The July issue of readergirlz is here! This month's spotlighted title is Goy Crazy by Melissa Schorr.

A romantic comedy with heart, Goy Crazy talks about the subjects of religion, dating, and family in a light but realistic tone. This Cybils nominee is a great pick to kick off the summer. The Teen Commandments alone make it worth the read. I recommend it for ages 12 and up.

Listen to the summer podcast at The Book of Life which opens with an interview with Lorie Ann Grover and an interview with Melissa Schorr.

The readergirlz divas and the postergirlz advisory council discussed many great books which share some of Goy Crazy's themes. We then made a list of recommended reads:

Fiction:
Confessions of a Closet Catholic by Sarah Darer Littman
Never Mind the Goldbergs by Matthue Roth
How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

Non-Fiction:
Got Issues Much? Celebrities Share Their Traumas and Triumphs by Randi Reisfeld and Marie Morreale

We hope you have or will read these titles too, and that you'll discuss them in further detail at the readergirlz forum!

Talk about these books and more at the readergirlz forum.

Read Chapter 1 of Goy Crazy.

Check out the readergirlz press release.

Read the July issue of readergirlz.

Imagine getting sick, falling asleep, and waking up to find out an entire decade has passed in the blink of an eye. That's what happened to sixteen-year-old Floe Ryan in the book I Was a Teenage Popsicle by Bev Katz Rosenbaum.

Floe grew very sick very quickly, afflicted with the same horrible disease that attacked her parents, who opted to be vitrified (frozen) until a cure was found. They froze Floe also, wanting their eldest daughter to be saved too. Ten years later, Floe is thawed out. She discovers that her younger sister is all grown up and that her parents are still vitrified. While her life was suspended, it completely changed.

It sounds heavy, but it is actually a very light read. A comedy suitable for middle school and high school readers, Popsicle has plenty of laugh-out-loud licks. Though there are spots of science, the book is set not too far in the future and is more about family and friends than sci-fi and experiments. The book's central plot -- saving the cyrogenics center where her parents are, er, residing comfortably -- makes the story more about social action, and the main character's main concerns are fitting in, being accepted by her new classmates, and reconnecting her family. These universal themes, funny bits and hip Southern California setting are sure to make this Popsicle irresistible to teens.

The sequel, Beyond Cool, hit stores the following summer. It picked right up on the Popsicle trail, following Floe's further attempts to fit into the modern-day world. Fans of I Was a Teenage Popsicle will not be disappointed, because all of the characters they loved in the first book are back and feistier than ever.

My favorite scenes involved Floe at driver's ed training. Teenagers will definitely relate to the aggravation and stress of getting a license.

Though Floe continues to stumble through these and other embarrassments, she keeps picking herself back up and trying again. Combine those elements with a witty narrative and you've got yourself a pretty cool book.

Read my interview with author Bev Katz Rosenbaum.

Check out my Popsicle playlist.