Stevie's only 15, but she's has been looking after her mom for a long time. Sure, sometimes her mom disappears for days at a time, but Stevie knows ho...moreStevie's only 15, but she's has been looking after her mom for a long time. Sure, sometimes her mom disappears for days at a time, but Stevie knows how much her mother loves her. Then Stevie's aunt Mindy gets involved, and Stevie's mom ends up in rehab for meth addicts and Stevie has to live with Aunt Mindy. Stevie hates it, especially with Mindy after her all the time to study and tell her where she's going. All Stevie wants is for her mom to come back so they can live together again. Stevie begins working at a bird rehabilitation center, where she meets Alan, a troubled boy who used to go to her high school. Stevie has a lot going on in her life, but the hardest is learning the truth about her mother.
This was a bittersweet sort of story. Stevie loves her mom very much despite the fact her mom has done little to deserve her daughter's love. Stevie is constantly left alone, skipping school to wait by the telephone either for her mother to call or to answer in case a call comes for her mother. Stevie's mother has big dreams that involve selling her own jewelry and buying a house, but nothing she does gets her, or her child, any closer to these goals.
Stevie is stubbornly faithful to her mother. She hates Mindy, mostly because her mother doesn't get along with Mindy. She calls her, "Miss Perfect." Mindy has worked hard and has a stable life, and Stevie and her mother scoff at this. When Stevie has to go live with Mindy, she's angry, blaming Mindy for taking her mother away. Mindy also critics Stevie's mom constantly, trying to get Stevie to see the kind of mother she really is, which goes as well as you'd expect.
Stevie's mom is skilled in manipulation and making Stevie constantly feel like she's in the wrong. If she disagrees with her mother, she's made to feel like she doesn't love her. Her mother leave rehab early and Stevie moves back in with her. At first, things seem better, but then the old pattern starts again: staying away for days, collapsing when she comes home. Stevie knows the signs now, and knows that her mother is using again. She realizes she has to make a very difficult decision.
She's helped by not only her aunt, but also her tutor Rick, who helps her see how smart she is. He also tells her that if she doesn't respect herself, no one else will either.
What's happening in Stevie's life is being mirrored in the summer job she gets working with injured birds. A boy who used to go to her school, Alan also works there as well. Alan has a reputation as a bully, but at times he seems kind and understanding. Stevie is heartbroken when one of the birds she rescues can't be saved. She accuses Valerie, the woman who runs the clinic, of giving up. Valerie explains that not everything can be saved, no matter how hard we try or how much we want it. On the other hand, sometimes people can be saved with love, patience and caring, which is shown through Alan, who did some bad things but isn't irredeemable because of them. Stevie needs to figure out if her mother can be saved, and what she wants to do with the rest of her life.
This is a pretty serious topic, but I think it was well written for middle grade readers. It captured well Stevie's conflicting emotions of unconditional love for her mother, and beginning to realize that her mother has not been a good parent to her. Stevie realizes she can want more for herself, like going to college, and that it's not a bad thing to want that. I can see it helping someone who doesn't have a stable home life, as well as being a thoughtful read for those who do.
Min Green and Ed Slaterton broke up. Now Min is returning to Ed a box filled with things she collected over the course of their two months together. A...moreMin Green and Ed Slaterton broke up. Now Min is returning to Ed a box filled with things she collected over the course of their two months together. And she's writing him a letter explaining exactly why they broke up.
Before I started this, I thought it was an adult book, because the concept just seemed like it was. I was totally taken aback when I realized the characters were in high school. But it turned out I was right. It is an adult book, even though it revolves around teenage characters. I think some teenagers would still like it, but definitely the appeal is going to be with an older, more mature, perhaps more jaded and cynical crowd. Not that I think this book was jaded and cynical. It totally wasn't at all. What I mean is this is a portrayal of a real relationship. No supernatural love-bond kind of thing. And the relationship ends, as relationships often do. That's all I mean.
Min and her friends are film nerds. Not movie nerds, film nerds. Old films, films you've never heard off. As Min writes her letter to Ed (her 354 page letter to Ed), everything gets compared to some film she and her friends have seen, but that Ed certainly hasn't. I wasn't sure if they were real movies or not, as I know nothing about films, but it doesn't seem like they are. I tried looking a few of them up. They all have awesome titles, however, I wish they were real. This is a very important aspect of Min. Throughout the book, Ed and Ed's friend try to say what's "different" about Min. They usually come up with "arty," which isn't really accurate, but there's no denying she's "different" then the girls Ed usually dates. Ed is the co-captain of the basketball team. He's popular and has had a lot of girlfriends and his girlfriends have all been popular girls. Min is not part of that crowd, and she doesn't fit in with them really well. They all think she's a little weird.
Each chapter starts with an illustration of something that is in the box. The ARC I had didn't have a lot of the pictures, but full color illustrations are promised. I'm looking forward to getting to see all the pictures.
The stories that Min tells about each item take us through Min and Ed's whole relationship, from when they met at Min's friend Al's Bitter Sixteen party all the way through to the end. From the very beginning, when they feel a connection when they meet. To the first date, where they're both really nervous. To the first kiss, which is amazing and wonderful and this boy is like no other anywhere in the world. To doing things she swore she'd never do, like ditching friends to spend time with her boyfriend (you know you do it) to watching said boyfriend practice basketball. To having him meet her friends and it going horribly, to cutting off friends because they don't understand what's so great about him. To seeing little things she doesn't like, but it doesn't matter because they love each other. To finding out that maybe her boyfriend tells his friends things that he shouldn't, but forgiving because they love each other and he's good to her. To finally the very end, and she's hurt and sad and angry and dammit, why didn't she listen to your friends?
Sound familiar?
Min's voice is very stream of consciousness. Her sentences run together as she remembers and wonders and works out what happened. The character's voices all sound very similar, but I wasn't bothered by this as it was all being filtered through Min's head. Also, the characters didn't sound very much like teenagers. I know this is supposed to be Min, at 16, writing this and giving stuff back to Ed, but despite that, I felt like it was Min looking back on something that had happened a while ago with a maturity she didn't have then. It just had that feel about it, a mature reflection. And maybe that's a fault of the book, that it didn't actually sound like a teenager, but again, I don't think it was written for a teenager. I was OK with Mind's voice being that way.
In case you can't tell, I enjoyed this very much. I was expecting too, as it' s Daniel Handler, although I haven't read any of his other adult work and didn't really know what to expect. At first, I wasn't sure if I liked it, but it won me over. So I definitely recommend for you, and possible your older students too.
Why We Broke Up will be available December 27. (less)
Harper's sister June killed herself two weeks before graduation. Her family is stunned. June always seemed like the perfect daughter, unlike Harper, w...moreHarper's sister June killed herself two weeks before graduation. Her family is stunned. June always seemed like the perfect daughter, unlike Harper, who's always been at odds with her family. Now Harper's mother and father, who are divorced, want to split up June's ashes. Harper decides to take the ashes to California, where June always dreamed of going. Harper heads out on her road trip with her best friend Laney and Jake, a boy whose relationship to June is unclear.
Meh. That's how I feel about this book. Complete meh. Maybe because I'd just read a book about a girl working through the death of a loved one and it was very well done. Maybe because I'm a little tired of reading about sisters dying, usually from suicide. Maybe because this particular story was kind of clunky. Or perhaps, as far as stories about a road trip to bring a loved one's ashes to a promised place, A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend would totally be my pick.
I didn't connect with this story at all. I didn't feel anything about any of the characters. Harper's family was fairly horrible to her, which I know was the point. Everyone was still treating Harper as the outcast and June as the perfect one, despite the fact June was the one who'd killed herself. Despite this, I just didn't find myself caring very much about Harper. Also, I thought it was kind of awful that Harper spread June's ashes somewhere without her parents. Yeah, her parents were jerks, but June was there kid.
Jake was kind of a dick, but we were suppose to see him as deep because he listened to 70s rock. Harper and Jake had a love-hate relationship I found really annoying. Laney was a fairly flat character who randomly gets pregnant toward the end. I have no idea why. It didn't add anything to the story. Don't worry, she has a miscarriage so she doesn't have to decided what to do. And it totally annoyed me that none of the characters could even bring themselves to say the word "abortion."
The road trip was long and disjointed. There were numerous stops along the way, and I wasn't sure what the point was. Most of them didn't really help build the characters in any way. Rather, we got new characters thrown at us that then never showed up again.
I didn't really feel like any of the characters got any kind of closure or where working toward moving forward by the end. So yeah. Meh. For whatever reason, I just didn't connect with it. I think there are plenty of YA books that are very similar that explore the issues and emotions considerably better. (less)
August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a severe facial deformity. Many surgeries later, Auggie is healthy, but will never look like other children. Aug...moreAugust (Auggie) Pullman was born with a severe facial deformity. Many surgeries later, Auggie is healthy, but will never look like other children. Auggie has been home schooled his whole life, but now, as middle school and the 5th grade approach, his parents have decided it's time for him to go to school with other children. Auggie is both excited and scared. He knows it will be difficult for the other kids to see past his face and realize he's just an ordinary kid like them.
This was a wonderful, thoughtful, heartfelt book. It was full of wonderful hopefulness, but also the harsh realities of being different.
I loved how much Auggie's family was part of the story. It wasn't just Auggie's story, it was about his mother and father and his older sister Olivia. It's easy to just focus on Auggie, and all that he's been through, but Auggie's medical issues have had a serious impact on the entire family, that that doesn't get ignored.
While the majority of the story is told from Auggie's point of view, it's also told from the prospective of his friends Summer and Jack, Olivia, and Olivia's boyfriend Justin. I found Olivia's point of view to especially interesting. After hearing Auggie's voice for much of the story, and how he sees himself and thinks about what he's up against, it was fascinating to hear what his sister thinks. Olivia fiercely loves Auggie, and wants to protect him. But she also feels the lack of attention she gets from her parents. She understands why this is, and she accepts it, but can't help feeling it anyway. Olivia is now starting high school, having issues with people she's been friends with for years, meeting boys, finding out where she fits in and all the usual teen stuff.
Thank goodness that there are people like Summer in the world. Summer becomes Auggie's first true friend at school. She genuinely doesn't care what Auggie looks like, isn't neither frightened nor disgusted by what she sees. When she sees Auggie sitting alone at lunch on the first day of school, Summer sits with him because she's a nice person and feels bad for him. But they quickly become true friends, and she remains a steadfast friend, even when others try to sway her away from him. Auggie comes up against a lot of jerks. There are some people who are just mean (we all know them). And there are some people who are kind, but don't have as easy a time as Summer does ignoring what other people are saying.
The ending was tied up very tidily. Perhaps unrealistically so. Auggie faces a threat outside of his school, and the kids who previously teased him or ignored him stand up for him, and everything changes at school. Also the kid who was meanest to him and got others to go along with it isn't coming back to the school next year. Unrealistic? Perhaps. But I'm glad it ended with a feeling of warmth and hope. People can change, and that when things get serious, people will find the good in them and will step in to help. It was very nice.
The only thing I didn't like was that for some reason Justin's section had no capitalization and little punctuation. I have no idea why. None of the other sections switched style like that between characters. The voice changed, of course, but that was it. Why did it switch like that for Justin? It was annoying and hard to read. Was it supposed to reinforce that he was arty? I don't know, and it was weird.
I think this is an important book. There aren't many books out there that have a main character with a physical deformity, and that confront the issues such a person is going to face on a daily basis head on. I really appreciate and respect this book. And it was a great read.(less)
Karou lives a double life. She's an art student living in Prague, but she also runs errands for the chimaera Brimstone, who raised her from a baby. Ka...moreKarou lives a double life. She's an art student living in Prague, but she also runs errands for the chimaera Brimstone, who raised her from a baby. Karou collects teeth for him, although she's never been told what Brimstone does with them. Everything changes when hand prints begin appearing on the doorways that lead to Brimstone's world, and Karou meets a Akiva, a seraphim, the swore enemy of the chimaera. Karou and Akiva should be enemies too, but for some reason, they can't bring themselves to hurt each other.
Love this. Love. This. A fabulous, well written romantic fantasy. Laini Taylor wrote Lips Touch: Three Times, which I very much enjoyed. I just love how she describes otherworldly places. Her magical worlds just seem more magical then others. There was such richness to it, and the other world was explained. I understood the history behind what was happening, I had a picture of why things were the way they were. I really appreciate when an author takes the time to really think through the worlds they're creating, and make everything make sense.(less)
Miss Annie may just be a kitten, but she's more than ready to explore the world outside her house, no matter what her owners say! Miss Annie discovers...moreMiss Annie may just be a kitten, but she's more than ready to explore the world outside her house, no matter what her owners say! Miss Annie discovers an open window and seeks out adventure.
Originally published in France, Miss Annie has now come to America. The first (very short) volume is split into three stories. First we are introduced to Miss Annie, a kitten with big plans, and her owners, The Dad, The Mom, and Sarah. Miss Annie makes lots of fun observations about her family, while protecting the house from various pens and plants.
Next Miss Annie befriends a mouse, whose name she decides is Keshia, since that's what Sarah calls her best friend, so that's what best friends must be called.
Then Miss Annie makes her dash to freedom when a window is left open. She meets some streetwise cats who give her lots of advice, not all of which Miss Annie takes.
It was a very cute book, great for elementary kids. There isn't a whole lot of depth to it, it's pretty straight forward, but it was certainly fun and Miss Annie gets into mischief and has adventures.
The art is drawn from Miss Annie's point of view, so we never see the faces of The Mom or The Dad or Sarah. They just feet and petting hands to Miss Annie, so that's the only perspective there is. Miss Annie is very expressive with her big eyes. The panel layout is consistent throughout, two panels across, four down, all the way through.
There is another volume of Miss Annie stories, Rooftop Cat, where perhaps we find out what happens to the friendship between Miss Annie and her mouse friend. The outdoor cats were very skeptical.(less)
Each day, A wakes up in a new body. A tries to do the best he can not to interfere with the person whose body he's in life. But one day, he meets a gi...moreEach day, A wakes up in a new body. A tries to do the best he can not to interfere with the person whose body he's in life. But one day, he meets a girl, and everything changes. In love for the first time, no matter where A is or what body he's in, he always wants to find her.
I'm using the pronoun "he" because that's what we default too, but there's actually nothing that suggests that A is a boy or girl. A is just as likely to be in the body of a male as a female, and does not have a preference for either one. A is genderless, but since we don't have a pronoun to go with that, I'm using "he" because that's what they do on the book flap.
This was certainly an interesting and unusual story. A has always been like this, and accepts that it will always be the same. It is of course a difficult way to live, but A has learned much from always being in someone different. But it has not allowed A to form any kind of lasting attachments, because of course they can't be kept.
A never travels far, from body to body, he is always in the same area, and always in the body of someone his "own age" which right now is about 16. While in the body of a boy named Jason, A falls in love with Jason's girlfriend, Rhiannon. Before, A was always very conscious of not messing up someone's life while in their body, but Rhiannon changes all that. Now A's focus is all on finding her each day, disregarding the commitments of the person whose body he is in.
Probably most people would be caught up in the hopeless love between A and Rhiannon, but I was mostly focused on how terrible it was for the people whose bodies A was in. I felt terrible for them, for the chaos that A left in their lives. Friends and family snubbed or confused, plans disregarded, commitments ignored, as A goes chasing after Rhiannon each day. It was interesting to think about how one day can have serious consequences in someone's life. Just one day can make all the difference to someone.
A tells Rhiannon about his strange life, the first person he's told. Naturally Rhiannon finds it all difficult to believe, but as she sees A each day in different bodies, she begins to accept it. A tries to figure out how to be with her, which Rhiannon knows from the beginning is a fantasy. Rhiannon also has difficulty feeling the same about A with each body switch. She knows the person she cares about is the same, but it doesn't change the fact that she isn't always attracted to A. And sometimes the body he is in makes her uncomfortable. A is crushed by this, shouldn't love conquer all? But sometimes it doesn't.
While A and Rhiannon try to figure out their relationship, A is also dealing with the aftermath of a boy who seems to actually remember A being in his body, which is unusual. This leads A to finding someone who might be like him, and might know how to stay in a body for more than one day. If this is possibly, A must make the decision of staying in someone's body in order to be with Rhiannon forever.
So it was quite a book. Thoughtful. Unique. I enjoyed reading it, and it made me think. Fans of David Levithan's other books, and John Green fans, will be eager to read this one.(less)
There's a confession I'd like to make, I know that Frances O'Roarke Dowell is an amazing writer but I always end up finishing her books with a bit of...moreThere's a confession I'd like to make, I know that Frances O'Roarke Dowell is an amazing writer but I always end up finishing her books with a bit of a miffed feeling. There seems to be always a bit too much going on, or a theme that just doesn't need to be there, or an aspect that is a little jarring.
I really thought that the whole aspect with Abigail's different issues - being bullied, weight, discovery of self - trying to resolve themselves was quite well done. The evolution of her friendship with Anders; his father Matt, who has post-traumatic stress disorder; and Matt's mother Mrs. Benton, teaches horseback riding; is quite lovely as well. There's a little bit of mirroring going on with the whole overcoming obstacles that is just generally well written. I really enjoyed that.
But then there's this whole thing with the fox. I just don't get it. The fox talks about essentially who she jumps through different times and spaces, and how she's a friend of the crow, and what in the world is this doing in here? Turns out that the fox was with Matt when the tank exploded and there's a thing where she must resolve her feelings about what happened to him in order to move on. Weird. I would go as far as to say unnecessary. This part either needed to be fleshed out, or gotten rid of. I just kept thinking of how odd it was to have the fantasy aspect in a realistic fiction book. It slowed down the pacing and really didn't add a whole lot to the plotline.
I also didn't love how Abigail didn't seem to resolve anything with her parents. She learns to eventually stand up for herself, but you know that she is going to be pushed into horrible situations with her mother stressing about Abigail's lack of social life and her father ragging on her about her weight. Yes, it is a bit more realistic, but I needed just a touch more resolution. You know?
Considering the fact that Oct. is National Bully Awareness month, I do definitely recommend it. Overall it is a memorable and well written book. Accessible and engaging. There's just some weird parts. (less)
Trees and oceans were destroyed, and oxygen levels plummeted. The only way to survive was to be one of the lucky ones selected to live in one of the...more Trees and oceans were destroyed, and oxygen levels plummeted. The only way to survive was to be one of the lucky ones selected to live in one of the pods, where the organization Breathe could pump air in. Many years later, Alina is a member of the Resistance, trying to regrow trees outside the pod, but the ministry is on to her. With the help of an unsuspecting Premium boy Quinn, and his suspicious auxiliary friend Bea, Alina escapes from the pod. Now they're all on the run, having learned the terrible secrets behind Breathe.
I enjoyed this. It was a good story, although things fell apart at the end a bit I thought. It has all the elements YA readers will like: dystopian future, fighting back against those in power, and a love triangle, of sorts. Quinn has a crush on Alina, who isn't interested, and Bea is in love with Quinn, who's oblivious. I guess that's not a triangle at all. It's a line of unrequited love.
I thought the world that had been created was good, although a little weak on how it got that way. All that's mentioned is that the population exploded, and more and more trees were cut down so housing could be built, under the assumption that the oceans could handle the oxygen needs, but it couldn't and the oceans sickened or something and then people started dying. It was a little weak and not all that clear. I'm not sure if that's just due to not great world building, or if we're being deliberately kept in the dark. I think it might be not great world building.
The world inside the pod is quite interesting though. We understand that there are pods such as this all over the world, and they operate of caste systems. The Premiums have the most money and the most access to air. They can afford to get extra air to do things like exercise. If a family goes over their designated air amount, they have to pay for it. If you're not a Premium, you're either a steward, who works for the government, or an auxiliary, which is pretty sucky. Auxiliaries are second class citizens and seemed to have very few rights.
Spoilers ahead Alina is a member of the pod Resistance, which means she steals cuttings from the government owned trees to grow. What is happening is that the government is actually not at all interested in regrowing trees or cleaning up the oceans, even though that's what they say they're doing. They in fact are more than happy to remain in the pod where they have money, power and control. They will even go so far as to destroy the trees the Resistance has managed to cultivate to keep it that way.
What was not clear, and what I hope future books will go into, is what was happening in the rest of the world. Are all the Breathe communities like this one? Are there some places in the world where there really is an effort to return to the outside world, or are they all corrupt?
I enjoyed the story well enough until the military is going to crush the Resistance outside the pod, and there's supposedly a plan put together that involves Bea and Quinn giving the ministry false information and stalling them for two weeks and the entire plan seemed to be...get some extra people and practice shooting. And then pretty much fall apart when the attack comes. Awesome plan. Why did they think that would work? Why did they go with the original plan of getting the hell out of there? So I thought that made no sense. It served the purpose of separating the resistance and Bea and Quinn so they can find each other in the next books, but there had to be a better way to do it. A way that made sense.
I don't think I'll be reading any others in this series, but it's certainly a good dystopia series to get if that's what the children still call for.
Mahlia and her friend Mouse are war refugees. Mouse saved Mahlia after the Army of God cut off one of her hands. The two fled the Drowned Cities and h...moreMahlia and her friend Mouse are war refugees. Mouse saved Mahlia after the Army of God cut off one of her hands. The two fled the Drowned Cities and have been living on the outskirts where it's safer. But not safe. They discover a wounded half-man, a born killer that the army is after. They strike up a deal, they will help the half-man Tool, and in exchange, he will help them run north. When Mouse is captured and recruited into the army, Mahlia must decide what the right thing to do is: run and save herself, or go after Mouse and face almost certain death.
So good. So depressing. Oh man, so depressing. But so good. Dystopias are depressing in general, but this hit harder than most other ones I've read. This world seemed more feasible, more real. Most other dystopias don't actually have a sense of possible reality for me. But wow, did this one. So depressed.
This is a companion to Ship Breaker, which I read when it came out and I realized I have almost no memory of it at all. For whatever reason, it just didn't stick. I remember enjoying it, but not being blown away, and I definitely didn't have the reaction to it that I had to Drowned Cities. Luckily, you don't actually have to have read Ship Breaker to understand Drowned Cities. There is one crossover character, but it's not essential that you know that (I didn't remember, and it was just fine).
In The Drowned Cities, you get a much better understand of what has happened to the world. In the first book it was just the future and everything sucked (the basic description of a dystopia) but it wasn't totally clear why things sucked or what had happened to make everything suck so much. Now we see things more clearly. Sea level had risen so much that countries around the world began to be covered with water. Some countries, like China, planned and saved their cities. Other places, like the United States, fought amongst themselves and their inability to work together doomed them. *Shudder.* That hits close to home, now, doesn't it? China attempted to assist the U.S. by sending in "peacekeepers" to try to get people to stop killing each other and start planning, but they eventually gave up and left, leaving war lords to take over.
When the book begins, there are two armies that are doing most of the fighting, the Army of God, and the United Patriots Front. They are not the only two armies by far. More always rise up when another gets defeated. Both armies are fighting to throw the "traitors" out of the land. Once all the traitors are killed, then they can begin to rebuild. Except that all the "traitors" are all from the United States. They just have different opinions about things. "But they all call each other traitors." "Indeed. It's a long tradition here. I'm sure whoever first started questioning their political opponents' patriotism thought they were being quite clever." *Shudder.* Of course, by this point in the war, no one really remembers what they're fighting for or about anyway. Or why they hate those other people on the other side.
The armies are made up almost completely of children. Children are recruited in to the various armies, branded, so they can never go back to a regular life, and turned into killing machines that don't think and don't question. There aren't a whole lot of adults left in the world, and those that are left are working at the top, so who's left to actually do the killing? The children. Another horrible, awful, real thing that happens. Children running around with machetes and bottles of acid killing each other.
What was so powerful about this book, aside from the scary reality of the situation, was the struggle to figure out what's right when you're at war. Do you try to help others when you know it will result in your death? Is it better to die with principles then to live? Is it everyone for themselves? Mahlia has always believed she has to protect herself first, that's how she's survived this long. But she's also survived because others have helped her, against their better interests. Who's right? Is there a right? No one wants to help the war maggots who have been displaced from their homes, but it's only a matter of time before you're displaced from your home, and then who will help you? It's a never-ending cycle, something Mahlia begins to realize.
So I thought this was excellent, while scarily real. I would definitely recommend it, just be prepared to be super depressed afterwards. (less)
Kaelyn is living on an island that is part of Canada when an unknown virus suddenly appears. It starts out just seemingly like a cold - sneezing, coug...moreKaelyn is living on an island that is part of Canada when an unknown virus suddenly appears. It starts out just seemingly like a cold - sneezing, coughing. But then it breaks down your social inhibitions. Then the hallucinating starts, and then you're dead. Kaelyn's father, a microbiologist, is working hard to find a vaccination, but things are getting bad fast. The island is quarantined, and even though they've been promised food and medicine from the government, no help seems to be coming. Is it only a matter of time until the virus takes them all?
I classified this as a science fiction, but it isn't, not really. It hasn't actually happened, so I guess it's sort of futuristic, but something like it could happen. It isn't out of the realm of possibility. It was particularly creepy reading it because everything that happened was possible. It wasn't one of the "strange disease sweeps through and then everyone turns into brain eating zombies!" It was like Outbreak. A previously unknown virus shows up somewhere and people start dying. It moves very fast and there isn't a whole lot of time to find a solution for it.
The book is framed as Kaelyn writing in her journal. She writes in her journal like she's writing to her friend, Leo, who she had a falling out with and hasn't spoken to in two years. Leo is now in school in New York, and Kaelyn is determined to renew their friendship when he comes home for Thanksgiving. She doesn't have the chance, because long before Thanksgiving the island is quarantined. This allowed for the story to take on a very personal and confessional tone. We get all of Kaelyn's fear and anxiety. She hates having to stay home with nothing to do, hates feeling helpless and scared all the time. She wishes she was a different kind of person, who was braver and could help more.
At first, Kaelyn believes that her father will work everything out, and that the government will take care of the people on the island as promised. As people become more and more scared, life on the island quickly deteriorates. When there's a riot at the pier over food, the soldiers pull out and don't come back. Food and medicine is dropped in, but it's taken by gangs that have formed.
Kaelyn teams up with a boy from her school she never really talk to before, who has organized for food to be brought to people's homes. Kaelyn is impressed with Gav, and their relationship grows the more time they spend together. Of course, it's difficult to start a relationship when you constantly have to worry about the possibility of the other person dying.
There's a lot of sadness in this book, and a lot of death. Kaelyn loses a number of people close to her. After a certain point, as people keep dying, it becomes hard for her to process all the lose. She does the small things she can, and tries not to give up hope.
It definitely reminded me a lot of Life As We Knew It. It even ended in a similar way, with a little bit of hope, but things still being pretty awful. I thought it was a bit slow to start, but I really got into it. If you're prepared for a story that's quite the downer, I would certainly recommended this.
The Way We Fall comes out January 24, 2012. (less)
**spoiler alert** Camden's girlfriend Viv was killed in a car accident, and Camden can't move on. All he had was Viv, and without her, there's nothing...more**spoiler alert** Camden's girlfriend Viv was killed in a car accident, and Camden can't move on. All he had was Viv, and without her, there's nothing. On one of his nightly treks to the place of Viv's death, Camden meets a strange girl, Nina, from a parallel world. In Nina's world, Viv is still very much alive. Cam can't resist seeking Viv out, but the Viv in this world seems different. And she's hiding something.
I liked the idea of there being different worlds based on the different choices we make, but the worlds were different in only a few ways, and it wasn't really explained or shown why those particular changes occurred. In one world, Nina's parents are alive, and in another they're dead. In both worlds Cam had a terrible football injury, but in one world he recovered to play again and in the other he withdrew. In one world Viv is alive and in the other Viv is dead. It all seemed very arbitrary. Yeah, I know, those were the important aspects to the story, but you know how I feel about world building. If you want to have a good sci-fie or fantasy book, you can't just do stuff, there has to be a reason.
In Nina's world, Viv is alive but Cam is dead, and Cam eventually learns that Viv is to blame. .I thought it was a little extreme. I mean, Viv was so jealous that she actually would have tried to kill Camden if she couldn't have him all to herself? That's not just jealousy, that's someone with mental problems. So I didn't love the whole "crazy girlfriend" angle. Also, I wasn't sure if these different worlds were completely different versions of themselves, or it was still them. I know that's not clear, but come with me on this. If you made another choice in another world, is that still you, or does that change you completely to the point where you are a different person?
Whatever the case, I thought it was a little sad, that Cam's experience with the other Viv changed how he thought about his Viv. Now Viv is the crazy girlfriend. But ah well, because it let him move on with his life, and we're left thinking he will befriend the Nina in his world, whose parents are not dead, and they will fall in love. Although Nina with not-dead parents would be quite a different person and maybe she won't at all be interested in Cam. Wouldn't that be a twist! Oh science fiction! You are delightful. Even more so with good world building.
Paige has just moved to New York from Virginia. She's shy and quiet, and lives too much in her own head. Paige wants to be an artist, but doesn't cons...morePaige has just moved to New York from Virginia. She's shy and quiet, and lives too much in her own head. Paige wants to be an artist, but doesn't consider herself one. She knows if she wants to be an artist, she has to do something about it, so she buys herself a sketchbook and follows her grandma's rules of how to be an artist. As she begins to draw, she begins to understand herself better and starts to become the Paige she knows she really is.
I liked this a lot, although it reminded me some of Plain Janes. In both, a group of friends sneaks around town art bombing local sites to bring happiness and whimsy to the people. In both cases, Paige and Jane find themselves through these activities.
What I really liked about Page by Paige is that Paige actively tries to work on things she knows she's not good at, and that was really cool. She makes of list of things she wants to work on, like asking for help when she needs it, opening up to people, standing up for herself, and being less self-absorbed, and then she actually makes an effort to change those things. And she does! It isn't easy for her to do, but she works on it because she thinks it's important.(less)
One morning Summer and Bird wake up to find their parents gone. Following a picture message their mother has left, Summer and Bird find themselves in...moreOne morning Summer and Bird wake up to find their parents gone. Following a picture message their mother has left, Summer and Bird find themselves in and underground world of birds, where their Queen, a swan, has been missing for 13 years. In her place is the Puppeteer, who has plotted to take over, if only she can have the swan queen's robe. Separated, Summer and Bird go on very different journeys, each seeking her heart's desire.
The story is loosely based on a number of fairy tales where swans can take human form - The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Anderson, or perhaps Swan Lake. As is typical, a man sees a beautiful woman emerge from the body of a swan (or a seal or whatever) and because of his love for her hides her swan robe so she cannot transform. Quite out of character, the man realizes this was a cruel move and not one of love and tries to return the robe to his now wife, but the robe is gone, stolen by someone who wants to be the swan queen. The couple has two children, one who is more bird than the other and wants to be a bird more than anything. But the children do not know about their mother's secret identity, and that although she loves them she also longs to return to her birds.
My biggest struggle when reading this was the question, "Who is this book for?" and I don't know if it's for a YA audience. Yes, it focuses on two young girls, but the fact that the girls are so young (8 and 12) and it's not written for middle school students causes me to think even more that this is not a children's book. It's coming from Penguin Young Readers Group, and it's marketed toward YA, but...it's just not. Yes, the characters are children, but it's not about the children.
We are looking at the very adult journeys of two very young people. And the way that their journeys are reflected on is very adult, not the children themselves examining themselves and understanding what's happening. There is a removal of the childishness, a reflection that is outside of the child's experience. We are looking back on these things that happened to these children and understanding them in an adult way. There is no actual connection to young people, even though the characters are young.
Summer and Bird is very lyrical. It's other worldly and the language is quite lovely. Summer and Bird travel through strange and mysterious places that are richly described. They face inner demons and struggle with the feeling of betrayal from their parents. But again, we don't actually get to experience their realistic child-like emotions. We get a distant understanding and analysis of what they are experiencing.
One thing bothered me in particular. Summer and the ravens come to rescue Bird and their mother, who is in the form of a swan. Bird, in her anger and confusion won't come, so Summer and the swan are carried away by the ravens, leaving Bird with the evil Puppeteer. The swan is calling out in horrible distress, because her baby is being left behind. And then they don't go back for her. Oh, there are reasons. The swan has a hurt foot so she cannot fly. Their father is too sick and weak. But seriously, they're their parents. If the swan could get a bunch of birds to carry her a few chapters later, you'd think she'd get them to do it to go back for her child. Or that their father, not matter how sick and weak he might have been, would have tried to go back for bird. I did not buy that they'd leave her there for weeks longer.
It was a lovely read, but not a YA book. That doesn't mean a teenager wouldn't read it and love it, they might, but I do not think the target audience of Summer and Bird should be teens.
Aluna is a Kampii (don't call her a mermaid) who lives in the City of the Shifting Tides. The Kampii have lived under the sea for generations, having...moreAluna is a Kampii (don't call her a mermaid) who lives in the City of the Shifting Tides. The Kampii have lived under the sea for generations, having no contact with the above world of humans. But now, the breathing devices that allow the Kampii to live under water have begun to break, and no one knows how to fix them. The Kampii elders chose to ignore the problem and Aluna decides to take the problem into her own hands. With her friend Hoku, Aluna journeys to the above world in search of HydroTek.
The first scene in this book seemed right out of the Little Mermaid. We have the headstrong girl and her scared male friend going somewhere forbidden. People are called guppies as a fill in for scaredy cats, and then they are chased by a big shark. So sorry Aluna, you already have me in Little Mermaid mode.
There was some interesting world creation going on (you know I like good world creation) but the story itself was unimpressive. As things began to go to crap in the world and there's overcrowding and disease, technology allowed people to flee to other, less crappy places on Earth. Some went under water, some went to the skies, some went to the deserts and some became Upgraders, combinations of humans and machines. So I was interested in this idea of humans deciding to live in places that don't naturally support human life and that they drew on ancient myths to do so. Mermaids, harpies and centaurs, essentially.
I enjoyed being introduced to the Kampii, who have thick skin to keep them warm and eyes that can see in the dark, the Aviars, warrior bird women, have light bones and wings and are grown from eggs, and Equines, the horse people. The story itself, however, I didn't find myself especially interested in.
Aluna leaves the ocean (Kampii don't get tales until a ceremony when they're 13 where they swallow a pill) with Hoku to try to discover why her tribes' tech is breaking down. Aluna was kind of annoying. She always wanted to fight, never thought anything through, and had a really weird idea or loyalty. I know she was supposed to be acting nobly, but most of the time she was just a pain. Hoku was a little more interesting. He was interested in figuring out how things work, but still, no exactly a gripping character. I found I felt like that the whole way though. Callie, an Aviar joins them, and then Dash, an Equine that had to leave his heard because he'd been born without a horse's body. There's lots of running about and fighting the Upgraders and so on. The journey dragged (even though it was not a long book) and I wasn't really sure where it was going or what was the point.
Everyone neatly gets matched up. Callie and Hoku like each other, as do Aluna and Dash but neither admits it. This is sure to be a series. The book ends with kind of a triumph, but there's plenty more to do to keep the world safe from the evil Upgraders. The fight is only just beginning. I have no interest in continuing on with this series. There are plenty of other much more engaging dystopias available.
Anvard is a society split in to clans, and Rachel Grosvenor is the daughter of a Medawar father and a Llaverac mother. Rachel has worked long and hard...moreAnvard is a society split in to clans, and Rachel Grosvenor is the daughter of a Medawar father and a Llaverac mother. Rachel has worked long and hard to be part of the contest to be admitted to the Llaverac clan. Being accepted in to the clan will secure her family's future. Only days before the final competition, her mother's Llaverac heirloom ring is stolen, and Rachel can't compete without it. Now she has to find a Finder to help her get it back, and in doing so she uncovers more of Anvard then she ever wanted to.
Voice is actually the 9th volume of the Finder series, but it was especially written to be a jumping on place for people who hadn't read the whole series. Now that I've read this though, I absolutely want to go back and read it from the beginning. The world is fascinating, as are all the clans. The Llaverac clan values beauty and drama, and everyone, males included, have female sex characteristics. The Medawar focus in medicine and criminal justice. There are many other clans, all with a particular focus and specific values.
The Llaverac have this whole competition, which mostly focuses on physical beauty, which is ridiculous because all Llaverac look almost identical. There's some interesting commentary on the importance of appearances and keeping up appearances. Rachel has to have her mother's ring, even though everyone knows that her mother is a full clan member. It doesn't matter, Rachel has to actually have the ring on her.
In her search for a Finder to track down her ring, Rachel ventures outside her usually safe places in Anvard and begins to see other sides to her city. She begins to really understand how important it is to be part of a clan. If you're not, you're nothing, and it can be dangerous.
I'm not sure if I really understood everything that was happening. I was certainly able to enjoy it, but I wished I understood the world better. Which is why I'm going to go back to the beginning and read the whole series.
Rachel is an interesting character. She's tough and determined, but she doesn't really know what she's doing. She's grown up not really part of any world (intermarriage between clans is not looked on favorably), but it seems like she was sheltered. Now she's trying to gain entry to her mother's clan, mostly so that she can provide for her family, in particular her little sister and her father, who seems to be out of his mind. Not totally sure what's going on with him.
All the dragons had been dead for generations. Nevertheless, one day, a dragon appears and begins terrorizing the town of Meddlesome. The first victim...moreAll the dragons had been dead for generations. Nevertheless, one day, a dragon appears and begins terrorizing the town of Meddlesome. The first victim of the dragon is the town healer, who leaves a wife and four daughters behind. Tansy, the youngest, that has her father's gift for healing, works out what happens and warns the town. Three boys are sent to find a hero to defeat the dragon, but they man they bring back is no hero. It will take Tansy's plan and the whole town together to overcome the dragon.
First, this was beautifully illustrated. Rebecca Guay's artwork is just amazing. Everything she does has such a wonderful sense of fantasy, like you're inside a dream. The colors are muted, adding to the dream-like feel. I really like how she draws people's eyes.
The Last Dragon is a lovely, simple story. Tansy is clearly a very smart girl, but girls aren't supposed to be smart, so she spends most of her time by herself. The hero, Lancelot, that's brought back to the town, is a young man who was only interested in the money, and is terrified to realize he's supposed to fight a dragon. Tansy, however, has been working on a plan that she shares with Lancelot so he won't lose face (which was awfully nice of her). It takes the whole town working together, however, to make the plan come together.
Tansy and Lancelot undertake the most dangerous part of the plan, and when things don't go as they should, Lancelot gets to show that he's really brave after all. Everything ends very happily ever after. It's a perfect fantasy story.(less)
Bria Sandoval needs a change. Her relationship is over; she's given up art and hasn't even bothered sending in her college housing forms. Off she goes...moreBria Sandoval needs a change. Her relationship is over; she's given up art and hasn't even bothered sending in her college housing forms. Off she goes on a Global Vagabond tour of Central America that turns out to be made up completely of middle aged people. When Bria gets a chance to travel the real way, with two backpackers, Starling and Rowan, she takes it and ends up on a journey that could either make her forget all about her past or help her face it.
This was a highly readable book. I wanted to keep going to find out what happened. There was a will-they-won't-they question throughout the whole book, although I wasn't really wondering. I knew they would. It was just a matter of how and when they (they being Bria and Rowan) were going to get together. And then what would happen when they did.
We learn that Bria is coming out of an emotionally abusive relationship, and that no one knew it was abusive. Not her friends or her parents, or even herself, for a while. Bria use to love to draw and was going to go to art school, but because of her now ex-boyfriend, she let it all slide away until the only place she can go is to the state college. Bria is angry at her ex, and her friends and family for not noticing and helping her, but she's mostly mad at herself for letting this happen. Rowan is running from his own past as well, but where Bria is trying to break out of her shell and live a more exciting life, Rowan is trying to do the opposite. Both Rowan and Bria have secrets they're hiding from each other, and both are reluctant to let down their walls and trust someone new.
Hubbard is a travel writer and backpacker, and she was able to bring that authenticity into her writing. Bria and Rowan travel to islands off the beaten path, taking chicken buses to get there. We get beautiful descriptions of the scenery and the wild life, as well as the crappy hostels and hotels they stay in. Bria is starting to draw again, and her sketches accompany the story.
One thing I would just like to say is a "kids don't try this at home" warning. Bria has never traveled in her life and yet she's waltzing across Central America eating food off street carts and drinking the water. Seriously kids, don't do that. You will get so, so sick. I can maybe buy that Rowan could do that, as he's been traveling around Central America for two years and could have built up a tolerance, but sorry Bria. No way you could eat like that and not suffer the consequences.
I seem to be reading a string of books where I didn't quite buy the ending. I guess the point is that Rowan is ready to give up his wanderlove for Bria, even though we've learned through this book the dangers of building your life around another person. At least Bria didn't make that same mistake again. While she extended her trip a little longer, she was firm on going back to start college. That was very cool of her. I hope everything works out with Rowan, Bria. Best of luck.
Avigon is the greatest clockwork ever made. Her creator, Pulsifer, is the Master Clockworker of the realm, and gave her the ability to think and feel....moreAvigon is the greatest clockwork ever made. Her creator, Pulsifer, is the Master Clockworker of the realm, and gave her the ability to think and feel. Avigon now begins to question herself. Is she more than a clockwork? Are her feelings real, or it is just that she's been created to be that way? In order to discover who she really is, Avigon must leave her creator and venture out into the world.
This was a really cool twist on the much explored "are machines capable of human emotions" story. Avigon is the most exceptional clockwork ever created, and because of this she has much more feeling than any other clockwork. She lives and works for Pulsifer, as an assistant but also a guard. Although she doesn't look it, she is a combat clockwork. When Avigon begins to truly struggle with who she is, the only thing she can do is run away and explore it.
Pulsifer lets her go. This has happened before with other clockworks and they always come back. Pulsifer is confident that Avigon will come back too. And she does come back. Avigon has one unfortunate experience after another. She researches clockworks at a library, where she meets a university student. They become friends (she is so expertly crafted she doesn't look like a clockwork). Avigon hoped that he would be able to love her even as a clockwork, but she soon realizes that is not true.
She abandons her key and allows herself to wind down and is found by an amateur clockworker who takes her in. He knows she's a clockwork, and claims he's in love with her. When Avigon says she does not love him back, he says it's not a problem, he can just reprogram her so she will. Avigon begins to realize that she really had the most freedom when she was with Pulsifer. Out in the world she is something to either be taken advantage of or looked down on.
There's a side plot going on about Pulsifer being challenged as Master Clockworker, and Avigon being sold to the empress, but mostly it was about Avigon's journey. It was a good story, and such an interesting twist with her deciding to return to Pulsifer and being happy about it, and satisfied with her life now.
The art was very interesting. Black and white and everything is drawn very long and thin. It gives the world and people a strange and slightly creepy feeling.(less)
Will Haley, an American weapons inspector and Anya Romanova, a Russian detective are called in to examine an abandon Siberian research facility where...moreWill Haley, an American weapons inspector and Anya Romanova, a Russian detective are called in to examine an abandon Siberian research facility where something, possibly a weapon of mass destruction, has been stolen. After the weapon disappears, people who once worked on the project during the Cold War start turning up dead. There's nothing to show how they died, aside from a strange red rash. Will and Anya must figure out what's going on as fast as they can, and what was really happening behind the Dosvidanya Projekt.
This was a bit dark, and definitely for an older, more mature audience. The weapon that is unleashed goes around killing lots of people, which are graphically depicted. There's also disturbing images because of what happened to a little girl named Natalia. I found that more upsetting then the people dying.
This is the first in the series, and it mostly felt like a set-up for the rest of the series. It gets the story moving, but not a whole lot happens in terms of plot, and I'm still not totally clear what exactly Natalia is, and how it seems she can both kill and heal people. I'm interested to see where this goes though.
Robbie lives on the isolated island of Midway. As she returns unexpectedly from Honolulu to Midway on a small cargo plane, the plane hits a storm and...moreRobbie lives on the isolated island of Midway. As she returns unexpectedly from Honolulu to Midway on a small cargo plane, the plane hits a storm and goes down over the Pacific Ocean. Now Robbie and Max, the copilot, and floating in the open water in a raft. No one knows Robbie was on the flight. Is anyone looking for her?
So at first I thought this book kind of sucked. It wasn't making any sense. The characters were acting all weird. But then, with a dramatic reveal, it actually turned out quite cool.
Spoilers ahead. There's no way around them. First, Max is unconscious for like, two days. If Robbie could get his clothes off to dry them without waking him up, he's not just sleeping. He disappears when Robbie puts him the water when she repairs the raft, which has a leak, and then suddenly he's there again, and conscious. And why is Robbie repairing the raft? And then out of nowhere, Max starts telling her about wrestling and throwing up cookies, which seems like a really personal story and a random one to just tell, especially since what little we got from Max seem to show him as a very closed person. It just didn't make any sense. I was annoyed and confused about the crappy character development and the weird story thread.
But then it all made sense and it made the book suddenly good! Because Max has been dead almost the whole time! Oh it made so much more sense! Max, who got hit in the head and was bleeding in fact died the next day. Robbie pushed his body out of the raft so she wouldn't sink, but because she couldn't deal with being by herself, she continued to talk to Max and have him talk to her and read his therapy journal which had been in the bag Max had brought aboard the raft. Got it. It wasn't crappy character development at all! Well played, S. A. Bodeen, well played.
Besides what she has to do to keep herself alive, Robbie is most scared of being by herself, or having no one to rely on but herself. She had to make Max still be there so she would have some to ask what to do. It was a horrible experience, but one that Robbie makes it through. She is much more capable then she thought.
Also, I am way more scared of sharks after reading this book. I think I had an average persons wariness of sharks, but now, totally scared of sharks.
Oh, and that must have been one hell of a waterproof bag Max had. That therapy journal survived a reef and everything.
Mara was in an accident with three of her friends, and she's the only one who survived, with hardly a scratch on her. Mara can't remember what happene...moreMara was in an accident with three of her friends, and she's the only one who survived, with hardly a scratch on her. Mara can't remember what happened, or why she would have been in that old building in the first place. To give Mara a fresh start, her family has moved from Rhode Island to Florida. As Mara begins to remember the accident, she starts to fear that she's the reason her friends are dead. Mara gets involved with a boy named Noah, who could help her make sense of everything.
I didn't expect to like this. The blurb on the back gave me an immediate "eh" reaction. "Oh another supernaturally romance. Whatever." And when it started out and Noah was acting like a gigantic asshole and yet Mara was drawn to him, like you are in a supernatural romance, I felt like all my assumptions were confirmed. But then it got kind of good.
The real reason I enjoyed this was Mara herself. I kind of loved her. She was incredibly snarky and funny and I loved it. Even when she's scared and frustrated and thinks quite possibly she's going crazy, she had a sense of humor that I really liked and appreciated. This made me even more annoyed though when she started falling for Noah, who was acting like a total jerk. You're so much better than that Mara! But then we did actually get to know more about Noah and that made it a bit better, although still, he didn't have to act like an asshole.(less)
Cecily grew up at Edgeley Hall in England, but when her uncle comes back from the Crusades, her father decides, rather than acting as his brother's st...moreCecily grew up at Edgeley Hall in England, but when her uncle comes back from the Crusades, her father decides, rather than acting as his brother's steward, he will move to Caernarvon in English occupied Wales where he can own his own land and house. Cecily is less than happy about moving to barbaric Wales. Gwenhwyfar's life was destroyed by the coming of the English. Her people are starving around her, and she is forced to work in a house and on land she once owned.
This was heavy. Seriously heavy. This is a middle grade book, but I want to be clear that the violence and assault that happens is detailed. Not in a sensationalized way, but certainly graphic.
This was another period of history I knew very little about. In the later 1200s, Wales pretty much became a colony of England, under King Edward. Stone cities were built that English colonists could live in, effective protected from the Welsh people by guarded stone walls. Of course, there were rebellions, and the one The Wicked and Just details was the first one, which happened in 1294 and was led by Madog ap Llywelyn. Cecily was such an interesting character. In some ways she was a sympathetic character, and in other ways you just want to slap her. She grew up in a manor house in England and was used to certain things. She wanted to be a lady of a house. She expected servants to never look her in the eye. That's just the way things were. So she was determined, in this strange new place she's in, homesick, to at least be lady of the house. Other families look down on her and her father because they are new. It is very difficult for her to fit in. The women of the other houses think Cecily is rough and will never be a lady. So I felt sorry for her.
But then, she was also such a brat! There she is, struggling with her insignificant problems, while all around her the Welsh people are starving and doing whatever they can just to survive. Gwenhwyfar works in what is now Cecily's home. Cecily hates her, because she doesn't act like a servant she's used to. Gwenhwyfar hates Cecily because Cecily is one of the English that has stolen her home. Gwenhwyfar doesn't think of herself as a servant. She's just doing what she has to do to get a little money so she can pay off the English tax collectors and get a little food. We hear how men abuse her, and fell it's their right to do whatever they want with whatever Welsh girl they want.
Before the rebellion, Cecily begins to see some of the injustices done to the Welsh people, and how things are not quite fair. She begins to be more sympathetic toward Gwenhwyfar. Cecily can't imagine how much she is hated. Cecily also has fun tormenting Gwenhwyfar's brother, although she is unaware he is her brother, which fills Gwenhwyfar with rage.
Gwenhwyfar's life is detailed, to how if a Welshman can't pay taxes, they're stock is taken. How they have to pay to come into the city to sell things in the market. How they aren't allowed to sell things anywhere but the market. All these rules are set up to help the English and hurt the Welsh. These rules are, in fact, not coming from the King, but from the greedy officials in charge of the city.
The rebellion is incredibly violent. The streets run with blood. Cecily's father is killed and hung naked out a window. Soldiers, women, children are all killed. Cecily manages to get out of the city and hide, where she's found by Gwenhwyfar's brother, who brings her home. Gwenhwyfar would have been happy to see her dead, but her brother says no. No the roles are reversed, and Cecily now is Gwenhwyfar's servant.
It's a dark, sad story, full of violence and injustice. And was the rebellion justice? Everyone knows the English soldiers will come and things will go back to the way they were before. Will there be any differences? This was really an excellent book, that really made you think about the character of people and how people treat each other.
This might be a hard sell, however. There's no romance to offset the violence. Middle grade students of historical fiction might be interested to read about a period that seldom gets written about, but you probably want to give a heads up that there's more detailed violence than most.(less)
Veronika has lived on an island for as long as she can remember, with three other girls, Caroline, Isobel and Eleanor. Their teachers are Irene and Ro...moreVeronika has lived on an island for as long as she can remember, with three other girls, Caroline, Isobel and Eleanor. Their teachers are Irene and Robbert. They observe thing. They are warned to never, ever go near the water. One day, pieces of a shipwreck wash up on shore, and along with them a girl, May. With May's coming, Veronika realizes just how different she and the other girls are, and how dangerous the outside world can be.
This was...whoa. There is no way to talk about this without lots of spoilers, so just be aware that there are lots of spoilers.
It doesn't take very long to figure out that Veronika, Caroline, Isobel and Eleanor are not quite...normal. They are not regular girls. Their attention to detail is so focused. The questions that Irene and Robbert ask them are so specific. They take "naps," which seem to happen whenever Irene and Isobel and Robbert need to attend to other things. They don't eat.
What was interesting about the framing of the book is that as the reader, you never know more than Veronika does. Ever. Not even at the end. It is completely through Veronika's perspective, which is, of course, a very analytical one, devoid of unnecessary emotion. The term "robot" is never used. Neither is "artificial intelligence" or anything like that. It's not clear if Veronika is completely mechanical. I think so? We don't know how the girls were made, because Veronika does not know. We don't know how they function, because Veronika doesn't know. It was frustrating at times, not knowing. I wished for an omnipotent narrator who could answer my questions, but I never got one, and a lot of my questions didn't get answered at all.
The pace of the book is very slow. Veronika and the other girl's lives revolve around observing and telling others what they have observed. And that's what much of the book is. May shows up, and is frustrated with the slow pace of life. She doesn't have the patience to sit and observe and then explain in detail what she's seen for hours. The plot very, very slowly unfolds, and while there is a dramatic, and in many ways, unsatisfying conclusion, even that part felt slow, deliberate, like the lives of the girls.
Toward the end, Veronika is able to learn more about where she came from than she ever has known before, but even that information is sketchy and full of holes. And by the end of the book, there is no one to ask, and the girls must figure out how to carry on and care for themselves. And then it ends.
In many ways, totally unsatisfying. In other ways, totally fascinating. Give it to your kids who like to think about things and ponder life's many questions.(less)
Willa and her mother have always moved around, but now that her mom's started to sell her paintings, they can live a more comfortable life. For the fi...moreWilla and her mother have always moved around, but now that her mom's started to sell her paintings, they can live a more comfortable life. For the first time, Willa is living in a fancy house and going to an exclusive private school. It isn't long until Willa starts noticing how much some students have, and how little others do. Willa decides to level the playing field.
This was ridiculous. Like, totally ridiculous. Willa falls in with the super popular crowd, who at first she thinks is all nice but in fact turns out to be terrible, terrible people who take great pleasure in online bullying. In particular, they pick on a trio of Mexican scholarship students. Willa decides there is only one thing to do: steal from the mean rich people and then use the money to buy the scholarship kids really fancy clothes, and then they will fit in and everyone will want to be friends with them.
What? That is the stupidest idea ever. It's not their lack of fancy clothes that makes them targets, although it is something to make fun of them about, it's the fact that they are not wealthy and not white. And duh, of course when the crimes are discovered they're going to think it's those scholarship students that everyone still hates but have suddenly started coming to school in designer clothing. Damn Willa. You may have a 3.8 but you are not very bright. And did not think this through very well.
The most interesting part of the story was what was going on with Willa's mom. Or at least it had the potential to be interesting. Something is clearly going on with the mom, something sneaky she wants to keep hidden that is weighing very much upon her, and Willa is far too busy going shopping to think about it very much. But it didn't freaking get revealed. Because (and I did not know this when I started) apparently this is going to be a series and it just ended without wrapping anything up and telling me what was going on with the mother which was the only reason I kept reading. And no, I don't care enough to read any more in the series.
There's also this side plot with Willa and a guy from her school, Aidan, who are first seems like a jerk but in fact has a heart of gold and gets himself kicked out of school because he hates it so much. We also don't know why he got kicked out. It's a secret.
The book was full of fairly flat, stereotypical stock characters: Aidan - the pretty boy, Tre - the Black kid from Detroit who teaches Willa how to steal stuff, Kellie - the evil blond, Cherise - the other Black kid who has apparently spent her life appeasing Kellie so she could be in her group, and so on.
So to this book I say "meh." I didn't buy the plot or care much about the characters. I just wanted to know what was up with the mom! It's got a lot of fashion and name dropping, with the added dose of crime, so maybe Gossip Girl fans who are looking for something more?
Another French graphic novel import, Lou is your average middle school girl. She loves theatre (that's THEATRE, with a re), makes her own clothes, and...moreAnother French graphic novel import, Lou is your average middle school girl. She loves theatre (that's THEATRE, with a re), makes her own clothes, and has a huge crush on someone who she can't bring herself to talk to. She also has an awesome best friend, and a video game loving mom who she's determine to set up with the guy across the hall. Life is never dull for Lou!
I am confused how Lou's mother is able to pay rent. She is always shown coming in from being out somewhere or playing video games. She's supposedly writing a novel, but I can't image she's bringing in a whole lot of money doing that. So I did wonder about that. Maybe Lou's grandmother supports them.
It was cute. Lou gets frustrated with her mom sometimes, because she's not very mom-like. Her mom is a bit of an airhead, and sure does love her video games, but you can tell Lou wouldn't want her to really be different.
The story is kind of episodic, but there is an underlying story under it all. Lou has a crush on Tristan, who lives in her apartment building. Although the two become friends, and he even teaches her to play guitar, Lou can't get up the courage to tell him she likes him. Like, likes him likes him. Lou's mom has a crush on Richard, the guy who lives in the apartment across the hall from them. Lou is determined to get her mom and Richard together, and Richard clearly likes her, but Lou's mom can be a little oblivious.
Most of the book is very light, but there are some more serious moments, like when Lou tells her best friend Mina the little she knows about her dad, or when Lou's mom sends her to a psychiatrist. Even these moments, which could be very serious, are told in a lighthearted way, and it never really gets to deep into things.
The story ends when Richard has left for the summer and Lou's mom has been unable to tell him how she feels, and just as Lou gets up the courage to tell Tristan she likes him, he moves away without a word to her. I assume there will be more stories about Lou, but as far as I can tell, no more have been written yet.(less)
Megan Yamamura, anime lover, and writer of haiku, has just moved to Chicagoland and unfortunately for her, is now starting summer school at Stepford P...moreMegan Yamamura, anime lover, and writer of haiku, has just moved to Chicagoland and unfortunately for her, is now starting summer school at Stepford Preparatory Academy. Megan knows something strange is going on on her first day: why are all the kids so...weird? Will she be able to find out what's going on at Stepford Prep? Or will she become one of them?
As the name of the school suggests, all the kids were being brainwashed by an evil scientist. Megan is captured, but escapes with the help of Raf, her computer programmer friend. The two manage to destroy the evil scientist's computer program and free all the kids. They also find a super intelligent talking dog, which they free and take home. The three then form the Chicagoland Detective Agency.
I've read a few graphic novels by Trina Robbins, and they're always fine. Some better than others. I love reading her histories of comics. I think that is her strong point, rather than the fictional stories.
I read the first two Chicagoland stories: The Drained Brains Caper and The Maltese Mummy. It looks like the bad guy is the same in each story. She always escapes at the end, and will no doubt keep showing up to cause more mischief.
While neither plot nor dialogue is especially stunning, what I did like was that the fact that Megan's a girl and Raf's a boy played no part whatsoever. Sometimes Megan needs saving, and sometimes Raf needs saving and they work together and help each other out. They have different strengths and weakness. So that was nice.(less)
Day and June are on the run from the Republic and are searching for the Patriots, the only ones who Day believes can help him get his little brother b...moreDay and June are on the run from the Republic and are searching for the Patriots, the only ones who Day believes can help him get his little brother back. The Patriots are willing to help, but for a price. Day and June must help assassinate the new Elector of the Republic, which means June must return to the Republic where she is now an outlaw.
I was disappointed. Possibly because I loved the first one so much and was expecting something equally fabulous and it didn't quite deliver. I liked Legend so much because it felt fresh and new and different. You know how trends are. Harry Potter came out and made it big and suddenly wherever you turned there was a book about a kid realizing he was really a wizard. Then Twilight came out and everything was about falling in love with some supernatural creature and the issues that come with that. Then The Hunger Games came out and you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a book about how it's the future and everything sucks but one kid will rise above it.
And as I was hitting the peak of dystopia fatigue I read Legend and loved it. Prodigy did not keep the fresh new feel. In Prodigy, Day reluctantly joins the Patriots, who are trying to create a rebellion against the Republic. They want Day because people see him as the symbol of revolution and the fight against the Republic. All Day wants is to get his little brother back safe and run away with him and June to the Colonies. He reluctantly becomes the Patriot's symbol to make this happen. Sound familiar? Yeah, straight up Hunger Games. Hardly anything is different, just a reversal in gender roles.
I continue to like and be interested in June. She's a great character, although we didn't get to see a whole lot of change or growth in her. Actually, there wasn't a whole lot of new information given in the book at all. We got to learn more about how the Trails started, but we still don't know what's going on with the disease experimentation or why they saw Day as such a threat, which was one of the big questions from the first book. We didn't get to learn anymore about June's brother or what her parent's were up to.
I did like getting to see how the rest of the world views the Republic. Inside the Republic, they seem so all-powerful, but outside, they're just a small rogue country. I liked that a lot. Both Day and June were shocked to learn this. I also liked how the Colonies were not the golden utopia Day had always pictured. There are plenty of issues there too, which leads to Day and June's ultimate decision about whether they'll help the Patriots overthrow the Republic or not.
Marie Lu is a new author and is coming off a huge success from Legend, which I'm sure is super stressful, so hopefully she'll find her freshness again in the third one.
Portia doesn't have many friends. Or any friends. She may be a little odd. Portia is lonely though, and one night, she walks outside and finds a monst...morePortia doesn't have many friends. Or any friends. She may be a little odd. Portia is lonely though, and one night, she walks outside and finds a monster. A friendly one, and he doesn't seem to be from around there. Portia, with the assistance of possible new friend Jason, decide to take new named monster Jellaby home. Which involves a couple of elementary school kids getting to Toronto on their own and with a monster. Good thing it's almost Halloween.
There's a bit of mystery going on about where Portia's dad is. She has nightmares about it, and it isn't clear what happened, or if Portia's dad is still alive. I'll be interested to see how that all comes together. I thought the character of Jason was great. He was much more defined then Portia was. With just a few sentences about carrots and the desire to give Jellaby a cooler and tougher name, we can see a dorky loner kid who longs for danger and adventure. Portia is less clear. She's clearly very lonely, and a bit odd, but we don't know why she's like that. I will definitely read the next one, I want to see where it goes.
At first I found the art off putting, and I couldn't figure out how old the characters were suppose to be. Everyone's face looks like an adult, no matter how old they are. So even though she was small, I thought Portia was a lot older. I hadn't realized how young she was (elementary school) until the scene where she tries to play with two other kids and she's holding her pony. And that was a good ways into the book. Once I was situated with the characters, and I liked it more. I like Jellaby was drawn a lot, with the big eyes that make he/she seem sweet despite the pointy teeth. I think Jellaby is just a baby too, and is as lost and alone as Portia is.
There is little color in the book, almost everything is purple and white, with black outlining. When Portia has bad dreams, the black is much more prominent. There are many wordless panels, which worked well despite the lack of detail in the art.
When Wendy was six, her mother tried to kill her. She was convinced that Wendy wasn't really her child. Wendy is now 17, and her mother has been in a...moreWhen Wendy was six, her mother tried to kill her. She was convinced that Wendy wasn't really her child. Wendy is now 17, and her mother has been in a mental institution for 11 years, and it turns out she was right. Wendy isn't her child. She's a changeling, and now she's expected to leave her brother and aunt and return to her "true" home. Finn, the handsome tracker who found her, promises that Wendy will finally feel like she belongs and will learn more about her gift of Persuasion. But things quickly become more complicated then Wendy could ever imagine.
So Wendy is a changeling. I associate changeling with fairies, which, essentially, what the Trylle are. Even though they're trolls. Yes, trolls. A troll in this world seems to be a magical creature with close ties to the Earth. OK, fine, whatever, but it felt like "troll" was what the author went with because that hasn't been done yet. There have been way too books where a girl realizes she's really from the fairy world, but no one has done trolls! Even if a troll is pretty much being defined as a fairy. Fine. They're "trolls."
Wendy doesn't actually want to leave her brother, Matt and her aunt, Maggie. They've taken care of her since her mother tried to kill her, and her Matt actually saved Wendy from her mother when she was six. Matt is very protective of Wendy, and they clearly love each other and care about each other very much. Finn, who is the tracker who has come to take Wendy home (and, of course becomes the love interest), is astonished that she doesn't want to leave. That seems weird. None of the other changeling children bonded with the people who raised them? None of their families try to find them? Wendy only agrees to go with Finn when she's attacked by a rival clan and I guess doesn't want to put her family in danger? I'm going to hope that's why, it lets me feel better. To her credit, Wendy often thinks about and misses Matt and worries about how she knows he's worrying about her.
Tyrell is not all it's cracked up to be. Wendy discovers that she's actually a princess, and she has about two weeks to learn everything there is to know about Trylle and princessing in time for her big debut party. I proceeded to be exceptionally annoyed on Wendy's behalf, and annoyed at Wendy for not standing up for herself better. Everyone keeps snapping at her for not doing this or that or not acting a particular way or for talking to someone she shouldn't, but NO ONE WILL GIVE HER ANY INFORMATION ABOUT ANYTHING. Damn, you trolls are super unreasonable. People kept saying things like, "You're not supposed to fraternize with the mansklig. It's bad." Then Wendy would ask, "Why? And what's a mansklig?" And then no one would tell her until the next time she was hanging with the mansklig and people would yell at her again.
So that goes on for a while. The most interesting characters was definitely Tove, the son of one of the noble Trylle. He is unusually powerful, sensing other people's emotions and has telekinetic abilities. He explains to Wendy that all the Trylle used to be powerful, but they're losing their powers and are only focused on getting money, which they do by swapping their babies into wealthy families. The babies grow up, get trust funds and then return to the Trylle community to support it with the money they inherited. Great system. No wonder things are falling apart. Tove is frustrated with this and wants things to change. Wendy thinks he would be way better and leading people then she would. I have to agree.
The big question is of course, "So, what happens to the human babies whose place gets taken by the changelings?" Well, I won't spoil everything for you. You can read the series and find out.
So as much as I just complain about this, it actually was a pretty fun read. Your kids who have been reading about angels and faeries and whatever will probably like this one too.
Switched come out January 24. Torn, the second in the series will be out February 28, and the final book, Ascend will be available April 24. (less)
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