Destroy All Cars by Blake Nelson

Meet James Hoff - high school junior who doesn't drive and lately, doesn't have a girlfriend. Not a big deal, right? Well, welcome to his AP English essays...and welcome to his world...

His first assignment: a 4 page persuasive essay. James believes we must destroy all cars because:

1. It's a primitive machine that you put gas in and poison comes out. "Is it a good idea to start your car in your garage and sit beside it, reading the paper, while your garage fills up with exhaust? No. Then why would that be a good idea on global level?"

2. He's so sick of cars!!

3. The lameness of people in general because of their production and consumption of "USELESS CRAP."

His grade? They go up and down, matching his emotional state at the time. He just broke up with Sadie and the only way James knows how to deal with it is to write...and think about her...and try to hang out with friends...and think about her...

And then there's the competition. What does Sadie see in jock Will Greer? And then there's the dumpster-diving, food-eater Jedediah. Who'd want to be with someone who ate garbage you threw away - in the school cafeteria!?!

James's life is complicated. From Mr. Cogweiller's essay grading to adjusting to his father coming back home after leaving them to figuring out what he'll do after graduation to making a list of potential girls who'd want to hang out with him, James is elbow deep in everything a typical guy deals with. And what will happen with Sadie? And can the possibility of destroying all cars seriously destroy our government system? Oh, the possibilities...

Blake Nelson has written another fantastically funny and cleverly written book. James pops out of the pages and will make you laugh out loud. Rare is a book that will grab a YA that isn't about the grimmer things in life, and while a serious break-up is grim, Nelson puts a spin on this while adding issues that teens really are involved in. Perfect pairing and very on par with Jake Wizener's Spanking Shakespeare. Recommended.

If I Grow Up by Todd Strasser

DeShawn is alive....that's a good thing. He lives with his sister Nia and his Gramma in the projects. At night, ducking for cover while bullets fly isn't anything new. Seeing someone shot and dead is something that happens regularly. Knowing who's in charge is common knowledge.

DeShawn, Lightbulb, and Terrell live in the Frederick Douglass Projects, home of the Douglas Disciples. Across the neighborhood are their rivals, the Gentry Gangstas. At twelve years old, Deshawn and his buddies have seen people come and go through violence and drugs. And they also see the payback if you're good at what you do.

Slowly but surely, the devolving of these twelve year olds take place. By the time the boys are fifteen, life has become different than it was three years ago. Now it's about drugs, becoming fathers, getting jumped into the gang...owning your first gun. It's about putting food on your table, taking care of your family, protecting your gang and your turf. And at age eighteen, life for DeShawn, Lightbulb, and Terrell are dramatically changed - through experience, coincidence and choices made.

Wow....wowowowowowow...Strasser packs a PUNCH in this book. If you don't have firsthand knowledge of what the projects are, welcome to this experience. Strasser not only takes you there physically, but emotionally as well. The reader sees firsthand what kids face living in places like these, where the norm is death and the exception is a rap start or a basketball player. Year by year, you are drawn into the lives of these kids and during these times you'll find yourself caught by surprise. Personally, I am safe, protected, cushioned.... but there are those who aren't...

Strasser is a master of prefaces and afterwords as well as statistical data. Look at his past books, and this one is another exemplary work of research and fiction combined. Gritty realism permeates from beginning to end, and the reader is held spellbound till the end, hoping the fate of DeShawn correlates with the hopes the reader makes. A must-have for all YA collections.

Love You Hate You Miss You Booktrailer

I used Windows XP moviemaker....later I will use Vista, which has much more selection. Enjoy!!!

Books I'm reading and can't put down!!!

So...I was looking through the genre lists I've created for the library of all the books I've read over the past 3-4 years, and found my preferences pretty easily (can you guess what it is?) After that evaluation, I decided I needed to get on the ball and read some more supernatural fiction as well as guy books. The problem with these genres is that they get so mangled with the same plot (think of all the vampire books out there!!) or there just aren't a whole lot of new ones that are truly good (boy books are HARD to come by!!)

Yes - there are tons of titles out there, but they have to go through the Naomi filter. Can't wait to read the new Strasser book!! But...I have found two very well-worth reading books that when I booktalk them, I KNOW they'll go fast!

So, the low-down:

Gentlemen by Michael Northrop.

COOL cover!! Not only is the cover great, but so is the story!! It's the tale of a missing sophomore whose past is peppered with him taking off, but this time the fears of his buddies' minds take over, especially when the English teacher is parallelling Tommy's disappearance with the murderous tale of Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky. Was Tommy murdered? Is he still alive? Can you push yourself so far as to believe the made-up world in your mind or stay grounded in the world you occupy?

Parliament of Blood by Justin Richards.

He is fast becoming one of my most favorite English authors. Chaos Code, Death Collector...and now this one. Take Victorian England, throw in the social class of intellectual, and mix it with the environment of that era, including coal-smogged streets, carriages, and elite clubs joined only by invitation. Put in the Museum of London and an old sarcophagus, some teens and the presence of vampires, and you have a great YA historical fiction fused with the supernatural. It does very much remind me of the classic Dracula but does so much for more the target audience of today's YA set!

Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott

75 days since the accident, and Julia...I love you...

Amy and Julia have been close friends, nearly sisters, since junior high. They've both seen the ups and downs of friendships formed and lost, boys come and gone, and high school society, including the parties they both attended regularly. But now Julia is gone, and Amy knows she the one responsible for her death.

114 days since the accident, and Julia....I miss you...

After the funeral and rehab for her drinking, Amy has to face the challenges of school life on her own. And she realizes that her life after the accident hasn't changed. Her parents are still exclusively into each other, her therapist doesn't know what she's thinking or feeling, and everyone at school is pretending they miss Julia as well, from her boyfriend (who cheated on her) to old friends, like Caro and Beth (who put on a good show). Amy is lost and all she wants is a drink.

Even though her life is going on, Amy can't shake her guilt, her responsibility, and the punishment she thinks she deserved. She now sits at the loser table at lunch with moustache girl, who also ignores her. It hurts, but Amy knows it's all deserved. Everyone knows she's guilty...everyone...

But it's during an English group that a door silently opens up for Amy. An old friend, another solitary person who creates a spark in Amy unlike anything she's ever felt before - will she allow that door to open or shut it, herself, and her memories of Julia inside?

135 days since the accident, and Julia, I hate you...

Part in diary format, part in real time, this book hits the rise and fall of a friendship and the emotional needs of the main character. Elizabeth Scott has addressed the issue of emotional and physical trauma and created a tale of a broken girl put back together again through her own strength as well as those around her, whether she wants them there or not. Parental characters take on a strong role in this novel and transformation can be seen across the spectrum in a story of love, loss and the steps it takes to become whole again. A good pair with Sarah Aronson's Head Case. Recommended.

The School for Dangerous Girls by Eliot Schrefer

Angela is a dangerous girl. She lives the fast life, stealing money from her parents, hanging out with much older guys...and her grandfather's death...that's another horrible story. Her parents have tried everything they can, and what they discovered is Hidden Oak.

Hidden Oak is not just another prep school. It's designed specifically for dangerous girls, i.e. girls who haven't lived up to parental expectations; girls who have rebelled and continue to live a destructive lifestyle; girls who can't or wont life up to their parents social reputations; and girls who have problems, either psychological or emotional, that their parents can't handle. It's a four year school and there are two tracks for students - one is academic, the other is to fight for your life.

Angela makes it to orientation with a chip on her shoulder and plans to leave. But things don't turn out the way she thought. Stripped of all personal belongings, she realizes quickly that Hidden Oak isn't a typical school. You can't talk about what brought you here, you are pitted against other students, the facilities are moldy and falling apart, and your every move is recorded. And that's just the first month.

Angela makes it through orientation and is put into the elit gold group, but she can't quite shake the feeling of dread when it comes to the girls she met during orientation. What happened to Juin, a self-leader and big rebel, or Riley a follower and not to be trusted? She soon finds out when she is demoted into the purple faction and sees the truth for what it is....Now in a life or death situation where everyone is an enemy, Angela realizes that she must maintain her dangerousness in order to survive.

Sober, enthralling, mysterious...those are only a few words that qualify this book for YA readers. They will become engrossed in the lives of all the characters, from students to teachers, and wonder what the outcomes will be and how each girl will be impacted. Strong characterizations and situations will draw readers in, and although the ending doesn't live up to the denouement, this book will fly off shelves, and is an excellent companion book to Todd Strasser's Boot Camp.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

In a hotel room

Alone

And you didn't answer the phone...

These and other words keep crowing Lia's mind.

"::stupid/ugly/stupid/bitch/stupid/fat::

::stupid/baby/stupid/loser/stupid/lost::"

Her life is completely disconnected. Lia now lives with her father and his new wife Jennifer, as well as Jennifer's daughter Emma. Dr. Marrigan, her mother, was someone she couldn't take anymore. Not after the treatment she was put through. But with patience and lying and jumping through hoops, Lia was discharged, but she took along her secrets with her.

One thing Lia can't stop thinking about is how she caused the death of her best friend, Cassie. She sees her on her bed, in the store. Lia can hear her voice, and Cassie is telling her how easy it is to leave. And the scariest thing Lia hears? Cassie tells her she's nearly there....on the edge...ready to die...

But now Cassie is dead and Lia hides her pain in so many ways. She does it through quarters hidden in her bathrobe. She does it through mentally counting calories every time she takes a bite. She does it through cutting. But is it enough?

This is another riveting tale by Anderson that takes the reader into the physical and psychological trauma of Lia, who is battling anorexia. You see the psychology of Lia's mind through Anderson's writing techniques from analogies to corssed out word and word replacements to a blank page. You see Lia physically waste away and can only hope she doesn't run into the arms of her dead friend, who keeps calling her, but turns to those who are living, even though she can't trust them. With many books out there about anorexia and how teens deal with this problem, I consider this to be top-notched, not only because of Halse Anderson's strong writing and past reputation as a YA author, but also because of the complete and brutal truth she exposes.

Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas

Anke knows what she sees is wrong, but she also knows she hates being ignored. She's like a piece of furniture...without thought, without sound, overlooked. It's an ambivalence in her that she can't overthrow, but there's nothing to do about it. She wants attentions, but her mother is silent. She wants her father to notice her, but not in the same way he sees her brother or sister. She wants to be part of her sibling's circle, but they won't let her in. Life on the outside looks pretty good to everyone else, but life on the inside is diseased.

Anke decides she needs something in her life and tries out for the volleyball team. When the team is announced, she is nervous about being overlooked again. And then...her name is read out and she is now part of something. It's unfamiliar territory, but one she slowly becomes a part of. The most important lesson she's learning? How to shout and call for the ball, possess it, make it hers. And this lesson begins to trail into her personal life with her family.

But is her voice one that needs to be heard? Is it something Anke wants others to hear? She knows she's the catalyst. Say something and her family will disintegrate. Don't say anything and her family will still disintegrate, but in a completely different way. The big question - is it better to hide family secrets and still have one, or expose those secrets and fracture the semblance of family? Anke doesn't know the answer, but the emotional waves that toss her around, from the bruising on her brother's face to her sister's bedroom door closing in the dead of night; from her mother's absence to her father's heavy presence, creates an inner person within Anke that will decide her fate.

Written in free-verse, this is a book, that although is a fast read, will make readers stop and think. The enemies Anke faces, from those in flesh and blood to those hiding behind her emotions, portray themselves subtly, leaving the reader to uncover the horrors she faces, not only with her family, but in her relationships with her friends, both guys and girls. Powerful book worth reading.

Booktalk Powerpoint 09

TLA presentation 2009

Booktalk Powerpoint 09

View more presentations from Naomi Bates.

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

Eli was nine years old when the fallout occurred. The world was under nuclear attack, and his family is safe in the compound his father built. But his twin, Eddy, and his grandmother? They didn't quite make it...

The compound Eli's father built isn't your ordinary bomb shelter. It's extraordinary, filled with everything from a huge library and music collection, a workout gym complete with a basketball court, a gigantic storage room full of supplies, and a gourmet's kitchen. It helps that Eli's dad is a billionair. But everyday Eli wakes up, he realizes that life has changed...and the changes keep coming...

Eli is no longer nine, but fifteen. And the changes have come about slowly but surely. The last six years haven't been difficult, just different. All he had to do is wait nine more years, and the seal to the outside world will be opened. But can he, his parents, and his two sisters make it?

And then there is a beam of hope...with his dead brother's old laptop, Eli finds a wireless internet signal!! There is life outside!! He wants to tell his father, but during the time in the compound, Eli, his mothers and Terese his sister, realize that perhaps his father's can't be trusted. Something isn't right...it's a feeling, but the feeling is strong...

Now the flour is contaminated, the animals have died, and the hydroponic lights for the vegetables are beginning to flicker. With the supplies drying up, his father has figured they'll run out of food a year before the door is opened. But Eli's father also has alternate plans and Supplements to rely on. But is what he doing moral? Ethical? Eli isn't sure, but he is scared...

What a gripping first novel for S.A. Bodeen. What I first thought was science fiction in nature quickly turned into realistic terror with a psychological twist. Readers of this book will have to wonder and think, "What lengths would I be willing to do to survive?" Although at times predictable, it was nonetheless a book that was a page turner. YA readers will keep this book checked out!

Booktrailer - Far From You by Lisa Schroeder

In the Small by Michael Hague

A blue light flashes…only for a second…and then things….change. What seems like an ordinary day is no longer ordinary. People’s lives have changed. Gone are the luxuries of living people are accustomed to. Gone is the support society relies on. Gone is the 21st century life built on concrete, gold, and transportation.

Mouse is a unique individual, who has the power see the future, although not completely. He and his father are in Manhattan when the blue light strikes, leaving all of humanity changed irrevocably. He knows where he’s supposed to go and also knows the challenges ahead.
His mother, his grandfather and sister Beatrix (Beat) are at home when chaos extends its fingers throughout the world. They have to alter everything they know, including the sudden loss of friends and family, and cling to survival. Their only hope clings around building a new life, one small tiny step at a time.
But change, although sudden, hasn’t quite stopped…there will be more change, but only a few know it…
I WANT THE SEQUEL NOW!!! Hague fills this graphic novel with eye-riveting scenes, depicting not only the struggle and shock of what happens to the main characters, but also the determination which fills many of them, but not all. As with all good graphic novels, the illustrations give the reader an insight into Armageddon as well as the emotions and situations that can be read on the faces of those facing it. Excellent graphic novel that should be shelved in libraries. This is definitely not your superhero or anime/manga book – it’s class graphic novel at its finest.

Dirty Laundry by Daniel Ehrenhaft

Winchester School of the Arts, in the beautiful and pampered East Coast, is home to students whose parents want the most for them academically and socially. It caters specifically to them in the arts, academics and extra-curricular activities. Oh…and it has the nickname “The Laudromat” because it’s the last place students, aka dirty laundry, have left when they get kicked out of the most prestigious schools. The headmaster’s speeches can be quoted verbatim by most seniors, the drama teacher lets his small kids run rampant while he breathes his garlic breath into a stale room, and you never know what they’ll serve in the cafeteria.
But this year is different – Darcy Novak, budding theatrical star and senior dorm supervisor has been missing. No one knows what happened to her, why she was taken or she’s still alive. There are some suspects, but nothing definitive.
And then school starts, and so do the students. There’s Fun (aka Fellini Udall Newport, also the resident tagger), his roommate Hilton James (aka Nails, who’s worn the same James Brown Sex Machine t-shirt for the past two or three weeks), Kirk Bishop (who has Headmaster Stanton on a leash, thanks to his dad’s cash, despite his acne-ridden face), and newcomers Carli Gemz (pronounced “games” and was made famous for her child acting in commercials) and her roommate Miranda (who’s never met the mysterious Darcy, but feels like she knows her through one phone conversation).
Carli is there on assignment to get in character for an upcoming television series, as well as being Fun’s one-way ticket back into a private school. It should be all Fun and Gemz (get it?) but things aren’t adding up…and both of them want to get down with what really happened to Darcy and who can they trust?
Part mystery, part hilarity, Ehrenhaft comes to the forefront with another comedic look at oddballs and loafers, wannabes, and lovers. He has the perfect combination of mystery and laugh out loud moments that make this another great book for any teen reader. Ehrenhaft’s stylistic writing continues to shine in this one as it has his others (including 10 Things to Do Before I Die and Drawing a Blank) and should be paired with other sharp and witty books, like Spanking Shakespeare and Son of the Mob. Just when you think there’s too much supernaturalism and gritty realism in YA lit, along comes Ehrenhaft!! THANK YOU!!!!

Far From You by Lisa Schroeder

Alice is living in a world she really doesn’t want to be a part of. Two years ago, after losing her mother to cancer, Alice’s father has remarried, and Victoria and Alice just don’t get along.
To add insult to injury, Victoria and her father have a new baby, Ivy. The world revolves around this happy family, but Alice knows in her heart that she isn’t a part of it. Her father has replaced her mother’s art studio for a baby’s room and everything that was her mother is relegated to the attic. The only comfort Alice gets at home is with Cobain, her Labrador.
Outside of the house, Alice has Blaze and her best friend Claire. Both of them are into music, but different spectrums. Claire and Alice play for their church, while Blaze is a renegade who won’t mix music and religion. But Alice is happy with the balance, and her boyfriend and best friend complete her.
But plans change. Or maybe it’s attitudes? Claire confronts Alice about changing her musical style and Alice blows her off. Blaze wants to go further in their relationship, and Alice isn’t sure that’s what she wants. And to top it off, her entire family, including herself are going to visit step-grandparents. Oh yea – Alice is NOT jumping for joy.
With her relationships on hold or disintegrating, Alice becomes numb, uncommunicative – living the past more than the present. But something happens…something that wrenches into her soul…that will either make or break Alice.
Lisa Schroeder’s next free verse YA book makes another mark on the board of YA fiction for her. Dealing completely with relationships on many levels, the reader gets to see the main character with all of her hats – from friend to lover to daughter to outcast – and ultimately will see the only thing that will change her from self-centered to being centered. Well-written and a fast read for teens!!

Big List of Spring Break Books

Here’s a personal list of spring break of vacation books students may want to check out before their own break. I based this on traveling, trips, vacations and spring breaks. I’ve already got my digital picture frame loaded and am going to glog this and embed it into my library webpage. If you can add to this list, please share!

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Anything But Ordinary by Valerie Hobbs
Are We There Yet by David Levithan
Bass Ackwards and Belly Up by Elizabeth Craft
Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Black Sheep by Yvonne Collins
Captive by Tom Pow
Car Trouble by Jeanne Du Prau
The Chaos Code by Justin Richards
Crack in the Line by Michael Lawrence
Feathered by Laura Kasischke
Finding Lubchenko by Michael Simmons
Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn
Going Nowhere Faster by Sean Beaudoin
Guyaholic by Carolyn Mackler
Here There Be Dragons by James Owens
Heyday by Kurt Anderson
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
I’ll Ask you Three Times by Naomi Shihab Nye
Lucky T by Kate Brian
Magic or Madness by Justine Larbelestier
Night Road by A.M. Jenkins
Paper Towns by John Green
Pirates by Celia Rees
Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham
Shift by Jennifer Bradbury
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Anne Brashares
Society of S by Susan Hubbard
Sofi Mendoza’s Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico by Alegria Malin
Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman
Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott
They Came by Below by Blake Nelson
The Watcher by James Howe
Waves by Sharon Dogar
Wish You Were Here by Catherine Clark
Year My Sister Got Lucky by Aimee Friedman
Zigzag by Ellen Wittlinger

The Sky Inside by Clare B. Dunkle

Martin knows that spring is upon his neighborhood. How? Because everyone is switching their decals to the spring flowers. He remembers his grandmother telling him about strange creatures with wings that filled the sky, but surely, her mind was skipping…there hasn’t been anything like that. The only thing in the sky is the bubble with the clouds painted on them while bots go around checking the integrity of their “slice of paradise.”

Martin knows he and his family are the lucky ones that escaped from the outside to be contained in the world created for them. He lives with his parents and his new and improved Wonderbaby sister and for his birthday he gets an Alldog, a robo dog, for his birthday. In his world, the story of Peter Pan is about a lawyer battling Hook, a CEO; and everyday everyone votes live on choices the President presents. c

But things are not as they seem, especially when Martin discovers the underworld and the bots the government is putting into houses to monitor them. With his new Alldog, he begins to discover some horrible truths – including what happens when residents leave or try to leave their colony – and what is really happening in the world and the “normal” life he lives now.

If you are looking to find a science fiction book that looks at a world filled with politics and deceit, look no further. Dunkle has created a realistic world in which member of society willingly follow and trust what’s going on in order to live the life of ease. This is a book easily read and followed, even for non science fiction readers. Although not as “in your face” as other sci-fi books for older readers, this one can easily be used from early junior high to high school. Recommended.

Booktrailer - My Father's Son by Terri Fields

My Father's Son by Terri Fields

Kevin’s having an excellent day at school. An honors student, he does well in academics, has his best friend Jason who he hangs out and plays pick-up basketball with, and today, of all days….he’s got his first date with Emily….finally!!

It’s Friday night, and he’s ready to go out. Since his parents are divorced, this is his weekend to spend with his dad. Kevin gets in his Jeep his dad bought him and takes off to the party without a care in the world. The next day he wakes up and hangs with his dad, eating take-out food and playing video games. Not at all like living with his mom, who struggles to make ends meet and never ever talks about the divorce or what happened. Kevin loves his mom, but feels at home with his dad.

Then Sunday comes, and it destroys everything Kevin thought was safe and real. As he’s staring at the television screen, he sees the police have finally captured the notorious DB25 serial killer. And the person whose face is staring back at him is his father’s….

Kevin’s life becomes a living hell. He can’t stand to be at school because of the whispers behind his back. Emily has dumped him, claiming her parents don’t want her around him. Even his best friend quits talking to Kevin. But Kevin is a fighter, and he decides that if the police won’t find the evidence to find his father innocent, then he will. And a memory comes to the surface….where did his dad hide that small, portable laptop he’s never seen before? What happened to it?

Kevin wants answers, and the only he knows how is if his father will talk to him and tell him where his car is, where the laptop is…why they caught him trying to escape out the latest victim’s house. But the only thing his dad tells him is that he doesn’t want to see him ever again, and yes….he’s guilty. Kevin’s world is spinning out of control, and the only avenue left is for him to start looking into the past for answers, if he can find a past.

This is a gripping mystery thriller from beginning to end. Fast-paced, the plot races without letting up, going from one end of Kevin’s life to the other without slowing down. Readers will wonder if Kevin’s dad is innocent or guilty to the very end. Although parents take a back seat in most YA fiction, Kevin’s parents are full-court center, creating the backbone to the main character’s persona. Terri Fields has created a well-written mystery for teens that’s rated high in this YA genre. A definite read for anyone who loved Walter Sorrell’s First Shot.

The Connected Library

My TCEA presentation:

The Connected Library

View more presentations from Naomi Bates. (tags: libraries webpages)

Feathered by Laura Kasischke

Anne and Michelle were destined from the beginning to be friends. They met when they were three years old and have been friends ever since. Now seniors in high school, the girls are searching not only for adventure, but also to find themselves in a big world where colleges and distance will separate them. What better way to take a taste of the world than to go on spring break?
Anne and Michelle’s mothers are protective, to say the least, but also want their daughters to spread their wings. Armed thoroughly with advice, which both girls take seriously, they begin to prepare themselves to leave Glendale, Illinois behind and venture to Cancun Mexico. Together with their third but secondary friend Terri, they get on the plane and are ready for fun in the sun.
From the moment they land, the girls know that life as they knew it is over seven hours away and thus begins their spring break. The first time they see the Hotel del Sol, they realize that all the advice their parents instilled in them was for a reason. They stay together for a whole two hours before Terri disappears, only to be found at a bar with a guy going to USC. Michelle and Anne decide not to partake in the fun and instead find themselves alone by the pool, enjoying the blue they see everywhere and the experience of being responsible for their adult actions.
But their actions are soon put to the wayside when Michelle meets a father figure who asks them if they’d like to ride with him to the ruins of Chichen Itza. Both girls rely on the other to make the right decision, but it never appears. And the next day when they get into the car with a strange man, Anne’s alert bells go off. But it may be too late for both of them. On the second day of their spring break, the unthinkable and irreparable happens to the girls…
This is a cautionary tale told in differing timelines, from Anne’s past experience and Michelle’s current one. Sometimes teenagers feel invincible, and this book shows the vulnerability of teens when the lines are blurred and caution is thrown to the wind. The author allows the readers to use their imaginations to go through certain situations, never leaving behind the gratuitous encounters that would have marred the writing. A perfect fusion of Middlewestern teen life and Mayan history, this book is filled with symbolism taken from the title. Highly recommended.