, her old life at Washington High threatens to keep her in its claws. While she struggles to leave her
old image behind and release herself from the unfounded opinions of others, Rene also must deal with the expectations of those around him. Hopefully, their
love can see them through.
The age-old storyline of lovers from different worlds finds fresh life in this book, just as the main characters bring each other to a whole new level of
maturity. Their drive to become better people is presented in a wholly believable manner, as is the conflicts that Marisa encounters after leaving her old
school. This sweet story is sure to draw you in.
Dueling Reviews: Girl, Hero
by Carrie Jones
Review #1 by Melissa Fox, Book Nut
High school freshman Liliana Faltin doesn't have an easy life. Her stepfather died three years ago, and her mother's boyfriend has a thing for booze, and
may (or may not) be running from a murder he committed. Her father's a bit odd...more so than most dads are. Her sister's abused by her husband. Her best
friend just wants to be cool, and can't understand Lili's fascination with causes and acting. The thing that keeps Lili sane in spite of her life are the
letters she writes to John Wayne. THE John Wayne—the Duke, the hero, the man. Writing letters to him helps Lili figure out how to be a hero in her own
life.
This novel is short, but packs a powerful punch. It addresses, admirably: sexual and physical abuse, betrayal, alcoholism, self-confidence, loss,
homosexuality, and learning disabilities. It never seems heavy-handed or lecturing, because of Jones's talent for capturing emotions without seeming
maudlin. It would have been easy to take a character who experiences so much wrong, and either make the readers feel pity for her, or make her ineffective.
Lili is neither of these things. When depressed, she is never inactive. She's scared, but manages to fight. She's hurt, but it doesn't slow
her down.
The real success of the book is the letter form it's written in. Because each letter has Lili pouring her heart out to John Wayne, telling him her deepest
thoughts, fears, and secrets, the reader feels a connection to Lili, sympathizes with her in a way that otherwise they wouldn't be able to. In addition,
starting each chapter with a classic quote from John Wayne, Jones captures the essence of the great movie star, and one girl's idolization of him. It seems
a bit odd, given the young-hip-new culture of today's teenagers, that one girl would idolize a western movie star from the 1940s, but it works, and works
well.
Review #2 by Tanita S. Davis, Finding Wonderland
"Men are like that. It means nothing. It means nothing about love."
Liliana Faltin doesn't need her melancholy Moravian grandmother to tell her about men. She's learned enough on her own. Still, Grammy's always trying to
explain Lili's father, who wears ankle bracelets and sky blue tights and occasionally forgets to feed her when she's over. Liliana's mother tries to
explain her sister's ham-fisted husband, and every single man she's ever hooked up with—although lately Mom's explanations about her latest, a
lecherous boozer who stands outside Lili's door and breathes when her mother isn't home—aren't holding up too well. Even though her best friend Nicole
thinks she's a hopeless idiot—and popularity-killingly weird—Lili knows who to call when she needs help: John Wayne.
Okay, yeah, so he's dead. And okay, yeah, most of his best lines were spoken on film. At least he knew how to act, how to look, how to live. He was a hero
who knew how to make things right.
That's what Liliana thinks she needs—a hero to ride in and save the day. However, it's when she acts to save herself that things really start to
happen in Liliana's life.
Carrie Jones' third novel Girl, Hero, is both painfully realistic and, peopled as it is with an endearingly bizarre cast of characters, a touch
surreal. John Wayne casts a long shadow in this novel (as he does on the very cool cover), but he's not nearly as memorable as Liliana herself, whose
scary, sad and funny Freshman year is a testament to the power of acceptance, hope and perseverance, and touches the hero within all of us.
Brilliant—you'll want to tuck this one in your bag, and take it on vacation.
More than Friends: A Saving Grace Novel
by Katherine Spencer
Review by Tanita S. Davis, Finding Wonderland
Grace Stanley blamed herself for the accident that killed her older brother, Matt, and the year he died, she pretty much self-destructed. But thanks to an
enigmatic girl named Philomena Cantos—who has got to be an angel in disguise—Grace has turned things around. Phil has even pointed her in the
direction of a really great job at a store where Grace's old heartthrob, Jackson Turner, works. Suddenly paying off her massive credit card bill has some
major benefits.
Grace and Jackson begin to get past the awkwardness of starting a relationship when Grace finds something in Jackson's house that belongs to the store
where they work. So close to starting to feel good again, Grace is torn. Should she confront Jackson? Report him? Let it work itself out?
This second book in the Saving Grace series, More Than Friends, may entertain fans of the WB 7th Heaven series who like a hint of
the spiritual mixed with their romance. Though the plot is somewhat thin, and the conflict fairly obvious from the beginning, Grace's reactions and
confusions are realistically portrayed, as she continues to come to terms with life after Matt and her own thoughts and feelings about God and the
universe. Grace is no closer this book to finding out whether or not Philomena really is an angel, but subsequent sequels may reveal that Grace and her
friends have 'friend in high places' too.
Ringside, 1925: Views from the Scopes Trial
by Jen Bryant
Review by Julie M. Prince, Off to Turn Another Page...
The narrow-minded and broad-minded meet in this novel, written as prose in a poetry format. Although I was initially confused, because this clearly wasn't
meant to be lyrical poetry, it didn't take long to figure out that the format was a simple (and smart!) characterization technique.
The unique structure allows easy transitions between the many perspectives the author uses to tell the story of the Scopes trial, in which an American
science teacher is put on trial in 1925 after he dares to thwart the new law against teaching evolution.
At least two of the characters have decidedly short lines depicting their points of view, and I don't think it's coincidence that both of these are
short-sighted and narrow-minded viewpoints. Characters with more education or broader views of the world use more words per line with which to tell their
stories.
From various Tennessee town folk to big city reporters and visitors, this circus of a trial and its effects on the small town where it was held are
described in vivid detail, beginning with how and why it really came to be. Darwin's theory, while never boring, has never been so interesting!
An easy, short read due to its format, and heavy on fascinating trivia facts about real American history, this book is sure to be a favorite with young
adults searching for just the right report topic to impress their teachers.
History buffs will love the entertainment value of the individual stories and variety of characters introduced as their roles in the circus are depicted.
Off to turn another page....
Saving Grace
by Katherine Spencer
Review by Tanita S. Davis, Finding Wonderland
For Grace Stanley, life splits into two. "Before" and "After" is how she sees everything, now that her brother Matt has died. Before she was pretty happy
with her low-key circle of true friends, had a decent relationship with her parents, and made pretty good grades. After Matt died, her true friends seem to
be smothering her, her parents are strangers, and her grades are crashing. Everything seems razor edged with pain, and Grace, angry with God, her parents,
her friends and the whole world, can't take it anymore.
The decision to make a clean break from the past—from her brother's best friend, the guy she's had a crush on forever, from her best friends, from her
previous life—seems, to Grace the best thing to do. But her new friends live a faster life than she's accustomed to—and with it comes lots of
money, unsupervised time, boys and booze. Her old friends withdraw. Her new friends don't seem that trustworthy. And then there's Philomena—one of the
geekier girls in school, who always seems to catch her eye and see through her soul.
Who, or what, is Philomena? Can she actually save Grace from burning out? Or is Grace really saving herself?
There is a lot of tension in this novel. While the pain and confusion Grace experiences seems to be genuine, the novel's superficial treatment of the "wrong" friends versus "right" ones, the
difficulty of transition after grief (don't we all wish we had a mystery person like Philomena to make everything all right?), and the continual intrusion
of authorial voice made it a mixed read.
Books Reviewed:
Accidental Love, by Gary Soto. Harcourt Paperbacks, 2008. ISBN: 0-1520-6113-5.
Girl, Hero, by Carrie Jones. Flux, 2008. ISBN: 0-7387-1051-8.
More than Friends: A Saving Grace Novel, by Katherine Spencer. Harcourt Paperbacks, 2008.
ISBN: 0-1520-5746-3.
Ringside, 1925: Views from the Scopes Trial, by Jen Bryant. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2008. ISBN: 0-3758-4047-8.
Saving Grace, by Katherine Spencer. Harcourt Paperbacks, 2007. ISBN: 0-1520-6096-0.
Mercy on these Teenage Chimps, by Gary Soto. Harcourt Paperbacks, 2008. ISBN: 0-1520-6215-7.
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