The adoration of Jenna Fox

Jenna Fox has been in a coma for over a year. When she wakes up, she has no memory. She just knows what her family tells her and what she sees on the 100os of hours of DVDs that have recorded her life. In the Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson, readers are brought into a future where medicine has evolved greatly. I was continually guessing when reading the book, trying to put together clues and piece together possible solutions and outcomes.
I think the book appeals to teens because it is both suspenseful and futurist, but also philosophical. Jenna questions just what makes us human. Can percentages or math speak to if each of us has a soul? Jenna is a very relatable character for teens in that she feels often out of place but wants to fit in. The questioning of her identity, literally because of amnesia, is like what teens go through when trying to carve out their own their own identities. The rebellion and complicated relationship with her family is also applicable. One of the most poignant parts of the book is in the beginning, when Jenna wonders why she has no friends to speak of, and then says that each of us should have one friend at least.
The book is a great and varied mix of subjects. Futurist and philosophical, the urge to fit in, our relation to other, out relation to our humanity and medical ethics all crammed into one. I think it's a good book for a teen new to science-fiction because it doesn't start too far out in the imagination and show how much we can relate to characters from different backgrounds/worlds.

Down to the Bone

Mayra Lazara Dole's Down to the Bone is about a teenage girl, Laura, coming to grips with being gay in the Miami Cuban community. Dole's writing style reminds me of Francesca Lia Block, she forms long sentences, twisting new words and verbs to become her own. The only parts that feel slightly forced are when lesbians and genderqueer is mentioned. It felt like Dole stepped back from Tazer's character development for a little public service announcement.
It was nice to see Laura struggle for most of the book. She tried at first to be straight so she could love a man and please her family. This seems like something the gay community would abhor, but it seems much more relateable for youth to want to fit in and have people like them so intensely. I also liked that Laura was successful even when she dropped out of school. She was still a dedicated and hard worker, and found ways to feel worthwhile and happy.
Laura was easy to care about and relate to. The language and dialogue in the book was a page-turner and it had great aspects of Spanish language and Cuban culture thrown in. A definite recommendation for anyone.