Teen

Not That Kind of Girl

| Tasha

Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

Natalie Sterling knows just what kind of girl she is.  She’s a girl who just won the election for Student Council President.  She’s a girl who doesn’t go out to the stupid parties on weekends.  She’s a girl who works hard to please her parents and her favorite teacher, Ms. Bee.  She’s a girl with big plans, lots of energy and plenty of intelligence to get what she wants.  But in her senior year, everything changes.  Her best friend doesn’t seem to appreciate her advice anymore.  A kid she used to babysit is now a freshman and seems determined to flaunt her sexuality for everyone even though Natalie is trying to stop her and show her what’s right.  And worst of all, Natalie may just have fallen for a boy.

Vivian’s newest book explores the complexities of being a teen girl with a lot of honesty.  The tension between the “good girls” and those who are sexually active is evident here.  It’s handled with a wonderful sense of humor, all seen through the lens of Natalie’s perspective.  The book delves into the experience of the teen girl and offers up the right of all girls to be exactly who they really are.

Natalie is a great character, who changes throughout the novel, becoming not only more self-aware but pleasantly less sure of herself.  Natalie is a tough girl (a moniker she herself enjoys) with a clear perspective on life, who excels and expects others around her to try too.  But at the heart of much of what she does is a mask that protects her from gossip, a shield she puts between herself and others, though she doesn’t realize it. 

Winningly written, the book reads as a light novel, but deals with issues that are serious and have depth.  This is a book with appeal to that kind of girl and many other kinds as well.  Highly recommended for ages 15-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from Push.

Hush – Chilling Story of Abuse and Cover Up

| Tasha

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Hush by Eishes Chayil

Gittel lives in the closed Chassidic community of Borough Park in New York City.  The rules of the Chassidic community are strict and clear.  Their lives are separate from modern technologies and a modern lifestyle.  Family is to be honored and respected.  Marriages are arranged by matchmakers and parents.  Children are treasured, but live with strict limitations.  When Gittel witnesses her friend being sexually molested by her older brother, the community shuts down any mention of the situation.  When the situation progresses to a horrible end, Gittel must decide what to do and whether to betray her family and community or her friend.  Painfully, it takes Gittel years to admit what she has seen and bring it to light.  This is a remarkable book that exposes shameful secrets in the Chassidic community while equally showing the positive side of their beliefs and lifestyle. 

This is Chayil’s own story, a Chassidic Jew who also witnessed a friend’s abuse.  Through her writing she has exposed her own pain and truth.  Chayil’s writing allows all readers to respect the beliefs of this community.  Gittel’s family is warm and wonderful, the ideal family to contrast against the strict beliefs and limitations.  They fairly glow with love, the perfect foil for the other family suffering the abuse.  Chayil’s writing is subtle and solid.  Firmly grounded in reality, it depicts the community with honesty, demonstrating how rules that protect can also become rules that restrict and bind.  What is most impressive is Chayil’s ability to show that the responses from various people change when they know the truth, have seen it before, and understand there is an issue.  The establishment is not the enemy here, ignorance is.

Gittel is a character that readers see grow from a young girl to a married teen.  Through it all, she struggles with the truth and her own guilt about the situation.  Her emotions are vivid and blazing, yet they ring with truth.  Other characters in the story are just as well written, such as Gittel’s parents and husband.

A brave and amazing book, this is a glimpse for readers into a closed society written by a woman who understands it well.  It is also a call for all of us to tell the truth to shout it out in order to save those who we love who are enduring the unimaginable.  Appropriate for ages 15-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from Walker Books.

Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters – Beauty and Depth

| Tasha

Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford

This is the second book from Standiford, who debuted with How to Say Goodbye in Robot.  It will be released this month.

When their grandmother, Almighty Lou, tells the family that she has been offended and will cut them out of the will unless a confession and apology is made, everyone knows that it must be one of the girls who offended her.  So the three teen Sullivan sisters write their confessions.  One girl confesses to being in love and not following expectations.  Another sister confesses to revealing family secrets online.  And the youngest sister admits to believing she was immortal with horrifying results.  The only question is whether it is the sisters who offended Almighty Lou and if so, which one was it?

Part of the pleasure of this book is discovering the secrets of the girls for yourself, which is why I made my summary so vague.  Each girl reveals inner thoughts, complicated emotions, and the struggles of not only adolescence but life.  Standiford has a smart, funny tone that imbues all of these girls and their thoughts.  It is a pleasure to read a fairly light novel that has depth and intelligence.  Even better, the girls are all bright and deep too.  Yet they act like teens, think like teens, and are teens completely. 

The characterization in the novel is nicely done for the three sisters in particular.  They speak with different voices, react to things in their own unique ways and are distinct and intriguing voices.  The parents are fascinating characters if a bit one-dimensional.  I kept hoping for a view of them beyond what we were seeing.  But that is a minor quibble.

A pleasure of a read, this book will do well with teens who enjoy general fiction.  The cover will draw in readers of books like the Gossip Girl series, who will discover a book with gorgeous girls AND depth.  Appropriate for ages 15-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from Scholastic.

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Yummy

| Tasha

Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri, illustrated by Randy DuBurke

This graphic novel tells the true story of Robert “Yummy” Sandifer.  In 1994, Yummy, called that because of his sweet tooth, fired a gun into a crowd of rival gang members.  He ended up killing a bystander, a teen girl.  Yummy was just 11 years old when this happened.   The story is told from the point of view of Roger, another boy who knew Yummy from school and the neighborhood.  Roger tries to make sense of Yummy and how he became a gang member and killer.  This is made even more tangible to Roger because his own brother is in the same gang as Yummy.  Throughout this book, deep questions are asked and explored.

Neri’s text creates a great platform to understand the gang wars of the 1990s and the dynamic of southside Chicago.  Though the bulk of the book is from Roger’s point of view, the reader also gets to see what Yummy is going through as he hides from police and is eventually killed by his own gang.  There is a real restraint in the writing that allows the drama of the tale itself to take center stage. 

DuBurke’s illustrations done in black and white are a study in light and dark.  Faces change as the light changes on them, becoming sinister and strange.  The images are dynamic and underline the youth of Yummy and the transition from bully to killer. 

A beautifully crafted graphic novel dealing in brutal subjects, this book is an important exploration of gang warfare.  It is also an even more important look at childhood.  Appropriate for ages 12-14.

Reviewed from copy received from Lee & Low Books.

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Wicked Girls

| Tasha

Wicked Girls: a Novel of the Salem Witch Trials by Stephanie Hemphill

Through gripping verse, the story of the Salem Witch Trials is told from the point of view of several of the accusers themselves.  A fictionalized account, the book captures the lies and hysteria of Salem in 1692, embracing the theory that the girls were deliberately telling lies.  There is Ann Putnam, Jr. who leads the group of girls despite the fact she is 12 and others in the group are 17.  She is the daughter of a prominent man in Salem.  Her servant, Mercy Lewis, is also an accuser.  Beautiful and tempting to many, she finds a haven in accusing others of witchcraft.  Ann’s cousin, Margaret Walcott, is a girl in love and struggling to hold onto the boy.  Her beloved will not stand for the accusations, so she is torn between her friends and her heart.  These three girls form the center of the novel, each making accusations for different reasons, each lie leading to another, until nineteen people are killed in the name of piety.

Hemphill’s poems are beautifully constructed, they lend depth to the book at the same time they manage to move the story forward.  Each girl has a distinct personality and perspective that comes through in the poems.  The author weaves symbolism of the time into the poems, always making sure that these are girls of that period who have the concerns and sensibilities of that time.  Yet at the same time, modern girls will understand the aches of love, the power of lies, and the group dynamics that are inherent here. 

Hemphill tells the story from the girls’ points of view, allowing readers to see into their thought patterns and what drove them to do it.  This perspective makes the book particularly gripping and powerful.  She also frames the poems with the seasons, capturing each turn of the season in a poem.  Each of these separate poems that is not one from a girl’s view has a decorative corner on the page, marking them as separate.  It is a subtle and important touch.

This is a powerful book that speaks to a horrific time in Salem and is told in verse that illuminates all.  Appropriate for ages 13-15.

Reviewed from library copy.

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Teen Book Reviews by a Teen – Red Pyramid

| Tasha

Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

DO Judge a Pyramid by It’s Color

Hi there. This is Rowan. (I’m Tasha’s son, if you didn’t know.) and this is the first of my Teen Book Reviews by a Teen. Well, without further distraction, let’s begin!

I liked the Percy Jackson series. It’s hilarious take on Greek Mythology was, well… hilarious. The humor is back in Rick Riordan’s new book (and possible series,) Red Pyramid. The switch from Greek Mythology to Egyptian provides a fresh experience with new characters and a new story. I don’t want to go much further, for the sake of the story, but I will say that if you liked Percy Jackson, you’ll LOVE this book.

How I Made It to Eighteen

| Tasha

How I Made It to Eighteen: a mostly true story by Tracy White

Based on the author’s experiences, this book takes a straight-on look at depression and self-destruction.  Seventeen-year-old Stacy Black checked herself into a mental hospital to help deal with her anger and depression.  She had just put her fist through a glass window.  Stacy hated the hospital but knew that she had to be there to survive, so she stayed.  As she spent time there, she developed new friends who helped her in her recovery and in being honest with herself.  Told in graphic novel format that is more like a journal than manga, this book is honest, blunt and intelligent.  Teen readers will easily see themselves in Stacy whether they are struggling with similar issues or not.

This book appears to be a regular novel until you open it and see all of the illustrations.  Done in line drawings, the illustrations are quirky and have the unedited feel of a real journal.  Readers get to know Stacy as well as her friends both in the hospital and from outside.  This perspective shift, done at the end of each chapter is a welcome view of how outsiders view a teen who enters a hospital.  While they express confusion and concern, all of them realize that it was a necessary step.  It is a brilliant and subtle way to tell teens that they will not be vilified if they get the help they need.

Though heavily illustrated, White’s writing is also a large part of the story.  Stacy is a sarcastic and caustic character.  Readers will realize immediately that she is putting on a front, but it takes time for readers and Stacy to acknowledge what exactly has brought her to the hospital and to this place in her life.  The slow unveiling of the basis of her problems mirrors the steps in her counseling.  This makes the entire book feel organic and honest.

A book that teens will enjoy and relate to, this graphic novel will appeal to a much broader audience than graphic novel readers.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.

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Bruiser

| Tasha

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman

Bruiser was voted “Most Likely to Get the Death Penalty” by the kids at school.  So when Tennyson’s twin sister Bronte starts dating Bruiser, he is very concerned.  Bruiser is a real loner, involved in almost nothing at school, just heading home directly after classes end.  When Tennyson follows him home, he discovers that Bruiser lives with his abusive uncle and his half-brother.  Tennyson never backs away from confrontations with others, so he is surprised to find himself shaking Bruiser’s hand in friendship and even helping to dispose of a dead bull carcass.  As the relationship between Bruiser and Bronte deepens, Tennyson becomes closer to Bruiser too.  That’s when strange things begin to happen that show them just why Bruiser is a loner and why his uncle is desperate to keep him home.  Written from the perspectives of Tennyson, Bronte, Bruiser, and Bruiser’s brother, this book transports the reader to a powerful place where love and friendship carry a unique pain.

I have been a fan of Shusterman ever since reading The Eyes of Kid Midas back in the 1990s.  I love that he writes of magic in the real world, yet never shies away from what the magic brings to life.  No one wakes up from a dream in these books or loses their powers.  Instead they have to learn to live with what they have.  Shusterman’s novels are also allegories for real life without magic.  Here readers will find a physical manifestation of the pain and power of love and friendship.  Bruiser and his flesh are tangible examples of the torment of life.

Shusterman’s writing here is well done.  His characters are multi-dimensional and interesting.  The twins are more than simply two sides of a coin, showing great depth of character.  When Bruiser takes his first turn as narrator, Shusterman’s writing soars.  Bruiser’s sections are in verse, unlike the others.  His pain and torment is right there, shouting to the reader about the frustration and loneliness of his life.  It is gorgeous and extraordinary.

Highly recommended, this book takes readers on a journey that will be difficult to forget.  If you enjoy this book, make sure to check out others by Shusterman.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from library copy.

Crossing the Tracks

| Tasha

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Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber

After Iris’ mother died, her father no longer has time for her, immersed in his growing shoe business.  When the business is about to expand to Kansas City, her father hires her out to a farm family without informing her first much less asking her opinion.  So Iris is sent to care for an elderly woman and her doctor son in rural Missouri.  She leaves behind her best friend Leroy and any illusions about her father caring about her.  The move to the country turns out to be the best thing that could have happened to Iris.  The family is warm and friendly to Iris, who slowly learns a lot about herself, her courage, and her connection to her mother.  But all is not perfect in the countryside, they live far too close to an angry man who drove off his wife and is now doing unspeakable things to his daughter.  Iris has to find a cunning way to help a girl who has only ever hated her.  In the end, Iris may be a hobo, but so are we all.

A virtuoso of a debut performance, this book is written with strength and conviction.  Stuber’s writing is beautifully constructed, each small detail meant to lead somewhere in the story or mean something more to the reader.  She uses several important themes that tie the entire novel together: homelessness and hobos being the most significant.  Yet she never allows these themes to drive the story, rather they are part of it, a twining of theme around the plot.  It is beautifully done.

Set in the 1920s, the book never gets bogged down with period details, rather the time period is portrayed through the story.  It is woven in and helps tell the story itself.  Doctors make housecalls, cars are fairly new machines, and there are no cell phones and only party lines. 

Iris is a marvelous protagonist with her hard exterior from years with her father neglecting her and yet her yearning for connection and family.  Iris grows as the story progresses and kindness is shown her.  Stuber has written her growth in a natural and organic way that really rings true.  There are no unbelievable leaps forward, but a slow movement with steps backwards.  The supporting cast is also very well rendered right down to Marie, the dog.  Mrs. Nesbitt, the fiesty woman whom Iris cares for, does just as much caring for Iris.  Mrs. Nesbitt is one of the reasons this book is so successful, she is hardly the stereotypical elderly woman, far from it. 

Highly recommended, this book is historical fiction with a touch of romance and danger.  It is an intoxicating mix that readers will find difficult to put down.  I happily await her next novel!  Appropriate for ages 12-15.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.

Check out Barbara’s website here and the trailer for the book below:

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