"Funny and fast-moving—but too much of the healing rings hollow. (Fiction. 14-18)"
A group of teens at a live-in institution for troubled young people bond, pull off a caper and overcome their issues in an amusing but overly rosy two-narrator tale.
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"An accessible, if not original, take on coming out and overcoming adversity. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
In a story unapologetically ripped from the headlines, a small-town high-school student starts a furor by announcing her intention to wear a tuxedo to prom and bring a same-sex date.
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After a successful first season of Jenna & Jonah's How to Be a Rock Star, teen idols Charlie and Aaron (aka Fielding Withers to his fans) are given an ultimatum: "fall in love or fall apart."
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"Dec's compassionate Aunt Sarah, whose Unitarian Universalist youth group becomes a refuge for both teens, brings yet more wit and kindness to this sweet, emotional, but never hokey mix. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Two stepsiblings-to-be narrate this charming, funny and surprisingly touching family story in alternating chapters.
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"Amanda's quandary will resonate with readers as she tackles timely topics such as friendship woes, teen drinking and family life with admirable aplomb. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
Fourteen-year-old Amanda is on the cusp of many changes at the outset of her freshman year.
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"There's melodrama here and some clichéd scenes, but these are high-school students after all, and readers will find themselves cheering for the proper alignment of these star-crossed lovers. (Fiction. YA)"
"I am not a slut," says Liana Planet (pronounce pluh-net) in the attention-grabbing first line of this fine romantic comedy.
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"What could have been an interesting period piece about the creative process turns out more like an episode of Behind The Music: Schoolhouse Rock!"
A young group of musicians toiling on a series of educational songs for television get into that '70s groove, in this tepid rock 'n' roll melodrama from Halpin (How Ya Like Me Now, 2007, etc.).
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"An interesting exploration of serious issues, presented in a lighthearted tone. (Fiction. 12-14)"
Fifteen-year-old Eddie's mother is forced into rehab and his father has died, leaving the young man adrift without adult support.
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"How the Ramones (and rock's original anti-heroes, The Who) save the day, is the pleasing twist to this sweet Nick-Hornby-meets-Graham-Greene tragi-comedy from Halpin (Donorboy, 2004, etc.). "
Boy meets God, boy gets girl, boy loses girl and God, all to a soundtrack by Dee Dee Ramone.
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"Crisp and coherent but still something of a soap opera: obvious, two-dimensional, not wholly convincing."
A debut novel from Halpin (Losing My Faculties: A Teacher's Story, 2003, etc.) shows a teenager growing reconciled to the death of her mother as she comes to know (and live with) her father for the first time.
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"The ups and downs of the teaching profession may leave Halpin feeling like a basketball, but thankfully he isn't full of hot air."
After detailing his wife's struggle with breast cancer, the author of It Takes a Worried Man (2002) turns to a more cheerful topic: his life as a high-school teacher.
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