WHALE TALK by Chris Crutcher-REVIEW

T. J. Jones is a smart young man.  He lives with his wonderfully supportive adoptive parents, has the perfect girlfriend, and plays some mean basketball. It has taken him a long time to get to a place in his life where he can say he is happy though. It still takes a lot of self-control to suppress his anger because unfortunately, he lives in a town where people aren’t exactly open-minded. As part African-American he faces daily racism from some of the Good Ol’ Boys in town. He particularly has trouble with the star football player.

When T.J. is approached by one of his teachers to join the swim team he is confused. Cutter High School doesn’t have a swim team. It turns out the teacher wants him to start the team and help him recruit other swimmers. T.J. decides to do it, if nothing else, to spite the school athletics group. T.J. is determined to get his swim team to perform well enough during the season so they can all qualify for letter jackets. The group of misfits he convinces to join the team turn out to need a lot more than a letter jacket – they need friendship.

Chris Crutcher packs in so many emotions in this story that you can’t help but be sucked into it. He uses his wealth of experience to weave together a complex story of love and the true meaning of family. I listened to WHALE TALK on audio and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The narrator did a fantastic job. This is one of the classics of young adult literature.  If you haven’t read it yet, now is the time.

GLIMPSE by Carol Lynch Williams-REVIEW

Lizzie and Hope are as close as two sisters can be; so, when Hope walks in on Lizzie with a shotgun in her mouth, Hope is thrown into a world of confusion. She can’t imagine what would drive Lizzie to such an extreme action.

After Lizzie is taken to the hospital and put in lockdown, Hope is left alone in the house with her inattentive, prostitute mother. She does her best to keep up a normal life even though Lizzie is always in the back of her mind.


In a visit with the hospital’s therapist, Hope finds out about a journal Lizzie kept and after seeing how anxious it makes her mother, Hope realizes she needs to find it. She knows her mother did something to make Lizzie attempt suicide, but can’t decide what. Her mother has been acting guilty and scared ever since she found out about the journal and Hope knows if her mother finds it before her, no one will ever find out what Lizzie wrote.


GLIMPSE is a heart-wrenching story about the deep love between two sisters and Hope’s courage as she finds a way to rescue Lizzie from the hell her life has become. Told in verse, GLIMPSE is a fast-paced story that will grab you as soon as you finish the first page. Carol Lynch Williams handles this edgy topic with grace and finesse. If you enjoyed THE CHOSEN ONE, you’ll definitely want to read GLIMPSE

LIVING DEAD GIRL and LOVE YOU, HATE YOU, MISS YOU by Elizabeth Scott - 2 for 1 Post - REVIEW

While on a class field trip Alice is lured away from the group by Ray - a child predator. The minute she starts to walk with him, her life is over. She becomes a shell of a girl. A girl technically alive, but dead on the inside.

The story picks up after Alice has lived with Ray for five years. She knows what to expect - she can read his moods. Ray maintains control by reminding Alice that he knows where her “real” family lives. He’s even driven her there and told her that if she attempts to run away - he’ll kill everyone inside.

Ray wants Alice to remain young looking. He withholds food when he thinks she is gaining weight, he gives her medication to stop her menstrual cycle, and requires her to wax ALL the hair from her body.

When Alice reaches the age of fifteen, Ray begins to talk more and more about her death. He brings up finding a new girl, someone else that needs to be shown how lucky they are. He forces Alice to scout possible girls for him. When Alice finds a six-year-old girl that would meet Ray’s approval, she finally sees a way out for herself.

Elizabeth Scott has written a heart-wrenching account of one girl’s life as an abductee. The amount of detail used to describe her daily experiences is amazing. Many sexually graphic scenes fill the pages of this book and threaten to turn the stomach of the reader. LIVING DEAD GIRL is a story that will stick with you after you finish.

Amy is drowning in guilt. She survived the car accident that took the life of her best friend Julia and she doesn’t feel she deserves to live. Amy never should have done what she did. She never should have used alcohol as a crutch to get through her feelings of insecurity about her appearance. She never should have made Julia get in the car that night and she definitely shouldn’t have told her to drive.

LOVE YOU HATE YOU MISS YOU is a story of healing. Between Amy’s memories of past times with Julia and her therapy sessions since the accident, the reader gets a clear picture of what Amy is going through.

Elizabeth Scott has done it again. She has provided readers with a realistic view of teenage dynamics while at the same time giving a heart-wrenching story about the importance of friendship and family.