Review: Picture Me

Lori Weber-James Lorimer and Company

The details: Will be released in 2014,  168 pages, 1 sitting to read. I received the ARC of this book from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: (From Goodreads) When a well-meaning English teacher has overweight student Krista read aloud a poem about body image titled "Barbie Doll" in class, she ignites a simmering bullying event based on Krista's appearance. Krista's best friend, and witness to the event, Tessa, is suspended for fighting to defend her friend. The girl who bullies Krista seems unaffected by the incident at school and more concerned with what an older guy thinks of her. But as the three characters' paths intersect, their inner lives are revealed. Each emerges as a much more complicated individual than their simple bully, target, and witness labels.

Review: I wanted to like this book. I was really hoping to find a positive story line, to show that bullies are not always mean without reason. I really wanted a book to put on my library shelves that would spark my students interests, to start them on an internal investigation, learning to over-come bullying, understand what makes a bully....
This book falls short. The premise is there, the framework is there, but it doesn't go beyond that. Let me start by saying that I was a victim to extreme bullying, even from teachers. I was an over-weight cheerleader, and that seemed to offend people. I am very overweight now, but when I look back at my middle school years, I was only 20-30 lbs overweight. I was a size 15. I was large, but I felt even larger and ended up with body dysmorphic disorder as well as bulimia. Bullying is a real threat.

When I read the synopsis of this book on Netgalley, I HAD to read it. I was interested in Krista, the overweight girl who is the victim of bullying, due to her weight. However of all the characters, we learn the least about her, and her character development is completely missing.

This book is told through her, her bully, and her friend. This is confusing in the beginning of the book, as I thought the book was being told in third person, of Krista. But it wasn't. It took me a bit of time to realize that it was another character's point of view.

In the beginning, Krista is described as a girl who ignores her weight. She doesn't seem to care about her weight, and ignores the bullies. However, once a picture is taped to her locker, she becomes obsessed with losing weight and taking diet pills, no matter the cost to her health. She ignores her best friend, and becomes practically a hermit, never leaving her bed. By the end of the book, it's hard to be sympathetic to her, even though I have first hand experience of being that girl. I feel like the author did a piss-poor job at fully showing the TRUE danger of this behavior, because of how bitchy she made this character. (No, not every book should have a 'lesson' but this is a dangerous spot to be in.)

We learn more about the bully, and find that she does not have the happy-home-life like she appears to have. Throughout the story we see her fall in with the wrong crowd, and we are alluded to a situation that is unpleasant, and one can assume what happens, HOWEVER. This is where the book ends. There is no closure at all for the bully and the victim. This story just ends. I have a major problem with this. This book's synopsis makes the reader believe we will be reading a story about bullying. Instead, we learn more about the friend, and she is the only character to have any sort of resolution by the end. It left a bad taste in my mouth. 'Oh look, the bully isn't happy, the bullied isn't happy, LETS TALK ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE!' It's obvious while reading that the focus isn't on the bullying or bully at all. It's about the friend and her home life.

This book is misleading and stops in middle of what I felt to be the climax of the story. There are other things I would like to say about this book, but I can't seem to articulate well WHY this book is nothing but disappointing. This is NOT a book I will be purchasing for my school library. I'd rather spend my money elsewhere.

Rating: 2 stars. Stay away, unless you really really really enjoy punishment.

Review: Beautiful

Beautiful - Amy Reed- Simon Pulse
The "Facts": Paperback, 232 pages, 1 day to finish

 

 (Click the image to link to Goodreads)

 

 

Summary: (From Goodreads) When Cassie moves from the tiny town where she has always lived to a suburb of Seattle, she is determined to leave her boring, good-girl existence behind. This is Cassie’s chance to stop being invisible and become the kind of girl who’s worth noticing.

Stepping into her new identity turns out to be easier than Cassie could have ever imagined… one moment, one choice, changes everything.

Cassie’s new existence both thrills and terrifies her. Swept into a world of illicit parties and social landmines, she sheds her virginity, embraces the numbness she feels from the drugs, and floats through it all, knowing that she is now called beautiful. She ignores the dangers of her fast-paced life… but she can’t sidestep the secrets and the cruelty.

Cassie is trapped in a swift downward spiral tinged with violence and abuse, and no one—not even the one person she thought she could trust—can help her now.

 

My Review: Ouch. This book is not pretty. There were many things I disliked about this book, but before I begin let me tell you that when I purchased this book, I also bought Amy Reed's 'Crazy' as well. When I was reading this book, I honestly thought 'Crazy' was describing this book...

 

According to the blurb, it's easy to imagine that this book is about the change in Cassie as she becomes a 'pretty popular' one. Well... it is and it isn't. When the book starts, Cassie has already become 'pretty and popular' at her new school. It takes a bit to realize that this book picks up right away without really introducing the characters.

 

Secondly, the plot gets confusing. It's hard to imagine Cassie being as stupid and naïve as she comes off, and she jumps around a bit. It's hard to follow her train of thought. As soon as you think you've figured her out, she changes. In most cases, this is a good thing: we like to see development and evolvement in characters. For Cassie, it's less of a developing character and more of 'we need to get this plot point out.'

 

To be truthful, I'm not even sure how I would describe the plot to someone. I would say 'read the blurb on the back, but then throw away and idea about the plot like you think you have.'

 

The only good thing about this book? The only reason why I am giving it 2 stars instead of 1? The ending. I actually rather liked the ending, and found it fitting and surprising given the author's tone throughout the rest of the book. However, that is all I will say before I give away any spoilers!

Rating: 2 stars 

*This book contains details and mentions of: underage drinking, drug use and abuse, eating disorders and violence among others. I would recommend reading this book before giving it to someone that you feel might be *iffy* or triggered by these subjects.***


***Can't you tell I'm a school librarian?

Jenni

The Boy on Cinnamon Street

The Boy on Cinnamon Street – Phoebe Stone – Arthur A. Levine Books

The “Facts”: Book, 240 pages, 1 week to read

Summary: (From GoodReads) A story about a wounded girl and the boy who won't give up on her.

7th grader Louise should be the captain of her school's gymnastics team - but she isn't. She's fun and cute and should have lots of friends - but she doesn't. And there's a dreamy boy who has a crush on her - but somehow they never connect. Louise has everything going for her - so what is it that's holding her back?

Phoebe Stone tells the winning story of the spring when 7th grader Louise Terrace wakes up, finds the courage to confront the painful family secret she's hiding from - and finally get the boy.

My Review: Like usual, I must point out that I ‘judge’ a middle school/ya book much more harshly than I would any other type. This must be from my teacher/librarian mindset, but when I find a book to recommend to my students, I look for the best of the best.

Sadly, this book was not one of them. Do I think younger readers might enjoy this book? Yes. Do I feel like this book should have delivered more? HECK YES! Unfortunately, I can not explain to you exactly why I feel this book lacked some punch, due to spoilers and all that.

To begin with, the cover of this book is adorable. When this book was returned to the library, I chose it based on the cover and quick blurb on the back. I was expecting a short, sweet, romantic tale. What I got was a story about a girl who has had a difficult past, and is too blind to see what everyone else can. Not to mention the fact that the story revolves around her and her ‘crush.’ Sadly, she doesn’t even really like the guy! How can one describe a book to be about a girl’s crush, when it isn’t true?

This book should have been two completely different books with two completely different characters. The author tried- and failed- to have a sweet romantic book with a darker/edgy side. She really should have stuck with one or the other. When the novel did finally delve into the darker side of the book, the author completely derailed from the original sweet story line, and when she came back to it, it was as if the secondary plot line never happened.

All-in-all, this book annoyed me. It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t terrible, it was just chaotic and hard to follow. I know my younger readers love this book, so there is something to say about that. However, in my line of work, it is not one I would actively recommend.

My Rating: 2 stars.

Warning: This book is not as happy and sweet as the cover appears, and briefly touches on darker themes.