Buffy vs. Edward

For all of its amazing popularity, many have criticized Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga as being anti-feminist. They often cite that Bella cooks for her father and sacrifices college for the sake of her relationship with Edward - not to mention her eagerness to marry at a young age - when making this argument. Edward himself also bothers some readers, who say that he is incredibly overprotective and stalkerish.

I'm not here to make judgements either way about Twilight being anti-feminist or not. But I think that no matter how you feel about Bella's character and the Twilight saga you will probably get a massive kick out of this video, especially if you also remember a certain teen vampire slayer:



So what do you think about Twilight? Do you think it's anti-feminist? Is Bella a weak character? Is Edward creepy and domineering? If you admitted "yes" to any of these questions, is that necessarily bad? Does this video make you think a bit more about these issues? Which to you prefer - relatively docile and romantic Bella, or kick-but Buffy? I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

The Crossroads

Changes are afoot for Zack Jennings. His father has just remarried and the three of them are moving from New York City to Zack's father's hometown in Connecticut. Zack is actually very excited about most of these changes. His new step-mother Judy is sweet and seems to be genuinely interested in Zack's life, unlike his late mother who only complained about how Zack was ruining her life. And maybe Zack will be able to make some friends in his new home, something that has always been difficult for him to do. At first, things seem to be going swimmingly, but strange things are happening. First, a tree in Zack's back yard, home to a memorial kept by old Miss Spratling for her dead fiance, is struck by lightning. Zack has a new friend in the form of local farm boy Davy and the two of them are building a tree fort in Zack's backyard, but Davy isn't able to help with any of the work. A plumber is called to fix the pipes in the bathroom of Zack's new house, but he returns later and tries to attack Zack. Slowly, Judy beings to uncover a a mystery surrounding a terrible car crash that took place fifty years ago at the crossroads near their new home, and realizes that there are a few connections between these past events and the strange things that are happening to her new family now. Could ghosts of the dead from this crash be haunting the crossroads? And why does Zack seem to be their target?

In his first novel for kids, Chris Grabenstein has created a mesmerizing ghost story. The chapters are told in alternating points of view, switching between Zack, Judy, Miss Spratling, the plumber, and the menacing ghost of Clint Eberhart. This allows the reader to see how the ghosts affect each of these characters in turn and how this mystery pulls each of them together. The story unfolds slowly but builds up plenty of intrigue to keep readers turning the pages. And let's face it - parts of this novel are just CREEPY, and a few scenes are somewhat disturbing and not for the faint of heart. I'm not normally a fan of ghost stories myself, but this one was very well put together and kept me rooting for Zack and Judy to finally bring these spirits to rest.

Overall Grade: A

The Big Splash

In his first novel The Big Splash, Jack D. Ferraiolo shows readers what we've always known - that middle school hallways are filled with thugs, bullies, and criminals out to extort the lowly. Franklin Middle School seems to be under the control of seventh-grade boss Vincent Biggio ("Vinny Biggs"), who has his hand in a ring of candy smugglers, forged hall passes, and most notoriously can easily have someone who displeases him condemned to "The Outs" by means of a squirt gun aimed in a place that would cause dreadful humiliation. But when Nikki - once Vinny's greatest squirt-gun assassin and one of the toughest, most feared people in the school - is herself put on The Outs, kid detective Matt Stevens is on the case. But who could have possibly done this to Nikki? Any of the hundreds of kids tormented by her or Vinny's gang had a motive. Matt must follow a series of clues to uncover exactly whodunnit.

This book was written in a style that imitates classic film noir - picture an old black and white movie involving a hard-boiled gumshoe, a gangster, and girls who are both beautiful and deadly - but is set in the halls of a middle school. As such, the narration is laden with crazy similes ("I felt like a diabetic at an ice cream buffet") that will make readers either laugh or groan, depending on their tastes . This book is a little over the top and and the characters are just a bit superficial, but readers who are willing to sit back and enjoy the show will likely revel in Matt's detective skills and the powerful mafia that controls his school.

Overall Grade: A-

The Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes

Charlotte Hayes does not like dogs. It's not that she's afraid of them, or wishes that all dogs would disappear. She just doesn't consider herself to be a "dog person." But when her father, a man prone to sudden whims of fancy, comes home with a German shepherd, Charlotte finds herself to be the only person who seems concerned about the puppy's well-being. Beauregard is a good dog who just wants someone to feed him, play with him, and rub his belly, but no one in the family seems willing to give him as much love as he deserves. Even though Charlotte doesn't like dogs, she knows that Beauregard deserves a better home and sets off to rescue her own dog, determined to find the perfect new owners for Beauregard.

Written by Marlane Kennedy, this is a dog story like no other. No matter how you feel about dogs - whether you love them, hate them, or like Charlotte fall somewhere in between - you will find this story and its heroine to be sweet and smart. I appreciated Charlotte's complicated relationship with Beauregard, which I had never before encountered in a dog story. The subplots about Charlotte's mother and her postpartum depression and the independent older woman that Charlotte befriends are expertly worked in to the tale - touched on just enough to add interest, but they allow the main story of Charlotte's search for a new home for her dog to take center stage.

Overall Grade: A-

Love, Aubrey

This debut novel by Suzanne LaFleur tells the story of eleven-year-old Aubrey and the way she overcomes tragedy. When the story opens, Aubrey is living alone, subsisting on cheese and crackers and Spaghetti-Os. But what has happened to the rest of Aubrey's family? Why is she alone? Slowly but surely, it is revealed that a few months ago her father and younger sister were killed in a car crash. Though she and her mother survived, grief has haunted both of them and finally drove Aubrey's mother away in a state of broken confusion. Now Aubrey is forced to deal with the sorrow over loosing not only her father and sister, but also her mother who failed to take care of her. Things start to look up, however, when Aubrey's Gram shows up on the doorstep and begins the process of helping Aubrey pick up the pieces of her life. The two go back to Gram's home in Vermont where Aubrey makes friends with the girl next door, writes letters to her sister's imaginary friend, and slowly learns to talk about these tragic events and how they make her feel. But there is still a hole left in Aubrey's heart and she longs for her mother to reappear. When she finally does turn up, however, Aubrey quickly learns that rebuilding their lives will take more than simply being together.

This is a stunningly emotional tale of grief and recovery. There were several scenes that made me cry, and I'd definitely give this book to anyone looking for a good tear-jerker. Watching Aubrey's character open up and learn to discuss her feelings rather than bury them will certainly tug at reader's heartstrings. Aubrey's letters are excellent examples of her emotional catharsis - brief, but packed with so much emotion. More importantly, LaFleur seems to have creatd a very authentic eleven-year-old voice that balances maturity and love with developmentally appropriate selfishness.

Overall Grade: A+