tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56829070411675905512024-03-14T10:05:52.215-04:00The Book OutlawReading and Reviewing YA FictionEmilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-18811363836360627722011-04-20T19:30:00.003-04:002011-04-20T19:35:19.833-04:00I miss out on so much when I'm away. <br /><br />Case in point,<br /><br />YALSA announced the <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/teenstopten/teenstopten.cfm">Teen's Top Ten</a>, Amazon made me unhappy by ceasing their Scrooge-like behavior re: downloading free <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/04/20/135574455/kindle-readers-will-be-able-to-borrow-from-libraries">eBooks</a> and the NYTimes told me it might be time to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/24/technology/personaltech/24basics.html?_r=2">get rid of my iPod</a>.<br /><br />What's the deal universe?Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-24859211240690911682011-01-19T17:22:00.004-05:002011-01-19T17:37:32.108-05:00Vampire YA FictionHave any of you out there who are not the target demographic read Melissa de la Cruz's <span style="font-style:italic;">Blue Bloods</span> series? If you have not then all I can say to you is think Gossip Girl meets True Blood. <br /><br />The books are addictive to say the least. Unlike Stephanie Meyer's sparkle-vamps (who bless them still hold a love-hate place in my crotchety YA book loving heart) these are a return to the original myth of vampires being fallen angels. <br /><br />I read four of the books in a week. And I wanted to know what happened next so badly that I even skipped one book that wasn't in and went on to the next. Happily I missed enough that it will be worth reading but not so much that I was completely lost from there on in the series, which is important.<br /><br />Am I the only one out there who has gone completely fan-girl for <span style="font-style:italic;">Blue Bloods</span>?Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-68327266577043994212010-12-27T10:22:00.005-05:002010-12-27T10:42:27.793-05:00Welcome to the Dark SideNow that the Christmas insanity is over, I'll be back to blogging on a more regular schedule. Today I was on the <span style="font-style:italic;">NY Times</span> homepage when the following discussion caught my eye: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/12/26/the-dark-side-of-young-adult-fiction">The Dark Side of Young Adult Fiction</a>.<br /><br />Has anyone read this yet? I found the arguments to be nothing new, nor the contributors to be anything but the regular mix of popular young adult authors and english professors who have published books/articles on the subject. Their explanations as to why 'dark fiction' has become popular made me feel like I was sitting in my young adult literature class discussing the reasons why teens read fiction let alone dark fiction. Naturally the contributors referred to classic, popular, and notorious works of young adult fiction which the standard well-read <span style="font-style:italic;">Times</span> reader would be familiar with or at least have heard of.<br /><br />Could the <span style="font-style:italic;">Times</span> not find a young adult librarian to participate in this discussion? Who else would be better to ask than an expert in the field, the very people who are there on the front lines assisting and seeing the choices teens make in regards to what they want to read. I'm hoping someone out there who is currently a young adult librarian will respond to that discussion.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-85810068930424937612010-12-14T12:40:00.000-05:002010-12-14T12:41:15.021-05:00Crossing the TracksSince the William C. Morris Award shortlist was released the other week I'm currently working on trying to read the finalists. The Morris Award is an annual award given to a first-time author writing their debut young adult novel. This award is only two years old but an excellent idea, since it helps promote those new voices which might not receive as much attention as the old stand-bys or hip authors who have lots of buzz surrounding their person and their writings and no, Neil Gaiman I wasn't talking about you. Or you, Caroline B. Cooney for that matter. <br /><br />The first book off the list I chose to read was <span style="font-style:italic;">Crossing the Tracks</span> by Barbara Stuber. At first glance you might think the book is a work of historical fiction, but it isn't. Or at least it isn't in the way that you could argue Laurie Halse Anderson's <span style="font-style:italic;">Chains</span> or <span style="font-style:italic;">Forge</span> are historical fiction. By that I mean the setting (both time and place) are incidental as opposed to the driving force behind the plot. It could have just as easily taken place in the present day. <br /><br />I'm glad it didn't. The 1920s setting in Kansas/Missouri is excellent because it is one of those areas of history that you don't see very often. You feel as though you were soaking up historical knowledge without the book beating you over the head, "WASN'T IT SO HARD BACK THEN?! PEOPLE WERE SO DIFFERENT." You get the point.<br /><br />Iris Louise Baldwin is the 15-year old protagonist who is being shipped off by her dapper, shoe-store owning, neglectful widower of a father to be hired help to a Dr. Nesbitt and his elderly mother who live in Wellsford, Missouri. Iris wouldn't care if it weren't for the fact that her mother died when she was 6 and being sent away is essentially the last straw for her as far as her relationship with her father goes.<br /><br />At the Nesbitt's Iris finds understanding and companionship through her developing relationships with the doctor, his mother, and a hobo dog named Marie. The only sour note is the tenant farmer Cecil Deets who makes Iris as well as the whole town uncomfortable with his drinking and suspected abuse of his daughter Dot. As in all good books, by the end Iris has grown believably as a character and the reader is left optimistic for her future. <br /><br />I flew through this book because I enjoyed being immersed in the lives of Iris and the Nesbitt's in addition to the interesting portrayal of life in a small pocket of the Mid-West. I fear that only certain female teens and librarians will love this book since it isn't a contemporary setting full of snarky or scandalous teens. Because I don't think it will garner wide popularity I don't think it will win the Morris Award, although it really is a beautifully written and highly enjoyable work of young adult fiction.<br /><br />Barbara Stuber, <span style="font-style:italic;">Crossing the Tracks</span>, 2010, Simon & Schuster.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-796181036118627832010-12-06T17:46:00.006-05:002010-12-13T14:27:41.814-05:00Zen & Xander UndoneAmy Kathleen Ryan, <span style="font-style:italic;">Zen & Xander Undone</span>, 2010, Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. <br /><br />After their mother's death Zen and Xander Vogel deal with their grief in two very different ways. Zen, a black belt in karate spends most of her days helping to teach classes at her dojo and having conversations with her dead mother. Xander, who is headed for either MIT or Caltech after graduation wears 'slutty' clothing, drinks, experiments with drugs, and starts sleeping around with random guys. The book traces their grieving process which is marked by such events as receiving letters and gifts from their deceased mother ala <span style="font-style:italic;">P.S. I Love You</span>, finding out a 'secret' from their mother's past, and going on a road-trip to find the truth of this secret. <br /><br />The trouble is, a character like Xander is seen all too often in young adult fiction where a parent dies, and this makes her character less engaging than her sister Zen, who seems to be at least attempting to work through her grief internally rather than via rebellious behavior. There is also a half-hearted love triangle between the sisters and their neighbor which is hard to care about since the neighbor is kind of a jerky teenage boy who is clearly driven by his lust for Xander. And like in many young adult books, the father is hidden away (literally in this case, as he spends most of the book in the basement) from where he will minimally parent and minimally influence much of the action of the book until the end when the author brings him out to help wrap up the plot. <br /><br />Should this be in a teen library collection? Yes, if only because of Zen's character which is so very different from most fictional teens dealing with grief. It's also better than many other books which deal with the death of a parent.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-8110390325810538282010-10-08T18:45:00.003-04:002010-10-08T19:28:17.532-04:00Series, Series, and more series . . .<span class="Apple-style-span" >Is it just me or has there been an explosion of series being released for young adults? Lately it seems that nearly every time I've added a book to my to-be-read list, or discover one of which I was previously unaware, surprise! it's book #1 in a series. My guess is this is due in large part to the success of such series as </span><span style="font-style:italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Hunger Games</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" > and </span><span style="font-style:italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Twilight </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >(which I steadfastly refuse to refer to as a 'saga'). I find it alternately frustrating and enjoyable.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br />It is frustrating because it seems to indicate a real push in the publishing world to release books which will become best-sellers or the next </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" >Twilight</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >. But this leaves one to wonder where the great stand-alone books will come from in YA? I love books</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" > that leave me wanting more and unable to know for certain what happened to the characters after the story ended. The series being produced seem to answer that question all too thoroughly or else lead you to expect a detailed epilogue but only leave you hanging. Susan Beth Pfeffer's </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" >Life As We Knew It </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >trilogy left us uncertain to the ultimate fate of her characters when all along it seemed she had brought them together so she could leave us assured of their ultimate fate.<br /><br />The influx of series are enjoyable precisely because there are some stories which simply put, cannot be restricted to a single volume and others which should have quit after one. For every crappy YA-version of an adult series--I'm looking at you, James Patterson--there are well thought out characters and worlds whose next installation continue to be eagerly waited for. This also opens up more potential for teens to fall in love with a series when they may have previously been 'reluctant readers'. It also produces excellent results in popular genres like fantasy or scifi. I'm a huge fan of the <i>Bloody Jack</i> series in particular but some of the installations have been better than the others, and inevitably they will end and leave us dissatisfied, wanting more of the characters just as if they had been a single-volume novel. So it stands to reason that many authors don't really need to make their story into a series, just maybe a several hundred page work.</span></span></span><div><span style="font-style:italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br />What series do you think are excellent and what ones do you think should have stopped after book one? </span></span></span></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-51115610893427505012010-09-27T10:31:00.011-04:002010-09-27T11:53:50.611-04:00Get thee to a Master's Degree Program.I just finished Anthony Bourdain's <span style="font-style:italic;">Medium-Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook</span> and the chapter "So You Wanna Be a Chef" in particular got me thinking about what it might look like if someone wrote an essay "So You Wanna Be a Public Librarian". What this essay would say, what advice it might dispense to aspiring public librarians or those of us who are fresh out of library school, MLS in hand, has been something I've been turning over in my mind. I can, of course, only speak from my own experience with librarians and the field of library and information science. <br /><br />Would it advise attending library school? Since graduating in May of 2009 and plunging into a job market that was marked more by the desperation of employment seekers for a job, any job for which we might be qualified rather than competition for actual good jobs (of which there were few and far between) I've felt very strongly that my answer would be no. Or at least, not until one had a few years of professional level work experience under their belt. Coming from a New England State where libraries are not dependent upon meeting certain criteria in order to receive state funding, the public librarian job ads here fall into two different groups: M.L.S Librarian with several years of professional work experience and B.A. Librarian with limited to no professional work experience. <br /><br />Some of this is due to the predominantly suburban/rural nature of the area. Many libraries aren't even open 30 hours a week let alone 40 to warrant needing more than one "professional" librarian on the pay-roll. And as we all have seen, more and more public libraries are suffering cut-backs in staff, hours, and worst of all budgets. So how would someone who wanted to become a public librarian in a New England state go about maximizing their employment potential? I suggest the following things.<br /><br />1. Don't get your Master's Degree (Yet).<br /><br />2. Get a library job. I don't care if it's part-time or a 10 hour a week job running story-time that only requires a B.A. If you are one of the lucky few who get a full-time librarian job with a B.A. don't think that means you'll get to skip graduate school. If you do not secure a full-time library job then go get a second job to support your library career. Sadly I cannot cite myself as the origin of this particular brilliant piece of advice, that goes to one of my former library school professors. The beauty of getting a library job before going to library school is that for many lucky souls their place of employment will offer tuition reimbursement ranging from limited to your whole degree, so keep this in mind. For when you do decide to traipse off to library school you could find yourself in less debt than those unfortunates who thought it was a brilliant idea to go from college to graduate school without spending a couple years employed in a public library first.<br /><br />3. Join your state library association. You'll get to network with your local movers and shakers which will be invaluable when you are looking for a job post-grad. By attending state conferences you'll get exposed to the topics which public librarians are concerned with and will allow you to know what job skills libraries in your state look for in their librarians. On the degree front most state library associations offer scholarships for para-professionals (which would be you, the person with a B.A. who is working two jobs to support their library career). You can apply for those scholarships and if you're lucky you'll get one. Once you have completed steps 1-3 then young novice or mid-life job-switcher you can proceed to step 4.<br /><br />4. Go to Library School. I mean it, GO. TO. LIBRARY SCHOOL. A physical campus where you can meet your peers, avail yourself of opportunities ranging from social to professional and learn the backbone of what makes a good librarian. I know many of you probably can't attend an actual school and complete your degrees online due to the demands of family, work and time constraints. If you find yourself in that position make an effort to at least attend one class at the actual campus. I can't say enough for how amazing it is to be surrounded by other wanna-be librarians. If you've followed my advice and returned to school after some time off working, you'll also benefit from being able to defer payment on those undergraduate loans which you've been working a second job to pay. <br /><br />5. Get an internship. I did two internships while in grad school and I cannot tell you enough how many times that came up in job interviews. You'll put what you're learning in classes to work, and get something to put on your resume. Unlike college, you will often find paid internships where you essentially become part of the staff for the duration of the internship. Plus, libraries love graduate interns. We are the future of the profession and they want to help you be successful.<br /><br />6. Continue working while in grad school. I'm sorry, did you think you were going to quit your job to devote your time to your studies and be a student again? I've had people in my classes who were working 40 hour a week jobs with families to take care of, sure they may have only been taking 2 classes at a time but they were still getting their degree. You don't have to complete grad school in a year and a half or two years, unless of course, you want to.<br /><br />7. Get a Job. <br /><br />I did not do the things I have suggest to you all, and sincerely wish I had. Most of the successful people I met at library school did what I have laid out above and got full-time professional positions. I who did not do that, am extremely lucky to have found a job in a library where although I am part-time, there are opportunities for further education and advancement. So don't do what I did. Do the above and I promise, you will be all the happier for it.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-41042179097027137102010-09-01T22:13:00.005-04:002010-09-02T08:53:27.549-04:00Sisters Red<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHa4XJ7GDt-ZkMcEBUcfDcBOhJPF6zBNd1X30QB-RS1evwEAV51SyKMF5UygWYbvjP3GymJGRVBZzx0sEEC5Swst7VC6947k4dc-0WIc4TfiEqzVT0L7RF3E45ZASZl16_37f9BGJ3GiQ/s1600/sistersred.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 165px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHa4XJ7GDt-ZkMcEBUcfDcBOhJPF6zBNd1X30QB-RS1evwEAV51SyKMF5UygWYbvjP3GymJGRVBZzx0sEEC5Swst7VC6947k4dc-0WIc4TfiEqzVT0L7RF3E45ZASZl16_37f9BGJ3GiQ/s320/sistersred.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512134142894631506"></a>Jackson Pierce, <i>Sisters Red</i>, 2010, Hachette Book Group. <div><br /></div><div>Scarlett March lost an eye defending her sister from a werewolf (called Fenris) in the same attack that killed their grandmother. Ever since then her raison d'etre has been to hunt the Fenris in hopes of saving other girls from a worse fate. Her sister Rosie is as deadly a hunter as her older sister but longs for a life that has more purpose than tracking and killing the Fenris. The two girls, along with their neighbor Silas, a woodsman by blood, spend their days and nights slowly but steadily chipping away at their enemy. But after a relocation to Atlanta, the trio find themselves unsure whether they are the hunters or the hunted.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm torn on how to feel about this book. By the time I was 1/3 of the way into it, I knew where the plot was going. I don't want to give too many details because I think it's not too difficult to figure the story out, yet the way Pearce wrote it was so interesting that I continued reading, and nevertheless found myself entertained by the ending I knew was coming. Most reviews, including the ones on the back of the book, focus on the 'love story' element of this work but I felt this was hardly the most noteworthy plot thread. I was most impressed by the way Pearce believably traced the tensions that arise between Rosie and Scarlett as they navigate the challenge of growing up and becoming individuals without completely severing the bond of sisterhood. On the other hand, I had distinct problems with how the female victims of the Fenris were portrayed, as essentially bringing their deaths upon themselves by what they wore and how they acted. The sisters themselves are strong female characters but the rest of the women in the work are simply regarded as 'Dragonflies' who are potential prey for the Fenris. If the work is meant to be a metaphor for violence against women then the author succeeds to a certain degree, but the depiction and fates of the supporting female characters leaves much to be desired.</div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-62850581632655352412010-09-01T18:26:00.006-04:002010-09-01T18:32:34.513-04:00Library Run. This time picked up <span style="font-style:italic;">Sisters Red</span> by Jackson Pearce, <span style="font-style:italic;">The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner</span> by Stephenie Meyer, and <span style="font-style:italic;">Ilyria</span> by Elizabeth Hand.<br /><br />Right now I'm halfway through <span style="font-style:italic;">Sisters Red</span> and unfortunately I'm about 99.9% sure I know exactly how the book will end, which I don't like. Here's hoping I'm in for a surprise.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-53963960398158962402010-01-31T12:48:00.003-05:002010-01-31T13:00:11.004-05:00Kaput ComputerBack again, this time from an overly-long hiatus due to the insanity of the holidays and my home computer crashing. In the meantime I've naturally been continuing to read catching up on the YA books from 2009 I missed out on and savoring the brand spanking new releases.<br /><br />I'll be posting again regularly starting this week. Keep an eye out for reviews coming your way.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-34254824396432151932009-11-11T16:20:00.001-05:002009-11-11T16:20:59.447-05:00Love is the Higher Law<p>David Leviathan, <em>Love is the Higher Law</em>, 2009, Knopf.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_WiltenkVn3U/SvsquOSa4BI/AAAAAAAAC2s/yfyfPrkD99o/s1600-h/lithleviathan2.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="lithleviathan" border="0" alt="lithleviathan" align="right" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_WiltenkVn3U/SvsqujSSS4I/AAAAAAAAC2w/Gp2tUV3xY04/lithleviathan_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="171" height="252" /></a> </p> <p>Yeah, I know that September 11th was months ago. The only reason I’m talking about it now is that I picked up David Leviathan’s <em>Love is the Higher Law</em> on an impulse. At first I didn’t think I’d even want to read the book. It’s about teenagers living in New York City when the World Trade Center was destroyed, something which I didn’t need to relive (having been a teen myself at the time albeit in New England not NYC). But curiosity got the better of me.</p> <p>Leviathan tells the story of three teens living in NYC who all have varying experiences of that day and the days and weeks afterwards. Yet the book is not so much about the events of that day as it is about how the teens are shaped by it, in the way that each generation is shaped by their own significant historical event. It is also feels like a bit of an ode to the brief period of time when we were in transition as a nation and a culture. </p> <p>The book was a bit of a nostalgia trip for me. At one point a couple of the characters go to a Travis concert and the band is described thus “musically, they may be a blip on the Brit-pop radar—but in September 2001 they are big enough to sell out Radio City Music Hall” (81). It was amusing to me to read that since I remember thinking I was so indie for liking that band in high school. It also lead me to the question I now keep asking myself: whether Leviathan intended this book for those of us in our twenties who had our teenage world view interrupted by 9/11 or for those teens today who were still in elementary school when it occurred? I’m sure my reading of this work feels entirely different than someone who is a currently a teenager. </p> <p>Has anyone else read this who was also in high school or college in 2001?</p> Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-38628745749483188702009-11-11T10:57:00.013-05:002009-11-11T11:46:34.252-05:00Happy Veteran's DayHave no fear, although I've been silent for the past week or so, I most certainly have been continuing to read. I routinely raid both the YA sections of the library I work at and the library of the town I live in. Therefore this week will be mostly mini-reviews so I can keep track for both my own memory and your own interest.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDByWRXKAcJAKPm-7PO0prEN6xmS40ws1rzznaSZAEKju7a7g7ticQXZU1W5oT284jipbnYys6zkGV2GLiSpVxbOSVO4leFGei6tmPg_tflaU_cetLLfp8ewE3u8bL0CIGDX2DEXMcgdw/s1600-h/bloodyjackrotd.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 146px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402876936313514114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDByWRXKAcJAKPm-7PO0prEN6xmS40ws1rzznaSZAEKju7a7g7ticQXZU1W5oT284jipbnYys6zkGV2GLiSpVxbOSVO4leFGei6tmPg_tflaU_cetLLfp8ewE3u8bL0CIGDX2DEXMcgdw/s200/bloodyjackrotd.jpg" /></a>L.M. Meyer, <em>Rapture of the Deep: A Bloody Jack Adventure,</em> 2009, Harcourt's Childrens Books.<br /><br /></div><div>Having left us with quite the cliffhanger at the end of <em>My Bonny Light Horseman</em>, Meyer returns delivering Jacky and her friends from a number of scrapes. Thankfully Jacky returns to the sea where she dives for sunken treasure and Jaimy is stationed on a ship only a stone's throw away. But things never do go smooth for Jacky and though we know she will come out on top in the end, Meyer doesn't fail to keep both his readers and characters on their toes. </div><br /><div>A preposterous number of former villians and friends make cameos in this book which leads one to wonder if Meyer is planning on wrapping up the series anytime soon? I love good historical fiction, which this book is, although the author has a knack for placing Jacky in the most historically significant places with some of history's major players. As Jacky's story progresses so does the maturity level of the subject matter, placing this book squarely in the teen category as opposed to tweens. </div><div><br />Suzanne Collins, <em>Catching Fire</em>, 2009, Scholastic. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yG2nD5Px0ZnJQINgS8PAiXNGXFrGgJfEST0mxCeaC0PfTMtkgJ5P7jGe4K9OAMFb-02MVE8OmysCbgv559NhBHU3C_tyPLTVWet7nFQaM8rEttjP-r6BcqW3_j7B5bTk21gVWVfZL3Y/s1600-h/catching-fire.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 223px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402886757397407282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yG2nD5Px0ZnJQINgS8PAiXNGXFrGgJfEST0mxCeaC0PfTMtkgJ5P7jGe4K9OAMFb-02MVE8OmysCbgv559NhBHU3C_tyPLTVWet7nFQaM8rEttjP-r6BcqW3_j7B5bTk21gVWVfZL3Y/s200/catching-fire.jpg" /></a><br /></div><br />I'm going to tell you straight off the bat, I didn't like <em>The Hunger Games</em>. In fact, I'm known at my library for being one of the few staff members who wasn't raving about what a great book it was. Some of that had to do with the fact that I didn't realize it was the first book in a trilogy (I know, I know) and the main bit had to do with the fact that I felt there was no real climax to the story arc of the first book. Which means by now you're all wondering why I read the sequel if I didn't like the first one.<br /><br />I read it because I wanted to see how Collins did on the second book. My verdict? SO much better than the first one. I honestly felt like she could have started the story here if it weren't for the fact that the first volume (of the background story) is in fact, fairly central to the plot. Since I imagine most of you have read this I'll spare you a lengthy summary. For those of you who haven't, it deals with the aftermath of the Games including Katniss' relationships with Peeta and Gale and the burgeoning rebellion against the Capitol. Some critics complained that the book was basically Katniss agonizing over which boy to choose. I don't agree. These were secondary to the larger plot of the rebellion and dare I say, symbols of the ongoing struggle in Katniss' mind of whether she should do what the Capitol wants her to do, or help the rebellion for which she has become a symbol.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRN5R16uoQMzdPjduv6eij-jm8Rhiy8kTLjDNTRdQCrRwEwnjMq2DPoJlLIfyFmm3O7xQYZ1q1mlglV2nixulENSRNwxPa5ipQcXcZJWrdgelDSnp94qB09mHFpApqR1bmZ1TRk7v7MrQ/s1600-h/ifistay.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402887192888620498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRN5R16uoQMzdPjduv6eij-jm8Rhiy8kTLjDNTRdQCrRwEwnjMq2DPoJlLIfyFmm3O7xQYZ1q1mlglV2nixulENSRNwxPa5ipQcXcZJWrdgelDSnp94qB09mHFpApqR1bmZ1TRk7v7MrQ/s200/ifistay.jpg" /></a>Gayle Forman, <em>If I Stay, </em>2009, Dutton Juvenile.<br /><br />Mia is a high school senior who lives in Oregon with her parents and little brother. While she agonizes over many of the same decisions as other teens (where to go to college, who she is exactly, and what to do about her boyfriend when she graduates) it is only after a car crash takes the lives of her parents and leaves her in a coma that she finds herself having to make the decision between life and death. Mia's body is left in a coma while her spirit wanders the halls of the hospital spying on her loved ones, the nurses, the doctors, and complete strangers who inform her decision. We also see what life was like for Mia before the accident through flashbacks which give insight into her character's decision making process.<br /><br />God, this book was absolutely heart-wrenching to read. By the end I was teared up if not on the verge of straight out crying. It is a difficult book to read, more so than <em>13 Reasons Why</em> was a difficult book to read. Possibly because despite the beautiful writing the book is a downer. Yet I would say that this is probably one of the best books published this year. The characters felt true-to-life, even Mia's hipster parents rang true without seeming phony. Just be warned, you shouldn't read this book if you're already feeling low because it definitely isn't the kind of book that although depressing leaves you uplifted at the end.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-22623710404336154312009-10-26T10:49:00.005-04:002009-10-26T11:10:36.213-04:00The Halloween Tree<div>Today's post is inspired by the ladies over at <a href="http://hollowtreetales.wordpress.com/">The Hollow Tree</a>, which is a great blog dealing with all things young adult fantasy. If you haven't been there already I highly suggest you check it out. This morning they were talking about the movie Hocus Pocus from 1993 which is one of my all-time-favorite Halloween movies. Which should come as no surprise since I clearly am kind of a wuss when it comes to horror (see my comments on Rick Yancey's <em>The Monstrumologist</em>). Their post got me thinking about other great Halloween movies which are kid-friendly but also evoke the spirit of the holiday, and although generally most teens I know have moved on to the horror fright fests as their movie of choice for Halloween, I was never one of those. So in honor of those teens out there like me, I give you.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1PxCnzR0hvUCbWfnxdT-x5pFwLFW-AhCGZaodjLai9XB8OEru-jhVYroShUT2sN1MpGArG-wcAC9ZiKGClIjjHE_84_P4n82Bg2icPt7ImJUHNzN-D71fcJQqZMEzLe4lAPw9NEhFsAk/s1600-h/halloweentree.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396926151399938498" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 201px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1PxCnzR0hvUCbWfnxdT-x5pFwLFW-AhCGZaodjLai9XB8OEru-jhVYroShUT2sN1MpGArG-wcAC9ZiKGClIjjHE_84_P4n82Bg2icPt7ImJUHNzN-D71fcJQqZMEzLe4lAPw9NEhFsAk/s320/halloweentree.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Bradbury, Ray.</em> The Halloween Tree. (1993)<br /><br />This is the cartoon movie version of Ray Bradbury's short-story of the same name. Directed by Mario Piluso who helped bring many of the best comics of the 1980s<em> </em>it tells the story of four friends who race through time to save their friend Pip's soul on Halloween night. The movie doesn't stray very far from Bradbury's original short story, so if you've read it there won't be very many surprises. What the movie does well is evoke the spookiness and sense of anything-is-possible that comes from the night when children roam the streets trick or treating and the spirits of the dead might just be out there alongside them.<br /><br />The best parts of the movie are Ray Bradbury's narration and the fact that Leonard Nimoy does the voice of Moundshround. Unfortunately this movie is not available to buy on DVD and hard to find on VHS. You can, however, watch it on YouTube.<br /><br /><p>Of course, you could always just read the short-story. :)</p></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-79645009353088280802009-10-23T17:40:00.005-04:002009-10-23T17:55:23.854-04:00Scary ReadsBy the end of the day my box at work had two lovely books waiting for me to read this weekend. This more than made up for my having to physically restrain myself (almost) from reading the latest Bloody Jack <em>Rapture of the Deep</em> which just came in from B&T.<br /><br />I have to admit to you that I did sneak a peek just to see if Jamie and Jackie would be thwarted or actually allowed to married . . . but no spoilers here.<br /><br />Therefore this weekend I will be reading <em>The Adoration of Jenna Fox</em> and <em>Warrior Girl</em> in between forcing myself to finish <em>The Monstrumologist</em> which although I am only a couple chapters in has already made me consider putting it on my list of the scariest ya book I've read this year. That or the goriest.<br /><br />What have you read (or are currently reading) that goes under your scary list?Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-2724080000967459232009-10-22T15:05:00.004-04:002009-10-22T15:26:47.415-04:00Young Adult Reading Rooms!Can I just talk about how much I love well-designed teen rooms?<br /><br />Today I went to a workshop at a small public library in the south-western part of my state. Like many libraries in New England it was in a brick building that had been added on to in order to enlarge the library. They had a sizeable children's room which was comfortable, spacious, and bright but it was the teen room which I couldn't get over.<br /><br />Granted it was a small space which probably wouldn't fit more than 15 teens at a time (and a tight squeeze at that) but the way it was designed and decorated made this aspiring teen librarian's day. Mainly because I'm a sucker for libraries that give teens their own seperate space--no matter what size.<br /><br />So, like I said the space was on the small size but it was well-lit by a combination of overhead lights and a window. The bookshelves were on three of the walls with one long bookshelf sticking out to divide the space up. There were brightly patterned but not childish rugs on the floor along with comfortable cushions with backs for seating in addition to a sort of bar table for kids to sit at and do their homework. Mini-displays highlighting Teen Read Week and New YA Fiction along with movie posters on the wall finished off the room. And the room had full sight-lines from the reference desk.<br /><br />It really made me happy to see because it was a creative use of a space that could have been turned into a storage area. But it also got me thinking about what is absolutely vital to a successful teen room?<br /><br />Personally I think having a seperate area, whether it is open or enclosed is one of the most important if not <em>the</em> most important features of a teen room. Then I would say that having the young adult collection in the room, decorating with posters of popular culture (music, movies, or even anime), as well as having comfortable and attractive seating are the next most important factors to a successful teen room.<br /><br />Unfortunately I wasn't able to get pictures since I forgot my camera, but I'll bring it with me next week and post some up for you to see.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-33397932194195053512009-10-21T11:42:00.009-04:002009-10-21T12:46:51.724-04:00The Treasure Map of Boys<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-xtvrytpk6q6CTvwiqyXmt7I_Mo-mBbMYjrdfiiX_r7hwrVhIDO8d9aRndRkOhfoM_pm8F1A8r-jv1Jh2eeexmXukE9o02B83Hj7hpIlXtLlPU-wN8m8Qkycc5XRDu4nzhdi7cSW7ts/s1600-h/tmob.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395083335738535538" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 221px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-xtvrytpk6q6CTvwiqyXmt7I_Mo-mBbMYjrdfiiX_r7hwrVhIDO8d9aRndRkOhfoM_pm8F1A8r-jv1Jh2eeexmXukE9o02B83Hj7hpIlXtLlPU-wN8m8Qkycc5XRDu4nzhdi7cSW7ts/s320/tmob.jpg" border="0" /></a> I made a library run yesterday and came out with 3 of the books on my 'to-read' list. Namely, <em>The Treasure Map of Boys</em>, <em>The Monstrumologist</em> and <em>The Waters, The Wild</em>. Since I've got a workshop tomorrow I thought I'd sneak in a review.<br /><br />E. Lockhart, <em>The Treasure Map of Boys: Noel, Jackson, Finn, Hutch, Gideon--and me, Ruby Oliver</em>, 2009, Delacorte Press.<br /><br />Ruby Oliver is doing well dealing with the events of the past year and a half which left her with a stolen boyfriend, a group of former best friends, and the not-so-pleasant experience of panic attacks. With her two friends Megan and Nora at her side Ruby is living her life the best way she knows how while making the normal mistakes of a heterosexual teenage girl. But things never go smoothly for Ruby and a slew of events leave her questioning what makes a good friend, what kind of boy is worth the trouble, and how to count her treasures.<br /><br />Despite the prominence of her visits to her therapist, Ruby is not a neurotic character and if it were not for her panic attacks I would have questioned why she needed these visits in the first place. Instead they help serve to move Ruby forward as a character, pointing out her flaws in an objective and safe manner (as opposed to the way her peers deal with her). As for her focus on boys, it is a healthy amount that doesn't turn the book into a romance nor does it make her character come across as boy-crazy. Ruby's relationships with her two girl friends feel real even with their topical slang.<br /><br />I hadn't read the previous two books about Ruby Oliver, so I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to pick this third one up. Instead of making new readers feel that they had to go back to read the first two in order to figure out what happened, E. Lockhart included enough information for new readers to have sufficient background without making those familiar with the story have to sit through a rehashing of the first two books. That was a relief as formulaic first chapters were a hallmark of the series I read as a tween--most notably <em>The Babysitters Club</em>. Young adult fiction is better without them despite the comfort of knowing what will probably happen.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-21100974045845906642009-10-19T12:30:00.006-04:002009-10-19T13:17:20.090-04:00Days of Little Texas<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394349943094995266" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 210px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ZvAZxZYSR429VpfgoSmChs3zX_A7jvGQp8yaL1ZDZbIrkPCEhWsMf5SXfjJm3TsFzl43GpMVqBA4vn8NFwL3yIpE7MKNJDL6_p8Uh3w2h9Xh3Exq4IeWIk8_sen-zzelCe9IhHxhn7w/s320/dolt.jpg" border="0" />R.A. Nelson, <em>Days of Little Texas, </em>2009, Knopf<em>.</em><br /><p>Ronald Earl is a 16-year old boy who has been a preacher on the tent-revival circuit since he was a child. Known as Little Texas, Ronald has a gift for preaching and faith-healing. After a nearly-dead girl in a blue dress named Lucy is brought to him at a revival Ronald begins to see her everywhere the Church of the Hand stops. The trouble is Lucy shows up in places and at times when she couldn't possibly be there. So what is Lucy, exactly? </p><p>Meanwhile Ronald isn't entirely sure he wants to continue preaching, despite his gift for it. He longs to live a life more ordinary with school on the weekdays and church on Sundays. Not to mention he doesn't know how to deal with girls his own age, let alone <em>women</em>. This, combined with the mystery of Lucy come to a head when his guardian Miss Wanda Joy decides that it is time for him to begin his adult ministry by preaching on an island where legend has it the devil swept away the last man to dare hold a revival there.</p><p>It took me a while to get into this book, not because I found it to be slow-paced or badly written but rather because I can be a tiny bit neurotic about evangelical Christianity. Once I got over that I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book which tells an evangelical Christian ghost story (despite the oxymoron in that statement as aparently evangelical Christians don't believe in ghosts). The main character Ronald is not a stereotype of a devout Christian: while the book is heavy on biblical references, proverbs, psalms, and quotations Ronald is a teenage boy who is tackling some of the same more earthly challenges of growing up. The supporting characters are well-drawn out and memorable; they too are neither sinners nor saints but humans who are faithful though flawed. </p><p>I'm not sure how teens will receive this book. If they are like me in their neurosis re: christianity than they may be slightly too prejudiced to continue on and realize how much religion is central to the book and yet the book itself is not meant to be an evangelical tool. While I keep hammering home that a central motif of this book is religion, I think it is more truthful to say that it examines the difference between religion and faith. And I have to ask myself, if the book had been a ghost story of another religious tradition or Christian sect would I have been so bothered by the bible tie-ins?</p><p></p><p></p>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-56629190201450387982009-10-13T17:52:00.007-04:002009-10-19T13:25:19.121-04:00What I Saw and How I Lied<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLyCweWe4sA7XoETG8ku5F4m3uN2hu3Cxv2hOQpwDJJfemvJ0d6FWoaHg6h5qEb3KLHnOjEOnxh0BL2t0q3vYjKZCbOG7aud_Juq2jZ-ZfmYUl1V5_LcxQngbNnoUIKgBPpaxa9XKHMvU/s1600-h/whatisaw1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392205838205793506" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 185px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 269px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLyCweWe4sA7XoETG8ku5F4m3uN2hu3Cxv2hOQpwDJJfemvJ0d6FWoaHg6h5qEb3KLHnOjEOnxh0BL2t0q3vYjKZCbOG7aud_Juq2jZ-ZfmYUl1V5_LcxQngbNnoUIKgBPpaxa9XKHMvU/s320/whatisaw1.jpg" border="0" /></a> Judy Blundell, <em>What I Saw and How I Lied</em>, 2008, Scholastic.<br /><br />At last, a book that might just deserve its award.<br /><br />1947<br /><br />Queens, NY.<br /><br />Evie, who has never known her biological father and grew up in the shadow of her mother longs for the day when she can be considered a 'grown-up' (which means being able to wear lipstick and smoke cigarettes). At the same time she is adjusting to life in post-World War II America where rations are a distant memory and her stepfather Joe Spooner is a living breathing prescence instead of words on a page.<br /><br />When Joe whisks Evie and her mother off to Florida even though the school year has just begun, Evie doesn't see anything suspicious about this. Nor does she see anything fishy about the arrival at the hotel of Peter Coleridge, a handsome ex-GI who served in the same postwar company as Joe. Evie, of course falls in love with Peter and pursues him to her mother's displeasure. At the same time there is an undercurrent of tension and mystery despite the friendship of the Spooners, Coleridge, and the Graysons' (a couple her parents become friends with at the hotel). Instead the stage is being set for lust, murder, and betrayal, all of which leave Evie having to confront what really happened and who she needs to protect.<br /><br /><p>While it was not immediately obvious I don't think it was difficult to see where the story was going and how it would end. I loved that the plot had echoes of film-noir mystery and Old Hollywood glamour. Evie herself is a likeable protagonist whose difficult choices evoke the sympathy of readers. But what I liked the most is that the book dispells the notion that after World War II the soldiers came home, picked up their lives, moved to the suburbs, gave birth to the Baby Boomers and all was well and good. Instead the author takes the time to point out the hypocrisy that a country which helped close concentration camps would allow anti-Semitism to exist on its own soil. Fortunately this is done in a thought-provoking and subtle way without pounding you over the head but letting you draw your own opinion. The author also explores the lengths we go to protect the ones we love.</p><p>Overall, an excellent read and I understand why the book won the National Book Award for Young Adults. </p>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-74343901608630313292009-10-13T16:50:00.005-04:002009-10-13T17:04:08.934-04:00Straight Science FictionLast week while I was sitting at the Circulation Desk a teenage girl came up to me and asked for help finding a science fiction book to read. The kicker was, her teacher absolutely refused to accept anything but straight science fiction and absolutely, positively NO crossovers into such genres as horror or fantasy. This left me scratching my head for a minute.<br /><br />Which it shouldn't have.<br /><br />I mean how many of you automatically thought of Douglas Adam's <em>Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy</em> or Orson Scott Card's <em>Ender's Game</em>? Because I didn't. At least not at first.<br /><br />Fortunately I'm not the only one at my library who reads books from the young adult section; my co-worker S. happened to overhear the girl and suggested those, along with a couple others: practically anything Scott Westerfeld, Mary E. Pearson's <em>The Adoration of Jenna Fox, </em>and a couple of ones from the adult section which I don't remember now.<br /><br />The girl ended up checking out Westerfeld's <em>Uglies</em> and I was left with the realization that here was a genre amongst Young Adult Fiction which I was sorely lacking in experience. This is something which must be remedied so I'm asking whoever is out there to send your recommendations my way. It doesn't have to be 'straight science fiction' as this girls stubborn teacher was insisting (so it can have cross-over appeal) but it does have to be written for or something that appeals to a young adult audience.<br /><br />I can't wait to hear your recommendations!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-31502551955816050632009-10-01T16:24:00.001-04:002009-10-02T17:57:01.523-04:0013 Reasons Why<p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_WiltenkVn3U/SsZ2wLpSE5I/AAAAAAAAC1M/8C4TUDE4YvE/s1600-h/13reasonswhy%5B3%5D.jpg"><img title="13reasonswhy" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="244" alt="13reasonswhy" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_WiltenkVn3U/SsZ2xPW1wkI/AAAAAAAAC1Q/NYExyEL0k5E/13reasonswhy_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="167" align="right" border="0" /></a> Jay Asher, <em>13 Reasons Why</em>, 2009, Razorbill.</p> <p>Hannah Baker committed suicide. But not before she left behind 13 tapes explaining exactly what and who it was that drove her to make the decision to die. Clay, who had a crush on Hannah, is one of the so-called “Baker’s dozen” [13 people] to receive the tapes with the command to listen and pass them on, lest their sins be revealed to a much larger audience. The problem is, he doesn’t belong on this list. Or does he?</p> <p>In this work Jay Asher forces us to acknowledge the difficult truth of many teen suicides: it was not the individuals alone which brought them to that point. The tapes of Hannah Baker go completely against the usual psycho-babble which we are often treated to when someone kills them self (“It was no one’s fault”). Instead his protagonist has no trouble making sure those responsible know exactly what part they played in her decision.</p> <p>Books dealing with suicide can be tough ground to cover in the young adult literature world. Part of this is because the topic is often one which teens are all too familiar with; which is not to say that people (parents, educators, librarians) should work themselves into a frenzy thinking that all teens are suicidal. These books are also difficult to write because they can all too easily become preachy works which end with the requisite supplemental material where *you can find help*. </p> <p>Yet Asher has succeeded with a book that leaves the reader feeling every bit as voyeuristic as you imagine the characters must feel listening to Hannah measure out blame. The message is not an upbeat one—but one could hardly expect that from a work dealing with teen suicide. What it succeeds in doing, most poignantly at the end, is in reminding us that sometimes even the smallest dramas have larger repercussions. A fact which cannot be understated when dealing with teens.</p> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:4b4c016e-ac4f-474f-b324-20643147ef82" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/jay_asher" rel="tag">jay_asher</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/suicide" rel="tag">suicide</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/tapes" rel="tag">tapes</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/tough_issues" rel="tag">tough_issues</a></div> Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-45911143223840606792009-10-01T14:39:00.001-04:002009-10-01T14:47:53.799-04:00A short review to whet your YA fiction reading appetites.<p>Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah (NY: Orchard Books, 2007).</p> <p>This book reminded me a LOT of Looking for Alibrandi [by Melinda Marchetta] because 1.) it's about living with a hyphenated identity as a teen; 2.) it takes place in Australia; and 3.) There is a crazy old lady who ultimately teaches the main character, Amal, a lesson about life by revealing her own big secret. </p> <p>The plot centers around Amal, an eleventh grader who decides to take up the practice of wearing hijab (a head-scarf in her case) to demonstrate her faith, and the reactions of family, friends, and strangers that ensue, thereby causing her to rethink many aspects of her own life in addition to who she thinks she is. </p> <p>While Amal’s exploits do not even remotely resemble those of the often, shall I say over-exposed teen in some ya fiction, her sense of ethics feels authentic. I also appreciated the frank discussion of the importance of faith in her life without it becoming too preachy nor something that teens who do not practice her religion (or any at all) cannot relate to. </p> Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-2322951288856555862009-09-30T19:16:00.002-04:002009-09-30T19:18:03.037-04:00I'm back! With my degree and only a part-time job in hand, mind you, but new reviews will be forthcoming.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-55129662355188860552008-12-03T14:56:00.002-05:002009-05-11T16:17:02.767-04:0013 Little Blue Envelopes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FwOnSrtpUojSxhz9YAYudlhGWBu_V6k3N_gL8fTYMzRtBCXgGT08qaYiA9Am8yo8Ld4TOucICehBE1NKNKUOknp0JXC3ZnHNxQFYL5X1aMxHOVjj4Hm8ET5XaxsQCsMhw0BFEi9xzcE/s1600-h/13lbe.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275655930234290530" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 160px; height: 240px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FwOnSrtpUojSxhz9YAYudlhGWBu_V6k3N_gL8fTYMzRtBCXgGT08qaYiA9Am8yo8Ld4TOucICehBE1NKNKUOknp0JXC3ZnHNxQFYL5X1aMxHOVjj4Hm8ET5XaxsQCsMhw0BFEi9xzcE/s320/13lbe.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em>Maureen Johnson, 13 Little Blue Envelopes, 2005, HarperTeen.</em><br /><br />Ginny's Aunt Peg died three months ago from a brain tumor, so what's she doing sending Ginny a package with 13 blue envelopes she is to open only as instructed? The first letter sends her to NYC where she picks up a plane ticket to London and an ATM card which her aunt writes will fund her "quest". What follows is an expedition through Europe that asks her to do such things as "ask Piet about Rembrandt's <em>The Night Watch</em>" and "make an offering to the Vestal Virgins at the Roman Coliseum." As Ginny makes her way through the continent she discovers the true story behind her Aunt's last two years on earth and finds herself shedding her shyness and inhibitions with every mile.<br /><br />While the writing of this story is admittedly weak, the plot proves irresistible. Johnson takes a formulaic "backpack through Europe after high school graduation" story and turns it into something better although she does rely on many of the tropes one usually finds in those stories. Her characters could use some fleshing out, Ginny remains a bland heroine despite her apparent daring yet her interactions with the other characters she meets along the way are realistic which helps move the story along.<br /><br />This is a good light read but not for teens who want the quintessential "backpack through Europe" story. Instead this is better for those who want a story about how people come out of their shells and make discoveries about themselves.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-16921055737695845212008-12-03T14:13:00.001-05:002009-05-11T16:18:53.263-04:00My Most Excellent Year<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNYq4BzwHcOxLlNwBHpOoGBG2m5XEy2BDAY8mM5axbRhJeJCHFnTqv43s1EZvOpBzhHdRprUZgzk1pFKhugq9IyEk2KZ_g8FrMEJ2udOLxnYCj0TwATAOL85yMLnaaWOz8dmOy3b4tlE/s1600-h/mmey.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275653688632029298" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right; width: 160px; height: 242px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNYq4BzwHcOxLlNwBHpOoGBG2m5XEy2BDAY8mM5axbRhJeJCHFnTqv43s1EZvOpBzhHdRprUZgzk1pFKhugq9IyEk2KZ_g8FrMEJ2udOLxnYCj0TwATAOL85yMLnaaWOz8dmOy3b4tlE/s320/mmey.jpg" border="0" /></a>Steve Kluger, <em>My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park</em>, 2008, Dial Books.<br /><br />Written as a mix of school assignments, letters, emails, instant<br />messages, and diaries this book revolves around the memories of friends Anthony, Augie, and Alejandra who recall their 9th grade year when they each fell in love, fought, and found out who they really were. Anthony finally comes to term with the death of his mother by bonding with a deaf-kid named Huckey, Augie accepts his sexuality and Alejandra realizes she wants to be a Broadway actress rather than follow in the diplomatic footsteps of her entire family. Interspersed with the teenagers accounts are emails between various adult figures in their lives who comment on the changes these teens are going through.<br /><br /><div>This was an unusual book as one almost expected it to be a "guy" book despite the title's inclusion of love and Mary Poppins. This was not true. It was more of a book that one could see appealing to teens of both genders, however I do think that probably more girls than guys would read it because of the cover and the format which is popular among "teen girl" books. That being said it was a great read. The characters felt real, relatable, and their lives possible. My only beef is that the story is set in Brookline, Massachusetts and since I live in Brookline it was annoying to try to figure out what his new names for places in Coolidge Corner were. For example, was The Word Shop meant to be The Brookline Booksmith? Things like that irritate me in books, why couldn't he just use the real names? I'm not familiar with the NYC underground music scene but it seemed to me that David Levithan and Rachel Cohn did an okay job with using the real places in NYC as the setting for <em>Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist</em>. The other slighter beef was that Augie's love for show tunes combined with his subsequent coming out seemed a bit too "stereotypical gay teen boy" for my taste. Fortunately the relationship between Augie and his bf transcended anything stereotypical.<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>I'm not sure the teenage boys I know would like this book, but I would certainly be willing to pull it out as a recommendation to anyone looking for a good fictional book. </div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682907041167590551.post-71992809510456643272008-12-02T03:00:00.004-05:002009-05-11T16:23:44.485-04:00Briar Rose<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56CtksaLKvnk3C8EKSjqJtjhyphenhyphenQYI_W5N5CDYqZkeuLUwhQYRmM_k75J-plzNmrdd6P3YZkg9vplBNIDSmAQLvGC4GsPvULqtjAnGCqH9j3Ojs5CmhnSczV8Av-9c1qBSCYQbkErFE-kg/s1600-h/brose.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274982960282431426" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; width: 160px; cursor: pointer; height: 231px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56CtksaLKvnk3C8EKSjqJtjhyphenhyphenQYI_W5N5CDYqZkeuLUwhQYRmM_k75J-plzNmrdd6P3YZkg9vplBNIDSmAQLvGC4GsPvULqtjAnGCqH9j3Ojs5CmhnSczV8Av-9c1qBSCYQbkErFE-kg/s320/brose.jpg" border="0" /></a> Jane Yolen, <em>Briar Rose</em>, 1992, Starscape.<br /><br />"I am Briar Rose." Those are the last words that Becca's Gemma (grandmother) says to her granddaughters before dying. Becca's older sisters pass it off as the delirium of an old woman but twenty-three year old Becca feels a nagging sensation that there may be some truth behind these last words, after all growing up, their household version of Briar Rose didn't match other kids versions--not even a little bit.<br /><br />Going through her grandmother's things Becca discovers bits and pieces of the beginning of her grandmother's life in America that doesn't jibe with what her mother has always believed. For instance, that she [Becca's mother] was born in a European refugee camp in upstate New York. With this, Becca sets off on a journey to discover who her Grandmother and Briar Rose were--one and the same or pure fairy tale? What she finds takes her into the heart of Poland where the townspeople refuse to talk about what happened during the war. Piece by piece Becca learns the story of her Grandmother and that sometimes fairy tales can be more heartbreaking than the truth.<br /><br />I'm not sure how to feel about this story. I generally like Jane Yolen's work, but I felt like Becca herself had a fairy princess complex going on. Furthermore it was creepy that Becca's thirty-five year old editor was hitting on her while also offering to help her solve her family mystery. The fact that the fairy tale is a metaphor for the Holocaust makes it difficult to read, especially when you know that worse things than what was described in this story took place. Still, Yolen knows that the people reading this may have not yet learned about that part of history in school and so she walks a fine line between too much information and not enough in a way that makes it resonate with the reader. Yet I find it hard to comment on the specific history which inspired this book without asking myself how much is too much and how much is not enough? All I know is that this book doesn't suffer from the same problem as <span style="font-style: italic;">The Boy in the Striped Pajamas</span> which masquerades a a child's "Holocaust fable" but in reality I personally would have a difficult time recommending to a parent (keeping the ending in mind).Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08218806288582358444noreply@blogger.com0