Twisted

When Bad Things Happen to Decent People:
Tyler Miller has always been among the oppressed, from the time he was in middle through all his high school years. Until one day when he decides to make a statement by spray painting the school; suddenly, through arrest and a summer spent doing hard labor for community service, Tyler's transformed into one of the dangerous crowd. When he finally catches the eye of Bethany Milsbury, he thinks things are at last going to go well for him. Unfortunately, his home life and doing the decent thing bring his world down around him, and choices must be made. Gut-wrenching at times, Twisted follows Tyler as he comes to grips with who he is as a person and what he's willing to sacrifice. Anderson is a gifted storyteller and she gives Tyler a strong voice as he faces more arrest and becoming an outcast in his school community. Twisted is dark, and many teens will recognize the typical high school cliques. My biggest gripe is the lack of closure; Anderson gives us a realistic tale and leaves us hanging as to how it will all turn out. Good writing, though, and definitely an interesting plot that will engage. I'm not sure that enjoyed is the correct word, but I did find myself unable to put it down. Recommended.

Laurie Halse Anderson does it again!:
Laurie Halse Anderson has scored another hit with Twisted. I am a huge fan of her book Speak and think that this book is just as good as that one. As a high school librarian I am always looking for well-written books where the protagonists are realistic and relatible. This book gives us both. Plus, I like it that the main character is a male. I can recommend this book to both male and female students and I do.

Twisted Tale Of Teenaged Minds And What Teenagers Face:
I was in the bookstore and saw the cover. When I see a cover I really like, I always look at the flap to see what it's about. I thought it sounded pretty good, so I bought it, but didn't end up reading it until about a month after my purchase. I was skeptical at first abouyt Laurie Halse Anderson's "Twisted" because the first few pages were a little slow, but once you got into the book, it was a bit hard to put down. It was an honest look into the mind of a teenager, and what teenagers face in their lives. It was a pretty good book, and it's worth a try, however the beginning is a little slow.

It's Tough Being a Teenager:
Earlier this year, I read Twilight simply because a friend raved about it. I was very surprised that I would enjoy a young adult novel so much. I liked it so much, I decided to join the young adult challenge. I saw Twisted reviewed on another blog and decided that it would be the first book in this challenge. I enjoyed it very much. As a high school teacher, and the mother of a teenage boy, I found the character of Tyler to be very realistic. Anderson has managed to capture the indecision and longing for acceptance that every teenager experiences at this age. Anderson also manages to infuse the characters her novel with a sense of humor. Some parts of the book deal with sensitive subjects such as suicide, drinking, and sexual assault. Tyler's subtly humorous observations make it easier to get past the ugly topics and concentrate on the lessons he is trying to teach us.

4 ! Read to see why not a 5:
As I started reading "Twisted", I really found it very realistic since all this could easily be pictured in a teenager's world in that given scenario. It was quite a page turner but as soon as I got to the end, I mean it really felt like a loose ending and really too corny for my taste. Overall the book deserves a 5 but the ending really was disspointing so I give it a 4.