Teen

Review: Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson and Ellen Hagan

| Tasha

Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson and Ellen Hagan

Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson and Ellen Hagan (9781547600083)

Even though they attend a high school focused on social justice, best friends Chelsea and Jasmine are sick and tired of the way that women are treated there. The two decide to start a Women’s Rights Club that focuses on girls, race, and speaking out. They convince a teacher to be their advisor and are given a school club blog to post to. They post all sorts of things online. Chelsea is a poet who loves to perform in front of audiences. Jasmine writes essays and short pieces on intersectionality and being a black girl of size. Their club starts getting attention both in and outside of their school. But the principal has some issues with their approach and the response of other students to their message. When the club is shut down, the two friends continue to raise their voices together.

Watson and Hagan have created an incredible feminist book for teens. They have incorporated the names and stories of feminists whose writing is worth checking out too, so young people inspired by this book can look further and learn more. The writing is exceptional, particularly the poetry and essays attributed to the two main characters. They cry out for justice on so many fronts that it is entirely inspiring to read.

The authors created two inspiring young women. There is Jasmine, who is grappling with being a large black girl and the constant microaggressions she faces for both her race and size. Her father is dying of cancer while she may be falling for her best male friend. Chelsea is a white girl who stands up for others, calls out for justice, but also makes big mistakes along the way. She is struggling with being a feminist but also being attracted to a boy who is paying attention to her while dating another girl officially. The two grapple with the ideals they hold dear and not being able to attain them, allowing readers to see two human teens doing their best.

Powerful and engaging, this feminist read is written with strength and conviction. Appropriate for ages 12-18.

Reviewed from ARC provided by Bloomsbury.

2019 Best Fiction for Young Adults

| Tasha

YALSA has announced their Best Fiction for Young Adults list for 2019, which selects the top fiction titles published for young adults in the past 16 months that are for ages 12-18. The committee also selects a Top Ten List, selected with input from teens:

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1) Darius the Great Is Not Okay

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

Dread Nation (Dread Nation, #1) Foolish Hearts

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills

Frankie A Heart in a Body in the World

Frankie by Shivaun Plozza

A Heart in the Body in the World by Deb Caletti

Monday's Not Coming Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe

Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson

Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe by Preston Norton

The Poet X What If It's Us

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

2018 Nebula Awards Finalists

| Tasha

The finalists for the 2018 Nebula Awards have been announced by The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Winners will be announced in May. The awards are given in several categories, one of which is focused on youth adult science fiction and fantasy. Here are the finalists in that category:

THE ANDRE NORTON AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION OR FANTASY BOOK

Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava Quartet, #1) Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1)

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Dread Nation (Dread Nation, #1) A Light in the Dark (Dark Stars, #2)

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

A Light in the Dark by A.K. DuBoff

Peasprout Chen, Future Legend of Skate and Sword Tess of the Road (Tess of the Road, #1)

Peasprout Chen: Future Legend of Skate and Sword by Henry Lien

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

Review: We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

| Tasha

wesetthedarkonfirebytehlorkaymejia

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia (9780062691330)

Dani is the best Primera student in her class. As she nears graduation, she knows she will be paired with one of the most powerful men in society along with a Secunda. The Primera helps her husband with business and politics while the Secunda bears and raises their children. Dani has worn a mask for her entire time at school, living under an assumed identity in order to have a life different from her parents who live in poverty near the border of the wall. When her papers are about to be inspected, she is rescued by a man who brings her new ones. But when Dani is asked to spy on her new husband, she realizes she must start to make choices about what world she wants to live in. As time goes by, Dani gets closer with Carmen, the Secunda in their trio. Carmen had bullied Dani at school, but as tensions rise and arrests are made, Dani must find someone to trust. Her heart believes she can trust Carmen, but is that just desire talking?

Mejia has created a magnificent look at our modern society through the lens of a fantasy world. The world has a large wall that marks the border. There is strong rhetoric by the ruling class that those on the other side of the wall are less than human. Beautifully, she uses Latinx elements to create a deep and rich world in which her characters live in constant danger. Dani and the reader have no idea who to trust or who is working with the rebels. The use of the marriage of one man to two women adds a creepy note to the book and says even more about the value of women in a society and the extent of the privilege at play.

Dani is a character I loved from the very first pages. She is immensely flawed in ways that make sense given her traumatic experiences and the secrets she must keep. She remains emotionally connected with her family, thinking about them often even as she keeps a placid face all the time. As she struggles with feeling desire for Carmen, it is not about Carmen being a woman but about her training as a Primera. Their connection is an example of how Mejia takes trust and twists it, making for a book that is a wild and wonderful ride.

Latinx, LGBTQ love, political intrigue, and a vivid fantasy world come together to make an impressive teen read. Appropriate for ages 15-18.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Katherine Tegen Books.

Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

| Tasha

a curse so dark and lonely by brigid kemmerer

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer (9781681195087)

Prince Rhen has been cursed along with his entire kingdom into repeating the same season over and over again until a girl falls in love with him. At the end of each season, he fails and turns into a monster who slays his own people. Now he is left with a single guardsman, Grey, who has pledged to stay at his side. Each season, Grey transports himself to Washington, D.C. and steals a girl to try to break the curse. Then one year, he steals Harper, a girl who was not his chosen one but instead one who tried to attack Grey and save the girl he was attempting to kidnap. Harper may not have been Grey’s choice, but now she is the only chance they have at breaking the curse since the sorceress who placed the curse has declared this the final season. As Harper steps into the role of princess, she refuses to conform to expectations. She is intent on making a difference to the suffering people of the kingdom even if they underestimate her due to her cerebral palsy. But will it be enough to end the curse? Will love come?

I approach every retelling of a fairy tale with trepidation. There are few that can really transform the tale into something new and fresh. Kemmerer does exactly that with her retelling of Beauty and the Beast. She creates two amazing male characters, each compelling in their own way and with their own special bond with one another too. She adds one of the nastiest sorceresses around, Lilith, who is willing to provide endless pain to Rhen, Grey and anyone else she can. Kemmerer then laces this story with the psychology of reliving the same year again and again, with immense failure, slaughter, remorse and despair. The result is a dark rather than dreamy story, filled with pain, blood, battles and strategy.

Harper is an incredible heroine. Her having cerebral palsy is interwoven into the story, not as an aside but as a part of her life experience that gives her context for helping others and seeing beyond the surface to their potential. She is honest and forthright, and yet willing to use subterfuge and lies to make a positive difference for those she cares about. She is entirely complicated and every inch a princess and heroine.

A great retelling of Beauty and the Beast, this book stands on its own merits. Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from ARC provided by Bloomsbury.

2019 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers

| Tasha

Young Adult Library Services Association

YALSA has announced the books on the 2019 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers. The list identifies nonfiction and fiction books of high quality that will appeal to teens who don’t enjoy reading. This is always one of my favorite lists to explore since it includes many titles I’ve missed during the year. They have a Top Ten List:

#Murdertrending (MurderTrending, #1) Amal Unbound

#MurderTrending by Gretchen McNeil

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed

Animal Zombies!: And Other Bloodsucking Beasts, Creepy Creatures, and Real-Life Monsters Game Changer

Animal Zombies!: And Other Blood-Sucking Beasts, Creepy Creatures, and Real-Life Monsters by Chana Stiefel

Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald

Hey, Kiddo The Poet X

Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

The Prince and the Dressmaker Sadie

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Speak: The Graphic Novel Sunny (Track, #3)

Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Emily Carroll

Track Series (Sunny and Lu) by Jason Reynolds

2019 Great Graphic Novels

| Tasha

Young Adult Library Services Association

YALSA has announced their 2019 list of the best graphic novels and illustrated nonfiction for those aged 12-18. The full list can be found here. They also select a top ten which follows:

Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation Crush (Awkward, #3)

Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation by Anne Frank and Ari Folman, illustrated by David Polonsky

Crush by Svetlana Chmakova

Hey, Kiddo Illegal

Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka

Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Adrew Donkin, illustrated by Giovanni Rigano

My Brother's Husband, Volume 2 On a Sunbeam

My Brother’s Husband, Volume 2 by Gengoroh Tagame

On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

Royal City, Vol. 2: Sonic Youth 銀の匙 Silver Spoon 1 [Gin no Saji Silver Spoon 1]

Royal City, Volumes 2 & 3 by Jeff Lemire

Silver Spoon, Volumes 1-4 by Hiromu Arakawa

Speak: The Graphic Novel The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees

Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Emily Carroll

The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown

 

Review: This Promise of Change by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy

| Tasha

this promise of change by jo ann allen boyce and debbie levy

This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy (9781681198521)

This nonfiction novel in verse tells the story of Jo Ann Allen, one of the twelve African-American students who were among the first in the nation to integrate a segregated high school in the South. The small town of Clinton, Tennessee became one of the first communities to attempt desegregation after the Supreme Court ruling made segregation illegal. A year before the Little Rock 9, this lesser-known group of brave students at first attended their new school without incident but then outside agitators, the KKK and other white supremacists got involved. As the issue grew, simply attending school became too dangerous for the African-American students. When they were escorted by a local white pastor to school, he ended up beaten and almost killed. Jo Ann became a spokesperson for the group of students and for integrating schools in general. Her story is one of resilience and tolerance.

Levy very successfully uses various forms of poetic verse to tell Jo Ann’s story in this book. In her author’s note, she speaks about why verse was the logical choice as it captured the musicality of Jo Ann’s speech. Her skill is evident on the page, capturing both the quiet parts of Jo Ann’s life and the dramatic moments of desegregation including acts of hatred against the students. Jo Ann’s story is told in a way that allows young readers to understand this moment in United States history in a more complete way. The images at the end of the book and additional details shared there add to this as well.

Perhaps most surprising is the fact that these moments have been lost to history and this group of twelve students is not as well-known as the Little Rock 9. At the same time, that is what makes this book all the more compelling to read as their story is more nuanced since the mayor and governor did not defy the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Beautifully written, this heartbreaking and dramatic story of courage in the face of hatred belongs in every library. Appropriate for ages 12-15.

Reviewed from ARC provided by Bloomsbury Children’s Books.

2019 Printz Award

| Tasha

HONOR BOOKS

Damsel by Elana K. Arnold

A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti

I, Claudia by Mary McCoy

WINNER

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo