Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Asking for Trouble


Title: Asking for Trouble
Author: Sandra Byrd

From Goodreads:

When her family moves to London, 15-year-old Savvy Smith has to make her way in a new school and a new country. She just knows the school newspaper is the right place for her, but she doesn’t have the required experience, and the cute editor-in-chief is not looking to train anyone. She has to come up with a way to prove herself and nab the one available position on the newspaper staff at Wexburg Academy.
London Confidential is a new series where British fashion, friendships, and guys collide, and where an all-American girl learns to love life and live out her faith.

The author had this to say:


Tell us about yourself and why you got into writing.

When I was a kid I wanted three careers: to be a hair stylist, to be a waitress, and to be an author. After I mohawked my Barbie and gave myself a bad red dye job I knew I wasn’t cut out for the hairstylist career. I actually was a waitress in a Jewish deli when I was a teenager, and I worked for a caterer. Although I loved talking to my customers, especially Holocaust survivors, and watching them slice a clover-stained cow's tongue, writing was the real passion. And it stuck!

You actually write books for both adults and teens. What do you like about writing for both groups?

I love writing for women of all ages - young women, i.e., tweens and teens, and adult women all the way into their eighties. Funnily enough, even though we all mature in so many ways, a lot of the concerns we have as young women stick with us. We are relational, we are emotional, we seek to find our unique place in the world in whatever situation and during whatever age we find ourselves. And because women ARE relational I often hear from them via my website after they read my books. I love that!


What can readers look forward to in the final two London Confidential books?

The final two books in the series release on September 1, 2010 and talk about good friendships and bad, why it's important for Christian girls to stick with only liking, even crushing on, Christian boys, how to persevere in times of trouble, and taking your first adult steps in your faith. When girls open any of the books, they'll find a girl who is a lot like them, with dreams and hopes and fears like theirs, and God who works things out in ways they would not have imagined. There are friendship ups and downs, school ups and downs, guy ups and downs, family issues and lots of fun. I wanted to write books that would be fun to read, and yet still be meaningful. I hope the girls find the books to be just that.

My take?

I have a thing for accents too. ;o) This was a fun book that was well written and was an easy read. I wouldn't hesitate to suggest it for a friend with a young girl. The main character was believable and the story was *redeeming* without being preachy. I liked that she learned her lessons through her own strength of character and choices rather than them being forced on her or taught to her by someone else.

I want to thank Tyndale for my review copy of this book. It did not influence my review and I plan to donate it to my church youth group. :o)



6 comments:

  1. Great review. Hope you are doing well.
    Blessings, andrea

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  2. Great review and interview!! I like that the lead character makes her own decisions and learns for herself!!

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  3. Great interview/review, Lee!
    I've seen this book a few times unfortunately, I just was never that interested in the story. But, your review make me want to go to the closest B&N and shell out $13.00 for it;) LOL I'm sure it's worth it, though.
    Love Ya,
    Ashley

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  4. I have this book in my review pile, and I expect that I'll love it. Sandra is such a good author...have you read her adult books, the French Twist Series? Hands down, they're all on my favorites shelf. :o)

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  5. Great interview. :) I haven't read anything by her yet..but I want to! Thanks for sharing. :)

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  6. Andrea ~ Thank you for stopping by. :o) Blessings and prayers to you and yours.

    Carrie ~ Her strong character was one of the best parts (that and all the foreign words and imagining the great accents). lol

    Ashley ~ I'm glad you liked the review. The author seems like a nice person, and the series seems like it might be a lot of fun. It is a short book ~ and her "adventures" are realistic and yet still left you wondering just what choices were going to be made. Plus there is one really cute guy that makes it hard for her to be perfect. lol

    Christy ~ I haven't read her adult series. I would be interested in checking it out though. I'll have to look them up. Thanks for the suggestion. :o)

    Angie ~ Thank you. You are always so sweet. I hope you liked the review. :o)

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