School Library Journal» St. Martin’s Griffin

Pick of the Day: Fangirl

SLJ — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 09:00:07 +0000

ROWELL, Rainbow. Fangirl. 416p. St. Martin’s Griffin. Sept. 2013. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-1-250-03095-5; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-250-03096-2.
Gr 9 Up–This charming coming-of-age novel tells the story of a painfully shy teen who prefers the fantasy world of fanfiction to reality. Cath expected to survive her first year of college with the help of her twin sister. Wren, however, is taking full advantage of her newfound freedom from parental supervision, spending a great deal of time partying and very little time with her needy, nerdy, slightly pathetic sister. Feeling lost and alone, Cath scurries from class to class, hiding in her room and working on her Simon Snow fanfiction omnibus. When she writes, she can escape herself and be somewhere else. Otherwise she’s just another social misfit stuck with a surly roommate, her roommate’s overly friendly, kinda cute boyfriend (who might also be flirting with Cath), and a family that’s falling apart. Sometimes, however, real life can become better than fantasy. Even if getting there feels like an epic battle. Cath is an exceptionally well-developed, self-aware, and endearing character, partly because she is so quirky and flawed. There are also great secondary characters, but because Cath doesn’t want to get involved in the messiness of their lives, readers are also kept from knowing them more fully. The plot is multilayered and filled with complex subjects (such as divorce, abandonment, and mental illness) handled in a realistic manner, and the writing effortlessly and seamlessly weaves these threads together. This book will find a wide audience, especially among older fans of Harry Potter.–Heather E. Miller Cover, Homewood Public Library, AL

Pick of the Day: Uses for Boys (Audio)

SLJ — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:00:15 +0000

Uses for Boys. By Erica Lorraine Scheidt. 4 CDs. 4:18 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2013. ISBN 978-1-4692-4973-5. $69.97.
Gr 10 Up–Sixteen-year-old Anna’s earliest memories begin at age seven during the “tell-me-again” times. While snuggled against her mother, she listened to stories about how her mother always wanted a little girl. “Now I have everything,” she would whisper. A year later, the stories stopped and a wave of step-fathers began. Left to her own devices, Anna began to tell herself stories: “I had no mother. I had no father.” Fighting loneliness as a teenager, she finds temporary comfort in the arms of boys, earning the title of slut from her peers. Anna becomes a pregnant dropout, finds a minimum wage job, and moves in with her current boyfriend. One morning a “revelation” occurs. She is enough; she can write her own stories. No more replaying her mother’s stories or writing about the smiling families in pictures torn from magazines and taped to her walls. Anna’s story, stumbling yet steadfast, begins. She gets an abortion and rents an apartment, but still feels invisible behind the counter making cappuccinos for ladies with long, painted nails. Then Sam arrives—and Anna is anything but invisible. His family eats, banters, and laughs together. Sam is anything but temporary. Scheidt’s haunting yet poignant and poetic story (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2013) encourages girls to believe in their own importance and realize that their past does not have to dictate their future. Narrator Emily Durante beautifully captures the anguished and hopeful voice of Anna. A must-have.–Cheryl Preisendorfer,Twinsburg City Schools,OH

Pick of the Day: Eleanor & Park

SLJ — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:00:32 +0000

ROWELL, Rainbow. Eleanor & Park. 328p. St. Martin’s Griffin. Mar. 2013. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-1-250-01257-9; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-250-03121-1.
Gr 9 Up–In this novel set in the 1980s, teenagers Eleanor and Park are outsiders; Eleanor, because she’s new to the neighborhood, and Park, because he’s half Asian. Although initially wary of each other, they quickly bond over their love of comics and 1980s alternative music. Eleanor’s home life is difficult; her stepfather physically abuses her mother and emotionally abuses Eleanor and her siblings. At school, she is the victim of bullying, which escalates into defacement of her textbooks, her clothes, and crude displays on her locker. Although Park’s mother, a Korean immigrant, is initially resistant to the strange girl due to her odd fashion choices, his father invites Eleanor to seek temporary refuge with them from her unstable home life. When Eleanor’s stepfather’s behavior grows even more menacing, Park assists in her escape, even though it means that they might not see each other again. The friendship between the teens is movingly believable, but the love relationship seems a bit rushed and underdeveloped. The revelation about the person behind the defacement of Eleanor’s textbooks is stunning. Although the narrative points of view alternate between Eleanor and Park, the transitions are smooth. Crude language is realistic. Purchase for readers who are drawn to quirky love stories or 1980s pop culture.–Jennifer Schultz, Fauquier County Public Library, Warrenton, VA