Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature

Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature ... Whether you're a Christian or not, this books will give you pause to think. The tale begins on Mena's first day of high school, which she begins hopefully and ends realizing that it was a day that could have only been worse if she'd eaten snails. She is snubbed and verbally abused by all of her former "church friends" for having shown compassion to one of their gay classmates who attempted suicide as a result of the church groups attempts to convert him.

Before you think, "Wow! I'm not gonna read this book...it sounds too grim!" Mena's life does get better when she finds she's assigned Casey as a lab partner in Science class and that her teacher is AWESOME. Mena learns a ton about herself, finds herself writing a web column about the Bible, meets a dozen cute lab puppies and gets her first kiss. This book is much better than I'm describing it...It's on the Lone Star list so you know it's got to be good!!

Oh, yeah...after you read it, let me know if you think the cover fits the plot and characters.

Antsy Does Time - Neil Shusterman

The last post was about Unwind and this one is about another Shusterman novel, Antsy Does Time. For those of you who are die hard Shusterman fans, Antsy is a character you will recognize from The Schwa Was Here.



In Antsy Does Time, the main character, Antsy continues his relationships with his buddies, Ira and Howie, Mr. Crawley (described as "very rich, very selfish, and generally mean"), and Lexie, Mr. Crawley's granddaughter. The new twist is that Gunnar Umlaut, another of Antsy's (or Anthony) classmates announces that he is dying of a disease called Pulmonary Monocis Systemia. Coincidentally, Gunnar's sister, Kjersten (pronounced Kirsten), two years older than Antsy and a member of the tennis team, develops a relationship with Antsy. The question is....does she like Antsy for who he is? Or does she like Antsy for what he is trying to do for her brother?



Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from the novel....About Antsy's first kiss “She finally pulls away, and I say – I swear I actually say this: “Do you want your gum back, or should I keep it?” Or how about this description of Mr. Crawley....“He’s the kind of guy who’d hand out vomit-inducing candy on Halloween, and then sell Pepto-Bismol across the street at jacked up prices.”



This Lone Star book has tons of twists and turns and I promise it is worth the read. Check it out and let me know what you think.....Once you've read Unwind and Antsy Does Time, you'll be shaking your head like me! How could such different novels come from the same author?

The Possibilities of Sainthood

Mamma Mia! This is one fun book. Fifteen year old Antonia Luchia Labella is still waiting for her first kiss AND she wants to be a saint. You might think that first kisses and sainthood can't possibly go together. I mean, aren't saints supposed to be holy, virginal and untouched? Oh yeah, they're also supposed to be dead!

Antonia has it all worked out. She wants to be the Patron Saint of First Kiss and Kissing. She thinks she knows exactly how her first kiss will happen and who the kisser will be...but is she right?

Along her way to sainthood, Antonia's life is full of twists and turns as she navigates life with her stereotypical Italian mama who refuses to let her date until she's sixteen, her forgetful grandma, her best friend Maria, her hateful cousins and Andrew, the boy she wants to kiss and Michael, the pesky, good looking creep who always turns up in the most impossible places (like the fire escape outside her window!).

This book's on the Lone Star list and will be one of the Name that Book titles for 2009-2010. Move it to the top of your "must read" list!