Red Heart Tattoo by Lurlene McDaniel

Morgan is furious when someone set of fireworks in the middle of the pep rally that she planned and organized. It's going to ruin all of the work that she's put in as president of the student council. Her boyfriend is really supportive, but her best friend is distant and withdrawn, and there's a new guy - a strange guy - who is making her feel things that she's never felt before. Then, on the day before Thanksgiving, something terrible happens. A bomb goes off in the school. People are injured, some critically, and others are killed instantly. Morgan's life will never be the same.

(Mild spoilers below)

There's a nice amount of tension in this book. The identity of the bombers is only revealed at the end, so the readers are kept in suspense and have to guess which - if any - of the main characters are involved. There's a lot of drama in a short amount of pages, and the bombing turns it into a true life-and-death situation. People are never the same as they were before, even if they were able to escape injury. The characters sometimes seem like stock characters, but they're given personality and quirks to save them from being caricatures. I particularly liked how the ending of the book was true to Morgan's identity as a strong woman and student; it could so easily have gone in a different way, but reinforced the idea of living a life that's full of possibilities. Fans of Lurlene McDaniel will find a lot of pages packed with emotion and a story that's speeds a long with a quick pace.

I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Random House Children's Books/Delacorte Books for Young Readers.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland
Heart to Heart by Lurlene McDaniel
Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

Turkey Monster Thanksgiving by Anne Warren Smith

Katie's family has always celebrated Thanksgiving in a certain way: pizza on the couch in front of the television. She likes it, her younger brother likes it, and her dad likes it. But then Claire tells Katie that that's not a "real" way to celebrate Thanksgiving, and Claire wonders how to have the perfect celebration. She's worried that without her mom, they might not be a "real" family, and is determined to prove otherwise to everyone. But when there are unexpected guests, cooking disasters, and a possible poison oak infestation, has Katie gone too far? Can this holiday be saved?

I had no idea that this book was originally published in 2001 until I went to IndieBound to find a link. (I guess I should start paying more attention to the publishers copyright page in books, eh?) See the original cover? The book didn't read dated or 'old' to me in any way that tipped me off (it might sound silly to think of 10 years as dated, but a lot can happen in terms of trends in a decade). Katie is an extremely sympathetic protagonist and I felt for her as she was torn between herself, her family, and what other people might think of her and her family. At times I did wonder if this was part of a series (especially around some of the details of her mother, who was pursuing a singing career), but I think it was just that the book didn't spell out every single detail - and I liked that. The Thanksgiving aspects of the plot (and the cover, which I really like) make it a natural book to pick up in the fall, but the way that the story deals with issues of divorce, peer pressure, and living up to expectations are worth revisiting all year long.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Bummer Summer by Anne M. Martin
Tails of Spring Break by Anne Warren Smith
Bittersweet Summer by Anne Warren Smith
Don't Be Such a Turkey by Nancy E. Krulik