Kissing Vanessa

Cheshire, Simone. Kissing Vanessa.(2003)

Kevin is just trying to make his way through each day at school. He loves photography, but isn't very fond of school... until Vanessa shows up. The minute he sees her, he thinks she is the most beautiful girl ever. When it turns out she also is interested in photography, he becomes so besotted that his grades start to slip and he can barely form a complete sentence in Vanessa's presence. He consults his friend Jack, the cologne drenched, super suave author of Girlfriend Management the Easy Way, and tries to employ a few of the tricks. He gets invited to Vanessa's birthday party-- but doesn't know it's her birthday. He figures out where her family is going on break and suggests his family go to the same place so he can (unsuccessfully) stalk her. All the while, Vanessa is fairly understanding, and Kevin comes across, in the opinion of Vanessa's father, like a blithering idiot. When Vanessa runs into some trouble due to her photography, Kevin is able to champion her cause, and is finally able to be around her without being so nervous and strange.

Strengths: This was great! I have never heard of this author, but this short book (136 pages) was a winner! It is aggressively British, and there were some things he didn't quite understand. Still, as romance books for boys go, this had everything I was looking for and none of the things that would ruin it.

Weaknesses: The Britishisms might throw some boys off, and the cover is not particularly appealing. It is not overly dated, with the possible exception of the mention of a Game Cube.

This appeared in a box of donations from Half Price Books, which I am working on doling out to students for the summer. They were extremely generous with what they sent (seven boxes!) and they will be put to very good use. Of course, to show my support, it was absolutely essential to purchase the Best of Janis Joplin CD, which turned out to be just the angst-ridden-wailing kind of music that should have been the sound track for this year!

Middle Grade Monday-- Crush

Paulsen, Gary. Crush.

Publication date 8 May 2012. E ARC from Netgalley.com

Kevin has decided that it's not enough to just have a crush on the beautiful Tina. He is going to do some serious research and figure out how he can ask her out and get her to say yes. He sets up a romantic dinner for his parents and observes them from a closet-- and sees the cat sit on the pasta and then set the table on fire. He asks his sister's friends to give him advice, and they tell him he dresses like he just came from the scene of a natural disaster. He successfully sets up his brother and his hockey team with girls who also ice skate. He "observes" his best friend JonPaul (who really deserves a book of his own; I love his laconic personality!) on a date with Sam and is befuddled by how boring it is. (After doing homework for 47 minutes and working on some beaded necklaces, they fall asleep. "JonPaul's idea of dating was a whole lot like Markie's preschool's idea of quite time, only without the duck mats and blankies." Page 60) Finally, at an anniversary party where Kevin sees all the people he has fixed up, he finally gets to talk to Tina, who has wondered why he has been so preoccupied and has been ignoring her!

Strengths: Ah, Mr. Paulsen. Please continue to write these charming books for a very long time, and keep the same small format and great covers. The two copies each of Liar, Liar and Flat Broke that I never make it back to the shelf. (And yes, if you haven't read them, you need to!) If I had to buy birthday presents for a 12 year old boy, I'd get the whole set in hardcover.

Weaknesses: Not quite as many nose snorting laughs as Mudshark, but still very funny.

Swan, William. Fast Finish.

Noah is excited when he is approached by the coach of the Viking Track Club. He loves to run, and it helps him deal with both the bullies at school and the still too recent death of his father. While he has the support of his hardworking mother and uncle, and enjoys being on Coach Judge's team, he still has trouble focusing on running sprints. When he runs a longer race and talks to Coach Buchan, who knew his dad, he starts to connect a bit more to the sport, but when Coach Buchan ends up having a very serious health issue, he is scared. Watching his father go downhill was bad enough, and Noah doesn't think he can deal with it again. How can he concentrate on running when so many things are going on in his life?
Strengths: Lots of good descriptions of running, and Noah's character is sympathetic and real.
Weaknesses: This started out with bullying, so I thought that would be this was the direction it would take. Also, Canadian running is set up differently, so US students might struggle with the idea of running clubs separate from schools.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday was started by Shannon Whitney Messenger, and is at her blog, Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe.

Sidekicks

Ferraiolo, Jack. Sidekicks.

It's not easy to be Scott. While he has super strength and speed, he's being raised by Trent, aka Phantom Justice, and must perform super hero sidekick duties as Bright Boy. The yellow tights and red cape were cute when he was younger, but after a much televised wardrobe malfunction, he's ready to ditch the costume. At school, he's bullied by Jake and ignored by most of the other students. After being in prison for five years, Bright Boy's arch nemesis, Dr. Chaotic, is back, as is his screeching assistant, Monkeywrench. Since the superheroes all seem to be disappearing, it's up to Phantom Justice and Scott to dispatch the pair, but after one clash, Scott discovers that Monkeywrench is really a classmate of his, Allison. The two become friends, and then things REALLY become interesting. Let's just say that the super hero world is not always what it seems. The twists and turns in this are so delicious that I don't want to give them away.

Strengths: This was great! Not at all what I was expecting, and the interplay between good and evil, always a favorite theme of mine, was brilliant! Scott and Allison's relationship rings true, making this a good book to hand to boys who secretly want a romance book. The superhuman aspect is believable, and the inclusion of embarrassing incidents makes this funny as well. I did like this author's The Big Splash, but the film noir style isn't popular in my library.

Weaknesses: The cover is attractive, but a bit on the cartoonish side. I intend to hand this to a lot of 8th graders, and the cover will make some of them flinch.Also, after an uncomfortable conversation with my surly male resource, we concluded that some of Scott's wardrobe problems could perhaps have been averted with some standard athletic equipment that would probably have been useful when fighting supervillians anyway! Small points; I'm looking forward to having this in my library!

Meyer, Carolyn. Cleopatra Confesses.

It's not easy to be the young Cleopatra, either. From her final moments, she recounts her event filled childhood. Her older sisters resent their father and can't wait to rule the kingdom and enjoy all of the perks ruling offers. Cleopatra, however, is a little more attuned to the people, and knows that her father wants her to rule. Once she starts to share the rule with her father, she develops a crush on Marc Antony, but later, of course, has an affair with Caesar. This is not so much about romance as it is about politics, which have to consume most of Cleopatra's thoughts.

Strengths: The description of every day life make this a valuable book to have. The affairs are described delicately enough that the sixth graders can read this.

Weaknesses: I have to agree with Small Review , who liked this but thought it stopped when all of the real excitement began. I also agree that there were times when the plot didn't seem to go anywhere-- there wasn't much action, more thought. This is similar to the books about the young British queens that Meyer has done, and those are popular, so it may not matter.