Marlee Nesbitt never says much. It's not that she doesn't have an opinion, it's just that she can't seem to push the words out of her mouth without tying them into a hopeless knot. So the 12-year-old stays quiet. Most people let her be and Marlee's (pretty much) fine with that. Then, Elizabeth Fullerton swishes into West Side Junior High. The new girl is confident, fearless and never afraid to express herself. She's everything Marlee's not and yet, by some crazy miracle, Liz wants to be Marlee's friend. Turns out, they can teach each other a thing or two - Marlee tutors Liz on holding her tongue while Liz helps draw Marlee out of her shell. It doesn't take them long to become bosom buddies.

When Liz disappears, Marlee gets a shock: the rumor mill says Liz was kicked out of school because she's a "colored" girl trying to "pass" as white. Which simply can't be true - Liz is as white as Marlee. It's only when Marlee ventures into the colored part of town that she confirms what everyone else is saying: Liz really does come from a black family. Even though she looks white, she's not. Meaning Liz can't attend a white school. Meaning Liz and Marlee can no longer hang out together. Meaning Marlee's about to lose the best friend she's ever had.

The 1958-59 school year is a tense one in Little Rock, Arkansas. All high schools in the city - white and colored - are closed to prevent integration. Despite Brown v. the Board of Education. Despite the courageous actions of the Little Rock Nine. Despite the well-intentioned protests of WEC and STOP campaigns. The result is a city rife with anger, emotion and fear, a city where supporting educational equality can be not just dangerous, but deadly.

Marlee knows all this, she just can't understand it. Why should she be kept away from a girl as nice and fun as Liz, just because of the color of her family's skin? It's not fair. And Marlee refuses to accept that "that's just the way it is." Now, the girl who never says a thing is going to take a stand. If only she can find the words. If only she can find the guts. If only she can find the voice that's been eluding her her whole life. If only.

While most books about school integration focus on the tumultuous year of 1957, the year nine brave African-American students integrated Little Rock Central High School, Kristin Levine takes a unique approach. Her novel, The Lions of Little Rock (available January 5, 2012), unfolds in 1958-59, a time known as "the lost year." While I've heard all about the Little Rock Nine, I think I've always assumed that they marched in, integrated the schools, and that was that. Well, as Levine proves in her vivid, well-researched story, that was not it at all. While the issue of school integration was batted about by voters, protestors and politicians, teenage students missed an entire year of instruction. Families were torn apart over the polarizing issue, property was damaged, people were terrorized and Little Rock became known as a hotbed of racism. Through the eyes of Marlee Nesbitt, we see it all, experience it all. Most of all, we feel it all - the injustice, the irony, the hypocrisy - through the heart of a young girl who just wants a friend. Marlee's earnestness makes her story warmhearted, meaningful and, most of all, memorable. I loved it.

(Readalikes: Jericho Walls by Kristi Collier, Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith and With the Might of Angels by Andrea Davis Pinkney)

Grade: B+

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for violence, mild language, and racial slurs

To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of The Lions of Little Rock from the generous folks at Putnam (a division of Penguin). Thank you!

Turns out, though, Kristina's got a real hunger for meth. The need for it doesn't dissipate when she returns home - it multiplies. It also turns out, she doesn't have to go very far to get what she needs. Soon, she's toking on a daily basis, blissing out to take the edge off her worries. It's under control, though. Kristina can stop any time she wants to ... until she can't anymore. As her lust for the drug grows, the good girl turns into someone she hardly recognizes, someone who lies, steals, deals, lets herself be used - anything to score another hit of the monster that's slowly consuming her.

If you're new to BBB, you might be wondering what a "Mormon Mention" is. Heck, you may be wondering what a Mormon is. Here's a hint: My name is Susan. I'm a book blogger. And I'm a Mormon. Since I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (often referred to as The Mormon Church), I'm naturally concerned about how my religion is portrayed in the media. This blog deals with books, so every time I find a reference to Mormonism (written by a non-Mormon) in my reading, I highlight it here, along with my reaction to the statement(s). This gives me a chance to explain confusing doctrine, debunk misconceptions and laugh at the peculiarities of Mormon culture (it's true, sometimes we can be a funny bunch).

(Book image from Barnes & Noble; gull painting by beloved LDS artist Minerva Teichert)

As with any historical event, differing accounts of the incident exist. Even if it has been exaggerated over the years, I don't care. I love the story of the seagulls devouring the crickets because, to me, it represents the inexhaustible faith, hard work and commitment of those early pioneers. Plus, I detest crickets.

Marcy Foster's one of those not-anything girls - she's not model-pretty; she doesn't have any mad athletic skillz; she's not musical or crafty or particularly smart. The 15-year-old's just not ... anything. She's a leftover. But, thankfully, not the only one. Marcy's got a group of Leftover friends, including her "emo-sensitive rocker" boyfriend, Linus, and her anime-obsessed BFF, Katie, who make life in Boise, Idaho, bearable. With her posse by her side, Marcy's getting along just fine, even when her parents' marriage starts to crumble.
Then Marcy's mother suggests a little road trip. It's supposed to be a summer getaway, a little girls-only breather at their lake house in New Hampshire. It's supposed to be fun. Only Marcy's mom won't get out of bed, Marcy's lonely and bored, and, the closer Labor Day gets, the more permanent the situation is becoming. As much as Marcy longs for her old life in Idaho - the one that's seeming more remote by the day - she knows her mom needs her. Plus, there's a boy. J.D. Gallagher's sweet, fun and, most importantly, not in Idaho. Marcy wants to be faithful to Linus, but that's not as easy as it sounds. Not with J.D. so available.
As Marcy struggles to deal with her mother's depression, the anger she feels at her cheating father, and her own romantic entanglements, she'll come to some startling conclusions - about family, about friendship and about what it means to truly love someone.
Love & Leftovers (available January 1, 2012), a debut novel-in-verse by Sarah Tregay, is a quick, hopeful read about one girl's battle to find her place in the world. Especially when the one she's always known is disintegrating before her very eyes. Marcy's an empathetic character with a strong, genuine voice that will draw readers into her world and make them care about what happens in it. Her hardships ring true, as do her reactions to them. She's flawed, but likable and convincing. While the story deals with some difficult subjects, it is, in the end, a sweet, warm-hearted tale about the things that are most important in life. Love & Leftovers is a strong debut that makes me wonder just what else its author has hidden up her sleeve.
(Readalikes: Reminded me of Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler and a little of Back When You Were Easier to Love by Emily Wing Smith)
Grade: B
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for language (one F-bomb) and some sexual innuendo/content
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of Love & Leftovers from the generous folks at Katherine Tegen Books (an imprint of Harper Collins). Thank you!