Ages 12 – up

13 Dec 2010 No Comments

Why Judy Blume is Still Awesome

We must, we must, we must increase our bust!

It’s true.  Judy Blume is kind of my hero.  I remember stalking the shelves of Arlington Heights public school library when I was in third grade hoping to find “Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret” so I could check it out for, like, the twenty-fifth time.  The librarian, seeing what book I was attempting to check out, yet again, would cheerfully suggest other titles that she hoped would inspire me to broaden my literary horizons.  I would listen, smiling and nodding, then thank her for her input and shoved ”Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret” into my backpack.

Unlike many other beloved titles from a childhood long ago and far away, Judy Blume’s books continue to hold up.  Why?  Other than well-rounded characters and excellent plotting, one might posture that it’s actually because she dares to tackle controversial topics that pique kids’ interest like racism (Iggie’s House), menstruation (Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret), divorce (It’s Not the End of the World, Just As Long As We’re Together), bullying (Blubber), masturbation (Deenie; Then Again, Maybe I Won’t) and teen sex (Forever).

Ms. Blume has written 21 some novels with sales exceeding 80 million copies that have been translated into 31 languages.  Considering her brave approach to “controversial” topics, it shouldn’t be a surprise that she is one of the most censored authors of all time.  I say good for you, Judy Blume!  In fact, on the list of the top 100 most challenged books between 1990 and 1999 at the American Library Association, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, comes in at number sixty.

This book tells the tale of an eleven year old girl, Margaret Simon, who is growing up with no organized religion (her father is Jewish and her mother Christian).  She, nevertheless, has a close personal relationship with God who she sees as her friend and confidant, someone she talks to when she cannot seem to talk to anyone else about important issues in her life.  When assigned a yearlong independent project at school, Margaret chooses the weighty task of studying people’s beliefs.  Through serious yet sometimes comical situations, the book also deals with several other taboo topics: Margaret having to buy her very first bra; having her first period; jealousy over other girls having more curvaceous figures; and, of course, boys.

Apparently the book lands on the “most censored” list because it deals openly with sexuality and religion.

The Judy Blume books are awesome Christmas gifts.  If you have emerging readers, then start with “Freckle Juice.”  The publishers put together some excellent boxed sets for the holidays for slightly older readers.

by Book Mama in Ages 12 - up, Ages 8 - 12 Tags: ,

29 Nov 2010 No Comments

"The Golden Compass" by Phillip Pullman

Read the book.   Don’t see the movie.

“The Golden Compass” by Phillip Pullman (grade 7 and up) is the first in the “His Dark Materials” trilogy.  It’s easily the best of the three books and can confidently stand alone.  In a landmark epic of fantasy and storytelling, Pullman invites readers into a world as convincing and thoroughly realized as Narnia, Earthsea, or Redwall.

Here lives an orphaned ward named Lyra Belacqua, whose carefree life among the scholars at Oxford’s Jordan College is shattered by the arrival of two powerful visitors.  First, her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, appears with evidence of mystery and danger in the far North, including photographs of a mysterious celestial phenomenon called Dust and the dim outline of a city suspended in the Aurora Borealis that he suspects is part of an alternate universe.

He leaves Lyra in the care of  Mrs. Coulter, an enigmatic scholar and explorer who offers to give Lyra the attention her uncle has long refused her.

In this multilayered  narrative, however, nothing is as it seems. Lyra sets out for the top of the world in search of her kidnapped playmate, Roger, bearing a rare truth-telling instrument, the compass of the title.  All around her children are disappearing, victims of so-called “Gobblers” being used as subjects in terrible experiments that separate humans from their animal daemons, creatures that reflect each person’s inner being.  And somehow, both Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter are involved in this horrible experiment.

If you have a teen who likes to read and hasn’t read this series, buy it for them for the holidays.  But be warned, once they start reading you may not see them again for the rest of winter break.

As an aside, I must also confess that while glued to this book, I fell head over heels in love with a polar bear.  Read it yourself, and you’ll know why.

by Book Mama in Ages 12 - up Tags: , ,

13 Nov 2010 1 Comment

"Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

I didn’t see it coming.  The ending took me completely by surprise.  Which I admit seems silly in hindsight.  I can only postulate that I became so intimately bonded to Pi and Richard Parker that it never occurred to me to consider any alternate reality.  Simply, I wanted it to be true.

Yann Martel’s imaginative and unforgettable Life of Pi (12 and up) is a magical reading experience, an endless blue expanse of storytelling about adventure, survival, and faith.

The precocious son of a zookeeper, 16-year-old Pi Patel is raised in Pondicherry, India, where he tries on various faiths for size, attracting “religions the way a dog attracts fleas.” Planning a move to Canada, his father packs up the family and their menagerie and they hitch a ride on an enormous freighter.

Peter Kasim

After a harrowing shipwreck, Pi finds himself adrift in the Pacific Ocean, trapped on a 26-foot lifeboat with a wounded zebra, a spotted hyena, a seasick orangutan, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker , “His head was the size and color of the lifebuoy, with teeth.”

It sounds like a colorful setup, but these wild beasts don’t burst into song as if co-starring in an anthropomorphized Disney feature. After much gore and infighting, Pi and Richard Parker remain the boat’s sole passengers, drifting for 227 days through shark-infested waters while fighting hunger, the elements, and an overactive imagination.

In rich, hallucinatory passages, Pi recounts the harrowing journey as the days blur together, elegantly cataloging the endless passage of time and his struggles to survive: “It is pointless to say that this or that night was the worst of my life. I have so many bad nights to choose from that I’ve made none the champion.”

At one point in his journey, Pi recounts, “My greatest wish–other than salvation–was to have a book. A long book with a never-ending story. One that I could read again and again, with new eyes and fresh understanding each time.” It’s safe to say that this heartbreaking fable Life of Pi is such a book.  (amazon review)

This gorgeous tale is on my top-ten list.  A word of warning — this beautiful but brutal tale is not for the overly sensitive teen.  Or adult, I guess.

by Book Mama in Ages 12 - up Tags: , ,

09 Nov 2010 1 Comment

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth" by Jeff Kinney


Wimpy kids unite!  Again.  Actually, uh, for the fifth time.  …Not that I’m counting.

This fifth book in the incredibly popular “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” illustrated novel series, “The Ugly Truth,” is due in stores nationwide today.  Woo-hoo.

Because it was so highly anticipated, Scholastic even allowed kids to pre-order it directly from them which means that scads of third and fourth grade teachers across the nation will be handing out freshly pressed copies to their eager little readers today.

The “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series by Jeff Kinney focuses on a sixth-grade boy dealing with the various hurdles of childhood and tweenhood.  In this newest book, he faces the pressures of (gasp!) boy-girl parties, among other things.

This past March, the popular series was turned into a (incredibly mediocre) live-action film creatively titled “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.”

For those of you who just can’t get enough, go to www.wimpykid.com.  Sadly, this will surely include my own household.

by Book Mama in Ages 12 - up, Ages 8 - 12 Tags: ,

31 Oct 2010 No Comments

"Evil Genius" by Catherine Jinks

Who doesn’t love a great anti-hero?  Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks (11 and up) introduces us to the notorious but lonely Cadel Piggott who could easily be pals with Artemis Fowl or Draco Malfoy.

At age seven child, prodigy Cadel finds himself in a shrink’s office for illegal computer hacking.  Child psychologist Thaddeus Roth privately delivers startling counsel, “Next time, don’t get caught.”

As it turns out, Thaddeus is actually an agent of Cadel’s real father,Dr. Phineas Darkkon, a brilliant criminal mastermind who’s been imprisoned for years.  Darkkon arranges to place Cadel at the secret “Axis Institute for World Domination” founded by himself and run by Thaddeus.

By age  fourteen, Cadel, along with a colorful cast of evil comic-book-like fellow student, are studying for their World Domination degree, taking classes in embezzlement, forgery, and infiltration at the institute.

Although Cadel may be intellectually advanced beyond his years, at heart he’s a lonely kid who doesn’t fit in with his peers.  When he falls for the mysterious, brilliant and beautiful Kay-Lee, he begins to question the moral implications of his nefarious studies.

But the question remains is it too late to stop his own father, Dr. Darkkon, from carrying out his evil plot?

Young comic-book fans ready for something a little more substantial will enjoy the school’s aspiring villains including one who floors foes with deadly B.O. Cadel’s moral turnabout is convincingly hampered by his difficulty recognizing appropriate outlets for rage.

Over-the-top evil fun with just enough heart to make anyone anyone root for young Cadel.

by Book Mama in Ages 12 - up Tags: , , ,

20 Oct 2010 No Comments

"Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli

“She was homeschooling gone amok.” “She was an alien.” “Her parents were circus acrobats.”

In “Stargirl” by Jerry Spinelli, these are only a few of the theories concocted to explain Stargirl Caraway, a new 10th grader at Arizona’s Mica Area High School who wears pioneer dresses and kimonos to school, strums a ukulele in the cafeteria, laughs when there are no jokes, and dances when there is no music.

The whole school, not exactly a “hotbed of nonconformity,” is stunned by her, including our 16-year-old narrator Leo Borlock: “She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl.”

In time, incredulity gives way to out-and-out adoration as the student body finds itself helpless to resist Stargirl’s wide-eyed charm, pure-spirited friendliness, and penchant for celebrating the achievements of others. In the ultimate high school symbol of acceptance, she is even recruited as a cheerleader.

Popularity, of course, is a fragile and fleeting state, and bit by bit, Mica sours on their new idol. Why is Stargirl showing up at the funerals of strangers? Worse, why does she cheer for the opposing basketball teams? The growing hostility comes to a head when she is verbally flogged by resentful students on Leo’s televised Hot Seat show in an episode that is too terrible to air.

While the playful, chin-held-high Stargirl seems impervious to the shunning that ensues, Leo, who is in the throes of first love (and therefore scornfully deemed “Starboy”), is not made of such strong stuff: “I became angry. I resented having to choose. I refused to choose. I imagined my life without her and without them, and I didn’t like it either way.”

Jerry Spinelli, author of Newbery Medalist Maniac Magee, Newbery Honor Book Wringer, and many other excellent books for teens, elegantly and accurately captures the collective, not-always-pretty emotions of a high school microcosm in which individuality is pitted against conformity.

Spinelli’s Stargirl is a supernatural teen character–absolutely egoless, altruistic, in touch with life’s primitive rhythms, meditative, untouched by popular culture, and supremely self-confident. It is the sensitive Leo whom readers will relate to as he grapples with who she is, who he is, who they are together as Stargirl and Starboy, and indeed, what it means to be a human being on a planet that is rich with wonders. Amazon.com review (Ages 10 to 14)

by Book Mama in Ages 12 - up, Ages 8 - 12 Tags: , ,

10 Oct 2010 No Comments

Best Kids Book Ages 12 and up from The Guardian

From the much-loved classic Tom Sawyer to the modern classic His Dark Materials, Lucy Mangan and Imogen Russell-Williams pick their top reads for children aged 12 and over.

I Capture the Castle: Dodie Smith

The first entry in Cassandra Mortmain’s diary ends with her feeling happier than she ever has in her life, despite her depressed father and impoverished state. “Perhaps it is because I have satisfied my creative urge; or it may be due to the thought of eggs for tea.” The story of the restoration of a degree of the family fortunes unfolds in the same briskly beguiling voice and appeals to the romantic streak in every teenage heart. Trust no one who does not love this or, of course, 101 Dalmatians.

His Dark Materials: Philip Pullman

Bleak, brutal, warm, lush and exhilarating by turns, fiercely intelligent, compassionate and compelling always, it will undo all the harm or all the good you feel was done by letting your offspring loose on Narnia. That’s what reading is for.

 

 

The Chaos Walking trilogy: Patrick Ness

An unbelievably thrilling read that nevertheless poses profound questions – about the effects of war, the constraints of love and hate, the competing claims of vengeance and forgiveness – as the epic tale of Todd’s efforts to escape various warmongering forces unfolds. Profoundly humane and utterly magnificent. More →

by Book Mama in Ages 12 - up, Info Tags: , ,

04 Oct 2010 No Comments

YOU'RE A BAD MAN, MR. GUM by Andy Stanton

Book 1

Mr. Gum is an old rotter.  He’s absolutely grimsters.

You’re a Bad Man Mr. Gum (ages 7 and up) by Andy Stanton had my book baby laughing so hard milk came out her nose.  This irreverant series is most certainly not for those of the prim and proper persuasion.

But if your kids like to laugh then these Roald-Dahlesque books are guaranteed to get them reading.

Mr Gum is a truly nasty old man. But the stories are not just about him. There’s also a little girl called Polly, an evil butcher, heroes and sweets and stuff, and Jake the dog, who must be saved from terrible, terrible evil.

I love the Mr. Gum series beyond words!  Author and stand-up comic Andy Stanton’s books have been called “Monty Python for kids”.  Originally published in Europe, it was difficult to get them for a while, but as their popularity has grown, the series is now readily available.

In the first book, You’re a Bad Man Mr. Gum, we meet the old rotter right away.   Mr Gum lives in a disgustingly filthy house where “he slept, scowled, and picked his nose and ate it.” Even the bed isn’t made—Mr. Gum chucked “bits of wood on the floor and dumped a mattress on top.”

But his garden is the most beautiful in the town. Why? Some speculate that he likes to garden, but the real reason is the angry fairy who gives him “pan whacks” if the garden isn’t perfect.

The Original British Cover

Unfortunately for Mr. Gum, the neighborhood dog, Jake, frequently messes up the garden—causing Mr. Gum too many whacks with the frying pan. So Mr. Gum leaves spoiled cow hearts laced with rat poison and sweetened with lemonade powder in the center of the lawn.  Jake takes the bait, but is ultimately saved by nine-year-old Polly and some magic chocolate (a questionable remedy, since chocolate is dangerous to dogs).

English author Stanton provides flawless narration of his books.  His deadpan delivery and comic timing are perfect. With its quirky cast of characters and silly sense of humor, these stories are a great choice for reluctant readers.  (Library School Journal)

There are 8 books in the series so far.  Hopefully, there will be many, many more!

Book 2

Book 3

Book 4

by Book Mama in Ages 12 - up, Ages 8 - 12, Reluctant Readers Tags: , ,

24 Sep 2010 No Comments

How to Raise Boys Who Read. Hint: Not with gross-out books and video-game bribes.

Fantastic article by Thomas Spence in today’s Wall Street Journal about boys and reading.

By THOMAS SPENCE Wall Street Journal

When I was a young boy, America’s elite schools and universities were almost entirely reserved for males. That seems incredible now, in an era when headlines suggest that boys are largely unfit for the classroom. In particular, they can’t read.

tastespenceboys

According to a recent report from the Center on Education Policy, for example, substantially more boys than girls score below the proficiency level on the annual National Assessment of Educational Progress reading test. This disparity goes back to 1992, and in some states the percentage of boys proficient in reading is now more than ten points below that of girls. The male-female reading gap is found in every socio-economic and ethnic category, including the children of white, college-educated parents.

The good news is that influential people have noticed this problem. The bad news is that many of them have perfectly awful ideas for solving it.

More →

by Book Mama in Ages 12 - up, Ages 4 - 8, Ages 8 - 12, Reluctant Readers Tags: ,

17 Sep 2010 No Comments

LITTLE BROTHER by Cory Doctorow

So we already had a discussion about teen dystopian lit. (see previous post) and how I don’t dig it like the teens do.  But hey! Guess what?  I loved Cory Doctorow’s “Little Brother” which is sort of a futuristic-terrorist-techno fable.  Apparently, the marvelous Neil Gaiman loved it too, so I’m just gonna let you read what he said about it.  (Cause, honestly, who can say it better than Mr. G?)

“A wonderful, important book…I’d recommend Little Brother over pretty much any book I’ve read this year, and I’d want to get it into the hands of as many smart thirteen-year-olds, male and female, as I can. Because I think it’ll change lives. Because some kids, maybe just a few, won’t be the same after they’ve read it. Maybe they’ll change politically, maybe technologically. Maybe it’ll just be the first book they loved or that spoke to their inner geek. Maybe they’ll want to argue about it and disagree with it. Maybe they’ll want to open their computer and see what’s in there. I don’t know. It made me want to be thirteen again right now, and reading it for the first time.” —Neil Gaiman, author of Sandman and American Gods onLittle Brother. More →

by Book Mama in Ages 12 - up Tags: , ,

12 Sep 2010 No Comments

"Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life" by Wendy Mass

“Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass (ages 10 -13) tackles the age-old question of what’s it all really about?

“An elaborately locked wooden box requiring four separate but missing keys holds the treasure in this modern-day quest. Jeremy’s father lived his life preparing for an early death, as foretold by a fortune-teller. He did, in fact, die when Jeremy was eight, but a package from him containing the locked box arrives one month before Jeremy’s 13th birthday, the day on which the box is to be opened. With his friend Lizzy, Jeremy searches for the keys while contemplating the words engraved on the box, The Meaning of Life: For Jeremy Fink. 13th Birthday.

The search for the keys takes the friends around and about New York City, where they meet a large and increasingly convenient range of supporting characters, from members of a spiritualist congregation to a prominent astronomer, all of whom point them toward their own takes on the meaning of life.

Mystery and adventure fans will be pulled in by the locked box, and, as a bonus, will get to know quirky, scientific Jeremy and impulsive Lizzy. Some readers might become impatient as the metaphysical quest lengthens, but those who stick with the story will find a warm picture of parental love and wisdom and of a boy growing into his own understanding and acceptance of life.” (From School Library Journal)

An excellent choice for some of the more cerebral and sensitive kids.  Honestly though, if you’ve got an action-loving book baby, they may not stick with this “quest” story.  But, then again, doesn’t everyone want to know the meaning of life?

by Book Mama in Ages 12 - up, Ages 8 - 12 Tags: ,

01 Sep 2010 No Comments

Mockingjay plus a quick and easy discussion of dystopian literature

Ah… to be young again and long for a good piece of dystopian literature.

What the heck is dystopian literature, you ask?  Excellent question, grasshopper.

In a nutshell, it’s a potent literary vehicle for criticizing existing social conditions and political systems.  As opposed to utopian literature which portrays an ideal world, dystopian literature depicts the flaws and failures of an imagined and generally exaggerated society.  Fun stuff!

Books like Brave New World, Farenheit 451, V for Vendetta, and most lately The Hunger Games trilogy, fit squarely into that category.

We grownups who fill our days worrying about paying bills, not getting downsized or outsourced and, of course, that small task of raising children, frequently  prefer to reach for a nice happy light piece of beach reading to help us unwind, but apparently the bright shiny youth of today have fallen head over heels for the dystopian trilogy called The Hunger Game by Suzanne Collins.

The last book, Mockingjay, in this trilogy about kids being forced to fight to the death on TV, came out last week to hordes of waiting teens and adults alike.  It instantly shot to the top of the best sellers list.  For those of you more into Jackie Collins than Suzanne Collins, the book’s description goes something like this –

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12!

I completely understand why those pesky, rebellious teens like a genre dedicated to examining how we adults have seriously screwed up the world that they’re scheduled to inherit one day soon.  But as for me, I think as summer turns to fall, I’ll turn in my beach reading and pick up a copy of Jonathan Franzen’s novel “Freedom” so I can engross myself in the lives of a typical dysfunctional American family.

That’s dystopian enough for me.

by Book Mama in Ages 12 - up Tags: , ,

22 Aug 2010 1 Comment

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (13 and up) sounds like the sort of book that parents want kids to read but kids actually don’t want anything to do with.  Sort of the literary equivalent of the dull preachy after-school-TV-special.

Luckily, it’s not any of that.

“Arnold Spirit, a goofy-looking dork with a decent  jump shot, spends his time lamenting life on the “poor-ass” Spokane Indian reservation, drawing cartoons, and, along with his aptly named pal Rowdy, laughing those laughs over anything and nothing. When a teacher pleads with Arnold to want more, to escape the hopelessness of the “rez,” Arnold switches to a rich white school and immediately becomes as much an outcast in his own community as he is a curiosity in his new one.”

Beyond being a story about the modern plight of impoverished native Americans, or a story that deals with death (Arnold’s been to 42 funerals) or alcoholism or being bullied or not fitting in or falling in love or coming of age, it’s just a darn good read with moments of unexpected genius.

“I think the world is a series of broken dams and floods,” Arnold says, “and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats.”

The book is filled with quiet poetry, mainly because Sherman Alexie was originally a poet before he became a novelist.  Alexie, a native American who lived on the “rez” in Spokane, just like Arnold, clearly understands the world he is writing about and faces it with brutal but loving honesty.

Arnold weathers the typical teenage indignations and triumphs like a champ but soon faces far more trying ordeals as his home life begins to crumble and decay amidst the suffocating mire of alcoholism on the reservation. Alexie’s humor and prose are easygoing and well suited to his young audience, and he doesn’t pull many punches as he levels his eye at stereotypes.”  (excerps from booklist)

This book came out a few years ago but it remains a staple in both bookstores and libraries, and likely will continue to do so for many years to come.

by Book Mama in Ages 12 - up Tags:

12 Aug 2010 No Comments

I ♥ "Going Bovine." A thinking-teen's novel.

If you’re looking for a smart, entertaining book that will make your teen think then “Going Bovine” by Libba Bray (ages 13 – up; references to sex and drugs) is just what the doctor ordered.

Unfortunately, not far into “Going Bovine” our angst-ridden, 16-year old, slacker of a hero Cameron gets some seriously bad news from his doctor: he’s got Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease.  A.K.A. Mad Cow.  Which totally sucks.

Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a super hot, cheeky, neon-pink punk angel(or possible hallucination) with a bad sugar habit.  She confides that there’s a secret cure to his otherwise fatal disease—if he’s willing to go in search of it.

With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a pint-sized yard gnome, Cameron sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.

This “quest” story has clear parallels to the hopeless but inspirational efforts of Don Quixote, about whom Cameron had been reading before his illness.

Libba Bray’s voice is strong, confident and clever.  She crafts a road-trip story that is original, laugh-out-loud funny, and gorgeously poignant.

The voice is so fresh, the imagery so intriguing, and the conclusion — inevitable — yet profound leaves one wondering what exactly was reality and what was hallucinatory.

Recommended to teens and adults alike.

It’s not a perfect book.  A bit too long and perhaps a tad too fantastical in places, but Cameron is ultimately a kid with a heart the size of Cleveland.  He will leave the most cynical teen (or adult) thinking about what they’re thankful for and pondering what really matters to them in this mad-cow, crazy world.

by Book Mama in Ages 12 - up, Grown up book Tags: , ,

09 Aug 2010 No Comments

From Geek to Gorgeous. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.

It’s every teenage girl’s dream to come back to school in September having emerged from the chrysalis of summer as a beautiful butterfly. Because naturally, the most popular boy in school will then fall all over himself to go out with you.

But then what?

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (12 and up) considers this very scenario.  Set amid the privileged world of an exclusive Eastern boarding school, Frankie discovers that because of her gender she isn’t allowed inside an elite secret society (much like the Skull and Bones at Yale) run by the popular senior boys and headed up by her very own boyfriend.  But what her older, popular boyfriend doesn’t realize is that Frankie is far too clever and resourceful to be left out of the societies’ antics. Unfortunately, in the end, Frankie is left wondering if her triumphs were ever actually triumphs at all.

While the plot is full of mysterious twists and turns, and our heroine is bright and thoughtful, I suspect what girls actually find most intriguing in this novel has more to do with Frankie’s constant musings about boys; old boyfriends, new boyfriends and potential boyfriends.

Perhaps the moral of this story is that even the prettiest, brightest, most promising girls have boy problems too.

by Book Mama in Ages 12 - up Tags:

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