The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz

Title: The Vinyl Princess 

Author: Yvonne Prinz           

Publish Date: December 2009 

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers 

Pages: 313pp 

ISBN: 0061715832 

Classification: Fiction 

Genre: Realistic Fiction 

Annotation: Allie is a teen music junkie.  On her summer break from school she get’s a job at Bob & Bob Records (the coolest record store in town).  Here Allie begins to piece together her secret identity as the Vinyl Princess.

Plot Summary: Sixteen-year-old self-proclaimed music geek, Allie, spends every free moment practically running Bob & Bob's Records.  She knows everything there is to know about vinyl's and composes articles for a blog and a zine.  Her best friend and vintage fashion maven Kit, hang out at bohemian eateries and coffeehouses in downtown San Francisco.  Her home life is complicated yet oddly normal.  Her mom is in the dating pool and her father’s twenty-something wife is pregnant, making Allie a new older sister.  Like most teenage girls, Allie struggles with boys, never seems to get it quite right. While working in the record store, a boy starts to notice Allie, and Allie starts to notice him.  She secretly fantasizes about him liking her.  Soon enough, Allie realizes what his intentions are. She has several interesting encounters with music customers and has an eye-opening summer. 

Personal Response: LOVED this book! Any teen who has a passion for music will relate to this story.  Allie is definitely a likable character.  Her trials and tribulations are relatable even if you aren’t a music geek—it’s the young emotions and teenage angst that ring true. Although taking place in Berkley, California, the author is from Edmonton, Alberta.  It’s interesting to think about this being classified as Canadian being that the backdrop of the story is California. With that said, Allie is the nickname of the main character, who’s name is Alberta.  I thought it was kind of cool how the author weaved in her home state as the main character’s name.

The Vinyl Princess blog: http://www.thevinylprincess.com/

~Reader’s Advisory~

Themes: Staying honest with who you are and not letting anything or anyone pull you down.  Coming-of-age.

Age Range: 12 and up

Subjects: Music, Records, Zines, LPs, Hipsters, Friendship, Blogging, Internet, High School, Teen Angst, Relationships, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction.

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The Hipster Handbook by Robert Lanham

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The Mud Girl by Alison Acheson

Title: The Mud Girl

Author: Alison Acheson

Publish Date: October 2006

Publisher: Coteau Books

Pages: 328pp

IBSN: 1550503545

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Annotation: Aba Zytka Jones—Abi—doesn’t expect anything from anyone.  Her mother has abandoned her and her father, whom remains in his chair. She doesn’t have much, but she wants to figure out her life on her own. 

Plot Summary: Aba Zytka Jones (Abi), sixteen, has a long summer ahead of her.  Her mother has left and her father remains sitting in his chair, leaving her with several responsibilities to shoulder.  With a burning need to figure out her life, Abi has numerous questions.  A woman from the Big Sister organization, Ernestine, attempts to befriend her.  The cute guy from the paint shop, Jude, becomes her boyfriend. And a girl named Amanda offers offers her a summer job cleaning houses.  When Abi discovers that Jude has a son, Dyl, who’s mother has taken off (mirroring her own sistuation), she has is faced with her past pain and forced to deal with her issues by taking care of Dyl. 

Personal Response: A poignant story about a girl who was abandoned by her mother and whose father is somewhat useless.  The novel is slow-moving with beautiful descriptions of the land, in which play a potent counterpart to the symbolism of Abi’s, the protagonist, pain.

~Reader’s Advisory~

Themes: Identity, finding out who you are and what you want in life.  Uncovering the past pains of your life by helping another in need.

Age Range: 12 and up

Subjects: Identity, Abandonment, Adult Responsibilities, Relationships, Love, Dysfunctional Family, Outreach, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction

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Rockbound by Frank Parker Day

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My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath

Title: My One Hundred Adventures

Author:Polly Horvath

Publish Date: September 2008

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Pages: 272pp

ISBN: 0375845828

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Annotation: Twelve-year-old Jane is ready for adventures and she finds plenty of it, thanks to the inhabitants of the Massachusetts beach town where she lives.

Plot Summary: Jane Fielding is twelve-years-old and lives an idyllic life on the Massachusetts shore. Her home is a permanent beach house that has doors that are always wide open, no matter the time of day or night, and is always delightful and homey. Jane adores her home and her family--her hopeless romantic mother who writes poetry and her three brothers and sisters. As much as she loves her home life, her day to day routine is almost monotonous and she longs for some excitement and adventure. When a disheveled man shows up for dinner, Jane’s prayers for adventure are answered as she learns from her poet mother that this man is her father.

Personal Response: I enjoyed this book. I liked how the protagonist, Jane, takes charge of her own self-discovery and becomes the storyteller instead of being the audience.

~Reader’s Advisory~

Themes: Self-discovery, along with self-discovery of the world.  

Age Range: 8-12

Subjects: Self Discovery, Adventure, Family, Family Relationships, Babysitting, Beach, Coming of Age, Friendship, Brothers and Sisters,

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Masterpiece by Elise Broach

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Odd Man Out by Sarah Ellis

Title: Odd Man Out

Author: Sarah Ellis

Publish Date: February 2008

Publisher: Groundwood Books

Pages: 162pp

ISBN: 0888997035

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Annotation: When Kip’s mother remarries, he is sent to stay with his grandmother for the summer, along with five of his girl cousins. During his stay, Kip finds a notebook made by his late father when he was a teenager, things begin to change as Kip becomes entranced by the story as it leads him to self discovery.

Plot Summary: While Kip’s mother vacations on her honeymoon, he is sent away for the summer to stay with his Grandma and five girl cousins. At first, Kip finds himself struggling to find his place as he is not used to being around a spirited group of girls, and so he spends a lot of time in his attic bedroom where he discovers a notebook his late father had kept as a teen. As he begins to read the notebook, he becomes engrossed by the story, in which leads Kip to learning about his past, present, and what the future might hold.

Personal Response: An insightful story about the growing pains of an almost teenage boy, Kip. As the protagonist, Kip is easy to identify with, along with the additional characters consisting of the five girl cousins –although we don’t get too much depth of their views as we stay with Kip throughout the entire novel. The illustrations within the novel are detailed pertinent to the story.

~Reader’s Advisory~

Themes: Growing up and accepting change.

Age Range: 9 through 13

Subjects: Deceased Father, Identity, Family, Coming of Age, Mental Illness, Grandmother, Mystery, Death, Remarriage, Acceptance, Change, Fitting In, Mental Illness

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