Stop, Don't Stop

January 1, 2002
Jonah Black is back in Run, Jonah, Run, Volume III of the Black Book: Diary of a Teenage Stud series. The virile volume opens with Jonah on the verge of losing his virginity to Posie. An unexpected phone call from former flame Sophie changes the mood.

November 1, 2001
Adolescent Adonis wannabe Jonah Black records his musings for posterity in the second volume of The Black Book: series. In Volume II: Stop, Don't Stop by Jonah Black, the hero recovers from a diving accident, slogs through school and attempts to understand his feelings for two different girls. PW wrote of Jonah in Volume I: Girls, Girls, Girls: "He's instantly likable, and his vulnerabilities, acute description and tenuous hold on reality make for gripping and often humorous reading."

March 1, 2002
Gr 9 Up-Another volume of Jonah Black's journalistic wanderings. The teen's latest adventures begin with a crack on his head during a diving tournament, allowing him to delve further into his sometimes-hallucinogenic fantasies. He is still in love with Posie Hoff, he still longs for the elusive Sophie, and he is doing his best to figure out if his cyber-love is really the gorgeous Scandinavian girl she claims to be. Yes, like many 17-year-olds, Jonah's life and thoughts revolve around his dating aspiration. While all this is going on, he must also deal with the fact that his mother is breezing in and out of his life, just when he seems to need her the most. Readers finally discover the reason he was expelled from boarding school, and perhaps in the third, and final, book, they may find out exactly why Jonah did what he did. "The Black Book" diaries will speak to many teenagers, particularly reluctant readers. Jonah is today's Everyteen-pining away for his lost love, hanging up when he finally hears her voice, and struggling to deal with his own identity. His sexual musings and fantasies, while at times rather brash, seem incredibly real, and his longing for a complete family unit will mirror a desire that many adolescents harbor. Jonah's voice combines black comedy and realistic poignancy in a readable, appealing book for young adults.-Lynn Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, WI

Copyright 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2002
Gr. 8-12. This quickly issued sequel to "The Black Book, v.1" will be eagerly grabbed by those who have already met narrator Jonah Black, a Florida high-school senior with a murky past and a wonderfully bizarre sense of humor. Unfortunately, this second volume of Jonah's diary is mostly a teen soap opera, lacking the depth of the first title. Some of Jonah's secrets are unveiled. We learn why he was expelled from the boarding school in Pennsylvania and the true nature of his relationship with the mysterious Sophie O'Brien. Jonah finally tells his longtime friend and surfer goddess Posie Hoff that he loves her, and he discovers that she loves him, too, though a series of comic events prevent them from consummating their relationship. The marvelous surrealism of the first volume has been exchanged for more concrete details, which advance the plot but make the story almost mundane. There will be demand for this title but probably disappointment, too. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)