Book Review on Christopher Grant's "TEENIE"

Author Christopher Grant

I can't ever remember picking up a book that I knew nothing about that had me so engrossed in the story from beginning to end. I read this book of about 250 pages in four days. Last night, I had to finish it, and continued on to read the last 80 pages. As promised in an earlier post, I will now review the book after talking about the reading at CSI. 

Chris Grant center with Professor Conti's class at CSI

Here are some quotes from his reading and Q&A

A student from the reading asked Grant, "Why go for a young adult book for your first novel?"

Grant- "I was asked to write a book, but was let down and pushed the book away for a few years. I took a writing class and showed the first two chapters to the class and they loved it."

Another student asked, "Why did you write from the perspective of a young girl, and what gave you that experience?"

Grant- "I felt uniquely equipped to write from a woman's perspective. I was raised by my mother and three aunts. I learned a lot from listening to girls talk on the train, and from my niece. Just listen, dialogue is flying around."

Speaking of dialogue, Grant also wanted to make sure there was no use of the "N" word, or profanity. He wanted the language to be almost like you are talking to your parents, and that's exactly how you feel. 

The Review

Teenie is the story of a young 14 year-old High School Freshman named Martine (Teenie). She has a loving family, annoying older brothers, and a handful of friends she hangs with. Things start to change however when she is noticed by the most popular boy in school, basketball player, Greg Millons.

Teenie goes through all the ups and downs of a normal teenage girl and then some. She grows up fast as her naive innocence comes to an end, and she learns the world can be a scary place. There are moments of laughter, scenes of sadness, and even priods of anger as Grant makes you feel as if you are in the story. 

Some of the topics aren't for the youngest of readers, but adult subject matter is referred to tastefully and PG rated. The book is based on everyday life, but most importantly, it teaches kids to not be afraid to talk or speak up when something is wrong. 


Overall Teenie is a great read from start to finish, and I'd recommend it for ages 13 and up. 

(This story will be in Broken Records Magazine and the CSI Banner as well)