Sweethearts by Sara Zarr and Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman

March 3rd, 2008 by Brian Leave a reply »

If you haven’t heard from Ally Carter or Standhart yet, you need to read Sweethearts. 

It’s funny (okay, so it’s a drama) that the book has some plot, but not in a giant way. 

It’s life, and that’s alright. How do we define ourselves? Can we/do we change from junior high to high school and beyond? This is a great follow-up to Story of a Girl. The characters and setting are very believable and the serious issues are dealt with in a respectful, and intriguing, way that doesn’t downplay but also makes it accessible to junior high students.

A first-time novelist, Polly Shulman succeeds with Enthusiasm. Even if  students don’t catch the Pride and Prejudice references, it’s still a fun book. “He said, she said, but does he really mean this?” situations make this a great romantic comedy. 

Librarians – get both of these books. Students – read both of these books. Authors – make more of these books. 

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