A whole bunch of books by Carry Slee
It's been a while since I updated this community, so to get things going again, I'm spamming you with a big post:)
As I reported before I bought a series of teenbooks by popular Dutch author Carry Slee. The stories are not related, but each book deals with a different group of teenagers and a different 'big issue', such as 'drugs' or 'death'. The first book I read of her was Spijt! (Regret) about bullying. Below is the rest of my reviews.
Title: Afblijven (Don't Touch That)
Author: Carry Slee
Genre: Children's, Teens, Drama
Publisher: FMB Uitgevers 2010 (1998)
Pages: Hardcover, 255
Language: Dutch
Rating: 7/10
Summary: Jordi doesn't know what to do when he finds out his best friend Melissa is taking (illegal) pills to deal with the pressure of dance auditions.
Spoilerfree Review
A lot of Carry Slee's books are made into films and I had already seen the movie version of Afblijven before I read it. I had picked it because of the cute young actor in the lead, so my opinion on this story is probably slightly distorted. *grins*
It's not a bad book, but not exceptionally special either. I can see why the author is one of the most popular writers in The Netherlands; the story is not a completely impossible adventure for average teenager who dreams of auditioning for a musicvideo and the dialogues and issues sound authentic (as far as I can still judge teenage language).
Go here for my review of the film -in Dutch-
Title: Kappen! (Stop It!)
Author: Carry Slee
Genre: Children's, Teens, Drama
Publisher: FMB Uitgevers 2010 (1999)
Pages: Hardcover, 238
Language: Dutch
Rating: 6/10
Summary: Sander has a crush on Indra. When he befriends a group of boys who turn out to be into stealing and harrassing people, Indra is the only one who believes Sander wasn't a willing member of the gang. Does that mean she likes him too?
Spoilerfree Review
Another story with a boy in the lead and his love life in shambles because of bad choices and misunderstandings. I'm getting a little fed up with the pattern.
Title: Radeloos (Desperate)
Author: Carry Slee
Genre: Children's, Teens, Drama
Publisher: FMB Uitgevers 2010 (2003)
Pages: Hardcover, 286
Language: Dutch
Rating: 7/10
Summary: Paco feels responsible for the death of his father and tries to find comfort in beer and a new hangout. He neglects his old friends and doesn't realize his classmate Yara is dealing with a dangerous eatingdisorder.
Spoilerfree Review
I had been a little disappointed by the previous book by Carry Slee, but with this story she is back on track. Paco's thoughts and feelings are well explored and it's painful to read about his efforts to deal with the guilt. This story has almost the same kick in the gut as Carry Slee's first teenbook Spijt (Regret).
Title: Hot Or Not
Author: Carry Slee
Genre: Children's, Teens, Drama
Publisher: FMB Uitgevers 2010 (2008)
Pages: Hardcover, 302
Language: Dutch
Rating: 6/10
Summary: Coco wants to be a model and meets a guy on the internet who offers to help her. He turns out to have alterior motives.
Spoilerfree Review
Apparently a very modern day problem, but the story somehow already feels dated. As in all of Carry Slee's books, the main character has a group of friends who notice something is wrong, but there is a lack of communication because of love triangles and highschoolissues. The story has two different endings, depending on whether Coco listens to her friends or not. That was a nice twist to an over all kind of brainless book. (I have trouble understanding gullible people)
Title: Dat Heb Ik Weer (This always happens to me)
Author: Carry Slee
Genre: Children's, Teens, Drama
Publisher: FMB Uitgevers 2010 (2008)
Pages: Hardcover, 192
Language: Dutch
Rating: 6/10
Summary: Britt and her best friend Noah used to spend a lot of time together, writing popquizes on her blog. But lately Noah seems to like another friend better and Britt feels left out in the cold.
Spoilerfree Review
Although I am aware these problems are real for a lot of teenage girls, it's quite tiresome to read about them. The way Carry Slee portrays Britt's blog doesn't help either. It feels like she doesn't really understand how blogs work. There is also an annoying amount of fangirling about the author herself, because Britt just happens to idolize Carry Slee! At the end of the story this book turns out to be the start of a whole series about Britt and her blog. I won't be buying the rest of it.
As I reported before I bought a series of teenbooks by popular Dutch author Carry Slee. The stories are not related, but each book deals with a different group of teenagers and a different 'big issue', such as 'drugs' or 'death'. The first book I read of her was Spijt! (Regret) about bullying. Below is the rest of my reviews.
Title: Afblijven (Don't Touch That)
Author: Carry Slee
Genre: Children's, Teens, Drama
Publisher: FMB Uitgevers 2010 (1998)
Pages: Hardcover, 255
Language: Dutch
Rating: 7/10
Summary: Jordi doesn't know what to do when he finds out his best friend Melissa is taking (illegal) pills to deal with the pressure of dance auditions.
Spoilerfree Review
A lot of Carry Slee's books are made into films and I had already seen the movie version of Afblijven before I read it. I had picked it because of the cute young actor in the lead, so my opinion on this story is probably slightly distorted. *grins*
It's not a bad book, but not exceptionally special either. I can see why the author is one of the most popular writers in The Netherlands; the story is not a completely impossible adventure for average teenager who dreams of auditioning for a musicvideo and the dialogues and issues sound authentic (as far as I can still judge teenage language).
Go here for my review of the film -in Dutch-
Title: Kappen! (Stop It!)
Author: Carry Slee
Genre: Children's, Teens, Drama
Publisher: FMB Uitgevers 2010 (1999)
Pages: Hardcover, 238
Language: Dutch
Rating: 6/10
Summary: Sander has a crush on Indra. When he befriends a group of boys who turn out to be into stealing and harrassing people, Indra is the only one who believes Sander wasn't a willing member of the gang. Does that mean she likes him too?
Spoilerfree Review
Another story with a boy in the lead and his love life in shambles because of bad choices and misunderstandings. I'm getting a little fed up with the pattern.
Title: Radeloos (Desperate)
Author: Carry Slee
Genre: Children's, Teens, Drama
Publisher: FMB Uitgevers 2010 (2003)
Pages: Hardcover, 286
Language: Dutch
Rating: 7/10
Summary: Paco feels responsible for the death of his father and tries to find comfort in beer and a new hangout. He neglects his old friends and doesn't realize his classmate Yara is dealing with a dangerous eatingdisorder.
Spoilerfree Review
I had been a little disappointed by the previous book by Carry Slee, but with this story she is back on track. Paco's thoughts and feelings are well explored and it's painful to read about his efforts to deal with the guilt. This story has almost the same kick in the gut as Carry Slee's first teenbook Spijt (Regret).
Title: Hot Or Not
Author: Carry Slee
Genre: Children's, Teens, Drama
Publisher: FMB Uitgevers 2010 (2008)
Pages: Hardcover, 302
Language: Dutch
Rating: 6/10
Summary: Coco wants to be a model and meets a guy on the internet who offers to help her. He turns out to have alterior motives.
Spoilerfree Review
Apparently a very modern day problem, but the story somehow already feels dated. As in all of Carry Slee's books, the main character has a group of friends who notice something is wrong, but there is a lack of communication because of love triangles and highschoolissues. The story has two different endings, depending on whether Coco listens to her friends or not. That was a nice twist to an over all kind of brainless book. (I have trouble understanding gullible people)
Title: Dat Heb Ik Weer (This always happens to me)
Author: Carry Slee
Genre: Children's, Teens, Drama
Publisher: FMB Uitgevers 2010 (2008)
Pages: Hardcover, 192
Language: Dutch
Rating: 6/10
Summary: Britt and her best friend Noah used to spend a lot of time together, writing popquizes on her blog. But lately Noah seems to like another friend better and Britt feels left out in the cold.
Spoilerfree Review
Although I am aware these problems are real for a lot of teenage girls, it's quite tiresome to read about them. The way Carry Slee portrays Britt's blog doesn't help either. It feels like she doesn't really understand how blogs work. There is also an annoying amount of fangirling about the author herself, because Britt just happens to idolize Carry Slee! At the end of the story this book turns out to be the start of a whole series about Britt and her blog. I won't be buying the rest of it.