sleeping freshmen

I can always tell how tired (or how alert) I am by monitoring what I'm willing and able to read in my free time. Of course, on very busy days I read nothing at all. On good days, I'll read part of Anna Karenina (which I'm still reading and enjoying - I'm almost done), and tackle any new novels or nonfiction I have in my to-read pile. When I'm a little tired, I tend to re-read books or read easy new ones ("easy new ones" = Meg Cabot, EJO, A-List or Gossip Girl). When I'm really tired, I re-read easy books. I know I'm exhausted and burned out when I reach for Betty Neels. Once, I was sick for a long time, and I read about 100 Baby-Sitters Club books, because they were what I could manage. By the way, this is true for e-mail too; if I owe you one, it's because I've been too tired to write sensible e-mails (or blog entries, some might say).
I'm literally doing the work of two people in my job right now, and it's a busy time of year there. So earlier this week I was re-reading very easy books. But today, I read two new ones: a Marilyn Sachs book, and Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar. Seriously, if you like teen fiction at all, you should be reading him. Even if you don't, but were a certain kind of quirky teen boy, you'd like it. It's well-constructed, and the characters and dislogue are believable. The narrator is unusually aware for his age, but everyone keeps pointing this out. I mean, Scott is unusual for his age, and people realize it. My favorite bit was at the beginning of chapter 26; the changes in viewpoint were well done and the well-placed page break before 'I'm hungry, Kelly thought' was outstanding.
Lubar provides a primer for any high school English teacher who wants to make his/her class more enjoyable. I don't agree that honors English students (or any other English students, but especially honors students) should spend the year on contemporary fiction, but if one were going to do so, at least Lubar made good choices (The Outsiders is probably too easy for most honors classes, but Ender's Game and To Kill a Mockingbird would be good choices for freshmen). I love the approach to poetry here: not asking what it means, but asking the kids to read and enjoy it. If they're really enjoying it, they'll figure out the meaning.