It’s been a long time since I was a teen and it seems like eating disorders are much more commonplace (in fact they only affect about 1% of teen girls–see note below**), but I still wonder if anyone reading this hasn’t had a friend or a relative who has struggled through anorexia or bulimia.

And now with a tween daughter of my own, I feel certain that at some point one of her friends or she herself will struggle. Is there anything that we can do to prevent it? What do we do when we think it’s a problem for a loved one? This was my mindset as I went into Brave Girl Eating: A Family’s Struggle with Anorexia.

Harriet Brown is a reporter by trade, and she brings some of that fact-finding expertise and ability to explain and evoke empathy without being overly dramatic. However she writes this book as a mom.

When her daughter lost a noticeable amount of weight and became insecure and emotional, Brown worried that she had an eating disorder. When it was diagnosed as anorexia by their family doctor, she was faced with how to treat it. Many people opt for residential treatment, but Brown went with hands-on Family Based Treatment (FBT). This book details her day by day, week by week, and month by month treatment of her daughter.

Brown is not at all overly dramatic, and yet this is a heart-wrenching book. It reminds me a lot of Beautiful Boy, written by another journalist David Sheff about his son’s addiction to crystal meth.

In each case, my heart went out for the parents’ love and care and hard — but good — choices. And ultimately I wondered if the kid will be okay, or when the parents will be able to rest in the knowledge that their child is healed.

If this is a real issue in your life right now for you or someone you love, I’d also like to recommend another resource I reviewed a while ago — 100 Q&A about Anorexia Nervosa — that gives answers in a very short readable and meaningful way about how to tell if a loved one might have an eating disorder, how eating disorders affect you, and how to broach the subject.

**Edited after publication to refer to my reply in the comments to Amy for more about this statistic.

Also, I marked it for Teens as well because I think it would be of interest and compelling to them to read. I know that I would have lapped something like this up to supplement fictional stories, and while there is a bit of cursing, there are no other adult themes that would be inappropriate for kids of that age.

I’ve given this book 5 Stars, because it’s honest, true, helpful, relevant and the story pulled me along and made me feel and think. We’ve been reading some good stuff lately. Check out the other titles that we’ve deemed the best of the best.

Jennifer Donovan doesn’t need to read or watch horror. Real life is terrifying enough. She blogs at Snapshot, and while her life is not all bunnies and butterflies, it’s satisfying boring.

Suzanne Collins lives in my area. Yes, THE Suzanne Collins. She generally does library and school appearances and signings, but the past couple of years, she’s been very busy with the release of Catching Fire and Mockingjay (linked to Dawn’s review), and I don’t know if you knew that she’s writing the screenplay for The Hunger Games movie right now — so we haven’t been able to see her.

When my daughter Amanda and her good friend Haley found out she was going to be doing a reading and signing about an hour away, her mom and I bought the tickets (a hardcover copy of the book at full price, even though I had already preordered one at an incredibly low price at amazon) and made plans to attend. Since the event was on Friday August 27, I kept my amazon order so that Amanda could read it beforehand.

The girls were decked out and ready to go — each wearing limited-edition shirts — Haley (left) in a prototype Mockingjay shirt that she received months ago, and Amanda in her Catching Fire shirt that my contact hooked us up with. They are also sporting mockingjay tattoos.

Since I didn’t want to pay $19.00 for another book, and since it was billed as a reading only with no Q&A, the other mom and I decided that we’d just let the girls go, and we’d wait for them outside.

Amanda said that Collins read from Catching Fire first, so that they could get a feel for the reading. Then she moved to the much-awaited Mockingjay, and the house went silent. No one whispered, no one moved. Everyone listened raptly.

After the short reading, they stood in line to get their books stamped with a special limited-edition stamp only used for this tour (seen above). Due to hand strain, she’s only stamping and not personalizing (which was well-publicized when we bought the ticket).

Per Suzanne’s taped Q&A that appeared at the Scholastic On Our Minds blog, she is tired and in need of a vacation. I believe it! I’m sure that’s one reason that most of her publicity tour seems to be occurring within a few hours drive of her home. But don’t despair. You can hear her read the first chapter of Mockingjay right now, controversial accent and all!! Check it out at the On Our Minds blog.

Want more Mockingjay? Check out Dawn’s spoiler-free review, and if you haven’t already, click over to 5 Minutes for Mom to enter to win a very limited edition 8GB Ipod Touch with the mockingjay emblem on the back!

Jennifer Donovan is so pleased that her daughter shares her love of reading and books and the respect for those who create them. She writes more about motherhood at her blog Snapshot.

This is the one word that’s been on many, many lips since the third book was announced in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Forget sparkly vampires, this one is all about a dystopian world in which society as we know it has been gone for quite some time, and in its place is a controlling and abusive government called the Capitol which keeps order through horrific measures.

*You can count on me to leave out any spoilers for Mockingjay, but if you haven’t read the two previous installments of the trilogy, you might want to get thee to a library/bookstore/friend’s bookshelf before reading further.*

We first met Katniss in The Hunger Games (linked to my review), the teenager from District Twelve whose life of daily struggles changes the instant her younger sister’s name is drawn as a Tribute to be sent to the yearly Hunger Games– a televised national “competition” in which two children from each district are sent into an arena where they must fight to the death until one Victor can be crowned. Katniss volunteers in her place, and we follow her into the arena of the 74th Hunger Games.

With Catching Fire (also linked to my review), we learn that not even Victors get to live happily ever after as Katniss once again finds herself in the Hunger Games arena. The plot twists in book one have forced President Snow into an undesirable position, and the one thing he cannot have is unrest in the districts. With that in mind, it appears that the Capitol is determined to take Katniss out before she embodies the rallying cry a nation needs to rebel.

That’s where Mockingjay begins, and just to be safe, I re-read both previous books in the two days leading up to the delivery of my pre-ordered book. I was ready to jump right back into action by Katniss’ side, and I prepared myself for what I knew would be another intense experience, knowing that Katniss would have no home to return to in light of the rebellions now united by the symbol of the mockingjay. Yes, the action and intensity are on par with the others, but there’s a growing sense of hopelessness in this one that tore at my heart. The atrocities that can be justified by people in power are again overwhelming, and the socio-political statements here are as thinly veiled as ever. The irony in the “Peacekeepers” moniker is just the beginning, and there’s so much that can be dissected, discussed and pondered over in this world that Collins has created- a world that reads in horrors, so unreal and unimaginable, until tiny cracks of reality peek through. It’s beyond horrific to think that anything like this could ever truly occur, but it’s even more frightening to imagine the small events and actions that could eventually lead to something none too different.

Without revealing any spoiler info, I have been reading discussions taking place on other book blogs, and the common theme has been personal reactions to the ending. I’ve read much grumbling about the ending by some folks, but I have to say that it worked perfectly for me. Perhaps I’m easy to please, but I didn’t bristle at one aspect of Collins’ choices in the end, even though I mourned the ending of series that simultaneously horrified and fascinated me for two years.

Brilliantly conceived trilogy, so of course, Mockingjay must join its predecessors on our 5 Star Reads list!

I’d love to hear what you thought– did Suzanne Collins come through for you? Were you rooting for Gale or Peeta to win her heart (or maybe neither??)? Did the ending leave you satisfied, frustrated or just wanting more? I cannot guarantee that the comments will be spoiler-free, so readers be warned. But really, if you haven’t read these books yet, what are you waiting for?!

Dawn parented for three days straight with her eyes behind a book, and thankfully her children are no worse for the wear. She even blogged at my thoughts exactly in the wee hours of the morning upon finishing the book.

When she turns 15, she’s supposed to take more responsibility in caring for one of the suites. As it happens, the mysterious and headstrong Amy Amberson, a former actress, moves in and hires Scarlett to be her assistant.

She’s quirky, and her quirks give level-headed Scarlett an easy “straight man”. She plays the same role to older-brother Spencer, who is as silly as you would expect a physical comedian to be. Lola, her older sister is sweet and kind and is dating the stereotypical rich guy. The youngest sibling, Marlene, 10, experiences her own adventures as a cancer-surviving “Power Kid.”

This is a simple character-driven comedic novel.

Scarlett Fever picks up right where the first book leaves off. Summer is ending, and Ms. Amberson has moved out of the Hopewell hotel, but Scarlett is still working for her while also trying to balance school, and Ms. Amberson’s quirky new dog and new acting clients who include a young Broadway star who tries to befriend Scarlett.

The maturity level steps up a bit as more of the plot centers around Scarlett’s siblings who are out of high school, but it has the same warm (and funny) tone as the first book.

I look forward to reading more adventures about Scarlett and her family and the motley crew that tag along with them.

Audiobook review: I listened to Suite Scarlett as an audiobook from Brilliance Audio. At first I found the narrator to be a little overly perky, but part of that was because she was supposed to be reading a guidebook entry. The audiobook was well-done, conveying the nuance of Scarlett’s character (and all her siblings as well), and even though I read the second book, I still heard the narrator’s voice in my head.

Content note for parents: At first I planned for Amanda (who is in 7th grade) to hold off a couple of years in reading this book. In general, I found it to be a great book for high schoolers. The language is mild, and Scarlett is the kind of kid we want our kids to be — smart, studious, level-headed. But she is 15, and her brother Spencer is older (maybe 19 or 20?), and so there are some themes that are more appropriate for high schoolers. For example, there is no sexual content (beyond some kissing), but it’s clear that her other brother has used many of the rooms in the hotel to be with the ladies. There’s no detail at all, so the reader can draw her own conclusion.

In the end, Amanda listened to it (and liked it). The product recommendation is “7th grade and up” and for most kids who watch any sort of prime time TV or PG-13 movies, it’s going to be much tamer than anything that they have picked up there. For the most part, I’ve chosen the “I don’t forbid, I discuss” route of reading with my growing-up daughter.

The second book (which Amanda hasn’t read yet) has Spencer starring in a TV show as a young guy who made his fortune in the p*rn industry. In my mind, the book would be stronger without it, but he is supposed to be skeezy, so the end message is that p*rn is skeezy. . . .

But in general I really like Scarlett and her family. I like that there is some good mostly-clean YA lit for smart savvy high school girls to enjoy — a story that doesn’t revolve around hooking up or getting drunk or rebelling against your parents.

And because Carrie knew she wasn’t going to listen to the audiobook that Brilliance provided in our BookBloggerCon swag bags, she gave me her copy to give away to one of you! THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.

So please leave a comment if you’d like to win the Suite Scarlett audiobook (U.S. addresses only). I’ll draw a winner on September 1.

Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter.

Jennifer Donovan loves going back in time, reliving her teen years via YA lit as her own daughter approaches them in real life. She blogs about their life in Connecticut at Snapshot.

With Infinite Days, Rebecca Maizel satisfies that craving.

I heard the author speak at the Book Expo, and her take on the story intrigued me: “Lenah is a 592 year old vampire who turns human and lives in a boarding school as a 16-year-old girl. She has all this guilt associated with her evil ruthless vampire life as she begins to feel and experience things as a human.”

The way that relates to us is that we all have guilt about our pasts, and we have to learn to deal with it as we grow and change.

This story was very interesting. I’m not sure how it compares to other vampire novels, but these are mean, dark, blood-sucking killing vampires, not sweet lovable heartthrobs. I found the vampire lore to be interesting, and I would think it would add to the knowledge of anyone who likes vampires.

What’s more, this book spans history — from the 15th century to the present day — as Lenah flashes back on her life. There is some humor as she has to struggle to learn what life is like in the 21st century, since she’s been asleep the last 100 years, so it touches on so many genres that this book could earn a wide audience. If you enjoy historical fiction, paranormal suspense, or just a good YA read, Infinite Days might be your next favorite book.

CONTENT NOTE: YA content is unpredictable, with some being appropriate for a young tween and others that make my own 39-year-old self blush. This doesn’t really have any objectionable content per se, but I don’t think I’ll pass it along to my 12-year-old daughter quite yet. I don’t recall any swearing. The sexual content is implied, but mild by high school YA standards. There is a bit of drinking, but it’s not portrayed in a positive light.

I think that my reservations come because it’s just a bit intense and heavy. As I said, the vampires are evil and ruthless, so I think that a little more maturity is needed to process and filter it.

I listened to the audiobook of The Adoration of Jenna Fox a while ago — a long while, and I’ve been remiss in posting a review, even though I really liked it, and Amanda (age 11) also listened and enjoyed it.

This book is set in an unknown future time. Science’s progress has begun to chip away at certain things, and people like Jenna’s grandmother are trying to preserve things of old, like heirloom fruits and vegetables. That’s a very timely issue for now with people asking themselves those very same questions in relation to the way that food is grown and raised.

Another issue that will stand out to parents and kids today is the adoration of their children (hence the title). Jenna is able to remember her life from the hours and hours and hours of video footage that her doting parents shot of her.

Corollary issues aside, the theme of this novel is medical ethics. How far is too far? Just because science gives us the ability to do something, should we?

This is one of those semi-cryptic reviews (which is maybe why I held off so long in writing it), and that’s intentional. The story is best unfolded as the reader discovers the truth along with Jenna.

I believe that this video trailer of the book is word for word from the first pages. It gives a pretty good set-up, and unlike other trailers, since it’s just an excerpt from the beginning of the book, it doesn’t give anything away.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox is a YA title that will also appeal to adult readers, especially those looking for a suspenseful, futuristic, medical drama.

Audiobook notes: I first listened to this because I loved narrator Jenna Lamia’s work in The Chosen One (linked to my review), which is not really dystopian, but runs in that same vein, because something is very very wrong with the society of which Kyra is a part and begins to question.

Jenna Lamia delivers another outstanding understated, yet absolutely riveting performance in The Adoration of Jenna Fox. She manages to convey Jenna’s sense of confusion and wonder without going overboard. She’s awesome.

Jennifer Donovan adores her children, 11 and 6, but doesn’t have millions of photos or hours of video footage to prove it. She occasionally blogs about them at Snapshot.

When Jimmy starts high school in a new neighborhood school, he hopes that his middle school memories of being pegged “Not-So-Slim-Jimmy” will be just memories, but unfortunately his weight continues to attract constant teasing, or more appropriately labeled abuse, by his peers. At the beginning of the year, his new English teacher assigns a journal and it is in this format that we are witness to Jimmy’s freshman year, complete with his insights on the inner workings of the social hierarchy of high school written in a voice that demonstrates a remarkably reflective nature.

Family, church and youth group provide the only sanctuaries where Jimmy feels safe, but these are also the places where he often finds comfort with food, and descriptions of his eating habits make up much of his journal entries. A regular checkup with his doctor provides an image in Jimmy’s mind of a future that he doesn’t want to see come true, and he makes up his mind to bring about some change. His determination and tenacity are among his many respectable qualities– Jimmy is an honest, intelligent and overall great kid.

Throughout his school-year long journal, Jimmy records his experiences and perspectives in an engaging tone, causing readers to empathize with him and encourage his strength. In addition to the newly released book through Sleeping Bear Press, The Fat Boy Chronicles will also be coming out as a movie in the near future, as described on the official site.

The publisher is graciously offering three copies of The Fat Boy Chronicles for giveaway. Please leave a comment to be entered, US residents only, and we’ll announce the winners on July 28th.

The winner of the Bugs & Insects giveaway is #24 – Dena

Dawn could stand to be inspired by a book like this, but her Fat Mom Chronicles takes the form of her blog, my thoughts exactly.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson is about Lennie’s journey as she is learning to cope with the unexpected and sudden loss of her sister. It leads her to make unwise choices in matters of the heart, as she struggles with her attraction to her sister’s boyfriend Toby. Complicating matters is the introduction of Joe Fontaine on the scene – the new boy, who only knows Lennie “after” – after the death of sister, not as one of two, the sisters who were as close as best friends, yet different as night and day.

Any good coming-of-age story, which this is, must put the teen through a crisis, and grief is the crisis that helps Lennie discover who she really is and who she is choosing to be. It’s sad, but all teens (all of any of us for that matter) experience sadness, whether it’s due to divorce, death, the end of a relationship, or even disappointment over a lost opportunity. I think that’s why this story seems so wonderfully ordinary and relatable.

I found this sullen, morose teen character to be strangely lovable. I understood her bad choices, and I ached with her when they caused her the trouble she deserved. I wished that I could have given her and her friends the wisdom that comes with many years of life, but I couldn’t. When you are a teen, you think that you know it all. You think that your few years of life give you all you need to make decisions and to judge another’s actions, but they don’t.

Eventually Lennie and the others around her figure this out, as Lennie figures out who she is – both with and without her sister and her mother.

The Sky is Everywhere is the story of things that all teenage girls face. We see Lennie deal with her fears, her emotions, her attraction to boys (two different boys), her talent, her friends, her desires for her future.

There is some sexual content and cursing, so it’s definitely a novel for teens (or for adults who enjoy Young Adult novels). I think that most parents of high schoolers would not object to the content, but I would say it’s definitely not for tween YA readers (at least not my tween YA reader). As always if you have any specific questions about content in any of our reviews, just send us an email or leave a comment and we’ll gladly give you more specific information.

The descriptive evocative language reminds me what it is I love about middle grade and young adult writing. I also love the honest true contemporary teen voice, and for that reason, I am giving it the 5 Star Read label.

Audiobook review: The narrator Julia Whelan’s understated straightforward reading is perfect to tell this story of a 17-year-old girl grappling with grief and moral dilemmas and the general angst of being a 17-year-old girl. The end and beginning of each CD also had a slight overlap (a sentence or two), which I really liked, for confirming that was indeed where I left off. Clarinet music, appropriate to the plot, was used as a transition at the beginning and end of each CD.

Jennifer Donovan has a fantasy-loving 11-year-old daughter (who will not be reading this book for a couple of years), and a non-fiction reading 6-year-old son. She blogs about their life in Connecticut at Snapshot.

Her inventive fey (faery) world pulled me right in. It’s one of those imagined worlds that has you amazed at the detail and the thought that went in behind it. This book seems to be marketed to girls (from the cover and the fact that it’s published by Harlequin Teen), but I think that this book would appeal to young men or women who are interested in fantasy. In fact, there’s a good bit of battle, which was one of the factors that reminded me a lot of The Lord of the Rings.

While we are on the subject of the publisher, don’t let the “Harlequin” label fool you. Just as you probably did if you haven’t read Harlequin lately, or checked out Harlequin Teen, I thought of bodice-ripping heroes and smarmy love stories, but this is not your mother’s Harlequin! This is very fast-paced, modern, and original teen fiction.

To make another comparison, I’ve heard that a lot of moms of teen girls are looking for a series with a strong heroine (in contrast to the lovelorn and Bella from Twilight). May I introduce Meghan Chase? At least so far, she’s a strong heroine. Not perfect, not always wise or always using her head, but the whole reason that she is on this mission is to selflessly risk her life to save her four-year-old brother’s.

This is a fantasy adventure that will also appeal to fans of dystopian fiction, because the faery land has fallen into disrepair because of the harmful effects of iron in the world that the Iron King is using against them. It’s suspenseful, imaginative, and a little bit scary as well.

Find out more about the author at Julie Kagawa.com and more about the series at the Iron Fey site. While you’re there, you can read the first three chapters of The Iron King, and download the novella Winter’s Passage (also available on your Kindle at amazon), which bridges the first novel to the second, The Iron Daughter (August 2010).

Are you intrigued?

We have a great prize package (U.S. shipping addresses only):

• One reader will receive a $25 Visa Gift Card and an autographed copy of The Iron King
• Three Runners up will receive a copy of The Iron King

Leave a comment if you would like to win. We’ll announce the winners on July 7.This giveaway is now closed.

Jennifer Donovan has a fantasy-loving 11-year-old daughter, and a non-fiction reading 6-year-old son. She blogs about their life in Connecticut at Snapshot.

Because I still get comments on those first two posts, I know that this series is attracting new and devoted followers all the time. I will say that although I’ve enjoyed exploring this very teen-oriented series, especially on audiobook, the third book in the series left me feeling a little concerned about the direction of the last half of the series.

I realize that it’s hard to keep the same characters fresh — to give them new ways to interact, and new things to experience. Dark Flame does this for sure. It’s a strong book, and adds new and completely believable obstacles and conflict into all the character’s lives that give them a bit of needed depth.

We have a set of the first four books in the Immortals series (thus far) in audiobook format from MacMillan Audio to give to one of you. If the series is new to you, this is a great way to “read” it (as I have been doing). If you’ve already read the first three, I think that you are going to love the audiobook version as another way to experience a series you like.

Please leave a comment (U.S. addresses only) if you’d like to win. We’ll announce the winner on June 30.

I was also excited to find out that Alyson Noel has a new series featuring Riley, Ever’s sister, and her life in Summerland. It’s called Radiance and the book and audiobook will be out 8/31.

Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter.

Jennifer Donovan enjoys dipping into the teen mind in books, and especially audiobooks, which sometimes feel a little like eavesdropping. She blogs at Snapshot.

Sammy’s life consists of school, hanging out with friends, and most importantly, cultivating his band. When he’s not irritated with the lead singer’s domineering manner, or trying to get all the members to play the same song at the same time, or struggling to get everyone to show up at a practice, he can’t help but believe that they could someday experience success on the indie scene. Sammy lives and breathes music, and even if his mother doesn’t understand it, he can’t imagine a future without it being the central force in his life. The only person who does seem to understand is his now ailing grandfather, who was an accomplished jazz musician. At times, Sammy knows his grandfather truly gets what he feels from music, but now that he’s getting sick, it’s more difficult to reach out to him for understanding.

Throw in a Battle of the Bands contest, which may be a lame kind of contest but still offers a prize of free studio time to make a recording, along with his growing fear about his grandfather’s condition, and confusion regarding the status of his long-standing friendship with a girl who just might be better as more than a friend, and you’ve got a contemporary story of adolescence that flows with an insistence that calls to mind exactly what it feels like to be a teenager. Skovron’s narrative and dialogue ring authentic, especially for the modern urban/suburban setting that he paints. While my experience has shown that some YA fiction can skew toward the younger end of the spectrum, I would personally recommend this book for older teenagers, in consideration of some language and sexual content.

I especially found the relationship between Sammy and his mother, who is raising him on her own and working more than full-time hours, to be touching and genuine. Sometimes there’s more said between them in the words that they don’t say, but the delicacy of the interactions between them were intensely believable on the page.

I feel compelled to disclose that I know this author personally, as he is a fellow parent at my son’s school, and I actually asked him directly if I could review his book. I’m glad that I did, and I was impressed by the realistic and powerful novel that he has written in Struts & Frets.

It’s been a while since Dawn was a teenager, and she was most definitely not one of the cool kids, but now she can pretend to be one on her blog, my thoughts exactly.