Acts of Worship

Title: Acts of Worship

Director: Rosemary Rodriguez

ISBN: 8-29567-01862-0

Rating: R

Suitable for Ages: 18 and Older

Production Company: Manifesto Films

Media Type: DVD

Copyright: 2001

Genre: Drama

Reader's Annotation: Alix appeared to have a loving family with a secure home. Now, she lives on the streets and her life is spinning out of control.

Plot Summary: Acts of Worship centers around the life of the female protagonist, Alix. Alix, a young woman who appears to be in her mid to late twenties, is a drug addict and is living on the streets of New York City. Most of Alix’s time is spent chasing money for drugs by stealing or when completely desperate, prostituting herself. When Alix’s addict friend pushes her out into the hallway of his apartment after he fears she has overdosed on day, another tenet finds her, calls the paramedics, and later takes her in. The tenet, Digna, is a recovering addict and can relate to Alix’s life. Dinga makes every effort to clean Alix up and the movie documents the affect that the two women’s lives have on each other and the power drugs have on people, in general.

Evaluation: (C) The content of this movie is very convincing and highlights the control drugs can have on peoples’ minds. The plot was slightly scattered and the writing was random, however. For example, there is a subplot about Digna’s life in recovery with her boyfriend which didn’t make much sense as to how it related to or added to the story. As Digna plays an integral role in the story, I believe it was the writer’s attempt to humanize the woman, but her story felt forced and not well thought out. Overall, the message of the story is clear and that is to stay away from drugs. With an R rating, this movie is only appropriate for young adults 18 years of age and older. While it would make a good supplement to a library collection with its serious content, this movie should not be incorporated specifically into young adult materials.

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• Drug and Alcohol Use and Abuse

Keeping You a Secret

Title: Keeping You a Secret

Author: Julie Anne Peters

ISBN: 978-0-316-00985-0

Recommended Grade Level of Reader: 9th and Up

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Media Type: Book

Copyright:  2003

Genre: Fiction

Reader's Annotation: Girl loves boy. Girl loves girl. No one ever said that dating would be this complicated.

Plot Summary: Holland, the female protagonist in Keeping You a Secret by Julie Ann Peters, is by all accounts a heterosexual teenager. She even has a steady boyfriend. That is until CeCe, a new student at Holland’s school, allows Holland to experience thoughts and emotions never before felt. Holland begins a secret relationship with CeCe that eventually reveals itself. She becomes the recipient of other peoples’ narrow-mindedness and bigotry and is forced to choose between her family and CeCe.  

Evaluation: (C)  While Julie Ann Peters presents realistic characters in Holland and Cece, the plot line was slightly unrealistic.  I believed Holland's inner conflict between maintaining her simple, mainstream lifestyle and her attraction and desires for the new girl.  Her choice for the latter was also convincing as was her family's reaction to it; however, the realism in the sequence of events subsequent to leaving her family's house bordered on outrageous for a young girl Holland's age.  While many real life teens may make the choice that Holland did, Julie Ann Peter's portrayal was not convincing.        

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• Out of the Closet 
  

Scorpions

Title: Scorpions

Author: Walter Dean Myers

ISBN: 0-06-447066-0

Recommended Grade Level of Reader: 7th and Up

Publisher: HarperTrophy

Media Type: Book

Copyright: 1988

Genre: Fiction

Reader's Annotation: Jamal’s brother has made a lot of bad choices and is now serving jail time. Will Jamal decide to follow in his big brother’s footsteps by joining the Scorpions?

Plot Summary: Scorpions is a novel about a street gang by the same name. Jamal, the twelve year old male protagonist, is being pressured into not only joining the gang, but also becoming the leader. His brother, the former leader of the gang, has been sentenced to jail for committing a violent crime. Jamal is uncomfortable with the idea of becoming a gang member, but is given a gun anyways by his brother’s friend. Eventually, a bully’s actions at school persuades Jamal into declaring himself a member of the Scorpions. While feeling powerful for a while, Jamal and his best friend Tito find that gang life and using weapons is cause for trouble.

Evaluation: (C) This would be a good book for reluctant readers. It is a short read and the writing is simplistic with the exception of a lot of slang language. Some teenagers may be able to identify with this, however. The plot and content of Scorpions highlight the importance of making good decisions. The reader will see many characters throughout the course of the novel, such as Jamal’s brother Randy, paying the consequence for making poor choices. With this, Scorpions may also be a good pick for freshman as teenagers at this stage of their lives will be faced with many difficult decisions throughout high school and beyond.

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• Urban Teen Fiction
• Gangs and Violence
• Discussion Questions

Such a Pretty Girl

Title: Such a Pretty Girl

Author:  Laura Weiss  

ISBN:  978-1-416-52183-6

Recommended Grade Level of Reader:  9th and Up

Publisher:  MTV

Media Type: Book

Copyright:  2007

Genre: Fiction

Reader's Annotation:  He took away her innocence and now he's back for more.  

Plot Summary:  Meredith, the teenage female protagonist, is struggling with the early parole of her father.  Meredith’s father was convicted of child molestation when she was twelve.  Not only was Meredith a victim, but also Meredith’s boyfriend Andy and other children as well.  Now that she is fifteen, she is concerned for her safety.  Since her mother already resents her for reporting her father in the first place, Meredith cannot rely on her mother for comfort, support, or protection.  The main character and her friend devise a plan to catch her father in the act should he choose to violate her once again.    

Evaluation:  (C)  This was an easy read and while it is not a bad story, Such a Pretty Girl is not challenging.  Nonetheless, the material is relevant and will offer hope to adolescents who are dealing with or have dealt issues similar to Meredith's.    

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• YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers

The Perfect Score

Title: The Perfect Score 

Director: Brian Robbins

Novelization of Movie by: David Levithan

Starring: Chris Evans, Ericka Christensen, and Scarlett Johansson

ISBN: 0-7921-8912-4

Rating: PG13

Suitable for Ages: Some Material Not Appropriate for Children Under 13

Production Company: Paramount Pictures/MTV

Media Type: DVD

Copyright: 2004

Genre: Comedy

Reader's Annotation: Their futures depend on high SAT scores. Their lives depend on not getting caught.

Plot Summary: Kyle, a high school senior has big dreams of going to a prestigious college to study architecture. When his SATs scores are too low he plots to steal the answer key from the regional testing administrator's office. Slowly, his plan gets out to others and eventually it results in a group of unsuspecting teenagers who team up to accomplish this task. Each teen has a different reason for his or her involvement and each plays an integral role in the heist.

Evaluation: (C) While the story was interesting and suspenseful, the plot line was unrealistic. The characters were diverse and believable, however, and helped to interject believability into the story. Each character played a role indicative of a stereotypical student in any high school. For example, there was a jock who floated through high school based on his sports talent rather than his academic ability, a likeable straight A student girl who was also the school photographer, and a slacker kid who wasted his time getting high, to name a few. It was the humor in this movie that offered appeal rather than the unconvincing plot.

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• David Levithan