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Wildthorn by Jane Eagland
Jane Eagland weaves an engrossing tale about a teenaged girl who finds herself locked up in Wildthorn, a mental institution in Victorian England. Neither the protagonist, Louisa Cosgrove, nor the reader know why she was sent there, until clues are revealed in flashbacks interspersed with the narrative. Louisa must figure out the truth behind her situation, amidst the lies and abuse from the institution’s staff, aided by the kindness of Eliza, one of the assistant caregivers. Throughout the story, a lot is revealed about women in medicine, the wretched reality of patient care, and social customs of the time, which could provide good discussion points. While the plot gets wrapped up a little too nicely at the end, it’s still a captivating story that will especially appeal to historical fiction fans.
Wildthorn comes out on September 6!
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Reviewed from a review copy received from the publisher on NetGalley.
August 23rd, 2010 ♥ Books, Reviews ♥ No Comments »
YA Through the Decades: 1950s
For my YA Through the Decades challenge, I read Fifteen by Beverly Cleary for the 1950s. I seem to be reading contemporary realistic fiction for girls for each decade (Sue Barton, Seventeenth Summer) — I can’t decide if I want to continue that theme or not, but it is what I usually tend to read. I also hope to get a 1950s overview post up soon! So, what have you been reading for the challenge?
Check out Anne’s post on the challenge at My Head is Full of Books. She’s already finished! She read Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952) by C.S. Lewis for the 1950s.
Lindsey from Ten Stories Up read A Separate Peace (1959) by John Knowles.
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Beverly Cleary’s Fifteen, published in 1956, tells the story of a few months in the life of fifteen-year-old Jane Purdy. Jane considers herself an ordinary girl – she spends most of her free time babysitting, her parents are embarrassing, and she wants nothing more than a cute boyfriend with a car. Things start to look up when she meets Stan Crandall, the new boy in town, and he invites her to the movies. Jane really likes him, and thinks he likes her, but not everything goes as planned. He spends too much time talking to cool girl Marcy, their date to Chinatown involves eating bizarre foods, and he doesn’t invite her to the first school dance. Will things ever go Jane’s way?
Fifteen is a fun and pleasant read, but doesn’t offer much in the way of substance. Jane does learn to be herself and not worry what others think about her, but most of the book is concerned with whether or not Stan will call her after one seemingly embarrassing event or another. Still, Jane’s affability and naivete are endearing and the other characters, however briefly mentioned, are fun as well. Many of Jane’s concerns – embarrassing parents, what to wear, will he call? – still apply to today’s teens, even if they’re not worried about their mother not wearing stockings, wearing the same suit twice, and tying up the party phone line. I definitely found this more accessible than Seventeenth Summer, which has a similar storyline, but that probably has more to do with Cleary’s writing style than cultural differences due to time period. I could see tweens enjoying this, especially for those who are graduating from Cleary’s younger books.
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Covers Through the Decades:
August 10th, 2010 ♥ Books, Reviews, YA Decades Challenge ♥ No Comments »
Book Review: Rose Sees Red by Cecil Castellucci
In her latest book, Cecil Castellucci makes a departure from her usual contemporary Los Angeles setting and takes her readers to 1980s New York City. The Cold War is at its height and our protagonist Rose lives next door to a Soviet family, including a girl her age, Yrena. Though Rose has been feeling “black” and friendless since choosing to attend the performing arts school for dance, she gets swept up into a night of parties, new friends, and self discovery when Yrena crawls into her window looking for a typical American experience. Castellucci makes the city and the era come alive at night as we see it through Rose and Yrena’s eyes — Rose, whose dispiritedness has made her take it for granted, and Yrena, who is seeing it wide-eyed for the first (and possibly last) time. Both are dancers and their new friends include a dancer, musicians, and actors, so it’s fun to see their passions on display. The book also touches on the issues of war and peace without being didactic about it, and while it’s historical fiction, the same concerns will still resonate with today’s readers. If anything, the book is too short at just under 200 pages. Some of the character development seemed rushed and could have benefited from longer scenes, despite the whole story taking place in one night. Overall, it’s a quick, fun read that can also open up a discussion about larger issues. Should be appropriate for grades 7 and up.
Rose Sees Red comes out on August 1!
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Add to Goodreads.
Other reviews:
Stacked
Abby (the) Librarian
Reviewed from an ARC received from the author.
July 19th, 2010 ♥ Books, Reviews ♥ No Comments »
Book Review: Middleworld by J&P Voelkel
Fourteen-year-old Max’s archaeologist parents have abandoned him yet again in favor of a Maya excavation. But his lazy summer gets cut short when he gets a mysterious ticket to join his parents in the Maya jungles of San Xavier. This city boy soon finds himself caught up in a fantastical world of artifact smugglers, ancient magic, and grand adventure accompanied by a headstrong Maya girl named Lola and her two howler monkeys. Can Max save his parents and the end of the world?
Authors Jon and Pamela Voelkel have created an action-packed adventure story filled with Maya history and culture. With the 2012 phenomenon, interest in the Maya is sure to be high and the book includes an informative glossary and explanation of the Maya calendar. While it’s not a groundbreaking work of children’s literature, the story is compelling, the characters are fun, and it sets the groundwork for an eventual trilogy. The history and magic make this a good choice for kids graduating from the Magic Tree House books, but it will also appeal to many young readers in the 8-12 age range.
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Reviewed from an ARC received from the book’s publicist
July 3rd, 2010 ♥ Books, Reviews ♥ No Comments »
Audiobook Review: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
I got into audiobooks back when I was frequently driving 100 miles back and forth between San Diego and LA, but I rarely drive anymore, and hence don’t listen to many books. So I was excited when I recently had to make a 6-hour roundtrip drive, which is conveniently about the length of an average 300-page YA novel. I settled on Gabrielle Zevin’s Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, which I picked up as a free trial from eMusic’s audiobook service. It’s the story of high-school junior Naomi, who loses four years of her memory after falling down her school’s front steps. She doesn’t remember her best friend Will, her boyfriend Ace, or her parent’s divorce. Plus, she’s rescued by the mysterious new guy James, who makes her already confused life even more confusing. This unique premise gives Zevin plenty of room to examine the nature of identity. We see Naomi struggle to make sense of her relationships with not only her family, friends, and boyfriend, but also with herself. A lot happens in this not-very-long book, but none of it feels rushed and Zevin makes all of her characters likable despite their faults. Caitlin Greer deftly narrates the audiobook, giving life to each of the characters and keeping the listener’s attention throughout. Except for the memory loss, this is a fairly typical contemporary realistic YA book that should delight fans of the genre. It would also be a great book club selection, as the premise sets up some interesting questions for readers. Teenreads.com has a discussion guide.
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June 28th, 2010 ♥ Books, Reviews ♥ No Comments »
Book Review: The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, & June by Robin Benway
As if dealing with their parents’ divorce and moving to a new town weren’t enough, teenage sisters April, May, and June discover they have secret powers one afternoon on the way home from school. Eldest sister April can see the future, middle sister May can disappear, and youngest sister June can read minds. Told in alternating points of view, the three sisters learn to come to terms with their powers and their relationships with each other, all while navigating the usual stresses of high school.
Robin Benway ups the ante in her second novel, using a similar contemporary Southern California setting to her first book (the fabulous Audrey, Wait!), but throwing supernatural elements and multiple narrators into the mix. With so many elements, the story could have easily gotten bogged down with details, but Benway keeps the tone fresh and the narrative fast-paced with witty dialogue and fun and believable characters. Each of the sisters feels fully developed despite having only a third of the book to themselves and each is likable in her own way. While the mere existence of the superpowers is obviously far-fetched, I was happy to suspend some disbelief and go along with these characters on this fun, and often surprising, ride.
The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, & June comes out on August 3!
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Reviewed from an ARC received from the publisher at the ALA Midwinter Meeting.
June 22nd, 2010 ♥ Books, Reviews ♥ No Comments »
Book Reviews: May 2010
Fat Cat by Robin Brande
Overachieving high schooler Cat is determined to ace her science project and beat her ex-best friend Matt McKinney at the science fair. Since the competition is so intense, Cat knows she has to do something drastic — she will use herself as a test subject. She has always struggled with her weight, so decides to essentially live like a caveman by eating unprocessed foods and walking everywhere. What starts as an experiment changes Cat in unexpected ways and may just change her long-strained relationship with Matt. Cat’s transformation is inspiring, especially since it comes from a healthy relationship with food. The ending is fairly predictable, but the journey is fun and full of characters that you can’t help but love.
Gimme A Call by Sarah Mlynowski
High school senior Devi gets a surprise when she drops her cell phone in the mall fountain — she’s somehow able to call her 14-year-old self. She seizes this opportunity to shape her life, as the actions her past self takes immediately affect her present. And she especially wants to avoid ever dating her boyfriend of three years, who broke her heart right before prom. But not all of Devi’s past decisions have favorable outcomes and she starts to understand what’s really important in her life. Devi’s a likable character and it’s interesting to see the interactions between the past Devi and the present Devi. The unique time-bending nature of the story adds a fun level to this otherwise typical contemporary YA novel. The premise also lends itself to some fun discussion about what you would tell your past self and how little actions can have big consequences.
Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz
This slice of life story about a vinyl music loving 16-year-old brings Berkeley, CA to life and makes the reader want to haul out a record player and some classic LPs. The plot is fairly straightforward and predictable, but the characters and their passions shine through.
June 1st, 2010 ♥ Books, Reviews ♥ No Comments »
Book Review: Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu
High school junior Lucy hasn’t been able to have a normal life because she’s constantly trying keep anyone from finding out her family secret. Lucy’s mom is an obsessive hoarder and every inch of their home is stacked with paper, trash, and other “treasures” that she can’t bear throwing away. Lucy is just beginning to make some good friends when she returns home to find her mom dead, buried under a pile of magazines. Unable to bear the thought of calling 911 and exposing their secrets to the world, Lucy goes to great lengths to make everything appear normal.
The premise of this debut novel is extremely dark and Lucy’s actions are completely irrational, so the fact that the author can get the reader to empathize with Lucy’s decisions and root for her says a lot about the author’s powerful storytelling abilities. I was completely engrossed from beginning to end, and while the conclusion was a bit far-fetched and left a lot of practical loose ends, I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a quick, compelling read.
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Reviewed from an ARC received at ALA Midwinter.
May 18th, 2010 ♥ Books, Reviews ♥ No Comments »
Mini-Reviews
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: A Flavia de Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley
Eleven-year-old chemistry lover and amateur sleuth Flavia de Luce may be a little too precocious for her own good, but this philatelic mystery set in 1950s England is a delight.
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Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
Finnikin of the Rock, an epic fantasy tale, is a marked departure from Melina Marchetta’s usual contemporary realistic fiction, but she has crafted a rich, complex world full of intriguing and mysterious characters. The strong socio-political undercurrents have parallels to our own world, but they don’t overwhelm the core story about Finnikin’s search for a homeland for his displaced kingdom and his acceptance of his destiny to become king.
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Violet on the Runway, Violet by Design and Violet in Private by Melissa Walker
Melissa Walker’s Violet trilogy offers a fun, pop-culture-filled look at the modeling industry from the point of view of a regular teen girl plucked from obscurity to make it big on the runways of New York, Brazil, and Paris.
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Heist Society by Ally Carter
Kat Bishop grew up with a family of art thieves, but just wants to enjoy being a normal high school student for once. Her attempt at normalcy is short-lived, however, when the theft of a famous art collection is pegged on her father. Kat soon finds herself putting together a crack team of teen-aged thieves to pull off one last heist to clear her dad’s name. This book is pure fun featuring a strong female lead and a great cast of supporting characters.
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April 14th, 2010 ♥ Books, Reviews ♥ No Comments »
Book Review: Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly
Seventeen-year-old Angie just graduated from high school and thought this summer would be no different than any other. But that was before she caught the eye of Jack Duluth, the popular basketball star with the All-American good looks. It’s not long before she’s going to country club dances, hanging out by the lake, and, just maybe, falling in love.
Written by Maureen Daly when she was a teenager herself, Seventeenth Summer is often considered the first true YA novel. It’s still in print and Simon and Schuster will be releasing a new edition this month. But, as with most books written almost 70 years ago, the story is pretty dated and it’s not just in the social norms. Unlike modern YA books, there’s very little dialogue to be found here. It’s hard to tell why Angie and Jack even like each other, considering they spend so much time not talking (and don’t think they’re filling their time ‘necking’ — Angie can barely bring herself to utter the word). Angie’s other relationships aren’t much better. The minor subplot involving Angie’s sister Lorraine and her on-again-off-again male caller has some nuance to it, but Angie and Lorraine’s interactions are more about what they can’t bring themselves to say to each other. Modern readers may be frustrated by the lack of action, but the romance, while innocent, will still capture the hearts of teen girls. The story is also a fascinating look at everyday life in the late 1930s, which could be appealing for readers with an interest in past generations.
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Covers Throughout the Years
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