The Black Book: Diary of a Teenage Stud, Vol. I

The Black Book: Diary of a Teenage Stud, Vol. I: Girls, Girls, Girls* by Jonah Black 

HarperTeen, 2001

240 pages

3.5 out of 5

"Not since American Pie has there been a more honest portrayal of the American teenage boy and his desires." -- Honor Elspeth "Honey" Black

"Fantasy and reality are all the same to Jonah Black.  Freud would have had a field day."  -- Dr. Leonard Larue, Ph.D.

"And all this time I thought Jonah didn't even like girls.  The man's a Casanova!" -- Thorne Wood

"Jonah Black has no idea what a stud he really is."  -- Posie Hoff

Volume I details Jonah's crash-and-burn reentry into the high school society and family he left behind two years before.

Seventeen year old Jonah is returning to his home town in Palm Beach Florida after two years at a private school in Pennsylvania.  Jonah was expelled from Masthead Academy, but won't reveal the reason to his friends.  He simply lets them believe the rumors going around; none of which seem to be true.  But coming home creates more problems for Jonah and his senior year is not what he expected.

Writing is one of his favorite past times and he has a tendency to lose himself in his work.  The novel is structured as a diary, with the chapters delineated by the date and time if he writes more than once in a day.  Occasionally, Jonah's writing turns from real life to that of fantasy.  One moment he'll be writing about being stuck in class and then drift to a story where the teacher body-slams him for not paying attention.

This novel was a little confusing with the way daydreams and reality merge and intertwine, especially in the beginning.  The daydreams ebb and flow throughout the novel and although it is very obvious when he is daydreaming, Jonah strikes me as an unreliable narrator.  I can't help but wonder if he's telling the truth about seemingly "normal" activities.

I often found myself furrowing my eyebrows during Jonah's and his sister's (Honey) conversations.  At times they feel like typical brother/sister interactions, but at other times it feels a little strange.  Usually I was thinking, "I would never have a conversation like that with my brother."  But I do like the various names she calls him; though strange, they are endearing.

Jonah's voice occasionally strikes me as odd because some of his fantasies seem more appropriate for a bodice-ripper novel instead of the sexual fantasies of a seventeen year old boy.  The other characters fit the bill of typical high schoolers, but manage to do so without falling flat.  Each has his or her own distinct personality.

Overall, I did like this novel.  I know I've been a little nit-picky, but it was a fun read.  I think I'm going to hunt down the sequel.

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*Title is currently out of print (oops); the link is to Shelfari.

The Ugly Truth

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

Amulet Books, 2010

Middle Grade

217 pages

5 out of 5

Greg Heffley has always been in a hurry to grow up.  But is getting holder really all it's cracked up to be?

Greg suddenly finds himself dealing with the pressures of boy-girl parties, increased responsibilities, and even the awkward changes that come with getting older--all without his best friend, Rowley, at his side.  Can Greg make it through on his own?  Or will he have to face the "ugly truth?"

In this fifth installment of the wildly popular series, Greg is confronted with school life without his best friend (or any friend at all, it seems).  In the midst of struggling to find a new best friend, he's being exposed to the world of hormones and bodily changes.

Greg doesn't take the information seriously.  And why should he? He gets the typical biology lesson at school and Grandma's talk about enjoying your youth before getting bunions.  Growing up is confusing, and the adults who try to explain it just confuse Greg even more.

Greg's voice remains true and fans of the series will certainly enjoy this latest installment.  Kinney takes on the topic of puberty and growing older in a way that readers will be able to connect with.  This book does a great job at keeping up the humorous look at pre-teen life while also hinting to the bumpy road ahead.

Cirque du Freak Series

A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan 

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2002

ISBN: 9780316605106

266 pages

4 out of 5

Cirque Du Freak is the frightening saga of a young boy whose visit to a mysterious freak show leads him on a journey into the dark world of vampires.  Filled with grotesque creatures, murderous vampires, and a petrifying ending, Cirque Du Freak will chill, thrill, and leave readers begging for more.  (Description from Shelfari)

The Vampire's Assistant by Darren Shan

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2002

256 pages

ISBN: 9780316606844

4 out of 5

As a vampire's assistant, Darren struggles to resist the one temptation that sickens him -- the one thing that can keep him alive.  But destiny is calling -- the wolf-man is waiting. (teaser description at the end of book 1).

Cirque Du Freak: Tunnels of Blood
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2003
240 pages
ISBN: 9780316606080

Darren Shan, the vampire's assistant, gets a taste of the city when he leaves the Cirque Du Freak with Evra the snake-boy and Mr. Crepsley.  When corpses are discovered drained of blood, Darren and Evra are compelled to confront a foul creature of the night who may prove to be the end of them all. (Description from Amazon)

The above titles are just the first three of twelve books in the Cirque du Freak series.*  I quickly fell in love with these.  They are a lot of fun and though the writing occasionally gives me a giggle (the interestingly placed exclamation points get me every time!), I have trouble putting them down.  This series makes me nostalgic for the days of borrowing Fear Street Saga novels from the library fifteen at a time. 

The majority of chapters end with some type of cliffhanger that encourages continued reading and I've fallen for it a number of times.  When I started Book 3, my plan was to read just a few chapters before bed, but I ended up reading half the book. 

One way I think of this series is as a step up from Goosebumps.  The writing style is similar, it's a nice long series that kids can stick with for a while, and the horrific events are intriguing more than terrifying. The way a young adult horror novel ought to be.

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* See all titles and descriptions of the entire series here

New in October (Part 2)

Here are the rest of the books coming out later this month!

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner 

(October 12)

Heroes of Olympus Book 1: Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
(October 12)

Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences by Brian Yansky 

(October 12)

Adios, Nirvana by Conrad Wesselhoeft
(October 25)(Debut!)

Tween Tuesday: Among the Hidden

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at GreenBeanTeenQueen.  The purpose is "to highlight great reads for tweens!"  Also, this review is a little different.  I originally wrote it for a class assignment (write like a reviewer!), and it's such a good tween book that I decided to share it here.  The description that follows is my own.

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1998

ISBN: 0689824750

153 pages

4 out of 5

“Luke! Inside. Now.” These three words call Luke away from the outside world. As a third child, he is not supposed to exist; in fact, it is illegal for him to exist. The Population Police, a government agency, work to ensure that all families have only two children and the discovery of a third holds severe consequences.

For twelve years Luke’s family was able to protect him on their isolated farm. But the nearby woods, and Luke’s protection, are removed for a housing development. Now Luke is no longer safe in his home. While watching the outside world from his windowless attic bedroom, he catches movement in a neighboring house well after the family of four has gone. For weeks he watches for other signs and becomes convinced that there’s someone else living in that house. Ignoring his fear, Luke does the unthinkable—he pays a visit to the house next door in broad daylight. There he meets another, very well-connected, third child and she shows him a world he never knew existed.

This serves as a good introduction to dystopian fiction for young readers. The isolation and fear that Luke encounters is thoroughly examined and is relatable for the intended audience. When company knocks during dinner, Luke rushes upstairs to hide and “he knew without watching that Mother would take his plate from the table…, would slide his chair back into the corner…In three seconds she would hide all evidence that Luke existed.” Luke is plagued by fear, and sometimes guilt, just for being alive. It also gives a frightening picture of the common childhood wish for life without school, homework, and chores. There is some indirect violence, but this is truly a wonderful, fast-paced beginning to the Shadow Children series.

The Saga of Larten Crepsley: Birth of a Killer

The Saga of Larten Crepsley: Birth of a Killer 

by Darren Shan 

New York: Little Brown and Company

ISBN: 9780316078634

272 pages

4 out of 5

Before Cirque Du Freak...

Before the war with the vampaneze...

Before he was a vampire...

Larten Crepsley was a boy.

As a child laborer many centuries ago, Larten Crepsley did his job well and without complaint, until the day the foreman killed his cousin as an example to the other children.

In that moment, young Larten flew into a rage that the foreman wouldn't survive.  Forced to live on the run, Larten now sleeps in crypts and eats cobwebs to get by.  And when a vampire named Seba offers him protection and training as a vampire's assistant, he agrees.

This is his story.

After the incident in the factory, Larten Crepsley is a lost, scared kid when Seba finds him.  He is given the choice of joining the vampire in his travels, and possibly in his lifestyle, and Larten accepts. He cannot return to his home and family and finds a purpose as a vampire's assistant.  What follows is the story of how Larten Crepsley the boy becomes Larten Crepsley the vampire in Cirque Du Freak.

I devoured this book.  It's well-written, fast-paced, and engaging.  In this first installment, Larten doesn't seem nearly as nasty as he does in the first Cirque du Freak novel, but he has quite a story to tell.  Fans of the series will enjoy learning of Larten's beginnings.  I think the series will also find new fans through this book.  As someone who has only read the first of the original series, you can start in either place.  In fact, reading Cirque Du Freak after Saga of Larten Crepsley will give you something to do while you wait for book two.

This title is available October 5, 2010.

New in October (Part 1)

So this time I'm just covering titles from September 30 - October 7 because I have a lot of titles for October.  I'll do another post for the rest later in the month.  Hope you see something you like!


Dust City by Robert Paul Weston
(September 30)

  

Havoc by Chris Wooding 

(October 1)

  








Annexed by Sharon Dogar
(October 4)

Behemoth by Scott Westerfield 

(October 5)

Halt's Peril by John Flanagan 
(October 5)

Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan 

(October 5)

DC Super Heroes: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book by Matthew Reinhart
(October 5)

Bloodthirsty by Flynn Meaney 

(October 5)