Book Suggestion: Spud

For John "Spud" Milton, life as a thirteen year old growing up in South Africa is anything but normal. Not only does he have to deal with the crazy antics of his semi-lunatic father who is scared South Africa is being taken over by communists, but also his senile grandmother who belives everyone has joined in on the plot to rob her of all of her belongs, namely her strawberry jam. To make matters worse, Spud is sent off to an all boys school and encounters some of the most lively (and strange) people that he has ever met.

Written in a journal format, Spud experiences the normalities, and quite a few of the abnormalities, of growing up in an all boys school. From late night swims to excentric quad-mates, Spud's adventures are never short of hilarious.

John van de Ruit really captured the trials and tribulations of a teenage boy in this outrageously funny, quick-witted, and at times, extremely moving first novel.

Watch for: Spud- The Madness Continues... (the sequel)

Book Suggestion: The Opposite of Invisible

When life gets tough, April talks to the "Dove Girl" poster above her bed for comfort. But when she asks the poster for a boyfriend, what she ends up getting is a whole mess of problems.

In Liz Gallagher's debut novel, "The Opposite of Invisible," April gets caught in a web between outsider, artistic best friend Jewel whom she has known forever as "just-a-friend", or ultra-hunk football player Simon Murphy who has taken a sudden interest in her. When both kiss her and ask her to the Halloween Dance in the same 24 hours, April must pick one relationship, even if it means ruining the other.

In this past paced novel filled with underground bands, hip coffee shops, first kisses (and more...) and the frenzy of being a fifteen year old girl who doesnt quite know who she is, April must learn that a place does exist between popular and invisible.

Book Suggestion: Deadline by Chris Crutcher

What would you do if you knew you had less than a year to live? Who would you tell? What would you say? How would you change your life, your world?

These are issues that Ben Wolf deals with in Deadline by Chris Crutcher.

During a routine sports physical Ben finds out he has a terminal blood disease. At 18 Ben had never pictured himself past his teen years. Somehow he just knows this is what is supposed to happen. He figures he might as well take advantage of these last few months. Ben doesn't want is this time to be spent sick and puking or having people fuss over him. This will be a time to try things he hadn't before and do those things he had been to cowardly to do before - all without telling anyone. Not his parents, his brother, his coach - no one.

Living a lifetime of experiences in a single year is not going to be easy, but Ben is willing to try. He asks out his long-time crush, goes out for football for the first time, works as hard as possible to help his brother prepare to take on college, and befriends the town drunk.

Crutcher is never one to back off from tough issues, and Deadline is no exception. While the language and in-your-face attitude about the issues is toned down from his earlier works, this is another classic and compelling work. If you have never read Crutcher, Deadline is a great place to start.