Book Reviews: May 2010

Fat Cat by Robin Brande

Overachieving high schooler Cat is determined to ace her science project and beat her ex-best friend Matt McKinney at the science fair. Since the competition is so intense, Cat knows she has to do something drastic — she will use herself as a test subject. She has always struggled with her weight, so decides to essentially live like a caveman by eating unprocessed foods and walking everywhere. What starts as an experiment changes Cat in unexpected ways and may just change her long-strained relationship with Matt. Cat’s transformation is inspiring, especially since it comes from a healthy relationship with food. The ending is fairly predictable, but the journey is fun and full of characters that you can’t help but love.

Gimme A Call by Sarah Mlynowski

High school senior Devi gets a surprise when she drops her cell phone in the mall fountain — she’s somehow able to call her 14-year-old self. She seizes this opportunity to shape her life, as the actions her past self takes immediately affect her present. And she especially wants to avoid ever dating her boyfriend of three years, who broke her heart right before prom. But not all of Devi’s past decisions have favorable outcomes and she starts to understand what’s really important in her life. Devi’s a likable character and it’s interesting to see the interactions between the past Devi and the present Devi. The unique time-bending nature of the story adds a fun level to this otherwise typical contemporary YA novel. The premise also lends itself to some fun discussion about what you would tell your past self and how little actions can have big consequences.

Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz

This slice of life story about a vinyl music loving 16-year-old brings Berkeley, CA to life and makes the reader want to haul out a record player and some classic LPs. The plot is fairly straightforward and predictable, but the characters and their passions shine through.

June 1st, 2010  ♥  Books, Reviews  ♥  No Comments »