The Everyday Living of Children and Teens Monologues: Volume II    by Adra Young Order:  USA  Can Ardannyl, 2008 (2008) Paperback    Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto Monologues can always be a tricky thing for an actor to find, especially a young actor. There are many great monologues written in plays for adults that would work for older teens, but the younger the actor, the more likely they are to have to search a monologue book to find the right piece – either a book of collected monologues taken from known plays or a book of monologues written to stand alone. Adra Young's The Everyday Living of Children and Teens Monologues Volume II fits the latter category. Young has tried to write monologues based on problems that children actually face. However, she also attempts to solve the problems within each monologue, something that many children really going through such problems would be unable to do. Because of this, each monologue comes across as didactic and stilted, especially since they are not written in the way that kids would really speak. In the introduction to the volume, Young gives advice for learning the monologues, specifying that the stage directives must be followed. These directives are minimal and, from the standpoint of a director of children and teens, do not add to the monologue, and in some cases do not even fit. If Young really wants to help young actors perform these monologues through a guide book, each monologue should either be strictly blocked or, better yet (once again from a director's standpoint), let the actor completely come up with their own movements and inflections. As a socialization guide, The Everyday Living of Children and Teens Monologues Volume II is a nice, feel-good read. As a collection of monologues for acting purposes, it leaves a lot to be desired. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews