The Pregnancy Project

The Pregnancy Project : a memoir  by Gaby Rodriguez with Jenna Glatzer

Gaby Rodreguez' mother got pregnant for the first time when she was 14 years old.  Her older sisters were pregnant in high school; her older brothers were fathers before they turned 21 years old.  Although she was a straight-A student and a member of the leadership class at school, and often lectured her peers about the need for safe sex, Gaby was often told by family, friends, teachers, and others that she would very likely end up as a teen mother.  In 2011, 18-year-old Gaby decided to study what being a pregnant teen was really like--by pretending to be pregnant, and taking notes on how other people responded to her. 

This book is an excellent quick-read for students and adults interested in the topic.  Interspersed with the narration are plenty of statistics about teens, pregnancy, and education, and the description of life for teens Toppenish, WA is spot-on. Recommended.

Divergent

Divergent   by Veronica Roth

Although raised by the Abnegation (self-denying) faction, 16-year-old Beatrice "Tris" Prior has never felt that serving others is truly the right "fit" for her.  At the Choosing ceremony, then, she selects Dauntless (courage) as her new faction...and immediately, she is told to jump off the side of a building.  This is only the first of a long series of frightening and usually dangerous initiation and training exercises intended eliminate those who do not embrace the new mission of the Dauntless faction.

Tris' suitability for Dauntless is somewhat questionable--her secret aptitude test results show that she is Divergent, and not suited only for a single faction.  This could be a strength...but Dauntless leaders are convinced that it is a fatal flaw, and Tris must hide her true nature in order to survive.

The narrative is quick-moving, thought-provoking and at times quite violent; Tris is attracted to one of the Dauntless trainers, but one aspect of her personal "fear landscape" (which I won't reveal!) puts this book onto the Sex in the Library list.  Great characters, fast plotting, and a sequel due to be released on May 1st, 2012.

Violence, sexual situations, on-page kissing, no cussing.  The film company that brought us Twilight has picked up the rights to Divergent and its sequels.

Highly recommended for ages 13 to adult.  This is Aarene's review of this book.  To read Mary Jo's review of the same book, click HERE.

Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in our Stars  by John Green

17-year-old Hazel has been surviving terminal cancer for four years when she meets Augustus Waters, who lost a leg to the osteosarcoma.  Hazel and Gus are smart, they are witty, they read, they discuss, they are both very ill.

Do you think you know how this story ends? 

If you think it's going to end like a cancer book, you're entirely right, and you are also completely wrong.  As Hazel herself says, "cancer books suck." 

Here's a word I've never used to describe a cancer book:  sexy.  This book is funny, it's goofy, it's sad, it's appalling, and it's sexy.  The world is a better place because this book has been published...and that's not a small thing.

Highly recommended for readers ages 13 to adult.  Some minor cussing, some underage drinking (champagne!), a few tearful pages, and some delightful off-page sex. 

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.