Day: November 19, 2008

Skinned

| Tasha

Skinned by Robin Wasserman

Lia had the perfect life, beautiful, popular and rich, she and her friends ruled the school, dictating fashion and status.  When Lia is in a horrible accident, she awakens to find that her memory has been downloaded to a new body, a robotic one.  Lia still looks completely human, but she has to relearn how to do everything.  When she re-enters society, she discovers that her boyfriend is distant and unable to even force himself to do more than touch her, her little sister has taken her place in Lia’s group of friends, and society as a whole is questioning whether she is human or not.  Lia has to learn to live in her new body and new life which is entirely different than the one she lost. 

Wasserman’s writing is enticing and a great deal of fun to read.  She perfectly captures the angst of being a teen and couples it beautifully with the dystopian science fiction setting.  Lia is a great protagonist: complex, often self-absorbed, and completely "human."  It is a treat to find such a complicated character at the center of a teen novel.

Highly recommended for fans of Scott Westerfeld, this book has a fabulous cover that will get it flying off library shelves.  The book is obviously the start to a series, and I look forward to reading more about Lia.  Appropriate for ages 14-16.

Kin

| Tasha

The Good Neighbors: Kin by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh

Holly Black, author of amazing urban fairy tales, is now collaborating on a graphic novel series.  Rue’s mother has left, leaving her father deep in despair.  Rue herself has begun seeing strange things that no one else notices.  As she looks deeper into her mother’s history, she learns that what she is seeing is real and that mortals can’t see these strange creatures or fairies that surround them.  Of course, because she can see them, it means that she too isn’t a mortal creature.

Black has always written captivating novels for teens filled with angst, darkness and strange creatures.  In the graphic novel format, she stays true to her previous writings: something that will delight her fans.  Naifeh’s art is a great match to Black’s story.  His use of angular features and interesting perspectives all done in black and white will draw readers in.

Highly recommended for all graphic novel collections, this book will be a hit with fans of Black’s novels as well as fans of Melissa Marr’s popular books.  Teens will look forward to the next in the series.