Book Description

Drugs are everywhere! A fact that Samantha Sanders finds out the hard way. She, along with her brother and dad are forced to flee a meth addicted mother in hopes of starting a new life in California?s, San Joaquin Valley?unbeknownst to them, the meth producing capital of the world. The pain of her mother?s addiction and its effect on her family continues to haunt her, even in this new place. And it?s not until she stumbles on the hiding place of a drug makers stash of raw materials, that she is forced to deal with her past and face a dangerous future. ... Read more

Book Description

"Even though I knew from the beginning that it wouldn't be possible to take my sisters and brother and run away, I felt like any place would be better than this one."

Thirteen-year-old Callie had to grow up fast. She felt responsible to look after the younger three children in the family since their mother and father were hardly ever home. When they were, it wasn't pleasant. They fought, her father drank, and the children always felt shut out and deprived of any family life with happy and caring parents.

Join Callie in her efforts in finding her family's way to a better life. Read how the children find the strength to rise above all their lonely, hungry, abusive days and nights. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

"Finding the Way" finds its Way!
Finding the Way captures the reader at the forward dedication and continues on the first page till the end. You feel and hear Cally immediately by the length of the sentences and strength of the feelings contained within. This story told from a 13 year old's point of view tells of the resilience of children in an imperfect family situation not of their doing, who do their best to find their way at home as well as in the outside world. Time seems to stand still for them, but life goes on about them.
Barbara E. Irgens has captured the feelings and tone in her wonderfully developed characters of the 4 children, ages 7- 13. These days when children's lives do not evolve around a rather dated but traditional image of father/mother parenting, sheltering, and protecting, Finding the Way gives voice to many feelings that children have because they are children and because they have no choice but to go on the clues presented by the adults in their lives.
This is a wonderful middle school chapter book for 6th, 7th grade, and 8th grade levels. The discussion and creative writing opportunities abound in every chapter. Although the characters are Irish, the emotions and situations are universal. As an educator I think it also points out the importance of the public school, as THE bright spot of the day in many children's lives, and how important is our job of educating with consistent love, respect, and compassion.
I highly recommend Finding the Way and give it top honors as a first novel offering.
... ... Read more

Book Description

Kenny Williams wants out of Comfort, Texas–away from his abusive, workaholic mother, his ex-convict father, and his small-town life. This gritty story of poetry slams, country music, and small town conflicts coils in a tangle of tragedy and hope. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

I don't know...
I haven't finished this book, I'll be honest. I can't really find any reason to finish it, if you think you can persuade me, please do. I really did give it an honest effort and got kind of far but I just don't feel it.
I wish I had saved my money and bought something else.
I'm not telling you that you wouldn't like it, but I think maybe you'd be better off borrowing it from someone who has it, borrowing it from a library, or at least read a chapter before you buy it because honestly I didn't and can't say I ever could say I was "hooked".
I don't know...the writing seems odd to me...it's nothing special I guess. The story is good, and maybe it gets better but I can be a book-snob and if it's not good from the beginning I don't bother.

A very emotional book!
Comfort by Carolee Dean was a very emotional book! It felt like an emotional rollercoaster. I enjoyed reading this book for that reason. I was hooked from the beginning until the end! There are many tough decisions made throughout the novel which sets up all the emotional rollercoasters.
Kenny Willson must make many difficult choices for his age. With his dad getting out of prison after serving a long sentence for robbery and multiple DUI charges, everything turns for the worst. Kenny's mother being controlling and demanding doesn't make anything better either.
School and writing are Kenny's only outlets to being able to express him self in a way that he wants to. When a writing competition comes up, Kenny gets really happy because he will be able to leave his home town and to what he's good at. Even though he really wants to go, he knows in his head that his chances of going are slim, but he keeps hope alive.
Kenny desperately wants to escape Comfort, Texas and run away to Dallas where his grandpa lives. With all of his issues he's dealt with, Kenny has an extremely difficult time trying.
I really enjoyed reading this book, because just about every teenager goes through what Kenny went through in the book. Carolee Dean wrote this book in a way that allows anyone who reads it, feel what Kenny's going through. I would recommend this book to any teenager going thorough that phase in life, where you feel the need to escape and live life how you want to live it.

Comfort from Within
Comfort
Carolee Dean

" I ain't going down Mama/I ain't going down/you can pull me off the team/but you ain't taking my dreams/I ain't going down." Throughout the book Comfort, Kenny Wilson (the main character) finds himself and his life being taken over by his pushy momma and his alcoholic father you just go out of a prison for robbing a liquor store. One way is that he finds himself trying to escape Comfort, Texas the only way he can, writing. Told trough the eyes of this troubled 15 year old while in the background is his dysfunctional family, you learn that a way to escape isn't always actually leaving but to find a way to deal with your feelings, in Kenny's case, poetry. To find comfort in ones life, one must find and be comfortable with themselves. I loved the point-of-views in this story, the detailed descriptions, and how the whole story all tied together in the end.

In addition to the above, the detailed descriptions of the characters really get you hooked. The author, Carolee Dean, she uses a technique that allows you to go underneath the physical descriptions and go to a level where you feel like the character could be your next door neighbor. It's almost as though you expect their lives to keep going, even after the last chapter of the book has been turned. For instance: When Kenny is stumbling over his words and is so nervous for the competition, you can almost feel your own hands sweating as he finishes the last words. Also when he has this fierce desire to be with Cindy Blackwell, the towns prettiest girl, you know that feeling because everyone has had that feeling of wanting to be with another person, someone they can't have. In addition to that, when you see the way that Kenny and his Momma bicker, over the things they do, you know the depth of these characters is more then some shallow physical description. It's almost as though the author knew these people when writing because they are so real. While you read this book you are taken to a place where when the book ends, you feel the tears in your eyes stinging because you feel so much for these characters.

Next are the point-of-views in the story, so many, you don't know whom to feel badly for. First there is Kenny's mom, struggling to overcome a past where she was a nobody and had nothing going for her in life. A husband who got himself in jail and left her with two sons on her own. The emotions she feels throughout the book are taken out on her son; maybe it's because she has to feel she's better then someone, or maybe it's the feeling that she is going nowhere. In addition to that, there is Roy Wilson, Kenny's dad who just got out of jail and is trying to deal with an alcoholic addiction and trying to be the man in the family's life. He is like the missing puzzle piece, trying to find where he can fit into his life after being gone for so long he has to realize that life isn't the same. What about the little brother that has been tossed into a family where no one really has the confidence to walk out of this town and make something of themselves? Then there is Cindy Blackwell, the one person who people thought could make something of herself. That is until her boyfriend got her into some deep trouble that there is no way of getting out of. Or what about Cindy's younger sister Suzie, who is deeper then she looks and has more in common with Kenny then he will ever know. Last but not least there is Kenny Wilson, whom the book revolves around. He is trying to walk in the footsteps that are a little too big for him. When he has to come to terms with dealing with his dad and the rest of his abnormal family, he is faced with a true crossroad in his life.

In particular, the story has the climax that leads to ending you were rooting for. It's like a mystery, all the little pieces that you really didn't understand throughout the story finally make sense in the end, even if it may leave you a little teary-eyed. Specifically the way that all the characters have a different life style that all ends up bringing a town together; yet they all have different endings. Some you find out, the rest are up to you. In my personal opinion, I feel that the way all the things come together in the end is really like life. You have all these different people put in different positions, yet they all have something in common, living life to its fullest. People are dealt their different cards, and they learn to play them just right.

I loved the great point-of-views, outstanding word descriptions and vocabulary, and a terrific ending that makes this an all around book. Comfort is a place where everyone needs to go, to find a place where they can believe in themselves, that will truly lead to comfort. Kenny goes on to see that people are really different underneath their looks. For instance: he gets to know Cindy's younger sister and find out how much they really are alike. He try's to understand his dad and all the mistakes he has made. He goes on to write, showing you his way out of the world, his true comfort place. Throughout the story you notice the struggle one kid goes through to make amends with life and understand the hidden qualities of this small town. The ending will leave you both teary-eyed and overwhelmed by what a powerful message a little novel can bring and how it impacts the way you look at life!

comfort
This book is very "today". The author knows the Texas mileu and banter, dialogue is authentic. She builds suspense with a 15-year-old who is beset by problems both internal and external. An escape novel with a surprise ending. Characterization is very good. A good read for modern, tough teens.

Comfort
This is the typical story of a dsyfunctional family. Fifteen year old, Kenny Wilson will do anything to get out of Comfort, Texas. He hates it there. He hates the people, he hates his school, he hates everything. But, there are three things that stand in his. One-he needs to get enough money together to leave and survive. Two- he needs to convince Cindy Blackwell to go with him and three- he needs to escape his mother's grip on him. Plus, he has to deal with his feelings about his alcoholic father, who has just been released from prison for robbing a liquor store. The one thing that keeps him sane is his writing. He realizes what effect words have on him and he sees that it takes a boy to run and never face his fears but a true man will stay and face them head-on. ... Read more

Book Description

'My thoughts were in turmoil as we drove back to Rockwell. Was our season over before it really started?' Had the obstacles placed in their path finally derailed Rollins girls? varsity soccer team?s chances of winning the state championship? Had Maggie and her senior friends succeeded in persuading the school administrators to keep the program mediocre? At the time, the answers to these questions seemed the most important, indeed, the only concern in Bobbi?s life. High school freshman Bobbi Martin had already conquered her fears about acceptance at her new school. She had cleared her boyfriend Alan of starting the fight in the cafe. She had no idea the exposed culprit would seek revenge by intentionally causing an automobile accident. A broken leg would cut Alan?s football season short. And before her freshman year ended, Bobbi?s best friend?s involvement with alcohol and drugs would almost take her life. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Interesting Read!
Erica is a typical teen girl. She sticks up for her boyfriend, even when she starts to doubt him. She lies to her parents about their relationship, but it all comes out in the end, as all secrets do. Since I teach eighth grade, I felt the need to share this book with my students. I always tell them to not get hooked on one person,to look around, and not become too serious. This book shows exactly what could happen to anyone.

Another Great one by Marilyn Renolds
I have read almost all of the True to Life series books and I have enjoyed every one. It tells the stories of a young girls choice to stick up for her boyfriend and lie to her parents. This book also tells the effects rape has on it's victums. This, as well as all True to Life Series Books, is a sure read for teenagers growing up in the changing world around them. ... Read more

Book Description

Raven leaves her Salish home on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast in search of her missing sister Marcie, reportedly "working" on Vancouver's lower east side. When Raven wanders Lost Alley near Hastings, flashing Marcie's picture and asking tough questions, she gets a host of testimonials from the addicted and homeless, but few answers. When Ben and Bertie, a young boy and elderly woman living on the street, tell her Marcie is wanted by a kidnapping ring abducting children to be smuggled across the Pacific for auction to sweatshops in the East, Raven puts together clues from Marcie's recovered diary and traces the culprits to the docks. Based on true stories of those living in the worst ghetto in North America, with an appendix of help-line and resource information, this hard-edged story is part harsh truth, part preventative fiction. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Fantastic,Brilliant,Deserved its' reward
I read this book some years back but i thought it was fantastic.A little boy makes friends with a teenage girl who has a terrible secret.

Came back to show you I could fly by Robin Klein
The novel is about a boy named Seymour, who stays with a fussy old guardian who wont let him out, worried his father might take him away. By chance one day he left the house and met a young girl called Angie, who lives in a messy little flat, renting from an old women. Angie keeps Seymour company by taking him to different places around the suburbs, going shopping and catching trams from here to there. With her little 'so called brother' nagging her to do the right things. But what Seymour dosent know is that Angie is taking drugs.

Great book with hard hitting reality
Came Back To Show You I Could Fly is about an eleven year old boy named Seymour who meets Angie an older avdenturous drug addict, but Seymour does not know this. She is in a great deal of debt to drug dealers and have beendissowned by her family. Seymour too, is having family problems. This is agreat book for readers 12 years and onwards. ... Read more

Book Description

To resist drugs' temptations, we should create a strong control that would keep the lower and the upper parts of the brain in balance. Two high school students were trying to do just that. Hope was excellent in academics. Ann was great in sports and had good grades. She also was a "people's person". Hope had only several friends. Ann was a party girl that brought her to drug-addiction. She was saved by Hope, and they became the best friends. Later, both girls tried to help other students to stay away from drugs. Reverse peer pressure was in action. Paranomal phenomena also played some part in that. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Reefer madness lives!
Thank goodness a book like this can be written in this day and age! It's absolutely hilarious, reminiscent of the more clueless anti-drug efforts of the past like "Reefer Madness." My friends and I have really enjoyed reading selected passages to each other and laughing -- it's guaranteed to break up any party. Although all aspects of this book are risible, the dialogue, the crackpot "science," the new age spirituality, my favorite moment is when the heroine sits down to play some "Shopen" at the piano. Self publishing has given us a inadvertent classic, sure to be a cult item and collectable of the future.

Wonderful Book!
This is a very wonderful book. It talks about Reverse Peer Pressure, and this approach, I am sure, will work if given time. It is a small book, and that makes it all the better. Within a given amount of time you can read it, understand it, and hopefully put the plan (Reverse Peer Pressure) into action. Probably it is the wish of the Divine Intelligence from Above. ... Read more

Book Description

Denise Lane is an average teenage girl who has just discovered the sweetness of her first love.She has fallen for the suave Chad Boswell. He is everything Denise ever dreamed—until she learns of his growing dependency on heroin. She tries in vain to save him, only to find herself descending into the same world. There, she finds an unexpected love and ally in the dark and brooding Dewayne Townsend. Denise struggles with her love for both men and her temptation to use cocaine.She watches her youth and self-respect wash away with the current of this fast-paced lifestyle. All she ever wanted was to be loved, but the price she pays is a very high one. Denise is determined to save herself from Chad and the maddening drop into the world beneath the underground. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

She's My Wife
My wife wrote this novel and let me tell you, I don't read, but I read this. I thought that it was a very good story and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes action and romance.

A Page-Turner!
First, let me start off by saying the cover is fantastic! It is haunting and attractive just like you except the storyline to be...then as you enter the mesmerizing world of Dense Lane the young heroine, a teenage girl longing for love beneath the underground, you feel as though you are "her" as she takes you on the journey of her life; through it all, the first loves, the heartaches, the passion, and finally her immense courage and triumph.
The suspense and great narration builds into a smashing, yet satisfying ending that does full credit to Spray's powers of creative invention and great storytelling. I loved this book from beginning to end. A true masterpiece! ... Read more

Book Description

Thirteen-year-old Carrie is totally absorbed with and concerned about her nineteen-year-old half brother, Ben. She can't understand his change from theloving, funny brother she's always known to the sullen, shut-off young man he's become. When he asks her to come with him to Boston to meet his real dad, she's hopeful -- maybe the old Ben isn't gone after all.

But the truth Carrie uncovers in Boston isn't quite so simple. The old Ben is gone. And somehow, she's going to have to learn to accept the way things are now. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Blowfish Live in the Sea
Blowfish Live in the Sea was not especially one of the greater books that Paula Fox has written. Although descriptive and interesting, the book didn't really go anywhere... there was a simple plot: Ben's dad was a drunk, but he was still Ben's father. So, Carrie and Ben went all the way to Boston to meet a drunk liar... yet, somehow, they all enjoyed themselves.

A Beautifully Written Story
Blowfish Live in the Sea is definitely one of the best books that I have ever read. Paula Fox does such a good job of describing the characters that you think that you completely know them by the time you are through. I could not put this book down. The setting and atmosphere seemed so real that I could not help but wallow in the problems of each of the melancholy characters for a while. It also offers a very real picture of what life was like back in the seventies (sixties?) for a teenage girl and her older step-brother. This book is very rare and hard-to-find, so if you can get your hands on it, go ahead and read! The mystery of the strange blowfish will haunt you forever!! (Excellent ending, I might add.)

GO READ BLOWFISH LIVE IN THE SEA. ... Read more

Book Description

Sixteen-year-old Johnny owns the world. But life becomes unbearable when a drug bust lands him in an abusive foster home. His best option? Run away. Death, disease and sexual predators stalk him, making his life a wide-awake nightmare. But Johnny is a survivor... ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Runaway Dreams
Reading Runaway-A Survivor is like eating a box of assorted candies. Some are sweet, others are sour and at least one is so delicious it tastes like a bite of Heaven. This is not a sweet book, however. It's a bite of ultra-harsh reality. It seems so true-to-life that it must be based on real-life stories. The use of language alone is enough to convice even the most cynical reader that the author has had firsthand experience with the gritty street kids. You can't help but flinch at the outrageous difficulties the protagonist, teenaged Johnny, confronts. In some ways this is an adventure, in another way it is a serious drama, but other times the plot has a light sprinkling of humor. It's hard to categorize this book except to say that it entertained me and shocked me and made me experience emotions I didn't even know I posssessed.

Real Street Life
The street life for 16-year-old Johnny is a nightmare of crime, sexual exploitation, drugs and violence. It's not a life that he chose, but one that he was jettisoned into when he was forced to run away from an abusive foster parent. The plot thickens when Johnny lands on the cold midnight streets and alleys of Atlanta. Here, Johnny's core belief in his own worth as a human being is tested and he finds a simple goodness in a few runaway friends and in himself. He realizes that he can be more than a bought item that adults use and then dispose of without the slightest regard for him. The writing is gritty, edgy, full of violence and anger, but tempered with an almost poetic undercurrent that lessens the meanness and pain. The characters step from the pages fully developed and so believable that the reader cannot help but recognize these children as once being their neighbors, or maybe even being their own. This book will stay with you a long, long time. ... Read more

Book Description

D'Arcy is a 16-year-old overachiever and a budding newshound. When her classmate Zania's mother goes missing, D'Arcy thinks she's found the mother of all scoops. She's determined to solve the mystery and capture it all on film. But Zania's troubles are no game. She suspects her mother's drug-dealing boyfriend may be behind her sudden disappearance and Zania's too scared to go home. It's not long before the girls realize that they're in over their heads. Adrenalin High is a gripping, fast-paced story for mystery lovers. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

This book was a decent book and a interting topic
The story is about a girl, Corey who is ashamed off here fathers drinking and wants him to stop, because she wants to normal like Victor's famliy who is the boy she likes. Corey and her mother talked to a counciler and found a very uqnie way to stp his drinking. The book was a decent and could help somone who had a family member that drank alot. It had a good story line I thought, and thats why I gave it 3 stars. ... Read more

Book Description

It seems like Kat's parents have done little but prepare for her sister Hannah's return since she was sent away to a home for troubled teens. Everyone is determined to find out what went wrong with Hannah and make things right again -- everyone except Kat, that is.
Kat dreads going back to a life dominated by her sister's tantrums and rule-breaking. The only place she feels in control these days is at the mall, where everything she wants is at her fingertips and no one is better at the art of stealing. As the time of Hannah's return approaches, Kat's shoplifting escalates into a full-blown addiction. Klepto is a powerful story from a talented new writer for teens. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Another Lester board book classic
Australian children's author Alison Lester did a series of four books (available overseas as a boxed set) that depict very real little kids in very real situations. Great drawings in the margins too that my son has loved identifying. ... Read more

Book Description

When a kid from a neighboring town is stabbed in a downtown park, 16-year-old Ashley Munroe stumbles upon a drug ring in his quiet suburban town. The decision to reveal his findings in the high school newspaper is made more complex by the presence of his brother at the park gatherings.

Once the article appears, his trouble really starts. Vandalism to his home, a bomb threat at the school, and telephoned death threats make Ashley and his family wonder if he made the proper decision. A climactic Halloween night brings it all to a stunning resolution.

Based on a true story, we see how one teenager, by following his conscience, can truly make an impact on society. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

ABSOLUTE FUN, DUDE!!!
Undeniably the best most exciting book I've ever read!!! I also live in Westfield and loved reading a story that brought zeal to my hometown! There's a FEELING about this book--can't fully describe it, but it leaves you with this SENSE! The story STAYS with you, things remind you of it long after you've read it. The night looks different to me now. I want to be out in it more! Definitely recommend a reading every Halloween season. Watch out for teens running around frantic!

Muckraker
Wow! I have never read a book quite this before. It was great! I didn't want to put the book down. It is absolutely a must read!

Absolutely awesome!!
This book was excellent. I loved it!! I read it in the car, at home (when I should have been doing homework), and before bed. I finished it in one weekend because I just couldn't put it down. Everything about the book was great. Another person who wrote a review for this book said that they felt close to the characters by the end of the book. That's exactly how I felt. I felt like I knew Ashley. Mr. Callahan, I already gave you my review, but I felt that I had to write again how much I liked the book to really emphasize how great it was. :-)

And as for the person who said, "And there are a couple of spots where there are typos or misuse of grammer": Yes, OK, maybe there were TWO mistakes. Another thing, there are two a's in grammar...

Don't waste your time
I bought this book because I live in Westfield and I thought it would be interesting to read a story that took place here. What a disappointment! I struggled to get through the dull plot and found the characters very unappealing. In a word, I thought this book was boring.

Muckraker was one of the best books ever
This story is excellent. I just couldn't put it down after I started. I really recommend you to buy this book because it really is worth it. Trust me on my opinion. Muckraker displays realistic events of a highschooler dealing with peers. I give it 5 stars since it really deserves it. Anybody that read this book would say it's good and I think you should be able to enjoy such a great story. ... Read more