At first I thought this would be some male Cinderella story, but about halfway through the book, it was clear that wasn't going to happen. The narrator was raw and honest, while the author confronted some very real things teen face. The characters were so perfectly flawed and real. I read it in about a day since it was so gripping. I was not perfectly satisfied with the ending, but that might just be because I'm greedy that way. ( )

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

If TWISTED is in your "to be read" pile, please don't wait - move it to the top.

This is a novel about pressure - the three P's - parental pressure, peer pressure, and personal pressure.

Tyler Miller is guilty of something he refers to as The Foul Deed. His punishment involves losing his driving privileges, doing community service at the school, working for a local landscaping company, reporting to a probation officer, keeping his grades up, and as everyone keeps reminding him, "keeping his nose clean."

Tyler finds a positive side to this punishment. His recent hard labor has created muscles where his previously dweeby bod never had any. He also realizes that the very popular Bethany Milbury seems to be interested in him. Could The Foul Deed have taken his former life and given him a better one in its place?

All's well until school starts, and Tyler finds himself swamped with AP classes and the pressure to do well. His father, an ambitious over-achieving businessman, rules the home front. Tyler, his younger sister, and his mother all suffer verbal abuse from his father's direction. Tyler thinks it's possible and wants to make things work, but the demands seem overwhelming.

To complicate matters, Tyler is not welcomed into Bethany Milbury's circle of friends with open arms. Her twin brother, Chip, has had it in for Tyler since middle school, and the idea that Tyler is getting involved with his sister doesn't set well with Chip. Tyler is up against Chip and his buddies and a completely different social class. Can he stand up to all this pressure?

Laurie Halse Anderson is well-known for her novel SPEAK. When I heard about TWISTED, I read that she had created something even better. I have to agree. This book has me hoping she is hard at work on her next one. ( )

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Twisted. 2007. Penguin Group: New York.

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Themes :
suicide, peer pressure, social cliques, vandalism, sex, alcohol, dysfunctional family issues

Reading Level: 4.3 (early 4th grade)

Awards: none

Plot Summary (250 words or less):
The story begins the summer prior to Tyler Miller’s senior year of highschool. He is doing community service work due to crimes of school vandalism. He has a miserable, rebellious type personality. Throughout his summer work, both community service and working for a landscaping company, he went from scrawny to quite muscular. His new muscular build was noticed by Bethany, one of the most popular girls in the school. Bethany’s brother hated Tyler and would do anything to keep them apart, including using physical force. Her father was Tyler’s dad’s boss which further complicated the situation. Tyler’s relationship with Bethany drastically improves his status at school and increases his popularity. Tyler is invited to a wild party by Bethany, he attends and the events that transpire further confuse his life and cause trouble for him. He is accused of taking nude pictures of her and posting them online. He faces prosecution and then is ostracized at school, then totally alienated both at school and at home. Tyler’s life is spinning out of control and he can not find a way to get a grip on it.
Tyler’s family life is rough and his relationship with his father is a struggle throughout the book. Tyler’s journey from boy to manhood is a battle for him, one that is twisted and that he has no guidance from family to help him with. He toys with many different scenarios to end his life and to stop his emotional troubles, none of which he carries out.

Critique (does the book fit some of the characteristics mentioned in the textbook and on this week’s module introduction):
Although this book is written in the first person voice of a young man, I still do not feel that young adult boys would be the audience. It seems more likely to be ready by young adult girls. There is some cursing in this book, but none that is too extreme. The cursing does make the book seem more realistic to teens, but also does not go too far. The identity struggles and personal issues that Tyler face in the story are the same as the daily struggles that many teens face. Teens could easily relate to this story and the characters in it. The inclusion of humor in the book would keep readers interested and also retain their interests. I felt like I did not want to put the book down and also that after finishing the book I wanted to know what happened to Tyler years later. The author definitely did a great job of making the reader connect with the main character and making you feel the need to know more about him.

Curriculum Uses (how could this book be used in the classroom/library programming:
This book would be a great addition to highschool reading lists. It tackles many of the issues that both male and female teens are facing and it does so in a tactful way. While this book might be difficult for some teens to discuss out loud in a classroom setting, it would still be a great book for them to read on their own.

Twisted as about an awkward high school senior named Tyler who has his brush with royalty when Bethany Milbury notices him. Well, as you can imagine (if you've read Prom or Speak) everything doesn't end up all hearts and butterflies; instead relationships are tested and reputations damaged. Tyler's circumstances (workaholic father, community service for the Foul Deed, watchful principal and the judgment of classmates) is balanced by the efforts of his good friend Yoda and his time spent delving deeper into a complicated video game. I recommend this book for both teen boys and girls.

One other endorsement for Twisted is that the chapter are short (I mean 2 or 3 pages short), which makes it fast paced. I just kept thinking, "I'll finish this chapter and then stop," but then I wanted to know what happened next soooooo "I'll just read one more chapter - it's only a couple of pages." And that's how I ended up staying up all night. ( )

This book was great. It shows a great point of view on a teenager who feels lost and does not know what to do with him self.I ;ove the main character. He shows that some times you got to keep your head above the water even when you think your going to drown. ( )