Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie

currently reading: Dragon Rider-Cornelia Funke
want to read: What else, Mockingjay!
reading next: Probably going to reread the first two Hunger Games books

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie
written by David Lubar



As always, it's really great to see realistic YA geared towards high school boys, about a high school boy who doesn't quite fit in and is just learning his way around the ways of his new high school and in a way, his new life. If you're a reader in high school, or about to enter high school, it's a neat look at a little bit of what high school life might be like, and if you're out of high school, well, it's a good reminder of a place you are probably really glad to be rid of. I've read books about awkward girls and popular girls in high school, but other than John Green's books, it's a rarity to read about a regular, albeit slightly-awkward, young boy maneuvering through high school. To me, this was a boy-version of The Princess Diaries, with a boy journaling his thoughts through his freshman year. I think it would really reassure boy readers that it's okay to be awkward, it's okay to not be athletic or well-known, and it's really okay to just be a creative, quiet kid. The writing voice is authentically that found in a typical teenager, discussing things like school schedules, the tricky new world of romance, and dreaded homework assignments. The book really succeeds at showing all the different roles one person has to take on in high school. The repetition and continuity of various motifs through the book are also a great touch and add to the fun appeal of the book.

Rating: 4/5

I got this book from...:Swaptree

I definitely have something I'd love to hear comments on. Some of the "typical" high school experiences discussed in this book...didn't seem very typical to me. I've always wondered, with movies like Mean Girls and books like this one, is high school life over-exaggerated in books/movies/tv shows, or are there actually high schools like those? Am I just a very sheltered child? Do high schoolers actively drink, go to parties, do drugs, etc? I'd love to hear your own high school stories!

Looks

Argh, a week. A whole week without updating or really getting much reading done. Is this what this stupid college thing is going to do to me? And I'm not even there yet! I am extremely sorry for the lack of updates, but I cannot make any promises--these next two/three weeks are probably going to be the most hectic of my life. Here's hoping I can find some time to get at least some reading done! Anyways, silly ranting is over, time for a long overdue review.

Looks
written by Madeleine George



Looks is a really amazing unique book, written in a vividly honest perspective. It is one of the best embodiments of high school awkwardness that I have read in a long time, and that is very refreshing. I was glad to see a teacher, Mr. Handsley, playing a role, giving this book even more parallels to Speak than the already evident ones (narration by a "invisible girl", fly on the wall high schooler). The really striking thing about this is that all of the characters, no matter how minimal a role they play, are extremely well-developed, and you will get emotionally attached to at least one of them, no matter who you are. It's an interesting commentary on life, particularly a teenage one, where everyone tries so hard to break out of that invisible mold we're all at one point or other stuck in. We are all connected, and yet we barely notice it. The moment when the girls are at long last given names to match personalities is a powerful one, reminding us that thin or overweight, we are all one.

Rating: 5/5