Shug

by Jenny Han

Genre: Realistic fiction
Age group: 11+
Rating: ****(4 stars)

Annemarie Wilcox, nicknamed Shug, is now 12 and things are changing for her... And not necessarily in a good way. Her mother is an alcoholic (a fact Annemarie is very sensitive about), her father is barely at home, and when he is both her parents are constantly fighting. Plus, her close friends are growing not-so-close, now they're all in middle school. Especially Mark, who Annemarie is starting to think of as more than a friend...
Jenny Han does a really great job of capturing the difficulties of middle school without going totally overboard. Annemarie's voice is very real, and the story is realistic and interesting. The plot is relatable, and Han does an excellent job taking all the emotions middle school can bring and mixing them up into a wonderfully real novel.