Like the Red Panda is alternately a dark comedy and just plain dark - in a memorable, outstanding way. Haunting and thoughtful, this story will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

The protagonist, Stella, is a senior in high school. In first-person narrative, she begrudgingly recounts the last two weeks of her senior year, mixing in flashbacks when appropriate. Her memories reveal her idyllic childhood, a world that was picture perfect until the day her parents died. The circumstances of their death may surprise you, as may Stella's plans as graduation approaches. Appearances can be deceiving; how people view a person and how said person views herself can be devastatingly different.

Andrea Siegel's debut novel will make readers laugh one moment and shudder the next. Like the Red Panda is mostly related in thoughts, leaving a unique taste in the mouths of readers as they get inside the mind of Stella.

I frequently recommend this title, which was published in the adult fiction/literature section. Due to its subject matter, I recommend it to adults and older teens. (In other words, it's not for the tween crowd.)

If you liked Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, You Know Where to Find Me by Rachel Cohn, As Simple as Snow by Gregory Galloway, or perhaps even Looking for Alaska by John Green, you'll love Like the Red Panda.

Related Booklist: Tough Issues for Teens

Wicked Cool Overlooked Books (WCOB) is a monthly blog notation encouraged by Colleen from Chasing Ray: On the first Monday of every month, she posts about a book she enjoyed that she wishes others would pick up, and invites others to post their picks as well.

Discover other titles I've marked as Wicked Cool Overlooked Books.

What Happens Here by Tara Altebrando is a coming-of-age novel you won't soon forget.

They had made plans, so many plans, about their futures. They would stay connected past high school, going to college together, traveling the world together, maybe even marrying twin brothers. They would always be the best of friends, as thick as thieves, as close as sisters, no matter what. That is what they planned.

This is what happened instead.

The summer after her junior year, Chloe's parents announce that their family is going on a trip to Europe. Chloe begs to bring along Lindsay - her best friend, her confidante, her neighbor - but Lindsay's family can't afford it. This will be the first time in their years of friendship that the girls will be separated for such a time and by such a distance. While Chloe, her parents, and her older sister Zoe board a plane, Lindsay stays behind in Vegas, just plain bored.

In Europe, Chloe sees her mother come alive, becoming bubbly, happy. She considers her father, who also seems content, though not nearly as exuberant as her mother. She hears her sister complain about being away from her boyfriend and again considers how, although she loves her sister, although blood is supposed to be thicker than water, she feels much closer to Lindsay. She meets a boy named Danny who shares her age, her Vegas zip code, and her adventures in Europe. She writes postcards to Lindsay, blissful notes from each country she visits, signed with Xs and Os. ("Rome makes me want to toss coins in every fountain. [ . . . ] It makes me want to live la dolce vita every day." "Venice makes me want to blow glass and row row row your boat. [ . . . ] Venice makes me want to get lost and never be found.")

A somewhat cryptic message from Lindsay reminds Chloe of the eye in the sky - the closed-circuit cameras in casinos and other spots to ensure the people's safety and honesty. Thanks to her father, she is familiar with the song Eye in the Sky by the Alan Parsons Project. She and Lindsay talked about the eye in the sky a lot - how one of them should perform in front of a camera one day while the other stayed at home and watched the feed - but they never went through with it, preferring to stay together on their adventures about town and perhaps blow kisses to those cameras, to the hopefully cute boys who were watching, to the twin brothers that were out there somewhere, looking for them.

Europe is bigger, bolder, broader than anything Chloe's ever seen before. This, then, is where Chloe unexpectedly starts to grow up. The Vegas replicas of European landmarks can't compare to the real thing. She feels small and tall simultaneously as she walks through historical sights, rides on gondolas, and eats exotic food. She falls for Danny, and they see the Eiffel Tower together.

She expects to slide back into her life at home easily, planning on sharing her photographs and experiences with Lindsay and then slowly coming down from her travel-love-life cloud in time to start her senior year of high school. But Vegas is not as she left it, and not all of those she left behind are anxiously awaiting her return.

They had never dreamed of this.

While the eye in the sky looms overheard, things start to look different to Chloe. She is newly aware of her surroundings, almost as if she had just moved to Vegas now, rather than three years ago. But the attractions are no longer attractive. The neon lights seem too bright. Smiles, promises, everything seems fake. There's just too much that is fake, too much that seems unreal, too much, and nothing seems right. ("I went to the fridge and thought about having some water but it hadn't tasted good lately. Not that water tasted like anything, so it must've been something in me that had turned foul.")

So many things happen here, and there, and here again. Chloe's memories blur and sharpen as she attempts to make sense of it all. She no longer knows what the future brings. Regrets cloud her dream factory, making them hard to manufacture or fix. At least one person keeps reaching for her dream: Chloe's sister, the acrobatic Zoe, who finally auditions for Cirque de Soleil. Lindsay's older brother Noah, is acting differently and being difficult, but not really distant. When the truth comes out - as the truth always does - Chloe sees her parents, her sister, her friends, and herself with new eyes.

If you want to find out What Happens Here - and I strongly urge you to do so - I recommend that you get the book. Pages will turn, bridges will burn, dreams will change, and the eye in the sky will be watching everything and everyone.

What Happens Here is Tara Altebrando's second novel for teens, following her impressive YA debut, The Pursuit of Happiness. This story is just as impressive, with realistic relationships between characters, haunting happenings, and expressive writing. There's mystery here, and drama, and heartbreak. What Happens Here is a bildungsroman in every sense of the word, and one of the best books of 2008.

Another Story for Another Time
Though the two tell very different stories, I recommend What Happens Here alongside Feathered by Laura Kasischke, another eye-opening 2008 young adult novel about friendship and traveling. Also pick up Swollen by Melissa Lion. You won't be disappointed.

Musical Motif
Sometimes, I post playlists for books. For this book, however, I don't need to create a soundtrack because Jonatha Brooke already has: her 2004 album Back in the Circus. I recommend listening to it (perhaps on repeat) while reading What Happens Here. Jonatha Brooke is one of my favorite modern singer/songwriters. Her song No Net Below makes me think of Zoe's daring-do and acrobatics. The album closes with Jonatha's version of Eye in the Sky. I will forevermore associate that song with this story.

Wicked Cool Overlooked Books

I've tagged What Happens Here with WCOB because I do not what it to be overlooked. I want you - yes, you! - to go pick it up and read it. Please. Believe me when I say this story and these girls are worth your time.

Wicked Cool Overlooked Books is a monthly blog notation encouraged by Colleen from Chasing Ray: On the first Monday of every month, she posts about a book she enjoyed that she wishes others would pick up, and invites others to post their picks as well.

Read my other posts about Wicked Cool Overlooked Books.

Learn more about WCOB at Chasing Ray.

Related Posts
My March 2006 interview with Tara Altebrando
My August 2006 interview with Tara Altebrando
My review of Tara's novel The Pursuit of Happiness
My review of Tara's novel Love Will Tear Us Apart

Related Booklist
Best Books of 2008 (So Far)

In the spunky, stubborn Zibby Payne, author Alison Bell has created an outstanding character who sticks to her guns and trusts her instincts. Were they contemporaries, Ramona Quimby and Zibby Payne would be friends. Zibby is extremely loyal and very aware of the power of words. She's unafraid to say how she feels, and she also apologizes if she gets too loud or overworked about something. Young readers will learn some important lessons from her, including three very big ones: you don't have to change for others to like you; be proud of who you are; and sometimes, you just gotta go for it! I highly recommend this series for kids in elementary school and just beginning middle school.

The series began with Zibby Payne and the Wonderful, Terrible Tomboy Experiment. Zibby is psyched to start the sixth grade with her best friend Sarah. They have always been close and have lots in common, from head to toe. They like many of the same things and often trade shoes so that they have mismatched pairs.

Unfortunately, her first day of middle school does not completely go as she had planned. Sarah and Zibby's friends start talking about boy bands, comparing lip gloss flavours, doing each other's hair, and giggling when boys from their class walk by. Zibby can't believe her eyes or her ears.

( Read more... )

In the second book, Zibby Payne and the Drama Trauma, she steps into the spotlight - literally.

When she first hears about the school play, Zibby is not very interested in it. That changes the second she finds out that the lead character loves playing soccer as much as she does. The role goes to one of her classmates at first, but when she is injured, Zibby gets the part. She is back on Cloud Nine, floating along happily until she learns that there's a kiss in the script. No WAY is she going to kiss a boy!

( Read more... )

Three parties factor into the third book, Zibby Payne and the Party Problem. First, popular Amber invites many of the girls in their class to her exclusive party. She has a history of throwing the biggest, coolest bashes around. This time around, some of her invitations include a "special coupon" redeemable for a secret prize. The girls who don't get invited at all feel left out, and those who get invitations without coupons wonder why Amber included them at all if she doesn't think they are cool enough to get the bonus surprise. Zibby thinks Amber's being unfair, and she wants to boycott the party.

( Read more... )

Three's a crowd in Zibby Payne and the Trio Trouble, the fourth book in the line. New girl Gertrude seems cool from the second she enters the classroom. With her funky vintage clothes, she certainly doesn't dress like any of her classmates. Soon, Zibby learns that Gertrude has odd allergies, that she is an artist, and that she doesn't eat junk food. She's an individual, that's for sure, and Zibby befriends her almost instantly.

( Read more... )

The author is currently working on a fifth book in the series, Zibby Payne and the Red Carpet Revolt, which will be released in the fall of 2008.

Wicked Cool Overlooked Books

I've given this series the WCOB tag. Wicked Cool Overlooked Books is a monthly blog notation encouraged by Colleen from Chasing Ray: On the first Monday of every month, she posts about a book she enjoyed that she wishes others would pick up, and invites others to post their picks as well.

Read my other posts about Wicked Cool Overlooked Books.

Learn more about WCOB at Chasing Ray.

Related Posts: Booklist: Ramona Readalikes, Author Interview: Alison Bell

What do A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban and Notes on a Near-Life Experience by Olivia Birdsall have in common? Both use quirky vignettes with quirky titles to effectively tell a story. While Crooked offers cookies, organ music, and striped toe socks, Notes includes pepperoni, prom, and a person from Peru.

Both titles were released in 2007 and were nominated for The Cybils Book Awards - Perfect in the middle grade category, Notes in the young adult category. I personally nominated Notes, and here's why:

At the age of fifteen, Mia is trying to make sense of life. Everything and everyone around her seem to be changing. Her parents are getting separated, her brother is rebelling, and her brother's best friend is finally returning her affection. What could possibly happen next?

I really enjoyed Mia's sense of self and her honest take on things. She is able to take the good with the bad, the happy with the sad, and she has a good head on her shoulders. Her stories are sometimes serious, sometimes humorous, and always poignant. My favorite vignettes include Coming of Age, What I Want to Be When I Grow Up, and Living Dead Girl. I really hope that others will take note of Olivia Birdsall's debut.

I bumped up this post in March 2008 as part of Wicked Cool Overlooked Books, a monthly blog notation encouraged by Colleen from Chasing Ray: On the first Monday of every month, she posts about a Wicked Cool Overlooked Book - a book she enjoyed that she wishes others would pick up - and invites others to post their picks as well.

Read my other posts about Wicked Cool Overlooked Books.

Learn more about WCOB at Chasing Ray.

Just Like That explores the story of a teenage girl named Hanna. After breaking up with her boyfriend, she thinks she'll have a quiet moment to herself, sitting near the frozen-over lake late at night. She sees a slightly older couple, who urge her to come with them to be safe. She stays put. They warn her about the thin ice and depart. Shortly thereafter, a couple about her age drives by on an ATV, loud and giddy, teasing her. Lonely and cranky, she doesn't pass on the warning about the ice.

The next morning, she hears about their deaths on the news. She realizes she was the last person to see them alive - and that she might have been able to prevent their deaths. But she doesn't tell anyone that she was there, not even her mother, not even her two best friends.

And things start to change.

Soon, Hanna meets Will, someone else tied in with that night's events. She gets involved with him rather quickly. Just as quickly, she finds herself drawn into a family with hearts on their sleeves and skeletons in their closet.

Just Like That is highly realistic dramatic fiction in the vein of Sarah Dessen or Deb Caletti. It is a must-read book for anyone looking for a poignant story with true-to-life, flawed characters.

I included Just Like That on my Best Books of 2005 list.

Qualey has written many other books. I also read and enjoyed Too Quiet a Storm, which is about an eighteen-year-old girl's family, friends, and political activism during the Vietnam War.

Read my other posts about Wicked Cool Overlooked Books.

Learn more about WCOB at Chasing Ray.

I first read The Alison Rules by Catherine Clark when it was released in 2004. I've re-read it at least once and talked about it many, many times since.

I've discussed this story at booktalks and conferences. I've included it on booklists, such as Coming-of-Age Novels aka Bildungsromans and Tough Issues for Teens. I've given it to regular customers, new customers, and friends.

When I was to select three titles for my Readergirlz bookmark "for the girl who has read every book in the library," I picked The Alison Rules by Catherine Clark, The Pursuit of Happiness by Tara Altebrando, and Swollen by Melissa Lion. It was only after I confirmed my choices that I realized all three books dealt with loss, grief, and acceptance. (If you do get those three books - and I hope you do - make sure to also pick up The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen while you're at it.)

In other words, I've mentioned the book a great deal at this blog and in my bookstore, yet I've never written a full-length review of it. Kuz why? I don't want to spoil anything about this book. When I recommend this title to a customer or a friend, I can compare it to the books I mentioned in the previous paragraph, but then I have to bite my tongue before I speak of at least two other titles and give anything away.

* Want to know why Kuz is spelled that way? Read the book!

Spoiler-Free Summary

In my post entitled More to Life, or, Bigger Than a Breadbox, I described the book this way:

After Alison's mother passes away, she is reluctant to confide in anyone other that her long-time best friend Laurie. Alison decides to play it safe, rather than be sorry later.

Do not let anyone spoil this book for you. Just get it and read it, then come back to this post and discuss it with me. This book is poignant and real, and it gets my highest recommendation.

More Now

I'll allow myself to say a little bit more right now. Just a little.

Alison and Laurie's friendship isn't put into dire jeopardy by the arrival of Patrick Kirk. If anything, his presence further defines Alison's character. Though Alison starts to like Patrick, she doesn't want to say or do anything because Laurie has a crush on him, and she puts Laurie's happiness before her own.

The three students bond as they work for the newspaper. Outspoken Laurie starts calling her new buddy "Patrick Kirkpatrick" and can jokes around with him easily. Meanwhile, Alison quietly lives by the rules she's made for herself. She also keeps her feelings to herself and keeps everything in her backpack, rather than ever using her locker. Kuz why? You'll have to read the book to find out.

Could I say that any more? Yes, I could.

Could I tell you more? Yes, but I won't.

Read it, then share it - but don't spoil it. Those are the rules.

One of My Favorite Passages

"You're begging her?" [Laurie] asked. "You'll have to work up to that. That's one of the Alison rules."

"Alison rules?" Patrick repeated.

"Yeah. Don't worry - you'll find out," Laurie said.

- Page 27

Tidbits and Links

This morning, I reviewed Catherine Clark's forthcoming release, Wish You Were Here, which comes out in March 2008.

I also put Catherine in the Author Spotlight.

Read my previous posts about Wicked Cool Overlooked Books.

See today's WCOB roundup at Chasing Ray.

It was a beautiful day to grow up.

Body Bags, a mystery written by Christopher Golden, opens with a killer line: Amanda Green died for a cigarette. Within a matter of pages, Amanda is a goner, having been at the wrong place at the wrong time. It just goes to prove what I've been saying all of my life: Smoking kills. Don't smoke.

But this book is not all about vices. It is about solving the crime, bringing the guilty ones to justice, and taking the most dangerous journey of all: growing up.

The Body of Evidence novels written by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala are intelligent and intriguing forensic mysteries. They offer realistic characters, captivating clues, and detailed autopsies and investigations. The line is made up of ten books, starting with Body Bags, first published by Pocket Books in 1999.

After the tragic prologue, the first chapter introduces us to Jenna Blake, the character who is the core of every novel in the series. The series begins as she travels to college, where she will be a freshman. She considered following in her mother's footsteps and work in medicine until she realized that the sight of blood made her feel out of sorts. Her father, a criminology professor, recommends that she take a job with a medical examiner. The interview takes place during an autopsy. As she settles into school and the M.E.'s office, Jenna soon finds that she has not only the stomach for the job, but the smarts. Ultimately, it is her attention to detail and her insatiable thirst for knowledge as well as her previously unrecognized capacity for daring that solves the troubling case.

The first chapter begins with the line, "It was a beautiful day to grow up." I proudly display this quote at the Bildungsroman website as well as in the sidebar of this blog.

This series is recommended to adults and to teenagers. Readers will find Jenna visiting crime scenes and autopsy rooms nearly as often as she's in her dorm. Her relatives, friends, and studies factor into the books just as much as serial killers and detectives. There's just as much here for a fifty-year-old as for a fifteen-year-old. Throughout the series, Christopher Golden - and, later, collaborator Rick Hautala - created characters who are believable but anything but cookie-cutter. They are all adults, though some are younger than others. Some are parents, some are students, some are detectives, some are doctors, but all are vital to the progress of the stories and of each other. Instead of being full of teen angst or taking on the obvious issue of the week/episode/book, the younger characters are simply dealing with life and getting through things both one day at a time and one leap at a time.

As I wrote in my article entitled Judging the Cover, the book covers in this series never have models and never show a girl dressed in hip clothes. Depicted instead are toe tags, X-rays, bones, eyes, markings and tools used within the story. The covers are dominantly grey, with each book having a different bold accent color. All have a trademark striped pattern down the left edge that repeats itself on the chapter breaks within.

The quality of Body Bags is above and beyond most suspense novels - and it continues throughout the series, versus other series which lose the moomentum after a few books, or series in which the books become carbon copies.

If you watch(ed) television series such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation or Profiler, then you need to read these books right now. In fact, the first six books were released before CSI was even on the air, but the ninth and tenth books had a little cover tagline: "If you like CSI, you'll love Body of Evidence." It's true - and it's true in the reverse. CSI would benefit from a BoE crossover. Greg and Dyson could have a funny scene, and Slick could exchange notes with Grissom and Dr. Robbins.

For the record, Jenna is far cooler than Sara Sidle.

I highly recommend that you read the Body of Evidence books in order:
- Body Bags
- Thief of Hearts
- Soul Survivor
- Meets the Eye
- Head Games
- Skin Deep
- Burning Bones
- Brain Trust
- Last Breath
- Throat Culture

Related Posts: Author Spotlight: Christopher Golden, Where to Start: Reading Christopher Golden

This is the first of three entries I posted today regarding the Body of Evidence book series as part of the Recommendations Under the Radar project. (Read more about this below.) Part One gives the basic premise of the series and the first book, Body Bags. I compared notes with Jackie from the Interactive Reader blog in Part Two. Author Christopher Golden himself dropped by for an exclusive interview in Part Three.

Recommendations Under the Radar (or Radar Recommendations) is a literature blog project headed up by Colleen of Chasing Ray as a way to encourage readers to pick up some amazing books that deserve your immediate attention. People will be recommending books all week long, ranging from classic books for children to contemporary fiction for adults to inspiring non-fiction pieces.

Check out the other titles being recommended today!
Chasing Ray: Dorothy
Bildungsroman: The Body of Evidence series by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala (Post One, Post Two, and Post Three)
Interactive Reader: The Body of Evidence series by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala
Finding Wonderland: The Curved Saber: The Adventure of Khlit the Cossack by Harold Lamb
Not Your Mother's Bookclub: An interview with Robert Sharenow, author of My Mother the Cheerleader
lectitans: The Angel of the Opera: Sherlock Meets the Phantom of the Opera by Sam Siciliano
Bookshelves of Doom: The God Beneathe the Sea, Black Jack, and Jack Holburn by Leon Garfield
Writing and Ruminating: An interview with Tony Mitton and a review of Plum
The YA YA YAs: I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade by Diane Lee Wilson
Chicken Spaghetti: The Illustrator's Notebook by Mohieddin Ellabad
Semicolon: Various picture books

On Friday, August 3rd, I got up bright and early - which I always do, but this time, I had a very special purpose. I had been invited to speak on a panel with four other lit-happy bloggers at The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators conference. Our panel was entitled Having Our Say: Blogging About Children's Literature. I was flattered to be in such good company and looked forward to meeting my fellow panelists - Gina from AmoXcalli, a. fortis and TadMack from Finding Wonderland and Readers' Rants, and Kelly from Big A, little a - in person.

Sadly, Gina had become ill earlier in the week and was unable to attend. However, she truly was a part of our panel, as she created the bulk of our PowerPoint slideshow, which she then put online. Thank you so much, Gina, for all of your hard work. I hope that you are feeling better and that we do meet up in the future.

Kelly and I met up in the morning and discussed the wonders of technology and travel until TadMack and TechBoy arrived. Before we knew it, it was time for the conference to begin, and poor a. fortis was still stuck in traffic. Kelly, TadMack and I scurried into the grand ballroom, where nearly one thousand people had already gathered, and listened to the hilarious welcome speech from Lin Oliver, the SCBWI Executive Director.

The faculty members - anyone speaking on a panel - then lined up and introduced themselves one by one (or group by group - go, Class of 2k7!), with each person saying one word that represented his/her/their panel or mood. When John Green introduced himself and added, "Nerdfighters," a young woman screamed loudly to show her support.

Yes, that was me.

I apologized to Kelly and TadMack for bursting their eardrums. Shortly thereafter, we took to the stage, introduced ourselves, and said:

"Controversy . . .
" . . . conflict . . . "
" . . . and connectivity."

Oh, how I adore alliteration!

a. fortis arrived shortly after the introductions. We all headed over to the room where our panel was going to be held. While telling each other our life stories and discussing new and classic stories, we reviewed the slideshow, which ran throughout the panel.

Once our room filled up, we filled an hour with talk and laughter. I know we could have talked all day about the importance of literacy, free speech, and communication. After briefly introducing ourselves, we talked about our love of literature and of blogging while TadMack clicked through screenshots of various lit blogs and online events. We talked about The Cybils, Toon Thursday, Poetry Friday, The Edge of the Forest, readergirlz, the upcoming 1st Annual Kidlitosphere Conference as planned by Robin Brande, MotherReader's The 48 Hour Book Challenge, 7-Imp's 7 Kicks, The Carnival of Children's Literature, Chasing Ray's various events (the Summer Blog Blast Tour and Wicked Cool Overlooked Books plus the upcoming Winter Blog Blast Tour, Radar Recommendations, and One-Shot World Tour), Class of 2k7, The Longstockings, and more.

Many thanks to the bloggers, authors, and readers who attended our panel. Thanks also to those who sent us notes of support and good luck wishes.

I have an idea for next time: broadcast the panel live on the internet - podcast, anyone? - or incorporate a chat element, making it accessible to the everyone who can't attend in person and encouraging them to take part and ask questions.

Colleen from Chasing Ray has created many monthly or seasonal features, all of which have catchy names and intriguing acronyms. On the first Monday of every month, she posts about a Wicked Cool Overlooked Book - a book she enjoyed that she wishes others would pick up - and invites others to post their picks as well.

"It might be YA or adult, or even a picture book," she says. "All genres are welcome . . . My goal is to write about books that few others (anywhere) seem to have noticed. This is something I think newspaper reviewers do not have the time and space (or possibly inclination) to do - but lit bloggers can."

My choice for this month's WCOB (which I pronounce Wickob!) is Boy Heaven by Laura Kasischke. It came out in hardcover last August, yet I've only read one review of it other than my own.

Laura Kasischke is a published poet and author, and I may quote her during Poetry Friday this week. Boy Heaven, her first teen novel, was the first work of hers that I read. I haven't read her other novels yet, but I have her next YA novel, Feathered, on my to-read list.

If you read my blog regularly or frequently come into my store, you know how strongly I urge people not to judge books by their covers. Customers have told me that Boy Heaven looks and sounds like a teen romance novel. Oh (drawn out to four syllables, Oh-ho-ho!, but not four, because then I'd sound like Santa Claus) how wrong you are, assumptive audience! This is the stuff of urban legends. This is a creepy little thing that gets into your brain and still messes with you a year after you've read it!

Here's my original review of it, written in 2006:

One afternoon, three girls sneak away from cheerleading camp, planning to drive to a nearby lake. The teenagers never quite make it there. While at the gas station, the beautiful driver - Kristy Sweetland, the narrator of the tale - attracts the unwanted attention of two boys.

On the drive back, the girls attempt to lose the boys, but the narrator's best friend, Desiree, is an insatiable flirt. She prompts them to do something that only increases the boys' interest. They do eventually lose the guys and head back to camp, thinking nothing of it.

As the days go on, two of the girls think they see the boys spying on them, and one of the girls receives a threatening note in her bunk. The situation affects each girl differently: Kristy reflects on past events that have shaped her, such as the loss of her father; Desiree starts a risky relationship with a cute lifeguard; and the third girl, Kristi "with an I," becomes withdrawn and anorexic.

The vast majority of Boy Heaven is told in first person from Kristy's point of view. However, the book begins and ends in third person as the story is told around a campfire, furthering its set-up as an urban legend.

Fans of Lois Duncan ought to pick this book up. The writing style is fresh, the plot intricate, and the settings and characters quite detailed, making Boy Heaven one of this summer's most intriguing pageturners.</i>

Due to content, Boy Heaven is for older teens and adults.

Boy Heaven will be available in paperback in April 2008, right as Kasischke's second release from HarperTeen, Feathered, is released in hardcover.

Boy Heaven by Laura Kasischke is a modern-day urban legend that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until they reach the shocking conclusion.

One afternoon, three girls sneak away from cheerleading camp, planning to drive to a nearby lake. The teenagers never quite make it there. While at the gas station, the beautiful driver - Kristy Sweetland, the narrator of the tale - attracts the unwanted attention of two boys.

On the drive back, the girls attempt to lose the boys, but the narrator's best friend, Desiree, is an insatiable flirt. She prompts them to do something that only increases the boys' interest. They do eventually lose the guys and head back to camp, thinking nothing of it.

As the days go on, two of the girls think they see the boys spying on them, and one of the girls receives a threatening note in her bunk. The situation affects each girl differently: Kristy reflects on past events that have shaped her, such as the loss of her father; Desiree starts a risky relationship with a cute lifeguard; and the third girl, Kristi "with an I," becomes withdrawn and anorexic.

The vast majority of Boy Heaven is told in first person from Kristy's point of view. However, the book begins and ends in third person as the story is told around a campfire, furthering its set-up as an urban legend.

Fans of Lois Duncan ought to pick this book up. The writing style is fresh, the plot intricate, and the settings and characters quite detailed, making Boy Heaven one of this summer's most intriguing pageturners.

Due to content, Boy Heaven is for older teens and adults.

Vote for this review at Amazon.
Check out my other reviews at Amazon.
Browse through my reviews on LiveJournal.
Read my post for Wicked Cool Overlooked Books dedicated to Boy Heaven by Laura Kasischke.
Read my review of Feathered by Laura Kasischke.
Read an excerpt from Boy Heaven online.