Nobody's Perfect. Seriously.

So you're trying to survive your day at school, grabbing a sandwich in the lunchroom or dashing down the hall to English class, and then you spot her: that perfect girl. She's probably dressed in an expertly coordinated outfit, surrounded by a group of fawning friends, and much involved in everything at school, though she never shows a flicker of stress in her eyes. She's the kind of girl that makes you wonder what's wrong with you.

Been there? I wonder if all girls have. There's always a girl who seems like she has it all -- but, as Natasha Friend's novel Perfect demonstrates, maybe she isn't who everyone thinks she is. The book's main character Isabelle is caught throwing up her lunch, and is sent to group therapy, where she's shocked to see that Perfect Girl, Ashley, from school sitting right next to her. The two of them become friends, and Isabelle quickly sees that Ashley's life is far from ideal. And Isabelle realizes that her own life maybe isn't as terrible as she thought.

Though this is a story about bulimia, it is also a story about the pain of losing a family member, the tricky game of navigating friendships and learning how to look inside and speak your heart. It plays on themes that any girl can relate to. Because, the big secret is that no one has their life together all the time. Even the girls that look like they do -- well, they could have problems at home, or a boyfriend who doesn't call, or problems with their weight.

A lot of us girls put on masks at school to make others think we're doing fine, and use certain behaviors to cope with what's going on -- and some coping strategies are way healthier than others. In the book, both Isabelle and Ashley use bingeing and purging as a way to make themselves feel better, and though the book doesn't address this, purging is incredibly dangerous to a person's health. The girls in group therapy had different problems and backgrounds, but all used food as a way to feel comfort. It just goes to show that appearances can be deceiving, and that it can be easy to dismiss someone before getting to know what really makes them tick.

My questions for you, my Mainely Girls out there, are:

• Do you know any "perfect" girls like Ashley? Did this book change your thoughts on the word "perfect?"
• Could you relate to the feelings any of the girls expressed in the book? 
• What ways, do you think, girls use to cope with the stresses of school and life? What do you think works the best? 
• What do you think will happen to Isabelle, Ashley and the other characters in the book?

Any other thoughts? I'm always interested to hear 'em! And remember: there's no right answer here. And definitely no perfect answer.

13 Little Blue Envelopes... oh, the places you'll go!

Hi girls out there,
13 Little Blue Envelopes is a story about a whirlwind, mysterious adventure one girl takes through Europe. No wonder it's one of our most-requested books!

In the book, seventeen-year-old Ginny receives letters from her aunt Peg, instructing her to travel to foreign lands and complete a series of tasks there. The rules Ginny must follow are:

• Rule #1:

You may bring only what fits in your backpack. Don't try to fake it with a purse or a carry-on.

• Rule #2:

You may not bring guidebooks, phrase books, or any kind of foreign language aid. And no journals.

• Rule #3:

You cannot bring extra money or credit/debit cards, traveler's checks, etc. I'll take care of all that.

• Rule #4:

No electronic crutches. This means no laptop, no cell phone, no music, and no camera. You can't call home or communicate with people in the U.S. by Internet or telephone. Postcards and letters are acceptable and encouraged.

Ginny must maneuver her way across the globe to find out what surprise is awaiting her in the 13th envelope. Though the rules above seem pretty daunting (no cell phone? How does a person get anywhere without a cell phone?), I think Ginny's journey seems like a blast. I've done a little traveling, and it's always an adventure that forces you to think fast, solve problems and be flexible.

 Have any of you had any crazy experiences while out on a trip? For those of you that have read the book, have you ever encountered any of the strange predicaments Ginny has?

Oh, and for those of you that are planning on making a trip sometime in the near future, Maureen Johnson, the author of the book, has a fun set of travel tips . Check them out, and bon voyage!

A Scary Future: How I Live Now

Imagine it's sometime in the near future. You're sent to stay with distant cousins and you spend idyllic days soaking up the sun on the farm, most of the time without annoying adult supervision.

But one day, your aunt doesn't come home. She's stranded and terrorists have invaded your country. Soldiers take over your home and it's up to you to fight for your survival.

Scary picture, right? This is the predicament in which that 15-year-old Daisy finds herself in Meg Rosoff's novel How I Live Now. Everything she has ever known is shattered, and she is left to fend for herself in a world vibrating with the painful effects of war.

I found an interesting video online that offers a movie trailer sort of introduction to the book. Check it out here.

If you've read the book, what do you think about the world that's presented? Could it ever happen to us? How did you feel when you read it?

Tips for Writers from Gail Carson Levine

Believe it or not, Gail Carson Levine, author of beloved book club favorite Ella Enchanted, didn't spend her entire life writing. Though she loved writing as a kid, a single comment from a teacher discouraged her from writing for 25 years.


He called her writing, "pedestrian." Commonplace. Not special.


Luckily for us, Levine picked up her pen again, and has given the world not only Ella (a variation on the fairy tale "Cinderella), but a collection of creative, magical stories that captivate the imagination, including The Two Princesses of Bamarre, Fairest , and Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg. At a talk at the Rockland Library on Saturday, October 3rd, Levine talked about her newest books and offered her advice for young writers.


When she began writing again, Levine said she had to learn to ignore that negative voice in her head that said she couldn't or shouldn't try. She hoped that her newest book, Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly , might inspire young writers to do the same and believe in their creativity. The book offers writing tips, tricks and fascinating story prompts, like this one:


Use one of the situations below (or come up with one of your own) to create a scene full of description and details:

• Your character is on a boat at sea.
• Your character is in the middle of a crowded city.
• Your character is exploring an enchanted forest.

Have the confidence to try, says Levine, and always, always save your work. As crazy as it sounds now, it's easy for adults to forget what it was like to be a kid, Levine says, and your writing (or your art, or even the notes you and your friends pass) gives you a window to your past. 

Finally, don't let criticism get you down. Levine read from a rejection letter in which an editor told her her work wasn't captivating. I bet anyone who's read Ella would disagree! Even famous writers like Gail Carson Levine have had negative comments, but she persevered, and you can, too.  

Levine was kind enough to autograph a book for us, and inside, she offered one last piece of advice: "Don't be too obedient!" (Pick up Ella Enchanted and you'll understand this joke!)

More fun: 

Check out Levine's blog for more of her thoughts on writing. 

Ella Enchanted was made into a movie starring Anne Hathaway!

This site , dedicated to fairy tales, has an excellent description of Levine's books. 

Reflections on "Criss Cross"

Art, whether it's writing or photography or a movie, is a little slice of life. Photos, for instance, capture moments -- like the moments before your date arrives for prom, or someone's first kiss after getting married, or when your new puppy sees his home for the first time. These little slices have a built-in editing system: you don't take pictures of the boring stuff, like doing laundry or doing your algebra homework. 


The same thing can hold true for movies and writing. In movies and books, we meet characters and we follow them on their adventures, but writers edit their characters' stories to make them exciting. There are parts of our characters' lives that are left out because... well, they're just not that engaging, or they aren't relevant to the main point of the story. It's because these stories are "slices of life," pieces put together to tell a story or a teach a lesson-- they're not like exactly like real life.


 I was thinking about this because in an interview with USA Today, Lynne Rae Perkins, author of Criss Cross said that when she was growing up, she needed assurance that "life doesn't always happen like it does in movies and books, but that's OK."  Criss Cross seems to reflect that idea. It's about a group of 14-year-olds coping with the everyday concerns of teenagers: boyfriends, girlfriends, parents, clothes and feeling different. One review of the book criticized it for not having enough plot. "Nothing happens at all," writes one reviewer. Other readers appreciated the pace and the fact that these teenagers weren't living thrilling, glamorous lives, but more realistic ones. (Read a more positive review here .) 


The "slices of life" in Criss Cross are put together, maybe, with the point of showing that the average teenager's life isn't like a perfect snapshot, or like an epic movie with a grand soundtrack. Sometimes, things don't happen to all of us. 


I just wonder if that makes the book more enjoyable or not. What do you think? Sometimes I like escaping to books that don't mirror my life at all. That's part of the fun with art: those slices and snapsots and film clips have the ability to whisk you away and show you something new. So, what do you think about books that stick closer to reality? 


Let me know what you think.
Happy reading!
~Meredith 

A Few More Perks...

Want to know more about The Perks of Being a Wallflower? I did, too, and I found a few neat things online. First, Charlie experiences a lot of new music with his friend Sam and books with his teacher Bill. Wikipedia has a list of the songs, movies and books in the novel. Take a look. 

Next, this is a "literary weaving" that a class made after reading the book. The little sections have ideas or quotes from the book, and are woven together to make a piece of art that represents the book. Cool!

If you have ideas for projects to make, or songs that fit with this book, or movies it reminded you of, go ahead, leave a comment! 

The Perks of Being... a Book Clubber.

Well, I just finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower . Let me tell you, it threw me for such a loop.

I picked up Perks because two friends of mine say it's their favorite book. I just had to see for myself what all the renown was about. It's a fast-paced read about a shy, but brilliant, ninth grader named Charlie, who writes to an anonymous friend about his hopes, fears and misadventures. His star football-player brother is off at college, his older sister wants nothing to do with him, and he misses his closest companion, his aunt who died years ago. Charlie, with the help of his new friends and a teacher who believes in him, must navigate the frenzied world of high school--and that includes dealing with drugs, dating, sexuality and self-confidence.

I'm not going to give away the ending, but it was cemented in my brain for days after reading it. I couldn't wait to tell my boyfriend the whole tale. The next day at work, I spilled the ending to Mary, our director, who'd never read it. The thing was, I couldn't help but talk about it. The story spun around in my head all day, like clothes in a washing machine.

This is, of course, the perk of being in a book club like ours: you get a chance to chat about those stories that just beg to be talked about! The books in our library were chosen for their ability to get your brains buzzing! They're wildly exciting or so painful you might tear up. Many take difficult issues and face them head on, with a roar. Regardless of your age or background, we bet these babies will get you talking.

You and your fellow club members don't even have to agree about whether you liked the book or not. Mary, when she picked up the book after me, remembered that she'd read it before -- the story had just so uninterested her that she forgot about it! But we still had a good chat about it.

And you know what? If you've read the book, you know that Charlie is pretty shy, and has a dilemma of watching life go by him. But he learns, I think, at the end of the book to dive in and participate. Well, that's what we say to do with your book club, too!

So, for those of you that have read it, what do you think? Leave a comment! Did you relate to Charlie's character? Did it get you talking? What's your take on that ending?

That's all for now! Happy reading.

-Meredith