Review: Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff

November 1, 2013 | Tasha

Mila is spending her Easter break traveling from London to the United States with her father. They plan to visit one of his oldest friends, Matthew, and his family. But days before they are to set off, they hear that Matthew has gone missing and his wife has no idea where he might be but urges them to come anyway. Mila has long known that she has exceptional perception skills: she can tell when someone is pregnant before they even know, can read emotions quickly and can easily gather clues from a room. So when they arrive, she quickly realizes several things about Matthew and his family. As she gets closer to solving the mystery, it all gets more complicated and soon Mila has to even question whether her father is being honest with her.

Rosoff writes so beautifully. She takes time here in the book to create a family dynamic in Mila’s father and mother that is strong and buoyant. She also carefully builds the background of Mila’s life, so that readers will understand what a different situation Mila finds herself in. A theme of translation runs through the entire novel. Mila’s father is a translator of books, Mila has to translate to American English, Mila can understand the language of objects and read nuances into them, and there is also the language of pain and loss that permeates the book. It is a theme that unites this book from one of a road trip into a quest.

Mila is a very intriguing character. She is both wildly perceptive and then also unaware at times. All of the characters in the book are fully developed and well drawn. Her parents are real people with their own pasts and foibles. I particularly enjoyed the almost brittle portrayal of Matthew’s abandoned wife who seems very one dimensional at first, but then at the end shows more of herself in a subtle way.

A virtuoso book that is rather quiet, very thoughtful and filled with insights just like Mila herself. Appropriate for ages 13-15.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Engines of the Broken World by Jason Vanhee

October 30, 2013 | Tasha

Engines of the Broken World by Jason Vanhee

Merciful’s mother has finally died. After years of growing more and more confused and cruel, she died as the weather grew colder and colder. Merciful and her brother Gospel had wanted to bury her properly but the bitter weather had worsened and prevented them from digging a hole. The snow came too, lashing the windows and keeping them from even venturing out to the barn to check on the animals. So they put their mother under the table and went to bed. The Minister, in an animal form, said prayers over her but was also firm in saying that she needed a proper burial. Merciful is starting breakfast the next morning when she hears it, a voice she thought she would never hear again, singing her childhood song.

This novel is completely unique. It is the story not of a post-apocalyptic world but of the days leading directly into an apocalypse. Yet it is also a book that explores religion in a way that will certainly bother many people. This is a religion beyond decay, heading into the final days, one that is flagging but still powerful. Even better, it is one that is familiar to many of us. Now add zombies to this complex world, and you are starting to understand why this book is so difficult to explain.

Against this dire setting, we have two young characters Merciful and Gospel. The two do not get along, both approaching the world from different places. Yet given the claustrophobic setting, the two are forced to see the truth about each other and their strengths. It is this setting of a blizzard at the end of the world that makes this book so haunting. Vanhee writes in a voice that we haven’t heard before either, he tinkers with perception of the characters, and he has created a book where you can’t trust much at all. It is a wonderfully slippery book, that changes underneath you and turns into something unexpected. Yet it is also filled with moments of great beauty and character.

A horror book for teens, this is also something much more. It is a beautifully written apocalypse that is harrowing, striking and powerful. Appropriate for ages 13-15.

Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt and Co.

Review: Reality Boy by A. S. King

October 28, 2013 | Tasha

Reality Boy by A. S. King

Gerald became a reality TV star at age five when his mother brought in a television nanny to help him with his anger issues. He had been putting holes in the walls. He then started crapping around the house, often caught on camera. Now Gerald is seventeen and still struggling with anger in his life. His abusive older sister is back home, living in the basement. His closer sister has gone to college in Scotland and never calls. His mother and father are both entirely ineffective to stop anything. Gerald spends much of his time in Gerland, a world filled with ice cream and candy, where no one is angry or mean. But he can’t live there forever, and he has to return to the real world where he has no friends and people call him The Crapper. It’s all too much sometimes for Gerald to handle, but he has to figure out a way to handle things that doesn’t have him escaping to a fantasy world or beating someone bloody.

I found this book to be entirely gripping. The premise of a boy who is damaged by a reality show that is meant to help (at least on the surface) is very clever. As the layers of the story are pulled back, one discovers who the true problem is. King does this in surprising ways though flashbacks that continue to shock even though one thinks all is revealed. This is a book that will do much to show teens that abuse by siblings and children happens to others.

King has created a wounded hero in Gerald. He is stunted by his family, unable to grow up and unable to control his outbursts. The reader aches for him, roots for him and yes is also frightened by his lack of control. He is a teen caught by his past and unable to see a future. One weakness of the book is the depiction of Gerald’s family. They are not fully developed and the book loses something because of that, given that they are so much of the story of Gerald’s dysfunction.

Gerald is a magnificent character, and the book is compelling and harrowing. Appropriate for ages 15-18.

Reviewed from digital copy received from NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Review: Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger

October 21, 2013October 21, 2013 | Tasha

Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger

Released November 5, 2013.

This is the second book in Carriger’s young adult Finishing School series. Sophronia is still getting into all sorts of trouble aboard the floating finishing school she attends. It’s an unusual finishing school that prepares its students to be spies and agents as well as ladies of quality. The girls are tested on their skills and Sophronia when is announced as getting record high scores, the other girls shun her. Sophronia tries to fill the loss of her friendships by spending more time down in the boiler rooms, but soon she has other distractions. Boys from Bunsen’s school are on board to travel with the female students to see the testing of a vehicle that will be able to travel the aether. But there is more to it than that, and Sophronia is determined to figure out why and how the vampires and werewolves are involved.

I loved the first book in the series and was pleased to see the second one lived up to the promise of the first. Second books in series often suffer from a sophomore slump, but that is not the case here. In fact, this book builds on the premise of the first and adds much more to the information that the readers have of this steampunk world and its rules. It also has just as much action, subterfuge and adventure as the first, all done in petticoats and ruffles.

The best part of these books is the humor that laces everything. Sophronia is a girl who sees past the beauty of society and into the ridiculousness beyond it. She is a strong protagonist whose wry takes on her own world make for sparkling humor.

For teens looking for steampunk novels, this series is a great one to recommend. Appropriate for ages 13-16.

Reviewed from digital review copy received from Edelweiss and Little, Brown.

Review: Explorer: the Lost Islands

October 16, 2013October 16, 2013 | Tasha

Explorer: The Lost Islands edited by Kazu Kibuishi

This second book in the Explorer series again takes a single theme and has short illustrated stories that center on that. The book is a collection of different illustrators and authors, so one story to the next is very different both in the story itself and in the style of the art. It makes for a very compelling book to read. I had several favorite stories in the book, including The Mask Dance by Chrystin Garland where the setting is dark and looming and people are disguised by masks. The reveal of the truth is great fun while still being dark and eerie. Another favorite was Desert Island Playlist by Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier. Readers of Smile and Drama will enjoy seeing another piece of work by Telgemeier. This story too has a mystery at its heart all set on a desert island. This is another strong graphic novel that young readers are sure to enjoy.

This second book loses some of the darkness and wonder of the first which was a masterpiece. At the same time, it is a book worth getting because it displays such a wide range of art styles and story types. Both books in the series are like unwrapping presents when you turn to a new story, you are sure to be surprised.

Amulet fans, graphic novel readers and students interested in art should all find something to love in this new collection. Appropriate for ages 10-13.

Reviewed from copy received from Abrams.

Review: My Basmati Bat Mitzvah by Paula J. Freedman

October 14, 2013October 14, 2013 | Tasha

My Basmati Bat Mitzvah by Paula J. Freedman

Tara’s father is Jewish and her mother is East Indian, so Tara has mixed feelings about her upcoming bat mitzvah. Some of the kids in her Hebrew class even wonder if she is actually Jewish at all. Tara though is more concerned with whether she actually believes in God and if she doesn’t, does that mean that she can’t have a bat mitzvah? She also worries about what celebrating this side of her family says to the other side. So Tara decides to make sure that both sides of her family are represented by wearing a family sari that had been passed down for generations. Unfortunately though, the sari is accidentally burned and Tara has to figure out how to tell her mother about it. But that’s not the only complexity in Tara’s life. Her best friend Rebecca seems to be spending more time with another girl, someone that Tara doesn’t get along with. Her other best friend Ben-o seems interested in being more than friends sometimes but other times spends a lot of time with another girl. It’s up to Tara to navigate all of the confusion and make her bat mitzvah her own.

Freedman very successfully tells the story of a young woman dealing with two distinct family heritages. Happily, she doesn’t feel the need to build heightened angst about it, allowing Tara’s personal doubts to really drive this part of the story. Her family around her does not have the same feelings, sharing holidays with one another and enjoying the same foods, most of the time.

The book has a lightness of tone that makes the book very enjoyable. Freedman explores bullying with a perfect touch, but less successfully explores the underlying issues. Tara is a strong heroine who is far from perfect. She has a temper, responds physically at times, and can be too self-absorbed to really see what is happening with her friends.

Hurrah for a book with a brown-skinned girl right on the cover that explores her multicultural heritage in such a straight-forward way! Appropriate for ages 11-13.

Reviewed from ARC received from Amulet Books.

Review: March by John Lewis

October 11, 2013October 10, 2013 | Tasha

March: Book One by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell

This is the first book in a planned series of graphic novels that follow the life of Congressman John Lewis and his work in the civil rights struggle. This first book opens with President Obama’s inauguration day and then flashes back to critical points throughout Lewis’ life. It tells the story of his connection to animals on the farm, particularly chickens. It also shows him as a young minister and his determination to stay in school and then to attend college. Readers get to witness the violence of the opposition to the Civil Rights Movement including many pivotal moments in history like the sit-ins at Nashville lunch counters.

This is one powerful graphic novel. The writing is sterling and strong. It shines with an honest portrayal of historical events from someone who did not just witness them, but fought the battles personally. The book clearly explains the world of the 1950s and 1960s, making sure that modern readers understand the dangers of the times and the differences. It is both a historical book but also one that is important for modern teens to understand how far we have come and how far we have to go.

Powell’s art is stellar. It is stirring art that evokes history with a fresh eye. He creatively uses light and dark, playing with words across it at times, other times allowing the darkness to take control. There is a sense of witnessing history throughout the book in both the words and the art.

An impressive graphic novel for teens, this book shines light on the Civil Rights Movement. Appropriate for ages 12-15.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: All the Truth That’s in Me by Julie Berry

October 9, 2013 | Tasha

All the Truth That’s in Me by Julie Berry

Judith has returned to her family and her small Puritan town after being missing for two years but she is unable to speak because her tongue has been cut out. Without speech, the entire community ignores Judith and treats her as if she is less than a person. Her own mother reviles her, never saying her name and ordering her around as “you” instead. In her silence, Judith has many secrets that she keeps close. She sees everything and moves through the town as if she is a ghost. But inside herself, Judith is smart, caring and dutiful. When her mother refuses to hear her attempts at speech, Judith stops trying altogether. When the boy she loves takes another as a fiancé, Judith is only kind to the girl. Secrets though have a way of getting out and one dangerous secret may just be able to save their community.

The first thing I have to say is that the cover is lovely but very misleading. This is a book set in an unnamed historical setting and the cover reads entirely modern. Reading the book I was astonished to find it was historical fiction and kept turning back to the cover in confusion. The paperback cover is no better since it also conveys a modern feel.

With the cover aside, this is one incredible read. One might think the lack of real historical context would be an issue, but it works well here. The focus is on the people rather than the setting, though the world of Puritanical thought is an important element throughout. The book is a real mystery novel with the questions of what really happened to Judith swirling throughout the book. The reveal is tantalizingly written, making for one compelling novel.

Berry writes with a lyrical voice throughout, capturing the loneliness and longing of Judith. The beauty of the writing serves as a way for readers to see the thoughts of Judith and understand that she is rich with thinking inside. Berry is also masterful at pacing and how she reveals the details. It is entirely on her terms and readers may guess what is coming but can never be sure until it is revealed. It is a book where the ending is crucial, exciting and immensely satisfying.

A great pick to book talk for teens, the premise of this historical novel should be more than enough to get teens to pick it up. The writing and the mystery will keep them reading. Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from library copy.