The Selection

Cass, Kiera. The Selection. New York: HarperTeen, 2012. Print.

Genre: Dystopia

Intended Audience: Ages 12 and older

Personal Reaction: The Selection is a chance for young women in Illea to win the heart of a the prince and the crown.  America Singer is the star of our novel and despite not wanting to originally enter into the selection she enters and is selected as one of the thirty five girls so seek the hand of prince Maxon.  America is a snarky girl who falls for Maxon and while it seems as though he wants to marry her, she gets jealous of him spending time with the other women as well.  Add in an ex boyfriend, Aspen and America's life is turned upside down.

I was practically forced to read this book by a friend.  While I love chick lit novels, I don't usually gravitate toward books with pictures of girls in dresses on them, but I'm so happy I tried this one.  Cass wrote a beautiful book written with heartache and anticipation and of course, love.  Once I started it I could not put it down and cannot wait to read the rest of the series.

Author Facts: When growing up Kiera Cass wanted to be a performer, she taught theater at a camp and majored in musical theater.  She followed a boy to Radford University where she changed her major many times before settling on History and working on staff at a campus church.  Eventually Mr. Cass wooed her and married her and realized she loved writing and is now a well known author.

Author Website: http://www.kieracass.com/

Just Listen

Dessen, Sarah. Just Listen: A Novel. New York: Viking Children's, 2006.

Intended Audience: Ages 14 and older

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Personal Reaction: Since my first Sarah Dessen book, she has become one of my favorite authors.  In turn, Just Listen has become one of my favorite novels, one I will be sure to give to every teenager possible. This is the story of Anabel, how she began to find herself after losing her friends and learned the importance of music, honesty and friendship.  

Anabel starts the school year without any friends.  She had a falling out with Sophie over the summer and now everyone hates her, in part because she doesn't want to tell the truth about what happened.  Anabel becomes friends with Owen and together they become the weird kids who spend so much time listening to music, telling the truth and eating at a diner that smells like bacon.  She learns the importance of telling the truth and being honest, even when she doesn't know how.  

Author Facts: Sarah Dessen grew up in Chapel Hill, NC and has been writing for as long as she can remember.  She wrote her first book after college while working at the Flying Burrito, instead of getting a "real job," probably for the best since it means she is now a best-selling author.  Dessen makes a mean bean salad and loves to play in her garden, though she doesn't always manage to keep her plants alive.  

Author Website: http://sarahdessen.com/

Wintergirls

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Wintergirls. New York: Viking, 2009.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Intended Audience: Ages 13 and older

Personal Reaction: Wintergirls was a book I both loved and hated.  In it, we learn the story of Lia, a teenager whose friend Cassie just died from bulimia. Lia deals with her own eating disorder and is haunted by Cassie throughout the story.  Her family life is difficult, partly because of her problems and partly because her parents are divorced and don't always pay the best attention to her.

This book was depressing and had very little hope or happiness until the last chapter.  In that sense, it was a difficult read and I am not sure I would have finished it, had it not been required for class.  However, the writing style was wonderful, Anderson showed the number of calories Lia was consuming by putting the numbers in parentheses.  She had words crossed out when Lia thought one thing but attempted to not and at one point had two entire blank pages to emphasize what was happening in the story.  While I would not necessarily hand this book to someone to read, I did enjoy it and would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about mental and eating disorders.

Author Facts: Laurie Halse Anderson hates it when people pronounce her last name incorrectly (Halse rhymes with waltz).  She married her childhood sweetheart and they live in Northern New York with their four children and dog.  Anderson leaves a charmed life, running, gardening and writing in a cottage her husband built for her to write in.

Author Website: http://madwomanintheforest.com/