New Releases by Julie Halpern

Julie Halpern writes about illness, loss, love, and friendship with candor and compassion. The F- It List is an unforgettable young adult novel about living fully, living authentically, and just . . . living. Alex and Becca have always been best friends. But when Becca does something nearly unforgivable at Alex''s dad''s funeral, Alex cuts ties with her and focuses on her grieving family. Time passes, and Alex finally decides to forgive Becca. Then she''s hit with another shocker: Becca has cancer. It also turns out Becca has a bucket list, one she doesn''t know she''ll be able to finish now. That''s where Alex comes in, along with a mysterious and guarded boy who just may help Alex check a few items off her own bucket list.

It''s Jessie''s sophomore year of high school. A self-professed "mathelete," she isn''t sure where she belongs. Her two best friends have transformed themselves into punks and one of them is going after her longtime crush. Her beloved older brother will soon leave for college (and in the meantime has shaved his mohawk and started dating . . . the prom princess!) . . . Things are changing fast. Jessie needs new friends. And her quest is a hilarious tour through high-school clique-dom, with a surprising stop along the way—the Dungeons and Dragons crowd, who out-nerd everyone. Will hanging out with them make her a nerd, too? And could she really be crushing on a guy with too-short pants and too-white gym shoes? If you go into the wild nerd yonder, can you ever come back?

"If you watched ''The Adventures of Pete and Pete,'' you loved ''The Adventures of Pete and Pete.'' I loved it so much that in the summer of 1995 I was an intern on the show. This zine tells that story in full color with lots of personal photos and some light gossip. Also: me, Iggy Pop, and a ghost."--Author''s Etsy description.

In Girl on the Ferris Wheel, Julie Halpern and Len Vlahos expertly tackle this quirky and poignant romance that explores what first love really means—and how it sometimes hurts like hell. Tenth graders Eliana and Dmitri could not be more different. He''s an outgoing, self-confident drummer in a punk band called Unexpected Turbulence. Eliana is introspective and thoughtful, and a movie buff who is living with depression. Dmitri quite literally falls for Eliana when he sees her in gym class and slams into a classmate. The pair then navigate the ins and outs of first love. Exciting, scary, unexpected, and so much more difficult than they ever imagined. They say opposites attract, but they soon realize that there is so much they just don’t understand about each other. It begs the question: How long can first love possibly last when you’re so different?

What if your soul mate was decided for you? It started happening a few years ago: the names of MTBs—“meant to be” mates—appeared emblazoned on the skin at age eighteen. Agatha’s best friend has embraced the phenomenon and is head over heels in love with her MTB. But Aggy isn’t so sure. As she struggles with accepting her MTB fate, she finds herself falling for a coworker at the local amusement park. Is he a better match? What does Agatha really want in a mate, and moreover, what does she want for herself? With her trademark wit and irreverence, acclaimed author Julie Halpern explores an age-old question: Who are we meant to be with?

Thirty six year old Annie Schwartz-Jensen thinks she''s ready for a baby but her maternity leave proves otherwise. As Annie navigates life with her new baby, she realizes that not all Mommies are created equal. But she is determined to find her way, love her baby, her husband, herself.

When Anna returns from a three-week stay in a mental hospital she struggles to resume a normal life in the face of her parents'' arguments and peers who are afraid to ask her what happened.

On the first day of Lillian''s summer-before-college, she gets a message on her cell from her sort-of friend, Penny. Not only has Penny faked her own kidnapping, but Lil is the only one who figures it out. She knows that Penny''s home life has been rough, and that her boyfriend may be abusive. Soon, Penny''s family, the local police, and even the FBI are grilling Lil, and she decides to head out to Oregon, where Penny has mentioned an acquaintance. And who better to road-trip across the country with than Lil''s BFF, Josh. But here''s the thing: Lil loves Josh. And Josh doesn''t want to "ruin" their amazing friendship. Josh has a car and his dad''s credit card. Lil has her cellphone and a hunch about where Penny is hiding. There''s something else she needs to find: Are she and Josh meant to be together?

Drawing from her own experiences in a mental hospital as a teen, Halpern delivers a brave--and brazen--novel that finds humor in the unlikeliest of places.

Lonely after his best friend moves away, Toby finds new playmates in the talking snowflakes that begin to fall.

Julie and Liz''s recreation issue features articles on malls, bagels, Judaism, car accidents, Starbucks, Girl Scouts, their high school speech team, and role-playing games.

This issue of Cul-de-sac includes Sanrio clip-art, more essays on librarian Julie and grad school student Liz''s friendship, teen movie reviews, essays on dating Jewish men and unrequited crushes as well as a centerfold about Jake Ryan.

Librarian Julie and grad school student Liz write about their love for karaoke, complete with "dos-and don''ts," a list of their proudest moments and favorite songs, fashion tips, and rules of background music accompaniment.

Best friends since childhood Liz Saidel (later Liz Mason of Quimby''s zine store) and Julie Halpern (author of Get Well Soon and Toby and the Snowflakes) write stories about pre-adolescence and their teen years in their clip-art and cartoon filled zine: crushes, the prom, Hanson, and menstrual products.