Title:  Beautiful [Indie Bound] [Amazon]
Author: Amy Reed [website] [twitter] [facebook]
Genre:  Contemporary
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: Paperbook
Series: None
Source: Purchased
Parental Advisory: sex, drugs, alcohol, language, criminal activity
Teachable Moments: addiction, emotional and physical abuse

Beautiful is a book that is not for the faint at heart.  It is a hard look at a young girl’s decent into a life of drugs and alcohol addiction.  But that’s not all there are any number of secondary characters who endure emotional and physical abuse as well.   Reading this book was a bit of a departure for me because of it’s dark tone and focus.  It was quite graphic in it’s plot and description.  Not arbitrarily so, mind you, just realistic.  Having said that, one of the issues I had with the book was that Cassie’s addiction felt so abrupt — at the end of one chapter she was tentative and though experimenting a little still kind of on the fence with all of the drugs. Then at the beginning of the next she was a full on addict and tramp. Reed didn’t do a fantastic job of showing the decent or backstory of the whys and hows.   I honestly felt like I was on one big long binge the entire time. While that made a point and showcased the addiction it was all kind of surface for me.  Ultimately I can’t decide if that was by design so that each reader can make their own interpretations or if the author just missed the boat.

All in all Beautiful is an interesting read.  It is one that will definitely spark a great deal of conversation.  It makes a great book club book!

Title:  Anything But Typical [Amazon]
Author: Nora Raleigh Baskin [website] [facebook]
Genre:  Contemporary
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Format: Hardcover
Series: None
Source: Purchased
Parental Advisory: none
Teachable Moments: autism, digital literacy

A fantastic book about how a young boy lives his life with autism.  Equal parts heartbreaking and inspirational it follows Jason as he tries to find his place in the world.  Because of his disability it is difficult for him to make friends at school.  So he uses writing and technology as a way to connect with the outside world.  I just loved how Baskin incorporated these elements into the story and made them central to Jason’s life and progress.  As part of his journey Jason has the opportunity to travel to a conference to meet some of his online friends in person. The struggle he endures as a result of that decision is one that truly defines what it is like for a young boy to not only recognize his limitations but deal with them.

Anything But Typical also does a fantastic job of showing a supportive and loving family.  Living with autism doesn’t always have to be a “problem” that needs solving and Baskin portrays this fact well.  As demonstrated in this book, both Jason’s parents are cautious about him but allow him to be a participant in his life.  They don’t make all of the decisions for him, they allow him to be involved.  Sure, they do what is best for him but at the same time he’s given as much independence as possible.  Further, he has a younger brother who idolizes him.  Their bond is unique, both know this, but in neither case does the other feel overtaken by the fact that Jason has autism.

Good for book clubs, for classrooms and for YA readers young, old and of both genders.  Anything But Typical has wide appeal.

Title: Jumping Off Swings [Indie Bound] [Amazon]
Author: Jo Knowles [website] [twitter] [facebook]
Genre:  Contemporary
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Format: Hardcover
Series: None
Source: Purchased
Parental Advisory: alcohol, drugs, sex, language
Teachable Moments: teen pregnancy

Ellie desperately wants to be loved; she wants to feel connected to another person at a deeper level.  The problem is she uses sex to do so.  In her mind she feels as though boys like her and when they have sex it makes their bond even deeper.  Only what is really happening is the boy is just wanting to have sex.  Now she’s got a reputation for being easy and it’s even more difficult to find herself a true boyfriend who is looking for that same emotional connection she is.

This book isn’t about her reputation and how she overcomes it though.  In fact, there is a decided lack of focus on that issue.  it is addressed minimally in ways one would expect — ridicule at school, self loathing, etc — but it is not the main focus of the plot.  What is the main focus is Ellie’s unexpected pregnancy after a one night stand she thought was more.  Moreover, the book focuses not only on her point of view but also takes into account the perspective of the father.  This I appreciated a great deal.  Furthermore, I liked that both were sympathetic characters.  The father wasn’t some deadbeat jerk who slept with her and treated her like a piece of dirt afterwards.  He was genuinely lost himself.  Was his behavior stellar?  No, definitely not, but he wasn’t that boy who mocked and spread rumors after the fact to make himself the big man who got laid.

A book with many teachable moments to it, Jumping Off Swings is another that would make a great book club read or addition to the classroom.  It is a quick read that keeps the attention and allowed for me to make an investment in the characters and outcome.