The Break-Up Diaries

Gr 9 Up—Readers of teen urban fiction will love these two preachy but engaging novellas about love gone wrong. Both feature African-American teens who learn lessons about telling the truth and being themselves. In Simone's "Hot Boyz," high-maintenance but lovable 16-year-old Chance lies about her age to date Ahmad, 22. All but ignored by her wealthy parents, she prefers staying at her grandmother's house and spending time with her friends in their Atlanta neighborhood. When her lies have terrible consequences for Ahmad, Chance realizes the error of her ways. The story has action, romance, and plenty of teen slang. In London's "The Boy Trap," Breezy is an even more self-centered teen intent on trapping a future NBA star so she sets her sights on newcomer Tyler and decides to seduce him. Breezy is sure that if she can marry him and have his babies, she will share in his eventual fame and fortune. Ultimately, however, her gold-digger ways cause grief, and she realizes that she needs to succeed on her own terms. While the lessons imparted by both stories are not subtle, the main characters are memorable, there are plenty of plot twists and turns, and readers will enjoy the pop culture and fashion references. Teens who loved the "Drama High" series (Dafina) and Simone's full-length novels will definitely reach for this book.—Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Unified School District