Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist

Author: Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

Date of Publication: 2006

Format: Softcover

Page Count: 183 Pages

Cost: $8.99

ISBN: 978-0-375-83533-9

Reading Level: Ages 14 and up

Plot Summary: When Nick’s ex-girlfriend walks into a bar with her latest fling, he asks the nearest stranger to pretend to be his girlfriend for five minutes. Norah agrees, and suddenly the two are off barhopping through New York City, in search of friendship and the newest hot punk rock band. The fast-paced story is told in chapters alternating between each character’s point of view, and both Nick and Norah have very authentic teenage voices. The end of their first date, which has spanned an entire night into the next morning, finds them getting physical inside the ice room of a hotel until they are discovered by two of the hotel’s guests. Though that incident puts a damper on their excitement, the reader knows that Nick and Norah have found something real that will last awhile.

Evaluation: The bad language in this book flies fast and furious, but is more likely to offend conservative adults than teenagers, who will instant recognize and appreciate the authenticity of Nick and Norah’s voices. Nick and Norah are in these nightclubs because of their passion for the music, and neither drinks nor does drugs. Cohn and Levithan have managed to construct a very believable story in which two seemingly opposite people connect on a very deep and emotional level during the course of one incredible night. The fast paced, real-time adventures of Nick and Nora make this book a great choice for reluctant readers.

Annotation: A wild adventure through New York City nightlife leads Nick and Norah to find something they both madly desired but didn’t believe possible- new love.

Links:

Interview with Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

David Levithan on Censorship

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Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Paper Towns by John Green

Doing It by Melvin Burgess

Doing It

Author: Melvin Burgess

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Date of Publication: 2003

Format: Hardcover

Page Count: 326 Pages

Cost: $15.95

ISBN: 0-8050-7565-8

Reading Level: Ages 16 and up

Plot Summary: This book is a candid depiction of teenage sexuality from the point of view of three male adolescents. Dino, Jonathan, and Ben are three friends who must navigate the ups and downs of teen sex over the course of a tumultuous school year. Dino is devastated when he catches his mother cheating on his father, yet when his gorgeous girlfriend refuses to have sex with him he rationalizes seeing another girl secretly without comprehending the fact that he’s committing the same sin as his mother. Jonathan begins a physical relationship with the overweight girl in his class, but struggles with his willingness to commit to her for fear of how his classmates will tease him. Ben is having an affair with his young theatre teacher, who is both manipulative and abusive of him. While he originally believes that he is living every boy’s dream, he quickly comes to realize that the fantasy is much more pleasant than the reality.

Evaluation: This book deals with teenage sexuality in frank and sometimes offensively graphic terms. Burgess’s British slang softens the usage of these terms a bit, but not much. However unlikeable the characters may be, the situations in which they find themselves are startlingly realistic. Burgess claims to have written this book because he didn’t think there were enough young adult novels out there that dealt with male sexuality in an honest manner. On that level, he succeeded spectacularly. The cover of this book is an illustration of a couple having sex at a party, which is a very accurate representation of the book’s content. This novel is bound to draw many challenges from concerned adults, if it even makes it to library shelves before being silently censored by conservative librarians.

Annotation: Being a teenaged male is tough enough, but when you throw sex into the equation anything can happen!

Links:

Filth, Which Ever Way You Look At It

A Librarian Reads Doing It

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Lost It by Kristen Tracy

When It Happens by Susane Colasanti

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

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