Read My Lips

When Serena's parents make her move to a small town she's not sure her skater chick self will fit in with all the preps. To top things off she's deaf and quite a few people, including some teachers, think she's a freak. Even though life isn't perfect Serena is pretty content with her life and especially enjoys hanging out with her crush and the school rebel Miller. Surprisingly though Serena makes friends with preppy girl Rachel very quickly. While Rachel is really nice she is also part of a group of super exclusive girls and Serena is sure she won't fit in. Especially when she meets Sonya who has it out for her the first time their eyes meet. Soon the group of girls who weren't the most accepting at first find out that Serena has an amazing talent for reading lips. She can pick out anyone's conversations and can easily pick up gossip. The group knows that Serena's talent can be used to learn many dirty secrets and make the girls even more popular. With her new found popularity Serena learns the difference between true and fake friends, takes down a secret sorority, and finds the true person she really is. This was a stunning book. It was a light read, but still had substance and was completely captivating. The storyline was completely original and was very enjoyable. I honestly don't think that there was anything that I disliked about this book. The characters were three dimensional and I felt like Serena was my best friend. It was also very easy to relate to Serena. While I have no idea what it's like to be deaf, I do know how it feels trying to fit in and be accepted. What I loved is how Serena was able to stay true to herself and while she deterred a little bit, she always came back to her true self. Then there's Miller. He sounds like the perfect boyfriend any girl could ever dream of and I am very jealous of his and Serena's relationship! Like I said before there was nothing I disliked about this book and completely look forward to more books by the fabulous Teri Brown, who I may add is a member of the amazing Class of 2k8.

All Serena really wants at her new school is to fit in, but when you're deaf, that's not so easy. When some A-listers discover Serena's talent for reading lips, they offer her the chance to get in with them. But acceptance come with a price - the popular girls have enlisted her to spy and uncover any and every secret that's of use to them. But is getting into the in-crown really what a skater chick like Serena really wants, or is this new job of snooping showing her true colors as a conforming prep? I had mixed reactions about Read My Lips. I'll start with main character Serena. While it was stated several times that she used to be a skater chick, I never really felt that it was rooted into her personality; it seemed to me that it was only an explanation to why Serena didn't feel completely comfortable hanging out with the popular girls. Despite that, I really liked Serena as the protagonist, because while she is insecure and sometimes dishonest, she eventually comes to her senses and does the right thing; her flaws make her more realistic. As for other characters, I really like how Serena's popular friends actually had good hearts. Miller is a different story; you never really learn much about him except for what Serena sees: that he is hot and that he loves her. I would've liked to know more about him. The plot wasn't terrible exciting at all times, and I found it odd that at Serena's new school everyone was a "cookie-cutter prep." However, there were some catfights, and I guess that small-town schools aren't as diverse as those in big cities. I believe that the good aspects of this novel definitely outweighed the bad, and I enjoyed reading Read My Lips. It's definitely like Gossip Girl, but with much more integrity. Read My Lips is a guilty-pleasure read with meaning.

This book has a great voice and a cast of characters that are layered with dreams and doubts. No matter what antics, trials or dramas, everyone has to make adjustments. There's no right or wrong way to be a good friend or fit in at a new school. Serena's challenge is also her strength and with luck there will be more "Serena" stories to read in the future.

Read My Lips Serena just wants to fly under the radar at her new school. But Serena is deaf, and she can read lips really well-even across the busy cafeteria. So when the popular girls discover her talent, there's no turning back. What I liked about Read My Lips was how real the characters were. Serena has a very real desire to fit in, just like we all do and sometimes that longing to be part of the crowd makes good choices kind of fuzzy. The mean girls did mean girl things, but they weren't horrific. They were just kids, doing kid things. Then there was the description of Serena's mom who does one thing that drives her crazy; the mother hover. The Mother Hover - classic This debut novel from Teri J. Brown is a fun, light read and I highly recommend it!

Moving to a new town is never easy. Neither is navigating through high school. When a girl befriends both an outcast boy and the popular girls at her new school, she quickly becomes an unwilling player in the game of gossip. Uncomfortable with the situation but glad to finally be part of a group, she must decide what's right, what's wrong, and what's best kept secret. Read My Lips is the perfect title for Teri Brown's debut novel. The main character, Serena Nelson, is oral deaf, meaning that she able to speak and has some level of hearing. She would rather read lips than use sign language. On her first day at a mainstream high school, without really meaning to, Serena reads someone's lips from a distance - kind of like overhearing something - and accidentally shares that conversation with some of her classmates. When they realize that Serena's ability to lip read may come in handy for their personal gain, they lobby for her friendship. These are the school's social butterflies, the girls everyone likes, the cream of the crop. Initially, Serena loves the feeling of acceptance, but she soon discovers that the price for admittance to their exclusive sorority may be too high for her to pay. Like all teenagers, Serena has things she loves (like hooded sweatshirts and skateboarding) and things that bug her (like having to move to a new town). She starts crushing on a guy called Miller who is an outcast at school. She finds that she can be herself around him, and he becomes one of her strongest supporters. Even though the popular girls don't like him, Serena does. Throughout the story, Serena deals with her physical and moral challenges realistically. She is not ashamed of her hearing impairment, but she tends to hide her hearing aids with her hair. She responds well to her own moral compass. When she lip reads private conversations between classmates or teachers at someone else's request, she knows what she's doing is similar to eavesdropping or spying, and she doesn't always tell them everything she sees and hears. As Serena tries to balance her time with her crush, her family, and her friends, Brown gives each character distinct traits. Rather than the sorority being a clique of clones, each of the main girls has her own personality, and not all of them are gossip hounds. Some prove themselves worthy of Serena's friendship, while others, with their selfish agendas, do not. For a time, Serena allows herself to look and act like the queen bees by taking out her eyebrow piercing and dressing in trendy clothes rather than comfy hoodies, but thankfully, she comes back to her senses. When the truth comes out in the end, as it always does, Serena is genuinely apologetic. She is a solid, believable character, and this is a solid story. Recommended.