Before I start discussing the plot of the book, let me start by saying I listened to the audiobook of Homeboyz.  The narrator, J.D. Jackson, did an excellent job with the voices for the characters. Each character’s voice was so believable, even the female character Diaz.  I think 8-12 graders will really appreciate how authentic the gang members sound.  (You know kids will not be hooked if the gangsters sound “fake.”)  The main character Teddy sounds completely different from the gangsters, he sounds educated, inquisitive and a little full of himself.

Teddy (aka TB) is doing pretty great despite of the rough neighborhood he lives in.  He is excelling in school and is being recruited for a CIA summer academy. Until…his sister is an innocent victim in a drive by shooting.  At this point Teddy’s world changes.  He decided he must get revenge for the death of his sister by the local gang the 010s.  He stakes out a small group of gang members at a local convient store. Teddy’s very well prepared.  He has tricks them into “selling” him drugs, so he can get them alone in a deserted alley.  He quickly incapcitates two and is bargaining with the third to find out who killed his sister.  Before he finds out, the police arrive.  Teddy is put in juvie.  I greatly appreciated the accurate portayal of time in juvie.  Teddy says it is not something that you are proud of or excited to tell your friends about.  It’s hell.  After his time in juvie, he gets probation so long as he participates in a new community program and wears an ankle monitor.

This community program involves Teddy mentoring a younger boy, Micah, who is also on probation and on the verge of joining a gang.  Micah is a HANDFUL!  He mimics Teddy and refuses to call him Teddy.  He won’t work on his homework with Teddy.  He is stubborn.  Teddy finally befriends him when he brings in some Burger King and shares with Micah.  Micah is living in a foster home and doesn’t get much  to eat.  Teddy sees how hungry Micah is and realizes why Micah is the way he is.  Teddy starts making an effort at this point.  He takes Micah home and it seems to be just what Teddy’s mom needed.  After the death of her daughter she has become a recluse.  She immediately takes to Micah, seeing how hungry he is and how much he needs a mother’s love.  Micah and Teddy become allies.  Micah even finds out for Teddy who killed his sister.  In the end Teddy realizes he doesn’t need to kill the person who killed his sister anymore.  Teddy has grown tremendously.  He starts to appreciate his relationship with Micah and no longer takes his family for granted.  Great read!

This book is a collection of descriptions of women suffering from eating disorders. Based on another book, Girl Power, and an artwork exhibit by Lauren Greenfield, this work focuses on an issue many American teens are facing: being THIN. Based on the response Greenfield got from her first book and artwork, she decided to explore more deeply into the world of anorexia and bulimia. Girls and women seeking treatment at Renfrew Treatment Facility were photographed. These large colorful photographs are dispersed throughout the book documenting their physical appearance. Shocking images of girls weighing around 70 pounds as well as images of self-mutilation are present. Accompanying most pictures is a description of how each girl developed an eating disorder. Many were sexually abused, most had someone close to them criticize them for being fat. I had this book out and immediately my teenage daughter was drawn to the book and picked it up and started reading it. I think books like this need to be available to teenagers, so they know they are not alone. So many people have issues with eating and sometimes only through professional help are they able to recover. I liked the fact that older ladies (in their 40s+) were included to show this is not just an issue of being a teen. It is a serious problem, even adults struggle with. It was also very realistic. As patients are released back into mainstream society, we see how they are coping with their eating disorder. The last image we are left with is of Shelly. It is sad to see. She has gone from being admitted into the clinic with a feeding tube surgically implanted in her stomach and weighing 56 lbs to being over 100 lbs at the clinic to being home again and need a feeding tube due to her drastic weight loss. I think readers will walk away from this book thinking, I can never let this happen to me. And…is there anyone I know who is exhibiting the signs of an eating disorder who needs my help?

This is the perfect book for the girlie girl in all of us. I really enjoyed reading this book. This is a collection of beauty tips and tricks. I loved the gorgeous photos of Thalia. Even if you are not a fan of her music you can appreciate her as a person after reading this book. I saw this on the same shelf with the new Sephora book at Barnes and Noble. After flipping through both I decided to take home Thalia’s book. I am so glad I did. It is organized very well with sections on skincare, foundation, eyes, lips, hair and body care. I really appreciated Thalia’s background story. She explains how she had acne when she was a soap star. She explains the causes and treatments she came up with to correct the problem. The before and after photos of herself and other models are really helpful. I liked her celebrity tips throughout the book. The last section of the book contains makeovers for different themes or occassions. While many of them are very pretty, some are a little too wild for me. Still they were all fun to look at. The only problem I had with this book was that it did not list any specific products. It shows a makeover and the shades you should choose but the actual products used are not listed. This was frustrating. When the makeover says brown or bronze eyeshadow…there are so many shades…which one do they mean? I think young people and adults will like this book despite this one flaw I see. If you are interested in a book that will list suggested products, you can pick up Sephora: The Ultimate Guide to Makeup, Skin and Hair from the Beauty Authority. In fact I think I might have to go back to Barnes and Noble and reconsider buying it myself. Another great book for product listings is Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me.

Jade Leigh is a goth. She is the minority at her school. The teachers and other students pick on her because of her choices. When her math teacher makes a reference about her being a vampire in front of the whole class, Jade erupts in anger. Unable to control her reaction, she continues to push her teacher’s buttons until her expels her from his class. When she arrives at Principal “Hammy’s” office the next day, her father and Mercedes Turner’s mom are talking to Principal Hamilton. Jade and Mercedes are arch rivals. Mercedes is Miss Popularity at school, but she also disregards the rules and stands up to authority figures. The door opens to Hammy’s office and the girls are ushered inside and told their fate. Their parents have decided to work with Principal Hamilton and allow her to perform an experiment on them. They drive to a dilapidated building in a bad neighborhood. Both girls are strapped to a table by medical professionals and injected with sedatives. They are told they will be put into a virtual reality game to learn their lesson. The next thing Jade knows she is in her own bed. She wonders at first if it is all a bad dream. But as soon as she goes downstairs she knows something is wrong. When she arrives at school, Goths are everywhere and the Barbies are the minorities. All her bestfriends are now the Barbies and won’t talk to her. Jade is disgusted by the thought of everyone looking the same as she does. She doesn’t want to hang out with Mercedes’ friends. Working with Mercedes, they look everywhere for Principal Hamilton. The longer they stay in the game, the more Jade starts to like Mercedes’ life. How popular she is, how respected she is, how much the new boy in school likes her. Suddenly she realizes, the things Mercedes likes are not so wrong. In fact she likes them too when she is on the receiving end. Jade starts to stand up for the Barbies. She begins to fall for the new boy Clarik and she hopes he will still like her when the game is over. Jade and Mercedes start trying everything for a way to escape. Jade confides in Clarik and he tells her he is in the virtual reality game too. He’s a very talented hacker and he promises to help Jade and Mercedes reverse the procedure and send them home. After they find a way out of the game, Jade and Mercedes remain friends. Clarik still cares for Jade. At the conclusion, Mercedes and Jade see Principal Hammy confronting another student and telling him she will teach him a lesson.

I enjoyed this book. I liked seeing a book representing goths, since I believe this is an audience that has been underserved. My eighth grade students seemed very intrigued by the title and cover art. I was a little put off by the idea of being trapped in a virtual reality game. This seems silly to me, but the further I read the more I began to forget about the game and become immersed in the story line.

The Blue Bloods novels are similar to the Twilight series in that they are both about vampires. However, this series focuses on a war raging among the blue blood and silver blood vampires. Schuyler (Sky) Van Allen is the last Blue Blood vampire in her family line. Her bestfriend is also her human conduit, Oliver Hazard-Perry. His sole purpose is to be Schuyler’s confidant, assistant and right hand man. The story begins with Schuyler and Oliver in Venice searching for Sky’s long lost grandfather, Lawrence Van Allen. Her mother is in a coma after being attacked by a Silver Blood. Only her grandfather holds the key finding out who among the blue bloods is helping the silver bloods. After finding him in Venice he refuses to help her. Schuyler returns to New York feeling helpless.

She has to attend the Four Hundred Ball to represent her family name. Throughout the novel, Schuyler is torn between her feelings for Oliver and her secret crush on Jack Force, a blue blood from the most powerful family in New York. At the masquerade after party, she is kissed by a man she hopes was Jack. Jack’s sister is extremely jealous of the connection forming between Jack and Schuyler and she starts plotting to get rid of Sky. With the help of a cute new vampire in school named Kingsley, Jack’s sister Mimi summons the dark matter and the silver bloods to get rid of Sky. Quite a bit of the story remains a mystery as this is book 2 in a three part series. In the end, in order to save Mimi’s life Schuyler does the right thing and preforms a blood trial. The real culprit…Kingsley…is discovered and Mimi is freed of all charges. The story does not end there, as Kingsley is just a puppet for a stronger group of vampires. Schuyler’s grandfather has returned and is made regis over the blue blood coven. Plans to uncover their enemy are being made as the book draws to a close. Sky also has broken a vampire rule by taking Oliver as her Familiar (the human she feeds on.) A love triangle is growing stronger.

I enjoyed this book and do plan to read book 3 when it is released on October 28, 2008. I have to know who the real culprit is helping the silver bloods. Also, who will Sky choose Jack or Oliver? The downside is this book felt more like a soap opera than a mystery novel to me. I prefer the Twilight series over this one.