Bev Katz Rosenbaum

Popsicle takes on the idea of someone--teenage Floe Ryan--contracting an illness and the next thing she knows, it's tens years later and she finds out she's been frozen. Or vitrified, actually.

You'd be amazed how much can change in ten years. Like, your little sister can become your older sister and--because your parents also got the same disease and were also frozen and still are--said sister is now your guardian.

Such is Floe's life. Sounds interesting and just enough problematic that it'd show more make for a great novel, right? Throw in Star Trek-y jumpsuits and it sounds even better. Problem is, time travel books almost have to be perfect because there are so many opportunities for plot holes.

I understand that ten years was probable chosen because it was enough that things could understandably have changed drastically but Sunny, Floe's sister, and Floe's friends would only be twenty six, but enough things were supposed to be different for the kids she was going to school with that 10 years didn't make sense, really. (Even if they were tenth/eleventh graders, they would have been in school for eleven or twelve years which means they would have had at least a year or two of school 'the old way.')

Another thing (about the crazy names now) could have just been not written well and actually meant the babies but then there were some high school kids with odd names and they would be sixteen or seventeen...

Floe's sister and brother-in-law, were very inconsistent characters, too. one or both of them would be one way and then be another way (with or without a transition), the scene would end and the new chapter would start and the change would be reversed just because. A few of the other secondary characters were like that as well, but to a lesser extent. It wasn't even like a roller coaster--unless in the future roller coasters involve teleporting (more sudden).

All of that said, the author did come up with some interesting ideas for the future, so if you want to read this book for that, then it's fun but the problem is that it tries to focus on the relationships and stopping the Cryonics Center from being shut down and I don't feel there's enough strength behind that.

This could have been a great book, looking at the ethics of the Cryonics Center and 'freezing' people or Floe and Taz (the other person thawed with her and her 'love interest') transitioning into life again--which it tried to do--but I felt like this book just scratched the surface. show less

For two years (since it was first published) I've been wanting to read this book. The idea of freezing (I mean, vitrifying) someone and bringing them back is something that is just so amazingly cool, no pun intended. I finally got myself to the local library and checked out this book. The whole concept is really fun and to have Floe wake up in a future that we don't even live in is definitely effective from if she was to wake up now from the 90s. As in.. readers get to experience this new show more world with Floe instead of just watching her struggle with things we already know all about. This was definitely a great read and maybe I"ll go support the publishers and buy myself a copy. Maybe after I finish the stacks of books I still have though. (Final note: totally coincidental... Bev Rosenbaum is from Toronto as well! Two books in a row by fellow Torontonians! ) show less

Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

Popsicle girl is back, except hardly anyone knows that she ever was a popsicle to begin with.

Floe Ryan was just getting used to the new world she lived in, having been frozen while the whole nation was changing. From hovercars to wacky fashions, it was definitely a different place. But it's a good thing that Floe has her family and her supportive boyfriend to back her up... right?

Well, Floe's life may have just gotten even show more more dramatic. Her boyfriend, Taz, seems to be questioning their relationship, and Samara, one of Floe's classmates, is flirting up a storm with him. But that may not matter since a new guy is finding interest in Floe. Everything else, though, is just going downhill, from driving to her teachers to skating.

But what's worse is when Floe learns that those who were frozen, like she was, just might possibly be at a greater risk to catch other harmful viruses. This is the perfect chance for Floe, her best friend, Sophie, and even Taz to set out on a mission. All they need to do is find Dr. Simkofsky, who will help them find a cure for these viruses. Unfortunately, he isn't the easiest to track down. But, who knows, maybe this will be the perfect chance for Floe and Taz to reconnect... just maybe.

BEYOND COOL makes cryonics awesome and leaves you wanting more. Bev Katz Rosenbaum makes you wonder what is possible in the near future for our world, and in Floe Ryan's. This is a sequel that will satisfy anyone who loved the first novel, I WAS A TEENAGE POPSICLE. show less

Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

The only thing that may separate Floe Ryan from being an ordinary teenager is how she was a popsicle. Well, not the ones you eat, more like the popsicle that is used to describe someone who has been frozen. That is correct, Floe was frozen--or the better term may be vitrified.

At the age of sixteen, Floe and her parents had unfortunately caught an unusual disease, which doctors then did not have a cure for. They were show more introduced to vitrification, or the process of being frozen until doctors or scientists find a cure for the problem. Luckily for Floe, she was cured from her disease along with the ultra cool Taz, a skater boy whom was also frozen because of catching the same disease.

The only bad thing for Floe finally being thawed out is that it took ten years. So now everything around Floe has changed. People are starting to skate in the air, not on the ground. And her once little sister, who was the only one in the family to not be frozen, is now Floe's older sister. Not only that, but the hope for her family to reunite may not even happen since her parents are still frozen and the chance of them being thawed out is slim to none. The Venice Beach Cryonics Center, where Floe and her parents were vitrified, is now being sued and could most likely close down.

So now Floe has to find a way to save the center and her parents. Adjust to her new life and surroundings. Get used to her little sister now being her older sister. Make new friends who are literally ten times younger than she is and to deal with the typical guy problems. Floe may have some problems, but she can deal with them, right?

Don't let the title I WAS A TEENAGE POPSICLE throw you off. Sure, it's a little weird, but the plot is most definitely original and the novel includes characters that will keep you on your toes. Bev Katz Rosenbaum does an awesome job to paint what the future may look like in your head, and does an even better job to create an awesome cast of characters. The sequel to I WAS A TEENAGE POPSICLE, titled BEYOND COOL, will release on August 7, 2007. It can not come soon enough. Another great read from the Berkley Jam titles. show less