Review: Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson

Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson. The first book in the Flirting in Italian series.

Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: June 2012
List Price: $17.99
ISBN-13: 9780385741354

Review: What's better than flirting and Italy? Well, just put the two together and you get Flirting in Italian, the first book in a three book series by Lauren Henderson which is even more superior. Lauren Henderson has also written the Scarlett Wakefield series among several other books as well as Jane Austen's Guide to Dating which has been suggested to be made into a film. The second book in the series is going to be Kissing in Italian. The main characters are Violet, Kelly, Paige, Kendra, Elisa, Luca, and Catia.

Violet is just a normal girl from England seeking a mysterious relative from a museum picture, but suddenly that all changes as soon as she enters Italy. With Paige and Kendra getting a million hot Italian guys around them, Kelly is feeling insecure and asking Violet for help. Unexpectedly, Violet has the prince, Luca, hitting on her. When Violet is secretly poisoned from yew berries and gets very sick, she knows Elisa, Catia's daughter, probably has something to do with it. But, it could have been from kissing Luca. However, when Elisa is "being nice," and driving Violet to the Castello di Vesperi, she tells Violet the castle keeper, Maria, and Catia, her guide, are there waiting for her. With this information, she knows something is definitely wrong. Who knows what it is…? Do you? You've got to read the book to find out…

I really loved Lauren Henderson's Flirting in Italian! It was phenomenal! I would say that this book has a genre of mystery/romance. At times it creates suspense with romance at the same time. I suggest this novel for young adults who love mysteries but a little on the soft side with a hint of romance. One of the times it creates suspense is when it says "'But Kelly's right,' I think, wincing. 'From now on, maybe I should stay away from the Castello di Vesperi….'" Like I said, this mystery is awesome! I hope you love it just as much as I do! I can't wait for her to publish her next book in the series, Kissing in Italian!

Review written by Andrea (8th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of Flirting in Italian for this review.

Have you read Flirting in Italian? How would you rate it?

Review: Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm

Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm.

Graphia
Publication Date: May 2012
List Price: $8.99
ISBN-13: 9780547564593

Review: Who likes history as much as Libby Kelting? Who knows? Libby Kelting is the main character of Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink written by Stephanie Kate Strohm. For Libby Kelting the best summer before senior year is working as a counselor at Camden Harbor where it is always 1791 (the year it was built). Libby loves history and historical romance novels.

Libby has a very annoying roommate named Garrett. Garrett is a video-gaming loving, Star Trek loving geek. He is also a rookie newspaper reporter on the case of a ghost drowned sea captain. What or who is the ghost? Is Camden Harbor really haunted? "Throw in a summer fling with Cam, the hottest sailor in the harbor" but who may not be quite as he seems, and you have a very confusing summer for Libby.

This is for the most part a good book. I rate this book 4 stars. The beginning is confusing. I had to read it twice to really understand what was going on. Other than that, it is a good book. Overall, Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink is best for readers who enjoy a little mystery combined with romance. At the beginning I was not very interested, but it definitely gets better throughout the book. Stephanie Kate Strohm is an amazing author, and I encourage everyone to read her book.

Review written by Hannah (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing a copy of Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink for this review.

Have you read Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink? How would you rate it?

Review: Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler

Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler.

Flux
Publication Date: March 2011
List Price: $9.95
ISBN-13: 9780738722870

Review: Imagine being in high school knowing exactly what your future entails - a full basketball scholarship, a wonderful idolizing boyfriend, a family who is proud of you - what more could you want? Up until one life-altering accident, this is Chelsea Keyes life. After a horrifying fall on the courts, everything Chelsea has come to know as the norm is turned upside down, making her a stranger to her school, her family, and most importantly to herself. Chelsea's search for her identity is beautifully portrayed in Holly Schindler's novel, Playing Hurt .

Chelsea ends her senior year in high school much differently than she'd expected. Instead of being the star in everyone's life, she is now just Chelsea. The only constant is her devoted boyfriend, Gabe. With everyone else, she's become withdrawn and fixates on that last moment when she fell and destroyed every hope of ever playing basketball again and crushed both her and her father's dreams. In hopes of moving Chelsea beyond her depression, her father treats the family to a three-week summer "boot camp" in Minnesota where he hires a personal trainer, Clint, who he hopes will be able to restore some of the girl Chelsea once was before the accident. Though hating to leave Gabe behind, Chelsea quickly finds Clint - who is a 19-year-old ex-hockey player haunted by his own personal demons - intriguing. As hard as they both try, the chemistry between Clint and Chelsea is far too strong, and Chelsea's father ends up with far more than he's bargained for in a trainer. Chelsea realizes that with Clint she can "almost remember what if felt like to be whole again. Unbroken." As Chelsea struggles with her growing feelings for Clint and her sense of devotion to Gabe, she finds that maybe, just maybe if she takes a chance, she can move on in her life. But, is that chance worth the risk of causing more heartbreak for everyone involved?

Simply stated, Playing Hurt is fabulous. It is an absolutely perfect young-adult romance - focusing on issues today's teens must face, and handling them with an elegance that touches even the coldest of hearts. Holly Schindler addresses complex issues such as teen sensuality, infidelity, and simply growing into adulthood beautifully. So often, edgier novels are written more with a shock value, hoping to lure in teens by risqué content. But Playing Hurt doesn't need shock value - it's simply good, authentic literature. The primary plot of Chelsea's growth and acceptance of her life without basketball is but one part of the novel. The subplots are certainly equally captivating. Schindler does a nice job weaving in family dynamics with struggle between sticking with comfort and taking a chance on life, and it is never presented in an unrealistic, "every-story-needs-a-happy-ending" way. Also, Schindler's writing style is captivating. Lacing the story with figurative language such as "Basketball is an hourglass with a whole pyramid of sand on the bottom," adds to the lure of the novel. Clearly, Holly Schindler is a name to watch. Playing Hurt is her second novel, and her debut novel, A Blue So Dark has recently won a gold medal at the IPPY's and is also a finalist in ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year. Hopefully readers will be hearing a lot more about Holly Schindler!

Review written by Margo Nauert (6th grade teacher).

We would like to thank Holly Schindler for providing a copy of Playing Hurt for this review.

Have you read Playing Hurt? How would you rate it?

Review: Kindred by Tammar Stein

Kindred by Tammar Stein.

Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: February 2011
List Price: $16.99
ISBN-13: 9780375858710

Review: Imagine getting a visit from an angel telling you to save someone, but to make things worse, your twin brother also gets a supernatural visit, but from the other end of the good-evil spectrum. This is only part of the crazy and confusing events that happen to Miriam in Kindred by Tammar Stein. Miriam is in college and is lost. She believes in a powerful energy but doesn't feel comfortable talking about her religion. Then one night on spring break Miriam's world is turned upside down when she gets a visit from Raphael, the angel. Kindred is a religious and fictional story filled with drama, love, and much more.

After Miriam's encounter with Raphael who told her to protect Tabitha, a stranger Miriam goes to school with, Miriam starts looking for answers. She finds Tabitha who she befriends. Miriam is told by the angel to save Tabitha before the Sabbath. Though Miriam gets to Tabitha before the Sabbath when Tabitha's dorm is blown up, Tabitha is disabled forever and Miriam ends up in big trouble for not helping Tabitha in time. So Miriam is now confused and scared and decides to become a college drop out and take a job as a reporter in Hamilton, Tennessee. With Miriam's parents worried and calling her all the time, things get even worse when Miriam gets a visit from her twin brother Mo. While with Mo she discovers that Mo got a visit too, but from the opposite direction. As in what Mo says in Kindred, "I've got friends in low places", from the song by Garth Brooks. This upsets Miriam because her brother is working for the Devil. Soon after, Miriam is getting stomach cramps that turn out to be Crohn's disease that she believes to be a punishment from God. Also, Miriam gets another angel visit giving her a new person to help who is an intern at the newspaper with some of his own problems. During the story Miriam develops a relationship with the local tattoo parlor owner Emmett. What will Miriam do to help mysterious Jason?

I wasn't really impressed with this book. One reason is that the story was quite slow at times. Also, the author always explained jokes too much when they were actually easy to understand. This frustrated me because it made the book seem longer than it actually was. I also couldn't connect with the main character who I found to complain a lot. This book was mostly a romance novel. It was funny at times but was a really serious book. Possibly one of the reasons that I did not enjoy this book as much as I'd hoped is because of the genre. Someone who likes romance novels might like it more. Overall, I would give Kindred two stars if you're not a lover of romance. But, this book could be great for someone looking for a fantasy romance novel.

Review written by Kyle (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of Kindred for this review.

Have you read Kindred? How would you rate it?