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Serafina67 *urgently requires life* (by Susie Day)

common sense media says

Teen reveals all in blog -- with consequences.

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that there is lots of teen drinking, "shagging" references (British term for sex), and in-school bullying incidents, including one that results in a girl having her hair cut by the bullies. There are also issues with anorexia (one girl encourages another to access a pro-anorexia Web site) and parent/child fights. Swearing is mostly in Web language, such as "WTF."

Positive messages: Some bad behavior including teenage tantrums. A girl threatens to run away. One girl is revealed to be an anorexic and steers a friend to a Web site celebrating and glamorizing the disease. But overall there are examples of parental guidance and attempts to settle errant behavior.
Violence: Some pretty serious bullying in which a girl is beaten up by several girls -- she even has her hair cut in one brawl.
Sex: While the sexual interactions aren't graphic, talk of kissing and "shagging" is prevalent throughout the book. There is also a lesbian teen character.
Language: Some swearing, but most of it is written in a way that readers would need to know the Web language equivalent -- "WTF" for "what the f--k. "Other swear words are spelled incorrectly, again according to online and instant message language. Swearing and name-calling are peppered throughout the book, but it isn't excessive.
Consumerism: Mention of some alcohol brands and online social networking sites.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Frequent teen drinking with several incidents in which teens get drunk and do things they later regret.
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More on Serafina67 *urgently requires life*

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about protecting personal information when using online social networking sites. What problems did Sarah encounter by revealing personal information online? Have you ever revealed too much online?

Families can also talk about why online communication is no substitute for in-person communication. How do you think things would have turned out if Sarah had gone to her friend about her eating disorder instead of posting it online? What issues could have Sarah avoided had talked to her parents more? Do you have things you wish you could talk to your parents about?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Sarah has a brand new laptop -- a divorce-guilt gift from her dad -- and a happiness goal. She's given herself a deadline to do the things that she thinks will make her happy including getting skinny, getting a boyfriend, being nicer to her parents and her father's fiance, and writing openly and honestly about her life on her new ULife blog. Sarah runs into plenty of trouble along the way including massive fights with friends, gaining and losing a boyfriend, falling out with her parents, and eating herself out of being skinny. And eventually, Sarah begins to realize that putting it all out there on her blog can create new problems.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
In this look at the online world written with plenty of Web/text/IM slang, many adults will scratch their heads while teens will identify with the rapid-fire blogging lifestyle that feels as if the world isn't real until you blog about it. The main character, Sarah, is self-absorbed and really angsty a lot of the time, which can get a little old, but she experiences a nice evolution and the end's plot twist will surprise many.

What readers will really like about the book is its conversational blogging style and humor. In the middle of blowing off some steam via her blog, Sarah is prompted by a Web survey to look under her bed and report her findings. The contents are both amusing and so utterly teen girl, it's hilarious: empty chocolate wrappers and old diaries that are full of earlier, younger angst, the likes of which completely embarrass Sarah with the slight irony that in time, her blog will evoke the same feelings.

 

Book themes & details

Book Details
Author: Susie Day
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Publication date: August 1, 2008
Number of pages: 240
Hardcover price: $16.99
Read Aloud: 12
Read Alone: 12
This review was written by Terreece Clarke
 
 

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Most useful reviews by all members

sassysweet4eva
teen, 14 years old
12
 
Not so great, reccomened for ages 13 and above.
At first, it was very interesting...But as you get deeper into the book it gets pointless and kind of hard to understand and I it made me regret reading the book. But there are some interesting parts in the story.
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helped me decide (1) | had useful details (1) | read my mind (2)
Augustyne17
adult
15
 
I am a High School Senior, I am currently reading Serafina in my Senior English class but read the book when I was like 15. I think it relates to us kids. Not me personally but most if not all my friends.
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twirly8
teen, 14 years old
13
 
Great read for Teenagers!
This was a great read for me. I understood it because it targeted kids, and how we behave and act. It is a good time for parents to talk to children about sex drugs and alchohol.. It sends the positive message of "Be careful what you put online, because you never know who is reading." This is also a good book for those always on sites like "Memebase" "Facebook" "Deviantart" "4chan" and "MySpace
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xXx_jassyy_xXx
teen, 17 years old
14
 
Not really appropriate for the younger crowd.
It was an awesome book. I really liked it. It talked about real life situations and stuff.
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helped me decide (1) | had useful details (1) | read my mind

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