Devilish by Maureen Johnson

Johnson, Mauree. Devilish. Penguin/Razorbill, 2006. 288 pages. ISBN-10: 1595140603. ISBN-13: 978-1595140609.

Plot:

Ally is one of the few things that makes St. Teresa's Preparatory School for Girls bearable for Jane. They have been best friends for years, even though they couldn’t be more different. Jane is sarcastic, non-conformist, and outspoken. Ally is shy, spastic and obsessed with the school’s events and traditions, especially that of getting a good “little sister” at the school’s annual ceremony. At the ceremony, Ally vomits front of the school and humiliates herself, but still ends up with a little sister after a mysterious new student, Lanalee, offers to pair up with her. When Ally starts acting weird, Jane soon figures out that there is something going on with her and Lanalee. It turns out that Lanalee is a demon and Ally has sold her soul for popularity. Jane offers to take Ally’s place, hoping that she can make a deal with Lanalee that will save both of them. Her decision puts into motion a series of events that will rock their school and possibly end up with Jane losing her soul in the process.

Critical Evaluation:

Devilish’s cover and premise are misleading. Upon seeing the book, a person might think that this would be another substanceless teen chick book. If they were to pass it over because of this, they would be missing out on a quick, thrilling, and intelligent read. Johnson presents an interesting twist on legend of Faust. The emissary of the devil is in the body of a teenage girl, the ambition is that of poise and popularity, and the setting is high school. What better set up could there be for that kind of bargain? Johnson’s writing is snappy and clever. Jane is a humorous and sarcastic narrator. Setting her up as narrator rather than Ally was a smart choice.

One of the most refreshing aspects of the story is Jane’s skepticism. Many novels, young adult and otherwise, contain an unrealistic level of acceptance in their characters when presenting fantastical elements. The characters are rarely shocked or disbelieving when encountering creatures that supposedly don’t exist. When Jane is confronted with the idea that her best friend has sold her soul to the devil, she assumes that Lanalee is simply manipulating Ally. Even after several unusual things happen directly to Jane, she still refuses to believe. It’s only after she has reached the point that she can no longer deny what’s happening that she begins to reluctantly accept it. Throughout all of this, though, her devotion to Ally is admirable. Even as their relationship becomes more strained and Ally betrays her, Jane is still determined to save her. This book is a wonderful example of the powerful friendships that can develop between teenage girls and one that readers will enjoy.

Reader's Annotation:

When Jane's best friend sells her soul to the devil in exchange for popularity, Jane must figure out how to save her before it's too late.

Author Information:

Maureen Johnson was born February 16, 1973 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though not Catholic, she attended a Catholic Prep school for girls. She enjoyed high school and made several great friends while there. She used this experience as inspiration for her book Devilish. She then attended the University of Delaware to study Writing and went on to study Theatrical Dramaturgy and Writing at Columbia University. While there she worked several jobs to pay for her schooling, including working in a Las Vegas show, as an employee of a haunted house themed restaurant, and as a fake employee of a company to increase its employee numbers. She currently lives in New York and frequently travels to the UK, including time spent in Scotland on a writing fellowship.

Her first novel was published in 2004. She has since published 6 other novels, 2 compilations, and has 2 more novels set to be published in 2011. Though most of her books are not frequently challenged, her novel The Bermudez Triangle was challenged in 2007. Johnson has been noted for her quick response to the challenge and for her criticism of the typical practices that schools use when banning books.

Genre:

Chick Lit

Curriculum Ties:

English: Modern comparison to Faust

Booktalking Ideas:

• Compare Jane and Ally.
• Talk about what made Jane believe what Lanalee really is.
• Introduce Lanalee as a character.

Reading Level/Interest Age:

13 and Older

Challenge Issues:

Selling of souls to Satan
Violence

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

I discovered this book while working on our genre project. Though I had a fairly negative view of chick lit before, this book is one that helped change my mind.

Uglies (Uglies Trilogy #1) by Scott Westerfeld

Westerfeld, Scott. Uglies. Simon Pulse, 2005. 448 pages. ISBN-10: 0689865384. ISBN-13: 978-0689865381.

Plot:

Tally is an Ugly. She hasn’t yet reached her 16th birthday where she will undergo the surgery that will transform her to a Pretty and allow her to live in New Pretty Town where she can spend all her time partying with the rest of the new Pretties. Missing her best friend Peris, who has already become a Pretty, she sneaks over to New Pretty Town to see him. While there she is almost caught, but is helped by another Ugly named Shay. Tally and Shay become friends. Shay reveals that she doesn’t want to become a Pretty and is planning on running away instead. After Shay disappears, Tally still plans to become a Pretty, but on the day of her birthday she is taken to meet Dr. Gable, the head of Special Circumstances, the city’s security force. Dr. Gable informs Tally that she must find Shay and lead Special Circumstances to the colony of runaways where Shay is living or she’ll never be allowed to become a Pretty. Tally agrees and sets off to the colony, know as The Smoke. When she arrives, she begins to enjoy the freedom of The Smoke and decides to stay instead of revealing where they are. She also falls in love with a boy who was born there, named David. What Tally doesn’t know is that Dr. Gable expected her to betray her mission and has a way of tracking her anyway.

Critical Evaluation:

On the surface, Uglies is a dystopian post-scarcity science-fiction thriller. Looking deeper, however, the entire novel is a metaphor for the confusion inherent in adolescence when torn between desires for individuality and the need to conform, as well as the fear of growing up. Teenagers will appreciate Tally’s predicament. She desperately wants to join Peris and the other Pretties in New Pretty Town, but as she learns more about the Uglies living in the Smoke and discovers life outside of the city, she is drawn to that lifestyle. However, the Smoke simply represents another type of conformity. Tally has to learn to reconcile what she wants with the demands of those around her, which is something that every individual must go through as part of growing up.

Westerfeld creates a dazzling world with his descriptions of New Pretty Town. The technology he creates is fascinating and fun. Who wouldn’t want a hoverboard? He manages to make being a Pretty sounds incredibly appealing, which makes it all the more horrifying when it’s revealed what happens during the transformation.

The novel is an exercise in suspense. The reader is never sure what is around the next corner or who is an enemy. Just as one problem is resolved, something else is introduced. The characters’ motivations are often hard to read as it seems like even the most innocent often have some kind of agenda. We spend most of the novel watching Tally’s world fall apart around her as she learns that it’s a very different place than she thought it was. She remains a strong character throughout. When the novel ends, the reader will be anxious to find out what happens to her next.

Reader's Annotation:

Tally has always look forward to her 16th birthday when she will become a Pretty. When Tally's new friend Shay declares that she plans to run away instead, Tally must decide if she should become a Pretty or follow Shay.

Author Information:

Scott Westerfeld was born May 5, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. His father was a computer programmer, so Westerfeld and his family traveled a lot when he was a kid. He lived in Texas, California, and Connecticut. He attended a magnet school for arts in Dallas. He earned a bachelors in Philosophy from Vassar and did graduate work in Performance Studies at New York University. He is married to the Australian author Justine Larbalestier. The two divide their time between Australia and New York, specifically to avoid winter in either hemisphere.

Before becoming a novelist, he worked as a ghost writer and music writer. His first novels were adult science fiction, but he transitioned to writing for young adults with his book So Yesterday in 2004. He has also published non-fiction, short stories, poetry, and several essays.

Genre:

Science Fiction

Curriculum Ties:

Science: Care of the Environment
Health: Body Image
Sociology: Community

Booktalking Ideas:

• Talk about the anticipation of becoming a Pretty.
• Compare Tally and Shay.
• Explain some of the technology they use in the book.

Reading Level/Interest Age:

13 and older

Challenge Issues:

Allusions to alcohol use
Negative body image issues
Anti-family
Anti-government

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

This book was recommended to me by a teenage friend of my sister. It's popular with her group of friends.

Girl, 15, Charming but Insane by Sue Limb

Limb, Sue. Girl, 15, Charming but Insane. Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2004. 224 pages. ISBN-10: 0385732147. ISBN-13: 978-0385732147.

Plot:

Jess Jordon is a typical 15-year-old girl who believes that her life is a disaster. Her best friend, Flora, is beautiful, smart, and comes from a perfect family. Jess, by contrast, has a body she dislikes, an absent father, and the tendency to let her mind wander while in class. She also has a crush on popular boy, Brad. After Flora starts dating Brad’s best friend and the three of them start a band, Jess has a chance to get to know Brad. All he wants to do it talk about Flora. In her quest to get to know Brad, Jess looks past her other best friend, Fred. Fred is the one who has always been there for her, from stealing an embarrassing topless video of her that surfaced after a party to letting her stay with him after she and her mother had a blow out. Consumed with her obsession with Brad and her rivalry with Flora, Jess doesn’t fully appreciate Fred until it is too late. After accidentally blowing off his mother’s birthday party because of a family emergency, Jess finds that Fred is no longer speaking to her. As she attempts to fix this situation, Flora reveals to Jess that she likes Fred, which makes Jess jealous. Jess must make up with Fred, figure out her situation with Brad, and deal with Flora, all the while dealing with all the other problems that come with being 15.

Critical Evaluation:

Jess is an incredibly funny narrator. She has a wit and self-deprecating humor that is charming to all audiences, but will especially appeal to teen readers. She’s a very realistic character who has a tendency to make mistakes and end up in embarrassing situations. The reader can both cringe and sympathize when reading about her latest problem. The other characters aren’t quite as well-developed as Jess, but instead read as reflections of her views of them, rather than actual people. This serves well to further Jess’s characterization, however.

The writing is simple and in a style appropriate to the teenage narrator. It isn’t overly flowery, but the author does allow some whimsy appropriate to Jess’s overactive imagination. The plot isn’t complicated or involved but instead just focuses on average events that could easily occur in the life any teenage girl. This isn’t a book that will teach a moral or that is very thought-provoking; it is entertaining. If the reader is in the mood for a cute, light, funny read this is an excellent choice.

Reader's Annotation:

15-year-old Jess has enough to deal with between her too perfect best friend Flora, her absent father and his “horrorscopes,” giving up her room to her death-obsessed grandma, a falling out with her other best friend, Fred, and her undying love for Brad. When Flora starts dating Brad’s best friend, Jess decides now is the time to get Brad to notice her, but is he really the one for her?

Author Information:

Sue Limb was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England in 1946. She attended Cambridge to study English, Elizabethan Poetry, and get her certification in Education. Prior to becoming an author, she spent a decade working on and off as a teacher. She taught Literary Criticism at the college lever and both English and Drama at the secondary level. She also spent a year teaching in a prison. She then spent several years working in radio and television, including adapting her novel Up the Garden Path for both a BBC radio and later ITV as a sitcom. However, what is probably her most well-known work was that of her column in The Guardian written under the pen-name of Dulcie Domum. From 1990-2001, she wrote a humorous column entitled "Bad Housekeeping" about a feminist novelist’s experiences as a rural wife.

Besides writing, she lists several interests on her website including horticulture, agriculture, music, politics, painting, natural history, architecture, and travel. These interests are evident in much of her non-young adult work. She has written close to 30 books for adults and teens. Her writing has won several awards including Book Sense Picks and the School Library Journal award.

Genre:

Chick Lit

Curriculum Ties:

None

Booktalking Ideas:

• Present part of Jess's personals ad monologue.
• Present as Jess talking about her many problems and her love for Brad.

Reading Level/Interest Age:

14 and older

Challenge Issues:

Profanity
Sexual content
Inappropriate language

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

It was one of the books I read for our chick lit presentation and I enjoyed it enough to include it here.

A Great And Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle Trilogy Book #1) by Libba Bray

Bray, Libba. A Great And Terrible Beauty. Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2003. 403 pages. ISBN-10: 0385730284. ISBN-13: 978-0385730280.

Plot:

Gemma Doyle has spent the entire 16 years of her life with her family in India, but all she wants is to go to London. When her mother is tragically and mysteriously killed on her 16th birthday, following a vision Gemma had of the occurrence, she gets her wish, but it’s no longer what she wants. She is sent to Spence Academy, where her grandmother believes she can be taught to be a proper young lady. While there, Gemma continues to have ever more confusing visions, one of which leads her to a diary of a young girl named Mary. Mary also has visions and writes of a magical world called the Realms and a group of powerful women called the Order. This is all made more complicated by an Indian boy, Kartik, who warns Gemma that she must close her mind to her visions or terrible things will happen.

Though she tries to fit in at Spence, she is bullied by the school's most popular clique until she finds a way to blackmail them to let her and her roommate Ann into their circle. Gemma, along with Ann and their new friends Felicity and Pippa, learn more about the Order through a teacher at Spence and eventually find a way to enter the Realms. They discover that the magic of the Order and the Realms is threatened by a former member named Circe who committed a terrible crime years ago to gain power. It is now Gemma’s responsibility to save the Realms and the Order, but she isn’t sure if she is really the girl for the job

Critical Evaluation:

This is an engaging and enjoyable start to the trilogy. It is reminiscent of Victorian Gothic horror novels such as those by the Bronte sisters, but written in a way to appeal to the modern reader. Bray paints an equally vibrant picture of both Victorian England and the fantasy world of the Realms. The juxtaposition of the two worlds and the lessons Gemma must learn to travel each provide an interesting metaphor for coming of age and finding one’s place in the world. Bray’s treatment of the idea of female empowerment manages to stay just short of preachy. Even when it tends toward the heavy-handed, the story is engrossing enough that the reader can forgive her for more obvious moments, especially as the message is such an important one. Gemma’s sarcastic wit, coupled with her vulnerability, make her a humorous and likable narrator. As she stumbles many times while trying to find her place in both of her worlds, she is a character to which the reader can relate and support. Her relationships with the other characters, particularly Kartik, Felicity, and Miss Moore, serve to develop and explore the different facets of her personality, while still providing interesting story lines to fill out the novel. In all, this is a well-written and entertaining book.

Reader's Annotation:

After her mother's tragic death, Gemma Doyle is sent to Spence Academy , where not everything is as it seems. Gemma isn't quite the girl she seems to be, either.

Author Information:

Libba Bray was born March 11, 1964 in Alabama, but she grew up in Texas. Her mother was a teacher and her father was a preacher. She had dreamed of being an actress, but that dream was derailed when she was 18. She was in a terrible car accident that resulted in the loss of one of her eyes and several reconstructive surgeries. She used writing to battle the pain and depression she felt during that time and it paved the way to her current career.

She moved to New York at the age of 26 with only $600 that she had put in her shoe. She still lives there with her husband and son. She loved theater growing up and so spent many years as a playwright. Her first novel - A Great and Terrible Beauty, the first of the Gemma Doyle trilogy - was published in 2003. She has since published 7 more books, including the second and third novels of the Gemma Doyle Trilogy.

Genre:

Horror

Curriculum Ties:

Geography: England, India
History: Victorian Era, Colonialism
Sociology: Family Dynamic, Friendships
Psychology: Self-Awareness, Coming of Age, Grief

Booktalking Ideas:

• Discuss differences in lifestyle for a teenage girl in Victorian times and a teenage girl today.
• Focus on the relationship between Gemma, Felicity, Pippa, and Ann.
• Speak as Gemma in the aftermath of one of her visions.
• Tell the story of The Order.
  

Reading Level/Interest Age

14 and older

Challenge Issues:

Witchcraft/Magic
Violence

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

This is one of my personal favorites.