WARNING: recent School Library Journal recommendations of Adult books for teens are WAY off the mark...

I have long thought that School Library Journal often does a disservice to librarians by not really being honest or forthcoming in its reviews.  One of the reasons we started writing this blog was to give you more information than what the journals typically include.  I was reading this month's SLJ and I almost dropped it when I saw a couple of the recommendations they made of adult books for teens.  I can only write about two of the titles, because I have read them, but neither of them would I recommend for teens.  The others I cannot speak about, but I felt obligated to share what I know to save you from wasting scarce book money.

The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell

I loved this enjoyable Jane Eyre fan fiction romp. It is smart and sassy and though it pays homage to the Brontes, it never stoops to the level of worshipping them. A fun protagonist, a wicked sense of humor, what more could you ask for? If you enjoy modern literary writing that does more then nod toward classics, this book is great fun.

June's Rating:  Language PG-13;  Nudity--PG;  Sexual Content--R;  GLBT Content--PG;  Violence--PG;  Substance Abuse--R, Adult Themes--PG-13

Robin's comments:  As you can see, it isn't that I didn't like the book. I really liked it quite a lot.  However, I cannot see it having much appeal for teenagers except for the .5% who actually enjoy Bronte.  Also, there is a somewhat inappropriate relationship between a professor and a student.  It contains WAY  too many literary allusions and assumptions that the reader knows certain things for this to be enjoyable for anything resembling your average teen reader, or your average reader period.  It is definitely a niche book, and not one that I would give to a high school student unless they were extremely unique.

Now for the one that really made me cringe...  

Eligible: a Modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice 

by Curtis Sittenfield

(From my GoodReads review)

Sadly disappointing, this book is just trying to cash in on the popularity of Jane Austen's characters. This supposed to be a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, but it fails on all fronts. The main characters, with the possible exception of Fitzwilliam Darcy, and I am not even sure about that, are all unlikeable. Even Jane is aimless and low-achieving. Lizzy has been carrying on an affair with a married man for years. All the Bennett girls are unmarried and over 25--what are the odds? Besides Mary, they are slutty and foul-mouthed. Bingley is portrayed as a near idiot. I only finished reading it so that I could write a review that would prevent anyone from spending any money on this book. Janeites beware!
The premise is that Charles Bingley is a reality television star from a show called Eligible who comes to Cincinatti to work at a hospital, because despite the fact that he is pushing 40, handsome, charming and a doctor, he cannot find love. Unfortunately, he also failed to find it on Eligible and now has to earn his keep as an ER doctor. Darcy is a neurosurgeon working at the same hospital. Jane and Lizzy (40 and 38 respectively) have come to town to help care for their father, who has had a heart attack and ruined the family finances by being lazy and stupid. Kitty and Lydia are twenty-something exercise addicts and Mary is a serial college student, completing degree after degree online. Have I convinced you not to pick it up yet? It is insipid, the characters are broadly drawn caricatures and it is the worst kind of opportunism. There is none of the cleverness, none of the social commentary, none of the sparkling dialogue of a real Jane Austen book.
I wouldn't give this book to my worst enemy.

June's Rating:  Language--X;  Nudity-R;  Sexual Content--X; GLBT Content-R (Lydia marries a transgender Male)  Adult Themes-R

Robin's comments:  I have never given an "X" rating, but I really do not think this book is suitable for teens.  I wouldn't have finished it, except that I wanted to review it and I didn't feel like it would be fair to review it without reading the whole thing, so I slogged through.  Besides the fact that it is unsuitable, it is a terrible book.  Really.