Pants on Fire

Photo Credit: www.barnesandnoble.com

Cabot, Meg.  Pants on Fire. New York: HarperTeen, 2007. Print. ISBN: 0060880155. $16.99.

272 pages.  

Awards:

New York Times Children's Chapter Books Best Sellers List

A BookSense Pick

New York Public Library "Book for the Teen Age" 2008

Annotation:

Katie is a liar and a big one at that, but when her deepest secret resurfaces, she must face her lies and make things right.  Pants on Fire is fun and speaks to a lot of issues faced by teen girls today.

Book Talk Technique: The Wrap Around

Have you ever lied?  Maybe just a small white lie? 0r perhaps a giant elaborate one? Katie Ellison has.  In fact, she is becoming quite good at it.  Between running for Quahog Princess on a platform that she doesn’t believe in and hiding her two boyfriends from one another, Katie is into it pretty deep.  But when her former best friend moves back to town, she knows that she must either come clean or risk being exposed as a liar, liar Pants on Fire.

Find the NOOK version here.

Find the Kindle version here.

Boy Meets Boy

Photo Credit: www.barnesandnoble.com

Leviathan, David.  Boy Meets Boy.  New York: Albert Knopf. 2003. Print. ISBN: 9780375824005. $17.99. 194 pages.

Annotation: 

Paul is lucky, because he lives in a town where it is acceptable to be gay, but when he finds that acceptance isn't the only path to happiness, he must overcome a broken heart and rediscover himself.  Boy Meets Boy deserves a place in libraries everywhere and more books like this should be available for teens.

Booktalk Style: The Index Card Trick

• Gay is normal
• Acceptance
• Heartbreak
• Boyfriends
• Popularity
• Friendships end
• Falling in love
• Left alone
• Loss of everything

Booktalk Style: Cut to the Cut

Being gay in town where everyone accepts you is easy. Right? Paul lives a charmed life.  He is popular and knows exactly who he is.  Then, the world falls apart.  His heart is broken and all of his friends find companionship elsewhere.  Is this what happens when a Boy meets Boy?

Find the NOOK version here.

Find the Kindle version here.

Listen to these book reviews

 

 

 

Read what David Levithan says about the book on his website.

Stargirl

Photo Credit: www.barnesandnoble.com

Spinelli, Jerry. Stargirl. New York: A. Knopf, 2000. Print. ISBN: 0679986375. $17.99. 188 pages.

Awards:

Book Sense Book of the Year Honor Book 2001

ALA Best Books for Young Adults 2001

Michigan Library Association's Thumbs Up! Award 2001

Garden State Book Award (Teen Fiction Grades 6-8, 2003)

Iowa Teen Award Nominee 2002-2003

Iowa Teen Award Winner 2002-2003

South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee 2002-2003

Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee 2002-2003

 

Young Hoosier Book Award Winner 2002-2003

 

ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults 2005

 

Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee 2006

 

Annotation: 

Stargirl isn't like everyone else, she marches to the beat of her own drum, but when the boy she loves tries to change her, she must decide what matters more to her: fitting in or being true to herself.  Reading Stargirl took me back to my awkard teen years and made me appreciate individuality once again. 

Booktalk style: Open End

What is it like to be different? Picture yourself as the new kid in a school where being popular means being like everyone else.  Picture yourself sticking out, but not even caring about popularity or fitting in.  Most of us draw back at the thought, but not Stargirl.  She is like Van Gogh’s white flower in a field of color.  She does kind things for strangers, strums her ukuele as she sings to classmates on their birthday, dances in the rain, and even cheers for the opposing teams during games. 

I am Leo, and Stargirl likes me.  I thought I valued her individuality, but when the school turns on her, I convince her to be more like everyone else.  I made her change because I wasn’t brave enough to love her like she loved me.  Now what will happen to my Stargirl?

Find the NOOK version here.

Find the Kindle version here.

Listen to this review