Children's Books - Text generation makes connections

With three girls in the house, romance occupies a lot of lively conversation. For example, Hannah recently expressed dismay that a friend was dumped by way of a text, demonstrating that modern technology shapes the way things work for this generation. Since Valentine's Day is around the corner, Hannah and I weigh in on some romantic novels from different perspectives.

BOYS, GIRLS AND OTHER HAZARDOUS MATERIALS. By Rosalind Wiseman. Penguin. Ages 12 and up. 288 pages. $17.99.

Monica: Brought to us by the author who inspired the movie Mean Girls, this book follows Charlie (short for Charlotte) Healey's freshman year of high school. Middle-school drama scarred her, and she is looking for a new start at a new school.

Hannah: Although Charlie switched to a new school, the drama takes a more dangerous turn in high school. Charlie and her former next-door neighbor Will are reunited at their new school. He deals with hazing when he makes the varsity lacrosse team as a freshman.

Monica: Bullying is a key theme in this book, along with navigating dating relationships. Charlie crushes on a guy who seems perfect but lacks depth.

Hannah: He turns out to be a jerk -- so caught up in the older lacrosse-team members that he lets the hazing get out of hand.

Monica: Will, who is a nice guy, lets his values go on vacation while he does whatever the seniors tell him to do. Meanwhile, the school administration turns a blind eye to the antics. This book's themes mirror what high schoolers face daily. This great read for romance, realism and for entertainment earns an A-plus!

THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB. By Elizabeth Eulberg. Scholastic. Ages 14 and up. 290 pages. $17.99.

Hannah: Beatles fans and high-school girls, this is a must read! Sick of heartache, Penny Lane Bloom starts a club for girls at her school in which friends come before boyfriends.

Monica: I liked the musical references to the Beatles in the book, starting with the way the parents named their children after famous songs. A major part of the plot deals with what happens when Penny and her friends swear off dating. However, Penny faces a dilemma when she realizes she has feelings for Ryan ... who happens to be her friend Diane's ex-boyfriend.

Hannah: Typically, dating an ex-boyfriend of one of your closest friends can lead to disaster in high school. Diane actually encourages the relationship between Penny and Ryan. We especially liked how Diane was brave enough to try a new sport.

Monica: She isn't caught up in her own ego. Diane realizes that Penny and Ryan have more in common and fit well together. I'm not sure how realistic that level of maturity is when a high-school girl and her long-term boyfriend part ways.

Overall, we found this book entertaining and worthwhile. These characters are worried about getting into college, worried about their relationships and hopeful that their high-school memories and experiences will be meaningful.

STUPID CUPID. By Rhonda Stapleton. Simon and Schuster. Ages 14 and up. 244 pages. $9.99.

Hannah: This paperback from the Simon Pulse imprint starts a new series. I'm curious to read the next ones -- Flirting With Disaster and Pucker Up -- to see what happens.

Monica: When Felicity, a high-school junior, needs a job, she answers a matchmaking company's ad. She has helped her older brother fill out his online dating profiles and thinks she could do a good job.

The matchmaking company is a front for finding new and high-tech cupids. Instead of shooting an arrow the old-fashioned way, it uses handheld devices to shoot simultaneous e-mails. When the unsuspecting pair open the e-mails, they fall madly in love for two weeks. The match either takes or doesn't, which determines Felicity's pay.

Hannah: It's a really creative idea for a book, but it kind of stinks that Felicity can't set herself up with anyone. I thought the dialogue was too stereotypical teenager. My friends and I don't really talk like that; but otherwise, the book was right on target as far as high-school social structures go.

Monica: Hannah liked this book more than I did. It is an entertaining, inexpensive new girl-centric series. I wondered if Hannah picked up on the fact that Felicity was a "stupid cupid" because she did not read the directions for her job.

Monica Young and Hannah McRae Young can be reached at cyoung9@triad.rr.com. View book reviews at the Journal in Education site at www.jie.journalnow.com.