Secret Saturdays by Torrey Maldonado. G.P. Putnum's Sons, 2010. 195 pages.

The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah. Atria Books, 1999. 530 pages

Hot Girl by Dream Jordan. St Martin's Griffin, NY. 2008. 214 pages

Kate has had a tough life so far; her drug addicted parents forfeited their parental rights to the state when she was only months old, and Kate, a former gang-banger, has bounced from foster home to group home to foster home all her life. With the help of a much respected social worker, Kate is staying clear of trouble--but its hard. Then Kate meets wild and sexy Naleejah and things change fast...With the help of her new friend kate is now hot and sexy and commanding everyman's attention, even Charles, her homeboy and not so secret crush...of course things don't stay happy long and street smart Kate realizes she should have followed her instincts about Naleejah--who does not really have her interests in mind...
I did not care for this book at first-- i thought the neverending streetslang was over the top...but i was wrong--some kids do speak like that and the dialog language changed even within characters--depending on the situation and whom the character was speaking--just as it does in real life. Kudos to Jordan for that. Plus, i really like t Kate--and find the characters and the situations very authentic and real on many levels. The characters are interesting and believable and the story is fast paced and interesting, and i love the ending--really loved it- it was both positive and credible at the same time--no small feat for any literature, let alone YA lit. In fact, the deeper i got into the novel, the more i liked and appreciated it. Hot Girl is great for a girl's group, a book club, a classroom or on its own. There is already an informal waiting list for my review copy and i am ordering it for our YA collection where i know it will be a huge hit!