AboutMadeline Expertise I can answer questions regarding "tween", teen, and young adult literature and make recommendations about books you may like based on genres and authors you've read and liked in the past. I'm most familiar with fantasy (and science fiction, to a certain extent), but I've read plenty of other genres as well, and I will make an effort to find the answer to your question even if I don't know it off the top of my head. However, I do not answer homework questions (so please don't bother asking them), and I'm not very good at finding obscure books---the best I can suggest is a Google search! Thanks!
Experience I am an avid reader, and I am trusted by all my friends for my taste in books. I have read books in all of the following genres (though I do not claim to be an expert in all of them): fantasy (I term any book with a fantastical element to it to be "fantasy"), sci-fi, historical fiction, classics, realistic fiction, mysteries, and whodunits.
Question I'm looking for some new books to read. I have recently finish "Breakfast at Bloomingdales" (great book) and I'm looking for some new ones and I was hoping you could help.I am a huge fan of the teen genre. Some books I've read are the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, the Peaches series and the Bras and Broomstick series. I was wondering if you had any recommendations only any books?
Answer Hi Christine! So sorry for not getting back to you sooner---I've been swamped with work the past couple days and haven't been checking my e-mail...my apologies....
Have you read any of Sarah Dessen's books? She has written numerous books in the mainstream teen genre---some titles I can think of off the top of my head include "The Truth About Forever", "This Lullaby", "Just Listen", and "Lock and Key". Her books are a slightly different subgenre than the Traveling Pants series and tend to focus on a single character rather than a group of friends. Still, you may find them interesting and worth taking a look at.
Have you read "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli? I love this book---it's a funny, sweet, poignant, and powerful story of how the independent, nonconformist Stargirl moves to a town where conformity is downright expected. Highly recommended!
You might also consider looking at "Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac", by Gabrielle Zevin. Naomi, after falling and hitting her head, remembers nothing of what has happened since the sixth grade. Physiological changes, her parent's divorce, her boyfriend and friends---all of it is completely new to her, and she must begin piecing her life back together as she regains her memory of who she formerly was while trying to decide if the other Naomi is the Naomi she wants to be. It's a clever, interesting premise for a book, and very well executed.
If you're in the mood for something acidly wry and funny, try any of the books in the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series, by Louise Rennison. The first book is called "Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging". In the style of "Bridget Jones's Diary", Georgia relates all the happiness and horror of being a 14-year old English girl who is navigating the daunting mazes of adolescence.
Megan McCafferty's "Sloppy Firsts" tells of Jessica Darling, who experiences utter confusion and loneliness after her best friend moves away. Suddenly deprived of the only person who really understood her, Jessica now has to find her own way through high school and life, dealing with a family that drives her crazy, the boy-crazy girls at her school, and her crazy, confused feelings about one particular boy. Funny and poignant, it's definitely worth reading.
If you don't find anything you like based on those suggestions (I tried to give a wide variety of subgenres), feel free to ask a follow-up question and we'll try to refine your search. :-) If you do find something interesting, feel free to let me know about that as well! I'm always curious to hear what people end up reading based on my recommendations.
Oh, and if you have any further questions at all, don't hesitate to write back!
