Danielle Levine attends a school for students with learning disabilities, fitting since she has OCD. Even though all of the students have their issues, there is still the typical high school hierarchy, and since Danielle has curly red hair and is a size 12 instead of an eight or smaller, she is not one of the cool kids. Through the essays she writes for English, the emails to her aunt Joyce, and the collections of hats, sneakers and snow globes over which she obsesses, we  gradually learn about Danielle and what caused her to leave her last school. In the end, she learns to “abide” as the Dude would say and live with the life she has. There is a lot of humor in this book; Danielle’s observations about her peers are spot on and wicked. In fact, her snarky writing prompts her English teacher to contact home and she is forced to meet with the school psychologist and attend a social skills class. Danielle finally takes off the rose colored glasses through which she viewed the unattainable jock Jacob and makes friends with a few people who give her the support she needs. The relationships Danielle develops are heart-warming. Most teens will be able to relate to Danielle’s efforts to navigate through the trials of high school of someone who is not popular and who has experienced an actual trauma.

Izzy has issues: she has huge boobs that the boys tease her about mercilessly,her mother is hypercritical of her appearance, constantly implying that she looks slutty, and her best friend is acting totally weird. But none of that compares to the fact that her mother is hiding something. She had cancer – but she is better, isn’t she? And why is her bff acting so weird? Why is the hottest guy on the basketball team hanging around her? It seems like everyone is keeping something from Izzy. Her method to deal with everything is to look for symptoms and self-diagnose. If Izzy is sick, her mother will have to pay attention to her, and not just for her boobs, right? When a risque picture of her goes viral and her mother needs surgery, Izzy’s entire world falls down around her.  There is a lot going on in this book. And the boys who make sure the picture is seen by everyone are not held accountable for what they do. But this book is about relationships and truth. Izzy is believable and readers will root for her to figure out what is going on around her and overcome the challenges that face her. Lots of humor here, but some serious issues as well. I wish the ending didn’t seem so pat.

Zen (Athena) and Xander (Alexandria) are trying to deal with the death of their mother, with no help from their father who has withdrawn from his family and the world. Zen buries herself in her karate training and instruction; Xander, who has always been somewhat of a wild child, is now on a path of total destruction. One day, the girls receive a letter from their mother, which promises that there will be more letters and packages to come. What also arrives is a mystery. The girls find out that their mother had a secret, and since she isn’t there to ask, they decide to find out on their own. However, the closer they get to an answer, the less certain they are that they want to know.

The sisters are realistic and believable; their struggle to deal with their grief rings true. The supporting characters are interesting; it is a shame that their father is so crippled with grief that he is just a side character. There is some language and quite a bit of objectionable behavior; however, it is not gratuitous. It is Xander’s way of dealing with her grief and quite understandable, if misguided.

Definitely for grades 9+.