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Please, No Zits! & Other Short Stories
for LDS Youth
"Think Chicken Soup-meets-John Bytheway and you get Please,No Zits! & Other Short Stories for LDS Youth."
LDS Review
Please, No Zits! is a collection of fast moving short stories set in America, England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. The book also contains a map, and a glossary of several words used in these countries. It has been described as a fun read that motivates without preaching. Also recommended for Family Home Evenings, and other teaching situations.
TEENAGE COMMENTS
"It was an awesome collection of inspirational and entertaining stories that would keep any teenager focused, no matter what the attention span."
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Dan McKinney (14)
San Diego, California
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"This book made me really see how hard other teens lives can be and it made me grateful for the family that I have. I liked the short stories and how much they explain about youth like me. It felt really real. Anne Bradshaw really explains things well and is a great writer."
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Jared Bellon (13)
Pleasant Grove, Utah
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"I really enjoyed this book. It's fun to read and I liked learning important lessons in an entertaining way. I recommend this book to everyone."
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Lauren Bellon (15)
Pleasant Grove, Utah
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PARENT COMMENTS
"The nice thing is that there's a story for everyone. My daughters and my niece all liked different ones. I enjoyed this book very much. Anne does an amazing job of writing like a teenager thinks and speaks and acts. Impressive. The only complaint I have is that they were short stories. When they ended, I wished to have them continue on."
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Danielle Taylor
Mapleton, Utah
"I think that everyone should try to get their hands on this book! This book would be great if you are a teenager, have teenagers, work with teenagers, are related to teenagers… you get my point. Anne has put together a great collection of stories, very well written with some great examples of what teenagers deal with on an almost daily basis. I love her descriptive imagery. In her stories she weaves in just the right amount of details so that I felt I was there, even if it was halfway across the world in Scotland! So many of the scenarios brought back memories of my own teenage experiences and I couldn’t believe how right-on Anne was with her stories.
"Add this book to your Christmas list and pick up a few for gifts. Thanks Anne, for a marvelous look into the teenage world."
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Rachelle Christensen
Santaquin, Utah
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ENDORSEMENTS
"From a New Year’s Eve party in Elmer, New Jersey to a prison in Devon, England, Anne Bradshaw weaves tales that will leave youth and adults alike laughing, crying, and best of all thinking. Bradshaw’s stories are witty, wise, and filled with wonder. I’ve found the perfect Christmas gift for my nieces and nephews."
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Jeffrey S Savage
Author of Cutting Edge, Into the Fire, The Shandra Covington Mysteries, and the upcoming Shadow Mountain YA fantasy series, Farworld
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"A delightful read for both boys and girls. Please, No Zits! is sure to satisfy readers of all ages with its humor and poingnancy."
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Julie Wright
Author of My-Not-So-Fairy-Tale Life, To Catch a Falling Star, and Loved Like That.
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"Anne Bradshaw tunes in to the teenage mind and creates stories that warm the heart and brighten the spirit."
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Tamra Norton
Author of the Molly Mormon series, and Comfortable in My Own Genes
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REVIEWS
AML (Association for Mormon Letters) Review for Please, No Zits!
by Jeffrey Needle
Last night I was watching coverage of some music awards program featuring the return to the stage of Britney Spears. She certainly hasn’t been out of the public eye — her celebrated marriage, divorce, motherhood, etc., have kept the gossip wags busy. Also in the audience was Paris Hilton, another familiar face with an equally celebrated story. Spears’ performance was not her best, to say the least. Media reaction was fast and furious.
I was reminded that America’s youth these days have some very odd role models. Young men think they have to become sexual, cigarette smoking thugs; young women feel they need to be thin as reeds and morally loose. I’m not the first person to say that young people need better role models.
Is this a modern phenomenon? I’m not sure. I think each generation has had its regrettable standards and examples, and that young people are in need of better role models. Parents are challenged, churches fret, but little seems to be done about it. My youth was spent in the crazy sixties. Our role models were rock stars and pot-smoking hippies.
Bradshaw’s book presents a different view of young people, one that is more positive and hopeful. The young people who inhabit this brief selection of short stories are, in the end, ordinary kids, some living in the British Isles, but all facing the everyday challenges that young people face during those tempestuous early years. One theme that arises from these stories is the importance of family, and the possibility of triumph over even the most challenging obstacles.
Can LDS young people live victorious lives in these challenging times? Bradshaw believes they can, and her stories reflect the kind of optimism that these young men and women desperately need.
Bradshaw is very good at presenting ordinary people in ordinary situations, who call upon extraordinary powers of faith and goodness to help them make sense of the world around them. The stories in this book do not plumb the depths of spirituality, nor do they challenge the reader to work through complex plotlines and multi-layered characters. Instead, these are stories of the folks next door, of the kids who sit next to you in Sunday School, of, perhaps, your own children.
Please, No Zits! will be enjoyed by young people anxious for a good story, and by parents who will find themselves reading these stories to their children. I can envision some interesting conversations, opportunities for young people and their parents to discuss the things that really matter — those things that will last into eternity. Parents and children do need to talk with each other more often, and these stories can be an exciting way to engage your children in ways that will stay with them forever.
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Jeff Needle
Association for Mormon Letters
jeff.needle@gmail.com
www.aml-online.org
www.LDSBookLovers.com/Needle.html
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LDS Families for Bella Online, Review for Please, No Zits!
by Terri L. Adams
I recently had the pleasure of reading a book of short stories by LDS author, Anne Bradshaw. Her newest book, entitled Please, No Zits! offers quick reading for every taste. There’s romance, adventure, introspection, and humor. But, for me, the best part of her book was the glimpse it gave me into life ‘on the other side of the pond’.
Anne Bradshaw was born and raised in England. She moved to the United States a decade ago and brings with her a love and feel for the British Isles, which she knows so well. Included in her book is a map of the British Isles. The towns and cities mentioned in her book are marked on the map so readers can identify their location. She has also included a glossary of terms. I did not need the glossary except for one word, eeejit. Of course, all of you who do know what the word eeejit means are probably laughing because I have just shown that I am one! Oh, the irony. (Eeejit means idiot, by the way.)
I did not read the book in order. That’s the nice thing about these books. You can bounce around according to your mood.
The first story I read was the one Anne talked about the most, “Rock Bottom in a Jail Cell”. Listening to Anne talk about this story built a sense of intrigue within me. The longest story in the book deals with a teenager having to face the consequences of his wrong choices and the difficult choice he makes to try and open his heart to the Spirit. It was a story influenced by the personal experience of the author’s friend whose son did make it back and now lectures on drug abuse and recovery.
I felt the angst of recently returned Elder Kalan Ballantyne in the story “Advertised on Her Face”. He struggles with what to do when he comes home to find his girlfriend has become engaged to someone much less worthy and notices the visible effects it has on her. She did a terrific job of drawing me into Kalan's thoughts.
But not all the stories are so serious. A cute idea for asking someone out on a date is shared in “Darkness at Noonday” I smiled at the humorous way of asking a fellow seminary student out on a date. The idea was presented in such detail I wondered if this really happened. (If it hasn’t been used before, it should be.)
But my favorite short story was “Mountain Nearing”. Feeling awkward in a not-so-voluntary service project, the young hero Aaron Veasey, learns personal lessons and grows in maturity. By the end, the story brought a tear to my eye and, again, I wondered how much was fiction and how much was from personal experience.
Anne writes for teens by writing about teens. She listens to their concerns: be it dating, appearance or feelings of eternity, and then writes a story she hopes will help them understand their divine worth and ability to live righteously despite the pressures of the world.
One thing I appreciated in Anne’s book was that so many of her stories were about young men. In fact, my own teenage son has been reading the book in bits and pieces, too. It’s not so romantic and mushy that he can’t enjoy it. I appreciate that Anne’s heroes are not wimps. Some make mistakes and struggle with the consequences. Others struggle when they view the choices made by people they love. Many of her heroes are missionaries and, by creating stories with mature missionaries and returned missionaries, my son is able to stay focused on his own not-too-distant goal. Anne openly shows the struggle of making the decision to serve and the later blessings in “Beyond the Thorns”. The trials of coming home were expressed in more than one story and even a girlfriend falling in love with a ‘gifted’ pianist while her beau is serving a mission is shared in “Slicing Rainbows”. (It is not until the last short paragraphs that you realize the new ‘man’ in her life is only eleven years old.)
I liked the fact that the stories in the book were short. Easy to read. Easy to pick it up and read from anyplace. Great for those snippets of time we all have. Though some of the stories are set in the United States, most find a comfortable locale in the cities and countryside of the British Isles. I truly enjoyed the dialogue, cultural insight and language cadence from the various locations around the British Isles. It was like going on a mini-vacation without the expensive airfare. How fun and refreshing.
If you're looking for a great I'm-thinking-of-you gift, check out Anne Bradshaw's newest book.
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Terri Lynn Adams
BellaOnline's LDS Families Editor
BellaOnline
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LDS Review's Review for Please, No Zits!
Think Chicken Soup-meets- John Bytheway and you get Please,No Zits! & Other Short Stories for LDS Youth.
Her short stories have been featured in The New Era, and now author Anne Bradshaw has taken it a step further and compiled a book of short stories: Please,No Zits!. When I first saw the book, I thought, “Not another book of unrealistic, always-have-a-happy ending stories for teenagers!” but I was pleasantly surprised. Not only are the stories not cheesy, they’re good! Don’t let the title of the book or the cover art fool you (both are a turn-off) - Bradshaw knows her stuff when it comes to teenagers. Her stories aren’t all about major life crises like other stories out there. Like the title implies, one of the stories is about teenage acne. What I liked best about the stories is that they’re not all set in the United States, and they’re good, timeless stories - problems that have been happening to teenagers for years are touched on in Bradshaw’s short stories.
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LDS Review
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LDS Readers' Review for Please, No Zits!
by Heather B. Moore
Recently I read Anne Bradshaw's latest release: Please, No Zits! a collection of short stories. The stories are about LDS youth and the many challenges they face. I enjoyed each story, from fifteen-year-old Gabe participating in a Primary Nativity much to his chagrin, to Cody who faces the consequences of cheating, to Kimberly who finds a useful way to spend her time while waiting for a missionary.
Unique to these stories is the setting. They take place all over the world: Scotland, England, Utah, Connecticut, Ireland, etc. The author has a great writing style (being from England herself) and has a talent for developing characters that draw you in immediately.
Without being preachy or hitting you over the head with moral advice, Please, No Zits! is a great read for teens and adults alike. The stories are inspiring and true to life. I love the frank way that the author approaches difficult topics like a non-member boyfriend, a non-supportive father, and coming back from drug-addition. You will find lots of humor, some sadness, and plenty of inspiration.
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Heather B. Moore
Author of the Out of Jerusalem books
LDS Readers
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Deseret Morning News review for Please, No Zits!
by Rodger L. Hardy
'No Zits' can guide youths
Stories tackle the challenges faced by young LDS members
Christian author Anne Bradshaw has combined a series of short stories for youth belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in her new book Please, No Zits! and Other Short Stories for LDS Youth.
Aimed at youths age 12 and up, the stories tackle some of the more challenging hurdles facing today's teens and younger 20-somethings.
The tales include relationships, dating, drugs, cheating, church missions and other events in their lives that require tough choices.
The stories, all fictionalized, are set in various locations on both sides of the Atlantic, including England, Scotland and the United States, even in Spanish Fork.
Bradshaw moved to America 10 years ago from England. Many of her short stories have appeared in the New Era magazine.
Each chapter is a vignette in the life of a teen, beginning with a young convert who must face the wrath of his non-believing and often violent father.
Another deals with LDS teens who become hooked on drugs and end up in jail after stealing to feed their habit while still another tells the story of a young girl who didn't wait for her missionary and became engaged to an abusive nonmember.
The stories end on a positive note, showing that lives can change through repentance and commitment.
They'll spur discussions in family home evenings and teach youths that despite their mistakes a way back has already been provided.
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Rodger L. Hardy
Staff Writer Deseret Morning News
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Families.com Review for Please, No Zits!
by Tristi Pinkston
Anne Bradshaw has written countless articles for the New Era about phenomenal youth all over Great Britain and the United States. She is also the author of two fiction novels, "Terracotta Summer" and "Chamomile Winter," set in England. She has just released a collection of short stories aimed at LDS youth entitled, Please, No Zits! There are sixteen stories in this volume, and I'd like to share some of the highlights from my favorite inclusions.
First was "Rock Bottom in a Jail Cell." Alex has made some bad decisions in his life, decisions that resulted in a drug addiction and a jail sentence. He doesn't want his bishop to come visit him at the prison, but he comes just the same, with alarming regularity . . .
I also particularly enjoyed "Santa's Helper on a Skateboard." Dan didn't get what he wanted for Christmas, which was a really cool mountain bike. Instead, he got a skateboard and a newspaper route. How exciting. He goes out on deliveries, feeling sorry for himself, but at one of the houses, he finds a little boy sitting on the porch, in tears . . .
Another favorite was "Darkness at Noonday." Bryce really wants a boyfriend, but all the guys she knows just aren't boyfriend material . . .
I really liked the wide range of stories in this book. There's a story that speaks to those who suffer with weight problems and skin problems, those who are tempted to break the law of chastity, those who are just returning from missions and need help adjusting. There's something in here for everyone, regardless of the circumstances they personally face.
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Tristi Pinkston
Author of the Strength to Endure and other LDS historical fiction
Families.com
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WHERE TO BUY
Please, No Zits! & Other Short Stories for LDS Youth, is now in many stores such as Deseret Book and BYU Bookstore. It is also available at Latter-day Village.com, and on Amazon.com.
You may also purchase the book for $12.95 (plus $2.50 shipping) from this website using the PayPal link in the box below.
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