True Believer (Book for Teens)

If you'd like an illustration of how great contemporary books for teens can be (and a more pleasant reading experience than M.T. Anderson's Feed, recommended in a prior post), try Virginia Euwer Wolff's True Believer (Make Lemonade Trilogy).  It's the second book of a trilogy, and I confess that I've read neither the first (Make Lemonade) nor the third (This Full House), which is due out in a few weeks.  They're both on my list of must-reads, but that's irrelevant.  Standing alone, TRUE BELIEVER is fantastic.  It tells the story of a fifteen-year-old, LaVaughn, growing up and falling in love in the projects.  She has a strong, single mom; friends who have begun to go their own way; and a commitment to making it to college.  The text includes no spare word or moment.  It's beautifully written and filled with tension, redemption, and hope.  Many thanks to David Levithan, teen-book master, for introducing me to it (and to FEED).  Check out David's My Space list of favorites for more book recommendations--he won't steer you wrong.

To return to my website, click here:  www.juliesternberg.com/books.