Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott

heart beat elizabeth scott

Ok, there are lots of things going on here beyond the surface love story.

Most disturbing is the question of what you would do if a pregnant woman died, but there was a chance to save the baby by keeping the woman’s body alive through machines. She’s not there anymore, really. No brain function. No response to her family members. Most of us would say, of course, you have to save the baby. It’s awful that the woman is gone, but any woman would want her baby saved if it was possible. But, how would that affect the rest of the family? What if the woman had other kids, and they knew she was alive but not really?

This is the tortured world of Emma that instantly sucked me in as soon as I started reading. It was impossible not to put yourself in her shoes and imagine the hurt and confusion mixed with the possibility of life.

Of course, if that was ALL this book was about, it would be the most depressing book ever. So you throw in the cute bad boy, Caleb, who understands death and loss more than any of Emma’s friends, and you’ve got yourself a sweet romantic development. And with a great supporting cast of characters, including Emma’s best friend and her stepdad, there’s never a dull moment in Emma’s world.

Heartbeat is a good story full of life, hope, and love. I recommend it for high school and up… but be prepared for it to spark some questions and discussions in your family!

The Smart Girl’s Guide to Going Vegetarian

In a rare deviation from my obsession with fiction, I’m highlighting this new book (it comes out tomorrow) for those teenage girls concerned with diet.

When I was in high school, I decided I thought the idea of meat was gross, so I wasn’t going to eat it. The problem, though, was that I wasn’t smart about how I replaced meat’s role in my diet. I basically just had a lot of dairy and a lot of carbs, which didn’t work out so well for me.

My vegetarianism didn’t last very long like that. After a horrible stretch of time in college where I actually tried the Atkin’s Diet (ALL meat – SO gross), I finally found my way back to a heather, easily maintained vegetarian diet that I really enjoy. There’s not much about meat that I miss at all.

As a teacher now,I’m always hearing about girls who are trying to watch what they eat, or who want to be vegetarian to see if they’ll lose weight, or some variation on that. I think this is a valuable resource.

Not only does The Smart Girl’s Guide to Going Vegetarian include some meal and recipe ideas, but it also explains the nuts and bolts of a vegetarian diet, including how to make sure you’re still being healthy while changing your diet.

So, if your New Year’s resolution involved some form of dieting or cutting back on meat, you should check this out. As a long-time vegetarian myself, I know this would have been incredibly valuable to me in high school!

Enjoy. :)

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Do you have a love for teen fiction that you’d love to share?

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Pimples, Popularity, and Protagonists is looking for a few high school or college aged contributors for a monthly or biweekly post on the site. If you’re interested, contact me!

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A Bookish Beginning to the New Year…

enders game7891b-justoneyear36644-rennison1Divergentare you experiencedspeak

 

Last year, I gave you lots of book recs for Christmas gifts, and from the feedback I got it seemed like you guys really appreciated the help. I’m sorry my list is so late this year. Where did all the time go? How is it 2014 already?

Anyway, let’s consider these ideas for good ways to get your year started off with great stories.

For the upper HS/College aged student who would love to travel: Gayle Forman’s books, Just One Day and Just One Year, center around a girl traveling during the summer after her high school graduation and the guy she happens to meet while in England. That description doesn’t do it justice AT ALL, so just trust me. If you’re only getting one of them, get Just One Day.

For the high school/college girl who loves all things British: Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison. This series of books makes me laugh out loud constantly. It centers around Georgia Nicholson, a high school girl with a crazy sense of humor, a crazy family, a crazy cat named Angus, and a crazy crush on a very cool, very hot guy. This series goes on for ten books, and all ten are equally as hilarious. In fact, I love them so much that I once used every bit of my birthday money to buy them all in matching editions. True story.

For anybody who likes to think and be inspired: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card was just made into a movie about  month ago. The movie was good. The book is infinitely better. People need to read the book. In a lot of ways, Ender reminded me of Jonas from The Giver – both boys are young when they take on the responsibility of changing their worlds for the better, and I’m a sucker for a story showing a young adult making a difference. What impresses me about Ender’s Game, too, is a completely unexpected and really beautiful display of compassion and empathy at the end.

For those who like a good dystopian trilogy: The Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth. There are lots of things I like about this. The whole dystopian, perfect society that’s actually completely horrible mostly because of the government thing is really well done in Roth’s trilogy. I also love the protagonist, Tris, because she’s smart and is beyond driven to do the right thing in all situations, causing you at times to want to yell at her through the pages of the book because you actually WANT her to think about herself a little bit. Tris’s love interest, Four, is incredible and totally book-crush worthy. And, without giving anything away, the ending of the trilogy solidified for me a few things about Veronica Roth: she’s super brave, she clearly has faith, and she’s one amazing writer. I put the last book down full of emotions from the book and full of respect for Roth.mpathy at the end. That’s all I can say without giving it away, but know that it’s good. Really good. And it’s not an easy read – I’d even say it’s not necessarily a YA book, but people would argue with me – so it’s good for readers aged 8th grade and up through adulthood, really.

For high school and college girls, period, because we live in crazy times: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. In Speak, the protagonist lives through the repercussions of breaking up a big summer party resulting in several upperclassmen getting busted. How did she break up the big party? By calling the police due to something horrible that happened, though we don’t find out what happened until the end of the book. It’s a powerful and important book about the power of your voice and the necessity of speaking out against awful actions.

For the teen (or adult for that matter) interested in classic rock and the Woodstock-era: Are You Experienced? by Jordan Sonnenblick. I really, really loved this. I’ve been a fan of Sonnenblick for a long time, and this might just be my new favorite of his. In it, the main character is transported back in time to experience the Woodstock festival, where he learns crazy things about his family and befriends Jimi Hendrix. Really. It’s not at all cheesy, either, in the way it’s done… totally realistic historical fiction with a smudge of mysterious time-travel.

I’d love to hear what’s on your to-read list for 2014!

Gravediggers by Cindy M. Hogan

Gravediggers

If you’re looking for a suspenseful, creepy mystery with a good dose of romance, then Gravediggers is for you. This story was told from Billy’s point of view, a seventeen year old boy whose father was killed several years previously in a hit and run accident. Billy never really believe it was an accident, though, and has almost given up hope that his father’s killer will ever be found.

Until he finds an old ammo box while digging a grave in the church’s graveyard.

Billy and his friends set off to solve the mystery of his father’s death, and of the other strange things going on in their small Southern town, and the result is a good creeper of a story reminiscent of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil for teens.

Find it on Amazon here!

Another Little Piece of My Heart by Tracey Martin

Another Little Piece of My Heart

Claire’s life has been completely turned upside down, between her mom’s cancer and death, the realization that her college fund has disappeared, and the break up with her first love, Jared, which was her mother’s dying wish. And, as if that’s not enough to send any teenage girl into a sinking spiral of depression, there’s also the little detail about Jared turning their break up into a song… and getting his big break by ranting about her and their big break up. Now the radio isn’t even safe.

Then, months after all of this happened and right after her high school graduation, Claire’s family heads to the beach for the summer. At the beach, Claire really shines and shows her worth as a character because she doesn’t mope around and ignore the world, though we’d certainly understand and forgive her if she did. Instead she goes and gets herself a job in the local grocery store to try to earn back some of that college money. She’s not a helpless little whiny girl. She’s a get out there and get whatever job you can kind of girl. I like that about her.

Of course, though, she just has to run into Jared. He comes into the store while she’s working, and they spend the summer working through the break up songs, arguing, and more.

This is really a sweet story. I loved the characters and the romance of it all, and the song-writing and music focus was fun, making it stand out from your typical YA romance. I’ll definitely be checking out future Tracey Martin titles!

Another Little Piece of My Heart is available as an ebook, and is actually on sale at Amazon right now for $2.50. I’m telling you, this is a great way to spend $2.50!

Where the Wild Things Are: An Open Letter to my Sister for Christmas.

Wild Things

 

To Kerry,

You may be wondering why I’m giving you a picture book for Christmas. I’m well aware of the fact that you’re not a child. :)  I’m giving you this, though, because it is my very favorite book of all time – not because of the cool illustrations or the wild rumpus pages, but because it is a perfect metaphor for life. And family. And unconditional love.

Now, go ahead and read it. The whole thing. Before you finish my letter.

So Max messes up. He makes mistakes. He wore a wolf suit and threatened his mom, and so he was disciplined. But he was out there, right? Playing dress up, figuring it all out, and learning.

What I love about Max is that he doesn’t back down from life when it gets challenging. He perseveres and uses his imagination, traveling to the place where the wild things are. He doesn’t sit down and pout. He gets into the boat that shows up (God is like that – just when there’s nothing we can do on our own, He makes a way), and he goes. Instead of sitting still, he takes action and goes somewhere. And what does he do when he gets there? Does he back down when he sees the scary and intimidating wild things? No. He stands strong and firm and looks them straight in the eye.

We all face challenges and obstacles and moments when we feel stuck. All of us. And if you don’t feel that way right now, at this exact moment, you will soon. It’s just part of life. So when it happens, we have to keep our hope and imagination, step into whatever way out of the situation God provides with faith and determination, and look our monsters straight in the eye. Don’t back down and don’t ever give up hope.

So as good as that all is, it’s the end that makes it the greatest story. Because, in the end, Max goes home and sees his mom’s love and grace and compassion in the form of  still-hot meal. I love it. What a great reminder that our family, and more importantly our God, will always be there with open arms full of grace, welcoming us home.

I love you. I’m proud of the woman that you are. I can’t wait to see what your future holds. And I will always, always, always be ready with a still-hot meal cooked just for you.

Love,

Missa