Swim the Fly

Swim the Fly  by Don Calame
15-year-old Matt and his buddies Sean and Cooper have a long-standing tradition:  at the beginning of each summer, they set a challenge for themselves.  This year the challenge is to see a real live girl naked.  Magazines don't count, the internet doesn't count, family members don't count.  The boys are absolutely focused on their goal...except when they get distracted by poop, masturbation, and the attractions of the girl's locker room. 

Over-the-top comedy and crazy situations (like the time the boys dress up as girls, or the time they hide in a closet during a party, or the time they try to peek over the top of dressing room) had me literally laughing out loud.  Give this to boys who enjoy Three-Stooges-esque humor and poop jokes.  A sweet romance between Matt and a girl is a surprise to the main character, but savvy readers will see it coming.

Recommended for readers (especially boys) ages 12 to adult.  Underage drinking, mild cussing and *yes* there is a naked woman...but no sex. 

Entwined

Entwined  by Heather Dixon

audiobook read by Mandy Williams

Princess Azalea is the eldest of many sisters, and heir to throne of Eathe.  When her mother dies giving birth to the twelfth princess, her father the king declares that the entire household will observe mourning for an entire year:  no playing in the garden, no colorful dresses, and worst of all: no dancing.  The princesses are determined to dance...and when they discover a secret, magical ballroom beneath the fireplace presided over by the handsome and magical Mr. Keeper, it seems like the perfect solution. But Mr. Keeper has darker plans for the princesses...and for the kingdom.

This delightful retelling of Grimm's classic tale about twelve dancing princesses has a few charming twists. The characters of Azalea and her sisters as well as the king and a few remarkable princes and ministers make for an enchanting read.  Although the original tale was also inspiration for Jessica Day George's Princess of the Midnight Ball (2009), readers will find that this story is darker and more satisfying.

The audiobook is deftly read by Mandy Williams, who manages to gracefully convey the differences between twelve dance-obsessed daughters without tripping either herself or the listener.

No cussing or nekkidness.  Some charmingly clandestine kisses and lots and lots of dancing.  Recommended for readers ages 10 to adult. 

I am J

 

I am J   by Cris Beam

 

J has always felt misunderstood, and no wonder: his parents think he's a lesbian, his best friend Melissa think he's a girl, and his girlfriend Blue is pretty sure he's gay. But J knows that he is a boy, although he was born female.  After doing some Google research, J learns about testosterone shots, and is convinced that taking "T" will fix everything in his life.  But even after seeing a psychologist and starting hormone therapy, J learns that, as much as he loves them, the people in his life are still not perfect.

 

Readers will learn a lot about the lives of transgender teens as J attends a support group, enrolls at a school for transgender teens, and does his best to become a man in a society that isn't quite sure how to define him.  The book is obviously issue-driven;  however, the convincingly multi-ethnic and gender-diverse characters retrieve it from the "Afterschool Special" pile.  Not everyone accepts J as he accepts himself, but there is hope. 

 

Almost squeaky-clean: no cussing, no sex; there is one scene of under-age drinking.  References to body parts are polite.  Sexual tension does not progress beyond a few exchanged kisses. 

 

Recommended for readers in grades 7 to adult.

You Against Me

You against me by Jenny Downham

Mikey and his sister Karyn are trying to hold their life together in a poor section of a sea town in England.  Mikey is the major source of income from his job as a cook and general  clean-up at a pub, while Karyn helps with their alcoholic mother and 10 year old sister.

Things fall apart when fifteen-year-old  Karyn says she has been raped at a party and refuses to leave the house, or even participate in life.  Vowing revenge, Mikey crashes a party at the home of the accused rapist, only to fall for the boy's sister, Ellie.  Life is messy for everyone, especially Ellie’s relationship with her parents, her adored brother, and now Mikey. Is Ellie reacting to her parents?  To Mikey?

She is unsure what she should do.  She gave a statement to the police,but what did she actually see the night of the incident?  This is a complicated, interesting look at what rape is and how we, girls, boys,brothers, sisters, and parents, react. All the characters are very
believable.  

The ending is flawed  by its need to be too positive, and leaves us with many more questions about the upcoming  trial. Some sex scenes, tastefully handled.  --MJH

We got good news today, oh boy!

VOYA (Voices of Youth Advocates) Magazine will be publishing a SEX IN THE LIBRARY article in the February 2012 issue (I will add the online link when it becomes available).

That's good news.

But there's even BETTER news:

VOYA Publications wants to publish a Sex in the Library BOOK!!!!  

We're working on the contract right now; we hope to finish writing the book by the end of 2012, and it will be published sometime in 2013.

So now it's a question for the readers: 

What teen books do you think MUST be discussed in the SITL book? 

Got any new title suggestions, or favorite older books? 
Any authors out there want us to take a look at your books?

The comment box is open!

Bluefish by Pat Schmatz

Travis is a loner at a new school in a new town.  He figures it will be like the old place, except the old place had his dog Rosco and this place doesn't.  To his surprise, the new school has a few things the old one didn't have, including a smart, loud-mouthed girl called Velveeta and a reading teacher who is not going to give up on Travis.

Read this book for the wonderful, complex characters and the complex relationships between each of them...and be ready to cheer in triumph at for at least one of them.

As Travis' grandpa would say, "no sex, no drugs.  Only rock 'n roll."  This book doesn't need any more than that!  Highly recommended for grades 6 and up. 

Ed King

SITL gives an honorary "kissy-kissy" to local author David Guterson.  While his book Ed King is not written for a teen audience, the Bad Sex in Fiction award is entirely too fabulosa to go unrecognized by the authors of this blog.

Washington State author Guterson 'wins' Bad Sex award

Washington author David Guterson on Tuesday joined John Updike, Tom Wolfe, Norman Mailer and other literary stars as the recipient of the dreaded Bad Sex in Fiction award.

By The Asssociated Press; By Gregory Katz

 

LONDON — Washington author David Guterson on Tuesday joined John Updike, Tom Wolfe, Norman Mailer and other literary stars as the recipient of the dreaded Bad Sex in Fiction award.



Author
David Guterson



 

Guterson won the 2011 "prize" for sex scenes in his new novel Ed King, which offers a modern take on the Oedipus myth and sets it in the 20th century.

The acclaimed author of Snow Falling on Cedars took the tongue-in-cheek honor in stride: "Oedipus practically invented bad sex, so I'm not in the least bit surprised," Guterson said in a statement released in response to his victory.

Read the rest of the article HERE.

A Monster Calls  by Patrick Ness

Illustrations by James Kay

Thirteen year old Conor awakens in the middle of the night and sees a monster outside his bedroom window.  Conor is surprised by this monster:  it's not the nightmare he has been expecting.  Instead, the monster takes the shape of a walking, talking, terrible yew tree that tells awful stories and expects the worst possible thing from Conor:  the truth.

The problem with this book is that the plot sounds completely stupid.  My advice: ignore the plot description and just read a page or two...(there's a free preview of the Kindle version of the book HERE. )  Allow yourself to be sucked into Conor's darkness, his fear, and his dread, and learn why the monster is called to walk. 

It sounds scary, but the book isn't actually scary.  It sounds crazy, but the story ultimately makes sense.  And, just a word of warning:  have a hanky ready for the last two chapters.

I wouldn't have thought enough of the "sex" in this book to include it on the Sex in the Library list, but the Children's Librarian who gave me the book was clearly freaked out by the implication of off-the-page intimacy.  Clearly, she doesn't spend much time with teen literature (or teens, either!), but if a very tactful passing reference to intimate married adults bothers you, then avoid this book. 

Otherwise, go find it and read it. 

No cussing, some schoolyard bullying, and the aforementioned implication of off-stage sex.  Highly recommended for ages 12 to adult. 

The SEX IN THE LIBRARY story...told in graphic novel format

A Long, Long, Sleep

A Long, Long Sleep  by Anna Sheehan

Technically, Rosalinda Fitzroy is 16 years old, however, she was born nearly 100 years ago.  Locked away in chemically-induced slumber inside a stasis tube, Rose peacefully slept through the Dark Times that killed millions of people and left her orphaned...and heir to the enormous UniCorp fortune.  Now that she's been kissed awake by the handsome Brendan, Rose must find her place in a world that is completely different from everything she has ever known.

This fresh retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story goes beyond a simple recasting of an old tale into a science fiction framework.  Rose is a fully-realized character with deep flaws that she tries desperately to hide from the world, including herself.  The futuristic world, ruled by mega-corporations like UniCorp, is just possible enough to be frightening, as well as fascinating. 

Cuss words have changed in the future, so they are not offensive to 21st century readers.  There is a very tactful incidence of Star Trek sex, so smoothly written that I almost missed it entirely. 

Recommended for readers ages 14 to adult.