Title: I Love You, I Hate You, Get Lost
Author: Ellen Conford.
Genre: Teen fiction, mystery.
Teaser: Mitchell Proctor is the worst boyfriend on Earth. He doesn’t plan, organize, or analyze. So when Mitchell plans a date on a cruise, his girlfriend Dana is ecstatic and cannot wait to spend an entire romantic evening with him. Unfortunately, her elated feelings are killed when Dana’s mother forces Dana to take her little brother, Zach, too. Constantly irritating both Mitchell and Dana every second, Zach is ruining an ideal date. As a last resort, Mitchell turns to bribery. Five bucks later, Dana and Mitchell are finally at peace to enjoy the lovely music and scenery. That is until they realize Zach’s missing. This story seems like a sweet and romantic story at first, but its shocking twist in the middle stuns readers. The imagery Conford uses in the story helps readers imagine themselves on the cruise along with Dana, Mitchell, and possibly Zach.
Title: Liverwurst and Roses
Author: Ellen Conford.
Genre: Teen fiction, romance.
Teaser: Howie Freel and Bonnie Fitzgerald have always been the best of friends and neighbors since they were young. And the relationship had always remained the same: friendly. As they both grow into their teenage years, Howie develops romantic feelings for Bonnie. Although Howie makes several attempts at showing his love for Bonnie through action, (e.g making liverwurst sandwiches for lunch with roses in the bag and writing and recording a love song) Bonnie cannot seem to read the message. So finally, Howie works up the nerve to speak to Bonnie in person and reveal his true feelings upfront. Shockingly, his confession leaves Bonnie with a response he would never have expected. “Liverwurst and Roses” is another version of the cliché love story widely recognized in today’s pop culture. While the story itself is well-written, the plot is so typical that it only provides minimal entertainment for readers.
Title: Body Wave
Author: Ellen Conford.
Genre: Teen fiction, comedy.
Teaser: As Cheryl starts to prep Renee's hair for the big dance, Renee begins to brag about her latest accomplishment. It all started when Renee, being the self-centered girl she is, got a sudden urge to help someone to make herself feel good. So she decided to give Suzanne, a girl at the bottom of the food chain, a complete makeover for the dance. Although making it seem like a good deed, Renee had actually acted like the polar opposite of a kind friend. She had pushed Suzanne around and picked on her weaknesses. By the end of the styling session, Cheryl nearly gives Renee a heart attack when she gets what she really deserves: a taste of her own medicine. "Body Wave" is written very cleverly because it leads readers to wonder what the true pinnacle is until they get to the witty ending and realize what's actually happened.
Title: Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite
Author: Ellen Conford.
Genre: Teen fiction, family.
Teaser: Sally has just received the worst news of her life. Her mother’s going to marry Tina Grossman’s father! Tina Grossman, the school’s biggest bully and nicknamed the Gruesome Grossman, has made Sally her number-one target since grade school. With only a mere two months until the wedding, Sally and Tina’s mother and father, respectively, are forcing the two girls to bond over a sleepover. With past memories composed of numerous pilferages and daunting threats, Sally and Tina are about to embark on an escapade neither of them had ever imagined: a full night stuck together in the same room. “Don’t Let The Bed Bugs Bite” is a good read because it has a decent moral embedded in the story. Through Sally and Tina’s developing relationship, the story shows that despite bad histories, you should stop holding grudges and simply move on for the better.
Title: Beware the Ides of November
Author: Ellen Conford.
Genre: Teen fiction, comedy.
Teaser: With such accurate horoscopes for the past couples days, Nikki had faith in her latest prediction that read a "day of wonderful opportunities." Now, Nikki's ready to embark on what she thinks is going to be a great day. After sitting on an open-faced jelly sandwich, shorting out the locker room, getting a thread of her sweater stuck and causing it to unravel, suffering a concussion, and having her biggest crush carry her out of the nurse's office during an evacuation drill, Nikki has lost all respect for her psychic. That is until her crush calls Nikki to check on her. Maybe the prediction's accurate after all! This story is the most humorous out of the whole anthology because imagining Nikki suffer through those foolish obstacles makes you laugh. At the same time, it evokes a feeling of pity for Nikki because she was let down by entirely false conjectures.
