2008 Quick Pics for Reluctant Readers List

Adams, Lenora. Baby Girl.

Sheree, or Ree Ree, as her friends and family call her, is going through a hard time. She has a nice-looking mother who is not the best role model to follow, a father who has another family, and she has a whole lot of problems. Ree Ree is a confused African American teenager who gets pregnant in her search for love and desire to be loved. Now, with a new baby to care for, Ree Ree discovers several things that help her realize and mature. The book is written as three letters Ree Ree writes. The first one is a letter about her life and family, the second letter is about how her mom raised her and how she made the same mistakes her mom made as a teenager, and the third letter is about the consequences of her own decisions and how she faces her new born son. The author uses common language used in streets to make the story more realistic. I especially enjoyed reading this book because the problems Sheree experiences happen in real life. Through this book, teenagers can realize that their acts will have consequences, just like it happened to Sheree. This book is recommended for readers 14 years of age and older because of the violence, language and of course, pregnancy and sex.

Erskine, Kathryn. Quaking.

Matt has had a hard life. It all started when she was little at home. She was a victim of domestic violence along with her poor mother who ended up dead. Since her mother's death, Matilda "Matt" has moved constant;y from home to home never getting attached to people. She is very smart but when she feels threatened, she will run away. When she is placed in the home of a Quaker family who believe peace is very important. The town attacks anyone who does not support the war and this is exactly what Matt avoids: getting bullied or attacked. After spending time with this new family, Matt discovers that there is more to life than just running away. This family cares about her. Sam is trying hard to spend time with her and getting her to love him as a father. After spending time with this family, little by little, Matt starts to love them without realizing it. It was not until the Rat, a boy from school who is constantly bullying her tries to burn the church Sam is at that Matt realizes how much she loves him and how much she cares about him. Quaking is not a bad thing after all. This is a great story that teaches the reader that no matter how hard life seems, there is always hope. The characters are very strong and this is a plus because it makes the reader experience and feel what Matt feels. This book is not suitable for readers under 14 years of age because of violence and the use of some language not appropriate for younger readers.
QP Top Ten

Greenfield, Lauren. Thin.

In this extraordinary book, Lauren Greenfield shows eating disorders in a totally different way. She includes interviews of people that have experienced any of the most common eating disorders. The book also contains the background and science of eating disorders by famous researchers like Dr. Michael Strober and others. I could relate to this book because I experienced Anorexia Nervosa when I was 17 years old. I was hospitalized more times than I can remember and I could relate to some of the people mentioned in the book. My parents went through hell during that time and I don't think I would do it again, but you don't realize you are sick. Having an eating disorder is very serious and with this book, I hope that girls realize the consequences of obsessing with being"thin." This book is suitable for young adults (14 and older) because of some pictures and experiences that individuals interviewed had.

QP Top Ten

Helfer, Andrew. Malcolm X: A Graphic Biography

The life and death of Malcolm X in an unusual, but creative way: in graphics. Through newspaper-like black and white pictures, the author and illustrator represent the most important events that happened to Malcolm like the time he met with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his conversion to Islam, his time in prison, the time he would hold a rifle to protect his life, his assassination and more. This is a new approach to writing biographies and it is working. Readers, including myself, enjoy reading a biography like this because you can visualize what you are reading. I love this approach. I am sure we will see more biographies like this one. This book is not intended for readers under 14 years of age because of language, drugs, and violence.

Thalia. Thalia: Belleza! Lessons in Lip gloss and Happiness.

With years of experience, this Latin diva shares with readers hew tips on how to care for their faces and necks in detail. She provides beauty tips on how to always look feminine, sexy and seductive. She also provides tips on hair dos that go with each of the types of faces. Excellent beauty tips that can be applied by most women, especially teens who are just learning about make-up. I loved some of the tips and I even started using them as soon as I read them. Great tool to have in your home library. This book is intended for readers (especially girls) 12 years and older who are barely learning the basics of make-up. After all, you don't want a 4th grader to look sexy!!

QP Top Ten