Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Auden, a teen who has just graduated from high school, loves to study. Really, I mean it. She always knows where she is with her books and classwork. This is unlike everything else in the world, like a social life and her family, especially after her parents divorced. She lives with her mother, a very serious professor who makes sure that Auden stays focused and driven as well.

However, her father and new, young stepmother live in a beach town with their new daughter, Thisbe. In a moment of almost panic, Auden leaves to spend the summer with them, where she attempts to find the childhood that she never had. She meets her first real girlfriends and a very intriguing boy. Will this lead to a new life for Auden? Or will she stay where she's safe?

This is another winner from Dessen. Although the bare bones of the plot sound like many of the other teen romances out there, the quality of the writing and the characterization sets it above the rest. Auden is, like most of Dessen's other heroines, for lack of another word, real. She seems like someone you would actually meet out in the world. This goes for the rest of the cast as well. Every character is well thought out. For example, Auden's parents aren't the most sympathetic characters, however, you want to love them because Auden wants to love them. Auden's new friends aren't just one note either. They all have backstories and traditions together.

Another very well done part of the book is the romance between Auden and Eli, who has problems of his own. They learn to know each other at night, as they are both insomniacs, while the rest of the world sleeps. One of the problems for me with many YA romances is that I can't understand why the characters are together. That is not true in this book. Dessen manages to write a very real chemistry between the two. And the problems that they have seem very understandable as well.

There are some minor problems in this book, however, I believe that it deserves an A. I would definitely recommend this to 14+ who are looking for something with great characters and solid plotting.

Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go by Dale E. Basye

Milton and Marlo are brother and sister and total opposites. Marlo is a bad girl (even though she's only 13) and her younger brother Milton is...not. Actually, he seems kind of boring. There is a bit of a marshmallow malfunction and they both die and end up in Heck. It's a horrible, horrible place and they, obviously, do not like it there.

All right, so when I picked this book up I was super excited about it. The illustrations on the front are amazing and the title makes me very happy. I started reading it and enjoyed Basye's language use and his humor. For example, the town where Milton and Marlo live is named Generica, Kansas. Perfect! The writing continues to be funny throughout the book. Once they get to Heck, some of the bad kids have been "Hooked on Phonics" and are trying to go through a drying out period. Milton's name and some other aspects in the book are obviously homages to other stories about hell (although I'm pretty sure that the intended age group probably wouldn't pick up on that).

Those are the good things. However, the components never meld with the plot. It's very light and kind of seems like it's mostly there to set up the sequel, as the plot just seems like a very long build up to the ending. I would also say that it's hard to feel invested with Milton and Marlo. They are fine characters but even though Basye tries to make them relatable, I never quite believed in them. Milton is too milquetoast-y. Marlo is more believable.

The book has so much potential but never quite delivers for me. If I had to grade it, I'd probably give it a low B. So to sum it up, there are some funny parts and good language use, but I was disappointed in the plotting and characterization. It also reads kind of like an introduction for a series (which makes sense, since there is at least a sequel).

The next book in the series is coming out in July and I'll pick it up. I have high expectations for it, since the characters are already introduced. Hopefully it lives up to all that I was looking for in this book. I would probably suggest this book to kids looking for funny fantasy type things, but with a list of others books as well. It's probably best for ages 8-12.

Laugh a Lot, Mostly

Bushweck! That is how you say hello in Slobavian, the country that our main character comes from in Voss:How I Come to America and Am Hero, Mostly by David Ives. Voss is a fifteen year old boy who, along with his father and uncle, the greatest (and only) Shakespearean actor in Slobovia, snuck into America in a box of Cheese Puffs.

First off, this book is hilarious, mostly. Voss writes it in the form of letters to his best friend Meero back home in Slobovia. Voss writes in a very sterotypical Russian/Eastern European accent, which goes along with everything we find out about Slobovia. This is a land where women are judged attractive only if they are shaped like fire hydrants and wear dresses made of "peeg iron." Where the old Slobovian proverbs are things like "Don't count your chickens. You don't have any" and "It is always darkest before the dawn, except maybe tomorrow."

However, things in America don't seem much better. Slobovians are viewed as the scrapings of the street in New York. No one wants to see them and the mood is gloomy in the illegal Slobovian section of the town. Voss and his family have some luck when they find Leena Aleenska and her grandmother from their village. They are fed 11 course Slobovian meals and Voss tries to avoid the fact that Leena is convinced they are "fated to marry, no matter what."

The United States has many problems for Voss and his family and friends, including kidnapping, discrimination and the fact that Bilias Opchuck the Slobavian gangster wants to core Voss like an apple.

I enjoyed reading this book and think it would probably be good for ages 12-16. It's definitely one that you should consider not reading in public though. I laughed out loud several times and would probably do so every time I read it. Voss is an entertaining character who has a very big heart and, although humorous, is also very brave.