Barbara Hall. THE NOAH CONFESSIONS

Lynnie attends Hillsboro School for girls, where everyone gets a car on their sixteenth birthday. So, when Lynnie's father gives her an old charm bracelet with birds on it for her birthday, she's disappointed and confused. Her father tells her that it belonged to her mother, who passed away when she was little. That consoles her somewhat.

Then her father gives her another present. A letter from her mom. Lynnie learns a lot about her mother's life growing up, as well as the story of how her mother and father met. But she also learns some scary secrets about her mother's family. She wonders if her image of her mother has been correct. She wonders how this will affect her relationship with her father. Finally, she wonders how this will affect her image of herself.

This was an intriguing story. Barbara Hall is an amazing storyteller. The story kept getting deeper and more interesting the more I read. The story ended up being pretty complex, yet the author pulls it off seamlessly. I really enjoyed the fully formed characters and the story!

This book came out several years back. I'm not really sure how I stumbled across it, but I'm glad I did. When I researched the author, I found out that she's written several books, but she also writes for TV. She wrote for several successful shows, including Joan of Arcadia, Judging Amy, Army Wives, and Northern Exposure. I'm not too surprised, since she has a gift for storytelling.

I'll have to keep an eye out for more books by Barbara Hall in the future!

Suzanne Crowlwy. THE VERY ORDERED EXISTENCE OF MERILEE MARVELOUS

The best way to begin this review is a quote from Merilee:

One thing’s for sure in Jumbo, Texas, population 1,258: if you are dumb as an old shoe or super, super smart, you get driven up to El Paso to see a specialist who can confirm what everyone already knows. I’ve been taken there twice, once because I’m smart and once because I’m dumb. After only a few years of life in Jumbo, I’ve come to a conclusion. There’s a thin line between genius and bottom-barrel stupidness. I hover delicately on a tightrope between the two, wondering where I’ll land if I ever fall.

People think Merilee is missing a marble or two – that there isn’t much in her heard. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Merilee has a lot going on in her head, but she has trouble articulating it out loud. She’s fascinated by dragons so much that people call her the dragon girl. She writes in her journal all the interesting things going on around her. She also has a very scheduled, very ordered existence. She calls it her VOE. It’s not mentioned outright in the novel, but she has Asperger’s, which explains her need for order. It also explains how she has no close friends, but is totally okay with that. She likes her life the way it is.

Then two people enter her life and shake things up. The first one is a new kid named Biswick. He likes Merilee a lot and begins following her around asking her lots of questions. Biswick’s father is a drunk poet who doesn’t pay much attention to Biswick, except for being mean to him. The second one is a lady named Veraleen, who came back to town after being gone a while. She takes care of Biswick and helps Merilee too. Despite her desire to keep her life exactly the way it is, Merilee begins to see how friendship may not be so bad after all.

There is so much more going on in this story- much more than I can succinctly describe here. I love the setting (I’m a sucker for my home state, as you know). I love the way the Marfa Lights were incorporated. I love the authentic and full of life, quirky characters. It’s a rich, beautiful novel that I’m glad to have spent time with. Suzanne Crowley is a gifted storyteller, for sure!

Check out her website here. I can't wait to read her latest book. Doesn't it look intriguing!

Pamela Lowell. RETURNABLE GIRL

Ronnie Hartman’s mom left her behind when she moved to Alaska with her boyfriend. She took her two brothers, but not her. So since then Ronnie’s been in several different foster homes. She’ll stay with a family for a while, but after she acts up, they return her. She’s never felt unconditional love. Now at thirteen, she’s living with a wonderful woman named Alison. She’s also making headway at school with the popular crowd. But some of the things she has to do to remain in the popular crowd are causing her to struggle with trying to be a better person. Can she turn her back on her only true friend? Then to make things worse, Ronnie gets a letter from her mom, and she must make the toughest decision of her life.
I loved how I felt so connected to Ronnie that I completely understood when she made bad decisions. She was in a position where the decisions made sense to her. That’s great character development. The story was gut-wrenchingly realistic and sad. I enjoyed the story and felt I read a true snapshot of what it must be like for far too many kids in foster care. I’m constantly amazed at what parents will put their kids through. What’s so sad about this book is that the author has seen these kinds of experiences in her daily life as a social worker.
You won’t soon forget this one. And like me, you may feel like you need to make a case for adoption here. Not around the world, but right here, where so many kids need to be adopted and loved.

Here’s the author’s website.

Lisa Yee. ABSOLUTELY MAYBE

You could say Maybelline Chestnut, Maybe for short, has a unique life. Her mom named her after her favorite mascara. Her mom was a beauty queen who begrudgingly gave up all her dreams of becoming a big star to have Maybe, which didn’t set Maybe up to feel “wanted.” Her mom owns a charm school to groom girls for beauty pageants. Maybe doesn’t want anything to do with it or any of the men her mom brings home. She’s about to marry again for the 7th time. He may be the worst of all. After he turns her mom against her, Maybe has had enough. Her friend Hollywood has just been accepted to college at UCLA film school, so she leaves her mom and joins him. She realizes that her real dad lives there, and she figures finding him will be just what she needs. They also bring along Ted, Maybe’s best friend in the world. The three of them begin an adventure in Hollywood. Of course, finding her dad isn’t as easy as expected, and Maybe & Ted don’t have anywhere to live or any money, so the challenges begin right away. In the end, while trying to find her dad, Maybe finds herself and some other unexpected joys in her life.
I’ll remember this one for a long time. I love when I finish a book and feel like I spent time with some amazing people. I truly enjoyed hanging out with these people. The characters are witty, fun and unique. They aren’t your normal stock characters. Each character was a fully formed person with many delightful details. The relationships are true to life. Plus the story was absorbing; I really felt the ups & downs of Maybe’s emotional ride.
Highly Recommended! I’m looking forward to reading Lisa Yee’s other books.

Oh, and as a former student of Dr. Teri Lesesne, I loved seeing her name in there! That was a hoot. And yes, she is totally a celebrity!

For more about Lisa Yee & her other awesome books, click here for her website.
For ABSOLUTELY MAYBE's very own website, click here.

Gordon Korman. THE JUVIE THREE

Gordon Korman is one of those authors where I grab each new book & read it without even knowing or caring what it’s about because I simply know I’ll love it. There are some authors where I read a book or two by them, feel I know what they’re about and I’m done. I can match them to students & that’s that. But other authors, I absolutely have to read everything by them – and Korman is certainly near the top of that list. One thing I admire is his diversity. Wow. He does action (Kidnapped & the Falconers series), comedy (Schooled, Born to Rock, Son of the Mob), adventure (Island series), realistic fiction (Jake Reinvented & Juvie) and more. He just writes a lot of great books!
So this new one – THE JUVIE THREE: It’s about three boys: Gecko, Terence and Arjay. Gecko & Terence are in juvenile detention and Arjay is in prision. Each one is visited by Douglas Healy, who offers them a second chance. He says he can get them out of lockup, but they have to live with him in a halfway house, which is part of a new experimental program. They will live with him, go to school, do community service and attend counseling. It doesn’t leave much time for a social life, but the boys are prepared to agree to almost anything to get out of lockup.
Shortly after settling into their new lives, Douglas is involved in an accident that threatens their entire lives. The boys have to continue living as though everything is normal. Any little screw up will have them thrown back in prison or juvie. But events continue to threaten their secrets. Gecko meets a girl, Terence gets mixed up with some gangbangers, and Arjay starts playing guitar in a band. Clearly, none of those activities would be allowed under the original arrangement. How long will they be able to keep their secret and therefore their freedom?
This was so different from all the comedies that I’ve read lately from Korman.The characters were rich and lively. The story was compelling and so suspenseful at the end that I literally could not put it down!I highly recommend it!

For more on Gordon Korman click here for his website.

I've reviewed many of his books here. Click for the review SCHOOLED or BORN TO ROCK

Pnina Moed Kass. REAL TIME

Wow. What an emotional, moving book. REAL TIME brings together multiple points of view from people from very different backgrounds. You get an up close view of the struggles between the Israelis and the Palestinians. We have Thomas, who is a German teen on his way to volunteer in Jerusalem, as well as research his grandfather’s Nazi connections. Vera left her home in Odessa for a new life in Jerusalem, and she is also escaping a sad past. Also, we have Baruch Ben Tov, a Holocaust survivor, with his own disturbing past. Throw in a few other people such as a suicide bomber, the family members of terrorists, and a doctor who gets interrogated and searched on his way to work, and you have quite a recipe for a profound story. These characters are brought together by a tragedy. We get to see how it affects all the people involved. Sadly, this type of tragedy is all too common in this part of the world. I was amazed at the variety of cultures coming together. Some relating better than others. Some clash and kill, while others intermingle and actually appreciate one another. The novel reads quick, smooth and suspenseful. Even with all the points of view, it never got confusing. Each story was equally intriguing and unforgettable.

Wow.

This is one that will stick with me for a long time, like LIFE AS WE KNEW IT still does to this day.

If the author has a website, I couldn’t locate it. But I found 2 interviews with her about the book, if you’re interested:(don’t read them until after reading the book – otherwise plot points are given away)

Interview #1

Interview #2