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Monday Review: NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL by Justina Chen

Dear FCC: I got a copy of this book from my library.

North of Beautiful is another absorbing story of identity—and what truly makes us US, both inside and out—from Justina Chen, author of Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies) (reviewed here) and Girl Overboard (reviewed here).

Just as a quick aside, I want to mention how much I liked the cover for this one—rather than being a headless figure (you know how I feel about those), we have ONLY A HEAD! More than that, though, I really thought the use of a compass rose overlaying her cheek was an evocative way to depict the character's birthmark without being too literal about it. Kudos!

Reader Gut Reaction : There is a lot of just plain cool stuff in this book: geocaching, a trip to China (which brought back some fun travel memories), heartfelt artwork, and a hot Asian Goth guy. But that doesn't detract from the seriousness of the story itself. Terra Cooper (the narrator) and her brothers Claudius and Mercatur were all rather unfortunately given cartographical monikers by their father, a disgraced mapmaker who rules the family with an iron fist. Terra doesn't want to make waves any more than she has to—she already attracts enough attention with the port-wine birthmark that spreads across her cheek. But when the good-looking Jacob enters her life with a crash—literally—Terra ultimately has to rethink whether attracting attention is a bad thing, or maybe, sometimes, a good thing...

Concerning Character : Each character in this book—and there is a sizable cast of minor characters in addition to the protagonist Terra and her love interest, Jacob—is believable and fully rounded. I was impressed by the realistic portrayal of a wide range of motivations and reactions, particularly within Terra's family, when it comes to her father, mother, and brothers and how they deal with tensions in the family. Each sibling, and even Terra's mother, reacts differently to her father's tyranny over their lives; however, that tyranny itself is not simply gratuitous but is there for a reason, a reaction to his own troubles. Terra's fear, her desire to be normal and to not be equated with her birthmark, rings true for anyone who has ever felt judged by their appearance, and hampered by those judgments.

Recommended for Fans Of... : Stories of self-discovery and opening oneself up to the unknown, like Beth Kephart's Nothing but Ghosts (reviewed here); stories about finding yourself by getting a little lost in unexpected places, like Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee (reviewed here) and Chasing Alliecat by Rebecca Fjelland Davis (reviewed here). Stories about broken families trying to heal, like Split by Swati Avasthi (reviewed here).

Themes & Things : In the end, this story conveys the idea that we can find hope in finding ourselves, and that sometimes you have to be willing to lose yourself—to let go of what you think is YOU—in order to find yourself. Also important is the idea of beauty—inner and outer, and which is truly the most important to making us who we are.

Authorial Asides : Justina Chen keeps a blog, Wordlings, and she's also one of the co-founders of the fabulous Readergirlz project. You can see her (and me!) speak as part of a panel on diversity at this year's Kidlitcon in Seattle, Sept. 16-17.

You can find North of Beautiful at an independent bookstore near you!

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Thursday Review: THE GIRL WHO CIRCUMNAVIGATED FAIRYLAND... by Catherynne Valente

Dear FCC: I got a review copy of this book from the publisher.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. It's a mouthful of a title, to be sure, but who could resist a title like that? Not me. Nor, apparently, can I resist stories of adventuresome girls who fearlessly set out to sightsee in Fairyland and end up, well, on adventures of their own making (even if I am starting to feel just a wee bit of faerie-book-burnout...).

Reader Gut Reaction : As I've just noted, this book was tough to resist just for reasons of the title alone. And though it had a bit of a rushed start in my opinion—main character September is basically just whisked away from her house in Nebraska without further ado by the Green Wind—I quickly found myself absorbed in this charming, whimsical, offbeat tale peopled with a vast range of quirky and memorable characters, from the humanoid to the animal to the animated-inanimate. There are surprises and adventures at every turn in this book, which is suitable for middle grade audiences (although fans of creatively written fantasy might enjoy this book at any age). Oh, and the illustrations by Ana Juan are pretty nifty—cute and quirky and suited to the story.

Concerning Character : September is inquisitive, determined, and brave—even when she's scared, she tries to do the right thing, and this makes her a very relatable and positive main character. (And, of course, we all like to see strong girls in fiction, making their way in the world.) Upon entering Fairyland, she quickly makes friends with A-Through-L, a wyvern who just might be part library, and who will immediately make readers (well, me, anyway) want a sweet and fiercely loyal wyvern pal of their very own. And that's only the beginning of September's adventures—yet despite the surreal nature of her new friends (and, yes, an enemy or two), they all come across as distinct and believable personalities.

Recommended for Fans Of... : Stories about magical journeys into another world, like Un Lun Dun by China Mieville (reviewed here) and classics of the genre like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Themes & Things : On one level, this is a rollicking magical adventure with a high new-and-exciting-things-per-page count. On another, though, it deals with themes every good adventure for young people should include: friendship (and enemies), confronting one's fears, growing into who you are as a person. I was even impressed that September's nemesis, the fairy Marquess, was not ultimately just a supervillian Col. Blofeld type but a fully-rounded character with whom one can even sympathize, and who ultimately is a major key to the story.

You can find The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making at an independent bookstore near you!

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Monday Review: EXTRAORDINARY by Nancy Werlin

Dear FCC: I got an audiobook copy of Extraordinary from my library.

Reader Gut Reaction : My gut reaction to Nancy Werlin's Extraordinary--another tale of Faerie, like Impossible—is based heavily on the fact that I listened to the audiobook version. I have to be honest: I wasn't entirely sold on the voice acting. Something about the timbre of the primary narrator's voice just didn't feel right to me. Having said that, this was an intriguing story about a young woman whose destiny is inextricably intertwined with the fate of all of Faerie—but not in the way you'd expect. Not because she is a long-lost queen or a changeling...in fact, it's got very little to do with her at all...after all, she's ordinary, right?

I enjoyed how the author played with the storied history of the Rothschild family to create an intriguing legend of Faerie, but I also enjoyed the way her narrator, Phoebe, questioned that very story, viewing it through the lens of a contemporary teenager with strong opinions about anything that smacks of antiquated attitudes.

Concerning Character : The main character, Phoebe Rothschild, is the scion of a famous family (yep, THOSE Rothschilds), but you might not guess it just from meeting her. Still, her best friend Mallory doesn't care that she's relatively ordinary. Mallory, who is striking and beautiful and mysterious, used to be the weird new kid until Phoebe decided to ignore her shallow junior-high clique of friends and follow her strange compulsion to befriend Mallory. But now, their friendship is complicated by the sudden appearance of Mallory's older brother, Ryland...an older brother she had somehow never bothered to mention.

When Phoebe gives in to her attraction for Ryland, she not only risks her friendship with Mallory, but she discovers something shocking, sinister, and supernatural about the two siblings. Over time, however, she learns to tap into her own inner strengths, and realizes that she doesn't have to be overshadowed by her glamorous friend, her accomplished mother, or her famous family name—being herself is plenty. Although most of the story is told from Phoebe's viewpoint, we are given just enough clues about Mallory and Ryland's true motives through brief segments between chapters that the sense of danger is palpably heightened.

Recommended for Fans Of... : Stories about the intersection of Faerie with the ordinary world, like Holly Black's Tithe (reviewed here), Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely (reviewed here), and Maggie Stiefvater's Lament (reviewed here)and Ballad.

Themes & Things : This story asks a number of interesting questions: What is the true measure of a person's worth? What makes a person extraordinary rather than ordinary? It also depicts the strength of loving family bonds, and the fact that the bonds of true friendship can be just as strong—and that these bonds can help us transcend even seemingly impossible difficulties and rise up to our full potential. Lastly, it makes the important point that we are NOT our families—that our family tree is not the sum total of our worth in life, yet family can be an important tether to ground ourselves when we aren't sure who we are or where we're going.

Authorial Asides : Nancy Werlin, to me, is amazingly versatile. She seems just as adept at writing tales of the supernatural as she is at writing the mysteries and suspense that characterized her earlier novels. Bravo! Envious here. You can visit her website here.

You can find Extraordinary at an independent bookstore near you!

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Toon Thursday: Plotzing about Plot

Toon Thursday is back with a brand-new cartoon. For those of you trying to wrangle your plot into a semblance of coherent order, this one's for you! (As always, click to view larger.)


Don't give up, valiant plot wranglers. We have confidence in you.

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Monday Review: TENDER MORSELS by Margo Lanagan

Dear FCC: I got a copy of this book from my library.

Margo Lanagan has written several volumes of short stories, including Red Spikes (reviewed here); Tender Morsels, however, is a novel—an imaginative, dark retelling of the Grimm fairy tale Snow White and Rose Red. That was one of my favorites as a child. I had (I think) a Little Golden Book version, which I read and re-read. I loved that the two sisters were so different but both got their own Prince Charming in the end, and I loved the bear who was really a prince, even as they mildly tormented him with their childish antics. And I always thought that gratuitously mean dwarf was a bit odd. Well, nearly all of these elements are present in Lanagan's retelling, but she also makes the story her own, which, to me, is critical to a good retelling.

Reader Gut Reaction : Like I said, this is one of my favorite fairy tales, perhaps because of its sheer oddness. It isn't one of the classic Disney-fied ones—it's odd, and a bit wild, and Lanagan preserves this feeling throughout Tender Morsels. Actually, her version of the story has a rather traumatic beginning, with a young woman named Liga and her baby fleeing terrible trauma and somehow finding themselves transported to a parallel version of the world—one in which nobody is mean or harmful, and in which she can raise her baby in peace, as well as the new baby on the way. It was not easy to read the opening chapters, actually, but it was important to establish the harsh, painful realities of the real world in order to believe that Liga could somehow find the fresh start she needed and so desperately wanted.

I really loved the aspect of the story having to do with the Bear Festival in the town, and the young men who are selected to dress in bear costume and chase the girls around—it was an ingenious approach to the idea of how a man would come to be a bear. And the fact that it's based on a real traditional festival is even better. But my enjoyment of this book ended up being curtailed somewhat by the ending, which seemed unaccountably abrupt and left hanging what I thought was a major plot thread. After enjoying the rest of the book so much, and its gorgeous writing, I ultimately found myself a bit frustrated.

Concerning Character : This book is chock-full of varied and interesting characters from beginning to end. I was very satisfied with how the author developed fairy-tale characters into very real, individual, sympathetic people (and, in some cases, very UNsympathetic people). The motivations underlying Liga's behavior and sometimes-questionable decisions were particularly well established, and her two daughters, Branza (Snow White) and Urdda (Rose Red) were distinct in personality but both quite relatable. And I liked that the not-so-wicked witch Annie earned redemption in the end, despite her disastrous meddling. Although the story began in such a way as to make me wonder whether there were ANY nice people in this story-world besides Liga, I was glad of the fact that we were granted the relief of a few truly good souls as well.

Recommended for Fans Of... : Other dark fairy tale retellings, such as Juliet Marillier's Wildwood Dancing (reviewed here), any of Robin McKinley's retellings, like Beauty, or the Ellen Datlow/Terri Windling-edited series of fairy-tale short stories.

Themes & Things : As with many fairy tales, a strong thread in this book is the strength of love—its transformative power and its ability to save us. There is also a lot here about building (and rebuilding) a life, about the family members you choose and don't choose, and about dealing with the things in life you can't control, devastating as they may sometimes be. Liga, Branza, and Urdda all have their own unique journeys toward coming into their own strength and self-awareness as adult women. In the subplot with the dwarf Collaby Dought, though he is not truly evil, we see the obligatory cautionary dangers of greed and selfishness. And, in the end, the witch Annie is a powerful vehicle for the theme of redemption.

Authorial Asides : Margo Lanagan is another fabulous Aussie author. You can read all about the story behind this story in her interview with Little Willow over at Bildungsroman.

You can find this book at an independent bookstore near you!

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Thursday Tidbits: Great RIF News, Online Fun, &C.

Via Chasing Ray comes this awesome news about Kidlitcon and RIF:

I am delighted to announce that KidLit Con is now entering into a partnership with Reading Is Fundamental which we hope will extend for many years into the future and make a powerful difference in the lives of many....

RIF does nothing less than change the world - that's its very mission - and if you don't think that's the most worthy thing any of us can be part of then you really are not the kind of book lover I know you to be.

Don't let us down, folks. Join KidLit Con's effort to raise money for RIF over the next thirty days as we count down to the conference.

What are you waiting for? Click here to go directly to the donation page. Every tiny bit helps. ALWAYS.

How awesome does this School Library Journal/Library Journal Ebook Summit sound? This is their second annual one-day virtual conference on ebooks and their role in the future of libraries, with keynote speaker, the most brilliant M.T. Anderson. Via Horn Book.

Last but not least, you know how much we love First Second around here. Well, they've recently announced another entry into the world of comics with girl appeal--a graphic novel called Friends With Boys by Faith Erin Hicks. But here's the kicker (and it's a good one)--in the leadup to its publication, Friends With Boys will be serialized online as a webcomic, with a new page posted 5 days a week. It's got an interesting backstory--it was originally intended for DC Comics' Minx imprint, but sadly, as we all know, Minx went bye-bye, leaving somewhat of a void in terms of quality comics targeted at girls. I'm really pleased to see other publishers like First Second stepping in to fill that void. Kudos!

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Monday Review: THE PIPER'S SON by Melina Marchetta

Dear FCC: I checked this book out at the library.

In The Piper's Son, Melina Marchetta returns to the same set of characters from Saving Francesca (reviewed here), five years later. After some serious family trauma, Tom Mackee is in bad shape. He's blown off his former friends, given up his music, alienated the girl he cares about most, and has gone to live with his single aunt Georgie, who's facing her own grief, her own problems, and a pregnancy. Yet somehow, these two very broken souls end up being one another's salvation.

Reader Gut Reaction : I couldn't snatch this one off the library shelf fast enough, after thoroughly adoring Marchetta's earlier novels Finnikin of the Rock (reviewed here) and Jellicoe Road (reviewed here). This one, however, couldn't be more different from either of those two. In fact, what floored me the most about it was the fact that her writing is so versatile, but so strong in a variety of types of stories. The Piper's Son was no exception. Although I had some reservations about how some aspects of the book were resolved (in some ways, it felt like Tom's friends forgave him a bit quickly), this was a satisfying read, particularly with respect to the family subplots.

Concerning Character : I thought it was a really gutsy maneuver for YA fiction to have one of the narrators be a woman in her early forties—Tom's aunt Georgie. On top of that, Tom is an older young adult, in his early twenties. I applaud that, actually, since there ought to be more YA fiction with slightly older protagonists and stories about college and working life. Anyway, on to the characters themselves. The story begins from Tom's point of view, and at first, he did not come across as a sympathetic or likeable individual. Slowly, though, the author builds a picture of a young man who is torn apart by grief and anger, hardly himself anymore. But there's still enough of the old Tom left to actually make a good decision about his future, even if it's mostly by luck—his roommates have kicked him out of their apartment, so he goes to his aunt Georgie's house.

One major factor in making Tom more sympathetic is his relationship with his aunt—it's close, and it's real, and even though their family has been torn apart by his uncle's death in a London subway bombing, Georgie is bighearted and loves her nephew. She takes him in, and we get to know her, too—her pregnancy; her troubled relationship with the father of her baby, Sam; and her own struggles with grief.

Recommended for Fans Of... : This story is a truly complex one. Besides the overarching theme of the family members dealing with grief and reconstructing their lives as best they can, this is also a story about the real meaning of family and of friendship, of love, and of forgiveness—not just forgiveness of others, but forgiveness of oneself.

Themes & Things : Melina Marchetta's other novels, particularly Saving Francesca. Stories about families moving past trauma and rebuilding their lives, like Blythe Woolston's The Freak Observer (reviewed here) and Nothing but Ghosts by Beth Kephart (reviewed here).

You can find The Piper's Son at an independent bookstore near you!

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Toon Thursday: Welcome to My Life

 
Shhhh...don't tell anyone, but it's another rerun. However, this particular rerun so nicely encapsulates the craziness that has been the past month or two of my life, that I thought it would be better to post this than flake out yet again. Sadly, I did not take into account the fact that I would be away from home this week and without my normal Toon Thursday drawing and scanning accoutrements. I also did not take into account the fact that EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING THIS WEEK as far as having to turn things in, write things down, get on planes, etc. etc. So there you are. And there I am. It makes me very sad that now that I'm enthusiastic about doing Toon Thursday again, I have a lot less time to squeeze it in...

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Be There or Be Square!

Yep, it's another plug for the upcoming Kidlitosphere Conference, also known as KidLitCon, to be held Sept. 16 - 17 at Hotel Monaco in Seattle, WA. This time, you can see a preliminary list of who's coming so far (as of a couple of weeks ago) AND, just as exciting, a tentative schedule of conference events. There is an amazing lineup of meetups, panels, and speakers, including keynote speaker Scott Westerfeld--and I'm not just saying it's amazing because I happen to be on a panel (although I am very excited about that fact, and honored). I'm also really excited to see a lot of good friends, some of whom I've met in person and others whom I've only known online and will be meeting for the first time.

It's not too late to register for the conference--just go to this page for more details on fees and registration.

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Adventures in Writing Voice

Happy Thursday, guys! This week is mostly work, work, work, but in the process of doing some of that work, I came across some great tips on characterization and voice on Cockeyed Caravan, the blog of Matt Bird (husband to fab blog friend Betsy Bird of Fuse #8 and recent father of the Baby Bird). Matt is a screenwriter, but his blog posts about various aspects of storytelling and writing pertain just as well to the fiction writer.

I ran across a few choice posts from Matt's blog as I was putting together a handout on voice for an upcoming teen writing workshop I'm doing (if you're in the Seattle area, it's on Aug. 9, 4:00 pm, Lynnwood library). He's got an entire series of posts on putting together a compelling character. In particular, Part 3 (Choose a Metaphor Family) and Part 4 (Determine Their Verbal DNA) have some great tips for finding a character's speaking voice. As Matt put it: "So far I've focused on how to make characters compelling through behavior, but, alas, eventually they have to open their mouths, too."

Seriously, though, there's some great practical advice for making your characters' voices distinctive and making your writing sing. Like this: "You need a way to find hard-and-fast rules that always govern how a character talks, even as their emotional state varies and their general attitude shifts. This is their verbal DNA." He's even got a chart. We love charts.

If you're looking for more voice advice, check out this Suite101 article on Finding an Authentic Voice in Writing for Young Adults and another one with Character Voice Writing Exercises, and It's Not What They Say on Writing-World for hints on making your characters' speech come to life.

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