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    Shug
    Shug
    Shug
    Audiobook5 hours

    Shug

    Written by Jenny Han

    Narrated by Elizabeth Morton

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    First-time novelist Jenny Han has penned a realistic story that all middle-graders will surely be able to relate to. Meet 12-year-old Annemarie "Shug" Wilcox. What's not to like about her? She's smart, she's tall, and she has lots of freckles. She lives in a small Georgia town with her popular, gorgeous older sister and intellectual mother. Shug is excited about starting the seventh-grade, but she's not prepared for all the vicious teasing that comes with the new school year. "Han's well-crafted first novel captures the aching hurt of exclusion in middle school, and the acute pain of vicious teasing."-Booklist
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateFeb 8, 2013
    ISBN9781470355081
    Author

    Jenny Han

    Jenny Han is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series, now Netflix movies. She is also the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling The Summer I Turned Pretty series, now streaming on Amazon Prime, as well as Shug, and Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream. She is the coauthor of the Burn for Burn trilogy, with Siobhan Vivian. Her books have been published in more than thirty languages. A former librarian, Jenny earned her MFA in creative writing at the New School. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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    Reviews for Shug

    4/5

    245 ratings27 reviews

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    • 4/5
      ir felt unfinished, i feel it couldve gone for 5-10 more chapters. but i like these tween stories
    • 5/5
      really cute!
    • 4/5
      The light and bright, cheerful cover of Shug belies the serious issues within. Even the descriptive blurb suggests a fairly light story of a 7th grade girl's first real crush, on a boy who'd been her best friend since early childhood. And it is about that. But it's also about dealing with an alcoholic mother and virtually absentee father, coping with peer pressure to stay in the in-crowd, even when they're urging you to do things you know are wrong, and close friendships that change and grow distant as we get older. As small asides, pre-teen drinking and child abuse are touched on as well.This is a good book - it's just much more serious and realistic than I expected from the happy-looking dust jacket. But, as they say, you can't judge a book by its cover. Certainly true in this case!
    • 4/5
      Shug struggles with all the growing up things as she enters 7th grade - changes in her relationships with her best friends, being in "love" and problems with her parents. Han really takes you to the heart of being 12, loved this book.
    • 4/5
      Shug (that's short for Sugar - Annemarie's nickname) is just about to start 7th grade and everything seems to be changing. All of a sudden her oldest friend Mark is looking completely different (in a cute way!) and Annemarie can't figure out how to make him see her differently. Annemarie has always been the one the teachers liked, but junior high brings Ms. Gillybush who can't seem to stand Annemarie. All the other girls are wearing two-piece swimsuits, but Annemarie's still got her old one-piece - which has a hole! Shug wants everything to stay the way it has been, but soon she realizes change is going to happen whether she's ready for it or not. Shug is realistic fiction that captures the life of a preteen girl - the peer pressure, the embarrassing parents, and the mystery of boys. Shug herself is far from perfect, but readers will immediately identify with her and many of the problems she has to face. There's also a serious look at alcohol abuse here, as Shug's mother uses alcohol to comfort herself in the absence of her traveling husband and Shug is pressured to try beer at a party. Shug is a great choice for upper grade school and middle school fans of realistic fiction.
    • 4/5
      This was such a fun and adorable read. When I first picked this book I had my doubts, but this book was funny, imaginative and totally original. I got so absorbed into Shug's life, that I read through the book so quickly and it just left me wanting more. I hope theres a sequel!
    • 5/5
      Shug starts off the new school year with a crush on her neighbor, a beautiful older sister, embarrassing parents, a group of friends, a group of frenemies, and a whole host of problems. Han writes convincingly about starting junior high, excellently capturing the complexity of early adolescent friendship. Han also captures the essence of early adolescent social changes in concrete events, such as when everyone’s moms stop showing up to an annual pool party, and the girls make a show of not eating in front of the boys; at the end of the pool party, Shug admits this is probably the last year it will even happen, marking the end of an era. Each character is nuanced and well developed, with more being revealed about them as the book progresses. No character is perfect, yet no single trait or flaw entirely defines them. Han’s dialogue is fresh, as is Shug’s narration of events. Without the presence of a gimmicky plot device, this novel relies solely upon its characters and their interactions. The plot is defined by several smaller character driven narrative arches, such as Shug’s relationship with her parents or Shug’s friendship with her best friends. Shug’s life isn’t perfect and as such, this novel hits upon some issues, mainly an alcoholic parent. This issue is present without dominating the entire story, and is addressed in a way appropriate for its intended audience. This enjoyable read is highly recommended for girls ages ten to twelve.
    • 5/5
      "Shug" is about a twelve year-old girl, Annemarie. She has grown onto a nickname, Shug. She believes she is the most ugliest girl in the neighborhood. Soon Shug falls deeply in love with her bestfriend, Mark. Mark has been her bestfriend ever since they were five. When Shug starts junior high, Mark doesn't pay much attention to her anymore. She ends up falling in love with one of MArk's bestfriend, Jake. She always hated Jake. She ends up having her first kiss with Jake instead of Mark. I love this book because it can relate to me. This book can relate to some problems you can have in your everyday teen life. It is a very great book. This book was recommended and i would recommend it to others, too.
    • 4/5
      -Annemarie Wilcox, or Shug as her family calls her, is beginning to think there’s nothing worse than being twelve. She’s too tall, too freckled, and way too flat-chested. Shug is sure that there’s not one good or amazing thing about her. And now she has to start junior high, where the friends she counts most dear aren’t acting so dear anymore – especially Mark, the boy she’s known her whole life through. Life is growing up all around her, and all Shug wants is for things to be like they used to be. How is a person supposed to prepare for what happens tomorrow when there is just no figuring out today? Shug reads well and is well written. While intended for a middle school audience, it is constructed well enough to be read by other ages. The characters are well developed and easy to picture. It is a quick reading novel and shows promise. The ending wraps up a little too perfectly but hard to find fault with the book as a whole.
    • 4/5
      Perfect romance for the middle school readers. Annemarie, aka Shug, is struggling with who she is, as well as who those she's most familiar with are. The 12 years old girl is growing up and wants to experience her first kiss. While she is ready to do this with her BFF, Mark, the feelings are not reciprocated. In the meantime, she struggles with seeing her mother and father in a different light. Shug used to think her mom was someone else, not the alcoholic that she is. She notices the strain in her parents' relationship, as her dad prefers to be away from home working and avoiding Shug's mom. While nothing happens with Mark, she discovers that Jack might not be as bad as everyone thinks he is. When Shug has to help Jack pull his grades up, she gets to know him and realizes she might relate to him better than anyone. With junior high being a challenging time, the everyday tween can relate to all of the changes and adjustments they, like Shug, will face during this time. This book is perfect for the girl who is about to leap from the elementary school setting to jr. high.
    • 5/5
      When Annemarie Wilcox realizes that Mark, the true one for her, has a girlfriend, it crushes her. Who will be her be her boyfriend now?
    • 3/5
      Annemarie, known as Shug to her family, is going into middle school. As the summer ends and she tries to transition in seventh grade she faces cliques, peer pressure, a teacher who hates her, a family which seems to be falling apart, her first love, her first kiss and her first heartbreak.
    • 4/5
      This book is about a twelve year old named Annemarie, who is going through all the bumps and bruises of adolescence. From liking a boy who doesn't like her back, a mean teacher, going to school dances, and getting into fights with her best friend, Annemarie doesn't want to grow up. She doesn't like the cliques or how everybody is changing and she wants everything to stay the same. Shug is one of those books that you just can't put down because you just have to know what happens next. I really enjoyed reading this book because I could really relate to Annemarie, who is just your average twelve year old. I've been through some of the same experiences she has and she's also just a fun, funny character and very easy to connect to. When I finished reading the book I liked it so much that I really didn't want it to end.
    • 5/5
      Because I have to read all the Caudill books, I randomly started this one. At first I groaned about how girly it was and didn't think I would enjoy it. Instead, I found it "real" and refreshing - the character I really related to as being the "awkward junior high kid" who was a late bloomer (reminds me of myself). It was really just cute, sweet and still dealt with some serious issues of friendship, divorce, dating, etc.
    • 5/5
      Twelve-year-old Annemarie Wilcox--nicknamed "Shug," which is short for sugar--is feeling anything but sweet right now. She's entering middle school, her parents are constantly fighting (when they're not drunk or away for work), and things are changing between her and her friends. Mairi, Hadley, and even her best friend Elaine, a Korean American from up north, are eagerly venturing into the world of becoming a woman and meeting boys. But Annemarie wants nothing to do with that world...not unless it includes Mark Findley, her childhood best friend and the guy she recently realizes she's in love with.Trouble is, Mark doesn't seem to reciprocate her feelings. In fact, Annemarie feels like she hardly sees him anymore, so busy is he with hanging out with other people. Instead, she's spending a lot of time tutoring Jack Connelly, which is too bad because they're sworn enemies and hate each other's guts. Annemarie doesn't want to grow up just yet, but she has to learn the hard way (like we all do) that it's a painful and necessary, sometimes heartbreaking, process with light at the end of the tunnel.I love Judy Blume-esque books that focus on that painfully awkward and difficult transition right before puberty; thus, I LOVED Shug. This is a story that's full of characters that you'll want to be friends with. Annemarie in particular is a spunky heroine, unafraid to say her mind, the girl we all remember being back at that age and the girl we want to befriend. The supporting characters, too, are not caricatures but rather boys and girls (and men and women) with their own problems. I'm especially a fan of Jack right from the start; the dynamics between Annemarie and Jack are great.If you want a growing-up novel that's more Southern than Judy Blume's and less sex-oriented than Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Alice series, pick up SHUG. You won't regret it.
    • 5/5
      I looked at the cover, and I noticed a cherry popsicle. It looked exciting, so I bought it. This book is about a teenager. She has a crush, her best friend. She can't stop thinking about him, wondering if he liked her back. She's going through rough times -- an alchoholic mom, love, and puberty. Find out what happens in Shug.
    • 5/5
      If entering the teen years is something you would rather forget, then this book is not for you. However, if you want to really experience life as a young girl entering Junior High and coping with her alcoholhic mother and mostly absent father, then Jennifer Han's "Shug" will leave you stunned and amazed that any of us survived Junior High.
    • 4/5
      This was a wonderful book! The characters felt so real—it was like being transported to 12 years old again! I definitely recommend it, particularly for girls 9-14, but also for anyone who used to be that age. :)
    • 4/5
      A twelve-year-old girl learns about friendship, first loves, and self-worth in a small town in the South.
    • 4/5
      Shug (Annemarie) is getting ready to start junior high. When the story begins she has just discovered that she is love with her best friend, Mark. However, in junior high everything is different. Her parents are not getting along, her mom is drinking a lot, her sister is out of the house as often as possible, and she is worried about what will happen with her best friend Elaine, who is clearly meant to be in the popular crowd. I loved the story with her arch-enemy Jack. This was just an all around enjoyable, touching read. I'm glad it is on the Caudill list! The girls at my school are really going to love it.
    • 4/5
      I felt like it started a little slowly for me. It's one of those books that plops you down right in the middle of the story and just keeps building. I'd say about 100 pages in, I was totally hooked. I loved Annemarie and wanted to see her succeed, wanted to see what was going to happen with her and her friends. Could she stand up to the queen bees she secretly despised? Would Mark realize his folly and turn out to love her back? I thought the ending was very realistic. It wraps everything up, but not everything gets wrapped up with a neat little happy bow.
    • 5/5
      I really liked this book because it is about a girl my age and she is going through most of the same problems as me.
    • 5/5
      This is an extremely good book about a twelve year old girl named, Annemarie, but everyone calls her Shug. It's about her life in middle school, how she goes from liking her best friend, Mark, to liking her worst enemy, Jack. I'd recomend this book to romance lovers.
    • 4/5
      Shug is a charming story about the perils of being a twelve-year-old girl. Shug, also known as Annemarie, struggles with her family where her mother is a distant drinker, her father is in and out of her life, and her older sister is focused more on leaving for college than in her younger sister. When Shug realizes that she has suddenly fallen for her best friend, Mark, she no longer knows how to act around him, and the distance between the two of them grows. Starting junior high as a non-popular girl is also a challenge as she tries to navigate between being herself and still having friends. As her best girl friend Elaine is courted by the popular crowd, Shug finds another friend in the very last place she expected to.The writing in this book is sparklingly clean and clear, making it easy and very pleasurable reading. The characters face challenges that are not easily solved and the world of junior high is as confusing and amazing as it was when I was that age. I truly appreciate someone writing a great book for girls at this age, before they are teenagers but at the same time that so many confusing things are happening with their emotions and their bodies. The character Annemarie or Shug is so well-developed that she becomes real. Recommend this to preteens as well as teenagers. This is a true tween book, and you know where to find the exact girls for it. Additionally, it is a great book for mothers to share with daughters and have a conversation about the new challenges of becoming a teen and the world of junior high.
    • 5/5
      Anniemarie feels out of place in her school and her family causes problems too. She must tutor Jack, who she finds out isnt all that bad because he can relate to her problems.
    • 3/5
      Coming of age story set in the South. Annemarie, 12, deals with her unusual home life (alcoholic mother, absent father) while trying to figure out 7th grade and the changes in her friends.Ham paints a true and painful portrait of somewhat sheltered 12-year-olds. There were some dead-on echoes from my awkward tweens here: dances, crushing on a friend, petty in-fighting, feeling too tall, too smart, too freckled. Not too deep, no life-changing realizations, and no overblown love story. Pretty much reflects 7th grade in my memory.
    • 4/5
      This book was about 12 year old Shug, a girl who is trying hard to hold onto her childhood while her peers are moving headlong into teenagehood. You really feel for the character in this book. Shug takes you with her as her friendships change and take on new meanings. This is a great book for anyone going through the challenges of starting middleschool.