MY FRIEND DAHMER by Derf Backderf-REVIEW

What is the first thing you think of when you hear the name Jeffrey Dahmer? That’s right, GRAPHIC NOVEL. 

Derf Backderf, the author of MY FRIEND DAHMER, actually went to school with the notorious serial killer. Not only does he use his own personal memories of the time they shared the halls together, but he also took the time to interview other classmates and teachers. conducted research by reading/watching interviews with Dahmer after he was captured, and reading the book Dahmer’s father wrote. 

Backderf takes us through Dahmer’s life starting in Seventh Grade. He paints a picture of Dahmer’s isolated life and reveals the loneliness he suffered through every day. Backderf shows Dahmer’s gradual progression of violent and macabre activities that led up to his first murder in 1978 when he was only 18-years-old.

For a book that chronicles a serial killer’s descent into darkness, MY FRIEND DAHMER contains relatively little violence. This is definitely a book for true crime fans. It is a disturbing and tragic story that compels you to read until you get to the gruesome end.

THE LIST by Siobhan Vivian - REVIEW

Nobody knows who writes "The List" each year. The Tradition has been passed on for years. The week before Homecoming "The List" appears with the names of the ugliest and the prettiest girls in each grade. Nobody has ever claimed to have written "The List." Years before the seal of the school was stolen and is used to officially emboss "The List." Each year it is passed on to someone else in secret. That person doesn't know who was the list maker before them, but then it is their turn to make "The List."

For the 8 girls on The List life changes dramatically during the week before Homecoming. This year Bridget Honeycutt is chosen as The Prettiest for the junior class. Immediately the pressure is on Bridget to look her best. This manifests in an eating disorder that she thought had been put behind her over the summer. But she is determined to fit into that smaller dress size by the end of the week. Jennifer Briggis becomes the first four-peat girl as ugliest. Her former best friend Margo was chosen as prettiest which puts her in the top running for Homecoming Queen. When Sarah finds her name on the ugliest list she is determined to fight back. She decides to not bathe for the entire week much to the disgust of the student body that have to be in classes with her. Each girl handles their fame or rejection in her own way, unfortunately letting The List change them whether for positive or negative. With one girl determined that this will be the last List EVER.

My Thoughts:

There were a few things that I disliked about this story. The cursing, the sexual situations, and the drinking/smoking. BUT, I think the story brought out a lot of how fragile young adult self-image can be. And then to have their flaws or assets brought out in public like "The List," how damaging it can be even to the most put-together teen. This was not a "feel-good" story, it didn't end with everyone experiencing their "happily ever after." High school is messy, egos and self-image are fragile and the author was able to show that in this story. And there were moments when friendships and relationships weathered the storm which made the story more palatable for me.


Sexual Content=Some sexual situations, but not graphic
Language Content=There were quite a few swear words peppered throughout including use of the "f" word
Other Content=Teens using alcohol and smoking cigarettes, partying

ROTTERS by Daniel Kraus-REVIEW

When Joey’s mother is killed he is sent to live with the father he never met – Ken Harnett. In addition to dealing with the grief of losing his mother, he has to suffer through high school as the new kid where he immediately becomes the target of ridicule and pranks. No one in town likes Harnett and now, by association, Joey. To make matters even worse, Harnett doesn’t even speak to him. Joey doesn’t have food in the house, he sleeps in the corner of a dark and dirty cabin, and spends most of his time alone since his father leaves for days at a time for “work.” After a while, Joey can’t stand it any longer and decides to follow Harnett to see what he does when he leaves the house. Harnett is a grave robber. Now, Joey knows. He doesn’t know whether to turn in Harnett or ask to go with him.

Eventually, Harnett begins to train Joey in the art of grave robbing. He forces him to practice digging, learn the history of the profession, and research where the best graves will be. Soon, digging is his only relief since school is nothing but continuous torture. Joey learns the ins and outs of being a Digger and even meets others from around the United States. When one of the best Diggers suffers a mental break he begins to endanger all the Diggers. Will Joey and Harnett be able to stop him and prevent the Diggers from being revealed?

ROTTERS isn’t for the squeamish. The book is filled with death and detailed descriptions of what the body goes through during decomposition. The life Joey is forced to live is heart-breaking and I was brought to tears several times toward the end of the book. Never would I have thought I could call a book about digging up dead bodies beautiful, but ROTTERS is. Daniel Kraus does a fantastic job creating characters that you definitely feel for. Harnett is an especially surprising character and maybe even my favorite from the story.

I listened to ROTTERS on audio and it was fantastic. I have looked at this book on my shelf for a while, but finally moved it up my list when it won The Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production from YALSA in January. I’m very glad I did.

Sexual Content: None
Language Content: Moderate
Violence Content: Moderate

 

POP by Aury Wallington-REVIEW

Marit can't hold onto a boyfriend. Every time the relationship gets physical she freaks out and either scares the boy away or breaks up with him herself. She is afraid of having sex for the first time and obsesses about it. Besides the "no boyfriend" problem on the first day of school, she also has to deal with the fact that her schedule is terrible. I mean, who should have second period lunch? Eating lunch at 9:00 a.m. should definitely be against the law! So far the only bright spots in her day are her constant friends Jamie and Caroline. Basically inseparable, these three spend their day mocking the "followers" and "joiners" of the school.

Marit has accepted a senior year without a boyfriend until a new boy walks into her German class and steals her heart. She just knows that Noah will be her boyfriend for the year. She makes a bold move and invites him to a school bonfire. Noah accepts and Marit is hopeful it will be a successful date. Once at the bonfire, the couple realizes they can't talk with all the noise and finds a quiet spot to be alone. Eventually they begin to kiss and Marit's nerves cause her to do something to embarrass herself and ends up running away from the situation instead of talking to Noah about it.

Determined to fix her problem, she goes to her older sister for advice. Hilly tells Marit she needs to find someone she already knows and feels comfortable with to have sex with for the first time. Once she has done "it," she won't be so nervous about it. The perfect candidate is Jamie; her loyal friend of eight years. At first Jamie doesn't think it is a very good idea, but soon changes his mind.

Aury Wallington writes a realistic story that involves typical high school drama while at the same time creating characters that are likable. Even though sex is the main focus of Marit's life, she remains a character that the readers will root for in the end. The author also buries a lesson in the pages of the story; one that we can never hear enough. Friendship is more important than anything else. POP! is an enjoyable read, even though the ending is a little too convenient and quickly resolved.

MY LIFE UNDECIDED by Jessica Brody-REVIEW

Brooklyn Pierce has a knack for making bad decisions. It started when she was 2 and fell down a mine shaft. Being led off to jail in handcuffs, a result of burning down the model home that her mother was showing, was just the latest catastrophe in a long list. 

Sentenced to community service Brooklyn is determined to make wiser decisions in her life. She starts a blog to enlist the help of others. Before making any decisions Brooklyn polls her readers asking them to vote on different decisions she needs to make. Whatever decision the masses vote on that is what Brooklyn will follow. 

The hardest decision of all is who she should fall in love with. The hot new boy that she dubs Rhett Butler or the guy that saved her life at lunchtime whom she dubs Heimlich? 

With the decisions being out of her hands Brooklyn is finding that there is more to life than fashion and being popular. 

This was really a cute read. I did have issues with the underage drinking, and a few other “teens at risk” scenes, but for the most part it was cute, funny and enjoyable.

Language Content=There was some language content throughout the book, but not overused

Sexual Content=None

Violence=None

Teens behaving badly=There was underage drinking but it fit in with the story of Brooklyn making bad choices in her life. 

VARIANT by Robison Wells-REVIEW

Benson Fisher has finally found the educational experience he’s been looking for. As a foster kid who has been bounced from home to home for all of his life, he’s never had a chance to stay at a school for very long. He wants to make something out of his life. He wants to learn. He is sick of the competing for learning with the deadbeats at school who don’t want to learn. He applied for the scholarship to Maxfield Academy as part of an outreach program for foster kids and got accepted. He couldn’t wait for his life to change.

It doesn’t take long for him to realize he made a very big mistake.

Maxfield Academy doesn’t have any adults on campus. All the teaching is done by the students. The day begins with announcements from a man the students call the Iceman. Once announcements are over the daily schedule appears on the screen. The schedule is different every day. Sometimes classes may start at 7 AM – sometimes they may start at 1:00 PM. There is no way of knowing.

This might not sound so bad. Follow the rules and everything will be okay. But, things can’t be right if the students are locked in can they? And what about the students that disappear and never come back after going to detention? What kind of school has students acting as security guards patrolling the perimeter of the property on 4 wheelers? Why is Benson the only one who wants to escape?

VARIANT is twisted! Usually I can kind of see where the story is going, but this one was very hard to predict. There were a couple of things that REALLY surprised me. The ending absolutely left me going, “W-W-What????” I’m definitely interested to see what happens in the sequel. I can’t even guess!!! ARGH!!!!

Language Content=Some
Sexual Content=None
Violence Content=There is fighting that gets pretty bloody

SHUT OUT by Kody Keplinger-REVIEW

Things are out of control at Hamilton High. A rivalry that started over ten years ago is escalating. What may have started as name calling and taunting has turned into something is getting people hurt.

Lissa is sick of it and she is going to do something about it.

For too long the football and soccer teams have been fighting. The girlfriends of the players are the ones paying the price. They are the ones getting stood up because of a their boyfriends getting hurt during a fight; they are the ones being left alone in the car at “make out hill” when their boyfriends run off to chase someone who egged their car; they are the ones with the plan.

Lissa proposes a sex strike and slowly, but surely the other girls agree. One by one they place their hands on a recent issue of Cosmo and take the pledge.

"I hearby swear to abstain from all forms of sexual activity. This includes but is not limited to anything involving body parts below the belt. That’s either party’s belt. Oh, and second case is outlawed, too. Nothing, um, under the shirt…I’ll stand my ground, even in the toughest of times, and will resist temptation until the rivalry is put to an end."

The girls are sure it will be a quick victory, but as the weeks drag by and the boys don’t give in, tension run high.

Are the boys going to learn anything by being subjected to this punishment? Even a better question might be, what are the girls going to learn from dishing the punishment out?

SHUT OUT is another great look into the mind of a mostly typical teenage girl. While not as endearing as Bianca from THE DUFF, Lissa does pull at your heart strings. Keplinger has a knack for painting realistic pictures of high school and the many characters that walk the halls of the thousands of buildings across the U.S. I can’t wait to see what she come up with next.

 

FORBIDDEN by Tabitha Suzuma-REVIEW

Lochan and Maya are a great team. They share in the responsibilities around the house to where cooking, cleaning, and caring for their younger siblings is like a well-oiled machine. They have their routine. They support each other. As long as they can keep their mother’s attention long enough to get money from her to pay the bills, usually they are okay.

One wonders if things would have turned out differently for Lochan and Maya if they’d had a proper mother. One that didn’t force them to act as parents to the three younger children. One that, if she had done her job, would have given Lochan and Maya time to be “normal” kids – go out with friends, meet new people, participate in school activities.

But, that isn’t their reality. Lochan’s and Maya’s lives are much more complicated than the typical teen’s. They have fallen in love and can’t tell anyone about it – because they have fallen in love with each other. As their feelings solidify, Lochan and Maya grow more desperate to spend time together, but at the same time, feel terror that someone will find out. They know it is wrong. They know it is illegal. They know it would tear their family apart if their affair were revealed. They know something else, too. They know they can’t stop.

FORBIDDEN is intense. When finished, the reader will be emotionally drained. It is the kind of book that sticks with you for a while. The kind you find yourself thinking about at random times.

Not to compare it with FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC by V.C. Andrews, but…..if you had to stretch it you could definitely say that this is similar in the sense that the brother and sister fall in love. FORBIDDEN just actually has meat – story – quality.

Language Content - None
Violence Content - None
Sexual Content - There is a lot of sexual tension between the two main characters. Some scenes of interaction.  But, the most important thing when it comes to the sexual content in this book is the fact that the two main characters are siblings.

DOING IT by Melvin Burgess-REVIEW

Sex, Sex, Sex….it seems that is all that is on the minds of the three boys in this book. Dino, Ben, and Jonathan are great friends and all trying to find a way to lose their virginity. Dino is obsessed with Jackie, the most popular girl at school. Jackie doesn’t give Dino the time of day. She likes older boys and has had a serious boyfriend for a while. Finally, after a lot of convincing, Jackie agrees to go on a date with Dino. She finds that she can’t stop thinking about him and finally they become an item. Dino’s life is perfect – almost! Jackie won’t have sex with him. They get so close, but then she stops him – promising they will later. Eventually, Dino gives up and decides to sleep with another girl on the side and still keep Jackie as his “girlfriend.”


Ben has a secret. He lost his virginity a long time ago and has never told anyone about it – not even Dino and Jonathan. With all the sex talk going on between the three of them it is hard to understand why he wouldn’t say anything until you realize who it is he is sleeping with on a regular basis. Ben has been having a secret affair with one of his teachers for a while. At first he loved it an considered himself very lucky. But, things have changed. It isn’t as fun as it used to be, but will he be able to find a way to break it off?

Jonathan likes Deborah and wouldn’t mind calling her his girlfriend, but he doesn’t know if he can take the ribbing and teasing he’ll get from everyone at school – including his best friends. Deborah is a “plumper” and Jonathan likes her womanly curves and soft body. The times they have secretly made out have been wonderful, but he doesn’t know if he wants people to know they are together.

These three boys have to make a lot of hard decisions through the course of this story. DOING IT is not for the faint of heart. If you don’t like to read about sex or sexual activities (a.k.a. HEAVY petting) – then this isn’t the book for you. It is graphic in many parts, but, in my opinion, rings completely true coming from the mouths and minds of teenage boys. There were many times when I laughed out loud.

I listened to audio and the narrator did a great job.

ROSEBUSH by Michele Jaffe-REVIEW

Jane goes to a party on the Jersey Short expecting to have fun with her friends and a romantic night with her boyfriend. Instead she is run down by a car and left for dead – tangled in a rosebush on the side of the road.


Waking up in the hospital, Jane realizes she has no memory of what happened at the party and that she is paralyzed. With snatches of memory coming back at random moments and accounts from her friends, Jane attempts to piece together what really happened that night and who wants her dead, because the killer isn’t finished with her. Jane receives mysterious gifts and phone calls from the person responsible for her accident. The problem is, no one believes she is in danger. They blame the paranoia on all the drugs she is taking for the pain. Will she be able to figure out who is after her before it is too late?

Michele Jaffe crafted a great mystery. She is able to make the reader continually change their minds about what happened by presenting us with several feasible suspects. So, you might ask why I didn’t give it 5 glasses. I didn’t find the final cuprit to be believable. Other suspects had better reasons for wanting Jane out of the way than the actual person. Also, I liked Jane, but she was too easily swayed by boys. Every time she met a new one she seemed to like him. But, even with these two things, the book was great. I totally couldn’t put it down.

BITTER END by Jennifer Brown-REVIEW #5

Alex feels lost. She has ever since her mother drove off, leaving the family behind, and dying in a terrible car accident on her way to Colorado.  Alex has always wondered what Colorado meant to her mother. Why was going there more important than her family? In order to help her get over losing her mother, her two best friends Bethany and Zack start making plans to take a roadtrip to Colorado after high school graduation.


During Senior year, a new boy moves to town and catches Alex's eye. Cole is attentive, athletic, and attractive. Soon, Cole begins to monopolize all of Alex's time. He shows signs of jealousy about her relationship with Zack, shows up where she works and hangs out until she gets off, and starts having violent mood swings.

Alex finds herself in a difficult position. She knows Cole's behavior is wrong and she shouldn't put up with it, but at the same time, she doesn't want to be the "girl who is being abused." The poster child for domestic abuse.

Will Alex find the strength to make the right decision? Will she be able to salvage her relationships with Bethany and Zack? Will she ever find out why her mother needed to get to Colorado so badly?

BITTER END is a wonderfully crafted story. The friendship between Bethany, Zack, and Alex is great and made me want to have friends like them. Jennifer Brown did a lot of research in the area of domestic violence and it really shows. Everything rings true in this novel.

THE DUFF(DESIGNATED UGLY FAT FRIEND) by Kody Keplinger-REVIEW #3

"Bianca hates going out with her friends.  She loves Jessica and Casey more than almost anyone in the world, but watching them make fools of themselves on the dance floor and having to save them from the inappropriate advances of the jerks looking for their next conquest. Bianca spends her time sitting at the bar talking to Joe, the bartender, and drinking Cherry Coke. It's bad enough knowing she has two hours left before she can ask her friends to leave without looking like the party pooper, but when Wesley Rush plops down beside her, she feels like she wants to run screaming into the night.


Wesley says he just wants to talk. He thinks if he is seen talking to Bianca he'll have a better chance of getting into one of her friends' pants. Wesley explains that girls always like it when guys talk to the DUFF of the group. It makes the guy seem sensitive and kind. Bianca just happens to be the DUFF in her circle. DUFF stands for Designated Ugly Fat Friend. Bianca is so offended that she throws her Cherry Coke in Wesley's face and storms off to retrieve her friends so they can leave.

Bianca always knew she was the plain one of the group, but when Wesley introduced her to the name DUFF, she feels what's left of her self-esteem crumble. In addition to her own internal drama, Bianca also has to deal with the return of the ex-boyfriend that broke her heart and the fact that her parents are on the verge of divorce and her father might fall off the wagon after being sober for 18 years because of it.

In an act of desperation and as a way to distract herself, Bianca kisses Wesley one night when out with her friends. Wesley, the guy she knows is the biggest player in school, who will sleep with anything with breasts and is basically a man whore. She freaks out and runs once she finally pulls away from the fevered kiss. When her English teacher partners her with Wesley for an essay, she feels like she is going to lose it. But, once she gets to his house, she can't stop herself from kissing him again and soon the kiss progresses to heated sex. Bianca has discovered her stress reliever. Now, she just has to keep it a secret from everyone she knows.

THE DUFF is a wonderful story. It really gives you a lot to think about. The author does a wonderful job of developing Bianca's and Wesley's characters - so much so that you will fall in love with Wesley even though he is an arrogant jerk.

Some of the issues I have with the book stem from the fact that I am a cynical person, much like Bianca. From the title of the book, we are led to believe Bianca is a large person. She comments that she has large thighs, but that is really all that is said about her body except for the fact that she has small breasts. In one part of the book, Bianca is on a date with Toby. Toby is described as skinny, but when he sees that Bianca is cold he takes off his blazer and gives it to her to wear. If she were a "big" girl, a skinny guy's blazer isn't going to fit. My other issue is the ending. While I am completely happy with the way it ended for everyone - I think it is a fairy tale (if we are really looking at what would happen in the real world).

THE DUFF is definitely a high school book. It contains language and sex. Now, as a lover of edgy fiction, I loved it. The sex scenes are very well done, but for a reader not expecting high school students to participate in these type of adult activities, it might not be a good choice.

TOUCH by Francine Prose - REVIEW #1

Maisie has always been best friends with Shakes, Chris, and Kevin. She hasn't ever had "girl" friends and it has never seemed strange to her that she always hung out with the three boys. They treated her just like one of the guys - until Maisie goes away for a year to live with her mother. After deciding living with her mother and her new husband isn't going to work out, Maisie decides to move home to live with her father, even if that means living with her evil step-mother, Joan. Maisie is different when she comes back. Not in the way she acts or feels inside, but in the way her body looks. While she was away, Maisie developed large breasts. She isn't comfortable with them at all and the thing she dreads the most about them is how they might change the way Shakes, Chris, and Kevin react to her.
Never has she ever been more right. The boys act totally different and as much as she tries to return things to the way they used to be, it never feels the same.

The friendship between Maisie and the boys change even more after an incident on the school bus. But, what really happened? Every time Maisie tells the story it seems to change until she can't even remember what happened anymore. All she knows for sure is she feels desperately alone. All of her classmates avoid her and worst of all, she doesn't have her best friends to rely on anymore.

TOUCH is a good example of how stories can take on a life of their own. Unfortunately, after the first version gets out, there is usually little a person can do to stop it. Maisie learns first hand how it feels to be the focus of the entire school - and not in a good way.

RAGE by Julie Anne Peters - REVIEW

Johanna, a responsible and friendly girl, has admired the wild and dangerous Reeve from afar for a while.  She spends a lot of her time daydreaming about her and Reeve in romantic situations in Joyland, a place that only exists in Johanna’s mind.  Reeve doesn’t appear to know Johanna exists and one thing holding Johanna back from revealing her feelings for Reeve is the fact that she hasn’t “come out.”

Johanna doesn’t know when she agrees to tutor Robbie, a troubled and strange boy, that her world is about the enter Reeve’s atmosphere.  Robbie is Reeve’s brother.  She picks him up after the tutoring sessions so they can ride home together on the bus.  Johanna attempts to get Reeve’s attention and slowly, but surely, Reeve begins to pay attention.

Johanna makes it clear she wants a relationship with Reeve and Reeve attempts to warn her away.  Reeve’s life is dark and dangerous compared to what Johanna is used to, but her desire to be with Reeve borders on obsession.  She is willing to do anything.  No matter how many times Reeve pulls away, Johanna always goes after her.

Johanna’s life changes dramatically and she loses a lot in her attempt to be with Reeve.  Why does she do it?

RAGE, a story of love, is also a story of abuse.  Johanna displays the typical signs of a victim, “she didn’t mean to do it,” “it was my fault,” and must come to understand her own self worth in order to find a place where she can be both happy and healthy.  While Joyland is a great place to visit, does she really want to live there forever?

BAD GIRL DON'T DIE by Katie Alender - REVIEW

Alexis lives a dysfunctional high school existence. She keeps to herself taking and developing her own photographs in a darkroom at home. She doesn’t have any friends at school. She watches her parents grow farther and farther apart while they focus on their careers instead of home, but most unsettling of all is her younger sister’s fascination with her doll collection. Kasey won’t allow anyone near them and Alexis knows she has heard Kasey talking to them in the middle of the night.

Strange things have been happening around the old house they live in. Water boils on its own, doors open and close automatically, and Kasey’s eyes begin to change from their normal blue to a fiery green. With the help from an unlikely ally, Alexis begins to put together the pieces of a mystery that will lead to the cause of the disturbance in her house and the cause of her sister’s evil possession.

As far as ghost stories go, this is a good one. There are several layers to the mystery and the author generates a completely creepy feeling throughout the entire book. Be sure to pick up this book as soon as you can. You won’t be disappointed. Plus - what a cool cover! Even it is creepy.

THE TOTAL TRAGEDY OF A GIRL NAMED HAMLET by Erin Dionne - REVIEW

Hamlet Kennedy is starting the 8th grade. Hamlet’s goal for the year is to stay under the radar both at school and at home. Unfortunately that is difficult to do in a family like hers. With parents that are Shakespearean scholars and a genius 7-year-old for a sister Hamlet’s family is anything but ordinary.

Right from the start Hamlet’s school year is destined to ruin her. To start with, her sister Desdemona is starting the school year at Hamlet’s school. She will be taking Art and a few other classes along with being supplemented in her education by various tutors. Hamlet’s job is to help her sister navigate middle school for the first days until Dezzie(Hamlet’s nickname for her sister) knows how to navigate on her own. Also Hamlet is mysteriously receiving origami shaped pigs in her locker. And to top all of that off the big project for the beginning of the school year is Shakespeare. The students will be performing A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Hamlet attempts to hide that fact from her parents to try and keep herself from being further embarrassed by her family.

Trying to protect her sister from being used(for her brain) by two mean girls along with trying to figure out who is giving her origami pigs in her locker and keeping her parents in the dark about what is going on at school Hamlet has so much stress that something is about to give.

I thought The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet was so cute! I enjoyed it very much. I felt for Hamlet as she struggles to navigate her school life and her home life. A very delightful read!

BLISS by Lauren Myracle - REVIEW

Bliss in the Morning Dew has hippie parents and when they ditch her at her grandmother’s house on their way to Canada she is forced to survive in a world that is completely alien to her.

After living on a commune for years, Bliss expects high school to be like The Andy Griffith Show and is looking forward to starting frienships with people her age. Her grandmother enrolls her at Crestview Academy, an elite school that used to be a convent, which makes her both nervous and excited.

Much to Bliss’ relief, she doesn’t have any trouble finding girls to hang out with and everyone seems to be extremely patient with her asking questions like: 1) what is a parade float? and 2) what are Flavor Straws? Everything seems to be going great until she begins to hear the voice of a long dead novitiate – Liliana. Liliana is trying to get someone to perform a ceremony that will release her spirit and allow her to have power again and since Bliss has always been able to sense things from the “other” side, she seems like the perfect candidate.

Lauren Myracle, the author of TTYL, has written a disturbing horror novel that takes the reader deep into the hippie culture. She mixes facts from the 1969 Charles Manson Family Murders, a creepy ghost story, and typical high school drama into a wonderfully creative story. The use of quotes from 60’s culture TV Shows, Commercials, and Transcripts from the Charles Manson trial add to the charm of this book. While the middle of the story is a little slow, it doesn’t detract from the quality as a whole.