Juno by Brad Gan (Written by Diablo Cody, 2007)

Genre: Comedy

Honors: Oscar for Best Writing (and many more).

Review: Juno is a 16-year old junior in high school, who with her friend Bleeker, accidently gets pregnant.  Since the two are too young and immature to be parents they decide to end the pregnancy, but at the last minute Juno decides she will give up her baby for adoption.  Juno finds a seemingly happy couple to adopt the baby, and unexpectedly befriends the unusual couple and through this process learns more about herself and what she might want in life.  The characters are quirky and funny and viewers will enjoy the many perspectives and conflicts that can arise when dealing with complicated emotions.


Opinion: This is a fantastic and funny movie.  Young adults will love the raw honesty of Juno and the lovable quirkiness of Bleeker.


Ideas: This would be a good movie to include in a unit on teenage pregnancy in health education class.

Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs by Rozanne Gold

Genre: Cookbook

Honors: None Found

Review:As soon as the reader opens Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs it is clear that this book is made for teens.  The first few images feature teens in kitchens and in various cooking situations having fun and enjoying working together.  The cookbook is loaded with color images and text to keep the reader engaged and excited about cooking.  The recipes range from simple to fairly complex and can have as few as two ingredients or as many as 15 ingredients.  The recipe itself is numbered very clearly and is written in some very clear terms, but some do you use culinary terms that may not be known by teenagers.  The recipes look healthy and delicious and it is clear this book is meant to be enjoyed by teens creating culinary delights together. 

Opinion: The images and designs in this cookbook make it fun and really conveys the idea of a fun and active cooking experience.  I like that it encourages healthy, yet delicious eating for teenagers.  This does not feel like an introductory cookbook, but better for teens that have had some cooking experience.  There are culinary terms that may be unclear and that could have been easily solved with a glossary which this book is lacking.  Overall, I think this is a great book for teens that have cooking experience and want to expand their culinary abilities. 

Ideas: This would be a great addition to a unit in health education class or cooking class.  The perfect complement to this book is education explaining why these recipes and the foods included are healthy.

The Waters & The Wild by Francesca Lia Block

Genre: Contemporary

Honors: None Found

Review:  Bee has always felt like an outcast and has never truly been happy with herself.  One night she is visited by a girl that appears to be a ghost.  Bee consults Haze, a boy that believes his parents were aliens in hopes that he will know more.  The two form a connection and soon become friends with Sarah, a girl who can remember being a slave in the far past.  The three become companions in the bizarre and begin to enjoy each other's company.  Eventually Bee becomes very ill and her life changes forever. 


Opinion:  They say, don't judge a book by its cover, and this book is a perfect example.  I was immediately drawn to this beautiful cover, and after realizing it was written by Block I was very excited to read one of her more recent novels.  After starting to read the book I became less and less excited until I was just forcing myself to finish the book (luckily it is short).  I had trouble relating to the bizarre characters and the connection they found in one another.  I also felt a bit confused at the end, and while I often love inconclusive endings that make me think about the book long after I am done reading, this conclusion was strange and uninteresting.  The writing is creative, but I found it too unbelievable to really enjoy.
 
Ideas: Not sure.

The Top 100 Juices by Sarah Owen

Genre: Cookbook

Honors: None Found

Review: The Top 100 Juices is a collection of recipes for making homemade juices out of fruits, vegetables, and other healthy ingredients.  Each recipe is limited to one page and has 3-4 simple ingredients.  Each recipe is listed in 4-5 sentences and written clearly and easily for those less experienced in the kitchen.  Particularly helpful is the full color pictures of each juice and the ingredients list written in a bright yellow box to make for easy viewing.  The recipes are healthy and wholesome and even the most picky palette is sure to find juices to nourish and enjoy.  

Opinion: I like the simplicity of the recipes.  The language used in the recipes does not require much previous experience with cooking or culinary terms which is great for young adults learning how to make food.  The color symbols, pictures, and text make this a very attractive book and keep it well organized and easy to navigate.  Each recipe is listed as a category such as "detoxifiers" and "digestion soothers".  The only down-side of this book is that the user needs to own a juicer as each recipe requires this expensive appliance. Fortunately, juicers are becoming more popular and therefore less expensive and can be affordable for many families. 

Ideas: Each recipe lists the nutrients included which will make it a perfect complement to a health or cooking class.  Another fun idea is to make juices (librarian and student, or only students make the juice) and sell them for a library fundraiser.  Have this book and other cookbooks on display to check-out during the fundraiser. Another great idea is that the students make juices for teachers during teacher appreciation week and give them a write-up of the nutritional benefits of that particular juice.

Body Language 101 by David Lambert

Genre: Informational

Honors: None Found.

Review: If you had the ability to read minds would you use it?  While this book does not have the power to allow one to read thoughts, it does teach the reader to understand what body language says about peoples thoughts and feelings. This guide is a mix of pictures, diagrams, and text that explain how to read body language. It is split into sections based on the body part being investigated and even includes a helpful guide to emotions and their meanings.  Readers will enjoy the well organized, color-coded sections in this book  designed to improve social interactions. 

Opinion: This book is well organized and clear and is set-up in a way that allows readers to easily flip to the desired section.  The pictures are expressive and help to clarify the text.  The body language included is both simple and complex and will be very useful for anyone looking to better understand social interactions.  

Ideas: This book can be useful for students that are new to the country and may not understand all of the cultural signs and signals that are made on a regular basis.  This book would also be good for students that may have social problems.  The information may help them to better read people and therefore improve their social abilities.