One Lonely Degree by C.K. Kelly Martin
Random House Books for Young Readers, May 2009
Ages: 14+ (Kiwi recommends 16+ at least)
Cautions: Sex, language

Kiwi Magazine Review:
After reading C.K. Kelly Martin’s novel, I find myself hesitant to recommend it to the suggested 14+ age group. A tale of a young girl struggling to get through high school, Finn’s story is genuine and relatable. However there are some parts that are a little mature for this audience. A near-rape experience, rough language, and “stoner” references, my suggestion is for parents to try and read One Lonely Degree before their teenage daughters.

All age-appropriate debates aside, the author demonstrates a deep understanding of the complex mind of a young teenage girl. Dealing with the deterioration of her parents’ marriage, well-founded trust issues with boys and a complicated, growing crush on her best friend’s boyfriend (who also happens to be her long, lost childhood friend), Finn bravely tackles all the challenges St. Mark’s High School throws her way.

References to a mysterious night four months ago will keep your curiosity rising until Finn finally explains that party, that night with Adam Porter that left her emotionally shaken - although she’d never show it.

Martin captures the essence of the teenage girl who just can’t seem to find her place in a truly authentic way. And maybe I’m naïve or old-fashioned, but I found One Lonely Degree a little too mature for the 14+ audience.

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The School for Dangerous Girls by Eliot Schrefer
Scholastic Press, January 2009
Ages: 14-18
Cautions: References to drugs, alcohol, sex and violence, language

Kiwi Magazine Review:
The School for Dangerous Girls is exciting at every turn. Hidden Oak is a boarding school created to “reform” bad girls when their parents have had enough of their trouble-making. It isn’t long before you realize that this school is not what it seems.

Eliot Schrefer’s words will have you anxiously wondering what is really happening at this school as the main character, Angela, becomes determined to uncover the twisted truth. Schrefer truly understands these girls and shines a light on their struggles in a fun way.
The novel’s quick chapters keep the story intriguing and make it difficult to put the book down while you wait for the school’s dark secrets to be revealed.

This book is perfect for teenage girls with or without a dangerous streak, or anyone who has always wanted one.

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The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, June 2009
Ages: 14+
Cautions: Violence, teenage crush with kissing

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Sarah Rees Brennan does an excellent job of depicting the main character, Nick. He’s scary, dark and conflicted, but she takes you past his harsh demeanor and really makes you root for this character. The banter between the four main characters is relatable, funny and young.

Despite the seemingly slow start to the book, filled with tons of explanations, the plot really picked up and was fun to read. Brennan provides almost constant suspense, making you want to hurry to each next page as the boys go from being hunted by magicians and demons, to actually doing the hunting.

A foreshadowed twist remains unexpected throughout the book. As details are revealed one-by-one, you find yourself piecing together the puzzle right alongside Nick.

I would definitely recommend this book to those who love the fantasy genre except for those who find themselves a little squeamish with multiple violent scenes.

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The Espressologist by Kristina Springer
Farrar, Straus and Giroux - October 27, 2009
Cautions: None
Ages: Young Adult (13+)

Kiwi Magazine Review:
This book is frothy, not too sweet and full of strong character and delicious flavor. Jane is a barista at a coffee shop and makes the connection between people’s drink styles and their love interests. In the style of Jane Austen’s Emma, Jane can make matches for everyone but herself. This is a wonderful romantic book with a new twist on the matchmaking theme.

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Flawed Dogs, The Novel: The Shocking Raid On Westminster by Berkeley Breathed
Philomel, Sept 2009
Ages: 8-12 (Kiwi recommends 12+)
Cautions: Shooting a dog, dog fights, other violence

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Personally, as a writer, reviewer and book lover, I couldn’t put this book down. The author, Berkeley Breathed, is truly original, an expert storyteller and clearly passionate about the plight of shelter dogs.

Fire From the Rock by Sharon Draper
Speak - 2007
Ages - 12 and up
Cautions - Conflict, violence

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Reading about history can seem one-dimensional; facts and dates abound, but the information is as dry as toast. Sharon Draper gives life and dimension to the story of the 9 students who were the first to integrate Central High School in Little Rock in 1957. We learn that Sylvia Patterson was given the choice to be one of the first black students at the school, but she struggled with that decision because she really just wanted to be a normal teen who went to football games and dances. She didn’t initially realize the magnitude of the events until her neighborhood becomes a scene of the struggle for equality. Sharon Draper is eloquent and spot-on with her facts, making this book interesting and educational.

Publisher’s Description
Sylvia Patterson is shocked and confused when she is asked to be one of the first black students to attend Central High School, which is scheduled to be integrated in September 1957, whether the citizens or governor of Arkansas like it or not. Before Sylvia makes her final decision, smoldering racial tension in the town ignites into flame. When the smoke clears, she sees clearly that nothing is going to stop the change from coming. It is up to her generation to make it happen, in as many different ways as there are colors in the world.

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Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales
W.W. Norton, 2007
Ages 10-16
Cautions: Some tales have some frightening parts

Kiwi Magazine Review:
The cover of this book caught our eye, but it was the lovely tales which made an impression on our hearts. From all over Africa, colorful tales about animals, villagers and mythical creatures are brought to life by rich illustrations. These traditional stories are all collected by Nelson Mandela, in what will definitely become part of your treasured home library.

Publisher’s Description:
“It is my wish that the voice of the storyteller may never die in Africa, that all the children of the world may experience the wonder of books.”-Nelson Mandela, from the Foreword

Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales is a cause for celebration, landmark work that gathers in one volume many of Africa’s most cherished folktales. Mandela, a Nobel Laureate for Peace, has selected these thirty-two tales with the specific hope that Africa’s oldest stories, as well as a few new ones, be perpetuated by future generations and be appreciated by children throughout the world.

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3 Willows by Ann Brashares

Random House,  January 2009

Recommended readers – 12+

Cautions: Teenage crushes, divorce

Description from publisher:

summer is a time to grow

seeds


Polly has an idea that she can’t stop thinking about, one that involves changing a few things about herself. She’s setting her sights on a more glamorous life, but it’s going to take all of her focus. At least that way she won’t have to watch her friends moving so far ahead.


roots

Jo is spending the summer at her family’s beach house, working as a busgirl and bonding with the older, cooler girls she’ll see at high school come September. She didn’t count on a brief fling with a cute boy changing her entire summer. Or feeling embarrassed by her middle school friends. And she didn’t count on her family at all. . .

leaves


Ama is not an outdoorsy girl. She wanted to be at an academic camp, doing research in an air-conditioned library, earning A’s. Instead her summer scholarship lands her on a wilderness trip full of flirting teenagers, blisters, impossible hiking trails, and a sad lack of hair products.
It is a new summer. And a new sisterhood. Come grow with them.

Kiwi Magazine Review

This is the new generation of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and these girls do not disappoint. Each character is rich and complex, struggling with family, friends and future as she leaves middle school behind. This book will be the first in a series of three, following the wildly popular Sisterhood series. Expect some of the same themes, but don’t expect any pants.

Congrats to Cindy for winning this title.

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Would You? by Marthe Jocelyn
Wendy Lamb Books, 2008
Recommended readers - teens
Cautions: Sibling death

Kiwi Bookworms Review:
Prepare to cry when you read this book. Maybe a whole box of tissues.

I went from one book about parents going to extreme measures to save their child in a sci-fi-esque book (The Adoration of Jenna Fox) to reading Would You, which is about the loss of a sister. The author had this very experience so the book is realistic and heart-breaking. The cover art is deceptive, as is the title, which I found to contradict the content: a reader picks up the book with the photo of a teen girl surfacing (or going under) clear blue water. The title, Would You, belies the heavy nature of the book’s content - a sister’s tale of the loss of her older sibling to a freak accident.

Although the accident occurs early in the book and Nat, the main character, tells the story of coping at first with her sister surviving the accident and the eventual goodbyes that come after a week of keeping her sister on life support. Seeing her father is his raw grief, leaning on Nat for support for the first time and her mother’s denial and pain is very real and moving to the reader. Although the very sad loss theme permeates the book, there is a lovely story of the sisterly bond that will live forever and a family coming together to celebrate a life after the painful mourning of death.

Publisher’s Synopsis
WOULD YOU RATHER know what’s going to happen or not know?
A summer night. A Saturday. For Natalie’s amazing older sister, Claire, this summer is fantastic, because she’s zooming off to college in the fall. For Natalie, it’s a fun summer with her friends; nothing special. When Claire is hit by a car, the world changes in a heartbeat. Over the next four days, moment by moment, Natalie, her parents, and their friends wait to learn if Claire will ever recover.

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Taking Care of Your “Girls”: A Breast Health Guide for Girls, Teens and In-Betweens by Marisa Weiss MD and Isabel Friedman

Three Rivers Press, 2008

Recommended readers – tweens and teens

Cautions: All clear

Extras: Fabulous website www.takecareofyourgirls.com

Description from publisher

Dr. Weiss and her 18-year-old daughter, Isabel, have co-authored Taking Care of Your “Girls:” A Breast Health Guide for Girls, Teens, and In-Betweens, published by Random House. They talk candidly about breast development and breast health — separating myths from facts and detailing everyday steps to improve breast health and reduce breast cancer risk over a lifetime.

Kiwi Magazine Review

Bra-vo! Thank you, Marisa Weiss and Isabel Friedman, for creating a much-needed, get-‘em-started-early, breast friends guide for girls. Since 70% of breast cancer cases have no known cause, teaching girls early in life to know their breasts, watch for changes and take care of themselves is long overdue. Not only is the information helpful and empowering, it is presented via question/answers, call-out boxes and very girl-friendly language. Buy this book for every girl you know.

Bra-vo!

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