The Accidental genius of Weasel High by Rick Detorie

In the tradition of a diary of a wimpy kid this book chronicles the adventures of a 14 year old boy and that age groups humor.  That humor is demonstrated in the title.  BTW it is nice to read something like this after the last review which was a bit intense.

Larkin Pace is a vertically challenged 14 year old teenager.  His goals and aspirations are subject to the people and kids around him.  His control over his life is minimal.  He spends a lot of time frustrated.   This is going to resonate well with young teens who share the same feelings.   “Just because I am a kid doesn’t mean I am stupid”, has been said my own grandson.   Kids often feel powerless.   This book may help them to deal with that frustration.

The book has loads of graphics but I wouldn’t consider it a graphic novel.

This format has been a best seller with the Diary of the Wimpy Kid.  I think both the format and story will be appealing to the young teenager.

It is humorous and entertaining I recommend it.

Body of work of Rick Detorie

Surprisingly I did not find a web site but this site has a nice article on Rick Detorie: http://www.creators.com/comics/one-big-happy-about.html

The Turning by Helen Ellis

This is one of the more thoughtful middle school books I’ve read. I’m not really sure if it is more for younger high school or not. I think it can and will appeal to both audiences. Mary discovers a secret about her own life that she never dreamed of facing. Mary’s relationships with her family and friends undergo some major revamping with what she learns.

Ms. Ellis deals with the insecurities that kids have in a tasteful and insightful manner. As an ex-guidance counselor for this age, I felt she captured their feelings very accurately. Fish or fowl is often the question with teenagers or in this case feline or not. The mystery was prolonged to the end. There was sufficient tension and moderate action to hold your interest. The life and death aspects were portrayed somewhat graphically but I don’t think at a level of intensity to frighten the younger reader. The book was well done and it appears that it will be a captivating series.

I recommend the book.

Body of work of Helen Ellis

Web Site:

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen is a romance story with gothic overtones. Luce Price is held responsible for inexplicable behavior. She is sent to the Sword & Cross boarding school which seems to be a thinly disguised reform school. The story plot involves the mysterious events that then occur.

Ms. Kate does a good job portraying teenage angst. Several of the characters were recognizable from my days as a counselor. Sadly I am not overjoyed with romance stories. I suspect this book will be a huge hit with teenage girls. Luce is a sad character that you would like to reach out and help.

Body of work of Lauren Kate
Author Info

Once A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

“Once A Witch” is a delightful coming of age story. Tamsin perceives herself as an outsider in her own family. The family universally displays “talent”. Tamsin shows no signs of following the hereditary skill set of her family of witches. How she works through this problem and the relationships she establishes are the gist of the book.

MacCullough captured the essence of teenage angst. As a counselor, I saw many teens searching for personal identity and MacCullough portrayed this search with accuracy and sensitivity. The story line was good, it recognized that even good people may find themselves doing bad things for the “greater” good. The relationships and the soul searching were believable. I suspect this will be a very successful series.

I highly recommend it.

Body of work of Carolyn MacCullough

Review of the book:

Site:

Ariel’s Journey by Doug Kane and Christy Wood

This is the first book in the Ice Horse Adventures series. If this book is an indication of the quality of the series, then the series will be a hit. The book’s target audience is pre-adolescent through teen readers. I think they can easily expand their target market. While not a taxing read, the book provides food for thought on interpersonal relations as well as stereotyping. I am going to recommend it to my daughter’s book club for young mothers.

The main non-human characters are the Icelandic horses. This is a breed I am not familiar with but they are more than adequately documented by the book. The story line starts as an almost typical adolescent interpersonal friction scenario but develops into a delightful trip into fantasy. The young protagonists are thrust into a very adult situation and forced to not only cope but to master a very delicate and dangerous situation.

If you are familiar with any of my fantasy reviews, then you know I am strongly attracted to anthropomorphic stories. The relationships the girls have with their horses undergo some very interesting changes as the story progresses.

As an ex-guidance counselor and parent I can testify that the authors accurately portray the interpersonal relationships and the friction that can develop between groups of teens. The pollyanna solution for a confrontational situation suggested by one of the mothers leads to the development of the fantasy sequence.

I enjoyed the book and in no shape or form do I fit into the target market. I suspect that early teens and especially those into horses will find this book and the series just short of intoxicating.

Body of work of Doug Kane
Body of work of Christy Wood

Web Site: http://www.icehorseadventures.com/home.html