Book-review post!
More book reviews! Two 9-12s, one new adult, one YA.
Jeff Kinney – Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck
Latest Wimpy Kid is a quick, fun read, as ever. Things aren’t going well for Greg ever since Rowley, of all people, acquired a girlfriend, but he’s determined to turn things around, with the help of a Magic-8 ball to consult whenever a decision needs to be made. There’s plenty of snark about how-life-is-in-series-fiction, school policies, and family interactions. Delightful.
Ann M Martin – Family Tree #2: The Long Way Home
This is the second book in Martin’s quartet about a family throughout the twentieth century. I wasn’t as crazy about Dana as I was about Abby – but I loved seeing the characters from the first book grow up and change as the years progressed. Basically, there’s so much stuff here that happens to Abby, but viewed through the unsympathetic lens of her daughter, and I would have adored to get her viewpoint a bit more. Sigh. But Dana’s ambition is certainly fascinating, and the details about publishing and the art world and school just suck you in. Looking forward to reading the third book. Set in the 1980s, which is apparently historical fiction now (yikes).
Esme Taylor – All I Want For Christmas
Keris Stainton turns her hand to NA – I am fond of her YA so wanted to try this out, and it’s definitely worth checking out. A lovely Christmassy novella featuring love, sex, friendship and family – it’s a quick read but not superficial. Enjoyed it.
Christa Desir – Fault Line
Read this book. Read it. It is astonishingly, astonishingly good and heartbreaking and uncomfortable in places. It’s the story of a teenage boy, Ben, whose girlfriend Ani is raped – and what happens afterwards. Their own burgeoning relationship is portrayed wonderfully – she’s tough but not a cliche, and he’s a decent guy without being sickly sweet. When the event happens – and it’s made public, in a ‘what that slut let those guys do to her at that party’ way – it is awful and unbelievably authentic. Ben wants to help, but doesn’t know how – he also has a lot of anger about it, towards a number of people – and Ani’s response is to try to prove none of it matters by hooking up with more guys, to start to see herself as an object. There are no easy answers here, and it’s a really intense read, and I highly recommend it.
