Technically, You Started It, written by Lana Wood Johnson, reviewed by Kalie Mehaffy

Summary: At Haley's school, there are two Martin Nathaniel Munroe II (cousins), and when one of them texts Haley about a school project, she thinks she knows which one she is texting. What starts as a casual text exchange about a school project turns into a full blown friendship - one that is only over text. As they become closer, Martin begins to realize that Haley does not know which Martin Munroe she is texting; and Martin struggles with how to tell her which Martin Nathaniel Munroe II he actually is - a decision that could lead to a disaster. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: This book was a quick and delightful read. The entire novel is written as a series of text message exchanges, which allows for a quick reading experience. It is very easy to tell who is talking - Haley's texts are always in a slightly darker bubble on the right, and Martin's texts are always in a lighter bubble on the left. I think that this book is wonderful for a student who struggles with reading - particularly the girls. I do agree with the review, this novel will be much easier to understand if the reader is already familiar with a texting format. One thing that I appreciate about this novel is its diversity. Although there are no character descriptions, the characters do have brief, but blunt conversations about their sexuality. They do not go into detail, but they do frankly state their sexuality in their conversations. This is something that is still a bit rare to see, especially in young adult novels, and I know that there are students in my schools would benefit from seeing. I think that students would benefit from seeing how the author uses the two characters to show how easy it is to misunderstand things in a conversation - especially one that is not face to face - and how those misunderstandings could be resolved. I am not sure if it has strong curriculum ties, although this novel could certainly be used as an example of how to write dialogue, and how dialogue can aid greatly in character development. Overall, I would love to have this book in both my middle and my high school, I think it is a great book to include in a reluctant readers section.