Remix

Gr 10 Up—Kaz and Ruby are best friends on their way to a three-day music festival called Remix. Kaz (short for Karizma) is the responsible one; she gets good grades, doesn't drink, and has the perfect boyfriend. Except Mr. Perfect, Tom, dumped Kaz and she is not over it. And now Tom is at the festival with his new girlfriend. Ruby is a tough girl who parties hard and whose grades are so bad that she may have to repeat the school year. Her recent relationship with Stu, doomed from the start, imploded when he cheated on her. And Stu is at the festival, too. The next three days take the girls through fights, miscommunications, breakups, makeups, sexual experiences, fake tattoos, music, and so much more. Very short paragraphs alternate first-person perspectives between Kaz and Ruby. The jump between characters can be a bit confusing at first, but teens will quickly acclimate. The girls drink and have sex (and face realistic consequences for both) and are ultimately there for each other. The importance of friendship is the message Kaz and Ruby learn over the weekend—and one that will resonate with teens.