11/15/2010 Read 339/439 Quick Picks Discusssion
PART 3 - PARTICIPATION CRITERIA FOR THE NING.
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Permalink Reply by Meg Seth on
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The Oracle of Dating
I was surprised by how much I liked this book. I don’t usually take to teen novels that read like an episode of the dating game, but this particular book was refreshing, innocent, and even cute. It is the story of Kayla, a teen with a passion for relationship counseling but an aversion to relationships of her own until a new student, Jared, shows up. Torn between her desire to take her own advice as the online “oracle of dating” and her attraction to Jared, Kayla’s journey examines the condition of teen relationships, intercultural issues, and what a good YA relationship is supposed to be like. Her friends are diverse, including Indian-Americans, nerds, art kids, and elderly patrons of the grocery store at which she works. Her world is pluralized by the wide variety of characters, as well as realistic in her portrayal of teen life in New York, where dating is a vicious game.
This book couldn’t fit more snugly into the general criteria for YA lit. It is fast-paced, narrated by Kayla, and deals with the prevalent issue of dating, lust, and attraction during the teen years. That said, this book was also an apt pick for reluctant readers. The vocab is pretty low-level and approachable, and the characters are realistic and approachable. The narration, through the voice of Kayla, is witty and fun to read, making this novel suitable to kids not normally keen on reading. Even as an adult, I had fun reading this novel, and the whole thing only took me a couple of hours to read, so teens and even pre-teens would have an exceptionally easy time with this read. I would definitely recommend this book to a younger YA audience. Even though this book is all about dating, the material is fairly chaste and age-appropriate for a thirteen to fourteen year-old audience.
Overall, this book was cute, albeit simple, as well as being a generally fun read. I can’t really imagine someone disliking this book, although it is definitely geared more towards girls than boys. The focus on dating and the young girls’ perspectives definitely genders this read, but I don’t necessarily think that this is such a bad thing. The author clearly knows her audience and is writing from her own experience, so the sincerity of the novel compensates for the “girly” nature of the book.
However, I was curious about what this book would have been like written from Jared’s point of view, or even another male student’s perspective. What about you guys? Do you find more love centric/easy-read fiction for girls generally? Do you think there is a need for a boy-focused equivalent? -
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Permalink Reply by Christina Abruzzini on
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Meg,
This book sounds like a really fun read! It sounds perfect for teenagers to read, especially girls. I would say this book does sound a lot more favorable towards a girl audience though. To me, this book seems like the last book boys would choose. Whenever there is a book about "dating advice," I feel like girls are a lot more intrigued and interested in that. I could be wrong though! This could be a great choice book for boys and if that is the case, then I apparently do not know what I am talking about. :) I like how you ask though if this book was written from a male point of view, if boys might be more inclined to reading it. I really do believe that if a male had written, a lot more males would want to read it. It seems to make it easier to relate, when it comes to a dating book, if the author is the same sex of the reader. This is strictly my opinion, so who knows if others feel differently. As a young teenager, I used to always want to read these dating books and stories that dealt with giving love advice. They were just so fun and mesmerizing to read. It seems to me that it is usually girls who turn to the books about dating, at least that is what I used to do! Either way, you have a great review here Meg, and it sounds like a great read! -
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Permalink Reply by Adriana on
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That is a really great question, and indeed it does seem as though romance novels are strictly for girls. While I am sure there are some guys out there that would enjoy their own version of a romance novel I feel that others, possibly even the majority don't really care. I was tutoring in a HS the other day and this male student was looking for a book to read, he soon picked up a book called something along the lines of Fight Club (I can't quite remember the title but I remember it was something aggressive) and he seemed excited about the book because of its title. Perhaps it's just a genre that girls can't help gravitate towards while guys enjoy something different.
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That's what I'm wondering, if teen boys just aren't interested in the "dating genre." I've never been a high school boy, so I can't really speak from personal experience. Even when I was a girl and the right age to enjoy these books, they were never my genre of choice. That's one of the reasons I'm wondering what exactly makes them "chick lit." The problem with defining this type of book for me lays in my own personal experience as well as the gaps in that experience.
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author's page: http://www.allisonvandiepen.com/
book's official site: http://oracleofdating.wordpress.com/ -
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Permalink Reply by Danielle Sonni on
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Gril Stolen, A Novelby April Henry
I loved this book! I have loved all of my books so far, so not sure how critical I am :)
Summary:
Cheyenne is 16 years old and while laying down in the back of her stepmom's Escalade, the car gets stolen. The person stealing the car, Griffin, didn't realize she was back there at first but figures he's already stolen the car he can't really turn back now. Cheyenne's stepmom was running into the store to get her medicine because Cheyenne has pneumonia, but not only is she sick and being stolen, she is blind too!! Cheyenne gets taken to Griffin's house where Roy (father of Griffin) decides they will hold her as ransom (they find out on the news that Cheyenne's dad is the CEO of Nike). Cheyenne and Griffin are the same age and form a bond of sorts while she is help captive. Although Griffin seems like a good kid, his father Roy is horrible and Cheyenne does not think she will make it out alive. Should she escape? How can she fend for herself as a blind person?
YAL Criteria:
~YA authors write from the viewpoint of young people- we see the story from the POV of both Cheyenne and Griffin
~YA lit gets rid of parents so the young person is free to take credit for his/her own accomplishments- Cheyenne is separated from her parents and only has herself to rely on. Griffin is also forced to make choices for himself that may go against his father.
~YA lit is fast paced- This book is a mystery and therefore very face paced. I seriously could not put it down.
~YA lit includes a variety of genres and subjects- This book covers many different topics: friendship,betrayal, family hardships, coming of age/person struggles
~YA books are optimistic w/ characters making worthy accomplishments- Cheyenne is stronger in the end and Griffin is also better off. We are left hanging to wonder if they will stay in contact with each other, after all they went through together.
~Successful YA novels deal w/ emotions that are important to young adults- This book deals with many emotions that YAs would relate to: fear, bravery, trust, seeking independence
Personal Response:
This book is so good, just read it! I really connected to both Cheyenne and Griffin. There are a lot of sub plots with Griffin and you learn about his background and why he is how he is. You also learn about how Cheyenne became blind (in a car accident 3 years ago that took her mother's life). I don't think I would teach this in the classroom, just because I think there are other books that would work better academically. But I would for sure use this as an option for students to read on their own and do an assignment for.
Link to learn more:
http://www.aprilhenrymysteries.com/teen_books/girlstolen.php -
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Danielle,
We seem to have similar favorite genres when it comes to books! This book sounds really good and something that I would really like. It sounds like a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end. I am so curious on what happens to Cheyenne! It sounds so creepy that she is being held captive yet intriguing that she is slowly starting a bond with Griffin. Your summary was really good, and the cliffhanger you left it at just makes me more interested! You mentioned that Griffin is the one who steals the car. I am assuming the book explains, but does his father make him do that? Is Griffin forced to do bad things by his own dad or does Griffin want to do these rebellious acts? What are the roles of Griffin and his father? I am guessing that Griffin's dad is the ringleader and Griffin just gets kind of dragged along by him, but I could be wrong since I have not read it. Also, what age group did you feel this book would be most appropriate with? You did say that you would not incorporate this into a lesson which I would have to agree with. It does not seem like it would work so well for an academic setting but definitely could be either recommended or put inside a classroom library. -
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Christina,
Griffin is trying to impress his dad by stealing the car. His father is not a nice guy at all, and both Griffin and the reader are horrified to learn of a secret about his dad at the end of the book. Da da dummmm. -
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Wow, this definitely seems to be a really original book. I would love to look into other works by the author as well as they seem to have a talent for originality.
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This sounds like an interesting combo of genres, with the "thriller" aspects of the plot synopsis would be interesting to read in a YA format. I am fascinated by having a blind protagonist as well, and I would love to see how that colors the reading of the book. Did you think the book had a moral agenda, or was it more of a situational drama?
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