Geek Girl is a YA Fiction Romance.

Jen is a ward of the state and she loves to express herself by dressing Goth.  Her new foster parents seem decent enough, but come summer, Jen will make a display that will get her shipped off to another family, she doesn't like to stay in one place for too long.  Jen's mother is in prison for killing her father and she has been drifting from family to family for many years.

When she accepts a dare from her friends, her life is about to change forever.  She is to befriend the geek Trevor Hoffman and make him fall for her and her friends will pay for her next piercing.  Jen accepts the challenge and works to ingrain herself into Trevor's life.

During the time, Jen comes to realize that Trevor is the best thing to ever happen to her, she begins to have misgivings about the bet.  The more time she spends with Trevor, the less she feels worthy of his attention.  When the truth finally comes forth, Jen is devastated and must learn to walk with her head held high; scorned at school by her friends, Jen isn't sure she can go on, until an Angel appears and between the two of them, they put Jen's life back on track but without Trevor, is it even worth the effort??

I thought this was an excellent YA Romance novel.  I read author Cindy C. Bennett's first book, My Heart On A Chain (read my review here.) and was equally impressed with this work of hers also.

The characters are all worthy of reading, believable in their actions and nature and the story grips you as you read on.  I thought that Jen's plight in life was worked well with the plot and I was pleased by the outcome of the story, the antagonism was drawn out with the right breath and tidied up just when you expected.

I love the writing style this is written in, you can almost feel yourself returning to high school and the trips down memory lane are great.  Many of you who have graduated will certainly appreciate the reminiscent feeling that you gather from the pages.

At times the book was emotionally charged, I found many of my emotions were drawn out, happiness, sadness, anger etc. and thought this was a very rewarding experience to have.  I couldn't help but feel for Jen as she came to many cross roads in her life and wondering which path she would choose.  It made for an entertaining read.

I would give Geek Girl a five out of five stars.  I found almost no editorial issues, the story and the outcome are believable and the author has the ability to draw out your emotions.  Very commendable indeed~!!

SYNOPSIS:
"Think I could turn that boy bad?"

My two best friends--my only two friends, really--follow my gaze and laugh.

"Trevor Hoffman?" Beth scoffs. "No way, Jen."

"I bet I could," I say, shrugging.

"Why him?" Beth asks. "Why not any of the other nerds sitting there with him?"

"Because," I say slowly, "he isn't your typical run-of-the-mill geek. Trevor Hoffman is different. He would be a little more difficult to take down--more of a challenge, you know?"

Jen's teenage life of rebelling and sneaking out is growing stale. In an effort to combat her boredom, Jen makes a bet to turn Trevor, a nice geek, into a "bad boy." Unexpec

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Glass Tile Pendant is 1 7/8″ tall by 7/8″ wide.

It comes with an ultra Fine 1.2mm Silver Plated Snake Chain Necklace with Lobster Clasps. 16″ and 18″ chains are available. Send me a message specifying whether you want 16″ or 18″.

Packaged in a cute little cardboard gift box.

This fairy tale classic is perfect to give as a gift to someone or wear it yourself.

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This is a 8.5″ x 11″ print on good quality archival ink jet paper with a white 1″ inch border around the image.

It will be signed and dated by the artist

Shipped in a clear plastic bag and a stiff envelope

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Celebrate Dia De Los Muertos with this 4″ x 6″ original mixed media collage painting.

Mounted print on canvas board, acrylic glass bead gel, acrylic paint, gold leaf paint, glitter and colored pencil. Textured surface.

Little Catrina is wearing a green dress with a sugar skull belt and eating a sugar skull cookie. She is so wickedly cute.

I will sign and date on the back

It will be packaged neatly and shipped in a cardboard box.

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I finally finished up the piece for my brother and his wife in honor of their impending twins (who are due in August). Overall I think it came out pretty good. Hopefully they like - at least pretend to like it.

Either way is fine by me really.

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So my brother and his wife are going to have twins - twin girls in fact. Instead of buying them a super-expensive gift to celebrate the joyous occasion, I've opted to go the cheapo route and paint them a pretty picture for the nursery.

I'll try to convince them it'll be worth something one day...

It won't.

Anyway, I started on it last night.

It may not look like much at the moment, but I'm liking the early direction and have high hopes.

I'll cross my fingers and you cross yours. Deal?

Steve

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I can't believe how long it's been since I submitted to WW. I've missed it. I put my homework on hold and whipped out this spunky version of my younger self. Sure I was girly, but growing up on a farm gave me a certain, well, let's just say I wasn't afraid to get down and dirty. Only 2 more weeks and the semester is over. Then I hope to be a bit more regular.

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Here is my version with color. I'm still not wicked happy about the color. I think there's too much yellow. I probably should have made the boy's uniform blue, but it's late, and I'm tired, so I'm posting what I have.

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I started working on an illustration for Girly. I applied the color, but it turned out, uh, ... not so good. So, I'm posting the inked version. I'll redo it, and post it in color later. It's amazing how a little bad color, can destroy an illustration. Sigh.

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Rating:
This tween series is well written, and actually kind of funny. I enjoyed reading the books and would reccomend them to pre-teens. Some of the books do deal with issues such as divorce, and the enviroment, but they do so in a lighthearted kind of way.

1 - Worst Enemies/Best Friends (Beacon Street Girls #1) (Beacon Street Girls) - Charlotte is new at Abigail Adams Junior High, and after an embarrassing moment in the cafeteria, all the girls at school hat her.
2 - Bad News/Good News (Beacon Street Girls #2) (Beacon Street Girls) - Isabel moves into town and becomes friends with Maeve and Charlotte. But there is just one problem, Avery and Katani want nothing to do with her.
3 - Letters From The Heart (Beacon Street Girls #3) (Beacon Street Girls) - Maeve's parents are separating, and her dad is moving out? Will her life ever be normal again?
4 - Out of Bounds (Beacon Street Girls) - The school talent show is almost cancelled when the auditorium starts leaking.
5 - Promises, Promises (Beacon Street Girls #5) (Beacon Street Girls) - Avery and Katani both decide to run for class president. Will their friendship survive the competition?
6 - Lake Rescue (Beacon Street Girls, No. 6) - The girls take a class trip to Lake Rescue, New Hampshire.
7 - Freaked Out (Beacon Street Girls #7) (Beacon Street Girls) - Julie Faber, a popular girl in school, throws a huge birthday party, but doesn't invite everyone in the BSG.
8 - Lucky Charm (Beacon Street Girls #8) (Beacon Street Girls) - Marty is missing!
9 - Fashion Frenzy (Beacon Street Girls #9) (Beacon Street Girls) - Katani's cousin invites her to help with a real fashion show in NYC.
10 - Just Kidding (Beacon Street Girls #10) (Beacon Street Girls) - Isabel is caught up in the middle of a terrible gossip chain.
11 - Ghost Town (Beacon Street Girls #11) (Beacon Street Girls) - While traveling to a ranch in Montana, the BSG is separated during a violent snowstorm.
12 - Time's Up (Beacon Street Girls) - When Katani enters a young entrepaneur contest, she learns that she can't do everything alone.
13 - Green Algae and Bubble Gum Wars (Beacon Street Girls) - When a Bubble Gum Factory opens in town, Avery and Katani find themselves on a different side of an enviromental issue.


Super Specials
Isabel's Texas Two-Step (Beacon Street Girls) - Isabel travels to Texas for her sisters Quincenera, and finds herself in a lot of trouble.
Maeve on the Red Carpet (Beacon Street Girls) (Beacon Street Girls) - A real Hollywood Director is going to run a film camp at Maeve's dad's theater.
Freestyle with Avery (Beacon Street Girls) (Beacon Street Girls) - While visiting her dad, Avery competes in a snowboarding competition and makes an interesting new friend.
Charlotte in Paris (Beacon Street Girls) (Beacon Street Girls) - Charlotte visits her old friends in Paris.
Katani's Jamaican Holiday (Beacon Street Girls) -Katani goes to Jamaica to help her Grandma keep the family business alive.

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Calling on Dragons by Patricia Wrede


Rating:
I enjoyed reading this book just as much as the other two, but I have to say that I was frustrated at the end. The story was just as fun and clever as the first two, but the book leaves the story without a resolution. My recommendation is to have the fourth book ready as soon as you’re done with this one. In this book the evil wizards are once again planning to steal magic. This time they plan on stealing all the magic from the enchanted forest. It takes the combined strength of all of the dragons and others to try and stop the wizards from gaining all the power they desire.

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Searching for Dragons by Patricia Wrede


Rating:
This second Enchanted Forest book is just as good and entertaining as the first. I really liked the additional characters in this book as well as the involvement of the Enchanted Forest. The story was funny and had all the wit of the first. In this book, the wizards have chosen the perfect time to attack. Kazul, the king of the dragons, is gone on a trip, leaving the dragon caves unguarded. Now, Cimorene and her new friends will have to find and bring Kazul home before it is too late.

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Dealing With Dragons by Patricia Wrede


Rating:
This is the first in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. This is a fairytale type book, but it is not a typical fairytale. I thought it was very funny and I especially enjoyed the chapter titles. I thought the situations and problems were very clever and entertaining. This is a great story for anyone who enjoys a good story as well as a laugh. In this story, Cimorene is not a typical princess. So, she runs away to live with dragons. When she uncovers a plot of the wizards to gain power, she has to use her quick wit and her own special way of dealing with wizards to save the day.

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Making Waves (Candy Apple)

This is the latest Candy Apple book, and the same rating from all of the previous candy apple books still applies. The story was a little High School Musical meets secret life of Hannah Montana with a little American Idol party thrown in just for fun. Emily, Jenna, and L. J. have been best friends since the third grade but when Aubrey moves into town they decide to include her in her group. But Aubrey is hiding something and keeps ditching her new friends. The friends must overcome their problems and discover Aubrey's secret before their friendship is ruined forever.

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Katy Duck, Dance Star (Katy Duck)

My two year old got this for her birthday, and it is her new favorite book. The words are simple and funny and she makes me read the book over and over again. The pictures aren't too complex or detailed which is great for young children.
Katy Duck receives a feather boa from her aunt, and like a true dance star she has to wear it wherever she goes. After the boa starts causing trouble, Katy Duck must decide what a true dance star would do in the same situation.

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The series was light fun and original. I liked that the princesses weren't typical proper princesses and all had unique and interesting personalities. The stories were simple and easy to read.

1 - Princess Power #1: The Perfectly Proper Prince (Princess Power) - Princess Lysandra holds auditions for a talent show in order to find other adventurous princesses. On their first adventure, the girls discover a real frog prince.
2 - Princess Power #2: The Charmingly Clever Cousin (Princess Power) - Fatima is staying with her sister Selime to help care for her new nephew. But when Selime's husband Ahmed goes missing and his cousin Yusef takes over the castle, Fatima gets suspicious. Fatima and her friends must discover the true whereabouts of Ahmed.
3 - Princess Power #3: The Awfully Angry Ogre (Princess Power) - Tansy's kingdom is having ogre trouble, and two of her brothers are determined to put a stop to the terror. But when her brothers are turned to stone Tansy and her friends must save the day.
4 - Princess Power #4: The Mysterious, Mournful Maiden (Princess Power) - Elena finds a comb on the beach and starts having dreams about the comb's lost owner. Elena and her friends must find the owner before it is too late.
5 - Princess Power #5: The Stubbornly Secretive Servant (Princess Power) - The Princesses are visiting Lysandra at her sister Gabriella's castle. Everyone is looking forward to Prince Jonathon's visit, but for some reason he never shows up.
6 - Princess Power #6: The Gigantic, Genuine Genie (Princess Power) - Fatima buys a genie bottle at the market. Unfortunately the genie is powerless. Can Fatima and her friends help the genie get his powers back?

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Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George

I didn't know how Jessica Day George was going to make a sequel to this book, but she did it and she did it brilliantly. The story is just as magical as it is in the first book, and I love the development of old and new characters.

Since the Dragon War, Creel has been busy at her new popular dress shop. But when Luca sends her a message about dragons being controlled in another country, she knows that it is up to her to find out what is going on. Her old friend Shadras is reluctant to get mixed up in human affairs (even when it concerns other dragons), but eventually agrees to help Creel find out what is going on. Creel discovers that someone or something is using necromancy to control the country's dragons. Can Creel find the culprit and put an end to the 2nd dragon war before all those she loves are destroyed?

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These are great books for girls that like super heroes. They are girly, a little bit cheesy, and pretty funny. I really enjoyed the fact that they are quite a bit different than most girly books, and they would probably appeal to a wider audience.

Description:
1 - The Caped 6th Grader: Happy Birthday, Hero! (The Caped Sixth Grader) - On her 12th birthday, Zoe discovers that she inherited super hero powers from her Grandpa. And no one, not even her parents can ever know about it.
2 - The Caped 6th Grader: Totally Toxic (The Caped Sixth Grader) - Zoe uses her powers (before her training is complete) to investigate a factory that is dumping toxic waste into her towns river.
3 - The Caped 6th Grader: Lightning Strikes! (The Caped Sixth Grader) - Zoe works for the comic book author Electra Albright during a school assignment. But somehow Electra's comic book story line is eerily similar to Zoe's super hero family stories.
4 - The Caped Sixth Grader: Cabin Fever (The Caped Sixth Grader) - Zoe goes to Super Hero Camp for the summer, and finds herself face to face with her best friend Howie. Could Howie really be a super too?

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Callie For President (Candy Apple)

This wasn't my favorite book in the series, but it was fun. It was well written but the characters weren't quite as like able as in other books. They were kind of mean. When Callie finds herself running for student counsel president against Brianna the most popular girl in school, things get ugly. Between secrets, turning herself into someone she's not, and mudslinging, Callie almost loses not one but both of her best friends. Can she find the real Callie Singer before things go to far, and she actually wins the election?

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This is one of my favorite young, girly, princess series. The authors take elements from the original fairy tale stories (Cinderella, Briar Rose, Rapunzel, and Snow White) and apply them to a princess junior high type setting. The books are an easy read and they are really funny.

1 - Princess School: If the Shoe Fits - Ella's family wants to keep her from attending princess school and its royal ball.
2 - The Princess School: Who's the Fairest? - Snow's stepmother tries to kill her at the Princess School Maiden Games.
3 - The Princess School(Let Your Hair Down) - Madame Gothel discovers that Rapunzel has been sneaking out of her tower.
4 - Princess School: Beauty Is A Beast (Princess School) - Rose is sick of everyone fawning over her and she is determined to do something about it.
5 - Princess School #5: Princess Charming: Princess Charming (Princess School) - Rapunzel disguises herself as a prince so she can compete in the Charm School Jousting Tournament.
6 - Princess School #06: Apple-y Ever After: Apple-y Ever After (Princess School) - Snow's father has physically returned from sea, but he doesn't remember who he is.
7 - Princess School: Thorn In Her Side (Princess School) - Rose gets the part of Princess Perfecta in the school play and must act with someone who really does want to kill her.
8 - Slippery Steps (Princess School) - I can't find this book anywhere. Does anyone know where you can get it?

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The Social Experiments of Dorie Dilts: Dumped by Popular Demand (The Social Experiments of Dorie Dilts)

This book was pretty entertaining. It was about a kind of nerdy girl named Dorie who moved to a new town and tried doing a scientific experiment to learn how to become popular. The book is full of the scientific method and nerdiness which I could appreciate. being somewhat of a nerd myself. Using the scientific method Dorie discovered that to become popular she must first date, and then get dumped by a boy named Grant. But when Dorie's plans backfired she has to decide what is more important, friends or popularity. The only thing to be aware of with the content, is that the gword is used in normal conversation and they do kiss once.

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Sleepover Squad by P.J. Denton

Rating:
These books are kind of silly but fun. Younger girls would probably love these books, but some of the words may be hard for the intended 6-9 age group.

Description:
1 - Sleeping Over (Sleepover Squad) - Emily is worried that her overprotective parents will think she is to young to attend a sleepover.
2 - Camping Out (Sleepover Squad) - The girls decide to have a sleepover outside at Emily's house. There is only one problem, Taylor is afraid of bugs.
3 - The Trouble with Brothers (Sleepover Squad) - It's Kara's turn to host the sleepover, but will the girls' fun be ruined by Kara's older brothers?
4 - Keeping Secrets (Sleepover Squad) -
5 - Pony Party! (Sleepover Squad) -
6 - The New Girl (Sleepover Squad) -
7 - Sleepover Squad #7 (Sleepover Squad) -

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Ever by Gail Carson Levine

Rating:
Ever is yet another brilliant story by Gail Carson Levine. In the book, Levine weaves classic fairy tale elements with basic mythology, immersing the reader in a whole new world. The story and language isn't quite as simple as it is in some of her other books, and would be easier understood by older children. The book is a must read for Gail Carson Levine fans.

Description:
Kezi's life has been pledged to the one god, and unless she can find a way to thwart her fate, she has only one month to live. Olus, the god of the winds, falls in love with Kezi, and is unwilling to let her die. With the help of Olus, Kezi embarks on a perilous journey to become an immortal god. Can Kezi past the test, or is she doomed to die without love?





I got my advanced readers edition from the publisher - book is released on May 6, 2008

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Accidental Cheerleader (Candy Apple) by Mimi McCoy

Rating:
This was the first book in the Candy Apple Series. It was fun and light and a good read for late elementary / early middle school kids.

Description:
Sophie and Kylie are twelve year old best friends who decide to try out for cheerleading together. But when Sophie makes the team and Kylie becomes the team mascot, their friendship starts to suffer. Can Sophie balance her old friends with cheerleading, and her new found popularity, or will Sophie and Kylie's friendship be destroyed by the seventh grade?

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Poor Little Witch Girl by Marie Desplechin

Rating:
The book was clean, but the characters weren't very likeable and they were all a bit bratty. Each of the four main characters told their side of the story, which was fun. But I didn't care enough about the story for it to matter that much. It did talk about normal teenage boy/girl and parent/child issues, but it talked about it through the problem of witchcraft. So if you like books to have more meaning, it may be a good book to read.

Description:
Verbena's mother is disappointed that she has never shown any talent for witchcraft, but Verbena has never wanted to be a witch. But when Verbena's talent manifests itself, her mom couldn't be happier. Verbena refuses to learn more about her powers until she discovers that it may be able to help her find her dad.

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