Girls, this one's for you

Have you or your girlfriends ever done any of this? Discovered boys.  Tried a new style of clothes or shoes or make-up that just didn't work.  Agonized over a zit.  Messed up a friendship.  Gotten a crush. Really, really embarrassed yourself in front of someone special.  Slammed a door.  Spaced out in class because you're daydreaming.  Gotten bad cramps. Tried to become someone you're not.  Gotten your hopes up.  Yelled at your mom or dad or brother or sister and you don't truly know why.  Sulked. Gotten your hopes crushed.  Fixed a friendship.  Had a mom or aunt or grama dry your tears.  Given a friend a huge hug.  Yes? If a lot of this sounds familiar, check out Planet Middle School, a wonderful book written in free verse by Nikki Grimes.  I bet you share it with a friend.

A quick alternative to Twilight

I can't remember who recommended Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber, but I'm glad she did! Raven is 16 and quite the outcast - black lipstick, black nails, combat boots, and only one friend. She'd actually like to be a vampire when she grows up, and that isn't likely to happen in her boring town of "Dullsville." But when the local haunted mansion gets a new family, complete with the creepy butler and pale, hunky Alexander Sterling, things start looking up. The story involves both the Goth life and typical situations at school, and throughout it all, the reader wonders along with Raven...is Alexander really the vampire that will make Raven's dream come true? A more light-hearted alternative to Twilight, fans of this book will apprecate the rest in the Vampire Kisses series, too.

Football isn't just for boys

I absolutely love the voice of the narrator, D. J. Schwenk, in Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. D. J. is 15, and she does all the work on her family's dairy farm ever since her older brothers (former Red Bend high school football stars) left for college and her dad broke his hip. D. J. herself knows quite a bit about football, and she gets the chance over the summer to coach Brian Nelson. But things get complicated because 1) Brian is quarterback for Hawley, which is Red Bend's arch rival, 2) D. J. starts to like Brian, and 3) D. J. decides to go out for - and makes - the Red Bend football team, and now she'll be playing against Brian. D. J.'s voice is funny and authentic, covering the wide range of emotions and feelings that teens really have, as she learns about herself, her family, and her capabilities. If you like this book, the story continues in Off Season.