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Books
to Start the New Year
Reviewed by Michele Ashman Bell
Now that Christmas is over and the
holiday season is drawing to a close, here are two books that might
tempt young people (or people who are young at heart) to spend a
little more time on vacation.
Staying in Tune
by Carmen Rasmusen
Spring Creek Book Company, 141 pages
Click to Buy
 What
can I say? I’m star-struck. I got to meet Carmen Rasmusen,
and not only did she meet my expectations, she exceeded them. And
so did her book.
I was a fan of Carmen’s when she competed on “American
Idol.” Every week she impressed me — not just with her
singing, but with the type of person she was throughout the competition.
For someone her age to handle the pressure of being on such a high-profile
television show with the grace and class Carmen did, says a lot
about Carmen, and about her family.
Her book, Staying in Tune, shares her experience on “American
Idol,” and her gospel-centered upbringing that prepared her
so well to handle the pressures of that experience. In the book,
she also shares what she learned along that journey and what impact
the experience has had in her life, all the while staying true to
her values and beliefs.
Believe it or not, as a girl, and then as a young woman, Carmen
struggled fitting in, just like so many girls do. In her book, she
tells that she had a tendency to learn things the hard way and she
shares how she went through the agony of braces and feeling unpretty
and unpopular.
She had many exciting things happen, like being chosen to be a member
of the children’s chorus in the Broadway production of Joseph
and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, starring Donny Osmond.
She also had typical teenage tragedies happen — running for
student body office and losing, and being talked about behind her
back and ostracized by girls whom she had thought were her friends.
Throughout the book, Carmen shares tidbits of wisdom she has learned
while growing up. By using the Young Women values, she talks about
prayer, faith, honesty, chastity, and important issues facing Young
Women today. One of the qualities she talks about, which seemed
to attract some of her greatest opposition, was her decision to
dress modestly.
From the very beginning of her time with “American Idol,”
until the end of the tour promoting her own CD, Carmen has had to
defend her position over and over again. But she remains strong
and true to her beliefs and standards and shows that it is possible
to make dreams come true and still be true to yourself.
I recommend this book to every Young Women who is, or isn’t,
a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Carmen
writes in an open and honest way, which is exactly as she is in
real life. Her story is interesting, fun and touching. Her advice
to Young Women is consistent with gospel teachings and her actions
are a reflection of her testimony.
Before, I was a fan of Carmen, the “American Idol,”
but I am now even a bigger fan of Carmen Rasmusen Herbert, the person.
Make sure you don’t miss Staying in Tune.
Revenge of the Cheerleaders
by Janette Rallison
It’s hard to believe that a girl
as beautiful as Chelsea, who’s popular and a cheerleader,
could ever have her boyfriend break up with her. But he does. And
worse, he’s been dating another girl behind her back!
Chelsea is further tormented by the fact that her sister, Adrian,
who is two years younger and a sophomore at her high school, is
dating a complete loser named Rick who has an obnoxious rock band.
Consequently, Rick and Chelsea do not get along.
On Halloween, Chelsea’s mom is
worried about Adrian, so she asks Chelsea to go look for her. Rick’s
band is playing at a Halloween party at the college, so Chelsea
goes, thinking Adrian will be there. With her friend Samantha by
her side, they try to get into the dance but they don’t have
any money. Good luck is on their side because the very cute guy
selling tickets, named Tanner, tells them they can go in and look
for her sister for free. Tanner shows an interest in Chelsea, but
she regretfully doesn’t have time to chat; she’s got
to find her sister.
Chelsea mistakes someone else for her sister because they are wearing
the same costume. The girl starts running to get away from Chelsea
and trips over some of the band’s electrical cords, completely
unplugging the guitars and the microphone. Not only did Chelsea
not find her sister, but she also succeeded in making her sister’s
boyfriend hate her even more.
The following week at school, during the pep assembly, instead of
the cheer song, “Be True to Your School,” coming out
of her boom box, it’s one of Rick’s CD’s with
a horrible song about how bad they hated school and the teachers.
One of the teachers, Mrs. Jones, decides that the assembly isn’t
going to end on such a bad note and decides to sing the song for
the girls to do their routine to. The problem is, Mrs. Jones doesn’t
know the words. Chelsea runs up to the microphone to help her out
and luckily her three years of choir training kicks in and she does
a great job. When the song is over the audience cheers and the cheerleaders
are hauled off to the principal’s office.
Chelsea is convinced it is Rick and Adrian’s fault the tapes
got switched, and she’s determined to get even with them.
She finds out that High School Idol is coming to town and
that Rick’s band is going to audition so they can become famous
rock stars. And worse, Rick and his band have come up with some
new songs, which all have to do with how much they hate cheerleaders.
Encouraged by the reaction of the student body after she sang at
the pep assembly, Chelsea is not about to let Rick and his band
win that contest, so she decides to enter, with her friends singing
backup. Chelsea just needs some voice coaching to help her prepare.
Mr. Metzerol, the choir teacher, agrees to help her, if she will
agree to help two of his new pupils, twins who have superb voices,
but not much self-esteem. The girls are rather plain-looking and
a bit on the overweight side and instead of calling them their names,
Polly and Molly, kids at school call them Roly and Poly. Mr. Metzerol
is convinced that Chelsea can help the girls fit in and boost their
image at Pullman High School.
Chelsea agrees and recruits her friends to help her. While at first,
she is not sure what she’s gotten herself into, she learns
that Molly and Polly are talented singers and really great girls.
They just need a little confidence boost.
The makeover begins and Molly and Polly receive hair, makeup, and
wardrobe suggestions. Just as Mr. Metzerol predicted, Chelsea’s
connection with the girls helps them at school, but more importantly,
Chelsea enjoys the new friendship with Molly and Polly.
During the hecticness of her life, Chelsea manages to bump into
Tanner, the very cute boy from the college dance. After a few dates,
he invites her to his house for a special dinner. Excited to meet
his family Chelsea agrees, but when she arrives at his house she
receives a very unexpected surprise. Adrian’s boyfriend Rick,
is Tanner brother!
I found Revenge of the Cheerleaders
to be a very enjoyable and quick read, mainly because the story
is interesting and fast-paced, and the characters are vibrant and
fun. Rallison has a way of weaving sub-plots into the main plot
to create a textured story that has depth, but doesn’t weigh
the reader down with too much detail. And, as is Rallison’s
signature, the story is filled with clever dialogue and rib-splitting
wit.
Chelsea is one of the fortunate people in life who can’t help
being popular, smart and beautiful, yet you don’t hate her
for it. She’s a good person and she does try to be a good
sister and friend. Situations just somehow manage to get twisted
around and she gets caught in the confusion.
A couple of times I did question the logic the characters use to
make their choices and warrant certain behavior, which seemed a
bit out of character. But this is a fun story that has a lot of
heart and a nice twist at the end that will leave the reader satisfied
and is certain to make an even bigger Janette Rallison fan out of
the reader.
© 2007 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved
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