Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York, 2002
ISBN: 0-689-84337-2

Plot Summary:
Cyd Charisse is a 16-year-old who has just been expelled from a fancy boarding school for being caught having sex with her boyfriend. She goes back to her family's house in San Francisco. She lives with her mom, stepfather, and younger brother and sister. As part of a court order for her shoplifting conviction, she has been spending time at a nursing home, where she meets her latest boyfriend, Shrimp. She is convinced they are soul mates. Then he dumps her because he needs space.

Cyd's parents ground her for staying too late at Shrimp's house, and she is driving everyone in the house crazy. Then her parents tell her that her biological father is interested in meeting her, so off she goes to New York. She meets her half-siblings and becomes close with them, but then her mom flies out to New York and the two of them bond after Cyd tells her about the abortion she had while in boarding school. She looks forward to going back to San Francisco to live with her real family again.

Critical Evaluation:
I did not care for this book at all. My first thought was that Cohn is trying way too hard to be cool. No teens I know talk how Cyd does, the dialog was way too cutesy. Secondly, Cyd Charisse has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I did not understand her motivations at all. Basically, she has a healthy libido and a mom who likes to diet, and therein is the source of all her problems? I didn't understand. At one point, after proclaiming she is not spoiled, she proceeds to destroy a fifty dollar bill in the garbage disposal because her dad had to go to work instead of show her around New York. Are we supposed to feel sorry for her? I couldn't wait to get her out of my life either.

Reader’s Annotation:
Cyd Charisse isn't a tough as she looks, but it will take some digging to find out what's really going on under that punk exterior.

Information about the Author:
Rachel Cohn went to Barnard College and moved to San Francisco after college. Gingerbread is her first novel, and she has gone on to write more since, such as Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and You Know Where to Find Me (an Oprah's Book Club pick for teens).

Genre: realistic fiction

Curriculum Ties: none

Booktalking Ideas:
I would introduced Cyd Charisse and why she is back home living with her parents. Then I would talk about the alienation she feels and how she goes about finding a place to fit in.

Reading Level/Interest Age:
This book would be appropriate for ages 16 and up.

Challenge Issues:
This book could be challenged for Cyd's attitude toward sex (that she likes it, a lot), and possibly for having a gay character--her half-brother. I would explain the library's selection policy and give the challenger a complaint form to fill out.

Why I chose this book:
I chose this book after reading the article "Teens, teachers and controversial text" which Cohn wrote, using Gingerbread as an example of a controversial text.