Friday, September 23, 2016

Learning to Swear in America by Katie Kennedy -ESSENTIAL

Kennedy, Katie Learning to Swear in America, 340 pgs. Bloomsbury, 2016. $17.99. Content: Language: PG13 (15 swears: a few of each); Mature Content: PG13 (teen lust, kissing, and sex talk) Violence: PG (fistfight)
Yuri is a seventeen year old Russian who is a genius in Astrophysics, having already gotten his PhD and many accolades. When an asteroid is discovered coming quickly towards impact with earth, Yuri is loaned the team in the US, where all experts are gathered together trying to stop it. On one of his first days he meets a girl named Dovie. Both Dovie and her family are something that Yuri has never experienced; creativity, acceptance, and family. As he spends more time with them, he is torn between his heavy responsibilities and the pure joy of being a normal teenager. Turns out the asteroid is worse than they thought and Yuri may have to step up and do something against his conscience.
This is a fantastic book!!!! The author builds a real world with completely fleshed out characters, making even a genius a relatable to the reader. The plot is multifaceted and you feel torn with Yuri to get to work and to get to experience real life and even his worries about home. The danger is epic and it propels the reader forward through the pages. The science part and the motivation to better yourself is what makes it a perfect fit for a school library yet the plot and the characters make it perfect for teen readers. I think they will be drawn in by the cover as well. Contains swear words, as promised by the title, but used as part of the plot, not for basic chit chat. The mature content is very much teen related and lusty, but not explicit.

HS –ESSENTIAL Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.

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