Contents Under Pressure [Turtleback]

Lara M. Zeises (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2005

A fresh, honest look at the difficult choices and unexpected joys in a girl’s life under pressure.

Lucy Doyle is about to explode. She’s sure her name might as well be Loser because she‘s never, ever been kissed. To make matters worse, nearly all of her friends have left her behind for boys. Even Lucy’s favorite brother doesn’t seem to have time for her anymore. He’s just moved home from college with a distant new attitude and a big-haired girlfriend Lucy can’t stand. Freshman year is definitely not off to a good start.

So when Lucy attracts the attention of Tobin Scacheri, the junior everyone wants to date, she can barely believe her luck. Tobin’s cute and funny, and he might like Lucy as much as she likes him. But Lucy’s brother has a secret that will turn her already mixed-up world completely upside down. Now, Lucy must figure out how far she’s willing to take her relationship with Tobin—and how to deal with a brother who’s not as perfect as she thought.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10-Freshman year isn't quite what Lucy Doyle expects. First, nearly all of her friends leave her behind when they discover boys. Then, the only boy that Lucy is interested in, her perfect older brother Jack, unexpectedly moves back home from college with his girlfriend in tow. Lucy can't stand Hannah, and Jack is mysteriously distant. Then she runs into junior Tobin Scacheri-literally-and is swept off her feet. As they start dating, she starts to wonder about sex and, surprisingly, it's Hannah who helps her sort out the scary issues of first boyfriends. Then Lucy finds out that Hannah is pregnant. When the perfect Jack becomes perfectly selfish in his reluctance to become a responsible parent, Lucy must face her disappointment, but unexpectedly finds love in Hannah and Tobin and the girlfriends she's determined not to leave behind. Zeises paints a convincing picture of a family facing tough decisions and a fully realistic heroine who's confused and scared. Even secondary characters have depth and add sparkle to an already absorbing plot. A winning family drama.-Linda Bindner, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. Lucy Doyle awakes one day and finds a strange young woman in the kitchen. Hannah turns out to be her brother Jack's girlfriend, and her appearance is only one new piece in the shifting puzzle of Lucy's life. Like many teenage girls, Lucy stands on one side of a divide--girls who are serious about boys and those who aren't. When the book begins, it's Lucy and a friend at home polishing their nails. Then junior Tobin Schaeri comes into Lucy's life, and so do changes, including questions about how far to go in the romance department and about loyalties split between one's girlfriends and boyfriends. The questions become more complicated after Lucy learns Hannah is pregnant, and Jack is not stepping up the way he should. Zeises writes with a good mix of the substance and superficiality that characterize teenage life, and her audience will certainly recognize the characters, their voices, and the things that concern them. The story is occasionally uneven, but considering how many balls she has to juggle, Zeises manages to keep them in the air. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Turtleback
• Publisher: Demco Media (December 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0606345779
• ISBN-13: 978-0606345774
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Lara M. Zeises is the author of three novels for young adults. Her first, Bringing Up the Bones (2002), was named an honor book for the 2001 Delacorte Press Prize Competition. Her second, Contents Under Pressure (2004), began as her thesis project at Emerson College, where in 2001 she earned her MFA in creative writing. It has been named to the 2006 International Reading Association's Young Adult Choices list (among others) and was voted the 2006 Delaware Blue Hen Teen Book Award winner. Lara's third novel, Anyone But You (2005), was a Teen People Top 10 Pick. An excerpt from that project helped earn Lara a 2005 Emerging Artist Fellowship in Literature-Fiction from the Delaware Division of the Arts.

In addition to writing, Lara teaches part-time at the University of Delaware, where she received her BA in English-Journalism. She also facilitates creative writing workshops for both teens and adults.

You can learn more about her by visiting her website or her blog at zeisgeist.livejournal.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Good Book, March 19, 2005

By 

occultoscriptor - See all my reviews

This review is from: Contents Under Pressure (Hardcover)

This is the first book I have read by Lara M. Zeises, and I was happily surprised.

The book follows fourteen-year-old Lucy Doyle as she falls in and out of friendships, battles home conflicts, and eventually gets a boyfriend. I found the story itself, quite readable and realistic.

One of the things I liked about this book was that it didn't seem to make any of the horrible and all-too-common mistakes that other books have. For instance, I hate it when main characters treat depression, mental illness, and other family problems with an almost bored tone as in "I'm so-and-so, I'm tall and skinny, have a dog, and have a mother who hasn't gotten out of bed in three weeks." Another thing I hate is when the girl/boy's situation is a my-dad-is-in-jail-my-brother-is-suicidal. "Contents Under Pressure" avoided both these problems. The situation at home was realistic and just as life-changing, and the Lucy had genuine reactions that changed over the course of the book.

You can sympathize with Lucy and all of her friends at the same time, instead of hating one person one page, and hating another the next. The same thing goes for her brother, jack, and his girlfriend, Hannah. The way she meets her future boyfriend is quirky and unique.

Overall, I definitely recommend "Contents Under Pressure."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great characters, April 30, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Contents Under Pressure (Hardcover)

I ate this book in one day. I wanted to hurry up and read it and at the same time I didn't want it to end. I cared about all of the characters, especially Lucy and Hannah. Lucy's friendships with her girlfriends and Tobin were realistic, and anyone with a brother will relate to Lucy's mixed feelings about Jack and her booger-eating little brother, Brody. There were a lot of subtle, touching moments in this novel. I liked Zeises first book a lot, but I thought this one was even better.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Zeises does it again!, May 24, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Contents Under Pressure (Hardcover)

I was a big fan of Zeises's first book, but this one blew me away. The characters were believeable and sympathetic, the dialogue rang true, and the situations were incredibly realistic. The story sucked me in and left me wanting more, more, more! I hope there will be a sequel because I just HAVE to know what happens to Lucy and Tobin and Hannah and Jack! I am going to recommend this book to everyone I know.