Ransom my Heart by Meg Cabot

        

Title: Ransom my Heart   Author:   Meg Cabot
ISBN:  9780061700071 Pages:  396
Publisher:  HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 2009

Readers Annotation:

When asked to assist in the extortion of a wealthy man, the kindhearted yet rebellious Finnula Crais agrees. What Finnula did not agree to was falling in love with the most maddeningly handsome and charming man she had ever met.

Author Information: 
Known for both adult contemporary fiction and tween/teen novels, Meg Cabot first began her writing career at thirty years old. Her most popular books are the bestselling YA fiction series The Princess Diaries, which have been published in more than thirty-eight countries and made into two films by Disney Studios. Meg is also a #1 New York Times bestselling author with books such as Mediator, Airhead, Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls, and Insatiable. Her books All-American Girls and Avalon High are also award winning. Her newest upcoming series is called Abandon, and will debut sometime in 2011. Cabot has also been named as a 2008 Distinguished Alumnus by Indiana University for her exceptional career.   

Meg was born in February 1967 in Bloomington, Indiana. Presently, she lives in Key West, Florida with her husband and one eyed cat. Cabot also has written under the pen-names Jenny, and Patricia.
www.megcabot.com

Plot Summary: 
A kindhearted renegade, Finnula Crais is the best shot with a bow and arrow for miles around. She uses her talent to poach deer for the starving townsfolk. She rationalizes her behavior because she is merely stealing from the greedy Reginald Laroche, caretaker of the Fitzwilliam lands. One day, one of her many sisters asks for her help. Finn begrudgingly agrees to take a wealthy man hostage and ransom him for a dowry for her sister's upcoming wedding.

Sir Hugo Fitzwilliam, the Earl of Stephensgate, is returning home from the Crusades after many long years. Miles before his home, Hugo is suddenly attacked by a petite but strong-willed woman, Finnula Crais. Enamored by Finn, Hugo decides to allow himself to be taken hostage. For the remainder of the journey back to their hometown, they fall in love. Hugo returns home with the determination both to set things right in his Earldom, and to marry the Fair Finn.

Critical Evaluation: 

Incorporating love with humor, this book is a delight to read. Though somewhat predictable, the reader can't help but be enchanted with its many delightful and complex characters . Additionally, the story begins with a Robin Hood-like theme, ideal for fans of the Prince of Thieves. This romance novel is narrated from both the female and male protagonist's point of view, presenting the reader with insight into the nature of their relationship. The historical aspects are somewhat underplayed, working simply as a backdrop to the romance. Finnula's unconventional heroics lend a fresh tone to the Medieval plot. The book explores the familial relationships of Finnula Crais, as well as Hugo Fitzwilliam, adding an extra layer of interest and realism to the story line. Meg Cabot strays from her usual style of writing, consisting of traditional novels set in the present day, creating a historical fiction piece with a more risque theme.

Genre:  Romance, Historical Fiction

Curriculum Ties:  History - Serfs, Medieval. Economics - Robin Hood

Booktalking Ideas: 
     1. Finnula Crais hunted animals from the forbidden lands of their greedy overlord to feed the starving people in her town. Do you feel that it's moral to steal from the rich and give to the poor?
     2. Finn had a family of five older sisters and one older brother, all whom considered themselves her protector. Do you have protective older siblings, and do you feel they have ever overstepped their boundaries?

Reading Level/Interest Age: 16+

Challenge Issue:  none

Why I chose this item: I wanted to include something written by the popular author of the Princess Diaries.

Girl Coming in for a Landing by April Halprin Wayland

         

Title: Girl Coming in for a Landing   Author:  April Halprin Wayland
ISBN:  0440419034   Pages:  134
Publisher: Yearling, New York, 2004

Readers Annotation:   

An anonymous adolescent girl with a strong desire to write down her innermost feelings, decides to express herself with poetry. At the beginning of her high school career, season by season, she shares her most private thoughts and emotions.

Author Information: 

April Halprin Wayland is an award winning poet in addition to an author for young readers. She grew up in both Santa Monica, California, and on a three hundred acre farm in Northern California. April went to college at University of California Davis and graduated with a degree in Human Development. She worked with the poet Myra Cohn Livingston for ten years, who suggested that she write a verse novel in a teen voice. This led to Girl Coming in for a Landing, which has won many awards including the Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry, and the Lee Bennett Hopkins Honor Award for Children's Poetry. Another of her famous works is New Year at the Pier, which has won the 2010 Sydney Taylor Book Award.

Currently, Wayland lives with her family and her animals in Southern California. She teaches writing for University of California Los Angeles's extension program. Though always a writer, April has also tried her hand at fiddle playing, walnut farming, aqua farming, and managing a corporate marketing business.

www.goodreads.com
www.aprilwayland.com

Plot Summary:

Set in Los Angeles, California, a young teenage girl narrates one year of her high school existence through poetry. Her adventure begins in the fall, immediately prior to the beginning of the first semester. Her ramblings take her to wondering what love has in store for her in the coming year. She also discusses her relationships with the most important people in her life. She tells of the safe and somewhat distant relationship she has with her parents, the wonderful yet occasionally annoying relationship she has with her older sister, the close and tumultuous feelings for her best friend, the love and headaches she gets from her great-aunt, and the crushes she has on two boys in her class. 

The poems she writes vary based on her moods and daily events. She depicts a typical life of a high school teenager, complete with loved and hated teachers, anxiety at drama tryouts and at parties, and love both gained and lost. She explains her need to write and her thoughts on being published. She writes her true emotions as a teenager, and the accompanying trials and triumphs.

Critical Evaluation:  
This novel in poems presents an honest and simple year in the life of a ninth grade teenager. The book is cleverly divided into four chapters corresponding to the four seasons. Essentially, Girl Coming in for a Landing is an enchanting plot about a young girl who talks about her ordinary teen travails in about 160 short poems. She speaks directly to the audience through a first person narrative, giving the readers insight into her true feelings. The tone is raw and straightforward, bringing a sense of powerful reality to the book. Diverse black and white illustrations by Elaine Clayton enhance the background of many poems, making the novel both entertaining and charming.

Genre:  Coming of Age, Verse Novel

Curriculum Ties:  English - Poetry

Book-talking Ideas: 
    1.  The adolescent girl writing the poems tells of her highs and lows in high school. How was your high school experience similar or different than the experience of the narrator of this book?
    2.  The teenage poet was told by her teacher that her poems were good enough to give into a publisher. Were you ever told that some of your own works could be published?

Reading Level/Interest Age:  12+

Challenge Issue:  none

Why I chose this item:  I found it fascinating that a novel could be written in poetry format, and felt that this would be a great poetry option for the more reluctant readers.

 
Girl Coming in for a Landing book trailer

Revenge of the Bridesmaids: the movie

          


Title:  Revenge of the Bridesmaids   Format:  DVD, Color
Actors: Raven-Symoné, Joanna Garcia, Beth Broderick, David Clayton Rogers, and Virginia Williams   Director:  James Hayman
ASIN:  B004K4FUSE   Running Time:  86 minutes
Studio: Living Arts, 2010  Ratings:  TV-14

Readers Annotation:
Two childhood friends return to their hometown and get invited to the wedding of a lifetime. However, they soon find out that the groom is getting married to the wrong bride, and they don't intend to allow that to happen. 
 

Director Information: 
James, also known as Jim Hayman, is a Welsh born director, producer, and  cinematographer. Hayman is famous for many television series including Judging Amy, Ugly Betty, Joan of Arcadia, and Northern Exposure. He has two Emmy nominations, one for his work in Joan of Arcadia in 2004, and one for Ugly Betty in 2007. In 2010, the William S Paley TV Festival hosted an evening honoring the television series Ugly Betty.

Hayman was born in 1950, and has been married to the actress Annie Potts since 1990. James and Annie have two children together; Doc, who was born in 1992, and Harry who was born in 1996. James loves the Welsh professional football club Swansea City, and the English Chelsea Football Club.

www.tvguide.com
www.wikipedia.com/jameshayman

Plot Summary: 
Abigail, Parker, and Rachel, were best friends with the wealthy and spoiled Caitlin. The girls have since grown up and gone their separate ways, especially since Caitlin proved herself to be conniving and selfish. Abigail and Parker are returning from New York to their small Southern hometown for a short visit. When the two girls meet up with Caitlin and are invited to her wedding, they decide to lengthen their stay and join in the festivities.

However, soon Abigail and Parker learn that Caitlin has done the despicable. She is marrying Rachel's old boyfriend, and the love of her life. Together, Abigail, Parker, and Rachel attempt to sabotage the wedding. Abigail and Parker become proficient in their use of trickery and deceit, all in the name of true love.

Critical Evaluation:
This lighthearted and fun movie tells a story of loyalty and friendship. Revenge of the Bridesmaids follows the comedic antics of two best friends assisting the 'third wheel' in their trio. Although the movie uses comedy to  keep the mood light, it also incorporates the intricacies of relationships between different personalities. Flashbacks help the audience comprehend the background story of the four main characters, utilizing color schemes to clearly differentiate between the past and the present. The performances are delivered beautifully and professionally, fully depicting the down to earth nature, caring attitude, and slightly mischievous quality of each character. The wardrobe of the actors assist in their character development, as do the many supporting actors, creating a full and interesting story. 

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Curriculum Ties:  English - Friendship, Marriage

Reading Level/Interest Age: 14 +

Challenge Issue: none

Why I chose this item:  The age group and topic seemed to fit the young adult forum. Additionally, I wanted to add some comedy pieces to my collection.

 
Revenge of the Bridesmaids movie trailer

Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block

         

Title: Weetzie Bat   Author:  Francesca Lia Block

ISBN:  0060205342   Pages:  113
Publisher:  Harper Collins Publishers, New York, 1999

Readers Annotation: 
School was unbearable for Weetzie Bat until she is befriended by Dirk, the most sought after and handsome boy in her high school class. After receiving a magical lamp as a gift, Weetzie makes three wishes intertwining both her and Dirk's lives together in a dramatic way forever. 
 
Author Information: 

This is Francesca Lia Block's debut novel, written in 1989 while she was a student at UC Berkeley. At the time it was considered a groundbreaking piece, noted by the New York Times as an "ingeniously lyrical narrative", and "desperately needed in an era of broken bonds". As a continuation, Block wrote four more books in the series, all of which were received with critical acclaim. Block also authored The Hanged Man, Girl Goddess #9, and I Was a Teenage Fairy. Her work is published around the globe, and translated into several different languages.

Francesca Lia Block was born December 3, 1962 in Los Angeles to a poet and a painter. Block has received the 2005 Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Library Association. She still lives in Los Angeles with her two children and her two dogs.

Plot Summary:
Dirk, the most handsome boy in high school, is intrigued by Weetzie Bat, a classmate he meets in art class. Weetzie and Dirk develop a close relationship. When Weetzie learns of Dirks secret sexual preference, she accepts him with grace. Weetzie lives alone with her divorced mother, and receives occasional visits from her father, both of whom she loves. Dirk's parents died many years earlier, and therefore lives with his Grandma Fifi. Weetzie and Dirk find solace and comfort at Grandma Fifi's cozy cottage, especially when they are unsuccessful at 'duck hunting', or finding love.

Right before Grandma Fifi passes on, she gives Weetzie a magical genie lamp which grants her three wishes. Because of these three wishes, Duck, My Secret Agent Lover Man, Cherokee, and Witch Baby, all become a part of Weetzie's new life. Although all her wishes have a way of coming true, they also have a way of being different than Weetzie had initially planned.

Critical Evaluation:
Written in a simplistic form but with complex and realistic themes, Weetzie Bat explores life from a teenage girl's point of view. Weetzie and Dirk discover the intricacies and complications of life, and they learn to accept them. Love and happiness, as well as pain and loss, lace the prose throughout the book. As a reader, one feels enveloped in this exploration and growth over a period of many years. The old Los Angeles setting lends another layer of realism, as the characters relate their love and fascination with the 1950's LA scene. Lastly, the magical element of the genie and the three wishes gives the book an intriguing and fun aspect. This only adds to the overall quality of the book. The beauty of this publication is personified by the author's honest portrayal of the world of Weetzie Bat and Dirk, without overwhelming the audience.

Genre: LGBTQ, Boys and Girls in Love, Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties:  English - Rhythmic free verse poetry. History - Los Angeles

Booktalking Ideas: 
      1.  Weetzie has a baby with the gay couple Dirk and Duck. How would you feel if you had two parents of the same gender?
      2.  The lamp from Grandma Fifi grants wishes to Weetzie. Do you believe in wishes coming true?
    
Reading Level/Interest Age: 15+

Challenge Issue: LGBTQ themes, Sexuality
- Weetzie Bat is the winner of the 2009 Phoenix award, and Francesca Lia Block has received the 2005 Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Library Association for her Weetzie Bat series of books.
- Compilation of teen reviews and the average reader reviews on Amazon.com and Goodreads.com
- Library policy

Why I chose this item: I discovered this book as a popular Young Adult novel from my class readings, and decided that it would be a great addition to my collection. Additionally, I wanted to include a book for those interested in LGBTQ themes.

Further Series Reading: Witch Baby, Cherokee Bat & the Goat Guys, Missing Angel Juan, Baby BeBop, Necklace of Kisses