Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

I've just discovered Courtney Summers this summer, and I'm so glad I did. The stories she writes are about real kids struggling with real issues. The characters are believable, likeable and typical of teenage kids. The first book I read by her was http://whatchareading-kerry.blogspot.com/2011/08/fall-for-anything-by-courtney-summers.html and I immediately ordered Some Girls Are.

Some Girls Are in many ways is like Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, but also reminded me of http://whatchareading-kerry.blogspot.com/2010/01/lottery-by-beth-goobie.html by Beth Goobie
The main character in the story is Regina who is a senior in high school. By all outward appearances she has it all. She has a boyfriend, many close friends and most importantly she is at the top of the social ladder. Her and her group of girlfriends are the ones the rest of the school looks up to and admire. They are untouchable. Regina has always been confident in her place as Anna's best friend, until a party one night when something happens to split the girls apart. Suddenly Regina is frozen out of her place with all of her friends. She really has nowhere to turn. Her former friends bully, threaten and taunt her and encourage the rest of the school to do the same. Regina seeks shelter with one of the boys who she previously tormented leading to a very strange friendship between the two. Regina learns a great deal not only about herself, but also about others' as she is forced to deal with her past behaviour.

I really, really enjoyed reading this book. Regina is unlike any other character who has faced bullying in books. Regina doesn't just take it, she fights back. While there were times I cringed at her methods- I appreciated her strength and courage. There are times when Regina and her friends portray the ultimate mean girls at high school, yet through all of this Regina grows up and has to face her past.

When I first started reading this book I wasn't sure if I could keep it in my grade 7 classroom. There is a lot of sexual references and swearing, but as I read on I realized this is a book girls must read. This book will go into my mature book box, but I know I will take it out and share it with many kids this year. I can't wait to read other books by Summers!

Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

I'm a huge fan of Courtney Summers books- I've reviewed a few of her books on this blog.   I like the stories she tells, although they tend to be a little more mature than the audience I usually write for.  Some of her books I would be hesitant to give to Intermediate students because of the topics she writes about.   

Cracked Up to Be is one of those books that is mature, deals with topics that tend to be more suited to high school students, but I would give it to a more mature grade 8 student. 

Parker is the main character, she is a deeply flawed young lady who is trying to cope with an event that happened at a party last year.  Before that party, Parker was the perfect student, daughter and girlfriend.  But something happened there that changed everything.  Now, Parker is trying to hold it together in order to graduate and escape her town so that the secret she knows never has to be told. 

Parker was a great character- sassy, smart and damaged.  She was someone who I wanted to survive in order to move forward and be successful.  I would suggest reading this book before giving it to any younger student since there are some mature topics. 

Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers

Courtney Summers is a new author for me. After reading Fall for Anything, I've put her other books on my wish list. I really like the way she writes. The fact that she is Canadian and is writing about places I've been and know somehow made this story seem so real. Many books that deal with difficult issues are written from an American perspective, and it's not that I don't love reading those books too, but this one just seemed much more realistic knowing this was a girl so much like girls I know. This book just felt different- in such a great way.

Fall for Anything is about a 17 year old girl named Eddie whose father has just committed suicide. Eddie's mother is a total mess and isn't there for Eddie at all. Her mother's best friend Beth has moved in and she has no idea how to help the situation. The only person Eddie can depend on is her best friend Milo. Ever since her father's death things between Eddie and Milo have been quite tense. When Missy, Milo's sort-of girlfriend comes back on the scene, Eddie feels even more separated from him. Then Eddie meets Culler, a former student of her dad's. Both of them are dealing with their grief and confusion over his death. Neither one of them can understand why her father would commit suicide and are searching for answers in everything he has left behind. As the two of them search for answers, they are drawn closer together while pushing Milo away.

This story was so beautiful and sad. Eddie's grief over her fathers death was so hard to watch. It was so easy to understand why Eddie was searching for answers. The story does a really great job of dealing with the aftermath of suicide. The characters were so compelling as well. The relationship between Eddie and Milo was as complicated as can be when two teenagers of opposite the sex are close friends. I loved how Eddie dealt with her mother's annoying friend. I found Beth to be so insensitive because she was focussing only on the mom and had absolutely no compassion for Eddie. I really really loved reading this book. There was some swearing in the book, although it was never inappropriate or just used for shock value. There was also discussions about sex, but nothing that I don't think grade 7 students could handle. I really think this is a book I will be thinking about for a while.