high school – Page 2

Teen, Uncategorized, Young Adult/New Adult

Monica Ropal’s When You Leave – a gripping YA mystery, and an author interview!

Posted on April 8, 2015April 7, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

When You Leave, by Monica Ropal (April 2015, Running Press), $9.95, ISBN: 9780762454556

Recommended for ages 14+

Skater girl Cass has a theory: everyone you love will leave you. Her dad left her; her best friend battled cancer and won, but it took his voice – she still feels the pain from it; her mother, remarried and pregnant, barely notices her or her younger brother, and her stepfather keeps her at arm’s distance. She sticks to her group of skater friends from Frogtown, despite living in a better neighborhood (courtesy of her stepfather) and being enrolled in a private school with the sort of kids who look at Frogtown skaters like something stuck to the bottom of their shoes.

And then, there’s Cooper. One of the popular kids, he’s someone Cass would never dream of having a relationship with – until she does. As soon as their romance begins, it ends when Cooper is brutally murdered, and one of her best friends is the prime suspect. As Cass starts her own investigation to clear her friend’s name, she starts learning more about the kids at school, what she meant to Cooper, and who she can really trust.

Cass is an outsider in her school, feels like an outsider among her own friends, once her family’s circumstances have changed, and an outsider in her own family. She even feels, to some degree, like an outsider in her fledgling relationship with Cooper, who’s not from her social crowd. Even after his death, she tries to find meaning in the relationship. She’s a great character to identify with teens, who often feel like outsiders themselves, for a myriad of reasons.

This is a story that will appeal to mystery and YA romance fans alike. There’s the whole West Side Story, secret romance between two factions to draw readers in, and the whodunit, which hits like a gut punch, and keeps going until the conclusion, where you’re yelling at the book. In a good way. Monica Ropal has created a layered story, told in the first person through a true outsider looking in.

When You Leave is in stores, so make sure you check out a copy on your next bookstore/library trip.

I’m thrilled to present my first MomReadIt author interview! Monica Ropal was kind enough to answer a few questions for me about When You Leave, fandoms, and more. Read on!

MomReadIt: Congrats on an amazing debut novel! What influenced you to write a mystery? Are you a fan of the genre?

Monica Ropal: Thank you very much! I am a huge mystery fan! But specifically my thought, from the start, was to make a very personal and very emotional mystery. Adult mystery tends to be very cerebral, and for YA, I wanted to bring the FEELS. Cass isn’t your typical sleuth. In fact, she is probably the worst person for the job because she has zero objectivity, given how close she is to both the victim and the prime suspect. I think that the fact that she struggles with finding emotional distance and that her perspective is colored by her emotions makes a very interesting point of view.

MRI: When You Leave looks at rival social classes, and how one’s social class affects not only how other kids look at you, but how the law looks at you. Has media coverage of current events influenced you at all when you’re writing?

MR: I think this is an age-old problem. The location in St. Paul, like many big cities, I imagine, has very different socio-economic classes within blocks of each other, and I always thought that was interesting.

MRI: I loved the unspoken communication between Cass and Mattie. He’s kind of like a Greek chorus living in Cass’ head. What influenced your decision to make Mattie unable to speak?

MR: Mattie and Cass have an unusually close relationship. Taking away verbal communication allowed me to show their relationship through physicality and nonverbal communication. Mattie is a very sensitive and emotional person, and I think that not only does he radiate his thoughts and feelings, but that Cass’ radar is particularly in tune to him.

MRI: I was totally thrilled to find out you’re a mom (of three, just like me!) and a fangirl! What are some of your fandoms?

MR: Every day is an adventure with three kiddos. They outnumber you, so you have to plan carefully and strategize. Unfortunately, I am neither well-organized nor strategic, so we have low-key chaos on the daily.

I am heavily into the One Direction fandom, who have been rebranding and appealing to more and more adult listeners, and I predict will be holding the world’s attention this year for more than just their music. (MomReadIt note: I mistakenly thought Monica’s OTP was Harry and Hermione, and mentioned that it was a fabulous OTP – but I stand corrected, as you’ll see!) Harry Potter will always hold a very special place in my heart. But let’s be clear here, Hermione and RON are my OTP. I don’t get righteous about much, but I will get righteous about my OTPs. :0)

Thank you so much for the book love and thank you for hosting me on your blog!

So that’s my big first interview! Thank you again, Monica, and good luck with When You Leave! You can find Monica’s author page at MonicaRopal.com, (where I also borrowed her author picture) and connect with her on Facebook and GoodReads. Follow her on Twitter @MonicaYAwriting.

Horror, Post-apocalyptic/Dystopian, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Quarantine 3: The Burnouts brings the post-apocalyptic trilogy to a tense end

Posted on May 20, 2014May 20, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Quarantine 3: The Burnouts, by Lex Thomas, Egmont USA (2014). $17.99, ISBN: 9781606843383

Recommended for ages 14+

The third book in Lex Thomas’ post-apocalyptic series continues the story of Will and David, the brothers from McKinley High, where the kids are quarantined in the wake of a disastrous infection. Lucy, the last of the group from the previous book, is still inside – for now – trying to survive, and Hilary, who’s finally, completely, snapped, brings a reign of terror with her as she takes control of the school and all the gangs within it.

The publisher has called this series “Lord of the Flies in a 21st century high school setting”, which is spot-on. The kids inside the school have split into factions that fight to survive life inside the school. It’s a no-man’s land where children will do whatever they are forced to in order to make it to “graduation” – when the disease breaks and they can leave the building, assimilating into life on the outside.

I couldn’t put this book down. It’s got action, fantastic pacing, strong characters, and pulls no punches in its storytelling. There are references to sex, pregnancy, drug abuse, and violence throughout the book, so if any of these are issues for readers, this isn’t your book. It’s a powerful, gut-wrenching book that will keep you on the edge of your seat as you read.

The world in Quarantine isn’t safe inside or outside the McKinley walls – on the outside, there are those who want to destroy what the citizens have put together. They want to destroy the school and destroy the disease that rages on within its walls. The citizens on the outside – the families of the children inside – have to fight to stay alive and keep their kids alive.

The book hits shelves on August 22nd. In the meantime, check out the first two books: Quarantine: The Saints and Quarantine: The Loners and get ready.

Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Teen, Uncategorized

In We Are The Goldens, sisters keep secrets.

Posted on April 29, 2014April 29, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

We Are the Goldens, by Dana Reinhardt. Random House Children’s (2014), $16.99. ISBN: 9780385742573

Recommended for ages 14+

Nell and Layla have always been close. Nell grew up in her older sister’s shadow, even believing her name was, at one point, “Nellayla”. Now that Nell is a freshman at the same progressive high school that Layla attends as a junior, she figures it will be perfect. They’ll be together all the time, as close as ever. Until she discovers that Layla has a secret.

The story follows Nell through her freshman year in high school, burdened with Layla’s secret, which, at first she guesses, and ultimately, Layla confirms; we read her struggle to keep Layla’s secret while keeping Layla safe from what she knows will be a bad situation in any outcome. And through this, Nell also has her own struggles – namely, a crush gone wrong and a best friend that she can only confide so much in. Their divorced parents never seem to have quite enough time to actually talk to the girls and Nell feels very much alone while Layla spirals into her giddy, starry-eyed, teenage love affair.

The book is a quick read, told in the first person through Nell’s eyes, in the form of what feels like a very long letter to Layla or perhaps a journal that Nell uses to get her feelings out. Some flashbacks give depth to the characters, but the main points are right there in the present time: Layla is the Golden Girl. Nell is her sister, still Golden, but in the shadow of Layla’s greatness. As much as Nell’s concerns for her sister are legitimate, they’re also born from the sadness at seeing Layla go somewhere in life without Nell. It’s a separation, a painful one, made even more painful to Nell because she knows how this will likely end. It’s a tough coming of age story for both sisters.

Made more interesting is the addition of two dead brothers, the Creed brothers, who Nell imagines as a kind of Greek chorus. She bounces her feelings off of them, and they speak to the situations at hand, either nudging her into action or deeper thinking. We only get a slight bit of their back story, and I’d have liked to have known a little more about Nell’s relationship to them, because they factor so strongly in her narrative.

We Are the Goldens is a good summer read for teens and provides a lot of fodder for booktalks and discussion groups. The book hits shelves on May 27th.

Graphic Novels, Middle School, Non-Fiction, Teen, Tween Reads

Smile, by Raina Telgemeier – A Graphic Memoir of Tweenhood

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Smile, by Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic (2010), $21.99, ISBN: 978-0-54513205-3

Recommended for ages 10+

Raina Telgemeier’s memoir, Smile, is a coming-of-age memoir that’s framed by the night sixth-grader Raina sustained an injury to her mouth that led to a series of surgeries and orthodontia. Throughout middle school and high school, Raina endures braces, surgeries, retainers, and even headgear. She becomes a target for her friends’ teasing, which leads to her pulling away from them and embracing her love of the artistic. When she finally realizes that her friends aren’t the people she wants to surround herself with, she stands her ground and moves on.

Smile is one of those books that everyone should read, kid or adult. It’s all about fair-weather friends, enduring what feels like the end of the world, and ultimately, finding your own voice. It’s empowering, whether you’re 12 or 92, because it’s something we need to be reminded of, from time to time – “it”, whatever it is, won’t last forever, and the people you surround yourself with may not be the best for you. Dig deep down into yourself and love yourself enough to get through it.

The cartoon art makes the story even more accessible,with friendly-looking, expressive characters and warm colors throughout. The endpapers resemble a yearbook -in fact, Ms. Telgemeier used her yearbook signatures for the book – with signatures and well-wishes from friends, setting the tone for the book.

Smile has received numerous accolades – deservedly so! – including winning the Eisner Award for Best Publication for a Teen Audience (2011), the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award (2012), and the Maine Student Book Award (2012). Smile was a finalist for the Children’s Choice Book Award (2011) and has received designation as an ALA Children’s Notable Book (2011), an honor book from the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards (2010), a Kirkus Best Book of 2010, and a New York Times Editors’ Choice (2010).

There are lesson plans on the Web that allow educators to bring Smile into the classroom. Scholastic offers one on their site, along with a template for students to create their own graphic novels; The Graphic Classroom offers some great classroom discussion tips using the book.

A companion book to Smile, called Sisters, which will be published in August 2014 and will examine the relationship between Raina and her sister, Amara, who briefly appears in Smile.