Perfect Chemistry, Simone Elkeles

Simone, Elkeles (2009).
Perfect Chemistry
New York: Walker and Co.
9780802798237
Genre: Realistic fiction

When wealthy, seemingly perfect Brittany and Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, develop a relationship after Alex discovers that Brittany is not exactly who she seems to be, they must face the disapproval of their schoolmates – and others.
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Wealthy Brittany seems to have it all, the perfect family, the perfect body, the perfect boyfriend- in short the perfect life. At least that is what she wants people to believe as she tries to cover up a less than perfect family. Her mother is obsessed with putting on the perfect image; her father barely communicates with his family living only for his business, and her 20 year-old sister who was born with Cerebral-Palsy is the only family member she feels connected to. Her life slowly starts to unravel at the beginning of her senior year of high school when her chemistry teacher makes her and gang banger Alex Fuentes lab partners for the entire year. Alex, of course, is not who he appears to be either. He is a gang banger who joined only to protect is family and longs to leave the gang life and go to college. At first they can’t stand each other, but after Alex accepts a bet from one of his friends that he can’t bed Brittany by Thanksgiving – things start to warm up. But when they each start to discover the real person hiding behind the others persona, deeper feelings start to develop and flourish. Both Brittany and Alex learn that they must be true to their inner-feelings, hopes and dreams. Perfect Chemistry is a nice love story even if only the two main characters are fully realized. Family and friends seem like one-dimensional clichés, and the author depicts present day gang life using characters and situations that are more in keeping with West Side Story.

The School for Dangerous Girls, Eliot Schrefer

Schrefer, Eliot (2009).
The School for Dangerous Girls
New York: Scholastic Press
978-0545035286
Genre: Realistic fiction


Sent to a remote, run-down reform school in Colorado, fifteen-year-old Angela is placed with the better girls, but upon learning that her "dangerous" friends are being isolated and left to live as animals, she takes radical steps to join them and help them escape.

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Fifteen-year-old Angela is enrolled at Hidden Oak, a reform school for girls, when her parents suspect she is responsible for her grandfather’s death. Somewhat unruly and typically teenage, Angela was sent to her grandfather’s because her parents felt they couldn’t deal with her any longer. Once a boys’ reformatory, Hidden Oak consists of two threads of girls- the gold and the purple. The gold thread girls get to go to classes, eat good food and are considered those who can be rehabilitated, whereas the purple thread girls are limited to the basement; they have no classes or order; in fact, the girls fight one another for limp lettuce and bug-infested food. A self-governing bunch, the purple thread girls cannot trust anyone. After a month, Angela is placed with the gold threads, but when she meets her “friends” at the secret hideout, and she sees what they endure, Angela vows to get thrown in with the purple threads so that they can all escape. Throughout the novel, Schrefer includes gruesome details of the girls’ fights, a strict, crotchety type teacher and a few harmless teachers to balance out the score. The writing is mediocre as each chapter ends with a sentence to tease out tension and foreshadow: “I just didn’t know what I lost yet” or “I’d been so close to finding out..but the secret had sealed over.” While a sympathetic teacher and his gorgeous son help Angela and her friends, Angela is disheartened to learn that her “close” friend has lied to her all along, and the teacher is only helping because he plans to save the girl he is having an affair with. A disjointed epilogue ties everything up rather neatly—Angela refuses to see her parents; she’s with the teacher’s son, and she reunites with her other friends from the school. Schrefer leaves room for a sequel which may appeal to a few readers.

He Forgot to Say Goodbye, Benjamin Alire Saenz

Saenz, Benjamin Alire (2008).
He Forgot to Say Goodbye
New York: Simon & Schuster
978-1416949633
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Two teenaged boys with very different lives find that they share a common bond- fathers they have never met left them when they were small boys—and in spite of their differences, they become close when they each need someone who understands.
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Ramiro Lopez and Jake Upthegrove both live in El Paso, yet they each live in two completely different environments. Jake lives with his wealthy mother and stepmother and attends the magnet high school for students who plan to be doctors; he despises his parents’ materialistic lifestyle and superior attitude. Ramiro lives with his single mother in a low income neighborhood; he works at Whataburger after school so that he will have money to buy clothes. While extremely different, the two share the fact that their fathers left when they where infants. While Ramiro has never met his father, Jake has spoken to his father on the phone. Still, both fathers have made the decision not to be involved with their sons. Ramiro romanticizes his father (he wonders about his actions, his life and looks) while Jake has become bitter and cynical and usually acts out towards his mother. The chapters alternate between the two boys’ narratives, and I thought each boy could have told his own story in a shorter novel. The narratives are somewhat connected by similar situations that each boy faces; however, it is not until the two actually interact that the novel proves interesting. Each boy suffers a terrible life-changing situation: Ramiro’s younger brother overdoses on heroine while Jake finds his stepfather with another woman. Each boy suffers the guilt-Ramiro wonders if he could have saved his brother while Jake wonders how to tell his mother or if he should. It is only when the two spend time culminating a friendship that they feel comfortable and at peace. Audiences, along with the boys, will come to resent the fathers as Jake’s father calls randomly and offers the boy money, while Ramiro’s father tells Ramiro’s mother, “Tell Ramiro to forget me.” Ramiro’s sidekick Alejandra provides some comic relief and allows readers to witness other sides of Ramiro’s personality. The three teens share a bowl of menudo, and readers will wonder if that is enough.

Confessions of a Serial Kisser, Wendelin Van Draanen

Van Draanen, Wendelin (2008).
Confessions of a Serial Kisser
New York: Alfred A. Knopf
9780375942488
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Chick-Lit

After reading her mother’s secret collection of romance novels during her parents’ difficult separation, seventeen-year-old Evangeline Logan begins a quest for the prefect kiss.
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Music–loving Evangeline used to be happy-go-lucky until her father had an affair, and her parents separated. After months of wallowing in depression, Evangeline finds her mother’s secret stash of romance novels, and Evangeline decides to change her attitude. In particular, Crimson Kiss grabs Evangeline’s attention and after a do-it-herself makeover and the advice from one of her mom’s self help books, Evangeline decides to turn her fantasy into reality and seeks the passion of a crimson kiss. Unfortunately, Evangeline kisses one too many people- from the popular jock at school, the bookish quiet guy, the random guy at Starbucks, her best friend’s brother and even, unbeknownst to Evangeline, her best friend’s crush. As she flounders through her innocent kisses, Evangeline cannot understand why such perfect looking guys cannot deliver the crimson kiss and why she gains a bad reputation- even her teachers are talking! All the while Evangeline refuses to forgive her father even though her mother seems to be reconciling with him. Only when Evangeline’s best friend refuses to forgive her does Evangeline see any parallels between the two situations. Two thirds into the novel, I worried Evangeline was perpetuating dismal female stereotypes- the hysterical, emotional non-thinking female and/or the promiscuous whore. However, Van Draanen restores my faith as she reunites Evangeline with her love of music via the local record storeowner. Evangeline learns to channel her passion, forgive her father and regains her best friend. Van Draanen’s open ending with respect to two possible love interests for Evangeline is extremely realistic, and readers will overlook the didactic message because Evangeline’s voice is so endearing and likeable.