Shug

Reader reviewed by Bookworm

This was by far one of the best books I ever read!!!!!
       It's the story of Annemarie Wilcox, a.k.a. "Shug". She lives in a small town, just turned 12, is entering middle school, and just realized she's in love with her friend! With the strain of her drunken mother, her workaholic father and mature sister, along with a teacher that hates her, mean girls, a boy who she detests, and her period, Shug tells the story of what life actually is. I've read books that totally fictionalize what it's like to be a girl coming of age. I recommend this book to all girls who have a little bump in the road.

Reader reviewed by rachyyson.

shug has been my favorite book yet, I am currently reading Lush. these books relate in ways. they are both about a young girl about 12-13, and both their parents are not there really. In Shug her mom is the alcoholic, but Sammy(Lush)'s dad is the alcoholic. In shug her dad is never home, and in Lush(name;Sammy)her mom does yoga non-stop. i would recomend either, or both of these books to read. they are both the ideal teenager story. i have just turned thirteen and i related to these books, besides m parents. i love the, and they aren't anything like Shug's or Sammy's. But i love these books, they are great! My favoritess ever, i am going to read Scarlette next, sounds like another good one.

-love-
    rachysonn.(:

Reader reviewed by Steph Su

Twelve-year-old
Annemarie Wilcoxnicknamed Shug, which is short for sugaris feeling anything
but sweet right now. Shes entering middle school, her parents are constantly
fighting (when theyre not drunk or away for work), and things are changing
between her and her friends. Mairi, Hadley, and even her best friend Elaine, a
Korean American from up north, are eagerly venturing into the world of becoming
a woman and meeting boys. But Annemarie wants nothing to do with that world¬
unless it includes Mark Findley, her childhood best friend and the guy she
recently realizes shes in love with.

Trouble is,
Mark doesnt seem to reciprocate her feelings. In fact, Annemarie feels like
she hardly sees him anymore, so busy is he with hanging out with Hadley.
Instead, shes spending a lot of time tutoring Jack Connelly, which is too bad
because theyre sworn enemies and hate each others guts. Annemarie doesnt
want to grow up just yet, but she has to learn the hard way (like we all do)
that its a painful and necessary, sometimes heartbreaking, process with light
at the end of the tunnel.

I love Judy Blume-esque books that
focus on that painfully awkward and difficult transition right before puberty;
thus, I LOVED Shug. This is a story thats full of characters that youll want
to be friends with. Annemarie in particular is a spunky heroine, unafraid to
say her mind, the girl we all remember being back at that age and the girl we
want to befriend. The supporting characters, too,
are not caricatures but rather boys and girls (and men and women) with their
own problems. Im especially a fan of Jack right from the start; the dynamics
between Annemarie and Jack are great.

If you want a growing-up novel
thats more Southern than Judy Blumes and less sex-oriented than Phyllis
Reynolds Naylors Alice series, pick up SHUG. You wont regret it.

Reader reviewed by Dani

I loved this book. It was a great reading experience. I would never ask a boy to read this. It would probably sar their brains forever. In this book Annemarie Wilcox, or Shug, is going through a hard time. She decides she is in love with her long-time best frind, Mark. Of corse, he doesn't feel the same way (it wouldn't be very interesting if he did). In the book there's an ending that you wouldn't ever expect. Every chapter leaves you wanting more! I found it very difficult to put down. You easily fall in love with the shy, clueless, Annemarie.

Reader reviewed by Mandy

this book is so enjoyable. and it's basically. girl likes boy. boy dosen't like girl. girl tries to get boy. boy turns her down. but this story ends with a majical ending that i think even the "book haters" will love! The thing that got me the most is what mark said and the way Jack, the boy she hates, stands up for her like that! it just made my stomach flutter when i was reading it. it actually reminded me a little bit of my self too!

Reader reviewed by Boonie

The sweat taste of a cherry popsicle on a hot sweaty afternoon in the summer takes you back to carefree days as an elementary student. Little did you know that as the sugary treat was consumed that it would signal an end to the unencumbered freedom of these afternoons. The endless days give way to the tensions and struggles of junior high and the relentless pressure to be 'in' and to keep from falling off the precarious, enviable perch of popularity.

Author Jenny Han guides us through this transformation from 6th grade to 7th, giving us the first person account of Annemarie Wilcox, or affectionately 'Shug'. Shug bares her soul in ways she cannot with her family and friends, as her friendships weather the inevitable storm of middle school. Shug has you wanting things to work out with her childhood friend Mark, as her interest in him morphs into romantic feelings. Shug has you yearning for a spot with the in crowd, as you experience pangs of regret for who she must reject to stay there. Shug has you aching for her, as she unapologetically states how her family clings to dreams and seeks to find meaning in the world.
Most of all, Shug, without whining, gives you a glimpse into her world in an honest forthright manner.

This is a book as memorable as the popsicle on the cover, and after finishing off the last page, you will find the faint taste of cherry popsicle lingering on your tongue.