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.

Suddenly Supernatural: School Spirit

Title: Suddenly Supernatural: School Spirit

Author: Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

Level: Juvenile

Location: J Kimmel

School Spirit is the first book in the Suddenly Supernatural series. In this book we meet Kat whose Mom is super cool, but a bit of an embarrassment to Kat. I know you're thinking my life would be sooo much better if my Mom was cool. But is your Mom a medium who has seances with weird noises coming out of the room and drops in temperature that make you shiver when you have the most popular girl from school over. And did you suddenly start seeing people who say haven't eaten a meal in awhile and wear clothes that are so far out of style because - oh yeah- they're dead.

Talking to people no one else can see doesn't exactly help you make friends in middle school or survive without taunting, but Kat makes friends with a new student, Jac, who has her own secret and Mom problems. Together they try to figure out what happened to the faded girl in the library and how they can help her.

Bottom Line: A fairly quick, likable, somewhat humorous, middle school read. This book should appeal to any girl who is trying to fit in and avoid embarrassing teasing. So that would be all girls tween or older and those who survived middle school. Look for more titles in the Suddenly Supernatural series this summer.