Tag: secrets

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (YA Fiction)

I was beginning to see, though, that the unknown wasn’t always the greatest thing to fear. The people who know you best can be riskier, because the words they say and the things they think have the potential to be not only scary but true, as well.

Just Listen

Sarah Dessen (YA Fiction)

I was beginning to see, though, that the unknown wasn’t always the greatest thing to fear. The people who know you best can be riskier, because the words they say and the things they think have the potential to be not only scary but true, as well.

Annabel Greene is sixteen years old and, from the outside, seems to have it all. With her good looks and successful modeling career, no one would ever suspect that she carries a dark and shocking secret…one that robs her of her friends, her reputation, and her self-worth. What’s worse is that she can’t even tell her family who are battling their own demons. Like the glass house that Annabel lives in, all seems perfect when looking from the outside, but on the inside is a world of chaos. Things get more unsettled when she befriends Owen Armstrong, an imposing, quiet loner with a penchant for music. As Annabel’s fragile façade slowly breaks apart, can she break free from her glass prison and finally find freedom and forgiveness?

Unless it’s historical fiction, I don’t often steer towards young adult books when choosing my next read. Books filled with teenage angst and melodrama tend to lose my interest quickly. Dessen’s Just Listen is happily the exception to the rule. The relationship between Annabel and her sisters Kirsten (the loquacious Drama Queen) and Whitney (the isolationist with an eating disorder) provides a provocative dynamic and their individual character evolution is compelling and realistic. Change is gradual versus epiphanal so we witness each sister’s slow and methodical journey of becoming a better version of herself.

The relationship between Owen and Annabel is also refreshing as it is grown organically. They’re just two lonely people (one by choice and the other by circumstance) seeking companionship and commonality. Owen’s morality pushes Annabel to come to terms with all aspects of her life: past, present, and future. His accept-me-as-I-am attitude is in direct contrast to Annabel’s constant molding into something that appeals to the broad masses. This dichotomy is compelling and makes for a pleasant change with our heroine wanting to be better for herself rather than to be popular or to get the guy.  

Throughout the book, music is an integral part of the story. Owen’s way of expressing himself is through sharing music, and he once advised Annabel to “just listen” rather than immediately think or pass judgement. Healing begins for all characters through listening—whether it is to others around us, to our own body, or to our own heart. Sometimes when things around us are the loudest, the most unnatural yet healthy thing to do is to become quiet and just listen.

Rating: 4/5

* Book cover image attributed to: www.abebooks.com

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Bluefish by Pat Schmatz (YA)

Bluefish

Bluefish

Pat Schmatz (Young Adult Fiction)

“One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.”  Might as well be, “One fish, two fish, Travis is a stupid fish.”  At least that’s what they all say…well, what one person says, but he is a VERY influential person.  Travis Roberts is the new kid in the eighth grade.  The only thing keeping him in school was his dog, Rosco, and now that he’s gone, what’s the point?  He’ll always be stupid.  He’ll always be a bluefish.  But then Travis meets Vida (her public calls her “Velveeta”) and Bradley Whistler (who is THE smartest kid EVER) and Mr. McQueen, his reading teacher.  Up until this point, everything that Travis cared about was gone.  Maybe now he has a reason to begin caring again…even if he is just a bluefish.

Pat Schmatz serves up an awkwardly accurate and often humorous portrayal of adolescence through three flawed and endearing misfits—all longing to fit in and wanting to be a part of something bigger than themselves.  Our three protagonists are no longer a child and not quite an adult, and Bluefish shows us the mask each wears to cover up their insecurities and shortcomings.  From the brainiac to the class clown to the strong, silent type, Schmatz successfully encapsulates the complicated world of teenagers and the tangled and convoluted roadmap that directs their everyday lives and dictates their emotions.

Bluefish is more than a story of friendship and middle school survival, it’s a story of how one person has the power to change the very course of our life:  a kid who finds and hands back your stolen shoe; a girl who invites you to sit with her at lunch; or a teacher who volunteers his or her time to tutor you before school.  Thank you, Ms. Schmatz, for reminding us of the importance of not giving up on our friends, and—more importantly—not giving up on ourselves.  You have shown us that being a bluefish really isn’t so bad and can actually be a rather remarkable thing after all.

Rating: 5/5

*Book cover image attributed to www.barnesandnoble.com

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