Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson (audio)

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson. 2007.

Audience: Grades 9th and up; 12 yrs. and up

My Rating: 3*s of 5

Summary: After finally getting noticed by someone other than school bullies and his ever-angry father, seventeen-year-old Tyler enjoys his tough new reputation and the attentions of a popular girl, but when life starts to go bad again. He must choose between transforming himself or giving in to his destructive thoughts.

Comments: The first half of this book absolutely worked for me. I was completely empathetic with Tyler and on the edge of my seat to know what would happen with Bethany. His feelings (eh-hem) for her are palpable (I wonder if guy readers would agree?). But when gears shift to other areas of focus, the story lost momentum for me. The drama amped up and seemed a bit over the top, but hey, what do I know about 17 year old boy-brains? I was glad at how things played out eventually, but would have stayed more glued to the story had the Bethany storyline remained a key player. Overall, an interesting male point of view equivalent to Speak.
Awards:

Read-alikes: Antsy books by Shusterman, Paper Towns by Green

Forever Princess by Meg Cabot (audio)

Forever Princess (Princess Diaries, book 10, Finale!) by Meg Cabot. 2009.
Audience: 12 and up
My Rating: 4.5*s of 5
Summary: Mia, who is finally a senior at Albert Einstein High, faces difficult choices about boys and her status as princess while her future, and Genovia's, hang in the balance.
Comments: I heart Meg Cabot. It is official. I have now read enough of her books to safely say that she never disappoints. As she does so well, Cabot gives us another character who, for much of the book, cannot seem to make the right choices (veeeery similar to the way her target audience might think/behave? Bless my adult, fully formed pre-frontal lobe!). The love triangle between Mia, J.P., and Michael is delicious as are the interspersed excerpts from Mia's senior project, a medieval romance book called Ransom My Heart (published under Meg Cabot as an adult romance! Clever Meg). My only prior Princess exposure was part of book 1, but I still completely enjoyed this royale finale.
Awards:
Read-alikes: duh