Liz Ruckdeschel

Okay, I didn't actually complete reading this book, but I really want to review this for teachers who may be in my position. First, I had literally drooled on myself while coveting this series in a bookstore. Last year, I recall, one of my students read my 25-cent garage-sale find,What if....Everyone Knew your Name and loved it, passing it along from friend to friend. After it had circulated the popular crowd, it was never returned. Here, a few weeks before Xmas, I had the whole, crisp collection in my hands; I loved the feel of them, the silky rustle of their covers against each other, the charming covers, the concept behind each book, and I fantasized about my gum-smacking, Ug-boot wearing, OMG-wielding bottle-blonde middle school girls becoming honest-to-god READERS after delving into these exciting choose-your-own destiny novels. I considered forgetting my budget constraints for this noble cause, bu I refrained.
One of my 7th-grade girls used her Barnes & Noble giftcard to buy this one, What if....All of your Friends Turned on You and after reading it, passed it my way. Elation! She said, "It was good" and walked away. She didn't hyperventilate and OMG ad nauseum, so I wondered what had gone wrong. Perhaps she was in a hurry. I spent the rest of my plan period snuggling in. Now I know.
The story begins at a New Year's Eve party of several adults and teens all arguing politics. Really, politics. The argument is one in which I myself could be engaged, but definitely not one that my 7th graders are going to follow. I couldn't get a real grasp on any of the characters; they were all in this heated debate about the solution to global warming and I hadn't even met any of them yet, so each name dropped was as if over a cliff rather than into my cup of memory. Shifty....I'm already disappointed. Next thing I know, the teens are jokingly making Ed McMahon references, Al Gore, & Laurence Welk (seriously) and I know the book is doomed to never save even one of my students. Was I wrong about the target audience? Isn't it so VERY middle school? Well, this one certainly isn't. It's so VERY written by a 30-something who is out of touch if that's what she was going for. Hoping that I'm wrong, I ask 3 random students in the hall, "Hey, have you guys ever heard of Ed McMahon?"

"Does he go to this school?"
"No, he's famous; he'd be on t.v." Blank stares.
"No...."
Thanks, that's all I needed to know. This book's a gonner.
I see the owner of this perfectly packaged disappointment and I ask her to tell me the truth. What did she think about the book.
"Well....I kinda didn't get, like, any of it. But I READ it, though. It looked good."
After having her clarify her definition of "read", I deduced that she really had tried, but that she couldn't even get started, let alone make choices for the characters (the best part).
So....further investigation of this series is required. Are they all written by the same author? Are they all a flop? Why, then, did the blue one do so well?
Even though I admit I didn't read this whole book and I don't know what score I, an adult reader, would have given it, I can confidently say that this is not a good choice for middle school girls. I'm not ready to condemn the series; more on that to follow.
As for this one, it should be titled, "What if.....a book that could've been great actually sucks?"
… (altro)

Reviewed by Cat for TeensReadToo.com

Have you ever wished the characters in your favorite novels made different choices?

Should Haley spend a quiet New Year's Eve with the artistically inclined Devon, Shaun, and Irene, or hit Rich Haber's booze-soaked blowout attended by the cutie next-door, Reese Highland? How and where should she spend spring break? Would you have her stay in town for a screening of her school art project? Or should she make nice with and (possibly) change the lives of the fallen-from-grace and currently troubled Queen Bees Coco and Whitney? Maybe you'd rather she get friendly with the neo-cool regime of Sasha, John, Cecily, Drew, and Reese by jetting to Paris. Or would you fly her to Spain alongside the school's premier brainiacs, couple Annie and Dean and heartthrob exchange student Sebastian Bodega?

WHAT IF...YOU BROKE ALL THE RULES is an easy-breezy beach read that allows readers to dictate the novel's final outcome. Sure, there's not a lot of complication, or in-depth drama, but sometimes you just want to kick back, let your brain take a break, and enjoy the ride.

Plus, the additional benefit of being able to retrace your steps and choose a different path should you find yourself dissatisfied with the outcome is sure to please.… (altro)