Book Talk #11 - Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Reviewed by Alexandria

LISTEN HERE:

I made this music player at MyFlashFetish.com.

OR READ IT HERE:

" '...Patrick started driving real fast, and just before we got to the tunnel, Sam stood up, and the wind turned her dress into ocean waves. When we hit the tunnel, all the sound got scooped up into a vacuum, and it was replaced by a song on the tape player. A beautiful song called "Landslide". When we got out of the tunnel, Sam screamed a really fun scream, and there it was. Downtown. Lights on buildings and everything that makes you wonder. Sam sat down and started laughing. Patrick started laughing. I started laughing.

And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.'

Fifteen year old Charlie is having a hard time dealing with the death of his aunt Helen, who he cared deeply for, also starting high school, and we all know how that feels. But what's worse is that he has no friends to go through it with. His best friend, Michael, committed suicide in eighth grade and his other friend Bridget has moved on and changed like kids do. To help let his emotions out, Charlie writes anonymous letters to someone he knows. He writes about everything, and gives the people he talks about fake names. Charlie just wants someone to listen and understand him, like Aunt Helen did."

Featured music: "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac INFO HERE!

Author Info HERE!

BUY IT HERE!

OR CHECK IT OUT AT THE LIBRARY!

Book Talk #5 - Invisible by Pete Hautman

Invisible by Pete Hautman

LISTEN HERE:

I made this music player at MyFlashFetish.com.

OR READ IT HERE:

“ Andy Morrow and I are best friends. Best friends share everything, especially secrets.
I am Douglas MacArthur Hanson, but Andy calls me Dougie. I am 17 and go to Fairview Central High. I am kind of shy, a lot different then Andy.
It doesn’t matter that we live in completely different realities—that Andy is the quarterback of the football team and stars in school plays while I spend most of my time working on an HO train set I have in our basement. If you asked Andy to name his best friend, he would say, “Dougie Hanson.” I am pretty much invisible except when I am with Andy.
Do I strike you as a little obsessive? My parents and counselor think so. But the truth is I am just very focused. So focused I built a whole town around my train set. Right now I am building a suspension bridge out of matchsticks.
Like I said, Andy and I share a secret. We had some bad luck with fires when we were kids. There was the tree house and the then the Tuttle Place. But everything turned out all right. I don’t see why everybody thinks my friendship with Andy is such a problem. Dr. Ahlstrom says I need to forget Andy. But I can't. You see we both made it out of that fire alive. That’s our secret. Andy is alive and he is my best friend. No matter what, he will never leave me."
(Booktalk by Tom Reynolds, Sno-Isle Regional Library System for the Evergreen Young Adult Book award, 2007-2008)
SUBJECTS:

Best friends -- Fiction.

Friendship -- Fiction.

Railroads -- Models -- Fiction.

Models and modelmaking -- Fiction.

Schools -- Fiction.

Mental illness -- Fiction.
Source: http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/hautman_invisible.htm

Featured music: "Am I Wry? No" by Mew INFO HERE!

Author's Website

BUY IT HERE!

OR CHECK IT OUT AT THE LIBRARY!

Book Talk #4 - A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone

A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone

LISTEN HERE:

I made this music player at MyFlashFetish.com.

OR READ IT HERE:

“ Ninth grade. A new start. Josie was pretty popular in middle school but all bets are off now. But then the unthinkable happens. A senior asks her out!! What a great life she has now. She gets to go to the senior parties and sit with him at lunch. Sure she is ignoring her own friends, but he is a senior and likes her. Or is he just after another piece of freshmeat? That can't be true, can it? When Josie says no to his advances, he dumps her and finds Nicolette. Heartbroken and angry, Josie feels the need to warn other girls about this boy. Remembering Judy Blume's Forever, Josie heads to the library and writes her story in the back of the book. Will other girls find the warnings and take heed? Or will others fall for the false lines and the smooth smile?"
SUBJECTS:

Girls -- Fiction.

Man-woman relationships -- Fiction.

High school students -- Fiction.
Source: http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/stone_bad.htm

Featured music: "#1 Crush" by Garbage INFO HERE!

Author's Myspace Website

BUY IT HERE!

OR CHECK IT OUT AT THE LIBRARY!

Book Talk #1 - Street Pharm by Alison Van Diepen

Street Pharm by Alison Van Diepen

LISTEN HERE:

I made this music player at MyFlashFetish.com.

OR READ IT HERE:

"Ty Johnson has it all. He's King of the Streets. He's a 17 year old African American drug dealer. He's taken over his father's territory and he's learned all he needs to know from his dad. Sure he's only a kid but he knows what it's all about. But his mother insists that he stay in high school. Enrolled in an alternative school, Ty couldn't care less about the school. It's just a place to find more buyers and sellers. One thing he didn't count on finding is Alyse. She doesn't know about Ty and he wants to keep it that way. But then trouble starts. A rival dealer is trying to take over Ty's territory. Will he take his father's advice to eliminate the threat, or will he find another way to deal with it?"
SUBJECTS:

Drug dealers -- Fiction.

African Americans -- Fiction.
Source: http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/vandiepen_street.htm

Featured music: "War" by Generation Gap INFO HERE!

Author's Myspace Website

BUY IT HERE!

OR CHECK IT OUT AT THE LIBRARY!