Waiting for Normal

by Leslie Connor

Addie has moved again. And her last chance for stability seems to have gone, too. Her step-father, Dwight, now has custody of her two younger half-sisters and is moving closer to a new job. Now it's just Addie and her unreliable mother, living in a dumpy trailer on the corner of busy intersection. Her only neighbor is a convenience store. Her only view is an abandoned paved lot. Her mother loves her but can best be described as neglectful and, perhaps, bipolar. (I'm no psychiatrist.)

This is the story of Addie, a young girl struggling to survive and waiting for a chance at normal.

This was a sweet (and bittersweet) novel of a young girl, neglected, who struggles to maintain a life of normalcy. The narrator's voice feels natural and honest. The prose was easy to read, the plot easy to follow, and the characters - even some of the secondary ones - easy to feel a connection to. This story left me with a lump in my throat - due to a combined mixture of sadness and happiness.

Grade: A

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landeau-Banks

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Frankie is a smart, witty, and observant sophomore. She is an overachiever. She has a trajectory. A plan. A blueprint. All leading to success. Frankie also now has looks. Once a plain Jane honor student at a prestigious boarding school, Frankie returns her second year looking HOT. Her new looks attract the attention and sentiments of Matthew, a senior who lives the highest echelon of her school's social hierarchy. And -Boom- Frankie falls in love.

Typical, eh?

But Frankie doesn't just fall in love with Matthew. She falls in love with his group of guy friends, too. They exude an easiness, a confidence, a friendliness that is charming, magnetic. Frankie both loves these boys and envies them. She envies the time they demand from Matthew and she envies their self-assured natures. Frankie, who is by no means underprivileged, realizes that these teen boys are like this because they are at the top of the world. They are a part of the "Old Boy" society. They are the next generation's future leaders. What have they to doubt? What worries might they have? They have their intelligence, their culture, and their family status.

But that's not really why Frankie's upset. Through her own snoopery, Frankie realizes that these boys are a part of a secret all-male society at the school called the Basset Hounds. One that she is not privy, too. Frankie, frustrated by her own lack of "power" as a girl (because she wants to exert power over these boys) decides that she will find a way to infiltrate the society and become the new "King".

The book is full of intelligent insights and a likable protragonist. Her misdeeds are clever, and the reader will happily speed through the pages to discover more about the mysterious order of the Basset Hounds and to learn of Frankie's newest pranks. In some ways, I loved the way information was presented in this book - somewhat reminiscent of Dan Brown.

One caveat: I had trouble "connecting" with the protagonist. I didn't really feel a strong emotional connection, but this book is more about the ideas and the plot rather than the emotion. But that's easily beat out by the following: I really enjoyed the fact that this book used a sophisticated vocabulary. While I love YA books, I feel that sometimes the vocabulary is less than challenging.
Grade: B+