Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, 250 pagesyoung adult challenge
The inside flap has only the following on it:
Everybody told me to be a man. Nobody told me how.
Tyler, newly buff after a summer of labor and working off his punishment for his vandalism, is the narrator of this dramatic teen book. He is dealing with high school, his father, his probation, and the attention from the cool girl who noticed his development over the summer.
The atmosphere in the book was dark, and some bad things were happening. Tyler's life is out of control, or at least he feels it is. He was a good kid going through some really tough times, and I felt fear for him, especially after a party got out of hand and accusations were made. There were many bad ways this book could have ended, but Anderson showed how good choices, even in bad situations, can be made. Tyler was a great character, facing situations in school and at home, that many teenagers are dealing with - bullying, fights, suicide, depression, and drinking. It certainly made me glad I wasn't a teenager anymore, but glad that books like this are around for teens to read.
There is a page at the beginning that explicitly states: Note - this is not a book for children. I would agree for this book. Young adult literature spans a big age range, and the younger young adult readers, 12 - 15 year olds, don't necessarily need to be reading the books that the older teens are reading. But the books around older teens eventually get close to the younger ones. This has come to my attention as my 11 year old told me he was reading Twilight at school, brought in by one of the girls in his grade six classroom. Really, he's reading Twilight. I haven't even read it yet.
I really enjoyed this one, but yep . . . not for youngsters. Funny about your 11-year-old reading Twilight! My son read White Fang when he was 10. It just seems somehow wrong that he's read a classic I haven't yet gotten around to reading (and he's since reread it several times).
ReplyDeleteI thought this book was wonderful. Actually, I haven't read a book by Halse Anderson that I haven't liked. Hard topics, and most definitely NOT for younger kids.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry. My 7th grade son read Twilight first. In fact, HE is the one that actually pushed me over the edge to read it. He said, "Mom, you love Vampires. You HAVE to read this book!"
This looks awesome. I've loved LHA since "Speak," but haven't heard of "Twisted." Thanks for reviewing it. I'm going to check it out as soon as I finish Wintergirls.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to read one of her books, but this does look interesting.
ReplyDeleteI loved Speak and hope to read lots more of her books. This sounds interesting and not one I had heard of. I think I am old enough not to need the wanring :)
ReplyDeleteThis book just came on my radar a few days ago! I want to read it soon, kind of a preview before I recommend it (or not) to my teenager.
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