15. Life in the Fat Lane

Life in the Fat Lane. Cherie Bennett. 1999. New York. Reed Business Information.

Annotation: A perfect, popular, pretty girl named Lara suddenly develops a disease that causes her uncontrollably gain large amounts of weight.

Justification for Rejection: Bennett provides a detailed account of all characters, which was good. She did a great job of portraying her brother and parents to make the story very believable and to enhance Lara's preoccupation with being skinny. When Lara starts gaining weight, her mother does not understand, and Lara does all she can to take the weight off, but nothing is working. She eventually gets diagnosed with Axell-Crown Syndrome (which is not a real disease). It was good to see how Lara's perceptions of overweight people changed and that beauty is not all about looks. It is an issue that many young girls can identify with as they deal with their own body image issues.

The reason for my rejection is that it seems a little unrealistic. The syndrome is made up, so something like this would probably never happen to a popular girl who has it all. I know that many girls can relate, but I find it hard to believe that she still keeps her boyfriend and best friend, who do not seem bothered. In real life, I think that teens that age would get more caught up in looks and possibly distance themselves from that person.

Genre: Ya Fiction

14. The Night Room

The Night Room. E.M. Goldman. 1995, New York, New York. Peguin Books

Annotation: A group of high school juniors get chosen to be guinea pigs with an experiemental computer program, Argus. This program lets them see what their 10 year reunion will be like.

Justification for Rejection. The storyline is very interesting, involving teens that go into the "Night Room" at a University and put on this helmet contraption to see their futures. They each go in separately and it is almost like hypnosis, requiring the subject to relax completely in a dark room, and then they go into this separate, lifelike, world where they are 11 years older. The visions are based on their answers in various questionnaires and their own personal experience. For example, a self conscious Joy sees herself as a beautiful movie star. They find out soon that there are dangers associated with the Argus.

I liked the idea of the book, but I did not care for the way it was set up. The narration was in third person, which can work, but in this case it was a bit confusing. I also found the story to be quite predictable and It did not hold my attention, and I would feel the same if I were a teen reader. The characters, I did not feel were developed enough. I would forget who was who in certain chapters, and I felt they could have been described in greater detail.

Genre: YA Fiction, Science Fiction

13. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Ann Brashares. 2001. Delacorte Press

Annotation: A group of 4 friends are all separated for the summer, but pass along messages and take turns wearing a pair of pants that they all fit into.

Justification for Nomination: I found this heartwarming story to be filled with many lessons in life and great topics for teen girls to read about. It provides a separate coming-of -age tale for each of the girls as the group of friends gets separated and they must grow on their own for the summer. This is the first time they are really apart as they have all been together since they were babies. They each must go their seperate ways, one goes to Europe, one to soccer camp, etc. They stay in touch by passing along a special/magic pair of pants and a letter along with it as they share their stories. I found it very enjoyable to read and very touching as the author does a great job of portraying each character as they go through struggles and joys. The book was very readable and especially believable as each character deals with real issues and emotions that the reader can identify with.

Genre: Coming of Age, YA Fiction

12. The Virgin Suicides

The Virgin Suicides. Jeffrey Eugenides. 1994. Grand Central Publishing.

Annotation: A goroup of male teens become fascinated with a group of five sisters that all commit suicide.

Justification for Rejection: This novel takes place in the 1970's in a quiet Michigan neighborhood. The narrator and a few of his friends are obsessed with the mystery and beauty of all five of the Lisbon sisters. The sisters live a very sheltered, strange life these boys want to be a part of. When one of the sisters, Cecelia, commits suicide, it is the biggest thing to ever happen in town. Since then, the boys are even more fascinated and need to know more. They start noticing strange behavior from the house that is out of the ordinary. In this now-and-then book, it flips back and forth between the present (many years later) and the past (when the girls are still alive). The whole story is about the boys interviewing witnesses and friends to find out why all five of the sisters ended up committing suicide.

This novel was something very different than anything I have read before. It has a very unique story line that flips from past to present and has a very engaging topic of mystery and suspence. I thought some parts were fairly slow and I got bored a few times. I also did not think this book was appropriate for many adolescents, as it contained curse words, sexual references, and the disturbing topic of suicide that was graphic in some parts.

Genre: YA fiction, edgy

Passion Plea-Nonfiction-Go Ask Alice

I am writing this plea for others to vote AGAINST Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous. I know that many people have read this novel and will be voting on it during the final vote, and I hope you will vote No.

There are many reasons I feel this book does not deserve a Printz award. First of all, as many people know, it has been rumored that this novel is not true, and there is speculation that it was written as a form of propoganda to keep teens away from drugs. Having said this, I will argue that the characters are not very believable. The writer of the novel/diary is a 15 year old girl who falls into an addiction to many types of drugs and lives on the streets. Yet she still makes journal entries when she is living on the streets and sleeping on benches?? I find it hard to beleive that she writes her entries on napkins, newspaper and keeps them all in order and puts them back in her diary when she gets home. I also found her vocabulary to be a little advanced for the teen reader, and she still has a great vocabulary and writing style when she is high and doesn't know what's going on.

Her story is touching, but I never really believed in what she was writing, and it took my attention away from getting out of it what I should have. It does the job of scaring me from ever doing drugs, but I felt the story was a little confusing, especially at the end. I found the whole novel being a horror story thought up by a group of parents that wanted to keep their kids on the straight and narrow. I am not sure it adheres to it's genre of being nonfiction.

Passion Plea-Fiction-Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska, written by John Green deserves your vote. The book has this raw feeling to it that makes the whole storyline believable. The characters just jump out from the pages as Green puts so much life into each main character. The depth of each character is amazing, as Green gives just enough information about them without babbling. The narrator is Miles (first person) and the narration is perfect. It is also very believable as the way Miles though process pans out is very believable to a teen boy.

The whole novel is very readable, as I could not put it down. It uses the right vocabulary for its audience, but also it is interesting for adults. I really liked that there were two "sections" of the book, counting down to one huge event, and then after it happens. The titles of each chapter, such as "12 days before" create an amount of suspense as the reader gets closer and the numbers reach the final day. The plot pans out very well, as I felt not part of the book was boring or went along too slowly.

The novel fits very well with its genre. The genre is coming of age and edgy. Those of you who have read this book will definitely agree that coming-of-age is a perfect way to describe the way Miles evolves though his year at school, and most would agree that it is also edgy, as the author adds in some things that teens do, although adults or other teens may not approve.

Overall, I hope you agree that this book deserves nomination after reading over my argument as this book was amazing, moving, touching, and should win the Printz.

11. How to be Popular

Cabot, Meg. Narrator: Kate Reinders. How to be Popular. WMA Audiobook

Annotation: Stephany Landry has had a reputation to live down ever since grade school. "Don't Pull a Steph" is a phrase made famous by Lauren, the most popular girl in school. Steph devises a plan to become popular by following the advice in an old self-help book titled "How to be Popular".

Justification for Nomination: I really enjoyed the book, especially from a young adult standpoint. Any young girl that has ever felt they didn't fit in could relate to this book. She has just a couple of close friends, and they enjoy making fun of the popular kids in school, as they feel they are far more intellecutal than the "A crowd". With the help from her book, Steph shows up on the first day back to school from summer break and completely changes everyone's perspective about her. Her close friends disapprove, but Steph wants to make everyone stop saying that awful phrase and maybe even catch the attention of her crush. In the end, Steph finds out what is really important and that being popular may not be all its cracked up to be.

I think that any teen girl that has ever struggled to fit in could learn some valuable lessons from this book, and it is also very entertaining and attention-grabbing at the same time.

Genre:Audiobook, Humor, YA fiction.

10. Pants on Fire

Pants On Fire. by Meg Cabot. Narrator: Krista Sutton. Listening Library.

Annotation: Katie has it all: A hot football-play boyfriend, a hot boyfriend on the side, a great best fried Sidney, and a great job at the Gull and Gulp. When a blast from the past comes back to town, she re-evaluates her values and learns how to be herself without trying to please everyone else.

Nomination for Rejection: Katie's story takes place during the summer before her Senior year at Eastport High. She is in the popular group and has a popular boyfriend, Seth. Seth is a football player for the Quahogs, who are all treated like royalty in her town, where football is everything. Katie works at a busy tourist-y restaurant where the corner booth is ALWAYS reserved for whenever any Quahogs want to come in to eat and hang out. They are worshiped by all who live in Eastport, and have been an undefeated team for many years...except one.

The year they didn't win is not often spoken of, but Tommy Sullivan ratted out some players that cheated on their tests and were forced to forfeit the game and take a loss. This has left everyone in town hating Tommy and he hasn't been seen since. When he comes back to town, Katie is shocked and angry with him. She soon develops a crush on him, and is in a tough position. Tommy teaches her a lot about being true to herself (and others) and not caring so much about what people think.

This was a great book with some good values for teens to learn, but I have decided to reject it due to its predictability. The story is very interesting and well-written, but I always knew what was going to come next.

Genre: Audio book, YA fiction, Humor, Coming of Age

9. The Princess Diaries

The Princess Diaries. Meg Cabot. 2000. Harper Collins. New York, New York.

Annotation: Mia Thermopolis is a 9th grader living with her mother in New York. She thinks she looks like a "freak", gets made fun of by the popular girls, and is not having trouble in Algebra. Everything changes when she finds out the she is the Princess of Genovia.

Justification for nomination: Meg Cabot does a great job conveying the main character, Mia, in this diary-style book. Mia suffers from self confidence issues, thinking her "hair looks like a yield sign", she is flat chested, too tall, and has huge feet. She is also very embarrassed that her mother is dating her Algebra teacher. Just when she thinks things can't get any worse, she recieves a surprise visit from her father, who lives in Genovia. He drops a bomb on her, saying that she is the only heir to the throne of Genovia, and is a princess. Mia goes beserk. She is upset that her parents lied to her this whole time, that she may have to move far away from her best friend, Lilly, and she does NOT want to be a princess. In this hilarious story, Mia goes through a transformation from the shy girl she once was, into an assertive, confident, happy young woman.

I loved this book because Meg did such a great job speaking to her teenage audience, and the whole story is very entertaining and funny. Any teen girl who ever dreampt of becoming a Princess or celebrity, or just wants to be recognized will love this tale of Mia Thermopolis.

Genre: YA Fiction, Humor, ALEX Award winner, coming of age.

8. Go Ask Alice

Go Ask Alice. Anonymous. 1971. Simon and Schuster. New York, New York.

Annotation: This book is based on the diary of an un-named 15 year old girl struggling to fit it. She gets LSD slipped into her Coke at a party, and winds up in a turbulent cycle of drug addiction over the next year. She documents her struggles to stay clean in this diary.

Justification for Rejection: The author of the diary describes her experiences with drugs very vividly, which took place during the sixties or seventys. As I read about her dramatic change from the shy, unconfident girl to an out-of-control teen that would do anything to get her next fix, I could not help but feel for her. It was very interesting and intruiging to read about what went on in her mind when she was high or out on the streets without her parents knowing where she was. It really was a page-turner, and the book was very eventful. I thought it was a very good book that provided a great documentation of a young girl struggling with addiction, I would not nominated the book. At some points in the book, I found it a little difficult to believe that the author was really a teen girl and whether the book was fiction or non fiction.

Genre: Edgy/banned. Coming of Age. Fiction?

7. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Rowling, J.K. Scholastic, 1999. New York

Annotation: Harry Potter is a neglected boy who lives with this cruel aunt and uncle. He wishes to escape, and his wish is granted when he is swept off to Hogwarts, a school for wizards just like him. He then finds out the story behind the strange scar on his forehead and learns that he is capable of way more than he thought.

Justification for Rejection: Rowling does an amazing job illustrating every character and their own personalities down to a t. All characters can easily be pictured in the reader's mind, and they all have their own special quirks and differences. As a sidenote, when I saw the movie, it was exactly how I had pictured it in the book!. My one problem I had was getting through the first part of the book where the characters and backgrounds are set up. It goes a little slow, and It was hard to keep interest. Once the book got moving and Harry went to Hogwarts, I was hooked, and I thought this book would be great for an adolescent reader. It offers a lot of fantasy, but at the same time, the reader can identify with Harry and friends as they still share similar problems and issues that many young readers are also likely going though. There was some aspect of violence with the fighting, and it was full of suspence as the reader roots Harry on in his adventures and troubles.

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Coming of Age

6. Tangerine

Tangerine.Bloor, Edward. 1997. Harcourt, Inc. Orlando, Florida

Annotation: Paul Fisher, his parents, and brother Erik move to the small town of Tangerine, Fl. With the move comes many relevations by Paul and how he became vision impaired and more relevations about Erik, who is favored by his parents as the football star. Although he is legally blind, he can see things that others are blind to.

Justification for Rejection: Although this novel was very intruiging and keeps the reader interested to keep going, I felt the first half was slow moving. The first half sets up a lot for the reader regarding Erik and his kniving ways that the parents don't see, Paul's soccer dream unfolding, and introducing many new characters. The book does become very gripping in the last half, but I felt it was a little too slow-moving. I thought Bloor did a great job describing the characters and situations. The book had many surprises that I did not predict, which kept me reading and wondering what would happen on the next page. This book fits well with its audience, and would be especially fitting for a teenage boy to read.

Genre: Supernatural/Horror. Coming of Age.

5. Cubanita

Triana, Gaby. Cubanita. 2005. Harper Collins: New York

Annotaion: Isa, 17 years old, is in the transitional summer between high school and college. She deals with many changes and issues, including struggling with her Cuban heritage, falling in and out of love, and becoming closer to her family.

Justification for Nomination: Triana writes this book in a way that the characters and the feelings in the book seem so real that they seem to jump out of the pages. The Cuban family and their norms backgrounds are very clearly portrayed and easily understood. The author kept me interested from the first page to the last, and I felt for the main character, Isa, as she learns very valuable life lessons.

Genre: Multicultural, Coming of Age, Humor

4. Confessions of a Not-So-Supermodel

Confessions of a Not-So-Supermodel. Lindsey, Brooklyn.2008.Grand Rapids, MI. Youth Specialties Products.

Annotation: Brooklyn Lindsey shares her real life experiences along with advice for adolescent girls on various topics, including boys, religion, friends, dreams, and our own unique gifts.

Justification for rejection: While this book offers some great advice for young teens about growing up and being confident in yourself, I wouldn't want to nominate it. Lindsey has a lot to share, but her background story didn't do enought to support the rest of her book. She relates many lessons in life to her own dream of becoming a supermodel, and sometimes I do not think the topics are related closely enough. Her audience is very small, focusing on teens who are very religious and I don't think all teen girls would relate.

Genre: Nonfiction

3. Looking For Alaska

Green, John. Looking for Alaska. Dutton 2005

Annotation: Miles Halter is at a crossroads in his life and heds off to find "The great Perhaps" at a private high school. He meets people along the way, most importantly Alaska Young, who change his perspectives and make him look deeper into what really matters.

Justification for Nomination: Green beautifully portrays all characters in the novel and makes them come alive on the pages. They each have their own story and background that really makes the reader understand why they act their certain ways and do the things they do. Miles fascination with the last words of famous historical figures tied into the story in a creative and genious way. My view of Miles changes as I read more, which I think was done because as the book goes on, Miles also begins to see himself differently. I thought the book was a page turner from beginning to end, and was very powerfully moving. The story had an effect on me that not only teens but all readers can relate to. It also explores some edgier themes relating to teens, including smoking, drinking, etc. that many young adults have dealt with, even if not by personal experience. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and can see why it was a Pritz winner.

Genre: Coming of Age/ YA fiction

2. Bone: Out From Boneville

Smith, Jeff. Bone: Out From Boneville.New York: Scholastic, 2005.

Annotation: Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone- three cousins, are thrown out of their hometown, Boneville. They get separated from one another and are all lost in the desert, and each has their own interesting journey as they attempt to find their way back together.

Justification For Rejection: I will begin with the positive: the graphic format really enhances the story, and the pictures and characters are drawn with great quality. The story flows well, is easy to follow, and is just right for its teen audience. My argument for rejection is that I had a hard time staying focused on reading, and my mind would wander as I was at different stages in the book. The story moved along fairly slowly, and while it is a series and I would need to read the next book to find out what happened, I had little interest to do so. I felt the story didn't have enough of a climax built up in order for me to get excited about it.

Genre Category: Graphic Novel

1. Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson

Rennison, Louise. Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging:Confessions of Georgia Nicolson.New York: Harper Collins.1999.

Annotation: 14 year old Georgia Nicolson’s diary entries over the course of a school year, documenting her teenage angst. Topics of discussion include friends, school, family, pets, and of course boys.

Justification for Nomination: Rennison does a great job portraying the life of a 14 year old girl. Georgia comes alive on the pages of her diary, with (very amusing!) passages detailing her daily “hardships” that include fights with her best friend, Jas, boy troubles, and family issues. Georgia is constantly upset about something, and portrays it in a very readable way with plenty of dry humor and sarcasm. Rennison captures the reader with the descriptive stories that bring us back to the days when we dealt with the same situations. It really is a page turner that is full of surprises. To look at it from an adolescent point of view, I think girls will be more likely to find the book entertaining, and they are obviously the target reader. If I were reading this as an adolescent, I think I could completely relate to all of Georgia’s issues she struggles with in her diary. Great book!

Genre category: Teen fiction