Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas

I picked up this book purely because it was mis-shelved and on the day that I found it I think that I was feeling a bit like I needed a sign of some sort.  Books make fabulous signs.  I read the first couple of pages at my desk and then took it home with me.  You may recognize the name Rob Thomas, the creator of Veronica Mars, but I didn't.  This was nothing more than a short book with a strange name in the wrong spot on the shelf.

It was great.

It's the early 90's and I got a healthy dose of nostalgia from that.  Steve is living in San Diego with his mother, her new husband, and his sister.  When we meet Steve, he is in danger of not graduating due to being short an English credit.  His guidance counselor, Mr. DeMouy, offers to make him a deal.  He can make up his English credit by writing 100 pages about anything he wants.  DeMouy has seen Steve's transcripts and knows that he was pulling straight A's when he lived in Texas, that he was smart enough to be a National Merit finalist.  Steve doesn't have to tell him what happened, he just needs to write.  Steve agrees and ends up telling the story of his Sophmore and Junior years in Texas.

Back in Texas, Steve lived with his father, worked at the Cineplex after school, and had friends.  His best friend, Doug, has a $500 bet with his father that he will appear in the year book and so they form a club, The Grace Order of Dadaists or GOD, with no intention of it going anywhere.  Instead the group widens their social circle and together they work on a number of dada inspired school projects.  It's through this club that Steve meets Dub, short for double-u, short for Wanda, who he falls for almost immediately.

Steve's story bounces between the past and the present.  He writes his paper about what happened in Texas and struggles to make something of San Diego.  He's sarcastic and the antics of GOD are entertaining.  This was definitely worth the read.

-RYQ

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero

I started keeping a journal religiously when I was in high school.  Recently, I read back through some of my earliest entries and rolled my eyes and laughed at myself while also being struck but how serious things were.  I don't remember a lot of those serious things that were going on but they were there.  Maybe this is part of the reason I LOVED this book, which is presented in diary form.  Also, having spent some time as the resident fat girl in high school, I could really relate to Gabi.

Gabi is a seventeen year old Mexican-American whose life is crazy to begin with and about to get even crazier.  She is overweight and her mother is constantly poking at her to lose weight.  She's gotten very clever about hiding her secret jerky stash.  She's entering her senior year of high school with high hopes for college and a low Algebra II grade.  Her brother is a little bit of a delinquent.  Her father is a meth addict.  Then, at the very beginning of the book, her best friend announces that she is pregnant.  Gabi is shocked because, well, Cindy never told her that she had even done it.  Next, her friend Sebastian comes out to his parents and finds himself sleeping on Gabi's couch for a while.

Gabi takes us through her tumultuous senior year with honesty and humor.  She gets her first and then her second boyfriend.  Her very religious aunt comes to live with the family.  She has to help her enemy out of a situation.  Gabi is never overly dramatic about the big stuff but can be humorously over dramatic about the little stuff.

I loved this book.  It made me laugh out loud and bite my fingernails.  Don't let the cover throw you off.  This one is definitely worth the read! -RYQ

Gemini by Sonya Mukherjee

Growing up with a twin I've had my fair share of sharing things- birthdays, bedrooms, toys, even friends. However, he (I'm a she) is my fraternal twin. Meaning we don't look a lot alike and aside from things and days, we don't share any of the same physical attributes. Hailey and Clara are also twins, they do look a lot alike (aside from the fact that Hailey has dyed her hair hot pink). They also happen to share more than a birthday and a bedroom. They share a spinal column. Hailey and Clara are conjoined twins.

The girls are in their senior year of high school in the small town of Bear Pass. Here most of the people are use to seeing the girls, who are conjoined back to back (or butt to butt as they put it). Daily life is routine and as normal as it gets for the girls. They may not physically be able to play on a sports team, but they (secretly) have a love for astronomy and the arts. Everything is thrown upside down when a new senior boy moves to Bear Pass. It's someone that has never seen the girls before. How will he react? With his reaction comes a new turn in the girls' lives, one that may just split them apart.

Gemini is a great coming to terms books for all readers (the characters are seniors in high school and speak heavily of college, this may make the book more relatable for older teens). The characters are strong and smart (how could you not be?). There real sides and feelings are also shown from each point of view as the chapters switch between the girls. They battle every day high situations such as applying for colleges and dealing with the opposite sex, while managing to be individuals. Individuals that happen to always be with each other. I love the characters personalities and how they manage their lives. Mukherjee does a fantastic job at not only describing big things, like a Sadie Hawkins Dance, but how the girls manage little things like setting the table as well. Gemini is a fantastic, fast pace read that is located on our new shelf. Check it out today! Let us know what you think!

-JAC