Diane Tullson

Daniel, an average kid, suddenly draws the attention and affections of hottie Cyn. She makes him feel like he can do anything and then asks him to do just that: take her car across the border into Mexico for "gas." Daniel becomes involved in running drugs -- with increasing awareness -- and is left wondering whether or not Cyn is sincere. An excellent hi-lo read with a surprising amount of suspense, character, and food for thought. Appealing to all but esp. teen boys. The book begs the question: what would you do for love?… (more)

Kas is a gifted artist who has been accepted into the exclusive Whitchurch School of the Arts. She boards with a local family as does budding musician, Jacob. Kas quickly makes friends with Marin, a beautiful young actress, and as a romance begins with Jacob it would seem that Kas' life is just about perfect. Kas is harboring a dark secret; she is both anorexic and bulemic. Her self-worth is the "zero" in the title and although the novel begins with Kas feeling fairly happy and content her inner turmoil soon takes over as she not only endangers her health and her very life, but her relationships with her two friends. She is spiraling out of control and no one seems to see that Kas is slowly killing herself.

This young adult novel is a very quick read and the author has added great information at the end detailing eating disorders, how to recognize them and how to help those who are suffering. Kas' story is well done except I don't feel that there is much depth to her background except that she has always wanted to be perfe
… (more)

Tullson, Diane. The Darwin Expedition. Canada, Orca Book Publishers, 2007
Characters: Tej, Liam
Setting: Canadian wilderness
Theme: Survival, Adventure, friendship.
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Golden Quote: “I don’t know, Liam. Looks like you’re going to win the Darwin Award-you’re dying young and stupid before you can pass along your genes.”
Summary: Liam and his best friend Tej are taking a road trip from their town of Tremblay to go snowboarding in Whistler. They are both seniors in high school and Tej will be going off to college in the states while Liam decided to stay in Tremblay. There is some bitterness from Tej that Liam will not be leaving the town to follow Tej. Tej is extremely smart, but he lacks social skills and street smarts, while Liam is the popular and average student. During their trip to Whistler, Tej decides to take the logging roads and ends up flipping his truck with Liam in it. Tej then decides that they can hike their way through the cross-country to meet up with the main highway. Liam trusts his friend, because for as long as he has known Tej, Tej has never expressed any doubt in his decisions. Halfway into their second day in the wilderness, the boys encounter a bear. Tej assures Liam that the bear is just curios and will not charge at them. By the end of the third day, they realize the bear has been stalking them. They run through the forest quickly to find the highway. The bear has brought its yearling cubs and flanks Tej and Liam. The boys have to slide down a slippery mountain of granite and during their slide, Tej breaks his leg. Tej, in a moment of clarity, tells Liam that this entire time they have been hiking, he had no idea where they were going. Liam decides that it is best for Tej to stay put while he runs through the forest to get help. Eventually Liam finds someone and leads the rescue party back to Tej who was still alive.
Audience: 7th – 9th Grade
Curriculum: Hisotry, biology, science, geography.
Personal Response: The book is well written and the story keeps the reader guessing what the outcome of the story will be. On several occasions, the two main characters have direct encounters with the grizzly bears where their decisions would result in life or death. The title is appropriately named, because throughout the story the two boys bicker at one another, suggesting that only the strongest between them two will survive. The story also has a lot of real life tips and shows the reader real life survival situations and what the best action to take would be. It is a very informative read. The one thing I really enjoyed about the two characters was their bond. It shows exactly how two high school friends would talk and act with one another. This book would be great for a history, geography or even biology class since all these topics are covered in the story.… (more)