Undercover

As a secondary level instructor, I am always seeking well written novels for my students to read. Undercover, by Beth Kephart, is written in a beautifully descriptive tone throughout. She never misses a beat. Elisa, the heroine, is a girl whom most students can easily admire and desire to emulate. This novel helped my students understand why it's necessary to work on their language skills in order to have the power to communicate their feelings, hopes and desires.

What I like most about this book is the smart but funky way the narrator talks. One of my favorite passages is this one: "It's interesting to me, what others cannot see. For example: The precursors of leaves on trees, which can be seen only just in front of dusk, in March, when the setting sun turns the branches pink or some primary shade of green. Then there's the glow of the eyes on bees, and also the way a gerbera daisy stars out thinking it's yellow before it turns pink." Highly recommended.

This book is absolutely stunning. I highly recommend it as an XMAS gift for all mothers and young adult daughters to read together. It's uplifting, challenging and spot on in terms of how young adults deal with their hopes and aspirations. Kephart has captured both the poetry and struggles of being a young teenage girl. Undercover (Laura Geringer Books)

As the mom of a 'tween and a teen girl, I wanted to stand up and cheer for this story. The best thing I can say is that it's REAL. It feels like the real thoughts of a real girl living a real life, and in this world dominated by High School Musical I think that's something we desperately need. And FYI: Beth Kephart has a great blog at http://beth-kephart.blogspot.com/

Because Kirkus, School Library Journal, Booklist, and Publishers' Weekly all gave UNDERCOVER starred reviews, I thought I should take a look myself, and I'm really glad I did. It's not just a story about a nature-loving aspiring poet and her English teacher. It's a book about what can happen when you dare to believe in yourself. UNDERCOVER manages to be funny and moving at the same time