Beaner O’Brian’s Absolutely Ginormous Guidebook to Guys

Beaner, or Hannah as she wants to be called, has a major project to do for the summer and she just can’t see how she’ll get it done. She has chosen to write a paper about the opposite sex. The problem is that Beaner doesn’t know much about guys, not like her fabulous sister or ex-model step-mother. Somehow Beaner ends up meeting a member of the hottest boy-bands SWAK, and he asks her out but even that goes wrong. Even when she tries to help her sister who is having a pre-wedding meltdown things just don’t work out. Eventually Hannah manages to get her act together and make things up to her family and friends.

I wanted to like this book but it was just too much. The plot was pretty non-existent and the writing was OK. I was hoping for more drama or romance but this book just left me hanging. The main point of the book was for Hannah to stop obsessing about her own drama and focus on the lives of the people around her.

Age range: 12-14
Ranking: Quality – 2/5 Popularity – 2/5

The Beetle and Me

Daisy is in love with her Dad’s 1957 purple Beetle but it was relegated to the ice house, where it hasn’t been touched for years. Daisy decides that she wants to restore the car, bringing back with it all the happy childhood memories. Daisy is reluctant to accept any help from her mechanic family for fear that they will take over the car. Even when she should Daisy keeps everyone at arms length except for two guys. There is Daniel who is new to town. His father owns a mint-condition ’57 Beetle but Daniel is more interested in music than cars. And then there’s Billy who is just as stubborn as Daisy and knows his way around a car. Daisy learns how to restore the car making a few mistakes along the way. She also learns to explore her feelings and who she really likes and why. A non-traditional romance the real love story centers on Daisy’s feelings for the car.

I enjoyed this book, probably more than other romances that I have read. I think it is because the strongest feelings are for an inanimate object. Daisy crushes on Daniel and likes Billy but she only really loves the car. I also appreciated that Daisy needed to do everything herself even if she knew that she was making a mistake. Her independence showed me how much she needed to fail and then be able to pick herself back up again. I also appreciated that her father didn’t want to give her the chance to fail, that he would rather save her that pain. I am not a car person but I really appreciate the story and the way it was written.

Age range: 14-17
Ranking: Quality – 4/5 Popularity – 3/5

The Storyteller’s Daughter

This book recounts the tale of Shaharazad, the daughter of the vizier and the exotic storyteller Maju. The vizier met and married Maju on his travels and brought her home with him. Shaharazad grew up isolated in the court and when her mother died, Shaharazad took on Maju’s abilities as a storyteller as well as her blindness.

After the King’s wife betrayed him, he choose to turn his heart to stone. To protect himself from further betrayal he decreed that he will only take a bride for a single night but that the bride must come willingly. As the deadline of the full moon approaches and no maidens come forward Shaharazad realizes that it is she who must marry the King. She has a plan to stay alive, by telling the King a story which will keep him interested in her she hopes to see another day. As the nights string together Shaharazad tries not only to save herself but also the King, his heart and the kingdom. This book also incorporates traditional Arabic and Indian tales as Shaharazad’s stories to the King.

This story was a very engaging read that pulls you in from the very beginning. Dokey was able to balance the attention between the stories of Shaharazad and the King, the kingdom in turmoil and the individual tales that are told. I felt that my unfamiliarity with the story of Shaharazad was also a benefit as I did not have any expectations.

Age range: 12-14
Ranking: Quality – 4/5 Popularity – 4/5

Making out – Jake Finds Out

So I know you’ve been waiting with baited breath…

So we continue on with the saga of the Chatam island teens. In this installment we witness the fallout of Zoey’s decision to choose Lucas over Jake. When Jake finds out the group of teens is divided as the new couples form. As soon as Jake is alone, Claire leaves Benjamin for Jake. Nina then decides to pursue her feelings for Benjamin. As soon as it seems that things have settled down Lucas and Zoey find out that he is being shipped off to Texas to live with his grandfather. Zoey and Lucas struggle to find a way for their relationship to survive while Benjamin tries to convince the real driver that Lucas shouldn’t have to suffer even more something he didn’t do.

It seems to me that perhaps this series could be condensed down, with each book in the series become one or several chapters. Although the author is very good at making you want to finish the book. With the big plot points wrapped up she throws you a single sentence about Nina that makes you want to go on to the next book, Nina won’t tell.

Age range: 14-16
Ranking: Quality: 2/5 Popularity: 3/5

Making out – Zoey fools around

The first book in the “Making out” series (formaly “Boyfriends and Girlfriends”)

Zoey lives in a small close-knit community on an island off the coast of Maine. She is in her last year of High School and all is pretty standard except that her boyfriend Jake’s older brother was killed in a drunk driving accident. Lucas one of the other people in the car has confessed and been sentenced to two years. The majority of this book takes place after Lucas returns to the island. Zoey is torn by her “duty” to her boyfriend and the other islanders to shun Lucas and her feelings for him. It is very slowly revealed that perhaps Lucas the only one uninjured in the small car was not the driver after all. Even if he is not a killer is Lucas who Zoey wants or does she really love Jake.

This book wasn’t very good but the writing was compelling in places. Overall the story was about 100 pages too long. The truth that was hinted at so many times was pretty obvious and I was pretty sure that I knew how things were going to go down. I felt compelled however to finish the book just to be proved right. And I will read the next one just to see what happens when Jake finds out.

Age range: 14-16
Ranking: Quality 2/5 Popularity 3/5