The Treasure Map of Boys--E. Lockhart

Title: The Treasure Map of Boys
Author: E. Lockhart
Delacorte Press, 2009
244 p.

This is the 3rd Ruby Oliver book. Ruby's adventure with boys started in The Boyfriend List and continued in The Boy Book. Here's a funny--I had always loved The Boyfriend List after I did the YA Author You Need to Read article about E. Lockhart I couldn't believe I hadn't read the sequels. So I requested them from the library. The Boy Book came and I read it and loved it and the whole time I thought wow, it's like I know what's going to happen, but not in a bad predictable writing way, but just in a, I know you so well Ruby way. I came on here to write my review and searched for E. Lockhart so I could link to the review of The Boyfriend List. And what came up? A review for The Boy Book. Yeah. I READ THE BOOK ALREADY. I have no explanation, other than I have 3 children and I am turning into my mother.

And now, for the review.

Lockhart calls this book a companion novel and not a sequel. She's right in that a reader could pick this up and not be completely lost without reading the first two. But it's so much more enjoyable when you do read the first two and you can think things like I know you so well Ruby. In The Treasure Map of Boys Ruby is navigating her way through the state of Noboyfriend while maintaining flirtations with various boys, including ex-boyfriend current cad Jackson and loyal but mixed-message sending Noel. She does all of this the only way she can--with humor. Ruby is nowhere near perfect and she knows it and that's what makes us like her even more. We want her to end up with the right guy, not just any guy, and we want her to have friends who are true friends. It's a credit to Lockhart's writing that she has created such a charming character.

Fans of the first two will eat this one up, if they haven't already, and I dare say that those who are just coming to the series will seek out the previous books as well.
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YA Authors You Need to Read: E. Lockhart

This article first appeared on the examiner on July 26, 2010.

E. Lockhart is a full time YA author who writes funny heartfelt books for teens. She has a doctorate in English literature and currently lives in the New York City area. All of her teen books are published under the name E. Lockhart, but she also writes other types of books with her full name Emily Lockhart.

Lockhart’s first book for teens was “The Boyfriend List” published in 2005. Fifteen-year-old Ruby has everything going for her, a group of best friends, a perfect boyfriend, interesting albeit annoying parents, and then she loses it all (except the parents) and has panic attacks instead. Trying to figure out what went wrong, Ruby starts therapy and comes up with the reason: boys. She comes up with a list of all her boyfriends, even the ones that were imagined and unofficial and crushes from afar. Ruby (Roo) is a funny typical boy-obsessed teenage girl. At times she is shallow and self-centered, and other times she really is the victim of her cruel peers. For a full review, click here.

Subsequent books

“Fly on the Wall” (East Greenbush YA Librarian Chrissie Morrison’s review here)
“The Boy Book” (Goddess Librarian review here)
“Dramarama” (Goddess Librarian review here)
“The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks”
“How To Be Bad”
“The Treasure Map of Boys”
“Real Live Boyfriends”

You can find more information about Lockhart at her website and blog and also follow her on twitter.

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Real Live Boyfriends--E. Lockhart

Title: Real Live Boyfriends
Author: E. Lockhart
Publisher: Delacorte Press, 2010
240 p hardcover, 224 p ARC

This book will be published December 28, 2010. But I read an ARC that I WON FROM E. LOCKHART. That's right, peeps. I won an ARC. But fear not, that won't affect my review. 

We last left Ruby Oliver in The Treasure Map of Boys when she finally recognized her true feelings for Noel and was rewarded with a real live boyfriend. We pick up in Real Live Boyfriends with Ruby blissfully happy with Noel. But this is Ruby we're talking about, we know blissfully happy doesn't last forever. And sure enough when Noel is visiting his brother he suddenly turns into a pod-robot lobotomy patient. Ruby's one chance at true love is shattered, she's fighting with her mom, her grandmother dies and her dad gets depressed. And yet this is the best Ruby Oliver book to date!

I've gushed about Ruby before as well as about E. Lockhart, so you know I'm not just saying this because I think that maybe, just maybe, she might actually read this review since I won the book from her. Ruby is one of those characters that we just want to root for. She's funny even at her worst moments. She's real. She makes mistakes and then makes more mistakes trying to fix those first mistakes. Through it all she keeps her sense of humor. Sure, she's boy-crazy and she's searching for true love but she keeps her own identity, she stays true to herself, and never turns into one of those empty-headed need a boy to complete me type of girls. She even breaks up with a perfectly reasonable boy because he's not the one she really needs and in the end she's not willing to sacrifice herself and settle for less than true happiness.

If you've read the first three books, Real Live Boyfriends is a MUST- READ. If you haven't read the first three, you've got some time. Get on it now and you'll be all ready for the December release!

I was not compensated for this review other than winning the contest for my snarkiness and receiving the book. 
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I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links & buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

We Were Liars--E. Lockhart

Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Publisher: Delacorte Press, 2014
Pages: 240 p.
Source: Author
Compensation: None

When E. Lockhart's publicist sends you an email asking if you want her next book--due out in May 2014--you say yes. Regardless of sick kids and holiday stress and basketball games and backed up laundry. You say yes.

I am so glad I did.

We Were Liars is unlike anything I have ever read by Lockhart. Now, I think there's one or two of her books I haven't read yet, so maybe this is exactly like those books. But it is unlike the books I have read.

The Sinclairs are a perfect extended family who spend their summers on a private island off the coast of Massachusetts. They are rich and good looking and have no problems. Except that they have lots of problems. The three sisters aren't quite as rich as their Dad and have started bickering over estates and inheritances. The grandchildren, one of whom is our main character Cady, do their best to stay out of the bickering and try to spend their summers having fun with each other. The oldest cousins are Cady and Mirren and Johnny, all born within months of each other. Johnny brings his mom's boyfriend's nephew Gat (got that?) one summer and they all become inseparable. The four liars. The spend each summer having fun and complaining about their parents and grandparents. At least that's the way it was before Cady's accident. Since Cady's accident things have been different, strained, but she's not quite sure why because she can't remember anything. She gets horrible debilitating headaches and is heavily medicated because of them. She spends her latest summer on the island trying to remember what happened before her accident and immediately after it.

I can't tell you much more without lying. I don't want to give anything away.

We Were Liars is beautifully written. It is suspenseful and heartbreaking. It is not a fun book like the Ruby Oliver books. It is deep and meaningful and will stay with you for a long time. Grab this one up when it's released in May and hold on to it tightly. You'll want to read it again. Trust me.

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I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Dramarama--E. Lockhart

Title: Dramarama
Author: E. Lockhart
Pages: 311 p.
Publisher: Hyperion
ISBN: 9780786838158

Sarah is somewhat of an outcast at school until she auditions for a summer program at a musical theater school and decides to reinvent herself as Sadye. She meets Demi, a black gay boy, at the audition and they instantly become best friends. They both get in the program and look forward to having a wonderful summer making it "big." But when Demi is more successful and talented than Sadye turns out to be, their friendship is put to the test.

I have no experience with musical theater and I'm not a big fan of musicals and Broadway and all that jazz and I LOVED this book. Even though Sadye does whine a bit at times, I still liked her character and I wanted her to succeed. I liked her unorthodox friendship with Demi and how Lockhart was not afraid to talk about both the racial and homosexual issues between them. It was a nice satisfying read and well worth having had to stay up late to finish reading it when I have to get up in the wee hours of the morning to take care of children.

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Reading:
On My Nightstand:

The Boy Book--E. Lockhart

Title: The Boy Book
Author: E. Lockhart
Pages: 193 p.
Publisher: Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385732082

Ruby Oliver, star of The Boyfriend List, is back for more adventures in this funny sequel. Although she's not having panic attacks anymore Ruby is still seeing her shrink, Dr. Z. Things are looking slightly better for her--she's developed a friendship with a couple of people and her old friend Nora is talking to her again. But just when she thinks she's got her life somewhat back together her ex-best friend and boyfriend-stealer Kim comes back early from her trip to Japan and Ruby's panic attacks start up again.

If you liked The Boyfriend List, you'll like this one too. It's not entirely necessary to have read it though. Lockhart gives enough background info to let you know what happened in the first book without beating you over the head with it. Ruby is a funny flawed character and teen girls will definitely relate to her and her multiple problems with multiple boys. Junior High and High School girls (grades 8+) will especially like it.

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Reading: Nothing :-(
On My Nightstand:

Giveaway: Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart

You all read me gush about E. Lockhart's latest Real Live Boyfriends right (the ARC I won that's not out until December 28!)? At first I thought I'd give it away, and then I thought NO! It's mine! LOVES! MINE. And then I lent it to a friend and then I realized that I couldn't keep the goodness just for myself.

So, I'm passing it on to you!

Rules:
1. Live in the US. If you don't, please don't comment. I use random.org to pick a number so if there are non-qualifying comments it gets messed up...
2. Leave me a comment telling me the most embarrassing thing you've done in the name of love. 

For additional entries (for each additional entry, you need to leave a separate comment):
1. Follow this blog and leave me a comment telling me you're a follower.
2. Like my facebook page and leave me a comment about it.
3. Follow me on twitter and leave me a comment.
4. Retweet my giveaway tweet and leave me a comment.


You have until Friday, December 10, 2010 to enter. A winner will be chosen using random.org on December 11. If the winner doesn't contact me me by December 14, I'll pick a new winner. So make sure you check back here on the 11th. 

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I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links & buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Top Ten Tuesday: Literary BFFs

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and The Bookish. This is my first time participating!

This week's topic is: Top Ten characters I'd like to be best friends with:

1. Jo from Little Women. I got this from Jessi at TB&TB. I can't believe I had forgotten about her! I had to include her after seeing her on Jessi's list. I remember loving Jo as a kid.

2. Nita & Kit from the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. I just reviewed the most recent one here. Nita & Kit are both teens who discover they are wizards when they come across a library book in So You Want to be a Wizard. I loved this book as a kid and I've kept up with the series ever since (25 years later!!)

3. Will Stanton from the Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper. He was my first literary crush. All you Harry Potter fans? Read the Dark is Rising series and then talk to me.

4. Sabriel from the Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix. She can control the dead. What's not to like?

5. Ruby Oliver from E. Lockhart's books. Read my latest review here. Ruby is funny and cool and even if she thinks she's a bit neurotic she'd keep life interesting being her friend!

6. Luciano and Arianna from the Stravaganza series. I apparently like magical, fantastical, adventurous couples for friends!

7. Colie from Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen. I'd probably be BFF with all of Sarah Dessen's characters, but Keeping the Moon was the first book I read of hers so it's always held a special place in my heart. It really spoke to me. Even though I was in my 20s at the time, I remember feeling very much like Colie did.

8. Lyra Bellaqua from His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. She's a spunky girl with a fierce sense of loyalty. Plus, I introduced Philip Pullman to egg drop soup at a Chinese Restaurant (true story).

9. Evanjalin from Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta. Because she is a "strong female hero" in every sense of the word. She kicks ass, sacrifices everything for what's right, and is not afraid to make the hard decisions.

10. Curious George. He knows where the fun is and makes some on his own if he can't find any. And he's a monkey. Who doesn't want to be BFFs with a monkey?

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I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links & buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

The Boyfriend List--E. Lockhart

Fifteen year old Ruby has everything going for her, a group of best friends, a perfect boyfriend, interesting albeit annoying parents, and then she loses it all (except the parents) and has panic attacks instead. Trying to figure out what went wrong, Ruby starts therapy and comes up with the reason: boys. She comes up with a list of all her boyfriends, even the ones that were imagined and unofficial and crushes from afar.

Ruby (Roo) is a funny typical boy-obsessed teenage girl. At times she is shallow and self-centered, and other times she really is the victim of her cruel peers. Her best friend is right that she was not meant to be with her "perfect boyfriend" (I thought his unique valentine's gift--half a carnation--was nice, but Roo wanted the everyday roses and didn't see the value in being different) but that doesn't mean her best friend should go out with him! What kind of a friend is that? Roo is not the nicest to her friends either--she snubs the only friends who really appreciate her. But she comes around in the end.

I liked The Boyfriend List. Roo is a likeable character, even with her faults. There were a couple of times when I was confused as to what was happening when, but no more confused than when I talk to real teenage girls.... and I think it was more a problem with my mommy brain than with the writing. It all made sense in the end. :-)

I think high school girls will appreciate the story more--they have more of a history with boys than middle school girls. Although middle schoolers are getting just as cliquey as high schoolers, and they are definitely into boys, it just reads more like a high school book. And there are some references to certain, um, acts, that I hope middle schoolers don't know. Although these days, you never can tell. I'm reading this with my high school book group in January so we'll see what they say...

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Reading: Drowned Wednesday--Garth Nix
On My Nightstand: Girls Dinner Club--Jessie Elliot