Freeze Frame Heidi Ayarbe

Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe Kyle shoots his best friend Jason in the shed. Friends since childhood the two have been drifting apart. Jason's new friends call Kyle the shadow. Kyle can't remember the moment he pulled the trigger and he's afraid it wasn't an accident. Kyle is a movie buff, the only way he can cope with looking back on what happened is through the eyes of his favorite directors. He badly wants a retake or an edit but must settle for remembering. Freeze Frame is an intense read that moves at a perfect pace. Ayarbe does a wonderful job. It isn't until the end that we know what really happened. The reader can feel Kyles doubts and insecurities. I loved the character Ayarbe created in Mr. Cordoba, the high school libarian. She gives us glimpses into Mr. Cordoba's life and its easy to see why he cares. I loved the interaction between Kyle and Mr. Cordoba. I also loved Kyles voice, it was real and his actions understandable. I highly recommand Freeze Frame.

Kyle revists the shed

"The floor was filthy except for one really white spot. I kneeled down and touched where his blood had pooled. I tried to replay it all. But I still didn't know how it happened. How could something like that happen? It was just one second. Not even a second really. Then the burn, the powder, the ashes.
Ashes, ashes, we all fall down
What had I done?"

Release date October 7

Service Pause

A service pause is the customer service equivalent to a pregnant pause in a conversation

It occurs when a sales person has checked and double checked everywhere for the must have item including calling other stores (while the customer watches). The sales person then proceeds to tell the customer, unfortunately the must have item is not to be found. Now the way conversations work it is the customers turn to speak. But no, instead we get the service pause. Where the customer looks at sale person and waits. Maybe customers think if they wait long enough the answer will change and the item will magically appear or it will shoot out of our asses. I have no idea. All I know is that I told them all I know and I have nothing left to say. And I refuse to fill in the service pauses any longer. I still hate the awkward pause but I am like wtf ever I did my job, I ain't saying shit else. So while the customer is waiting for the sales person to change their answer. We are waiting for the customer to say thank you for trying. I'll check back in a few weeks. Whoever speaks first loses. And remember we have more to lose. If you speak first the customer will ask you to check one more place. How about the store out in Sandcity? If you're a sales person to do not speak first. Hold firm and remember you are in the right.

Point - America

America Ferrera seemed like a really nice person before this, and now I love her even more

Boot Camp Todd Strasser

Boot Camp by Todd Strasser. 15 yr old Garrett is kidnapped , and taken to Boot Camp. His parents want him reprogrammed, and return a perfect son. It doesn't matter that Garrett's behavior doesn't warrant a trip to Lake Harmony, his parents are spending thousands of dollars in tuition. At Lake Harmony every teen is treated the same emotionally, physically and psychologically abused until they are broken. Garrett's abuse at Lake Harmony begins quickly. On Garrett's second day he is sent to T.I., and it won't be his only time.

"Welcome to TI- Temporary Isolation- where I am forced to lie facedown on the cold concrete floor for twenty-four hours a day except for a few minutes here and there to eat or use the bathroom. After a day your chin becomes sore, your neck muscles cramp, and your knees and ribs grow raw from pressing against the hard floor."

Pauly and Sarah, two long time Lake Harmony residents are ready to make a break for it. They want Garrett to go with them. Garrett still believes his parent will come get him or maybe the police but Pauly and Sarah know the truth. At first I didn't like the ending. After I had a day to marinate on the novel, the ending was more then right. It's not often I do a 360 on an ending but I was wrong and I am a big enough reader to admit that. Boot Camp is an intense read, once you start you won't be able to stop.

Boot Camp is a finalist for the Georgia Peach Book Award 2008-2009, for teen readers. Which also makes it a part of the Dekalb reading bowl. Check out the link below
http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/hrrb/highschoolbooklist.html

Heck:Where the Bad Kids Go Dale E. Basye

Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go by Dale E. Basye. I saw this book right before I want on vacation and it was instant like. The cover is perfect. The cover art depicts the Fauster siblings just as Bayse intended. Milton is the younger brother who likes to stay out of trouble. Marlo is a kleptomaniac and proud of it. The story begins will Milton and Marlo running from mall security after Marlo stole an oar. In their escape attempt the two are killed by a marshmallow bear explosion and sent to Heck. "Heck is an otherworldly reform school." "Where the souls of the darned toil for all eternity or until they turn eighteen, whichever comes first." Milton's ethnic class is taught in room 1972 by Nixon. His gym teacher is Blackbeard.
If anyone belongs in Heck its Marlo. Milton however has a clean record except for right before the marshmallow bear accident, when his sister tricked him into stealing make up. Now the Fauster kids are trying to find a way out of Heck. This part of the story reminded me a lot of Hellbent by Anthony McGowan which I loved as well. Milton is determined to prove he doesn't belong in Heck. Bea "Elsa" Bubb the schools principal will not allow this. Bayse writing is perfectly fun and entertaining. I enjoy a good play on words but sometimes authors can over do it to the point of annoyance. Bayse play on words is spot on. I had a difficult time deciding what to share.
"Behind them a full bodied mall security guard lumbered in hot pursuit. Another chunky style defender of mall law soon joined him, slurping down a smoothie."
"Bea "Elsa" Bubb's office and its owner both exuded a distinctive odor, part mothballs, part rosewater, part distinctive, part sour milk, part menthol rub, with a sharp undercurrent somewhere between vomit and neglected cat box. "
Marlo and Milton are very likable characters. Though this novel is filled with funny, there are moments that will make a reader pause to think about life and for that reason I believe Heck would make an interesting book club selection for a boy/girl book group. I loved and highly recommend Heck.