On the Serious Side, Kind of ...

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork.

I read Marcelo in the Real World last year and was floored at how he nailed the Aspergers character. Spot on, empathetic, pitch perfect. And the writing was fabulous. So, when I saw this one, I had to have it. It took me a year to get to it, and it was a little more work to get into, but it paid off. Wow. I was up until 2 a.m. because I had to see the end. Poor mexican kid who had lost his whole family is on a vendetta meets anglo dying of cancer. An unlikely friendship, a strange path. Hints of Going Bovine. Unique and beautiful. What a writer!



Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray.

Again, took me a year to get to this and I regret it. Think Thirteen Reasons Why from a male perspective, with the squashing of feelings and twisted turns that might take. The british terms and geography may make this challenging for some, but it is worth the ride. Powerful truths about the complicated lives boys lead in those teen years.



The Legend of Bass Reeves by Gary Paulsen.

I was intrigued by the picture book Bad News for Outlaws and found a reference to this book in the back. Paulsen's writing is lovely, and he does a great job of revealing cherished western legends like Billy the Kid for what they are - frauds - with the exception of this unsung african american hero. Bass's life was long and every minute seemed filled with enough to make any life memorable. Paulsen does an amazing job of honoring this african american hero. Born to slavery, family to native americans in the indian territory, and the best deputy federal marshall the west ever saw. An amazing life.

Etc., etc., etc.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume One: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson.

Complex and challenging, once you get hooked he switches voices! And you almost put it down, but you can't, and you're glad you don't. A completely different take on historical fiction circa the run up to the Revolutionary War. The author's note encourages further investigation but leaves no doubt about his painstaking research in support of this stellar story. The ending begs to be continued. On to Volume Two!

Zombies vs. Unicorns, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbaleister.

Okay, who could resist such a title? And the cover art and end papers? The entire tone of this collection of short stories by some of the heaviest hitters in YA fiction is smart and wry. Loved the first story, got mostly through the second and did not think I could get away with it in 7-8. High school, I think. Too bad. My son loved it. The censors, likely not.

Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson.

Heavy hitter Patterson of Maximum Ride fame takes on the Wimpy Kid and, well, falls short. Part of the pleasure of Kinney's character is the comforting normality, even banality, of his life, against which the tortures of school are bearable. Here we have a protagonist so marginalized that, at grade seven, he still talks to his imaginary friend. And home? Single struggling mom, unemployed abusive boyfriend, hardscrabble existence - stop!

It's challenging to pull off humor under these conditions. See The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbra Robinson for an excellent example of how to accomplish this. If you've grown up in a traditional Catholic household you will laugh until you cry.

Wow

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.

Amazing. Fantastic. Typical Libba Bray. Intelligent, creative, hilarious, and a constant sense of, Oh my god, she actually said that out loud. Miss Teen USA meets Lord of the Flies meets dystopia starring evil Corporation. America's obsession with appearance and celebrity grilled to perfection. Even the cover art is spot on.

Just Read

I think I let this go too long and forgot what I've read. Here's my best guess at the last few weeks.



Mercury by Hope Larson.

A graphic novel recommended by the new YA librarian at my local library. Wonderful black and white illustrations. The story of two young women in the same family, one hundred years apart. Family tragedy, first love, friendship. This story skirts the line between reality and the supernatural nicely. No vampires or greek gods, but old wives tales told in a way that makes one wonder.





If I Stay by Gayle Forman.

Been meaning to read this one for awhile. A young woman daydreams of her boyfriend as her parents and younger brother argue over the choice of music for the trip to grandma's house when a car accident kills all but our protagonist. She is left in a coma, and her narration is out of body. When she realizes that the only thing keeping her alive is her decision whether to stay, and live, or go, and die, she undertakes a blistering examination of her relationships with family and friends and a hard look at her own dreams for the future. It is unclear until the end what she will decide, and this keeps the pages turning nicely. Well done.



Fat Vampire by Adam Rex.

Ugh. I like a good vampire story, but I couldn't get beyond the first chapter of this one. Skip it, unless bad jokes about fat kids is your thing.







Bite Club by Rachel Caine.

The tenth in the Morganville series, I was a bit under-impressed. I love this series, but Claire's tolerance for Shane's new career as a fight club punk and his easy dismissal of her and the entire Glass house was a bit much to take. Also, the best characters -Amelie, Oliver, Myrnin - only played bit roles. I hope this is not the end, but.





Set to Sea by Drew Weing.

A beautiful graphic novel. The story begins with a sorry sort who aspires to be a poet but can't find the words. When he's abducted and taken aboard a ship he learns the life of a sailor and gains the necessary material to realize his dream.

  Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris.

      Number eleven in the series. Is Sookie getting whiny or is it just me? Looks bad for Eric and good for Bill - we've come full circle. The foreshadowing promised lots of fairy politics and less of what made the books so much fun. Sigh.

Fantasy Pick Dilemmas

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott.

At first glance this seems an easy pick for a fantasy slot - a Dumbledore like character, Nicolas Flamel,  is recognizable to Potter fans as a minor yet memorable name from that series' first book, lots of action and adventure, plenty of Riordan like references and information on both Egyptian and Greek mythology in addition to the magic/alchemy angle of Stroud's Bartimaeus series, and even a dose of Yggdrasil, bringing to mind Farmer's Sea of Trolls.

And yet. Where Stroud, Rowling, Riordan, and Farmer choose a focus and stick with it, this plot struck me as all over the place. Trying to account for every mythology simultaneously will do that, I suppose.

Is this where Riordan got The Red Pyramid? Twins with archaeologist parents who get caught up in ancient magic and are The Answer to some old prophecy - sound familiar? It did not feel as overwhelming and convoluted as The Red Pyramid, or as focussed for that matter, but the similarities are striking.

On the fence.



Bartimaeus: The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud.

Only a hundred or so pages in, so a bit early to write, and yet, having read the previous three in this series I am confident that what I have read so far is indicative of the book as a whole. So glad Stroud has returned to such an intelligent and lovable character. The writing is entertaining on so many levels and shows a great deal of respect for YA readers with sophisticated vocabulary, references, and humor.

My only wish is that Stroud would take a page (or five) from Westerfield's Leviathan and provide an author's note with information on what is real and what is not, as his, like Westerfield's, research is clearly well done and offers readers a great lesson in history as well as a fine fantasy read.

If this were out in paper it would be a clear choice.

A Field Trip into Headline Reading

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua.

Okay, so I read (a lot of) the rants and even watched video of a mixed reception at a reading in a Washington, D.C. book store. Saw and read the Time magazine article. Made my kids read it (the article, not the book).  When a friend brought a copy to school and offered me first dibs (perks of being a librarian) I couldn't resist.

Moral: don't believe everything you read.

Chua's book was well written (one would hope so from a Yale law professor) and fun to read. Not so much lecture as confession, which was a surprise given the way it's been reviewed. My reaction was not shame at being a permissive, selfish, western parent but rather concern and pity for Chua who struck me as pathological. Pathologically what is a good question that I cannot answer. Insecure? Competitive? Maybe.

Her paranoia about everything from food to dogs (forget about the elephant in the room - the poor kids - for a sec) was almost heartbreaking. My favorite part was when she gets a dog and is so proud of whatever chic pedigree it has until visiting friends casually (?) drop that its breed is not rated highly on intelligence. She cannot wait for them to leave so that she can google the poor animal and check its stats.

Honey, see a shrink! I wish people would stop attacking her and start offering her hugs.

Summer Reading ....?

The hunt for the summer reading list continues. Recent candidates:



Night of the Howling Dogs by Graham Salisbury.

Based on a true story, the account of a boy scout troop camping on a remote Hawaiian beach when a powerful earthquake followed by a tsunami occurs. The run up to the main event is a bit slow, but the character development is important and makes for some nice reveals.



Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham.

A verse novel detailing an attack by a shark that leaves a lovely young high school student without one arm. The novel is mainly about survival - not the attack so much as moving forward when your whole life has been turned upside down. Well done.




How to Steal a Car by Pete Hautman.

Could not resist the cover or title. A teen girl discovers her talent for car theft and uses it to vent feelings about friends, boys, and family. The strange relationship the protagonist has with her best friends - a boy and a girl - is great fun. A few unnecessary references make this unlikely for summer reading, unfortunately.



Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King.

Wow. A fabulous story. Great characters. This should be on high school reading lists. Vera is so strong and her experience is likely close to many. Her family's tradition of ignoring the abusive relationship next door, and other painful realities, has a predictable if tragic effect on her life decisions. The hypocrisy of adults is explored skillfully. The complicated love she has for her best friend is probably the best written love story I've seen in awhile.



Matched by Ally Condie.

Yes! We have a winner! A great dystopian novel that is intense, well written, and clean enough to pass the parent test - yet beloved by my readers already. Phew! Clear choice. The evolution from unquestioned devotion to the society to rebellion is nuanced and believable. Suspense is well done. Comparisons to 1984 and The Giver are warranted. And a second installment due in November.