Moriarty, Liane. (2014). Big little lies.New York: Putnam. Big Little Lies
is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and
daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell
ourselves just to survive. Madeline, Celeste and Jane are all at a crossroads in their life. I loved the character development. Each person was distinct. The "who murdered who" kept it going. Sometimes it’s the little lies that turn out to be the most lethal. . .
A murder… . . . a tragic accident… . . . or just parents behaving
badly? What’s indisputable is that someone is dead. But who did what? It does raise some serious questions about what you'd be willing to stake for your family and friends. Domestic violence is a silent epidemic that, sadly, goes on everywhere. Women need to feel empowered enough to seek help, but many don't risk it, knowing the consequences would brutal.
About the author: Liane Moriarty is the author of five novels, The Last Anniversary, What Alice Forgot, The Hypnotist's Love Story, and the best-selling Three Wishes and The Husband's Secret. The Husband's Secret
reached number one on the New York Times bestseller list, was a number
one bestseller in the UK, sold close to two million copies worldwide,
has been optioned for a film, and will be translated into more than
thirty-five languages.
Moriarty lives in Sydney with her husband, son, and daughter.
Fey, Tina. (2011), Bossypants. New York: Little Brown & Co.
I listened to this on audiobook, and I'm so glad I did! I can't imagine
how much less fun this would have been without Tina's actual voice. A collection of biographical essays and thematically related humor
pieces rather than a straight chronological reminiscence, it includes a
women’s-magazine parody touting Fey’s beauty secrets, a tongue-in-cheek
“prayer” for her daughter, a mock facts-of-life brochure for girls, a
sendup of the fictional parenting concept of “me time” and so on. The
writing doesn’t so much flow from one topic to another as stop for scene
changes. Ms. Fey’s self-image as a smart, unyielding woman who has forced her way to the top of what is usually a man’s profession.
Phelan, Matt. (2016). Snow White. New York: Candlewick Press.
Set in New York City,1929 the classic fairy tale gets a mix of familiar but different characters. In this retelling, the glass coffin is
the window of Macy’s department store, decorated for the holidays and
behind a police line. Readers are next taken back to the early years of
protagonist Samantha White’s childhood, when she played in the snow in
Central Park. Fast forward a decade, and Samantha, affectionately called
Snow by her now dead mother, must watch her father remarry the star of
the Ziegfeld Follies.There are seven dirty urchins who befriend her and "Prince Charming" is now introduced as Detective Prince.
Van Wagenen, Maya. (2014). Popular a memoir Vintage wisdom for a modern geek. New York: Penguin Group. Maya has never been popular. But before starting eighth grade, she
decides to begin a unique social experiment: spend the school year
following a 1950s popularity guide, written by former teen model Betty
Cornell. The book is funny, gives all kinds of "popularity tips". The definition of "popular" changes as you read the book. It's no longer about looks, it's about being kind. Being kind, friendly and caring on the inside can make you beautiful on the outside. It would be nice to implement this in our schools instead of the hyped up positive behavior incentive. People, just be nice...it's not that hard!
When describing where she fits in on the social ladder of popularity comes my favorite quote, “pretty much the lowest level of people at school who aren’t paid to be here,”. I think that is a statement that every person has experienced at some point in their life. This is told with humor and grace, Maya’s journey offers readers of all ages a
thoroughly contemporary example of kindness and self-confidence.
O'Neill, Louise. (2015). Asking for it. London: Quercus Publishing.
Emma is just eighteen, beautiful and she knows it. Emma O’Donovan, a nasty, shallow girl from a small Irish
town who has in the past encouraged a friend not to bring rape charges
to those who violated her. She is a girl who loves male attention, who
is a bully and who lies and cheats. She is a girl who goes to a party,
who dresses provocatively, who drinks too much and who takes drugs.In her small home
town in Ireland, Emma is raped by several local boys and suddenly,
unjustly the ‘good girl’ reputation she worked so fiercely for is
tarnished. Not only does her community blame her, Emma blames only herself. Most rape victims can justify why they are to blame, it's a horrific crime.
Rape culture is real and it’s everywhere. There is no boundary that rapists will honor. This is so real and so under-reported. It's disgusting!
Murphy, Julie. (2015). Dumplin'. New York. HarperCollins.
Willowdean
“Dumplin” Dickson is a Texan, daughter of the Miss Teen Beauty Pageant’s
coordinator, and overweight. She has best friend issues, boy issues,
mommy issues but she decides to honor her aunt by entering the pageant. Dumplin is a great character. Many of the
decisions she makes and the feelings she has are honest and realistic.
From having a skinny beautiful best friend to body image, I felt like
her inner monologue is something teens in all weight classes can relate
to. Will had this wall of confidence but she was insecure and once
again, a lot of us are like this. She didn’t take crap from the bully,
she didn’t take crap from the hot guy, she didn’t take crap from her
mom. Even though her weight could have
easily made her an introvert or the extreme-the extremely extroverted
trying to get people to ignore her weight, she was neither of those
things.-I thought she was an awesome heroine There are many girls and women who
think they are fat when they are not and I think these girls and women
can relate to Dumplin. She doesn’t want the boy to touch her back fat,
she’s envious of her “skinny” friend, she doesn’t think she’s good
enough to date an attractive boy. She also has honest conversations with
her mother about her weight. Anyone who has a passive aggressive mother
knows what I’m talking about. Initially she bites her tongue but she
slowly expresses her feelings toward her mom.
Relgemeier, R. (2010). Smile. New York: Graphix: an Imprint of Scholastic.
Smile details a year in the life of a early teen, in the format of a
graphic novel. Raina, the main character, is a nervous girl who falls
on the pavement and injures her teeth in the first part of the story.
Following her injury, she has her teeth fixed throughout the story,
which is a common theme. Her visits to the dentist, and all other types
of doctors dealing with this type of injury, seem painful and trying.
In the end, however, her teeth get fixed and she is back to looking
"normal". Throughout this time, she is faced with boy issues, body
issues, and friendship problems. She transitions from middle school to
high school and experiences typical teenage fears and angst.
Moriarty, Liane. (2014). Big little lies.New York: Putnam.
O'Neill, Louise. (2015). Asking for it. London: Quercus Publishing.
