Girl, 15, Charming but Insane by Sue Limb

Sue Limb does an excellent job on her first teen book, Girl, 15, Charming but Insane. It is an extremely addictive story that I whizzed through, wanting more, not realizing it was a whole 214 pages long! This teen book that I would recommend for teens is hilarious, frustrating, heart-warming and smile-acious, because even though the narrator tells it from a third-person viewpoint, one really can get to know Jess Jordan, the main character.

Jess is a 15-year old teen living in England with her radical feminist mother who is constantly passionately preaching against war or Jess’s crushes. Jess’s goofy dad is divorced from her mother and lives on the coast of a sea, a place of residence where Jess hopes to visit someday. The twosome’s household gets crazier when `Granny’ moves in, a sweet-as-a-muffin grandmother who, ironically, loves hearing about gruesome news events involving slain body parts. I think Jess’s family was a great foundation for the book, because the members each have their own quirks yet they get along very well. Jess’s best friend, Flora, is, well, perfect. Or so Jess thinks. Flora’s family is very rich and live under `heavenly’, lavish conditions. Jess and Flora’s relationship greatly reflects many relationships of today’s teens, because the feelings of jealously, resentment, and flusters of sheer anger come bluntly through Jess’s thoughts. Jess also has a loyal friend named Fred, whom she has fun with jokingly speaking in old English. Fred is a sharp-witted young man that seems to have a birds-eye view of the way people act, and he would rather watch something very violent on TV than go to a clique-filled party. I believe that Jess and Fred have an awesome relationship in that they feel completely comfortable around each other just being friends. Jess is a stereotypical teenager with thoughts that the average teenage girl has, such as chest size and boy crazes.

Things get interesting when a party goes wild and Jess ends up walking home in painful platforms and a wet bra. It’s great how Limb shows many negative things that can happen in a girl’s life to balance out the good things. Flora becomes swept away by a curly brown-haired, poet-looking boy named Mackenzie and she somewhat deserts Jess, which is an exact reflection of how young people can come to forget their own best friends when caught up in puppy love. Jess is head-over-heels for a Brad Pitt look-a-like named Ben Jones.

Limb made me feel like I was Jess, because her descriptions of everything were so humanlike; I could imagine myself thinking some of the things that Jess thought, such as the battles she has with her self-consciousness and her lusty desires to be with Ben. This book wonderfully displays what it is like to be a teenage girl and how one deals with the hardships that come along with high school and the opposite sex.

A shocking ending, partially predictable, however, is sweet and sour, and will make readers yearn for more. The girls’ crushes change and I can see that things are going to get sticky for Jess. Luckily for all teens, this book is the first of a trilogy!

When I reached the last page I exclaimed, “What?! It can’t be over! I have so many questions!” Limb must have purposely not included the answers to such questions as, `What will happen between Jess and Flora?’ and `Why did Jess’s parents split up, and does her mom still love her dad?’ to continue in her upcoming novels.

All in all, this is a knee-slapping book that effortlessly caused me to perform the act of laughing out loud and continually interrupting my friend to read her the funny parts. I recommend it to those who want a bright story and a true smile for the day.

Early Adolescence: Understanding The 10 To 15 Year Old by Gail A. Caissy

I am a mother of an 11 year old and a student seeking a teaching license for middle school students. I found the information in this book very practical. There was researched information on different domains of development during early adolescence as well as practical tips to use in managing a classroom of 10-15 year-olds. I will use this book as a reference for home and school. I was disappointed, however, that the book was published in the 90’s. I would like to see an updated version of this book.

You’re Grounded!: How to Stop Fighting and Make the Teenage Years Easier by Vanessa Van Petten

This book was a fantastic eye-opening experience into the lives of teenagers from the perspective of a teenager. Ms. Van Patten really is able to show us how the world has changed for our youth today and how we better can understand what they are facing. I enjoyed the book tremendously and have been able to employ some of the ideas to strenghten the mother/daughter relationship with my daughter. I have bought copies of the books for many of my mom friends as I know they too will get a lot out this book. Thank you!

“… Kathy was sitting on the school bus in ninth grade (15 years old) listening to a bunch of the other girls in the bus talk about blow- jobs. She had no …”

Kit’s Mystery Party Game (The American Girls Collection) by American Girl

This is cute. As a previous reviewer posted, one flaw is that one character is off-stage for a good deal of the script. Not so fun for most girls. Also, this is not the best game to choose if your daughter MUST invite a large crowd. THere are roles for 8 girls. If you have 16 girls and have them share a role it ends up being very little speaking. You can “create” roles, but then what about lines? Not much flexibility there unless you rewrite the entire script. Lastly, please remember your target audience. In order for this play to flow well, girls need to be strong readers. Many 6 year olds are big fans of the AG world and you might have a daughter who is a very strong reader but the chances of 7 of her friends that age being strong readers as well are low. By age 8 or 9 most kids are reading well enough to read new material smoothly with appropriate inflection/expression, understanding the story as they read it.

“… Maud is a 15-year-old girl. She is a hobo, which is what a homeless person …”

What Daddy Never Told His Little Girl by Tony, Allen Gaskins Jr.

This book is everything a woman can ask for! It is so exact and so to the point that it brings tears to your eyes and its hard to read at some points but its exactly what women need. Of course all men aren’t just alike but the few that are different from this book would love it bc they would be in a class of their own. I asked every man I could after reading this and found that all of them answered the questions the same exact way that the author did. They just couldn’t articulate it as well. A lot of men didn’t like it bc it was everything they were guilty of. Me and some of my friends found our men to fit right inside of this book to the T. I would recommend this book to every DATING WOMAN in the WORLD!I want to go to florida just to shake this man’s hand, his book is speaking of Millions of men,and every man I’ve dated,so how could this be one man’s views and he states in the book that he polled other men. Since I read this I have heard the same things said on tv and radio over and over but never paid attention to it until now. It’s time for women to wake up and realize what is real and find a way to help change it. I read the book 6 time and I’m on my 7th, he touches on everything but ppl miss it because its a hour and a half read and they don’t read it closely. He doesn’t say every man cheats all the time. He says every man cheats or is capable of it but a good woman or his calling in life can stop him from cheating. He doesn’t say anything about dating white women to spite black women,if you got that then you were reading to fast. I just wish I knew this man, I wish I could meet this man. Finally a man steps up and exposes himself to give women the game. Ladies can see he is fine and know by looking at him he probably could get you,so you have to respect what he is saying. THIS IS NOT A BOOK FOR GUYS!!!!AND THIS ISN’T A HATERS GUIDE!!Why would a man HATE on himself???You can tell in his answers he is being honest and sincere and it brings tears to your eyes. I’m going to get my whole book club to write a review on here. Fella’s do what this man has done before you say anything negative about his work!!He has a sister and a mother the book says and the book is for them, you can’t knock that, you know a man wouldn’t give the women he loves the most false information, and even if it is about the MONEY, he DESERVES A MILLION DOLLARS FOR DOING WHAT HE DID!!!