P is for Populazzi by Elise Allen

I'm one of more than a thousand bloggers taking part in the A-Z Blogging challenge this year. The goal is to blog everyday in April - except Sundays. You don't need a theme...but I've got one.

It's called watchYAreading. Each day, I'll blog about a  young adult book I have read - and loved (or at least really liked). 

In my sea of paranormal YA, Populazzi stands out like a sore thumb. Elise Allen doesn't tackle spirits and vampires, or necromancers and werewolves. Instead, she takes on real-life problems of today's youth - and I bought every word.

Elise doesn't sugar coat issues of substance abuse, first-time sex, broken hearts and peer pressure. What may appear to be a "fluffy" premise (young girl desperate to climb the popularity ladder), is anything but. Yes, it deals with deep dilemmas, but it's also filled with humor and an underlying theme that actually helped me better understand my stepdaughter. It's brilliant.

For months after I read this book, I recommended it to anyone who would listen. I stand by my word - Populazzi is a YA must-read, no matter what your regular genre.

What "P" book is on your most popular list? Tell me in the comments and at the end of the month I'll choose three readers to win a copy of SPIRITED, an anthology of haunting YA fiction.

Now, go check out the rest of the blogs in the A-Z Challenge, including my Dawn Ius site where I blog about songs and artists who have inspired me, and at the Most-Wanted Monsters blog where the awesome Judith Graves and I are waxing poetic about 26 creeptastic beasties.

- Dawn