Blume, Judy, (1975). Forever. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN: 0671695304. 220 pages.

Summary and Evaluation: Katherine's got a boyfriend. His name is Michael, and over their senior year they become inseperable. It's Katherine's first true love and involves more than just handholding. Katherine has her first real sexual experiences with Michael. Though they say it's forever (hence the title), the old adage "absence makes the heart grow fonder" doesn't work in their case. When seperated for the summer, Katherine develops feelings for someone else.

Now over thirty years old, Blume has added an author's note to the newest editions to inform her readers that pregnancy is no longer the only possible consequence of sex. This book is widely in print and widely debated. By some, the book is lauded for it's frank and informational discussion of teenage sexuality. By others, it is criticized and banned for these same reasons.

Like other books by Judy Blume, the writing is quick and straightforward. She goes after her topic of first love from its early beginning to its sad end. Weaving in the secondary narratives of Katherine's friend Erica who wants to go further with the ever-theatrical Artie, and promiscuous Sybils pregnancy, Blume offers her readers other types of teenage relationships.

Still, this book is about sex which is clear from the very first line of the book. I have a clear and vivid memory of reading that line over the shoulder of a friend in front of my house one day during junior high. I have a similar memory of reading V.C. Andrew's book Flowers in the Attic. Both books carry with them "forbidden" appeal. At the time, I never read more than that first line of Forever, but I did become much more interested in Blume's other books. Now, having finally read more than the first page, I can see why it remains in print.

Blume's subject matter could titillate, inspire, embarass, or repel a reader. But her characters and their situations feel real and believable, as are any of the responses that readers have toward a subject that we still struggle to address cohesively with young people.

Booktalk: I think I would introduce this book as a love story. And what's something that sets this book apart from some others? S-E-X.

Abbott, Hailey, (2004). Summer Boys. New York: Scholastic, Point. ISBN: 0439540208. 214 pages.

Summary and Evaluation: Three cousins, Jamie, Ella, and Beth, spend their summers in Maine at the beach. While they live in different states during the rest of the year, all the families meet up for the summer at Pebble Beach. This is the story of meeting boys like Mr. Right, Mr. Right Now, Mr. Wrong, and Mr. Anybody.

Jamie aspires to be a writer, makes her own clothes and is otherwise very creative. While she starts the summer with a boyfriend, it takes her the entire summer to come to grips with the reality of that relationship. Ella is bombshell gorgeous and loves to have a good time. The only trouble is, she wants to have that good time with her sister Kelsi's summer boy Peter who is more than willing to oblige. Athletic Beth comes to the beach with her best friend George. It's only when another girls points out his hotness factor that Beth gains clarity of her own feelings.

Because Abbot spends a good amount of time creating three separate girls, and reinforces those differences from the various points of views of each girl, a reader can begin to identify with, if not all, at least one of the main characters. In addition as they are cousins, the characters weave in and out of each other's stories, which create nice links throughout. For each of these characters Abbott concocts a growing-up cocktail: some part happily ever after, some drunken hook-up, some self-awareness and confidence building, and some part poor decisions. All in all a packed summer drink.

This book made me nostalgic. I was reminded of the mystery and enticements of my own summers away from home. Each year I went away, I returned to school recharged. This is not an amazing or mind-blowing book, but it was good. The characters were believable, and they all seem to grow up a bit, which is what good summers are for, right?

Booktalk: I think I would do a character sketch of one of the three cousins, perhaps Beth. I would introduce her and sporty and athletic, who brings George along to the beach for company. How each of them is all set for their own separate summer flings until George meets Cara. Then I could explain that this is only one of the three stories in the book.

Wasserman, Robin, (2005). Lust (Seven Deadly Sins). New York: Simon Pulse. ISBN:068987782X. 229 pages.

Summary and Evaluation: Sex, drugs, and a little bit of rock and roll. This book has all of that. Set in the humdrum town of Grace, California, six high school seniors vie for the "Behaving Badly" award. Harper Grace (related to the founders of the town) is the alpha girl in town who's set her sights on her childhood friend Adam. Trouble is, Adam's already taken by the good-girl and overachiever Beth. And when he's not with her, he's dreaming of the new girl Kaia. Funny how when things get rocky between Adam and Beth, because she's not ready to have sex, Kaia is right there. Kaia's really after the new French teacher who is much more interested in Beth. Strangely, Kaia and Beth seem to have a thing for the same men. When Harper isn't pining for Adam she's cutting class to drink and smoke with her best friend Miranda who adores the school player Kane, and is developing a bit of a bulimia problem. For his part, Kane likes being a player, but has his eyes on Beth--the same one who's dating his best friend, Adam.

So, the story's a bit twisted, very much like a soap opera. The only things important to these six are parties, status, and hooking up. Lucky readers have six more books after this one to follow these characters through their sexual exploits, deceptions, heartbreaks and all that other stuff that happens during a senior year in high school.

Each time I look at the book, I am more interested in the cover design than the contents. Is that the Da Vinci font they use for the title and chapter headings? By moving the narrative between all six characters, it's difficult to much of a sense of any of them as people. Even their "types" are, at times, difficult to distinguish or be concerned about. The best moments in the book are chapters 6 and 12 when the action moves from one character to another so that the interconnected web of the characters is distinctly clear. This web is far more interesting than the characters themselves.

Perhaps this is the point, and if so, than this type of book is just not my type of book. I for one will not be on the ride through the rest of sinville, but I could see that some would follow along as very little actually happens in this first installment. Maybe as the series progresses the characters will flesh themselves out and other readers will be tantalized and titillated. After book one, I have such little sympathy or empathy for any of them (except maybe Miranda--I do wonder if she really is bulimic) that I don't really care to find out what happens next.

Booktalk: I don't think I would booktalk this book. I might recommend it to people who have enjoyed the Gossip Girls, Clique, or A-List series, as it seems to fall into that category of book, but I wouldn't single it out for a group talk.

Cabot, Meg, (2000). The Princess Diaries. New York: Harper Trophy. ISBN:0380314021. 283 pages.

Summary and Evaluation: The first in the series (so far there are 7!) about Mia Thermopolis, a simple New York girl who suddenly finds out she's heir to the small country of Genovia. While other girls might be overjoyed with this news, Mia just wants to keep it secret since she's already seen as gawky and awkward within her school. Still, she makes a deal with her father that she will take "Princess Lessons" with her grandmother (a woman who's eyeliner is tattooed on and someone I imagined looked a bit like a female Yoda without the nice demeanor). These lessons force her to change her appearance, which puts a huge strain on her best friendship with Lilly, since she won't tell Lilly the truth about why she has begun to be driven around in a limo among other things.

On top of the Lilly drama and the Princess mayhem, Mia's love life is nonexistent. Meanwhile Mia's mother (her parents are not married or together) has been dating Mia's algebra teacher--the one subject Mia is failing. One of the best moments in the book is when Mia walks into the kitchen of her house only to find her mom in a bathrobe and algebra teacher in his boxers. With Lilly not speaking to her, the only person she can tell is Lilly's brother, Michael.

Told in diary format, Mia's voice is very humorous, and at times candid. Interspersed between entries are random To-Do lists, algebra problems and instant messages. While I was initially apprehensive of reading this book that spawned two Disney movies, this was a quick and fun read, and I had trouble putting it down. I've heard mixed reviews of the follow up books, so I am not sure I will pursue further books in the series (though I am curious if she and Michael get together), but I would certainly pass this book on to those in search of a romantic comedy.

Booktalk: Because of the movies, this book would be easy to link to those, especially making a comparative difference between the Grandmere in the book and the Julie Andrew's version. It would be nice to use a tiara during the talk, if I had one. Also, I could read have the audience try their luck at being a Princess by taking all or part of "Grandmere's Text" (pp. 167-169).

Garden, Nancy (1982). Annie on My Mind. Toronto: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux. ISBN: 374404135?. 234 pages.

Summary and Evaluation: Liza's final year of high school doesn't quite go the way she planned. She gets in trouble with the headmistress of her school (on more than one occasion), the school itself is financially unstable, but mostly, she's falling in love with Annie. The two are a perfect match. Annie doesn't go to Liza's school, but the two become inseparable, creating a strong bond of friendship before delving into something more. When their relationship does become physical, the two are able to live in a temporary utopia, until their love is exposed to others. How these others (including Liza's parents) respond effects more than just Liza and Annie.

The story is slightly dated in pacing, environment, and politics, but the primary content and subject matter are still current and valid. Farmer writes a love story that is honest and heartwarming. While some of the characters play out more like caricatures at times (the headmistress is named Mrs. Poindexter?), there is a lot within this book that feels genuine and true. It is easy to become emotionally tied to these characters as they come out to themselves and to their worlds. A young person struggling with issues of sexuality can find a lot within the story that is supportive and encouraging. I think many who come out to their parents would hope their parents respond like Liza's father.

Before reading this book, the only YA book I had read with a same sex love relationship was M.E. Kerr's Deliver Us From Evie, which I found, like some other gay romance stories, moved too quickly from attraction to action. Perhaps one of the best things about Annie On My Mind is the careful way Farmer takes the reader through this budding first love. The story is believable, and I can see it as a touchstone for other authors who want to write similar love stories.

Booktalk: If I could find reproductions, I might talk about this book by introducing the two "symbolic" art pieces of each of them--the choir screen and the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan. I could bring images of these two works and describe the two main characters as they relate to this art.

Green, Bette, (1973). Summer of My German Soldier. New York: Dial Press. ISBN: possibly 0803728697. 230 pages.

Summary and Evaluation: This novel flirts on the edge of YA literature. There is no sex (nor any subtext of it). The parents of the main character are central characters. And the main character, Patty, is a twelve year old. This is not the normal age for a YA heroine, nor the normal circumstances. But Patty is a smart and imaginative girl whose wit and curiosity don't fit well with her parents' ideals of daughters nor with growing up in the south during World War II. Add to this the simple love story between Patty, who is Jewish, and a Nazi prisoner of war, and a sophisticated narrative and what you have is a exciting and intriguing read.

What Patty craves is love from her parents. As it turns out, this is an impossible yearning, because her parents barely have love for themselves. What Patty gets is love from the black housekeeper, Ruth, and the escaped Nazi, Anton. Patty's isolation and attempts for love are moving as are the conversations she has with Anton. Though there is only a brief kiss when Anton departs, their honesty and care for each other demonstrate a mature type of relationship.

Greene's central characters bring issues of prejudice and violence to the forefront. Are all Nazi's Jew-haters or are they just staying quiet and passive in order to survive? Is violence perpetrated on your family more acceptable than violence toward a people because it is done behind closed doors? What makes someone "a person of value?" It is these ethical questions that complicate the book and make it one that an older reader could really enjoy.

Though there is rarely any rough language, the book does use racial slurs. As these words are foreign and offensive in 2006, hopefully an older reader could discern their purpose and usefulness within the context of the story.

It seems this book could slip through the cracks of many readers. I believe I owned this book as a teenager, but I am pretty sure I never read it. At 12, I might have been too young to fully understand the story, but at 14 I may have been put off by the young age of the main character and the fact there was no real action between Anton and Patty. It seems that those who find this book could be very fortunate.

Booktalk: This might be a good book to introduce as a diary or letter format. You could make up your own letter from Patty to the escaped Anton. This could allude to the issues within her family as well as the relationship Anton and Patty have. It could also introduce readers to the first person narration of the story.

Daly, Maureen (1942). Seventeenth Summer. NY: Simon Pulse. ISBN:0671619314. 291 pages.

Summary and Evaluation: Angie's spent her high school years at a private girl's school. In the summer before college, she meets local basketball star, Jack, and engages in her first romance. She's rather prim and proper, and her behavior could be seen by some readers as boring and passive. I credited it to era and upbringing. If you look past the fact she will barely touch Jack's hand for the half the novel, and freaks out when he clicks his ice cream spoon with his teeth, what you become witness to is an internal dialog about growing up. Throughout the novel, she struggles with what she feels and how to express it. There are some great moments in the book where she discusses the sudden transformation from child to adult: one moment she is happily catching pollywogs, and the next her thoughts are consumed by boys, and mortality, and her future.

This transitional dichotomy is made all the more clear and believable with the addition of her older and younger sisters. And the secondary storyline of her sister Lorraine is especially engaging.

Written when she herself was still a teenager, Daly's novel has beautiful descriptive moments, and I must admit that knowing her age at the time of authorship only makes me like the novel more. I could never have written about my own teenage years with such clarity and perspective and am still not sure I could. Damn.

Booktalk: I might introduce this book with reading a section from p. 203 - 205, "Growing up crowds your mind with new thoughts and new feelings so that you forget how you used to think and feel."