The Usual Rules - Joyce Maynard

Genres: General Fiction, Chick Lit
Recommended Grades: 9 Up

Sometimes, you just need to cry - that's right, I said it. You know, a lot of people think that a tough guy like me wouldn't cry, but to those people I would say "If crying is wrong, I don't wanna be right!" Don't get me wrong. I'm not walking around crying all day, everyday. In fact, I rarely cry. But sometimes, you just have to. The things that make me cry usually have to do with my family - thinking about the danger and sorrow my younger brother has faced during his three tours in Iraq, or the dream I had about my sister overdosing on drugs - those things will make me cry. Sometimes hearing or reading stories of people suffering can also give me that choked up feeling in my chest.

The Usual Rules by Joyce Maynard is one of those stories that got me really choked up. In fact, I would go as far as to say that the first third of the book is the saddest piece of fiction I have ever read. Wendy is a thirteen-year-old girl with a thirteen-year-old girl's problems - trying to fit in at school, dealing with her dorky step dad - but her biggest problem is her mom. Wendy's real dad lives in California and he has invited Wendy to come out and visit. Wendy's mom won't let Wendy go because the school year has just started. One fateful morning Wendy leaves for school without saying goodbye to her mom - they had fought about the trip the night before. It turns out that that morning was September 11, 2001 and Wendy's mom worked in one of the towers at the World Trade Center. Now all of Wendy's problems seem like nothing when she thinks about what her life will be like without her mom. In the last two-thirds of the book Wendy deals with the loss of her mother while at the same time facing a whole new set of issues - moving to her dad's house, starting life at a new school. This part of the book is not sad at all - in fact, much of it is uplifting.

This was a good book. I liked it, but I think younger girls will enjoy it even more. Wendy is a great character - she has her flaws, but what thirteen-year-old girl doesn't. I would recommend this book to any girl looking for a good read. It is a rather long book and the writing is a bit more sophisticated than your standard teen novel, so it will probably be more appealing to advanced readers.

Gossip Girl - Cecily von Ziegesar

Genres: Chick Lit
Recommended Ages: 15+

Hmmm, well what can I say about Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar? I decided to read it because I figured it had been awhile since I had read a novel for girls. The Gossip Girl series is fairly popular amongst the seventh and eighth graders at my school, so I figured I would see what all the hubbub was about. I was very surprised (and possibly disturbed) by what I read.

Blair Waldorf and her friends live a life most people can’t even begin to understand. They all attend exclusive private high schools in Manhattan. They come from the richest families in the world. They go to the coolest parties. Blair’s life seems perfect. She is in love with her boyfriend Nate and is about ready to take their relationship to the next level. Everything was going as planned until Blair’s former best friend Serena returns to the city after being kicked out of a boarding school. This stirs up a nasty little love triangle that really brings out the worst in some of the old circle of friends. The book’s ending leaves itself open for the nine sequels that have since been published.

Even though I didn’t like this book that much, I can definitely see why it is popular. The book was written in a fast moving style and each chapter ended with a bit of a cliff hanger that just kept me reading. I would recommend this book to older, high school aged girls looking for a little romance, a little backstabbing (these girls were really mean to each other – is this how girls really are?) and a quick read. There is a lot of mature activity going on in this book. Even though these kids are only seventeen they live the lives of twenty-somethings. They go bars (and never get carded?), drink a lot, smoke cigarettes, etc. Because of this I would not recommend this book to middle school aged girls.