Andromeda Klein-- Frank Portman

Yes, I've finally done it.

I finally finished reading Andromeda Klein. So, I've kinda had a bad attitude about this book... I wanted it to grab me from the beginning (it didn't). I wanted it to be compelling (it wasn't). I wanted to like the protagonist (I did. YAY. Small victories.)

So, I read the first two hundred pages on breaks, on the elliptical machine, in line at the grocery, you know all those places where you need to distract yourself from reality a little bit. That wasn't the best way to read this book. Last week I needed to drive to a library branch that is over 2 hours away, each direction, so I listened to the book on CD. And that's when I really started to like it.

Andromeda Klein is a teenage occultist. NOT a wicker girl (wiccan) or a bacon (pagan). She works at the the international house of bookcakes (library), sneaks her dead BFF's little brother bagel worm agony (girly mags) in exchange for some of her weegie (spooky and magical) possessions. After some consumption of christmas trees (gin martinis), she meets a boy who's an emogeekian (emo occultist) and at the urging of Huggy, (her holy gaurdien angel otherwise known as alterverse AK) Andromeda agrees to take Byron the emogeekian on as a neophyte as long as he helps her save the library books from the sylvester mouse list (aka extra hours weeding list).

Wha?????

So you can see why this book was a struggle at first. It's told from Andromeda's perspective, so you have to really get used to her special lexicon in order to understand what the heck she's talking about at all. Also, there are hundreds of pages of Andromeda's perspective on all things occult. As a person who has a decent amount of knowledge on such topics, even I was pretty floored by the sheer mass of it all. Still, there was something charmingly compelling about this book, and no matter how much I wanted to toss it out the window, I just kept coming back to it. And, when listening to the audio, the lexicon isn't as much of a struggle and the funny party came shining through. So yay! I've officially read all of the Mock Printz books for this year!

I would recommend this book to... um...well... that precocious teen who won't stray from the 133s who is obsessed with all things occult and doesn't mind dense reading. I'm sure there's one or two out there, right?

Destroy All Cars-- Blake Nelson

Anyone looking for a slightly humorous and slightly delusional alternaboy saving the world book? Cuz I've got one for you...

James hates cars. He hates consumers. James cuts holes in his sweaters and puts duct tape on his converse so his stuff doesn't look new. He hates food drives and petitions and every other do-gooder activity that is wussy. He likes action! He thinks we should destroy all cars! But he's not quite sure how to get to school without one...

Destroy All Cars is basically the story of an impassioned high schooler who has great vision for change, but is too lazy for action. He is still in love with his ex, Sadie, who is just the opposite. She might not rage about gas guzzling SUVs, but she does organize food drives, groups to fight the paving of wetlands, and volunteers at local shelters. She can't understand why James won't get in on the action too... and so he does, but only to try to win her back.

Personally, I got annoyed with James. He is such a poser! I know that's kindof Blake Nelson's point and all, but I almost felt like he was making fun of teenagers in a subtle tongue-in-cheek way. I am very curious to see how well teens like this book and if they feel teased. Has anyone else read this yet?

I would recommend this book to boys (and girls, but boys especially) who enjoyed The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian or Teen Inc by Stefan Petrucha.

Going Bovine-- Libba Bray

So, a few years ago at a conference I had the privilege of hearing Libba Bray speak. I don't exactly remember what she said, or even what the topic of the presentation was, but she literally had me crying with laughter. I was never a big fan of her Gemma Doyle trilogy (although many, many people are), and after I heard her speak I thought to myself, Why doesn't she write something funny?? The woman is obviously hilarious!

Well, guess she hear my private brain-thoughts because Libba Bray has written something humorous! Going Bovine is 16 year-old Cameron's journey to save the world and find the meaning of life... before he's dead. Somehow, Cameron has contracted Mad Cow Disease, and we-the-readers travel with him through a series of possible hallucinations or just really twisted realities. In order to save the world from the Wizard of Reckoning, Fire Giants, and to seal up the whole in the universe that Dr. X accidentally let the evil sneak through, Cameron has to put his trust in Gonzo (the dwarf of destiny), Balder (a viking god turned yard gnome), and Dulcie (a punk rock, sugar lovin' hottie angel chica). Their ragtag crew travels all over the South in a falling apart Caddy and *must* get to Florida before Cameron's E-ticket to the Magic Kingdom expires.

Overall, this book is silly, laugh-out-loud funny, and will be easy to recommend to that teen who just wants to read "something funny". However, there are some poignant moments, and I did feel emotionally pulled at some points while reading. I think Libba is quite a good writer... some parts of the book felt a little long (it is almost 500 pages after all!), but the way she wrote her character's thoughts and dialog was just perfect. I would recommend this to teen boys or girls who enjoy humorous writing, and who don't mind mild drug, alcohol, and sex references.

The Spectacular Now-- Tim Tharp

This is a book that will evoke strong emotion in all who read it... Tharp's rich language and utterly engaging protagonist, Sutter, draw you in right away. He is an entirely likable guy, which makes disliking his actions all the harder. You see, Sutter is a full-blown drink-whiskey-in-the-morning, two day hang-over, drunk driving mess of a teenager. Yet somehow, the reader can just rationalize his behavior along with him because intentions are truly golden.

When we meet Sutter he is praising the glory of his fat and fabulous girlfriend Cassidy. She proceeds to dump him because he can't seem to put anyone first besides himself (and his 7 and 7). When Sutter meets Aimee he is passed out on the front lawn in an unfamiliar neighborhood after a particularly strong bender. He doesn't think of her as girlfriend potential... he is still half in love with Cassidy and Aimee is kindof a dork anyway. But Sutter feels like Aimee needs him; he wants to inspire confidence in her and help her overcome her dreary home life situation. Tharp's subtly is apparent through this relationship because on the surface it seems like Sutter is taking on Aimee is a project, but really it's Aimee who helps Sutter grow.

I can already see that some people will have problems recommending this book to teens. I wouldn't say this book glorifies alcoholism, but it sure doesn't demonize it. Everything *does not* get resolved in the end, which I really liked because it added a breath of realism to the book. The sad thing is that Sutter reminds me of some people I know... they are in their 20s, not teens, but still very similar. It's that "party-man" attitude; the idea that if you get royally intoxicated you will be the life of the party, the person everyone likes to see, the daredevil who will try anything. Honestly, society praises this type of behavior subtly through celebrity obsession, movies, and TV shows. And, if we are really going to be honest here, who doesn't like the life of the party and sometimes wish we could be that person? This is the crux of why it might be hard for adults to pass on this book to teens; Sutter is so likable and someone people will want emulate him... but he is an alcoholic, unhealthy, and makes dangerous choices.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and wish I had read it prior to our Mock Printz selections. I would recommend this book to older teens who enjoy strong character driven books with wellcrafted language and coming of age type plots.

P.S. I really really wish it had a better cover... I feel like the cover of this book will make it a hard sell...

Appetite for Detention-- Sloane Tanen

Who says that picture books are for kids?? Over the years, there have been many picture book style books for teens, but Appetite for Detention was particularly fun to read. Sloane Tanen has written a bunch of similar books for children, but this title is definitely for a teen audience. What makes this book so fun is the contrast between the pictures and the text are particularly good.

When you see fluffy little chicks you don't usually think about Juicy Couture handbags, eating disorders, depression, the SATs, gym glass, detentions, school dances and kisses. I recommend picking up this book and perusing the pictures. In order for teens to find it, it will need to be on display or pointed out to them by a library staff person. I think teens who are looking for a fun, super-quick lighthearted read will enjoy this.