Model Misfit

Smale, Holly. Model Misfit. Harper Collins, 2013.

Harriet is a geek and also a model, so she is glad for the break from her normal life when she is sent to Japan for a modeling job. But when every one of her shoots is sabotaged, her boss begins to wonder if Harriet is the right girl for her campaign. Harriet has to try to navigate a culture unfamiliar to her while rescuing herself and her job from forces unknown.

This book was hilarious in spite of the fact that it's clearly a chick lit book. Harriet's grandmother is absolutely ridiculous, and between her and Harriet's agent there are enough humorous moments to offset the tension from all the modeling mishaps. I could definitely sell my 7th/8th grade girls on this book.

Recommended for: tweens and teens; fans of chick lit
Red Flags: none
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

If You Could Be Mine

Farizan, Sara. If You Could Be Mine. Algonquin Young Readers, 2013.

Sahar and Nasrin have been in love since they were in elementary school, but homosexuality is punishable by death in Iran, so they have to keep their feelings secret. When Nasrin's parents arrange her marriage to a wealthy doctor, Sahar begins to consider sex-reassignment surgery in order to marry Nasrin. This takes Sahar deep into the world of transgender persons in Iran, where being transgender is considered a medical condition which the government will surgically repair at no cost. But is the price of love too high for Sahar?

This is an excellent book in that it looks into a little-explored culture. I enjoyed learning about life in Iran as I watched Sahar struggle with her love for Nasrin and her desire to do whatever is necessary to be with her. I found Nasrin to be an irritating character, though, because she clearly didn't return Sahar's affections and was willing to settle for her life with her doctor. She seemed very silly and shallow, and often I wanted to slap her. This story is not fast paced or filled with adventure, but the plot and the issues involved will still draw the reader in to a world very different from his/her own.

Recommended for: teens, fans of multicultural literature
Red Flags: Sahar visits a doctor who describes in detail the surgery she would go through to transition to being a man; Sahar's uncle is beaten nearly to death
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Under Shifting Glass

Singer, Nicky. Under Shifting Glass. Chronicle Books, 2013.

Jess's twin brothers are very ill, and she thinks the key to their survival is in the flask she found hidden in a desk in her bedroom. She is still grieving the loss of her beloved aunt, and now she has to protect the glass flask in order to ensure her brothers' survival.

I barely finished this one. The writing style is much too descriptive and literary for my tastes, much less for the middle school students who are supposed to check it out of my library. It's probably a good Newbery contender - one of those books that will get a gold seal and sit on my shelf, untouched, for decades. I really don't see any of my students, even my strongest readers, getting interested in this particular book.

Recommended for: tweens and teens, strong readers
Red Flags: none
Overall Rating: 2/5 stars

Picture Me

Weber, Lori. Picture Me. James Lorimer & Company, 2013.

This book starts with a fairly typical school scenario: a popular girl teases an unpopular girl, which causes one of the unpopular girl's friends to snap and start a fight. All three miss school for a week or more. What's different is that this book switches between the different viewpoints: the bully, the victim, and the bystander. The reader is shown the back story of each character and how they react to the bullying incident and the ensuing fight. It's an interesting take on an old story, and one that probably needs to be told.

It took me a while to get into this story. The characters' viewpoints switch fairly often, and while I am used to reading books with two narrators, three is a bit of a stretch for me. Fortunately, each character's name is listed at the beginning of her section, so it's easier to figure out who's talking. It also took me a long time to feel any sympathy for the bully in the story, even though it was obvious I was supposed to pity her from the beginning. I was more concerned with the victim in this situation; she seemed to be in need of some very serious assistance, help that she was not getting at home. This is obviously a very timely topic, and it is good to be reminded that even bullies might have other issues they're dealing with. I would probably purchase a copy of this book for my library.

Recommended for: tween and teen girls

Red flags: one of the characters becomes anorexic and takes diet pills to lose weight, almost killing herself; one of the characters (age 14) starts dating an older (20s) boy who delivers pizzas and deals drugs - she goes to a party where there's alcohol, and it's hinted that she's raped, although it's not explicitly stated

Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley for the purposes of review.

A Tangle of Knots

Graff, Lisa. A Tangle of Knots. Philomel, 2013.

Everyone in Cady's world has a Talent. Cady can always figure out the perfect cake for any person she meets. Unfortunately, Cady is an orphan and hasn't been able to find her perfect family yet. In an interesting twist, the lives of different people intertwine in a plot involving a baking contest, a displaced family, and a missing peanut butter recipe.

This is a fun fantasy story and would be popular with kids who have enjoyed other magical stories like the Charlie Bone series or the Narnia books. It is interesting to see how the different parts of the story mesh together toward the end.

Recommended for: middle grade, tweens, fans of fantasy
Red Flags: none
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars