Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman

Fourteen-year-old Shawn McDaniel, who suffers from severe cerebral palsy and cannot function, relates his perceptions of his life, his family, and his condition, especially as he believes his father is planning to kill him.

2001 Printz Honor Book
2001 Best Books for Young Adults
2001 Quick Picks for Young Adults


The whole pretence of this book makes my skin crawl. I would hate to be in Shawn's condition, trapped inside my own mind with no control and no escape. The book itself is a quick read, completely narrated by Shawn so you really feel like you are trapped inside his head with him. With the exception of Paul, most of the other characters seemed flat to me (Paul is the narrator of the second book, Cruise Control).

24 Girls in 7 Days by Alex Bradley

"Jack Grammar would never try to fondle your butt during a slow dance. Jack Grammar is a gentleman, owns his own tux, and has superb taste in corsages. Jack Grammar is looking for a prom date. Could it be you? Email MyNewPromDate@yahoo.com "

Jack's two best friends posted this personal ad in the school's online newspaper as a joke, but then they decide that this is the perfect way to improve his non-existant love life. They create the 24-7 plan, in which they will weed through all of the responses to the adds and choose 24 girls in which Jack will have to take on a date before the prom in seven days. Of those 24 girls, Jack will then have to chose one who will be his date to the prom.

Jack is a genuinely likeable, crush worthy guy. He's sweet, relatively clueless, but has a wonderful heart (even if he gets slightly sidetracked upon occasion). His friends are for the most part likeable too- even though they will have you crying foul a few times. Jack's date for the prom will surprise you- though the girl that he ends up with at the end will not. This is a great look at the male perspective on an event that is normally dominated by the female perspective. It's also a great addition to a literary genre that is dominated by the female voice and female authors.

The First Part Last by Angela Johnson (Audio)

Bobby Morris is like most teenage guys; he likes to play basketball and hang out with his friends. When his girlfriend becomes pregnant, Bobby is determined to do the right thing and support her decisions and be there to comfort her. Things don't work out as planned and he finds himself with his daughter, Feather, relying solely on him.

The book was the 2004 Coretta Scott King Award Winner, 2004 Printz Award Winner, and was among the 2004 Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults.

I just finished listening to The First Part Last. As much as I enjoyed reading it, I would have to say that it is even better in the audio format. Khalipa Oldjohn does a wonderful job with the reading and really gives life to Bobby. Since almost the entire book (with the exception of one chapter) is told first person by Bobby, hearing it read really brings it to life and makes it seem like Bobby is right there talking to you. Kole Kristi who reads Nia's chapter, also does a wonderful job and makes Nia sound exactly like I envisioned her.

The audio version is very short, just under two hours in length.

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

While most of Francesca's friends go to Pius Senior College, her mother forces Francesca to attend St. Sebastian's, an all-boy school that has recently gone co-ed, because she feels that girls who leave Pius have limited options. Francesca battles with her mother, Mia, constantly over what is best for her. Then one day, Mia is too depressed to get out of bed. Months go by and Francesca's family begins to fall apart.

2005 Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults
2005 Best Book for Young Adults

I didn't really like this book. I had a hard time getting into it and struggled to connect with Francesca- even though I had similar experiences of my own during high school. What did you think? Check it out and let me know.

The Terrorist by Caroline B. Cooney

Laura's life is changed forever when her younger brother Billy is killed by a package bomb in a London subway. Laura becomes obsessed with finding her brother's killer and getting revenge. To Laura, everyone is a suspect including her friends from London International Academy where she attends school.

1998 Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers

I read this book when I was in high school, back when it first came out- and it definately left an impact on me (though, I didn't remember who the killer was). Laura's love for her younger brother and the way in which she describes him is very touching. She really made me care about her brother. The circumstances surrounding his death are haunting. I find it interesting that a story written nearly ten years ago still reflects a lot of our society's attitudes towards other cultures and other societies and cultures attitudes towards Americans. The ending of the story is a bit disappointing, I was upset by the lack of closure- especially in that the killer was not held accountable for Billy's death.

Vegan Virgin Valentine by Carolyn Mackler

High school senior Mara Valentine is an overachiever. her life consists of competing with her ex-boyfriend for class valedictorian and her early decision acceptance to Yale. Mara's life is thrown into chaos when her niece V, who is only one year younger than Mara, comes to live with the family. She makes out with Mara's ex on the first day of school and constantly makes cutting comments about the limitations of her aunt's life plans. In the midst of this, Mara falls in love with her 22-year-old boss who hasn't gone to college and is forced to reassess her goals.

2005 Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers

I found myself sucked into this story and wanted to keep reading right through to the end. I really enjoyed the characters of Mara and V, especially their dynamic and how each of them changed. While I liked the relationship between Mara and James, though it seemed somewhat unbelievable to me at times.

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

Moose Flanagan and his family move to Alcatraz Island when his father gets a job as an electrician at the prison. His mother hopes to send his autistic older sister to a special school in San Francisco but when Natalie is rejected by the school, Moose must take care of her. He gets in trouble when he goes along with a moneymaking scheme dreamed up by the warden's pretty but troublesome daughter.

2005 Best Books for Young Adults selection

The writer obviously cares about historical accuracy- she includes a section in the back of the book that explains where the facts may have been stretched (even going so far as to point out the weather that she using in the book does not reflect the weather of 1935). Author handles Natalie's autism with sensitivity and care. Very good coming of age story- though I was disappointed with the lack of appearances by Al Capone.

Godless by Pete Hautman

15-year-old Jason is an agnostic-leaning-toward-atheist, who dislikes having to attended his Catholic youth group. As a joke, Jason creates a new religion, "Cutengodianism" which sanctifies water as the source of all life and worships the Ten-Legged God (aka the town's water tower). Jason soon gathers a handful of followers and things begin to spin out of control. A midnight pilgrimage to the top of the tower results in a serious injury and the group is busted, bringing about a new set of trials and tribulations.

National Book Award Winner
2005 Best Books for Young Adults selection

I had a hard time getting into this book. It's a quick read and at times humorous. Good for those who are struggling with their own faith, but those with strong religious beliefs (espcially Catholicism) may be offended by the manner in which organized relgion is depicted.