Teen Read Week 2007: Romantic Comedies
This week is Teen Read Week, a national celebration of reading by sponsored by the young adult division of the American Library Association. This year’s theme is LOL@ Your Library. So read for the fun of it, and check out these great books for a good laugh.
Thwonk by Joan Bauer
A.J. has two passions-photography and her crush on Peter Terris, the most popular guy in school. Enter Jonathan, a tiny cupid, offering A. J. a wish in one of three categories: academics, art or romance. Without hesitating, A. J. chooses romance despite her dream of getting into arts college. But magic can be unpredictable, and ultimately A.J. will have to decide what's worth fighting for: Peter's charmed love or the truth she can find through her camera lens and in herself. A funny, offbeat romantic comedy
Pulling Princes by Tyne O’Connell 
Calypso, an LA teenager with movie-industry parents, attends a posh British boarding school. Having no title and no landed-gentry relatives, she has a hard time fitting in. So when she pretends that her mother's gay personal assistant is her new boyfriend, her popularity improves. Not only do the other girls make a fuss over her new guy, but the teen also gains self-confidence and the prince's attention during a fencing match. He starts calling her cell phone and they begin a budding romance. However, Honey, one of the most popular girls in school, has her eye on him, and she starts to make life truly miserable for Calypso. The story is jam-packed with posh toffs, true friends, late-night sneak outs for vodka drinking, silly fads, English slang, and plenty of boarding-school antics. (part of series)
Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini
Jeremy Heere is your average high school dork. Day after day he stares at beautiful Christine, the girl he can never have, and dryly notes the small humiliations that come his way -- until the day he is told about the "squip." A pill-sized supercomputer that you swallow, the squip is guaranteed to bring you whatever you most desire in life. By instructing him on everything from what to wear to how to talk and walk, the squip transforms Jeremy from a supergeek to one of the most popular guys in class. Soon he has made friends and has the attention of the hottest girls in school. But his real dream, Christine, remains out of his reach. Jeremy eventually finds out that there is also a dark side to having a computer inside your brain, and it can lead to disastrous consequences.
The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart
Fifteen-year-old Ruby "Roo" Oliver is having a tough year at Tate Prep. Through a series of social debacles, she loses her best friends, her boyfriend, her dignity, and the respect of her fellow Taters in less than two weeks' time. Following nearly half a dozen panic attacks, Roo starts to spend some quality time on Doctor Z.'s couch, where she makes (at her shrink's urging) a list of boyfriends past and present, official and unofficial, and starts on a journey of self-discovery. Along the way, Ruby begins to think about patterns in her life and ways that she might be more like her mother than she'd care to admit. Fortunately, Ruby survives her traumatic exile and lives to tell the tale. (Make sure to read the funny footnotes in this unusual book).
Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Free Throws by Janette Rallison
High-school freshmen Josie and Cami are longtime best friends, but they are both vying for love and fame. They both like Ethan, but Josie liked him first, so when he starts flirting with Cami, Cami feels guilty flirting back (but does it anyway). Both girls play basketball, but Josie is a natural talent, while Cami works twice as hard and still blows her free throws. Their basketball team's MVP will get a chance to play with WNBA star Rebecca Lobo at an upcoming game, and both girls are in the running for the honor.
All-American Girl by Meg Cabot
Cabot, author of the best-selling Princess Diaries series, offers another hilarious, page-turning fantasy about an outsider who is thrown into the glamorous spotlight. Unlike her older sister Lucy, high-school sophomore Samantha lurks on the edges of her school's social scene. Her passions are art and, unfortunately, Lucy's boyfriend Jack, a rebellious teen artist. When Samantha inadvertently saves the president from an attempted assassination, her life drastically alters: she not only becomes a national hero and the "it" girl at her school but also ends up dating the president's cute son.
Confess-O-Rama by Ron Koertge 
Tony’s mother's fourth husband has died and they have just settled into a borrowed apartment until all the probate stuff gets settled, and Tony has joined yet another new high school. He doesn't want to get involved with anyone, since his mom needs so much of his emotional attention. But he soon meets Jordan, who's both intriguing and flamboyant, dressed in black, adorned in padlocks and chains and a sign saying "Instant Chastity." Confused over his feelings, Tony repeatedly calls a self-help hotline called Confess-O-Rama, which guarantees anonymity. He reveals his attraction to Jordan and his ambiguity of emotions about his mother's role as professional widow not realizing that Jordan runs Confess-O-Rama and plans to use all the dialogue for an auditory art exhibit.
Girl, 15, Charming but Insane by Sue Limb
Jess Jordan describes herself as big of bum and small of boob. She covets her best friend Flora's body, beauty, and popularity and has enormous crush on the unattainable Ben Johnson. Jess is also friends with Fred, the class clown and nerd. After Flora confesses a crush on Fred, Jess begins to look at Fred differently. Full of bawdy humor, this is a charming, easy read that handles issues of body image, popularity, and adolescent insecurity with over the top humor.
Vegan Virgin Valentine by Carolyn Mackler
Mara Valentine is in control. She's a straight-A senior, a vegan, and her parents' pride and joy. She's neck-and-neck with her womanizing ex-boyfriend for number-one class ranking and plans to kick his salutatorian butt on her way out the door to Yale. Mara has her remaining months in Brockport all planned out, but the plan does not include having V, her slutty, pot-smoking, sixteen-year-old niece - yes, niece - come to live with her family. Nor does it involve lusting after her boss or dreaming about grilled cheese sandwiches every night. What does a control freak like Mara do when things start spinning wildly out of control?
Cathy Hopkins’ series Mates and Dates
Louise Rennison’s series featuring Georgia Nicolson
Gordon Korman’s Son of the Mob and Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle
Comments
Posted by: Lissa | October 21, 2007 06:18 PM