Reading Rants! Out of the Ordinary Teen Booklists!

Sam may not be in a band, but what he knows about heavy metal could fill an encyclopedia. Sam lives for Slayer concerts, hanging with his best friends, and getting drunk on Saturday night. That’s why no one is more surprised than he is when he falls for preppy, straight arrow Melissa, who not only has never heard of any of Sam’s favorite bands, but after a disastrous experience in a mosh pit, wants him to give up metal, his best friends, AND drinking. While Sam may be willing to sacrifice his friends and stay dry for a few weekends, giving up his metal is out of the question. Can this relationship be saved? Does Sam even want to? Newbie author Christopher Krovatin was born in 1985, which makes this Gen-X reviewer feel a little old. But Krovatin’s spot on dialogue and no-holds-barred look at the inner life of an enthusiastic metal head gave me a real appreciation for a type of music I bypassed altogether as a teen. A little raunchy and a lot honest, this short, funny novel will leave you wondering how far you would go for love.

Anooshka Stargirl may have an unusual name, but every day of her life is depressingly the same. Her cool older sister Moon recently moved to New York City, leaving Anooska to care for their manic depressive mom, who acts more like a child than a parent. When she wants to escape her mom’s suffocating hold, she hangs out with her best friends Raphael and Agnes or her beloved parakeet Zack, and dreams of escaping to New York like her sister. Then, one summer weekend while she is visiting Moon, they meet Orpheus, pretty boy alterna-rocker of the moment, equal parts Beck and Bright Eyes. Anooshka is smitten, and instantly becomes an Orpheus groupie, obsessively reading his blog, attending his concerts, and eventually ending up in his bed. But what is true love for Anooska may just be another notch in the bedpost for Orpheus. Or has the groupie with a heart of gold really softened the cynicism of this elusive rock star? Dakota Lane keeps you guessing about the nature of this Francesca Lia Block-flavored rock and roll relationship ’til the bitter end, and gives real insight into the intoxicating power of music and how it can play with our emotions.

Troy is fat. Not just a little chubby, but nearly 300 pounds of grade A blubber. In fact, he is so fat and so miserable that he contemplates throwing himself off of a NYC subway platform just to end it all. That is when he meets his grunge guardian angel, Curt McCrae. Curt is a local legend around Troy’s school, as he fronts an awesome downtown punk band. Despite being a high school dropout, Curt is a phenomenal guitarist and decides that Troy’s fate is not to be squished flat on the tracks, but instead to be his band’s new drummer. Together, the two forge an unlikely friendship in the dark and smoky world of New York’s punk scene. Making a commitment to help each other fight their addictions (Troy’s to food, and Curt’s to drugs) these two anti-heroes just might make it. Funny, sad, and sometimes, really gross, (Troy re-visits all too often in his first person narrative two particularly yucky body functions: sweat and puke) Fat Kid is ready to rule your world and your heart from page one.

High school junior Pete has always been a straight arrow. He’s a smokin’ bass player, but he likes the notes to stay on the page, and no improvising, please. Pete believes that control and precision are what define “good” music. Until he joins up with the Carlisle brothers and their band, The Tiny Masters of Today. Billy Carlisle is a complete improvised terror on the mic, and he and Pete are constantly at each other’s throats. But somehow, someway, the music they make is amazing, even if it never is quite the same song twice. As their local reputation grows, the guys find themselves being hailed as bona fide rock stars, complete with hot girl groupies and record deals in the making. But can Pete handle school, his growing relationship with his quirky girlfriend, Margaret, and being in one of the coolest garage bands in Portland? This book is not for you if you loved Rachel Cohn’s Pop Princess, or Meg Cabot’s Teen Idol, or are glued to the TV set when Simon Cowell speaks. This book is for those who dig bands like The White Stripes, Pearl Jam, Nirvana or even the old school G & R (before Axl got all Botoxed) and wonder what it was like for those guys when they were first getting started. I have a feeling that it was a little like this perfect gem of a book. All music aside, this is also one of the finest books I’ve ever read about the development of a romantic teen relationship (between Pete and Margaret) that depicts it like it really is. This book rocks, HARD!

Cherokee sings and plays the tambourine. Witch Baby is on the drums. Raphael is lead guitar and Angel Juan keeps time on the bass. Together, they are the Goat Guys, and their band is just as mystical and magical as you would expect any creation of Francesca Lia Block’s to be. The trouble starts when Raphael gets serious stage fright and can’t keep it together for their first public performance. So, Cherokee goes to Coyote and gets a pair of magic goat pants that makes Raphael’s stage fright disappear. But with his new found confidence, Raphael starts buggin’ out on a power trip and even though the band is doing great, Cherokee is worried that they may start destroying themselves from within. Can she get Coyote to take back the power before it’s too late? A short and completely fantastical band book that pushes the bounds of reality.

This is the story of Janis Mary Finch, or just Finch, thank you very much. Finch is grateful to her band, Kelp, for helping her escape her dreary existence as Janis Mary, big boned boring high school student. But she is finding out that assuming the role of Finch, young British rock star on the edge, comes with a whole new set of problems that the old Janis Mary couldn’t even being to imagine, starting with the crazy love/hate relationship she has with Kelp’s lead singer, Christie. Through all the touring, recording, and performing, Finch wonders if it’s all worth it if she can’t have Christie, and in the last climatic scene in the novel, you’ll find out if Finch is a hard-core rock and roll goddess or just a soft-hearted teeny-bopper after all. A band-tastic book that’s set in London, so you get a taste of that great English slang and beat.

Enny and Orfe have been tight ever since Orfe purposely projectile-vomited on Enny’s elementary school tormentors. Now, they’re in college and Orfe wants Enny to manage her new band. No problem — except Orfe is hung up on Yuri, this druggie fresh out of re-hab, and while the music’s always right, Enny’s got a feeling that Orfe and Yuri may be all wrong. Can Orfe’s music save Yuri from the depths of drugged-out despair? Or will Yuri break Orfe’s heart along with her music? This is a fairly deep read, despite its short length. Voigt based the story on the legend of Orpheus, so be prepared — there’s substance to these lyrics.