Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor

Connor, L.  (2008).  Waiting for Normal.  New York:  HarperCollinsPublishers.  290 pages

All Addie wants is to have a sense of normal:  a life with Mommers, Dwight (her stepfather) her Littles, Brynna and Katie (Dwight's daughters), and be a family.  She wants everything to be normal, but how can living in a trailor with Mommers and her all-or-nothing attitude add up to normal?  Will Addie get what she wants and deserves?

When Dwight took 12-year-old Addie and Mommers to the trailor that would be their home, in Schenectady, New York, Addie knew that she would have to make the best of her situation.  She vowed she would remain positive even if Mommers wouldn't.  Mommers was really upset about where they would be staying, but Addie wanted to be positive so the Mommers wouldn't be in a bad mood.  Dwight promised to call and visit often so that Addie can see her little sisters, Brynna and Katie (the Littles) and even take her up to stay with them once in a while.  This gave Addie something to look forward to, but in the meantime, she spent her time at the convenience store/gas station across the way from her trailor and became friends with Soul, who had cancer, and Elliot, the owner.  She felt very welcomed by them even though she knew Mommers didn't really like the idea of Addie going there so often.  They made her feel safe and wanted, especially when Mommers was away from home, which happened quite often.  Dwight kept his promise to call and take her to visit the Littles and him, and she enjoyed her time with them, and even liked Hannah, Dwight's girlfriend, but there's something about the visits that made her feel sad and out of place to the point where she didn't want to visit anymore.  Dwight sensed her distance, and Addie felt bad about making him feel bad, but she just couldn't help it.  One day Addie turned on the stove to make hot chocolate for herself but accidentally turned on the burner that had oil from dinner from the night before.  Suddenly the trailor is on fire and Grandio, her grandpa came to take her to his house, and Mrs. Casey, a social worker, is handing her a bag with some clothes.  For the time being, she stayed with Grandio until everything got straightened.  Then she learned that Dwight was working on getting the necessary paperwork so that he could adopt Addie and she could stay with him, the Littles, and Hannah.  She finally felt that she had a family, belonged somewhere, and everything was going to be normal.

I really liked this book because of Addie's attitude toward the hand that she was dealt.  She always remained positive and wanted to do what was best for everyone without herself being selfish.  In a way, she was protecting Mommers when Mommers should have been protecting her.  I totally sympathized with Addie and wanted her to get what she deserved and wanted:  a family, safety, love, normalcy.  It seems as though she grew up before she really had to and didn't have much time to be a child and preteen.  She is just "waiting for normal", which to her is having consistency, a daily routine, a set pattern, which she does not have with Mommers but notices that her Littles have it when she visits them and Dwight.  Even though she got what she wanted and what she deserved, how she got that was sad, but it all turned out well and for the best.

Leslie Connor grew up in Schenectady, New York.  She got the inspiration for this book from a lot on a corner that was similar to the one where Addie lived with Mommers.  Connor is also the author of Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel, an award-winning picture book, Dead on Town Line, and Crunch.  Waiting for Normal won honor for the Schneider Family Book Award.  It was also nominated for Connecticut's Nutmeg Book Award, named one of School Library Journal's Best Books, and ALA Notable Children's Book, and ALA Top Ten Books for Young Adults, is on Texas Lone Star Reading List, a Cooperative Children's Center Book Choice, and won the 2009 Connecticut Book Award.  To learn more about Leslie Connor and other books she has written, visit her website at http://www.leslieconnor.com/.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Green, J.  (2006).  An abundance of katherines.  New York:  The Penguin Group.  228 pages, $8.99.

Colin Singleton doesn't want to be a washed-up prodigy.  He wants to matter, to do something that matters.  Will a road trip with his best friend Hassan help him get over his being dumped by Katherine?  Will he come up with something that will truly set him apart and enable him to do something that matters?

Colin, a recent high school graduate, has been in 19 relationships, and they've all been with girls named Katherine, and they've all broken up with him.  He is afraid of becoming a has-been child prodigy and wants to do something that matters and to make himself matter, so he goes on a road trip with Hassan, his best friend, to try to get over his break-up with his latest Katherine and to find and do something that'll make him matter and that matters to him.  He and Hassan find themselves in Gutshot, a small town in Tennessee, where they've been hired by Hollis to interview the people of Gutshot so that she can put together an oral history of the town.  Accompanied by Lindsey, Hollis' 17-year-old daughter, they interview the people of the town.  On his free time, Colin tries to come up with a theorem that'll predict how long a relationship will last and who will break up with whom in the relationship.  With help from Lindsey, he completes the theorem, and it works with all except one of his Katherines.  When he decides to call this Katherine to find out what exactly happened in their relationship, he discovers that he actually broke up with her; it was not the other way around.  It is then that he learns that things do not always turn out how you remember them.  Surprised and taken aback by his discovery, Colin realizes that life is what you make of it and what you do can matter to people even if it does not matter so much to you.  He also learns that he needs to open himself up to new experiences and possibilities.  He also understands that the people who matter the most will always be there and they are the people who are worth doing anything that matters. 

I initially read this book because my friend was interested in the theorem (she is a high school math teacher), so I thought it was going to be about math, but it was more about someone learning about themselves and about what is truly important in life.  On his road trip, I think Colin learned that it isn't so much the destination that is important but the journey to get there.  I think he learned about himself and to let people into his life and to open himself up to new opportunities and possibilities.  In this way, I think the title fits because he has known "an abundance of Katherines", and it is time to meet someone new.  It was interesting to see Colin realize this and know that he can't be so closed-minded to new possibilites.  The road trip turned out to be good for him.

This book was an honor book for the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature.  It was also an LA Times Book Prize finalist, and ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a Horn Book Fanfare Book of the Year, a Booklist Editors' Choice, and a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year. 

Other books by John Green include Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns.  Visit John Green's website, http://www.johngreenbooks.com/ to learn more about him and to take a look at other books he's written.  You can also visit his video log at http://www.youtube.com/vlogbrothers.

After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

Woodson, J.  (2008).  After Tupac and D Foster.  New York:  Puffin Group.  151 pages, $7.99

Just as suddenly as D Foster came into their lives, she left them.  But no matter how brief their time together, they were connected nonetheless and they always will be.

D came into Neeka's and her best friend's lives when they were 11, and for almost three years, they were inseparable, joined by their passion for Tupac Shakur's music.  There was something intriguing about D; she'd been places and seen things, and she was a good friend and found good friends in Neeka and her best friend.  Neeka and her best friend have been best friends since they were babies, and one day D walks into their lives, and the girls are intrigued by her.  She's allowed to leave her neighborhood block, and she takes the bus by herself; these are two things Neeka and her best friend aren't allowed to do.  D is very vague about her life, but the girls discover that she lives with Flo, her foster mom.  D just goes with the flow of things, never making trouble for herself or for anyone else.  She has something important to figure out:  her Big Purpose, and she's sure she's not going to find it by getting into trouble.  Even though this seems a little strange to Neeka and her friend, the three girls quickly become good friends, primarily because of their passion for Tupac Shakur's music, but also because they're there for each other.  Neeka's best friend has mixed feelings about D.  Sometimes she feels a little jealous of her, but most times she knows that there's something about her that she definitely needs and wants in her life:  her friendship.  Then one day D announces that her mom wants to try to work things out with her again, and the girls realize that they won't be spending as much (if any at all) time together as they'd like, but they know that this is something that D has wanted for a long time, so it should be for the best and for everyone's best interest.  When D stops by Neeka's to let them know that she's moving, they meet her mom and discover that her name is actually Desiree Johnson, and she just went by D Foster because she's always been a foster child.  It surprises Neeka and her best friend to find out that as long as they've all been friends and as long as they've know each other, they don't really know D (Desiree) all that well.  They've never been to her house, and they don't know her phone number.  It's not until D goes to live with her mom that she gives them her phone number.  This bothers them because they realize that they don't really know her as much as they feel they should, but at the same time, they know that they'll always be good friends, they'll always be there for each other, and they've made a huge impact on each other's lives.

When I first heard about this book, I thought about where I was when I heard that Tupac Shakur died, and I thought it'd be an interesting book to read, and I was right.  I think it's interesting how music can bring people together, however unlikely the connection between the people may seem.  It's also nice that people can relate to music and use it as a way to escape their troubles for a little bit or to help them deal with what is going on in their lives.  Upon hearing the title, I thought the story would be about Tupac Shakur, but the title refers to the time when D was in Neeka's and her best friend's lives.  I also thought it was interesting that 'D Foster' refers to one of the main characters, but it's not really her name.  I figure D was short for something, and it turned out that it stood for Desiree.  I also thought 'Foster' was her last name, but she actually just used 'Foster' to refer to herself in foster care.  Her last name was actually Johnson.  That really caught me off guard!

It was interesting to see how the girls reacted to D.  At first it seemed that they weren't going to be friends with her and they just kind of put up with her, but they ended up being almost inseparable.  It was interesting to see how they all kind of complemented each other and sort of kept each other in check but at the same time were there to support each other.  I kind of found it a bit troubling that at the end the girls didn't really know each other as well as they thought they did, but that didn't change the fact that they were still good friends and would be there for each other no matter what.  There was something about each of them that just made their friendship work.  I think they were able to see a little bit of themselves in each other, and they all had something that the others didn't, which is why they complemented each other very nicely.

Jacqueline Woodson won honor for the Newbery Award three times, was twice a National Book Award finalist, and received the Coretta Scott King Award winner and honoree.  After Tupac and D Foster is a Newbery Honor book, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults as well as a CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center) Choice book.  Visit the author's website at http://www.jacquelionewoodson.com/ to learn about her and to check out titles of other books she's written, which include Locomotion, Feathers, and Miracle's Boys.  You can also find out about Tupac Shakur at http://www.2pac.com/.

Tupac Shakur



Looking for Alaska by John Green

Green, J.  (2005).  Looking for Alaska.   New York:  Speak.  221 pages, $8.99

Miles Halter wants more out of his safe, uneventful, and wallflower life in Florida.  Will he be able to find the "Great Perhaps" at Culver Creek Prep School in Alabama?

High school junior Miles Halter is tired of his safe and comfortable life at home and of being a wallflower at school.  He wants something more.  He wants to find the "Great Perhaps."  So he decides that Culver Creed Preparatory Boarding School is the right place for him.  Immediately, he discovers that Culver Creek is anything but boring.  His roommate, who insists on being called Colonel, decides that Miles will be known as "Pudge" since he is scrawny and skinny, anything but "pudgey."  Colonel introduces him to Takumi, and the three boys become good friends.  Colonel and Takumi introduce Pudge to Alaska, who lives down the hall, and Pudge immediately develops a crush on her.  With the help and guidance from his new friends, Pudge feels at home at Culver Creek and certain that he will find his "Great Perhaps."  Alaska turns Pudge's world upside down.  She is clever, funny, screwed up, and impulsive, but she is also sexy, and he can't stop thinking about her, but he knows that he cannot pursue anything with her because she loves Jake, her boyfriend, so Pudge settles on being her friend and even agrees to meet Lara, a potential girlfriend for Pudge, in Alaska's opinion.

One night, Pudge, the Colonel, and Alaska are drinking and smoking at their smoking hole when Alaska decides to play truth or dare with Pudge.  She dares him to hook up with her.  Pudge is delighted because he is finally getting what he wants.  Then Alaska tells Pudge that they'll continue what they started and calls Jake.  While on the phone with Jake, she freaks out and says that she needs to leave immediately, so Pudge and the Colonel help her leave.  The next morning, the Eagle, their prinicpal, makes an announcement that the night before, Alaska was in a fatal accident, shocking Pudge, the Colonel, Takumi, Lara, and the rest of the students and staff at Culver Creek.  Pudge and the Colonel are especially shocked and convinced that they are partly to blame for Alaska's death since they knew she was drunk and upset and should not have let her leave.  In trying to find answers, Pudge and the Colonel discover that her death may not have been an accident, and they have more questions than answers.  What could have been so important that Alaska had to leave and why would she want to commit suicide?  Pudge and the Colonel realize that they may not ever get answers to their questions, but they do know that they can do something to keep Alaska's memory alive, so they plan something that is worthy of her and her memory.

It took me a little while to get into this book, but once I did, I was hooked.  When I first heard of this book, I thought it would be about a group of friends making their way to the state of Alaska, but I quickly realized that Alaska referred to one of the main characters in the book, Alaska Young, and how her friends are trying to really get to know who she (and each other) really are.  Pudge mentions that he often doesn't understand her because one moment she'll be fine while the next moment she'll be moody.  They're trying to understand her, but I think they realize that to know Alaska is to love her just as she is even if they can't always understand her completely.

It was told in two parts:  the moments before and after her death, and the before part is divided into a countdown of days leading up to Alaska's death while the after part is divided into days after her death.  I thought the characters were realistic and easy to identify with.  It made me remember how I felt in high school:  wanting to fit in but not wanting to get tied in with the wrong crowd but finding people you feel comfortable with and being able to call them your friends.  I think Pudge was especially brave in that he left his comfortable life at home with his parents to find something more somewhere else.  He knew it was the right decision for him because he didn't have much going for him at his previous school.  He and the Colonel were also eventually able to admit to themselves that they were in part responsible for Alaska's death even though they thought they were helping their friend.  It must have been difficult for them to admit this to themselves, especially when they're trying to understand what exactly happened to her.  I think Pudge realizes that he messed up, but that Alaska will forgive him, so he will also forgive himself eventually.

Looking for Alaska is the winner of the Michael L. Printz Award.  It is also a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist, and ALA Best Book for Young Adults Top 10, and ALA Quick Pick, a Booklist Editors' Choice, a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, and an SLJ Best Book of the Year.  Visit John Green, the author, at his website at http://johngreenbooks.com/ and look at other books he's written.  You can also visit his video blog at http://www.youtube.com/vlogbrothers.