A Teen read that speaks to all ages

If You Could Only Choose Your Mother
Julie Harford
Samhain
2008
ISBN 159987317
YA
****1/2



Five years ago, Marcie's mother walked out, and in the intervening years, her dad has dated some. The latest one is Eva, a rather maternal type who is actually older than he is, but all her good qualities only make Marcie resent her more; not that she wants her mother back, she just doesn't want another woman there either. Nor is she thrilled when her absentee parenet demands that she and her brother come spend the summer in New York and to her wedding. Her attempts to cope with that only lead to arguments and humiliating incidents. Her best friend getting into trouble only adds to the tension, but then, something good happens and Marcie finally discovers what might be true love. With things looking up, Marcie is actually happy, until tragedy strikes and she is forced to face one of the scariest things that can happen to a teen, or to an adult for that matter. In the crisis though, she learns many very important things.



I have often advised adult readers to partake of young adult books, and this is no exception. Though darker than you might expect a teen book to be, the realism of it is never crass or overly depressing. Furthermore, the bleak moments make the light shine through all the more clearly when it comes. Marcie's is a powerful story, one that will get into your heart. Having watched my own dad suffer ill health, I have to say, those scenes almost hit too close to home, and made me wish I could hug the characters involved.

PrincessMiaRocks.com

Princess Mia
Meg Cabot
HarperTeen
Dec.
ISBN 0060724617
YA
****1/2



Breaking up with the guy you have loved forever, losing your best friend, being completely falsely accused to wrecking her relationship with her boyfriend, and having someone set up a website dedicated to hating you is ample reason to be depressed, right? If you said yes, Princess Mia totally agrees with you; however, when she and her black mood hole up and hide from life, her royal father trundles her to the psychiatrist's office, where she is challenged to do one thing that scares her a day. For Mia, that is anything involving dealing with people. Aside from the aforementioned problems, she finds that Lilly, her former best friend's, former boyfriend, J.P., now wants to be the love of her life, and if she were not still nutty over Michael, he'd be tempting, which is not a good thing. Second, she has to come up with a speech to give some exclusive women's society. Then, she also has her Grandmere who is a problem just by living and breathing, school, the fact that she has begun to fill out, and her mortal enemy now is acting like her best friend. Could life possibly get more complex? Yes, it could, and she will have to get through all of it, while in the process giving her fans a story to celebrate.



The Princess is a charming heroine whose problems, even the ones we would never face, feel so real that you can not only sympathize with, but empathize and become deeply involved. Having read Ms. Cabot's work for adults as well as young people, I think I can safely say I'd read a cereal box if she wrote it. Three cheers for all involved.