I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You. By Ally Carter.

Title: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You.
Author: Ally Carter.
Publisher: Hyperion.
Date: April 1, 2007.
ISBN: 1423100042.

Critical Analysis:

Ally Carter wrote a fast paced funny spy thriller adventure of a teenage girl named Cammie Morgan who attends a posh private school called the Gallagher Academy where gifted girls learn how to become top rate spies. Cammie and her friends set out to perform covert operations but unfortunately a local boy named Josh spots Cammie and she develops a crush on him. Her friends help her find out more information on Josh and to help her figure out if he likes her or not without letting Josh or the outside world know their Gallagher Academy’s secret identity.

Readers will enjoy the humor in this story! The plot takes a little while to fully develop, but the humor will keep the reader engaged. According to the Publishers Weekly Review, “Though the plot takes a while to unfold, fun details and characters will keep readers engaged (Cammie and her friends speak 14 languages, take classes in Covert Operations, can rappel down buildings and plant tracking devices)” (Publishers Weekly, vol 253, issue 20, p73). The characters in this story were very interesting, funny and full of surprises. Unfortunately, this story lacked the one true hated villain which results in the story not having such a climatic hero finale. Miranda Doyle of the San Francisco Public Library wrote, “The stakes never seem very high since there are no real villains, and the cutesy dialogue quickly becomes grating” (School Library Journal, vol 52, issue 7, p98).

The literary style of the first person narrative through Cammie Morgan was easy to follow and the co-ops reports that she included gave a James Bond type feel. While I would not associate this book as a realistic fiction novel, I would say there are realistic relationships between some of the characters to which readers could relate. The story lacks the intensity of a deep plot but is enjoyable to read especially for a young teenage audience looking for a good clean fun chick lit book!

Review Excerpt:

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2006):

"Cammie attends Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a school allegedly for geniuses but actually for spies. The coursework is rigorous, the teachers are experts in their fields, and her mother is the headmaster. Disappointingly, Cammie's undercover skills are only used to investigate a boy she likes, but the book--more romance than spy thriller--is still entertaining. Category: Older Fiction. 2006, Hyperion, 284pp, 15.99. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws" Retrieved from the Children's Literature Database (accessed on October 10, 2009).

Claire Rosser (KLIATT Review, May 2006 (Vol. 40, No. 3)):

"Carter introduces The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women--a school for spies, actually, but no one outside the school knows that. The main character is Cammie Morgan, and she is preparing for a life as a spy by learning how to speak many languages, how to collect information from many sources, and how to kill quickly, and in many ways. She is happy in her life, surrounded by equally brilliant friends. The plot revolves around more typical situations: she meets a boy in town and falls for him; and a new girl who thinks she is better than anyone else has difficulty fitting in. Cammie's mother is the principal of the school and she is supportive and loving. The teachers are nothing if not fascinating and different. This is escapist fiction for those who like unusual school stories. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: JS--Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2006, Hyperion, 284p., $16.99. Ages 12 to 18" Retrieved from the Children's Literature Database (accessed on October 10, 2009).

Awards:

Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, 2009.

Kansas Notable Book, 2007.

Connections:

I found an intersting website that had a short quiz on the story which could be used to get the thought process started for discussion. You can access this quiz by clicking on: http://www.allthetests.com/quiz26/quiz/1220820945/Id-Tell-You-I-Love-You-But-Then-Id-Have-To-Kill-You (accessed on October 10, 2009).

Other books that may be of intrest:

Cross my heart and hope to spy, by Ally Carter, Publisher: Hyperion Books, Date: 2007, ISBN: 9781423100058 (second book in the Gallagher series).

Don't judge a girl by her cover, by Ally Carter, Publisher: Hyperion Books, Date: 2009, ISBN: 9781423116387 (third book in the Gallagher series).

Private, by Kate Brian, Publisher: Simon and Schuster, Date: 2006, ISBN: 9781416918738 (first book in a nine part series).

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. By Chris Crutcher.

Title: Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes.
Author: Chris Crutcher.
Publisher: Greenwillow Books.
Date: March 18, 2003.
ISBN: 0060094893

Critical Analysis:

Chris Crutcher wrote a heart pounding story that involved realistic character experiences that many teens can relate to even today. The story revolves around a teenage boy named Eric Calhoune and his best friend Sarah Byrnes. Sarah is hospitalized in a catatonic state and Eric visits her on a daily bases in hopes that she come back to reality. Both Eric and Sarah are experiencing hardships to everyday life. Eric has a weight issue and Sarah has a facial disfiguration due to an accident that she had when she was little or was it an accident?

While reading this story you will connect to the rich characterization and sports theme throughout the story. The story has a good mixture of humor and serious tensions that will assist in keeping the reader engaged. The literary style of the first person narrative through Eric Calhoune was very easy to follow and helped in the character connection process. There were some characters in this story that I felt dragged the storyline in the beginning but later helped the story come full circle in a fast pace suspense mixed with much emotion. Each character had some sort of issue or secret they were hiding or trying to deal with. According to the Kirkus Review, “Though Crutcher doesn't always play fair in developing his themes--all the conservative Christians here are humorless dupes or hypocrites, and one tries to commit suicide after it comes out that his girlfriend had an abortion--his language, characters, and situations are vivid and often hilarious”( Kirkus Reviews, 1993). Once the plot picks up, you will be hooked until the very end! The characters are believable and the reader will be able to relate or connect to them well.
The back drop of the swim team gave an emotional break in the seriousness of the plot, which was refreshing. The readers will have a great surprise at the end when they find out who is the vigilante savior at the end!

Review Excerpt:

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, 1993):

"Eighteen-year-old Eric's success on the swimming team and the weight loss that is the by-product of his strict physical regimen are so threatening to his longstanding friendship with Sarah Byrnes -- who, at the age of three was severely burned on the face and hands when her father pushed her into a wood stove -- that he forces himself into gluttony in order not to jeopardize it. Eric's attempts to help his friend find her way back into the world after she is institutionalized make up the bulk of the narrative. The characters are real and believable. Category: Fiction. 1993, Greenwillow, 216pp.. Ages 14 to 18. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average" Retrieved from the Children's Literature Database (accessed on October 9, 2009).

Susie Wilde (Children's Literature):

"After years of fighting humiliation for being overweight, Eric Calhoune, alias Moby, begins swimming in high school. Moby describes his absent, overweight father, "(he's) not a guy who should have gone light on desserts and between meal snacks...(but) a guy who should have spread Glue on his lips before showing his face outside his bedroom each morning." Weight and wit have bonded him in long-term friendship with Sarah Byrnes, a girl who has faced the shame of horrible facial burn scars she's borne since the age of three. Against a swimming backdrop Crutcher places the issues of shame, narrow-mindedness, and abuse. Once the story takes hold you move along at such a rapid clip that by the end you're holding on for dear life. 1993, Greenwillow, $16.00, $4.50 and $2.49. Ages 13 up" Retrieved from the Children's Literature Database (accessed on October 9, 2009)

Connections:

I found a nice group of discussion question from the Multnomah County Library. You may access these discussion question by clicking on: http://www.multcolib.org/talk/guides-stayingfat.html (accessed on October 9, 2009).

Other books that may be of interest:

Firegirl, by Tony Abbott, Publisher: Little Brown, Date: 2006, ISBN: 0316011711.

Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson, Publisher: Viking, Date: 2009, ISBN: 9780670011100.

Looks, by Madeleine George, Publisher: Viking, Date: 2008, ISBN: 9780670061679.

Dairy Queen. By Catherine Murdock

Title: Dairy Queen
By: Catherine Murdock
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Date: May 22, 2006
ISBN: 0618683070



Critical Analysis:

Catherine Murdock wrote a fascinating story about a girl named DJ Schwenk and her quest to become a football player on her school team. DJ has to overcome positive and negative obstacles while working on the family dairy farm, living in dysfunctional family relationships, loving Brian Nelson (an opposing school quarterback), passing English and worrying about being accepted by her peers when they find out she wants to be on the football team.

While reading this story you will connect with DJ and the sports theme will keep you reading, especially if you like football. The story has a great mix of humorous and serious storylines that will keep you engaged. Amy Pickett from Ridley High School commented on the humorous behaviors that DJ’s character provided by concluding, “D.J.'s tongue-tied nature and self-deprecating inner monologues contribute to the novel's many belly laughs. At the end, though, it is the protagonist's heart that will win readers over” (School Library Journal, vol 52, issue 4, p145).

The setting of this story takes place in a small rural town in Wisconsin which makes the story have a realistic feel and the literary style of the first person narrative through DJ Schwenk was very easy to follow and helped in the character connection process. Jennifer Hubert wrote, “This humorous, romantic romp excels at revealing a situation seldom explored in YA novels, and it will quickly find its place alongside equally well-written stories set in rural areas” (Booklist, vol 102, number 15, p36). This story is not only believable but is refreshing due to the lack of the “girly-girl” nature. Readers will be able to not only connect with the characters in the story but find the read enjoyable!

Review Excerpts:
Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2006):

"Coaching the rival high school's quarterback in a summer fitness program, farmgirl D.J. realizes she's attracted to Brian; winning a place as a defensive linebacker for her own school, D.J. realizes she'll face Brian on the field. D.J.'s practical, understatedly humorous voice drives this memoir of her fifteenth summer--an engrossing tale of love, family, and football. Category: Older Fiction. 2006, Houghton, 278pp, 16.00. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average" Retrieved from the Children's Literature Database (Accessed October 10, 2009).

Megan Callahan (The ALAN Review, Spring/Summer 2007 (Vol. 34, No. 3)):

"D.J. Schwenk has always done as she’s told. When her older brothers left home after a family fight, she let it happen. When her father had surgery, she took over the family farm. And when Brian Nelson, quarterback of Red Bend’s rival football team, begins working at her farm . . . she falls in love. When Brian first shows up at Schwenk Farm, D.J. is disgusted, but as the two work together, they confide in each other. Soon, they become much more than friends; however, D.J. strains her new relationship with Brian, and with her family, when she makes the Red Bend football team. Readers will fall in love with D.J.’s humor and will relate well to her emotional epiphanies. While initially slow-paced, the story becomes quite interesting as it progresses. For those who think that small-town life is dull, Dairy Queen will offer a new perspective. Category: Family/Romance. YA--Young Adult. 2006, Houghton Mifflin, 275 pp., $16.00. Ages young adult.Bartlett, IL" Retrieved from the Children's Literature Database (Accessed on October 10, 2009).

Awards:

Pennslyania Young Reader's Choice Award, 2008.

Great Lakes Great Book Awards, 2007.

Borders Original Voices Award, 2006.

Connections:

I found a nice group of discussion questions from the Manitowoc Public Library. You may access these questions by clicking on: http://www.manitowoc.lib.wi.us/readers/guides/dairy%20queen.htm (accessed on October 10, 2009).

Other books that may be of interest:

The Off Season, by Catherine Murdock, Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, Date: 2007, ISBN: 9780618686957.

Amazing Grace, by Megan Shull, Publisher: Hyperion, Date: 2005, ISBN: 9780786856909.

Playing with the Boys: a pretty tough novel, by Liz Tigelaar, Publisher: Razorbill, Date: 2008, ISBN: 9781595141132.