Blue Plate Special by Michelle D. Kwasney

Here's a bite (pun intended) about the book snagged from Ms. Kwasney's website:  Doomed loves, failed families, nixed dreams—someone else's leftovers are heaped on our plates the day we come into this world.


Big Macs and pop tunes mask the emptiness as Madeline watches her mom drink away their welfare checks. Until the day Tad, a quirky McDonald's counter boy, asks Madeline out for a date, and she gets her first taste of normal. But with a life that’s anything but, how long can normal really last?

Hanging with Jeremy, avoiding Mam, sticking Do Not Disturb Post-its on her heart, Desiree's mission is simple: party hard, graduate (well, maybe), get out of town. But after Desiree accepts half a meatball grinder, a cold drink, and a ride from her mother's boyfriend one rainy afternoon, nothing is ever simple again.

Too many AP classes. Workaholic mom. Dad in prison. Still, Ariel's sultry new boyfriend, Shane, manages to make even the worst days delicious. But when an unexpected phone call forces a trip to visit a sick grandmother she's never met, revealing her family's dark past, Ariel struggles to find the courage to make the right choice for her own future.

As three girls from three different decades lives converge, they discover they are connected ways they could never imagine. Each of them finds strength that brings her closer to healing a painful past, and faith that there is a happier future.
 
My Take
 
This wound up being my final book of the year.  This little gem was number 100.  I saw this on a list for teens, made by teens, for my library (I try to keep up with what they're talking about).  I enjoyed this book a great deal.
 
One of the girls sections was even written in free verse.  You know that's been my thing lately.  Anyway, for all of their differences, these girls had undercurrents of similarities.  You know we're all more alike than we realize.  They were all very different people though.  The times were different and I thought that part was really cool too.  I had my favorites of the girls, but loved their stories individually and the meshing of them as well.
 
I kept thinking, now I know these girls have to be linked in some way.  It took awhile, but did start becoming clear.  However, there was one final link between all of them that I never saw coming.  It was like lightning out of a clear blue sky.  Where did that come from?!  It was awesome!  Hats off to Ms. Kwasney for sneaking that one in there and blowing me away with it. 
 
I loved this book because it told you that while yes, we come into life with leftovers, it's all in how you use them.  It told girls that it's okay to value who you are and NOT allow yourself to be abused or taken advantage of.  It spoke to the strength of women, whether we know it or not.  We, as women tend to sell ourselves short or let ourselves feel 'less than'.  This book celebrates women in all of their flawed, broken, but still amazingly strong states.  And the cover is very cool really.  I'm giving it 5 kisses!

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Here's a brief blurb from Ms. Anderson's website: Melinda Sordino busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won’t talk to her, and people she doesn’t even know hate her from a distance. The safest place to be is alone, inside her own head. But even that’s not safe. Because there’s something she’s trying not to think about, something about the night of the party that, if she let it in, would blow her carefully constructed disguise to smithereens. And then she would have to speak the truth. This extraordinary first novel has captured the imaginations of teenagers and adults across the country.

My Take

I felt that it was important for me to review this book during Banned Books Week.  It's unfortunate that there are people (Wesley Scroggins) trying to ban this book.  It's the story of Melinda who is raped by an older boy.  She can't bring herself to tell anyone about it.  I can say from personal experience, the price of silence is a steep, costly one. 

This book was powerful and moving.  As the reader you can feel Melinda's quiet desperation.  The fear mounting as time goes on.  The changes in Melinda are profound though.  Over time she grows stronger and more sure of herself.  This is a beautiful book that should be a must read for girls everywhere, and maybe even boys too.  It was beautiful and profound.  Mr. Freeman the art teacher was my favorite adult character.  He was so encouraging and helped Melinda see that what she had to say was important.  That she could express it through the vehicle of her art as well.  I definitely recommend this book and am giving it four gentle kisses!