A Couple of Recommendations
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I also finished “Lipstick Apology,” which I loved, mainly because it reminded me of the type of writing I do—contemporary romance, but with a unique hook. Nice reason to love it, huh? But really, I would suggest this debut author as well.
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Thoughts on Form Letters
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Last week I received a request for my full manuscript from an agent. The difference from all the others I’ve ever received, however, was that it was very personal. The agent took the time to be very specific in what she liked about my book. In the past, not only have I gotten form rejections, but I’ve gotten form “request for more” emails. Even if this agent doesn’t end up taking me on, her email made my day (and my week, and month, maybe year!).
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Since I teach hundreds of online students at any given time, I know the value of a form email. I understand from an agent’s perspective—who is getting hundreds of submissions a day—why a form response is necessary. And I would definitely rather receive a form response than no response at all.
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But I do notice a huge difference from my students when I use a personal response. They are grateful, and it seems to make a difference in their attitude. It’s during those times that I realize how valuable a personal response can be.
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Of course I get that this isn’t always realistic. For those of us whose jobs include dealing with mass quantities of individuals, giving personal responses to everyone would be a joke—we’d never get anything done.
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But I do think that once in a while we should consider that we are not robots nor are the individuals on the other side of the computer robots, and personal responses can make a world of difference in their lives. While it’s not always possible, we should strive to make it happen when our gut tells us we should.

Just some thoughts for you today
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Have a great week!

Info                                                                      

Adult Contemporary Fiction
Washington Square Press

Summary

A small ordinary town is turned upside down with a teenage boy goes on a shooting rampage at his high school.

Thoughts

What I liked most about this book was that the author got deep into everyone’s point of view, including the parents of the teen who was the shooter. When a school shooting happens, we often don’t consider what it must be like for the parent of the shooter. I also liked that the book dealt with the problem of bullying. My emotions changed so much through the book; on the one hand, I was angry at the teen shooter for what he did, but on the other it was hard not to sympathize with him because of the intense bullying he suffered.

Even though this isn’t specially a teen book, I think teens would enjoy it. I read in an article that some schools have adapted parts of the book to use in their anti-bullying curriculum.

Through the entire read, I thought of Columbine, as I was just out of high school when it happened, and I remember it impacted me deeply. I often wondered about certain aspects of those involved in terms of psychology. Even though Picoult’s book is fiction, she did a lot of research, including interviewing those involved in previous U.S. high school shootings. This made the book feel more real and intense.

For an interesting read on what goes on in the minds of those involved when a school shooting occurs, I recommend Picoult’s book.

The Debutantes

http://community.livejournal.com/debut2009

This is a group of debut middle-grade and YA authors whose books will release this year. I enjoyed reading the summaries of their books. Here are the ones that I plan on picking up:

“Lipstick Apology” by Jennifer Jabaley. Razorbill.
Emily’s world falls apart when her parents die in a plane crash. To add to it, her mother had written the words “Emily please forgive me” in lipstick across the tray table. Emily must figure out what it means while also starting her new life.

“As You Wish” by Jackson Pearce. HarperTeen. Viola summons a young jinn out of his world and grants her three wishes. She deals with romantic complexities and the high school social scene.

• “Shadowed Summer” by Saundra Mitchell. Delacorte.
• One summer a boy disappears and no one knows what happened to him, though everyone has a theory. Ten years later, fourteen-year-old Rhame is determined to find out the truth.

“The Espressologist” by Kristina Springer. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. Seventeen-year-old Jane can match-make couples based on their favorite coffee drinks (what she calls Espressology).  A local coffee shop uses her as a promotion and sales go crazy. But during an interview with local media Jane is faced with a dilemma—choose her own love or her business.

“Twenty Boy Summer” by Sarah Ockler. Little, Brown. Anna is going on a vacation and agrees with her friend to meet one boy everyday. What her friend doesn’t know is that Anna is holding secrets about what happened between her and her friend’s older brother last year before he died.

“Hate List” by Jennifer Brown. Little, Brown. Valerie’s boyfriend opens fire on his school. Valerie is hurt trying to save someone else, but is later implicated because she helped her boyfriend write a “hate list.” Now with her senior year in front of her, she must move on and work through the tragedy.

Info

YA Contemporary
Publisher: Viking
Age group: Mature YA

Summary

After being abandoned by her alcoholic mother, Ruby goes to live with her sister Cora whom she hasn’t seen in years. Through this new life and the new relationships that come her way, Ruby discovers she can give love and be loved.

Characters

I love rough-around-the-edges characters, so I enjoyed Ruby and trying to figure out who she is and if she can change. The boy she likes, Nate, is mysterious and complicated, though not at first glance. And more so than other Dessen books, I enjoyed the complexity of the sub-characters, including Ruby’s sister, brother-in-law, and boss at work.

Plot

The plot was intriguing and kept me turning the pages. I wanted Ruby to be happy and not return to her old life, and as the plot moves, my wishes happen, though not in the way I expected.

Thoughts

As noted in a previous blog this week, I was troubled by all the typos in this book. Dessen, however, is my favorite YA author so she can have all the typos she wants and I’ll still read every book she ever writes

“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie

Info

YA (contemporary or perhaps literary…I saw one person label it as such
Publisher: Little, Brown
Age group: Mature YA

Summary

Arnold is a nerdy Spokane reservation kid who transfers to a white school to get a better education.

Characters

The characters are what make this book stand out. Arnold is funny, nerdy, witty, and sad all in one. You connect with him and feel for him the whole way through.

Plot

The story reads similar to a diary – following Arnold’s thoughts as he leaves his reservation to travel each day to an all-white school and the troubles he meets along the way.

Thoughts

This book has won numerous awards and I can see why. It is intriguing and has an amazing voice. Usually second-person doesn’t work for me, but it works here. The book has been somewhat controversial at schools because it has some vulgar content/language. For this reason, I labeled it mature YA even though the main character is fourteen. I know parents have a hard time finding YA for boys, and I think this is one that would be enjoyed by both girls and boys. It has a deep yet common coming-of-age theme, and makes you laugh all the way through.

“Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher

Info

YA Cotemporary
Publisher: Razorbill

Summary

Clay Jensen receives a set of tapes from a girl who committed suicide. The tapes take him through her journey of what she went through before she died.

Characters

Excellent characterization. Clay is easily likable—even once you find out why he is part of the tapes. Even though Hannah is dead, her voice is so real you feel she is alive.

Plot

This is one of the quickest books I have ever read through—I could not put it down. The plot hooks you right away and you can’t stop reading.

Thoughts

This is by far one of the best books I have ever read. It sticks with you and it really makes you think about life and how you treat others. It is a must-read for every teen out there.

“Just Listen” by Sarah Dessen

Info

Contemporary YA
Publisher: Viking

Summary

Annabel Greene doesn’t like confrontation—you can see this in the way she interacts with her family, and when she can’t stand up to her ex-best friend who treats her like crap. But then she meets Owen and learns to confront her feelings, revealing a startling secret about her past which she must stand up to.

Characters

Annabel is great—many teens can probably relate to her because it’s easy to understand wanting to voice your opinion but not being able to. Owen is a little on the trouble side, but we love him because he’s trying to make it work—and he falls hard for Annabel.

Plot

I couldn’t put this book down. There are scenes that will forever be ingrained in my mind. The story not only shows us why it’s important to find our voice, but it also shows us the importance of speaking up when something bad happens to us.

Thoughts

If you can’t tell from my reading list, I am a huge Sarah Dessen fan. She is my favorite YA author. This book is thus far my favorite of all of her books. It’s powerful, engaging, and it changes the way you view the world.
“Cindy Ella” by Robin Palmer

Info

YA Romantic Comedy (contemporary)
Publisher: Speak

Summary

Cindy refuses to give into the prom fever infecting her L.A. school, so she writes an anti-prom letter to the editor. This makes everyone see her as evil, except her two friends and her new “online” friend. With almost everyone against her, will she get her own night to remember?

Characters

Cindy is adorable. I like her because she takes a stand for something she disagrees with. The rest of the characters are cliché and annoying. Her two wicked step-sisters are obsessed with L.A. culture and fashion. Even Cindy’s friends got on my nerves. But the two guys she crushes on are cute and stand-up dudes.

Plot

I really liked the plot—I especially enjoyed the mystery behind the online friend and who she discovers it really is in the end.

Thoughts

Every other line in this book is a cultural reference. It’s funny at first, but gets old very quickly. I liked the plot, but had a hard time concentrating because I was annoyed at all the references that were supposed to be funny. Still, I can imagine that teens will keep turning the pages to find out what happens with Cindy’s romantic life.

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Summary

Bella Kirkwood gets shipped from her rich life with her dad in New York, to Oklahoma where her mom has just remarried. Oklahoma is the opposite of everything she’s ever known—it’s low-class, small, and filled with cows.

Characters

Bella is a little annoying at first, but she comes around and you fall in love with her. I also love the guy she crushes on toward the end. He is hot. Bella’s mom bugs me, but don’t all mothers?

Plot

About half-way through a “mystery” happens, and I loved watching Bella try to uncover it. This is when the plot really picked up for me and kept me turning the pages.

Thoughts

My preference for YA novels is serious, contemporary, and romance. But I know Jenny is funny, so I picked this one up. I was getting my car vacuumed/washed and became so engrossed in the novel that I didn’t hear them call my name to tell me my car was finished. I sat for three hours and finished the book! That is a good book to me.

Jenny is hilariously funny (I’m pretty sure a couple of people looked my way when I laughed out loud).

This is published by a Christian publisher, and was clean through and through. Any teen can read it and not be offended by anything (except maybe cows?!). Even though I love Christian fiction, I’m not one for “preaching” scenes, which happens once in the book. Still, Bella is so funny and cracks a joke about everything, that it makes it okay to me.

I would highly recommend this for any teen (or parent!)