Quirky Teens: 36 Questions, Speed of Life, What to Say Next and Holding Up the Universe

Although the books I am recommending this month could be characterized as quirky teen relationship novels, they all involve teens who are dealing with the loss of a parent in unusual ways. 36 Questions that Changed My Mind About You by Vicky Grant weaves a story around the real life psychological study where strangers develop relationships after asking each other 36 questions designed to create intimacy. Speed of Life by advice columnist Carol Weston involves a teenage girl who begins corresponding with a teen advice columnist after the death of her mother.  What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum (Tell Me Three Things) explores the relationship between an autistic boy and a popular girl, who has just lost her father. Finally, Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven (All the Bright Things) focuses on a girl who gains several hundred pounds after her mother's death. All of these books involve characters, who are quirky, yet sympathetic, and engaging stories that I did not want to put down.

Inspired by the 1990 psychological study "The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness," which was popularized in The New York Times, 36 Questions is the story of two strangers, Hildy and Paul (aka Betty and Bob), who show up to participate in a PhD student's experiment and collect $40 for their trouble. All they have to do is ask and answer 36 questions of each other, to see if it fosters affection between them.   However, making it to the end of the questionnaire is a major challenge for these two volatile characters.  Paul, the "bad boy" artistic loner, is only there for the money, and answers the questions in a caustic, snarky, manner.  "Good girl" Hildy's nervousness is manifested by earnest oversharing, which Paul taunts, resulting in Hildy exploding, throwing a tropical fish at him (it's complicated), and stomping out. Although they aren't supposed to know each other's true identity, Paul finds her on Facebook and messages her about meeting and finishing the experiment.  Attracted to him, but wary, she agrees to answer the questions online. By the end of the book they've laughed, cried, lied and discovered each other's secrets, but have they fallen in love? Their witty authentic dialogue, complemented by Paul's drawings, make this a fun read with serious undertones, which I highly recommend. I found myself marveling at the way the author wove the story around the study's questions and thinking about my own answers as I read. Rights for publication have already been sold in 19 countries!

Speed of Life focuses on Sofia Wolfe, who is still struggling with the death of her Spanish mother, almost a year earlier.  When teen advice columnist, "Dear Kate," speaks at a school assembly, Sofia talks her dad into attending Kate's talk for parents.  Sofia begins corresponding with Kate, who seems to be the only one she can turn to for solace.  When she finds out Dad has begun dating Kate, with whom he has rekindled a former acquaintance,  Sofia initially feels betrayed, but ultimately adjusts.  Complications ensue when Sofia goes to live with Kate and her angry daughter Alexa for the summer, and Sofia falls for Alexa's former boyfriend, Sam. Then an unexpected change in the family's dynamics creates a bond between the soon-to-be stepsisters. The struggles of changing schools, blended families, first love and grieving are dealt with sensitively by the author whose advice column "Dear Carol" appears in Girls' Life magazine.

The title of Julie Buxbaum's latest novel, What to Say Next, refers to a helpful hints notebook, David Drucker's sister has created for him. David is brilliant, but on the spectrum, and typically responds inappropriately in many social situations. The book is especially useful when popular Kit Lowell begins sitting with him at lunch, after the death of her father in a car accident.  Kit finds it difficult to reenter her high school social circle and finds David's quiet ways and blunt honesty refreshing.  As they grow closer, David's social awkwardness is further exposed when the notebook, which also contains his commentary on peers, is stolen, and many of his comments are posted on the internet.  In trying to help him navigate this disaster, Kit's own secrets are revealed, bringing their relationship to a poignant resolution.  The author uses split first person narration to give the reader insight into each character's perspective. David's insensitively direct comments are frequently hilarious, but troublesome. Kit's journey through grief and recovery makes for an interesting vehicle for this quirky love story, which I think readers will enjoy.

In Holding Up the Universe, the main character Libby Strout is known as the girl who had to be cut out of her house.  After her mother's unexpected death, Libby took solace in eating and became morbidly obese.  A medical intervention helped her go from 600 to 300 pounds, and she decides to reenter public school.  There she meets resident cool boy Jack Messelin, who is peer-pressured into bullying Libby and ends up with a bloody nose for his actions.  They end up in detention where they develop a fragile friendship.  He confides in Libby that he has prosopagnosia (face blindness) and is hiding it from the world. She encourages him to seek help and let people know that his insensitivity is frequently inadvertent, because he doesn't know who people are when he sees them. Together they navigate a new friendship, helping each other meet their problems head on.  Written in short chapters of alternating perspectives, this is a story of two understandably flawed characters, learning to love themselves, as well as each other.