Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

The Plot

Margaret and her parents relocate to New Jersey from New York City the summer before sixth grade. While she makes friends quickly, she's feels unique because unlike them, her family doesn't have a religion. Margaret does, however, have close relationship with God and has frequent chats with Him about such weighty matters as bra size ("Could it please go up, God?") to periods ("Could I please get one, God?") to boy troubles ("Could Philip Leroy please notice me, God?"). As she matures, Margaret realizes some of the things she believes about her classmates and herself may not be true.

The Review

Some of the details in this book still ring true. Girls still form secret clubs with ridiculously complicated nicknames. There will always be the one girl who "blossoms" early and is ostracized for it. And there are, sadly, still mandatory maturation movies shown to giggling kids in elementary schools. The rest of it is a time capsule of life in a simpler and more simplistic time. This would be a tough sell for today's tween.

The Details

• Age Range: 8 - 12 years
• Grade Level: 3 - 7
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (April 13, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 0385739869

Adventure Time on Cartoon Network

The Plot

The show chronicles the misadventures of human boy Finn and his dog/adoptive brother Jake in the magical yet post-apocolyptic Land of Ooo. Jake has the ability to change shape or size at will and the pair hobnob with friendly vampires, anthropomorphized candy, and a Korean-speaking rainbow dragon as they (sort of) learn moral lessons like the importance of keeping promises and... not turning lumpy? Okay, so it's hit or miss with the moral lessons.

The Review

This show is an acquired taste. The completely bizarre settings, extreme characters, and "anything goes" approach to the story line take some serious getting used to. Personally, I think it's way too weird to be entertaining, but it was nominated for a Teen Choice Award, so apparently somebody's watching it.

The Details

Creator: Pendleton Ward
Air Dates: 2010 to Present
Age group: 6-14
Network: Cartoon Network

Phineas and Ferb on Disney Channel

The Plot

Two tween step-brothers, Phineas and Ferb, spend each day of their seemingly endless summer vacation coming up with increasingly zanier projects, ranging from making their own beach to building their own roller coaster. Their sister, Candace, always tries out her brothers' behavior to their parents but is never successful. The reason is because the family pet, a platypus named Perry, is really a secret agent locked in epic battle against Dr. Doofenshmirtz, a semi-evil villain whose nefarious schemes always go awry and end up destroying the evidence of Phineas and Ferb's crazy shenanigans.

The Review

While formulaic, the episodes often feature social commentary that appeals to an older audience. For instance, in one episode the pair decide to be one-hit-wonders, launching and ending a successful pop career all in one day. The show also features Emmy-winning original songs in many of its episodes, which add to the fun. The show is intelligent, clean, and not mean-spirited, a nice departure from typical programming.

The Details

• Age Range: 6-14 years
• Network: Disney Channel
• Time Length: Approximately 25 minutes

Creators: Jeff "Swampy" Marsh and Dan Povenmire

The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron

The Plot

Lucky's life the last few years has been on the unfortunate side. Her father decided after her birth that he didn't want kids and left. Her mother died eight years later in a freak accident. The only parental figure she has now is Brigitte, her father's French ex-wife, who is her guardian. Lucky worries that life in Hand Pan, CA  (population 43) will prove too much for Brigitte's Parisian sensibilities and send her packing back to France.

Admittedly, things are pretty rough in this town. Everyone seems to be part of a 12-step recovery program of some sort, which Lucky eavesdrops on with rapt attention. There are only three jobs to speak of in the town, and everyone anxiously awaits the arrive of the government surplus food at the end of the month. When it looks like Brigitte has finally decided enough is enough, Lucky takes matters into her own hands by running away and accidentally taking a pesky, cookie-crazed five year-old along with her.

The Review

While the book features a startling beginning (three uses of the word "scrotum" in the first three pages), it's slow to get going and even when it does, very little happens. This is a character novel that doesn't see a lot of change in the main character. Admittedly, the Newbery Award criteria doesn't require character development, only character delineation. Personally, I don't know many tweens that would be really gung-ho about this book.

The Details

• Age Range: 9 - 11 years
• Grade Level: 4 - 6
• Lexile Measure: 1010L
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• ISBN-10: 1416975578

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

The Plot

Widely regarded as America's version of the Harry Potter series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians follows Perseus Jackson, son of the sea god Poseidon, as he grows from a misfit preteen into a a true demigod. Titles in order are:

The Lightning Thief
The Sea of Monsters
The Titan's Curse
The Battle of the Labyrinth
The Last Olympian


The Review

US teens and tweens will have an easy time relating to the main character due to his dyslexia, ADHD, and single-parent family. The books are also shorter and less complex than their British counterparts, which is another selling point for kids who'd rather watch tv than read. Each book encompasses a short amount of time - usually only a few weeks - and characters bounce from fight scene to fight scene.

The only complicated thing about the books is, of course, the messiness of Greek mythology. The scary-looking names of gods, monsters, and places can be a little intimidating. Riordan does his best to try and clue you in about the mythology, though. His depictions of the gods are funny and memorable. (Who doesn't love that the god of war looks like someone from a really evil biker gang?) Percy's first-hand narration is believable and full of irony. Overall, the series is a fun ride. Definitely worth the time.

The Details

• Age Range: 10 - 14 years
• Grade Level: 5 and up
• Series: Percy Jackson & the Olympians
• Hardcover: 1744 pages
• Publisher: Disney-Hyperion (May 25, 2010 - the first book was published in 2005)
• ISBN-10: 142314189X (for the boxed set)

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

The Plot

This graphic novel is the true story of the author's dental and orthodontic mishaps during her tween years. When a fluke accident knocks out both of Raina's front teeth, she starts the long and painful process of regaining her normal appearance while dealing with the agonies of normal adolescence: pimples, crushes, toxic friendships, and finding yourself.

The Review

Braces have become almost a rite of passage in American adolescence, but very little literature deals with the subject except in passing. This book helps other "metal mouths" and "brace faces" know they're not alone. Because the story of Raina's transformation is such a visual one and explaining exactly how she looked with her teeth semi-imbedded in her gums would make for rather confusing writing, graphic novel is the perfect format for this tale. The layout is conservative and never makes the reader have to work to follow the story. The drawings are engaging, the characters are funny and honest, and the tone is never pedantic or condescending. I would definitely recommend this to some of the tweens I know.

The Details

• Age Range: 8 - 12 years
• Grade Level: 3 - 7
• Lexile Measure: 410L
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Graphix (February 1, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 0545132061

I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson

The Plot

In the town of Chauncey, Ohio, the wealthy black residents who make up the majority of the town don't mingle much with the "poor white trash" Caucasian residents. Marie, voted best dressed and part of the most popular group of African Americans at school, becomes friends with Lena, a rumpled white girl who shoplifts and smokes. Despite their differences, the two bond over a common loss: both are minus a mother. Lena's died from cancer and Marie's left her family two years ago. As the two grow closer, Marie faces pressure from her father and her friends at school to "stick to her own kind." Lena, however, has a secret: her father sexually abuses her. Marie promises not to tell, but can she keep that promise if it means losing her friend?

The Review

This short, poetic offering tackles some difficult questions about the nature of parental love, interracial relationships, the consequences of keeping secrets, and what it means to be friends. By making the Caucasians the minority group in this story, it causes readers to ask themselves what they would do in the same situation. It also points out that racism doesn't go just one direction and sometimes adults can't be counted on to set a good example.

Obviously, the more mature themes of this story may be an issue to some, particularly parents. While the book doesn't go into lurid detail about Lena's actual experiences, the portrayal of people's various responses to allegations of abuse are very honest. Many readers will find the ending unsatisfactory. Even though it's not everyone's cup of tea, this book has staying power.

The Details

• Age Range: 12 and up 
• Grade Level: 7 and up
• Length:  115 pages
• Publisher: Delacourt Press (1994)
• ISBN-10: 0385320310

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

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• The Plot:
• Hugo Cabret, a young boy living in Paris in the 1930's lives in the secret passages behind the walls of the train station. Trained to repair the clocks in the station by his father (deceased) and uncle (disappeared), Hugo must keep his presence in the station a secret so he isn't hauled to an orphanage or worse, prison. Along with food, Hugo steals bits of machinery from the station's toy stand so he can repair the mechanical man his father died to rescue from a fire. When his thievery attracts the attention of the toy stand's owner, Hugo is drawn further into the mystery of the mechanical man, its origins, and the history of French cinema.

The Review:

What makes this book unique is the fact that it's a blend of pictures and words. Unlike a graphic novel, which is formatted like a comic book, or a picture book, which combines words and images on the same page, Hugo Cabret is a story told in words and images. Some 200 of the pages are black and white drawings. The format is both the genius of the book and its weakness. The whole project is meant as homage to an old silent movie. Pages with type are formatted like cue cards held up to inform the audience of things the audience wouldn't understand strictly from the images. Extreme close-ups in the pictures mimics techniques used by early filmmakers that called attention to important objects by focusing closely on them. While these techniques are clever, they sometimes slow down the story and leave the written word portion of the work feeling choppy. Reluctant readers will love the idea that most of the book is pictures, but may struggle with making sense of the actual story.

• Good to Know:
• Age Range: 8 - 12 years
• Grade Level: 3 - 7
• Lexile Measure: 820L
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (January 30, 2007)
• ISBN-10: 0439813786