Phoebe's Diary

 Phoebe's Diary by Phoebe Wahl (2023), 464 pages

If you read my previous post about Little Witch Hazel, you know that Phoebe Wahl is a favorite artist of mine. This is her somewhat true, somewhat fictionalized teenage diary. Wahl very much captures teenage angst and coming of age. It reminds me a lot of the risqué Judy Blume books we all read too young and hoped that our parents didn't know what was actually in them. Do people still read Judy Blume? I am aging myself, but I am not sure what the current equivalent would be. I suspect a lot of teenage girls would relate to this novel. If you are a parent to teenagers, you might want to wait until they are adults before diving in. 

Nobody's Girl

Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice by Virginia Roberts Giuffre (2025) 367 pages

I wanted to read this memoir to get a better sense about how abominable Jeffrey Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell were to hundreds (and maybe a thousand or more) of mostly teenaged victims. The book is especially timely as the U.S. Justice Department has been (slowly) releasing redacted parts of the information that had been collected, and some men (and women) are just starting to be held accountable for the trauma they inflicted—or failed to call attention to—during the many years that Epstein and Maxwell found vulnerable teens and groomed them for sex with both themselves and others, often men of great wealth and power.

Giuffre shares the trauma she went through beginning with her own father, and continuing with abuse by Epstein and Maxwell, which went on for years.

I recommend this book, but also suggest not reading it before trying to sleep.

Freestyle

Freestyle by Gale Galligan 240 pp.

Freestyle is a juvenile graphic novel about middle school relationships, break dancing, parental conflicts, and yoyo-ing. The main character is an 8th grader named Cory who is part of a team of breakers who are practicing for an upcoming competition. Cory's grades have slipped and his parents hire one of his classmates as a tutor. Sunna, the tutor, and Cory got off to a bad start as lab partners at school. Their animosity leads to Cory getting grounded which means no dance rehearsals. Cory discovers Sunna's talent with the yoyo and persuades her to teach him. Cory finds himself in conflict with the "leader" of the dance group which almost destroys the group. Everything is ultimately resolved for the best. This book is one of the Mark Twain Award nominees for 2024-25.

The Book of Love

The Book of Love by Kelly Link, 628 pages

Almost a year after they went missing, teens Daniel, Laura, and Mo turn up in the classroom of their music teacher, Mr. Anabin, with a person none of them know, Bowie. They weren't just missing — they died, and everyone they loved grieved for their loss — but now they're magically back and Mr. Anabin (who is not at all the nerdy teacher he seems) uses his supernatural skills to retcon the entire community into believing that the trio was in Ireland on a music fellowship. Now that they've returned, however, Daniel, Laura, and Mo find themselves intrinsically intertwined with Anabin, a magical shapeshifting creature named Bogomil, and a tempestuous diva named Malo Mogge, all while fighting to stay among the living.

Any description of this book is going to pale in comparison to the complex web of guilt, magic, grief, death, love, and music that Link has woven in her first novel. The characters are compelling, the magical system confusing (but in the best possible way), and the motives of everyone uncertain in a way that propels the plot through all 600+ pages. I absolutely loved this book, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it on awards shortlists later this year.

The Poet X

 

The Poet X: A Novel by Elizabeth Acevedo  361 pp.

This is one of those books I planned to read back when it first came out. But I didn't get around to it, until it became one of the selections for the Great Stories Club Grant. Now I'm sorry I waited so long. The novel is written as a series of poems written by the main character, Xiamara called Mara, a teen from the Dominican Republic living in New York. Her mother, who once planned to be a nun, is extremely strict with Mara bordering on abuse. Mara is a teen with typical teen wants and needs who is being stifled at home. She faces her first "forbidden" love, wants to be a part of a school poetry club, and participate in an upcoming poetry slam but all of that goes against her mother's permissions. The emotions expressed in the poetry ring true as Mara learns to express herself, not just on the page, but to her family and the world. Heart-wrenching at times and gloriously composed, this is the winner of the National Book Award, the Pura Belpré Award, and the Michael Printz Award.

Beartown

Weird picture, yes, but when your phone matches
your book, you have to show that off.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman, 418 pages

Beartown is a hockey town through and through. And for the first time in 20 years, the Beartown Bears junior team is heading to the national semi-finals, success riding on the shoulders of 17-year-old phenom Kevin Ehrdahl. If the juniors can win it all, the slowly dying Beartown may finally see some growth led by a new hockey academy. But while the team secures a place in the final, the post-game celebrations take a violent turn, removing Kevin from competition and pitting his word against that of the club manager's 15-year-old daughter, Maya. In a town where team loyalty is king, everyone from players to coaches to sponsors to fans are now trying to sort out their next move, and whether to believe the star athlete or the girl who had a crush on him.

This book was recommended to me because I love hockey, and while that's true, I don't think that's the selling point here. I can think of many books that celebrate hockey (and I'm happy to hand out recommendations), but this isn't one of them; it's merely the frame upon which sports fanaticism hangs in this book. What this book does is create an uncomfortably familiar and realistic situation and explore the many facets of it, from those of the victim and her family to the perpetrator and his family, from the cowed teammates to the fans who loudly protest that their star athlete would never do such a thing (if only because admitting so would also throw away their chances of winning). The residents of Beartown are nuanced and very real — I promise that you'll recognize someone among these characters — and Backman's handling of a delicate subject is excellently handled. An excellent novel.

A Good Day for Chardonnay

A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones (2021) 404 pages

Sunshine Vicram has been the sheriff in the small town of Del Sol, New Mexico for four months, ever since her parents put her on the ballot against the crooked incumbent and she won. Sunshine, in her early thirties, is still single, but has a teenaged daughter, Auri, who was conceived during a tumultuous time when Sunshine had been kidnapped long ago. Sunshine still can't remember the whole ordeal, but pieces periodically come back to her. Auri is a good kid whom everyone adores, but she does have a way of getting into trouble. 

Sunshine's best friend, Quincy, is her deputy. The small staff of close-knit officers are trying to locate a group who stabbed a guy outside a bar owned by Levi, a guy from a local family filled with some seriously messed up individuals. However, everyone loves Levi, especially Sunshine, who can't seem to express herself to him, although she can bring herself to arrest him in an attempt to keep him safe after he is seriously injured and refuses to go to the hospital.

Problems in Del Sol pop up like a game of Whack-a-mole. Some old unsolved crimes add to the trickiness. Can some of these crimes be interconnected? And why do the townspeople line up to turn themselves in when crimes are committed? I was quite entertained, but also more than a bit worried a number of times. 

This was book two in the series, but enough detail is supplied that the book works as a stand-alone.

The Book of Accidents

The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig, 544 pages

Nathan grew up with a violent drunk father and when his old man dies, bitter and alone, he offers Nathan the chance to buy the house for a dollar. Nathan's hesitant, but his wife Maddie convinces him to agree to the deal, arguing that it'll give her a place to work on her art and give their teenage son Oliver a chance at a fresh start, far away from the pressures of the city. At first it seems like a great plan, but strange things start happening soon, from Maddie going into a fugue state while carving with a chainsaw to a creepy older kid hanging around with Oliver to vision's of Nathan's late father showing up in the front yard. Something isn't right, and it doesn't seem interested in leaving the family alone until it's over.

There is a LOT going on in this book, including demons, parallel worlds, kids with superpowers, serial killers, art coming to life, abusive parents, and even some light cannibalism. In short, it makes it hard to follow what's going on. That said, I absolutely loved the nuclear family, which is ultimately honest, caring, and supportive of one another, no matter how weird the situation. I also enjoyed Wendig's humor throughout. Honestly, if this book lost just one or two of the weirder plot points, it'd be a home run for fans of Stephen King and T. Kingfisher's novels.

This book is scheduled to be published July 20, 2021.

We Ride Upon Sticks

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry, 384 pages

It's 1989 in Danvers, Massachusetts, and the varsity field hockey team is having their first winning season in AGES. The team's turnaround dates roughly to their summer camp, in which the goalie wrote a dark pledge and signed her name in her Emilio Estevez-adorned journal, soon pressuring her teammates to do the same. Are the two related? The team certainly thinks so, given their town's history as the original location of the 1692 witch trials. But is it that or just young women starting to stand up for themselves?

This is a funny, sharp, and surprisingly complex look at teen life in the late 1980s. Barry follows each team member for a chunk of the book, by the end, giving the reader a full scope of their lives. It's equal parts The Cruicible and My Best Friend's Exorcism, with a bit of Heathers thrown in, and it's absolutely fantastic.

Big Little Lies

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (2014) 458 pages

Early on we learn that there has been a death at a grade school trivia night fundraiser. The police are investigating it as a murder. Then the story shifts back in time six months to when Jane, a young single mother new to the area meets Madeline, a mother of a teenager and two grade school children, and Celeste, the quiet, elegant mother of twins, married to an extremely rich man. The parents of the school's children become divided over an incident during the kindergarten orientation, in which a child, Ziggy, is accused of hurting the daughter of a rich, influential parent. Madeline and Celeste side with Jane (Ziggy's mother) while the other side starts a petition to oust Ziggy from the school. Ziggy is a sweet child, but he refuses to talk about the incident, which has his mother wondering about whether he might indeed be responsible.

Meanwhile, all sorts of other things are happening: Madeline's teenage daughter is keeping Madeline's emotions all over the place. We learn about how Jane became pregnant and why Ziggy's father is not in his life. Most prominently is a deep look into the abusive relationship between Celeste and her husband as they continue to outwardly portray the perfect couple.

As I read, I couldn't help but obsess about the murder, with so many unknowns. The points of view from several different people who attended the trivia night are inserted at the end of many of the chapters, reminding me of the interview style used in the TV show The Office. By seeing their statements, we have clues‒but not nearly enough‒about who didn't die. But who DID die?! Very fast-paced book, entertaining even though it deals with serious subjects. I can see why this book was chosen for the HBO miniseries with its likable characters (as well as unlikable ones), mystery and intrigues.

Deadly Class: 1987, Reagan Youth

Deadly Class [vol. 1]: 1987, Reagan Youth by Rick Remender, art by Wes Craig, 160 pages

Marcus is living on the streets in San Francisco, dodging the police (who are after him for burning down a home for orphaned boys), when he's picked up by an odd assortment of teens. Turns out they've come to recruit him for Kings Dominion, a high school that trains teens to become assassins. As in most schools with strict rules, cliques reign supreme and the rules at Kings Dominion are also broken regularly — of course, the cliques at Kings are more akin to crime families, and the rules include the prohibition of sex, drugs, and killing one another. With this 1980s-set series, Remender and Craig re-create the insanity of that decade's drug scene, as well as the universal awkwardness of teens, and put an edgy twist on it. I enjoyed this first volume, and I'll definitely be reading more.

#NeverAgain

#NeverAgain: A New Generation Draws the Line by David Hogg and Lauren Hogg, 165 pages

David and Lauren Hogg are students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, site of the February 14 mass shooting that killed 17 of their classmates and spawned the March For Our Lives movement. In this short book, the siblings candidly discuss their experiences before, during, and after the shooting, including their roles in the now-nationwide movement for stricter gun control. While it's heart-wrenching to read, it is encouraging to hear them discuss this topic in their own voices and with such poise. Here's to their generation and the power they bring with them: may you accomplish what so many have failed to do before!

TEOTFW

The end of the fucking world / Charles Forsman, 176 pgs.

James and Alyssa are two disgruntled teens.  They might be in love or maybe just hanging out because it is convenient.  James pretty quickly outs himself as a bit of a sociopath.  He is mean to animals, he sticks his hand down the garbage disposal, things continue to be more violent.  He is basically a person who does not feel.  Alyssa kind of ignores the signs and behavior but things eventually get out of hand.  There are no lovable characters here...heck, there aren't even any likable characters.  The art is simple so the violence isn't too graphic.  Not sure who I would recommend this book to but I don't regret reading it.

Turtles All the Way Down

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green  286 pp.

Kara pretty much covered everything in her review. I can't say this is my favorite John Green book but it is well worth reading. And I was very amused at the mention of the Applebee's at 86th & Ditch in Indianapolis since I knew exactly where that was -- my son used to live close by there. This novel gives an interesting insight into the workings of one mentally ill person's thoughts. Definitely worth reading.

SuperMutant Magic Academy

SuperMutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki, 274 pages

At the SuperMutant Magic Academy (a cross between Hogwarts and Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters), the kids all take classes in using their superpowers, as well as regular old English, science, and math classes. But unlike the Potterverse and the Marvel universe — where extraordinary things happen to kids with extraordinary abilities — the students in Tamaki's book are just teenagers dealing with regular teenage problems: acne, finding a date to the big dance, and simply suffering through adolescence. Told in a series of vignettes, the characters are refreshingly relatable. A clever series of short tales.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky  213 pp.

This has been on my "to read" list for years and I finally did it. I'm sorry I waited so long. The story of sweet, sensitive, teen-age Charlie and his first year of high school as the not really popular younger brother to a football star and a class Salutatorian is told through letters he writes to a "friend". Charlie ends up befriended by some older kids and an understanding teacher who take him under their wings. There is all that "awful" stuff that teenagers do that they shouldn't; smoking, drinking, sex, drugs, etc. along with the usual crushes, unrequited love, bad relationships, and parental issues. This book has ended up on multiple "banned book" lists for portraying the teen years as they really are for many kids which just proves that many parents and other adults should "get a clue." Charlie is a wonderful character who navigates his life with honesty, compassion, and hope while dealing with his own demons.

Th1rteen R3asons Why

Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher  288 pp.

This is another of the Great Stories Club books I will be discussing at the alternative school. Clay Jensen, a high school student is delivered a box of cassette tapes recorded by his classmate and crush, Hannah Baker, just before she committed suicide. The tapes are a chronicle of events in her life and the classmates involved that led to her decision to take her own life. The instructions are to listen to the tapes and then pass them along to the next person featured in the tapes. Clay doesn't want to listen to them but is compelled by what he hears, spending an entire night listening and visiting the locations of the different places Hannah was victimized by her classmates. Beginning with her arrival at a new school, the story is about mistaken perceptions that arise when teens are indifferent, malicious, or just plain cruel to each other. This is heavy stuff and not a pleasant read but you are left hoping the worst of the lot is punished and the others can get on with their lives, forever changed. This book has been turned into a series on Netflix which I'm not sure I want to watch.

Paradise Lodge / Nina Stibbe, 274 pp.

Many thanks to Kara and Christa for reading and blogging about this title I would have missed.  I loved this coming-of-age novel of Lizzy, age 15, who begins working at the nursing home Paradise Lodge for pocket money and is quickly thrown into the deep end, responsibility-wise.  Lizzy is resourceful and astute and she quickly becomes a valued member of the highly dysfunctional Lodge team.  Now, if only she could start attending school again...

Stibbe brings to life a vivid cast, with not a stock character in the bunch.  My favorite is Lizzy's mother, a loving trainwreck, whose impending marriage to Mr. Holt figures in the novel's dramatic finish.  Rich in specific detail of time (the mid-70s) and place, (Leicestershire), a review won't do this funny, smart and warm novel justice.

Ms. Marvel: Super Famous

Ms. Marvel, vol. 5: Super Famous by G. Willow Wilson, art by Takeshi Miyazawa, Adrian Alphona, and Nico Leon, 144 pages

This series just keeps knocking it out of the park. In the fifth volume, Kamala is struggling to balance her duties to her family with her work as Ms. Marvel while still keeping up with her schoolwork and social life. But guess what: it's not working. While there are plenty of smash-em-up sequences, that's not even close to the heart of this superhero story. The focus, instead, is on Kamala's failing attempt to be a good hero/daughter/friend, with plenty of social commentary on diversity thrown in, and it's all so relatable. A great, great series.

In the Unlikely Event

In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume, 401 pages

In December 1951, an airplane crashed into the small town of Elizabeth, New Jersey. Over the next few months, two more planes followed suit. Adult residents blamed the proximity of the Newark airport; the kids of Elizabeth, perhaps prompted by the proximity of the crash sites to schools, suspected aliens, zombies, or a Communist plot. Told from the point of view of several characters, In the Unlikely Event documents the fear, nutty spiritualism, and everyday life in Elizabeth during that time.

This is the first adult book by Blume that I've read, and I was pleasantly surprised. She did a great job of capturing the hysteria, fear, and recklessness that gripped the community during that period, perhaps because she was a teenager living in Elizabeth when those three planes went down (yeah, that actually happened). I particularly liked the portions of the book told from the point of view of 14-year-old Miri, who I suspect is the most autobiographical character for Blume.But she does a great job with the rest of them too. Well worth a read.