Emily's Review: The College Woman's Handbook by Rachel Dobkin and Shana Sippy

This is a generously-sized book for the young woman going away to college. I'm in my freshman year and I'm planning to transfer; this book has helped me with applications, with homework, and with staying healthy. Authors Dobkin and Sippy wrote it while at Barnard, so the parental, dry tone found in most advisory books is absent, here.

The guide presents information on all a manner of topics and lists every option and alternative available to a young woman away from home. If you're in high school, read it and know what to expect. If you're a parent, give it to your daughter.

Empowering, comforting, and smart.

Rating: 5Q, 5P

**This title (copyright 1995) is available through InterLibrary Loan, not in Wyoming libraries.**

Jessica's Review: Rhymes with Witches by Lauren Myracle

As high school students, we have all felt at some point or another that sense of insignificance and invisibility that comes with the uncertainties of new surroundings, new people, new everything. In Rhymes with Witches, Jane is the figure that everything surrounds, even though she believes herself to embody that invisibility. The book is divided into 3 parts: beg, speak, and roll over. To get the popularity and the attention that Jane wishes for, she must become a part of this untouchable group, she has to be willing to do anything, and she believes she is. Throw in a strange cat, a little bit of theft, and some uncanny connections and you have the end result of this book. As quoted in the mini author bio at the end of the book, "There's a price to pay for turning into someone new. There always is." This book tempts the unnatural limits and unfortunately, I found it a little difficult to relate to as well as keep my attention. I would suggest this book for a quick easy read, maybe during a long drive.
Rating: 3Q, 3P

Dane's Review: Big Coal by Jeff Goodell

So personally, I never thought much of coal. I knew it was out there and I knew Wyoming abused its vast coal resource to become a powerful state; but that was about the extent to which I diverted my brains "coal capacity" toward. It was almost an apathy thereof. But coal is much more than an old energy that once was shoveled into the furnaces of trains and barges, and in a quote from this book, "It didn't go the way of corsettes and hop hats."
Reading Big Coal AKA "America's Dirty Little Secret", reveals our dependence on this black rock is so deep that coal fuels 60% of the energy used in the US. This book goes into political aspects of coal consumption and how coal is dug up, burned, and used. It's literally outlook changing.
Definitely worth the time. GO SCIENCE!
Rating: 5Q, 3P

Mary's Review: Hero by Perry Moore

The thing about YA is that it all starts to blend together after a while. Once the book is over, the individual details start blurring together. In Hero, you start with one or two genre cliches; the kid with super powers trying to lead dual lives, the gay kid agonizing over the reaction of his parents. And, inevitably, there's a twist that you will see coming from a distance of 50 yards. Here is where most novels settle, content in their place of ho-hum mediocrity. But not Hero. It goes from hum, to engrossing, to something that even the incredibly cheap (moi) would shell out $25 to put on their bookshelves. The characters are three dimensional human beings; Thom is more than his sexuality, his mother more than the victimized, disappeared wife. And, because art imitates life, the ending is not strictly a happy affair. Sacrifices are made, and even with super powers there are no easy fixes. Moore also left some of his threads deliberately loose, hinting in interviews at the possibility of other books. If this is only the man's first novel, you can guarantee I'll be there to see him improve.
Final Verdict: 5Q, 4P

Chew on This by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson

You are what you eat. So don’t you think it’s about time to find out what’s really in fast food, where it comes from, who makes it, and what happens to your body when you eat it.

Did you know:

*Every month 9 out of 10 American children visit McDonald’s (90%). (p.7)

* In 1970, about $6 million was spent by Americans on fast food. In 2005, the total was $134 Billion. Americans now spend more on fast food than college, computers, and cars. More than all entertainment (movies, books, magazines, music, newspapers) combined. (p.10)

*Americans eat 13 Billion hamburgers per year. If you put all 13 billion in a straight line, they would circle the Earth over 32 times. (p.36)

*There is only 1 make-believe character that is better known by children than Ronald McDonald and that is Santa Claus. (p. 47)

*Research shows that children can recognize company logos, like McDonald’s Golden Arches, before they can even recognize their own names. (p. 49)

*1 out of 3 new toys that kids receive each year come from a fast food restaurant. (p.59)

*Cochineal extract (aka carmine or carminic acid) comes from the dead bodies of small Pervian bugs. The bugs get the pink color from the cactus they eat. The bugs are collected, dried, and ground to make the additive that is used in lipsticks and McDonald’s strawberry shakes. 70,000 bugs make 1 pound of carmine. (p.121)

*The typical American drinks 54 gallons of soda (575 12 oz cans) per year. The typical teen boy gets 10% of his daily calories from pop. Drinking a can of pop is the equivalent of about 10 teaspoons of sugar. Teens drink twice as much soda as milk, and 20% of 1 and 2 year olds drink pop daily. (p.143) A large Coke at McDonalds has 310 calories and the equivalent of 30 teaspoons of sugar. (p. 211)

*Think chicken is a healthier fast food choice than hamburger. Think again. Chicken McNuggets still contain more fat per ounce. (p.173)

As an informed American, the ball is now in your court. The next time you’re hungry, will you make the impulsive choice or the healthy choice? Chew on This.

Evolution, Me, & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande

“For those of you who like your science with a dab of religion on the side, check out Bible Grrrl for the latest.” (p. 209)

Through Bible Grrrl, you’ll learn that science and religion do share a common ground (gasp!). If you are tired of the Back Sitters in Ms. Shepherd’s class, the picket lines outside New Advantage High protesting the inclusion of evolution in the classroom, or if you are just tired of being a quiet follower of the flock and are ready to find your own place in the field, you’ve come to the right place.

BIBLE GRRRL SEZ: HAVE FAITH –EVEN RELIGIOUS FANATICS CAN EVOLVE.

Ever been the outcast? Alienated from your friends, parents, church group, (or anything one else) because you spoke the truth? What if all of these were rolled up into your first day of high school? Here you’ll find tips to help you survive and evolve into a person who believes in science AND religion. You may also find that while you have evolved, the typical high school drama has not.

BIBLE GRRRL SEZ: CHECK OUT EVOLUTION, ME, & OTHER FREAKS OF NATURE!

Think it over people. Join the discussion here.

Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

What innocently began
as family day at the
beach, was forever changed
in an instant.

Someone caught it
all on film and
it’s all over
the news.

Jane would just
as soon forget.
But can you ever
be the same

missing a limb.

How can you move
on? Can she ever
be more than the
Shark Girl?

Strange Relations by Sonia Levitin

Marne was looking for an excuse to have a fun summer vacation in paradise. Her parents were looking for a safe place for Marne to stay while they are working in Paris. The answer: Oahu, Hawaii at Aunt Carole’s. But paradise isn’t quite what Marne has envisioned. Aunt Carole is now Aunt Chaya and she has seven children. Her family is deeply religious, her husband is a rabbi and besides hosting the weekly Shabbos in their living room, they don’t believe any type of work over the Sabbath (including working the electricity). They are so modest that Marne begins to feel uncomfortable in her tank top and capri pants. But when Marne’s bff Kim arrives, Marne begins to see her strange relations in a different light.