Monday, December 01, 2014

Trouble by Non Pratt

Hannah is a risk-taking girl who has relationships with numerous boys and finds herself pregnant. She knows the father of her baby but she's not telling anyone who it is (including you, the reader). Aaron is the new kid in school who has a deep dark secret of his own that he is running from. For some reason, Aaron is drawn to Hannah and wants to help her, so he offers to pretend to be the father of her child. It's a relationship that works for a time, but the two teenagers can't keep their lies hidden for long. The heart of this book is their friendship that endures even while both of their darkest secrets get exposed to the world. Hannah is a complex character who makes some really poor decisions. I had trouble liking her but I did enjoy learning more about her and seeing her face up to her problems. This is definitely a high school book for mature readers.

Summer of Letting Go by Gae Polisner

Francesca (also known as Frankie) is 15 years old and has a lot to deal with. She blames herself for the drowning death of your younger brother, Simon, four years ago. Her mother has become emotionally withdrawn, she suspects her father may be having an affair, and she has a crush on her best friend's boyfriend. A strange thing happens at the beginning of the summer—she meets a 4-year-old boy (also named Frankie) who reminds her so much of Simon that she starts to wonder if he could be the reincarnation of her brother. She gets a job as Frankie's babysitter and finds more and more eerie similarities between the two little boys. At the same time, she slowly lets go of her fear of the water, returning to the beach and the swimming pool for the first time in four years. There is friendship, romance and betrayal in this story, as well. Readers who like realistic fiction that's not too edgy or disturbing will enjoy getting to know Frankie and Frankie.