Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles is a modern Romeo and Juliet story. Brittany Ellis and Alejandro Fuentes are as different as they can be. Brit is from the North side of town. She is rich, captain of the pom squad, beautiful and perfect with a perfect boyfriend in Colin the captain of the football team. Alex is from the South side of town. He is dark, dangerous, the toughest guy in school and belongs to a gang. No one would ever call him perfect. However, both of their lives are changed when they are paired together as lab partners in Chemistry class. Their open dislike of each other is obvious from day one.

The longer they work together though, the more they learn of each other. Alex sees that Brittany is not so perfect and Brittany discovers that Alex is not so tough. And Brittany and Alex discover that they are a lot more alike than anyone would think. Both are acting like something they aren’t in order to survive in their very different worlds. These similarities draw them closer together. Brittany tries to deny what is happening while Alex makes a bet with his buddies that he will sleep with her before Thanksgiving. And the romance that develops is dangerous, forbidden and fun to read about.

This story is told in alternating chapters by Alex and Brit. We get to see Brittany’s not-so-perfect home life and what drives Alex to join a gang. His chapters are sprinkled with Spanish phrases when he speaks with his family and friends. The ending is a little too neat, but this is a good take on an age old theme of Romeo and Juliet.

Knights of the Hill Country by Tim Tharp

The weather has been great for the start of school. I love the cool evenings and it is really beginning to feel like football weather. In honor of the season, I want to talk about a great football book, Knights of the Hill Country by Tim Tharp.

Hampton Greene is not the smartest kid in school, but he is one of the best football players. Hampton was introduced to what it means to be a member of the Knights football team when he first moves to town when he is nine. He meets his best friend Blaine and together they work hard to become starters of the Kennisaw Knights. Blaine is the star running back, but it is Hampton who makes the defensive plays that save the games. The Knights are working on their fifth undefeated season in a row and both Blaine and Hampton are feeling the pressure.

Hamp and Blaine have always been inseparable and Blaine’s world is black and white. The plan is that they will go to OU together and play football. They will date the most beautiful girls in school and be the Big Men on Campus. However, Blaine hurts his knee and is not as good as he was last season while Hamp has grown faster and better. This causes tension between the two friends. Also Hampton finds himself attracted to Sara who isn’t beautiful and wears baggy clothes and is much more interested in school than football. Hampton has always struggled with school, but working with Sara makes him realize that he is more capable that he ever thought. As this happens, Hampton finds himself growing further away from Blaine and learning to think for himself.

Knights of the Hill Country by Tim Tharp is a great novel that shows how Hampton develops into his own person and discovers the really important things in life. And the football scenes are very well written. This is a great novel for the start of school and the football season!

How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt

I loved Harmless by Dana Reinhardt. It is a fantastic book that makes the reader wonder what she would do if she were in the same situation. How hard is it to betray your friends? How hard it is to tell the truth when you know it will get you trouble? How quickly do lies pile up?

Since I loved Harmless, I was really looking forward to reading Reinhardt’s book How to Build a House and I was not disappointed. Harper (like Harper Lee, an incredible author of one of my all-time favorite books!) signs up to help a volunteer group of teenagers build a house in Tennessee for a family that lost their home in a tornado. Living in Kansas, it is easy to understand the terrible devastation left in the path of a tornado; this brings to mind the horrible fates of the people living in Greensburg and Chapman who lost homes in storms not too long ago.

Harper’s reason for spending the summer in Tennessee is because she is fleeing her life in California where her family is falling apart. Harper’s mother died when she was two years old and her father remarried when she was five. Jane and her two daughters Rose and Tess become a vital part of Harper’s family. But when Jane and Harper’s father separate, Harper doesn’t know where she fits in this family that is no longer hers. Harper finds solace in building a home for the family in Tennessee and becoming friends with the oldest son Teddy. Harper also finds a substitute home and family with the other teenage workers during the summer and contrasts her relationship with Teddy with her on-again-off-again relationship with her friend Gabriel back home. Her narration moves smoothly back and forth between sections she calls HOME that talk about what happened before and sections she calls HERE which describe what is happening as they build a house.

This is a great book for young women to read. Harper gets sucked into a tragic relationship with a boy back home because she needs somewhere to belong and it takes her time to understand this and remove herself from the situation. It is an empowering book for young women, but all readers will see and understand Harper’s struggles to find a HOME.