A Really Nice Prom Mess

Title: A Really Nice Prom Mess

Author: Brian Sloan

Reading Level: YA

Location: YA Sloan

Cameron Hayes is excited to go to his senior prom, especially when his date is the most attractive girl at school. The problem is, he would much rather be at the prom with...his boyfriend. They are both deeply in the closet and forced to go on double dates with girls to avoid anyone knowing about their sexuality. Things get worse when Cameron picks up his date. Virginia, the crass, foul-mouthed (and homophobic) bombshell beauty. The entire novel is a hilarious tale of one night involving parties, fights, a high-speed police chase, a go-go dancer and plenty of drama! Brian Sloan uses very realistic teenage dialogue and you can't help by continue to turn the page with this edgy novel. The characters are refreshingly honest and easy to relate to.

Bottom Line: This is a very underrated page-turner that is a must read for older high schoolers. Brian Sloan is a very talented writer in the YA genre and I really wish he would write more. One warning: Don't read it on a school night because you will be up all night waiting to see how the night of madcap adventures all end.

Busted

Title: Busted
Author: Phil Bildner
Location: YA Bildner
Reading Level: Young Adult



Busted started out with a lot of promise. It consists of four intertwining short stories about high school students getting into trouble for various things. Drinking, sex and bullying are just a few of the things these teens get busted for. The writing was frank and did not sugarcoat the lives of today's teens, but Bildner relies on stereotypical characters (the cheerleader, the jock, etc.) all too often. What bothered me most is the way Bildner's characters spoke. It was very obvious that he was trying too hard to sound like a teen and it comes off as forced and artificial. Several of the characters' conversations made me cringe - no one ever talks like this!

Bottom Line: Busted is a great escape and the material is refreshingly honest and relevant. The dialogue and oversimplification of characters make it hard to fully identify and emphathize with the story. This made what would be a very fun novel a mediocre one.