Secrets & Sharing Soda

Review: Kiss Me Again by Rachel Vail

2013-05-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Kiss Me Again. by Rachel Vail. December 5, 2012. HarperTeen. 240 pages. ISBN: 9780061947179

Kiss Me Again is the sequel to Rachel Vail’s 2005 young adult novel, If We Kiss. Though I have read If We Kiss, it’s been a number of years, and I didn’t have the chance to re-read it before reading this second part of the story. Therefore, this review will consider Kiss Me Again on its own merits, with little reference to the first book about these characters.

Charlie (Charlotte) Collins’s mom has just gotten remarried, and now Charlie’s crush, Kevin Lazarus, is also her stepbrother. Kevin is also the former boyfriend of Charlie’s best friend Tess, a friendship that is on the rocks because Charlie and Kevin shared a kiss. Charlie knows it’s a bad idea to kiss her new stepbrother, and she does her best to distract herself with another boy, but every time she and Kevin are alone together, all they can think about is kissing each other a second time. This story explores all the ups and downs of a young teen’s crush, while also delving into the complications of life within a new stepfamily.

I always enjoy Rachel Vail’s writing. Her style is engaging and fast-paced, and her stories make great use of dramatic tension while maintaining a sense of innocence. Girls will sympathize with Charlie, who truly wants to do the right thing, despite the many directions in which her emotions try to pull her. Charlie is a realistic representation of a girl in ninth grade, and her story is a great choice for younger YA readers, even those as young as ten.

Though my review of Anne Herrick’s The Perfect Guy questioned whether a plotline involving a girl in love with her stepbrother was plausible, this book made me feel differently about it. Vail gives equal weight to Charlie’s romantic feelings and to the family dynamics created by her mother’s remarriage. She doesn’t sugarcoat the complications of Charlie’s situation, and she doesn’t offer any easy answers. The ending is particularly satisfying - it offers the a realistic and reasonable solution to Charlie’s problems without disappointing the reader.

Kiss Me Again is a perfect middle school romance. Share it with fans of authors like Paula Danziger, Courtney Sheinmel, and Melissa Kantor.

I borrowed Kiss Me Again from my local public library.

For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.

Review: Treasure on Superstition Mountain by Elise Broach

2013-05-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

Treasure on Superstition Mountain. by Elise Broach. February 2013. Henry Holt and Co. 288 pages. ISBN: 9780805077636

In this second book in the Superstition Mountain trilogy, Henry, Jack, and Simon have all been grounded in the aftermath of their actions in the first book, Missing on Superstition Mountain, and their friend, Delilah, is still recovering from her broken leg. Even though they have already disappointed their parents once, the kids still want to venture back to the dangerous mountain for more answers, especially now that they think they might be able find a gold mine. When the boys’ parents leave town for a few days and ask young, clueless Aunt Kathy to come stay with them, they see their chance to go exploring without getting caught. Even Delilah, in her walking cast, refuses to be left behind. But will they be able to make it back up the mountain and down again in one piece? And what happens if they get caught - either by their parents, or by someone much more sinister?

Though I still don’t necessarily think this story needed to be told in three separate books, I really enjoy Elise Broach’s writing. While this is a definitely an adventure story, with elements of mystery, she also works in a lot of character development and interesting relationships between the characters. Delilah is not quite as well-rounded as the three brothers, but the conversations between Delilah and Henry and Delilah and Simon reveal quite a bit about the ways boys and girls relate to each other in the elementary school years. I also like the way each boy has his own different strengths and interests, each of which come into play as their second book of adventures unfolds.

This second story doesn’t answer many of the questions raised in the first book, but it does make the reader even more curious to find out how everything is going to turn out. I am especially drawn to the mysterious town librarian, who seems to be in cahoots with the sheriff, and who has the same name - and possibly even the same face - as a historical figure from the town who is long dead. This is not a series for readers who require instant gratification, but for those who don’t mind a slow-moving storyline where the height of excitement is kept waiting until almost the end, this is a great adventure story that I am confident will have a satisfying conclusion when the last book comes out. Also, don’t miss the author’s note that tells how some of the story is based in reality. Elise Broach’s own visit to the real Superstition Mountain is also documented online here.

I borrowed Treasure on Superstition Mountain from my local public library.

For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.

Old School Sunday: The Worry Week by Anne Lindbergh (1985)

2013-05-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

The Worry Week. by Anne Lindbergh. 1985. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. 131 pages. ISBN: 9780152996758

Allegra is the middle sister between dewy-eyed Alice and wild child Edith (called Minnow). Allegra’s favorite place in the entire world is North Haven, an island off the coast of Maine where she and her family rent a cottage every summer. With 17 days of vacation left, Allegra’s parents find themselves called away from the island for a funeral, and they plan to send the three girls to stay with their aunt. Allegra, who just can’t bear being away from the island for a week, decides to tell a couple of lies in order to make it possible for her and her sisters to remain at North Haven alone. The plan goes off without a hitch - until the girls get home to find there is no food. What is supposed to be a relaxing time of freedom from parents and rules turns out to be a week of worries as Allegra struggles to keep her sisters well-fed, happy, and free from injury until their parents get home.

This quick middle grade read by Anne Lindbergh (daughter of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh) is a great choice for upper elementary beach reading. Any child who has ever had a vacation cut short, or who has lamented the end of a long visit to the beach will understand Allegra’s desire to deceive her parents and make the most of her time on her beloved island. The three girls’ extremely different personalities are a major source of conflict and excitement as the story progresses, and the plot really appeals to kids’ sense of adventure. Kids often imagine what their lives would be like if they were left unattended for even a short time, and this book explores the practical side of such an adventure, but also indulges kids’ curiosity about what that situation would really be like.

Allegra is a wonderful narrator, whose voice is intelligent, funny, vaguely sarcastic, and brutally honest. Her views of her stranger sisters - Alice, who speaks almost exclusively in Shakespearean dialogue from Romeo and Juliet, and Minnow, who loses six pairs of underpants in just one week - say a lot about the relationships that exist between sisters and the reader is aware of how much the girls love each other, even when they don’t get along. As in Swallows and Amazons, there is danger in this book, but it’s never insurmountable, and even the worst emergency of the story doesn’t scare the reader. Rather, the reader is amused by these brave three girls who are able to live off the land for a full week without ever asking for assistance from adults.

The Worry Week was published in 1985, but the only thing that truly dates the story itself is the lack of cell phones. A cell phone would have made it much easier for their parents to figure out what the girls had done and probably would have put an end to their island adventure that much sooner. The edition I borrowed from my local library also has absolutely atrocious illustrations that do not match the story and don’t even really look professional. I was utterly surprised that the book jacket calls the illustrations “lively.” Each one was more out of place and awkward than the next!

The Worry Week compares well to The Sisters Club by Megan McDonald, Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt, and the Penderwicks series. Girls who like adventure, family stories, and happy endings, will find all three in this fun and well-written novel for grades 3 to 7.

I borrowed The Worry Week from my local public library.

For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.