BookPikks

During one long summer, Ruby and her mother together learn that true love is more than being someone’s “Honey, Baby, Sweetheart.”  Caletti once again breaks the mold of the typical teen romance to address issues that really matter–family, faithfulness, speaking your mind, and doing the right thing.

A pretty good young adult novel about a teenage girl trying to find her way in the midst of her step-father’s growing mental illness.  Caletti definitely has some unique characters in her books, and her plots are not the standard boy meets girl found in so many young adult novels.

A truly enjoyable novel about a high school senior named Jade. She suffers from panic attacks, she’s starting to question why she’s still friends with her high school gang, she needs to pick a college, her parents’ marriage is falling apart, and the boy she thinks she loves is a mystery to her. The only time Jade feels calmness and order in her world is when she’s working with the elephants at the nearby zoo. Any high schooler about to venture out in the world will sympathize with Jade, and will be inspired by her decision to be brave in the midst of the chaos in her life. I enjoyed Jade’s tender yet realistic relationship with her younger brother, and the unique life lessons that she learned while working with the elephants and their keepers. In the midst of a crowd of books full of superficial high school characters, Jade is to be admired for her substance.