SHUG by Jenny Han
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 6+
Release Date: 4/25/06
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
Rating: 5 Stars
Annemarie Wilcox, known to her family as Shug, is twelve years old, tall, flat-chested, and nowhere near the type of girl she
wants to be. Shug also believes that, ow that she's twelve, she's at the perfect age to receive her first kiss, and she knows
just who she wants to give it to her--her best friend, Mark Findley, the true and actual boy-next-door. Well, actually, the
boy down the street, but it's close enough. The only problem is that Mark doesn't show any interest in seeing Shug in the
same way she sees him. For Mark, the perfect girl is Celia, Shug's beautiful, popular older sister.
Thus begins the summer of Shug's twelfth year, and it's not going anything like what she had planned. She's suddenly seeing
everyone in her life in a totally different way, and she's not so sure that she likes what she sees. Her mother, who she once
thought of as deep and sophisticated, now seems the opposite. The North Carolina native who went "up North" to college
isn't suave and chic--she's snobby, standoffish, and an alcoholic. Her dad, a businessman who frequently travels away from
home, comes home less and less and stays for even shorter amounts of time. Even beautiful Celia, who seems to have the
perfect life, seems to be changing right before Shug's eyes.
And then there's Mark, who she's almost given up hope on. Now that she has to help Jack Connelly, the bad boy of her
school who has gotten in more trouble than she can name, with his homework, she even finds herself seeing him in a new
light. Is he really as bad as everyone thinks? Can people change so significantly in even short amounts of time? And as for
Shug, is she really the girl she thought she was?
Reading SHUG is like eating an entire carton of Rocky Road ice cream. It's a sweet indulgence that you know you should
eat slowly, yet you still find yourself devouring it as if it's your last meal on Earth. SHUG is like that. You'll get caught up in
the life of Annemarie and her family, in her friendships and heartbreaks, in her internal struggle to be liked and loved for who
she is. At first glance SHUG is a normal coming-of-age story, but once you start reading you'll realize it's anything but
normal. Kudos to Jenny Han for this glimpse into Shug's life, and that of her family and friends. It's a story you won't soon
forget.
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 6+
Release Date: 4/25/06
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
Rating: 5 Stars
Annemarie Wilcox, known to her family as Shug, is twelve years old, tall, flat-chested, and nowhere near the type of girl she
wants to be. Shug also believes that, ow that she's twelve, she's at the perfect age to receive her first kiss, and she knows
just who she wants to give it to her--her best friend, Mark Findley, the true and actual boy-next-door. Well, actually, the
boy down the street, but it's close enough. The only problem is that Mark doesn't show any interest in seeing Shug in the
same way she sees him. For Mark, the perfect girl is Celia, Shug's beautiful, popular older sister.
Thus begins the summer of Shug's twelfth year, and it's not going anything like what she had planned. She's suddenly seeing
everyone in her life in a totally different way, and she's not so sure that she likes what she sees. Her mother, who she once
thought of as deep and sophisticated, now seems the opposite. The North Carolina native who went "up North" to college
isn't suave and chic--she's snobby, standoffish, and an alcoholic. Her dad, a businessman who frequently travels away from
home, comes home less and less and stays for even shorter amounts of time. Even beautiful Celia, who seems to have the
perfect life, seems to be changing right before Shug's eyes.
And then there's Mark, who she's almost given up hope on. Now that she has to help Jack Connelly, the bad boy of her
school who has gotten in more trouble than she can name, with his homework, she even finds herself seeing him in a new
light. Is he really as bad as everyone thinks? Can people change so significantly in even short amounts of time? And as for
Shug, is she really the girl she thought she was?
Reading SHUG is like eating an entire carton of Rocky Road ice cream. It's a sweet indulgence that you know you should
eat slowly, yet you still find yourself devouring it as if it's your last meal on Earth. SHUG is like that. You'll get caught up in
the life of Annemarie and her family, in her friendships and heartbreaks, in her internal struggle to be liked and loved for who
she is. At first glance SHUG is a normal coming-of-age story, but once you start reading you'll realize it's anything but
normal. Kudos to Jenny Han for this glimpse into Shug's life, and that of her family and friends. It's a story you won't soon
forget.
Shug
by Jenny Han
by Jenny Han