The Whole Sky Full of Stars

Book: The Whole Sky Full of Stars
Author: Rene Saldana, Jr.
Audience: Tween to Teen
In a Nutshell: boxing, gambling and friendship don't mix

Alby and Barry have been best friends since first grade, but now that friendship is threatened. Alby has gotten in over his head gambling with the school card shark, Ciro, and now he's got a debt he can't pay. He could ask his wealthy parents for the money, but he doesn't want to face the lecture from his father.

Barry learned to box from his trainer father before he died, and he's good. When Alby suggests he fight in the unsanctioned Man o' Might competition, Barry is hesitant, but Alby's description of the prize money convinces him. Barry's mother works 12 hours a day or more and they're barely making ends meet, and Barry wants to help.

Alby knows he's taking advantage of his best friend, but he really needs the money, and he's afraid of what Ciro's goons will do to him. But Barry's not stupid, and the way Alby is manipulating him threatens to end their long friendship.

Not a bad book, but didn't capture my interest much at all. I've got prettty broad taste, but boxing and cars (the Ford Galaxie Barry and his dad worked on) aren't on the top of my list. Maybe guys will like it. Might be a good choice if you're looking for a guy book with action without the edginess, and a short, quick read.

Rash

Book: Rash
Author: Pete Hautman
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: things get dangerous when you put safety first

I've put off blogging this book for a long time, and I think it's because I liked it so much. I wanted to be sure to cover everything that I thought was great, and do it justice, and that has resulted in doing nothing at all. So I'm diving in.

Bo Marston has anger management issues, and it runs in the family. His father has been in a work camp for years thanks to a road rage incident, and Bo's mother is afraid he's headed in the same direction. The year is 2076, and the U.S.S.A. has hit the extremes of certain recent trends in this satirical view of the future. Renamed the United Safer States of America several years previously, American society has decided it would "rather be safe than free." Angry or aggressive behavior results in very harsh punishment. Football and all other contact sports are illegal; even running high school track, Bo must wear more padding than a hockey goalie. Not that hockey is legal. Anything that has been deemed unhealthy is also banned, including smoking, drinking, and junk food; obesity itself is illegal.

Bo's anger lands him in jail on the frozen tundra, where he's forced to work in a pizza factory, play illegal football, and survive with the help of a homework assignment named Bork. This survival adventure story has come back to mind more times than almost any book I read that year, probably because signs abound around us that being safe is becoming more important than anything else, including having fun or being free. Or maybe people are just getting stupider. The Onion thinks so too. Whatever the reason, if you like "dangerous" things like sports, junk food, and real see-saws, and want a story with lots of action, humor, and something to think about, try Rash.

Dairy Queen

Book: Dairy Queen
Author: Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: your basic "girl runs farm, girl joins football team, girl falls for rival quarterback" story

D.J. Schwenk's two older brothers were high school football stars. D.J. is athletic, too, but now that her dad's recuperating from surgery, she's more or less been running her family's dairy farm. No more basketball, no more volleyball, and barely any time to hang out with her best friend, or do anything fun for that matter. From all those years of helping her brothers with workout drills, D.J. knows her way around a set of calisthenics. So when a family friend (and coach of the rival football team) asks her to train his quarterback over the summer, D.J. doesn't know exactly why she does it, but she agrees. Said quartback's name is Brian Nelson. He's got talent, he's got looks, but he's also a big whiner who blames other people for all his mistakes and isn't a fan of hard work. But he's not about to get shown up by a girl, so let the training begin.

Brian's actually not a bad guy, which complicates D.J.'s life when they're spending almost every day together. More complications ensue when she decides that what she really wants is the last thing anyone expects: to join the football team. A worthy addition to teen girl power lit. D.J. is funny, honorable, and heroic, in a rural-Wisconsin-meets-Title-9 sort of a way. Language and content is definitely on the high school side of the spectrum, but nothing all that edgy.