Search Results for: maureen johnson

I love awkwardly lovable teen characters (such as those featured in the YA novels of Maureen Johnson, see related links below), and Penny, the heroine of this novel is that. Girl Online is subtitled “The First Novel by Zoella.” I am not familiar with the You Tube vlogger Zoe Sugg, but the book didn’t need star hook to pique my interest. Penny’s honesty and humility drew me in from page one. Whenever she gets in a situation with a boy she likes, she inevitably says the wrong thing. Worse than that, a tumble she takes at school showing her underpants ends up broadcast on YouTube for all to see.

Three things save her from focusing completely on her humiliation. One is her anonymous blog where she is known as GirlOnline. She shares her struggles, her humiliations and insecurities. This is her goal:

I have this dream that, secretly, all teenage girls feel exactly like me. And maybe one day, when we realize that we all feel the same, we can all stop pretending we’re something we’re not. That would be awesome. But until that day, I’m going to keep it real on this blog and keep it unreal in “real” life.

The other thing that provides is an immediate respite is a trip to New York City. Her mother is a wedding coordinator. When a wealthy couple from New York City comes into her London shop with a last-minute request for a no-holds barred Downton-themed wedding at the Waldorf Astoria, the entire family takes an all-expenses paid trip to New York for Christmas.

The third thing that helps Penny keep her head on straight is her best friend Elliot. They have the kind of relationship teens long for. Their bedrooms share a wall of their building, so they tap secret codes and respond to any emergency (whether it’s real or imagined). Elliot doesn’t feel that he can be honest with his family about his sexuality or anything that is important to him, so he spends a lot of time with Penny and her supportive parents.

He’s invited along on the trip, which is absolutely perfect, until Penny meets a boy. The grandson of the cook at the hotel is perfect. She can tell him anything — something she only ever felt about Elliot — but because she’s busy helping her mom with the wedding and Elliot is out sight-seeing with her Dad, they don’t have time to talk, and Elliot has to read about her encounters with “Brooklyn Boy” on her blog.

That’s the first — but not the last — of Penny’s difficulties in the midst of this dreamy week.

I loved so much about this book. It was funny and sweet and magical with just the right amount of teen angst and drama, but it’s not completely lightweight chick lit for teens. Like so much wonderful YA lit does, it also touches on issues that are so real to many teenagers today such as cyber-bullying, anxiety and panic attacks. I especially loved this element, as so many teens suffer from mental illness and it is not often represented in an honest, healthy way in novels. The conflict with his parents that

CONTENT NOTES FOR PARENTS:

This is the kind of YA book I can recommend without reservation. It’s a solid teen read, featuring a chaste romance between an almost-16 year old girl and an 18-year old boy. There was no drinking or drugs or other unsavory (not to mention illegal) teen activity. I don’t think there was any swearing. If there was, it was mild and infrequent.

NOTES ON THE AUDIOBOOK:

Hannah Tointon read the book. Her British accent accentuated the sense of place, and her sweet delivery contributed to Penny’s likability. There were also interesting sound effect like a buzz for a text coming in and clacking of the keyboard as Penny wrote her blogs.

Listen to a sample of the Girl Online audiobook at the Simon & Schuster site.

The Name of the Star is Maureen Johnson’s latest YA book.

The ONLY reason I got this audiobook was because it was by Maureen Johnson, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed her Suite Scarlett books. The blurb of this book said it was funny, so I trusted that somehow Jack the Ripper and foggy ghostly looking covers could be enjoyable in a funny way.

And it was!

Basically it’s a boarding school story. Rory is a New Orleans’ girl whose parents are living in Bath, so she opts to go to boarding school in London. She deals with the culture clash, Alpha girls, and everything you’d expect in the midst of some murders that are committed in the area, emulating Jack the Ripper.

A quick look at the description made me think that part of the story actually took place in 1888, but it doesn’t. It’s a contemporary story with a mostly realistic setting. That is, until the murder is captured on camera — or NOT captured, as the case may be. How can that be? I won’t spoil the plot twist, except to say that some paranormal elements come into play.

There’s a lot of humor, some romance, and some paranormal suspense. A great mix.

This is the start of the “Shades of London” series, but this novel stands fully on its own. I’m not sure where it will go next, but I do hope that some of the characters return.

AUDIO NOTES: This was well-read by Nicola Barber. It was pretty understated, and her British/New Orleans accents weren’t all spot on, but I enjoyed listening to it.

Jennifer Donovan loves listening to stories as much as she likes reading them. Audiobooks make her happy. She blogs at Snapshot.

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson is a somewhat old fashioned tale. For one, the family lives in a hotel. Isn’t that just a perfect setting for a classic teen novel? Secondly, it’s a family story. Scarlett isn’t one of those YA heroines who spends time hanging out with friends, ditching school and going to parties. All her friends are off having summer adventures while she stays home to help her family run the hotel.

When she turns 15, she’s supposed to take more responsibility in caring for one of the suites. As it happens, the mysterious and headstrong Amy Amberson, a former actress, moves in and hires Scarlett to be her assistant.

She’s quirky, and her quirks give level-headed Scarlett an easy “straight man”. She plays the same role to older-brother Spencer, who is as silly as you would expect a physical comedian to be. Lola, her older sister is sweet and kind and is dating the stereotypical rich guy. The youngest sibling, Marlene, 10, experiences her own adventures as a cancer-surviving “Power Kid.”

This is a simple character-driven comedic novel.

Scarlett Fever picks up right where the first book leaves off. Summer is ending, and Ms. Amberson has moved out of the Hopewell hotel, but Scarlett is still working for her while also trying to balance school, and Ms. Amberson’s quirky new dog and new acting clients who include a young Broadway star who tries to befriend Scarlett.

The maturity level steps up a bit as more of the plot centers around Scarlett’s siblings who are out of high school, but it has the same warm (and funny) tone as the first book.

I look forward to reading more adventures about Scarlett and her family and the motley crew that tag along with them.

Audiobook review: I listened to Suite Scarlett as an audiobook from Brilliance Audio. At first I found the narrator to be a little overly perky, but part of that was because she was supposed to be reading a guidebook entry. The audiobook was well-done, conveying the nuance of Scarlett’s character (and all her siblings as well), and even though I read the second book, I still heard the narrator’s voice in my head.

Content note for parents: At first I planned for Amanda (who is in 7th grade) to hold off a couple of years in reading this book. In general, I found it to be a great book for high schoolers. The language is mild, and Scarlett is the kind of kid we want our kids to be — smart, studious, level-headed. But she is 15, and her brother Spencer is older (maybe 19 or 20?), and so there are some themes that are more appropriate for high schoolers. For example, there is no sexual content (beyond some kissing), but it’s clear that her other brother has used many of the rooms in the hotel to be with the ladies. There’s no detail at all, so the reader can draw her own conclusion.

In the end, Amanda listened to it (and liked it). The product recommendation is “7th grade and up” and for most kids who watch any sort of prime time TV or PG-13 movies, it’s going to be much tamer than anything that they have picked up there. For the most part, I’ve chosen the “I don’t forbid, I discuss” route of reading with my growing-up daughter.

The second book (which Amanda hasn’t read yet) has Spencer starring in a TV show as a young guy who made his fortune in the p*rn industry. In my mind, the book would be stronger without it, but he is supposed to be skeezy, so the end message is that p*rn is skeezy. . . .

But in general I really like Scarlett and her family. I like that there is some good mostly-clean YA lit for smart savvy high school girls to enjoy — a story that doesn’t revolve around hooking up or getting drunk or rebelling against your parents.

And because Carrie knew she wasn’t going to listen to the audiobook that Brilliance provided in our BookBloggerCon swag bags, she gave me her copy to give away to one of you! THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.

So please leave a comment if you’d like to win the Suite Scarlett audiobook (U.S. addresses only). I’ll draw a winner on September 1.

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Jennifer Donovan loves going back in time, reliving her teen years via YA lit as her own daughter approaches them in real life. She blogs about their life in Connecticut at Snapshot.