Poetry
Verse Novels
Short Stories
I'll be sharing about these two: A Bad Boy can be Good for a Girl by Tonya Lee Stone, and Kissing Tennessee and Other Stories from the Stardust Dance by Kathi Appelt.
Stone, T.L. (2006). A Bad Boy can be Good for a Girl. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb.
This is written in verse format, so it's easy to put down and pick up again; pretty quick read as a whole. Three different girls tell about their experiences with the same (awful) boy. The first one decides that she wants to get the word out, so she writes about what he did in the blank pages in the back of the school library's copy of Forever bu\y Judy Blume. She tells other girls to check it out and read what's been written. Even with the warning circulating among the girls at school, the second girl falls for the boy and spends a great deal of time with him in the "red light district" (janitor's closet), never realizing (until it's too late) the negative connotation of that "special" name. The third girl also falls for the boy and shares her sad story. By the end of the book, Forever is filled with snippets from girls who have been hurt by this boy, including contributions from all three of the girls who share their stories through verse.
Due to mature content (quite a bit of sexual activity) I would recommend this for a high school library. The verse format is easy to read and is very well done - almost like short chapters, so it's easy to follow the story. Timeless theme of boyfriend/girlfriend woes for teenagers, so it is a worthwhile read.
Following are reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal:
A BAD BOY CAN BE GOOD FOR A GIRL (reviewed on January 1, 2006)
Three high-school girls take turns relating their separate experiences with the same bad boy, a senior jock who seems only interested in one thing: “nailing” them. There’s enough in this verse novel to make a grown woman cringe—remembering what it was like back then and that the more things change they stay the same. These narrators, despite their varied backgrounds and ambitions, are interested in, well, the physical realm of boy/girl relations and are willing to kiss and tell: They speak poetry of pedestrian language, which, at its most varied, describes erotic outings and, in one instance, oral sex. High school girls with uncomplicated reading agendas might find this brain candy gratifying. But those with SATs on their minds will find this shallow, repetitive and empty. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: Jan. 10th, 2006
ISBN: 0-385-74702-0
Page count: 240pp
Publisher: Wendy Lamb/Random
Book of the Week--A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone
Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough (FL) Public Library System -- School Library Journal, 12/19/2005
Gr 9 Up–Three girls succumb to the charms of one sexy high school senior and emerge wiser for the experience in this energetic novel in verse. Josie is a self-assured freshman who values her girlfriends over boys until a hot jock focuses his attention on her and her simmering hormones break into a full boil. Confused by her behavior, yet unable to control her desire, she acts out every romantic cliché she has ever disdained, until the boy drops her and she experiences the chill of rejection. It is Judy Blume's Forever that sparks Josie's fire again, and finding a few blank pages at the back of the library's copy, she sends a warning to the girls of her school. Next readers meet Nicolette, a junior who sees her sexuality as power. A loner, she's caught by surprise at her own reaction when this popular boy takes notice of her. Suddenly she thinks she sees the difference between sex and love, and then, just as suddenly, he's gone. Finally, Aviva, a pretty, smart, artsy, and funny senior, is stunned when the jock seems to want her. She gives up her virginity, only to be disappointed in both the sex and the boy. Furious, Aviva heads to the library to check out Forever, now crammed with the words of girls who suffered the same fate at the hands of the same boy. The free verse gives the stories a breathless, natural flow and changes tone with each narrator. The language is realistic and frank, and, while not graphic, it is filled with descriptions of the teens and their sexuality. This is not a book that will sit quietly on any shelf; it will be passed from girl to girl to girl.
Appelt, K. (2000). Kissing Tennessee and other Stories from the Stardust Dance. San Diego, CA: Harcourt.
This is a collection of short stories about a group of students who are attending their eighth-grade Stardust Dance. The stories are not all sweet and sugary; many of the issues the kids dealt with before the night of the dance are quite shocking and disturbing - parents that drink to much and abuse their kids, the confusion that surrounds your discovery of which sex you're attracted to, date rape, etc. They're all kids that go to the same school, but it's doubtful that they all know each others' "back story".
While this is about eighth graders, the stories are a bit intense, so I'd recommend it for upper-middle and high school libraries. It would be great for counselors to use as a form of bibliotherpy for kids who have issues similar to the kids in the stories. It's a great reminder that the face you see at school everyday may be masking a lot of really tough, scary feelings/experiences. Every person truly has their own story.
Following are reviews from School Library Journal and Amazon:
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9-Readers may be surprised by the powerful literary mix that they encounter in this short-story collection. In interrelated selections, individual students prepare for their eighth-grade dance, and every story shifts imperceptibly through a broad spectrum of teen issues. Rachel's religious father is abusive and volatile; Becca is the victim of date rape. Cub wraps himself in the scent of his father's old shirt hoping to protect himself from "The Question"-a private doubt about his sexuality that is taunting and terrifying him. The title story is equally fulfilling with a more traditional romantic flavor. The various moods are caught with immediacy and intimacy, and the resolutions occur in precious little time. This collection will spark conversation in contemporary literature discussions, will quietly unsettle readers, and will elevate the quality of short-story collections.
Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Amazon.com Review
"For this one night,
this one room
is no longer the
Dogwood Junior High cafeteria,
not at all.
It's the Stardust Dance.
You're invited."
this one room
is no longer the
Dogwood Junior High cafeteria,
not at all.
It's the Stardust Dance.
You're invited."
The eighth-grade Stardust Dance at Dogwood Junior High School is the place where dreams, with the help of a few paper moons and a whole lot of glitter, just might come true. Tawny is hoping that her borrowed shoes with the red rhinestone bows will somehow turn her into Cinderella. Mary Sarah dares for the first time in her life to tie a colored ribbon in her hair and apply forbidden lipstick. Russ wonders if he'll ever get over his first love, the unforgettable Annie P. Peggy Lee is enchanted by the magic of her childhood beau Tennessee's kisses. And Cub Tanner hides from the whole affair on the school roof as he nurses a surprising secret crush.
Kissing Tennessee, Kathi Appelt's first book for older readers, is a nice mix of frothiness and substance. Appelt humorously and accurately describes the making and breaking of the eighth-grade heart, while still tackling weighty issues like date rape, same-sex crushes, and family violence. Best of all, the entire short novel can be devoured in one study-hall period. This is a great choice for reluctant readers. (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert I like these books because they're not "regular" fiction - the verse and short story format make them easy to pick up and put down again, so they'll probably appeal to lots of today's kids who are used to getting information in short blasts. These could be used to promote verse/poetry and/or short story collections within the library.
No comments:
Post a Comment