Teen

Review: You Are My Only by Beth Kephart

| Tasha

you are my only

You Are My Only by Beth Kephart

Emmy had one joy in life and that was Baby.  Otherwise she was trapped in a violent marriage at age 20.  So when Baby disappeared so did Emmy’s reason to live.  After she is saved from committing suicide by standing on the train tracks, she is committed to a state institution because of her breakdown.  Sophie is a teen who is kept hidden in her home by her mother.  They have moved often, running away from the No Good.  But as she looks out the window and meets Joey, his big dog, and his loving aunts, she is tempted to visit them for real.  Once there, she finds a home that is filled with warmth, love, sweet treats, good books, and everything that is missing from her own.  As their stories continue, readers will find themselves captured by the stories of a mother and daughter who lost each other long ago and are trying to find their way back to one another.

Kephart’s writing is breathtaking.  She uses language that breaks through, explains, dances and delights.  She can also use her words to create such sorrow, to build angst and amplify emotion until the reader is feeling it directly in their own skin.  Here is one such paragraph on Page 13 just after Baby has been stolen:

My baby is gone.  My baby is gone, and I should have called the police first thing.  I should have had a decent, right-thinking thought in my head instead of growing desperate in the trees, draining the day of precious daylight with my every failing footstep.  Peter came home to the red circle of the law’s lights, to the house torn inside out and bright with every watt we own.  To dogs in the woods and yellow rivers of light.  They told Peter right at the end of his second shift.  He smells like refinery and trouble, like the smoke up and down the Delaware River.

She also builds characters in the same way, allowing us to see inside them and to understand them more deeply than they do themselves.  The two female characters are both fragile to the point of fracturing, but also immensely strong in a way that is compelling and never tough.  Their stories parallel one another, both being held against their will, both unsure of what the future will bring, and both of them recovering from loss.

I must also mention the wonderful characters of Miss Cloris and Miss Helen.  At first they are assumed to be two sisters, but they are actually a lesbian couple.  It is a story of love that is told in small moments, gentle connections, and the brilliance of their adoration for one another.  It is also a lifetime of love, because they are both elderly and one is nearing death.  They are exactly the sort of gay characters we need in our teen literature.  They are beautiful, warm, nurturing and normal.

Teens will pick this book up for the story of a stolen baby and the tension of the mother and daughter finding one another.  On the way, they will read a phenomenal book of loss, love, imprisonment and freedom.  Mostly freedom.  Appropriate for ages 13-15.

Reviewed from ARC received from Egmont.

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Review: Lark by Tracey Porter

| Tasha

lark

Lark by Tracey Porter

Sixteen-year-old Lark is kidnapped, raped and left to die in a snowy woods.  The story is told in alternating chapters by Lark and two of her friends.  There is Eve, a girl who used to be Lark’s best friend until one argument destroyed their friendship.  Finally, there is Nyetta, who struggles with being able to see and hear the ghost of Lark.  She is tasked by Lark to save her from being bound into a tree.  Nyetta is put into therapy because of this.  While the book is certainly centered around the tragedy of Lark’s murder, it is also about the two living girls and their need to be believed, cherished and understood. 

Porter’s writing is art.  She has created a book that has only 192 pages, but is a book that also requires careful reading and has depth and darkness as well.  Her writing verges on verse at times, thanks to it being spare but also filled with images.  She plays with magical realism here, speaking definitely to the real-life issues but imbuing them also with a certain symbolism that reaches beyond the actual.  This lends a real depth to the story, creating a book that is worthy of discussion and thought.

The three lead characters are differentiated well, each a solid character with her own personality and problems.  One issue that is woven into the story is sexuality and molestation with two of the girls having experienced molestation or rape.  The book teases readers with reading too much into what the girls were wearing or what they looked like, but then firmly says that that is not why girls are molested or raped.  It is well written, clear and reassuring. 

This is a short book that is a deep read.   The darkness will appeal to some teen readers and the magical realism to others.  Appropriate for ages 15-17.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber

| Tasha

au revoir crazy european chick

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber

Released October 25, 2011.

Perry’s band has gotten their first big break, a gig in New York City.  Unfortunately, his parents are insisting that he take their foreign exchange student, Gobi, to prom that same night!  Perry thinks that if he manages to leave prom early, he can still make it to his gig on time.  Little does he know that his entire night is about to explode, literally.  Perry is caught up in an assassination attempt, taken hostage in his own father’s car, and forced to speed through the night in Manhattan.  This is one wild ride through a dark city that you won’t want to end!

Schreiber has written a book that reads like a movie.  The pace is fast even at the beginning of the book but becomes almost breakneck speed by the middle.  The ending is wild and blazing.  This book is not about character development, though there are moments of growth in Perry especially where he realizes the truth about his father and his own relationship with him.  In some respects it is a gun-filled story of a boy turning into a man in one amazing night.

This book comes in at 192 pages, which is sure to appeal to reluctant teen readers.  Add the appeal of guns, fast cars, explosions, assassins, and romance and you have a book that readers will race right through.

The movie rights to this book have already sold to Paramount, which makes perfect sense given a book that reads so much like it’s already on the screen.   Get this in the hands of reluctant readers who will enjoy the action and the humor of this thrilling read.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group.

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Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

| Tasha

daughter of smoke and bone

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Karou is a blue-haired art student in Prague who lives a double life.  She has her small flat where she sleeps under the spread of a pair of huge wings she created.  She attends class, tangles with her ex-boyfriend, and hangs out with her best friend.  Her sketchbooks are filled with strange creatures, so she is known to have a great imagination.  No one knows that these are not creatures she has made up, but rather some of her closest family.  Because she also has her secret life where she runs errands for Brimstone who is a wishmaker.  Her errands take her across the world through magical doorways and what sounds amazing actually results in hauling elephant tusks on Paris subways or bargaining for the teeth of the dead in Morocco.  Brimstone needs teeth to do his job, and it’s Karou’s job to bring them to him.   Her life is complicated and busy, but filled with questions that are never answered.  Karou has always felt something is missing, she’s just not sure what it could be.

Taylor has created a stunning novel here.  Her heroine is complicated, vibrant, amazing and conflicted.  She is strong, vulnerable, beautiful, and mesmerizing.   She is also tough as nails when pushed, raised by monsters, and at the same time big-hearted and kind.  She is a study in contrasts that really works, each piece making sense and creating a believable whole.

The writing is equally spectacular.  Taylor’s descriptions of places is filled with beauty.  She describes Prague as “a city of alchemists and dreamers, its medieval cobbles once trod by golems, mystics, invading armies.”  Contrast that with Marrakesh “a mad, teeming carnival of humanity: snake charmers and dancers, dusty barefoot boys, pickpockets, hapless tourists, and food stalls selling everything from orange juice to roasted sheep’s heads.”

The entire book is filled with richness.  Her descriptions are deep and meaningful.  The relationships between characters are strong and true.  And when she writes a love story, you’d better be ready for your own stomach butterflies to awaken and flutter.  It is honey-sweet, hot and shining.  She has created a world that you will not want to ever leave.

This is one ravishing read that breaks away from the paranormal romance label that could have bound it.  Whether you are a paranormal romance fan or not, this is a book worth reading.  Appropriate for ages 15-18.

Reviewed from ARC received from Little, Brown and Company.

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Review: Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol

| Tasha

anyas ghost

Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol

This debut graphic novel tells the story of Anya, a first generation American who has worked hard to fit in at school by losing her Russian accent and blending in with the other students.  But she can’t quite manage to be normal.  Falling down a well doesn’t help, and discovering a ghost in the bottom of the well isn’t a good start either.  But as she befriends the ghost, her life starts to become easier.  She gets help with tests, manages to connect with a cute boy she has been watching from afar, and gets clothing and makeup tips too.  Everything seems to be looking up, until Anya begins to figure out what is truly happening.

Told in black-white-and-gray illustrations, this graphic novel has a deep appeal.  Anya is a girl that readers will immediately relate to.  She has insecurities about her body, her school, and herself.  The strength of the novel comes in her character which rings very true and is written with a solid humanity.  The inclusion of the ghost lends a more fantasy tone to the book, offering an appealing foil to this very real protagonist.

The illustrations are clear and often very funny.  Emotions come through nicely and characters are depicted in ways that expand their character beyond the words on the page.  Anya is shown as a normal girl with curves, which makes her very relatable.  It doesn’t hurt that she is also sarcastic.

The storyline is strong, developing into a scary story that is hauntingly appealing.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from library copy.

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Review: All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin

| Tasha

all these things ive done

All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin

This is the first book in a new dystopian science fiction series by the author of Elsewhere.  In the year 2083, the United States are in a darker time.  Coffee and chocolate are illegal, water is rationed, phone calls are very expensive, and paper books are antiques.  Anya Balanchine lives with her grandmother who is kept alive with machines, her older brother and her younger sister.  She is the daughter of New York’s most powerful mob boss, who unfortunately was killed years earlier right in front of Anya and her sister.  Her mother is dead too, murdered in her car which is how her older brother received his brain injury.  But Anya is determined to stay clear of her family’s connections and have a real life.  Yet everything comes back to chocolate, crime and family, and what Anya will have to do to protect the people she loves.

Zevin has created a book that takes place in a dystopian world.  While she gives lots of details about that world and about New York City as a decaying giant, the focus is on Anya, her family and her friends.   The book has such focus and is so well written, readers won’t miss the larger world being explained.  Instead this is about an insular world inside of a dystopian setting.  The focus is powerful, creating a gripping reading experience.

In Anya, Zevin has created a protagonist who is razor sharp, very tough, yet melts like chocolate too.  The romance in this book is beautifully built.  It reads as real, poignant, and star-crossed.  Anya is a young woman carrying far more than her share of the weight of the world.  This first book in a series reads as a complete and satisfying story, yet as a reader I was thrilled to see it was only the beginning.

Get this into the hands of fans of Holly Black’s White Cat.  The combination of mob and dystopian make this a thriller that is sure to surprise and delight.  Appropriate for ages 15-17.

Reviewed from copy received from Farrar Straus & Giroux.

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Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

| Tasha

lola boy next door

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Released September 29, 2011.

Lola’s clothes are beyond fashion, they are costume and she is proud of it.  She has a hot rocker boyfriend, who is 5 years older.  She has two great dads who may be strict, but they adore her.  The only trouble is they don’t adore her boyfriend at all.  She also has a mother who struggles with addiction and homelessness, and whom Lola tries to minimize contact with.  But Lola has things pretty much under control until the Bell twins move back in next door.  There is Calliope Bell, the famous ice skater, but even more devastating is the return of Cricket Bell, who broke Lola’s heart two years ago.  Now Lola has a life she’s built for herself, but there’s no denying that her feelings are still there for Cricket along with a tingly connection that she feels only with him.

Perkins returns with another gem of a romantic novel that is sure to be very popular with teen readers.  She once again features a strong and unique heroine who is a charming mix of confidence and doubt.  Lola is also smart and funny, making her a pleasure to spend time with.  Perkins also excels at having sexually active characters who don’t regret their sexuality.  Her female protagonists feel lust as well as love, making them very believable teen characters.

Lola is a great lead character, and Perkins surrounds her with other strong characters as well.  From her fathers who are gay men written without any stereotyping to Cricket himself to her best friend, all of them are well-rounded and interesting.  There are a couple of characters who are written less positively, like Calliope Bell and Lola’s mother.  Even these characters are well developed and reach beyond what could have been cardboard depictions.

If you loved Anna and the French Kiss, you must get your hands on this companion novel and meet Lola.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from Dutton Books.

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Review: Pregnant Pause by Han Nolan

| Tasha

pregnant pause

Pregnant Pause by Han Nolan

Released September 19, 2011.

Eleanor has always made the worst decisions but this one may top them all.  She’s now pregnant and married to her boyfriend.  Oh, and stuck in a cabin, at a weight-loss camp, with her in-laws who definitely don’t approve of her.  Her parents have left her to return to Kenya and their missionary work with AIDS infants.  Everyone wants Eleanor’s baby.  Her older sister who has been struggling with infertility wants the baby.  Her in-laws who lost a child in infancy want it too.  But Eleanor and her husband are the only ones who can decide what they are going to do.  As Eleanor works at the camp with the children, she learns that she has a real skill with kids.  And of course, she does it in her own way.  Now she just has to figure how to handle her marriage, pregnancy, and a baby.

Nolan’s writing is exquisite.  She has created a protagonist in Eleanor who is definitely a hero, but also challenges the reader with her anger, her biting wit, and her choices.  Eleanor reads as a real person, with self-doubts and real emotions that originate naturally from the story line.  Nolan writes with a confidence and skill here, showing that there is life beyond pregnancy but it is filled with difficult choices and unexpected events.

A strong and riveting look at teen pregnancy, this book reaches far beyond a single issue and straight to the heart of a compelling character.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group.

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Review: Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge

| Tasha

page by paige

Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge

Paige has just moved with her family to New York City.  She is having trouble relating to her mother and had to leave her best friend behind.  Now she has to find people in the big city who can understand her.  But before she can do that, she has to start to understand herself.  Is she the quiet girl or can she become an extroverted artist?  As Paige struggles to find herself and to find her voice as an artist, readers are treated to an extraordinary look at the process of art combined with the process of finding friends and love.

Gulledge has created a graphic novel where the visuals are powerful and speak volumes.  She turns the comic format into one that is strongly artistic and very visual.  Here we see the emotions of Paige brought to visual life from her self-doubts to her most self-aware.  Paige is a character that readers with artistic interests will relate to easily.  Her yearning to create combined with her doubts and worries make for a book with plenty to inspire other young artists to take the risk of creation.

Get this in the hands of tween and teen artists and step back.  A truly inspiring read.  Appropriate for ages 12-15.

Reviewed from library copy.

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Check out the trailer that gives a sense of the great art: