Huge, Sasha Paley

In Paley's YA book two very different and somewhat one dimensional girls head off to fat camp. Wil, short for Wilhelmina, is the overweight daughter of two health club guru's and an embarassment to her parents. They send to her fat camp against her will where she meets April. April's a poor girl who saved money for a year to attend. (Far-fetched given that the camp is $7,000 and April is from a poor family.)

Paired up as roommates the inevitable hating each other relationship slowly (and predictably) evolves into friendship. The book rolls along pretty well until the ending, where everything is wrapped up in a neat bow that doesn't ring true to the book.

Too many cliches and predictable outcomes fuel this fat camp tale.

Finding Grace, Alyssa Brugman

Starting college Rachel is hired to care for Grace, a brain-damaged woman. Rachel first tackles her job with her typical perfectionist style, but learns to love Grace and her story as the book goes on.

I found this book to be moving and real. I cared about the characters and the story was really engrossing. Highly recommended!

The Notebook Girls, Julia Baskin, Lindsey Newman, Sophie Pollitt--Cohen & Courtney Toombs

This real life notebook kept by 4 freshmen at Manhattan's Stuyvesant High School is a great look into their lives, as they experienced it. The book is mostly un-edited and produced in the girls actual handwriting with drawings and whatever else they saw fit to put in it at the time.

Ending in their junior year the girls show all aspects of themselves from whiny to giving, likeable and not, the way we all really are in high school. It's a great summer read & one that's hard to put down.

Prairie Tale, Melissa Gilbert

Prairie Tale is a sometimes self serving, sometimes unflinching look at the life of Melissa Gilbert, or Half Pint from the show Little House On The Prairie. Not bad, not great.

The Sisters Anitpodes, Jane Alison

This story of 2 families who become close and then end up switching husbands and mixing up the families, seems crazy until you realize that it's a true story. I think had this book been a work of fiction there would be more details, more depth to part of the story, but I think Alison did the best she could to peel back the layers of her crazy, confusing life.

This story is so compelling, it's really worth the read.

Grosse Pointe Girl, Sarah Grace McCandless

Grosse Pointe is one of the most affluent parts of Michigan. McCandless portrays perfectly the teenaged Emma, too self-absorbed in her own teen drama to even pay attention to her own parents divorce.

Us children of the 80's will recognize all of the cultural references with fondness. I didn't think the illustrations went with the book. It's a bit choppy in parts, but this was a fun trip back in time through the eyes of a spoiled girl that I never got to be.

The Importance Of Being Famous, Maureen Orth

Orth shines the light on celebrities who will do anything to be famous and even more to stay famous. This is an unflinching look at what makes a celebrity and those of us who make them who they are.