Remarkable Reads: Obsession
RSSBy Dodie Ownes
ADINA, Shelley. Be Strong and Curvaceous. Faith Words. 2009. pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-446-17799-3. Remarkable Reads is produced by the editors at NoveList, the leader in readers' advisory electronic resources. For more information, visit NoveList. This article originally appeared in the newsletter Extra Helping. Go here to subscribe.
November 10, 2011
Ooh, these books really do tend to go to the creepy side. But let's think about this—you're young, scared, maybe not so confident—and someone shows you a bit of attention. Great at first, isn't it—to be loved and adored? But what if you try to walk away? Or even scarier, what if you never were really involved in this crush at all? Teens may not see these books as lessons, but the messages are clear.
Gr 7-10—The prep school setting may hint at a Gossip Girl—type story, but the way that Carly and her friends handle adversity is decidedly different. When Mac arrives, her place in life as a Scottish aristocrat is obvious to everyone—on top of her being beautiful and an aspiring queen bee. But Carly soon discovers that Mac has one really big problem—the anonymous emails she's been receiving are getting increasingly scary, and she doesn't know what to do. Carly asks Mac to turn to God for help, and without overdoing the spiritual angle, the girls discover the strength to do the right thing.CALETTI, Deb. Stay. Simon Pulse. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-0373-4.
Gr 9 Up—When Clara and Christian lock eyes for the first time, their worlds collide. By high school graduation, they are no longer together but Christian cannot accept the break up is real. Clara and her single father escape to a small ocean side town, hoping to hide from her former boyfriend, but she never lets her guard down. A local all-around nice guy, Finn, comes to Clara's assistance and provides a perfect foil to the obsessive Christian. The side plot involving Clara's father and offbeat use of footnotes help keep readers engaged.GRAHAM, Rosemary. Stalker Girl. Viking. 2010. Tr $16.00. ISBN 978-0-670-06303-1; pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-14-241915-1.
Gr 8-11—Carly's world starts to drift into uncertainty when her Mom's longtime and well-loved boyfriend moves out. She is given the choice of living with her father for the summer, or joining her mother at a summer camp for well-heeled teens. A whirlwind romance with Brian, another camper, has Carly on a cloud, but when they return to Manhattan, he breaks up with her for Taylor Deen, a seemingly perfect girl. Carly's desire to just catch a glimpse of Taylor turns into full-blown stalking, with disastrous results. Tense, tightly-drawn and suspenseful.STOLARZ, Laurie Faria. Deadly Little Secret: A Touch Novel. Hyperion.2008. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-1144-3; pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-1198-6.
Gr 8-12—Okay, so the mysterious boy that rescued Camelia and disappeared is now, three months later, a fellow high school student. Besides being a hottie, there is something inexplicable about his touch—it seems to drain yet exhilarate her. Despite the rumors about his past—his ex is dead—Camelia finds herself completely entranced. Ben knows that nothing good can come of this attraction, but cannot help but try to protect Camelia when she starts to get strange emails and phone calls, and someone breaks into her house. Creepy and romantic, with many similarities to Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.STRASSER, Todd. Wish You Were Dead. Egmont. 2009. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-60684-007-8; pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-1-60684-138-9.
Gr 9 Up—Strasser pulls out all the heart-pounding stops in this thriller which involves cyberstalking, missing persons, and kidnapping. Madison is the high school teen at the center of the plot, observer, and victim at the same time. One by one her friends disappear and she is desperate to figure out who will be next. The characters around her are believable and memorable, and the pace of the last third of the book will leave readers breathless. The use of social networking tools throughout the book is seamlessly incorporated into the story.
