Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Hardcover, 417 pages
Published May 5, 2015

Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?

Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.
The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.

It is no secret that I loooooove Sarah Dessen (GO HEELS!!!). This is her newest and I was so glad that I got to see her again at my conference and catch up. Seriously, she is the coolest person ever! This book definitely did not disappoint. Sydney is living in the shadows of her older brother Peyton and the mistakes that he has made. While he is away serving time, she is forced to come to grips with who she is, what her life has become, and how she will move forward. Being a teenager is hard enough, but add on a brother in jail, his best friend who gave even me the creeps, a mom who totally doesn't get it (in ANY way, shape or form), and a family who ends up being Sydney's saving grace, and you fall into the story and find yourself wanting to wrap your arms around Sydney and help her figure out life however you can. 

The honesty and raw emotion that I felt while reading were a true testament to Sarah's writing and her ability to suck you into a story and become invested in the character's lives. While being a teenager is tough on most all of us, it is often hard to realize that no matter which side of the tracks you are on or what your life is like, we all experience trials of all shapes and sizes. 

Like Sarah Dessen's other novels, this one will suck you in and take you on an emotional roller coaster while having you beg for more. And I have to say, the ending is perfection. The last like... wow. Enjoy!

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Hardcover, Graphic Novel, 224 pages

Published February 2010

Raina Telgemeier's #1 New York Times bestselling, Eisner Award-winning graphic memoir based on her childhood!

Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth. What follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there's still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly.

Though this book is in our school library and has made its way into my classroom library (I am sure that someone left it and it found a new home in one of my baskets, haha), I haven't read it until now! My sweet cousin Mandy gave it to my daughter for Christmas, so naturally I snapped it up and read it before she could! 

Raina Telgemeier's graphic novel gives us a glimpse of what her childhood was like at such an important time- middle school and the beginning of high school. I have my own (dreaded) memories of that time period and I could totally related to the need to fit in, living through something which you think will be the complete end of you (I fell off the back of a golf cart when I was in 8th grade and scraped the side of my face off.... seriously, it was bad), first love, physical and emotional changes and so much more. Looking through Raina's scope into her life was refreshing and is definitely something that preteens and teens as well as those of us who are a little further from that can relate to! 

This is definitely one that I will be recommending to a few of my students who may be having an interesting time transitioning and finding themselves. I loved Drama by Raina Telgemeier too and will have that post back up soon! For now, enjoy your reading and add this one to your list! You won't regret it!

Bloom by Elizabeth Scott

Genre: YA Romance

Age Level: 7^th grade & up

# of Pages: 240

Award Winner:

Publisher: Simon Pulse (April 24, 2007)

Lauren’s life seems perfect. She has the most popular guy in school pinning after her, she just got her first jazz band solo, she is doing great in school, and she and her best friend Katie have gotten seats at the coveted table at lunch. Lauren’s outside appearance of happiness is in total contrast of the inner turmoil that she faces daily. She isn’t happy and she can’t figure out why. As she analyzes her life she realizes that her boyfriend, Dave, is just a little bit too perfect and his ultra-religious parents only add to the misery. She wants to get away from the perfection in her life and move toward the happiness that she knows is out there for her. The only problem is, she doesn’t know how to gain that happiness without hurting people around her, especially Dave. She doesn’t want to be like her mother who left Lauren and her dad behind when she was little to pursue what she wanted. Yet after meeting Evan Kirkland, Lauren sees that passion and happiness are hers for the taking and that she can leave behind the safety and monotony that her life currently has.

Lauren and Evan quickly find that they have a connection that is on a much deeper level than that of any relationship she has had before and that both excites and terrifies her. She begins making decisions to pursue her happiness and in the mean time begins lying to everyone around her and losing those who are closest to her, especially her best friend Katie. Lauren is faced with the decision of going against what she has always known to avoid confrontation or following her heart, and Evan, and gaining the happiness that she constantly craves.

Bloom is a wonderful coming of age story as well as a powerful love story. The tile gives the reader a glimpse of what is to come in this story through Lauren’s voice. I love Lauren in this book because she is so relatable. She is funny, strong, well written character whose distinctive voice and likeability make this an easy read. This was one of those books that I read in a day because I just couldn’t put it down. Lauren deals with things that even adults deal with in life even though the circumstances may be different. We all want to be happy and Elizabeth Scott has done a wonderful job using Lauren to show how happiness isn’t always easy to come by. Scott is a wonderful writer and this being my first read of hers only excites me to see what else she has coming our way!!

Visit Elizabeth at http://elizabethwrites.com/