Twisted

This is a review of the audio book.

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Reader: Mike Chamberlain

Producer: Listening Library

Production Year: 2007

Lexile: 680L

Most of the listeners will be: High school boys.

Listener's Advisory: If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko is another audio book in which the characters face family problems.

Summary:
Tyler's punishment for the "foul deed" (spray painting graffiti on the school building) is to work for the school janitors over the summer. He has been the scrawny nerd all his life, but all of the sudden, Tyler is a little bit cooler because of the "foul deed," and not so scrawny on account of all the manual labor. The girl of his dreams, Bethany, is actually flirting with him, much to the annoyance of her twin brother, Chip. But after a crazy post-football game party Tyler isn't so cool anymore. Everyone thinks he is the one who took the pictures of Bethany passed out and naked, including his father. Tyler doesn't want to live like this, ostracized at school and at home. He has to decide whether he should kill himself, or find a way to turn his life around.

My favorite passage:
Early on in the novel, Tyler and his family attend a cookout at the home of his father's boss, who also happens to be the father of Bethany and Chip. Chip's father notes how muscular Tyler has become over the summer and compares him to Chip. This leads to Tyler and Chip arm wrestling as their fathers observe. Tyler plays with Chip for a while but knows he can take him. When he is just about to claim his victory, Tyler looks over at his dad and sees him shake his head. His father doesn't want him to win. Tyler obliges and lets Chip win. He takes some pleasure in knowing he could have beat Chip, but gets none of the public glory. (Disc 1)

What I really think:
I almost cried during parts of this book. (The only reason I didn't was because I usually listen to audio books while running.) Parents can really hurt their kids in ways that aren't obvious like physical abuse or neglect. Anderson demonstrates how devastating verbal and emotional abuse (even if it is not always intentional) can be. I love that Tyler pulls himself out of a bad situation and finally tells his father how his behavior affects him. Ultimately, Tyler's dad doesn't promise to be different, only to try. I would caution that in real life, there are some parents who wouldn't even do that. But that doesn't mean their kids shouldn't say anything to them.

I mostly liked Chamberlain's reading. Although, I found his female voices to be a little frantic sounding at times, when the characters weren't necessarily supposed to be frantic.

Leap of Faith

Author: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers

Publication Year: 2007

Lexile: 650L (This book is not in the Lexile Book Database. I used the Lexile Analyzer to get this value.)

Most of the readers will be: Late elementary school girls.

Reader's Advisory: Tony Abbott's Fire Girl is directed at an older audience, but also has a character who goes to Catholic school after a traumatic event in her life.

Summary:
Shortly after starting the sixth grade, Abby stabs the boy who has been tormenting her for the past few years. She is expelled from public school and her parents enroll her in the local Catholic private school. Abby decides to be invisible in class, but tries very hard to get the attention of her parents. She signs up for drama as her elective because her parents would rather she take something more academic. They are not religious, so she decides to convert to Catholicism to upset them. But Abby discovers that her elective and religion both suit her better than she could have imagined.

My favorite passage:

This thing about God on a cell phone stuck with me. On the day before Christmas break, I asked Rachel at lunch, "What would you do if God called you?"
She gave me a funny look. "He has."
"Really?" Rachel was not what you'd call an active participant at Mass.
"Yes, you dope. I'm Jewish."
"Oh." I thought about that for a minute, then laughed. So God was phoning Rachel, but Jesus wasn't. Then I said, "What do you think God's ring tone is?"
Jenna wrinkled her nose. "Something churchy," she said.
"No," said Rachel, "I bet not. How about - what's that song? 'What a Wonderful World.' you know - " She started singing.
"Nah," said Jenna. "Maybe not church music, but I bet there'd at least be violins."
Before elective period we had a class party, and then we had another party at drama, which got pretty rowdy since Mrs. Sumner didn't even try to keep order. I asked Chris what he thought God's ring tone would be. "'We Will Rock You,'" Chris guessed, and then he went around the room playing an air guitar and chanting, "We will, we will rock you. UNH. Rock you. UNH." so he was completely useless for the rest of the hour. I wanted to tell him Merry Christmas, but I didn't get the chance. (pg 102-103)

What I really think:
If we expect the Christians (Catholics included therein) to put up with authors like Phillip Pullman, then I suppose those of us who are only marginally religious should put up with authors who feel the need to have Jesus save the day.

Now that I've gotten that out of my system, I can talk about the book. Leap of Faith deals with some tough issues: bullying, distant parents, finding one's self. Young people who are going through the transition from elementary to middle school can certainly relate. I like that Abby is able to work through her problems in a healthy way. She makes new friends, gets involved in drama, and she confides in adults who are more attentive than her parents. We all (whether or not we have stabbed someone, and whether or not we are Catholic) need to find a way to live with the bad things we have done to others, and the bad things others have done to us. Abby shows us one way to do this.

Just one more thing. The play Abby's drama class puts on in the spring is based on a book. It is based on a book by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley called Ruthie's Gift. After George's Secret Key to the Universe I think we all know how I feel about authors tooting their own horns. But worse than that, Bradley uses the play as an opportunity to talk about the inner workings of Ruthie's mind. Not having read Ruthie's Gift, I can not predict whether it will someday be published in an elementary or middle school literary anthology. However, if it is, the questions at the end of the novel will not include, "What does Ruthie want?" This question is not up for discussion, because in her most recent book, the author answers it herself.