Gingerbread

Reader reviewed by Rachel Connell

Cyd Charisse has never known her biological father but when her step dad and mother find out she was out late with her boyfriend. Once there she meets her step sister who she has confrontations with and bits of information slip. Her stepbrother is a whole different story. Gay and owning a coffee shop she starts working with him as a barrista. The few short talks that she has with her father teaches her about both families.
This is a great teen girl novel. You fall in love with the quirky,  intelligent, and rebellious Cyd instantly.

Reader reviewed by Allire

This book is about this girl named Cyd. Her parents are not together. She was living with her mother, but her mom shipped her off to live with her father, in New York. Cyd wasn't a perfect child. She wasn't the best in school, nor was she a perfect daughter.
After living with her father she learns more about her mother, and more about herself.Including, gaining some insight on what her mother has gone through.

I loved this book. I read it about three years ago, and I still consider it one of my favorites. There were hardly any boring parts and it is a semi-short read. So I didn't spend more than a few days reading it.

Reader reviewed by Nan

This is a book that I could not put down. I wanted to see what Cyd would do next. It was refreshing to see how much she had grown over the summer from an angry girl to a young woman. I kind of had tears when she reconciled with her mom. It was definitely worth reading.

Reader reviewed by Lis

I thought this book was pretty good. Cyd was a really interesting character, easy to relate to. Love the relationship she has with shrimp it's so cute! Rachel Cohn is a really great writer, ever since i read Pop Princess i began to read more of her books and i enjoyed all of them. I can't wait until i read the second and third book in this series!

Reader reviewed by Meg

I really really enjoyed Gingerbread, probably because the narrator/main character was a bit of a punk, like I was when I was in high school. The main character is really relatable, and the plot is very entertaining. My favorite thing about the book was that you could see the main character walking in between childhood and adolescence, and sometimes she's totally childlike and othertimes she's really mature, and I feel like all teenagers walk that line, so it's really cool to see that happening in a book.

Reader reviewed by clarice

Cyd Charisse is a teenage girl who gets a job at java the hut, a local coffee shop, despite that fact that she is rich. She get grounded and sent to live with frank-real dad, her biological father. She comes to realize that he isn't who she thought she was and ends up finding out more about herself.

Reader reviewed by KRiSSY

This book is definatly a must read. I am not the type of person to sit down and read a book, but when i started reading this book i couldnt stop!

Cyd Charisse, the main character, is a wild teen. Gingerbread is the name of Cyd's doll, given to her by her biological father. Cyd sneaks out, gets introuble with the law and never obeys her parents. Cyd goes to New York to meet her biological father and his family. She really makes a connection with her family. Cyd Charisse becomes best friends with her gay brother danny and ends up working as a barista at his cafe. She discovers a new family and a new her.

I highly recommened this book to teens!

Reader reviewed by KW

This is a fresh and unusual voice in the YA world. Cyd goes through difficulties with dealing with a broken heart and an abortion. She also has to deal with her relationship with her mother.

My favorite part of the book was when Cyd reveals the abrotion and all that she's gone through and suddenly you see the vulnerable side behind this tough girl. She's humanized and sudenly her attitude makes sense. The motehr character is also very interesting and real as she deals with her own past mistakes and in trying to reach her troubled daughter.

I would recommend this novel for girls 15 and up. I think some of the topics might be a bit much for middle schoolers, but high schoolers should handle it well.

Reader reviewed by frootloopgirl

This book, I think, is one of the best teen fiction narratives that I have ever read. Cyd Charisse is one of the coolest teen heroines in any book I have ever read, and I'm quite a critic. She's basicaly a good time girl who has a punk, tough exterior. If you haven't read this book before, bear in mind that she uses profanity quite loosely, and sometimes speaks of innapropriate things, but don't let that turn you away from this fantastic book. Gingerbread is the name of Cyd Charisse's doll, given to her by her biological father, Frank, when she was 5. That's all I want to reveal about this book, and I hope you read it yourself!

Reader reviewed by Sabrina

I have just recently read the book gingerbread and i think it was a great book.

The way it links its self back into the past to show you what she has been through really lets you know why she is the way she is.

I think its a great way to show you that you can go through hard times but still come back around. From abortion to bad relationships to parent problems and even meeting part of the family you have never met its all there.

It makes you feel lucky to have it as good as a majority of people do.

I would recommend this book to anyone.

I started the second book shrimp and am gradually finding it to be just as good as the first.