Flamingnet Recommended Readng

Check out this article by the LA Times. It's a fascinating look at the trend of adults reading young adult fantasy books.

Speaking Out: LGBTQ Youth Stand Up, edited by Steve Berman

This collection of short stories is a look at situations that homosexual youth face in America. Although there are some coming out stories, it focuses more on stories of the finding out for yourself moment, rather than the tell people moment. This is a welcome change from most stories of gay teens, which heavily stress what society thinks of the person rather than what the person thinks of themselves. There are about an equal number of stories about girls and boys, another change from other books about gay youths. Many of the authors are homosexual themselves, which I think makes the writing more realistic, if slightly emotionally stiff. There are so many different stories in this book that it sort of defies placement into a genre but it is almost a romantic adventure, if not in the classic sense.

This book was inspirational, a moderately quick read, and I think it would be for anyone of any sexuality, as long as the reader is open-minded. I doubt that any homophobic people would consider reading this book in the first place, but obviously that would be one audience that this book would not appeal to. Many of the stories had only so-so writing, although the situations were realistic and moving. I really enjoyed the book overall, regardless. It is very different from any other books out there about homosexuality. Some of the stories got a little bit boring because the authors put too much outside information that didn’t have to do with the plot, but for the most part, this wasn’t something that happened. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the struggles of gay teenagers or just more about homosexuality in general.

Some of the stories have sexual material and the content is something not all parents would want their children reading.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Exeter, NH USA

Rating: 9

Content Rating: 2

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Hannah Baker is dead. She killed herself. So, who sent Clay Jensen the tapes with Hannah’s voice on them? And who is following him to make sure he sends them on? When Clay begins listening to the tapes, he starts hearing the thirteen reasons why Hannah decided to end her own life. He loved Hannah and never got to tell her, he doesn’t want to know what part he played in her death.

Thirteen Reasons Why is a thought-provoking story about love, loss, friendship, high school and tragedy. Clay’s character is one anyone can relate to. He is that person who didn’t say what he wanted to, and then found out that it was too late. Hannah’s voice on the tapes is cryptic, sarcastic and brutally honest. The insight that Asher provides into their lives and brains makes them seem as if they could be your friend, or even you. This book was wonderful and sad with comic relief intermixed in all the right places. This is a book that I would definitely recommend.

Reviewer Age: 18

Reviewer City, State and Country: Leverett, Ma US

Basic Anatomy for the Manga Artist by Christopher Hart

Unlike other Manga drawing books, this tells you about anatomy--the study of the structure of the human body. Most Manga books do not tell you about muscles to show in your drawings. It is divided into 6 chapters. The chapters are, for example: Body Symmetry & Asymmetry, The Foundations of the Body (bones), Topographic Anatomy (muscles), and Putting it All Into Practice.

I found this book very interesting. My personal favorite was Chapter 1 -- Basic Head Elements, like eyes, teeth, nose and ears. All of the pictures were very detailed but easy to take in. I really like how it told you what muscles to include in your drawings. It has cool little paragraphs and pictures to get the full Manga book experience. The author puts it in a way that is easy for children to understand. I recommend this book to anyone.

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Uxbridge, MA USA

A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley

"A Traveller in Time " by Allison Uttley, is the story of a little known tale lost to one of the most well known eras of history. The Elizabethan times , also known as the Shakespearean times was a great Golden Age of England with much credit to Queen Elizabeth the wonderful.Yeah, everyone knows that. What people do not know, however , is that she quietly got rid of her cousin , Mary, Queen of Scots , her main opponent.

Penelope Cameron is sent to London to her Aunts farm , Thackers ,which ,in a different era is the place of Queen Mary's escape route and ardently devout supporters.Penelope is caught in a tug of war of time between the 1930's and the Elizabethan age, where she comes to love the era that is not her own.

I think this is an awesome book....for a girl living in the early 1900s. Uttley is an incredibly gifted writer with a knack for comprehensive and eloquent use of lexicon. Honestly, it was the first time I had ever actually seen the word flibbertigibbet used to describe someone. But sadly, the average 2011 child can t handle the vocabulary and would be yawning real soon while reading the overly descriptive writing.

I would not recommend this book to anyone, but if they had spunk and wanted to try anyways ...I will just give this one warning:

THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN IN THE 1900S !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: rockland county, new york usa

Punkzilla by Adam Rapp

Punkzilla is a short novel about a young man who travels across the country to see his older brother. It is told through a series of letters between the young Jamie "Punkzilla", his brother, parents, and old friends. There are also journal entries told from Jamie's perspective as he travels. He faces many challenges including being beaten in the bus station, having to lie to people, hitchhiking, and people constantly believing he is a girl. In this somewhat humorous but vibrantly honest novel, Jamie discovers much about himself and his place in this world.

I felt that Punkzilla was an interesting novel, and although it is not my favorite, it shows a dark side to teenage life that many people do not see. Most of the main characters had major flaws to their character, but it only made them more human and easier to believe in. A lot of the time I really liked the characters, but they also made me think about what I believe in when they fell out of my good graces. I had to recognize the motives behind their actions and consider my own moral standpoint, making this an interesting read. One problem I had with the novel was the format it was written in. It was often confusing and out of order and I found myself having to go back and reread. Keeping track of all these people who were flying through time with no organization was difficult and differed from the enjoyment of reading this book.I found this novel very interesting and it revealed a world that is vastly different from my own.

There is a lot of explicit language and some grafic descriptions of violence.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Minnetonka, Minnesota United States

In the Shadow of the Lamp by Susanne Dunlap

'In the Shadow of the Lamp' is a fufilling, deeply
immersing
story of willpower, truth, and the search for everlasting
love. In 1854, Molly Fraser, a lowly servant working for
an
elegant London household, is wrongly accused of thievery.
She is quite promptly banished from her claim and nearly
thrown out onto the streets. Now, her work and little
money
gone, she is forced to wander the city in search of a new
way of life. So when an opportunity arises for Molly to
possibly go to Crimea with a team of Florence
Nightingale's
nurses, she determinedly sets out for the battlefield. The
work there is exasperating, the hospitals are filthy and
infested with vermin, and young men lay writhing in pain
on
the blood-splattered floor. But Molly, refusing to back
down, does everything within her power to care for the
wounded soldiers. Caring for the young men soon becomes
more
than just that, though, when Molly finds herself falling
deeply in love with one of the doctors working in her
hospital. But all transposes when an old love from home
comes to fight as a soldier in the war, and seeks out
Molly
to tell her that he came just to be near her. One man of
two
will fall prey to the war's deadly guns, and where will
that
leave Molly? Dunlap carefully winds this story through
true
friends, deep love, and the acceptance of death as the
truth
of this story unfolds.

'In the Shadow of the Lamp' is a very lifelike, oldtime
almost-novel exceptionally written with very true
personalities and emotions. I think this book is very well-
done with astounding characters and will create incredible
pictures in readers' minds. Susanne Dunlap could have
lived
in this time herself for the way she deeply wove this
story.

n/a

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and
Country: Akron, Ohio United States

The Best Teen Writing of 2010 by Foreword - Davy Rothbart

The Best Teen Writing of 2010 is a collection of essays, poetry, memoirs, and more. All of them are written by teenagers like you and me. The young authors put together a portfolio and then are judged by teachers, authors, and other literally professionals. Though, these writings aren 't your typical class assignment; they are real, and full of both sensitive and rough emotion. These pieces are the best of the best.

I 'll admit I was a little skeptical at first. I thought this book would be some little thin paperback with some essays about family vacations and favorite gifts. Boy was I wrong. Every time I started on new author or a new piece I became more and more engaged. The stories and the stories behind the stories were so real. So different from everything else that I expected. It was very refreshing a real eye-opener. I am most likely going to recommend this book to my friends.

Explicit language and themes

Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Hopkins, Michigan United States

Kennedy: Through the Lens by Martin W. Sandler

Born into a highly successful family, John Kennedy endured a competitive childhood, constantly being shadowed by his older brother, Joe Jr. He suffered many childhood illnesses, but managed to overcome them and eventually graduated from Harvard University with a degree in government. As a fighter pilot during World War II, he became a war hero after leading his vessel crewmen to safety. He later rose up the ranks in politics before being elected as the President of the United States. This book not only describes his journey to the presidency, but also offers an inside view of one of the most photogenic presidents in history. His charisma and energy as seen on TV and newspapers inspired millions of Americans. Kennedy launched a new generation in American presidency, one where his public image relates to the everyday citizen: playing with his children, golfing, reading, etc. This biography offers a moderately detailed account of Kennedy's rise to the presidency and the major challenges he faced as president while also attempting to capture the essence of his life that made him so appealing to the American people.

"Kennedy Through the Lens" paints a picture of not only John F. Kennedy as our 35th president, but John F. Kennedy as a person. While the book's purpose is not to offer a detailed account of his life, it does do a fairly decent job of capturing all the important details in his life and presidency. But what makes this book unique is its emphasis on the specific traits and qualities that made John Kennedy one of the most popular presidents of all time: his openness to the camera and to the media. He was the first president to fully take advantage of the new technologies taking presence during this time. Through the carefully-selected images and the accompanying text, readers will have no difficulty learning about the professional and personal life of John F. Kennedy. While I did not live during that time period, reading this book helped me understand why many people considered the Kennedy era the "Camelot years". This book possesses a special component that truly made it interesting to read and different than those traditional, boring biographies. It would be even better if it had more quotes from Kennedy himself, particularly his own reflections.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Palo Alto, CA USA

The Brave Escape of Edith Wharton by Connie Nordhielm

The Brave Escape of Edith Wharton by Connie Nordhielm is a fascinating biography that details the famous author s difficult and somewhat scandalous life. A very early reader, Edith Jones was born into a prominent New York family. As a child, she enjoyed voyages overseas to her favorite country, France, and quickly became fluent in English, French, German, and Italian. The next year, she began writing a novel but was criticized by her discouraging mother. She never finished the novel and instead switched to writing poetry. At the age of fifteen, she completed a first novel entitled Fast and Loose, a racy romance; a collection of her poems was published anonymously in 1880 when she was eighteen. After that, her published work increased, and she wrote many famous novels, including Ethan Frome.

The book also details Edith s unfortunate love life, including her unhappy marriage to Edward Wharton in 1885. Furthermore, it touches upon her volunteer work during the first World War, and, as an American, her allegiance to France. However, the title of the book is somewhat misleading. The escape mentioned is not actually an escape at all in the traditional sense. It is a metaphor for Edith s escape from the conventions of from her dysfunctional marriage and New York high society into her becoming a writer and an independent woman.

While this biography detailed some of Edith s creative process, it focused more on her personal life. However, her controversial life story was intriguing and well-written, so it held my attention. Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I learned a lot about someone of whom I knew nothing. However, the emphasis on her personal life and relationships - marital and extramarital - was a bit much, and it took away from a full exploration of Edith's work. In all, though, the book was a entertaining overview about a famous author, and I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history or literature.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Chicago, IL United States