Maybe for other schools

Spencer's Saving Grace was a good examination of one girl's attempts to deal with her brother's death in an accident. She doesn't deal well at first-- alienating her friends, hanging with a fast crowd, drinking (effective in some ways to dull the pain-- the second book in two days I've read to treat drinking this way), and failing in school. When her mother helps to organize a concert as a memorial to the brother, she first wigs out and then seems to do better. The part that failed for me was that there was a girl who seemed to know when Grace was coming unglued and was there for her. Was she an angel? There was too much emphasis on God for my library; this would be better for a religious school.

Laura Ruby's Good Girls would be better for a high school. There was far too much implied sex in this book, and the 6th graders would be the one to pick it up for the cool cover (picture on front changes from picture of girl to title). For high schools, it would be a good story about how small actions can have big consequences. And the drinking again. Must make sure to smell my daughter's breath every time she comes home from high school!

Did finish Trickster's Queen. It's obvious that Pierce has spent 20 years with these characters and that they are fully formed in her mind. I wish I had more time to spend on these.

Aimee Ferris' Girl Overboard was another fun read in the Students Across the Seven Seas series. And I must say, as much as I like S.A.S.S. for the vicarious travel experience, many of them are a bit whiny. Girl Overboard truly was my favorite, because she had a real reason for traveling and missing her boyfriend was the only whiny part. I need to see if this author has done anything else. Very promising. More travel!!!!Smart thing from the public library that I should have figured out on my own-- shelve them all under "F Sas" instead of the separate authors. Sorry, separate authors-- they are far easier to find when altogether, not that they usually make it to the shelves. The girls love them.

Secret Agent by Robyn Freedman Spizman & Mark Johnston didn't quite do it for me. There was something about the staccato delivery of it that was distracting to me. I tested it on some students who just didn't get into it, either. There is not much agenting going on, and I'm afraid I would have a lot of disappointed boys.