The Future of Us

THE FUTURE OF US by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

What the story is about:
It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long - at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail,his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.
By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right - and wrong - in the present. (from B&N.com)

What I thought

The premise of the story is interesting but it is far fetched. It does create a hook for modern teenagers and compels you to finish the story. The characters (both primary and secondary), however,are believable. The interactions are real and the settings are credible. The story raises some interesting questions about how we act today influences our tomorrow.

• Would you want to know what tomorrow would hold for you?
• Would it influence how you act today?

I liked this book but it was not as powerful as 13 Reasons Why (Asher). I read it in about two hours and I am sure you will whiz through it too!

Everything Matters

Everything Matters by Ron Currie

I selected this book because it won an Alex Award. We  were originally going to read it as part of one of the Junior English classes. I purchase the book, begin reading and there is no way, as a teacher, I can have the kids read this book. Talk about potential uproar!

I still would like seniors or juniors to this book, it is amazing. Currie writes like Irving, the story is so interwoven that it seduces the reader and then slams them back to reality. The characters are richly drawn that you are sucked in to their emotions and worlds. I highly recommed this work.

Tilt

Tilt by Alan Cumyn (Groundwood Books, 2011) is a book that cannot be put down. Stan is 16 years old and has a sister Lily who is some kind of child prodigy. His father had left the family for a younger women who in turn left the father. His father arrives with Fenton, Stan's half brother in tow and the drama gets notched up a level or two.  The children are all  very likeable characters but  I wish you  could say the same thing about the parents. Stan steals the day and the reader's heart as he struggles with being 16 in a very dysfunctional family.

The parents are self absorbed and are in dire need of some parenting and while his life  may seem a bit absurd there are kids who deal with crazy family situations and that is what is so believable about this story. I found I just wanted to scream at the mother and tell Stan  that I know it will all work out for him in due time. By the way, I forgot to mention Janine, Stan's sort of girlfriend.

Despite hating the parent characters I really liked this book and think it has definite appeal to teenagers.Read it an you will see what I am talking about.