| Ask Amy Green: Boy Trouble (series #1) |
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What You Need to Know:
• Ask Amy Green: Boy Trouble is one of those teen books that older tweens can read. It is not terribly risqué, and it is
interesting enough to hold their attention.
• The main character, Amy, is 13 years old.
• Amy has family issues, friendship issues, and boy issues.
• Amy handles all of these challenges with grace and confidence; she is a good example for young girls.
• The book is set in Ireland. Let your reader know there is a glossary in the back explaining all things
"Irish teenager" (I didn't find said glossary until the end and spent a large part of the book wondering
what emos and Bebo pages were!).
• As a warning note, in case you want to prepare your reader beforehand, breast cancer is mentioned in this book.
• There is a really cute Ask Amy Green Website. |
Sweet Book Summary:
Amy lives in Ireland with her Mum and her Mum's boyfriend Dave, and her two half siblings, both of whom are babies. Life has been hectic for Amy since her parent's divorce. Her Dad cheated on her Mum and he now lives with his girlfriend Shelley, who is unbearable to Amy. The babies take up the whole house and a good part of Amy's time. Amy is the go-to babysitter, especially when Mum is losing her mind. The good news for Amy is she has a young, cool aunt named Clover, who is seventeen. Clover often whips over in her Mini-Cooper and saves the day for Amy. Clover has recently found a job at the cool magazine, Goss. She is writing a self-help column. The only problem is, she can't answer many of these pleas for help herself. That is where Amy steps in. For a thirteen year old, Amy is quite grounded and often has good, solid advice for the hopeless teenagers out there.
But Amy's main issue is her best friend Mills. Mills and Amy live next door to each other and have been friends forever, but then Sophie came along. Sophie views Amy as dead weight in their quest to be a part of the popular crowd and turns Mills against Amy. Amy stays true to herself and her values, and what do you know? Mills comes back when she realizes how shallow Sophie is. Amy also starts her first romance in this novel with emo (punk rocker to us Americans) Seth and has her first kiss.
This story is engaging, mostly funny and light with a side of good values and lessons on friendship and peer pressure. Amy is a really terrific character. Author, Sarah Webb, has done a great job drawing all the characters in this book and keeping an exciting plot moving right along. This is perfect for your (older) tween reader who likes realistic fiction with a bit of romance thrown in. It would be a nice, relaxing read after they finish their studies, but it will also make them think about how to solve their own problems. It would also be great by the pool or on any beach, too! |
Author: Sarah Webb Illustrator: N/A Published: 2010, 288 pages
Themes: Friendship, Family Life, Growing Up, Independence, Divorce |
Sweet Discussion Questions:
• What do you think of Amy's family situation?
• Are you or any of your friends in a similar situation? How do you/they deal with it?
• Do you have someone like Clover in your life? Who? How does that person help you?
• What do you do when a friend stops acting like a friend?
• Do you have friends that other friends don't approve of? What do you do when that happens?
• Do you know anyone who has a serious illness? How does it make you feel?
• Do you know anyone who comes from a blended family?
• Do you know anyone who has divorced parents?
• Do you ever babysit for your younger siblings? How do you feel about babysitting? Does it make you feel important
or angry?
• What kind of a girl is Sophie? Do you think she would be a good friend? Why? Why not?
• Do you know any girls like Sophie? Would you like to? What would you do if you met someone like her and she tried
to come between you and your friend?
• Is Sophie somewhat of a bully? How so? Why do you think Mills so easily gave up her friendship with Amy for
Sophie?
• What is peer pressure? Do you think Sophie used peer pressure to take Mills away from Amy? How?
• What could Mills have done to include Amy and show Sophie she was a good friend to her? |
| This recommendation was written by: Melissa Y. |
| Support Independent Book Shops: Click Here to Buy this Book on IndieBound |
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