Archive for Novels

Book Review: Fitz

May 9, 2013 · Filed under Fiction, High School, Novels, Realistic · Tagged ,

fitzFitz by Mick Cochrane.  November 2012. 9780375956836. Gr. 9-12

Fitz by Mick Cochrane was one of many teen fiction ARCs stacked on my desk at the end of 2012 that I was wading through, and I might have passed it by if I hadn’t opened the book to the first sentence.  It said, “On a cool morning in late May, Fitz is standing in the alley behind his father’s apartment in St. Paul.”  Most readers probably wonder about Fitz’s relationship to his father when they read that, but my attention was drawn to the mention of St. Paul.  A quick scan down the page revealed—with mention of “Summit  Hill District” and “F. Scott Fitzgerald”–that it was, in fact, St. Paul, Minnesota, and I had to read the book.  After all, I lived in St. Paul for several years, and I love the Summit Hill District.  Though I had to laugh at Fitz’s opinion of the neighborhood: “It’s full of yuppies.”  I don’t know if I agree with that, but I can imagine a 15 year-old boy thinking that.

For those without a personal connection to the setting, it doesn’t take long before the big reveal that will have you on the edge of your seat for the duration of the novel. Fitz is waiting outside his father’s apartment with a gun.  “. . . he’s carrying a Smith & Wesson .38 revolver in the waistband of his jeans and a gutful of confusion, a lifetime’s resentment in his heart.  A gnawing hunger for a father he’s never known.”  This is in the first five pages of the book.  In the next hundred and seventy pages, we follow Fitz and his father all around the city as they spend a day getting to know each other with a gun between them.

It’s a fast moving story that will likely have appeal to some of your more reluctant readers. It is also a thoughtful look at a boy desperate enough for his father’s attention that he is willing to threaten him with a gun.  As Fitz’s father tells his story, we see that there are no easy answers.  This short novel is both suspenseful and poignant.  Highly recommended for a complex look at divorce and father-son relationships.

 

MindyBlogger: Mindy R.

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Book Review: Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets

April 22, 2013 · Filed under Fiction, High School, Novels, Realistic, Reviews · Tagged , , , ,

Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos. March 2013. 9780547928531. Gr. 9-12.

I loved this book.

The review that follows can really be boiled down to those four words, but that short distillation is what I keep coming back to, and is what I have been telling everyone about Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets, an outstanding debut novel by Evan Roskos.

The book is filled with quirkiness and lots of dark, self-deprecating humor, as well as healthy doses of heartbreaking sadness and equal measures of hopefulness.  Some may read the book’s synopsis that says, in part (regarding the protagonist), “James recites Walt Whitman, hugs trees, and talks to an imaginary bird therapist” and think that it is just too strange to pick up and read, but there is a sweetness to James that pulled me in; he is a character that you feel for and hope that things turn out well for him.

James is troubled.  He doesn’t feel that he fits in anywhere, and really only has one friend to help him navigate the difficult time of his life that is high school.  He struggles with depression and crippling anxiety, which is compounded by the fact that his parents aren’t willing to get him help.  He calls his father and mother, “The Brute” and “The Banshee”, respectively, and they are uncaring and abusive to James and his sister, Jorie.  Jorie has been thrown out of the house, leaving James even more isolated.  Typical adolescent issues also plague James, as he struggles with girl issues and being a good friend.

James’ mental illness provides the backbone of the book, and Roskos has drawn on his own mental illness issues to lend authenticity.  James resists becoming one of the multitude of the medicated, yet has difficulty getting out of bed due to his depression, goes through periods where he doesn’t even have the energy to eat, and even contemplates suicide.  At a particularly low point, he wonders if he and his sister are “poisoned with sadness in our blood”.  But with all of the gloominess in the book, there is always a hopeful air to James and his situation.  He uses poetry and photography to provide self-help, and “talks” with his imaginary bird therapist.  He does get professional help as well, so throughout the book the reader hopes things are turning in the right direction for James.

Teenhelp.com says that 20% of teens will experience depression before they reach adulthood.  Depression is isolating by its nature, so perhaps reading this book and knowing that others deal with similar issues may provide some teens with comfort and understanding about their situation.

Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets is a funny, sad, entertaining read that illuminates the often-dark topic of mental illness.

(Note: The book contains instances of sexual talk, mostly between James and his best friend Derek.  This is done in a responsible way by Roskos, and in my opinion, reflects how many teens talk about sex.  But, I would encourage you to get a copy in your hands and decide for yourself the age-appropriateness as it pertains to the teens in your life.)

Ryan H.

Blogger: Ryan H.

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Crossover Picks for Teens

April 15, 2013 · Filed under Dystopia, Fiction, High School, Historical, Novels, Realistic · Tagged , , , , , ,

The number of adult books I read last year was embarrassingly low.  I suppose that is fairly typical among those working in the children’s literature field, but I do try to make it a point to pick up some books that I can discuss with my friends.  It’s a bonus if they are good choices for teens as well.  Here are a few titles from 2012 that you can recommend to teens and discuss with your adult friends.

littlecenturyLittle Century by Anna Keesey. June 2012. 9780374192044. Gr. 11-Adult

This historical novel follows 18-year-old Esther Chambers as she heads west at the beginning of the 20th century.  After her mother dies, she is in search of direction in a world that seems full of possibilities.  Esther gets in contact with a distant cousin in a little frontier town in Oregon and travels from her home in Chicago to stay with him until she figures out what she wants to do next.  Once there, Esther finds herself talked into homesteading and caught up in the politics of ranching in a climate where land and water are very valuable.  This is all new to Esther.  She is a city girl, who hadn’t even ridden a horse before, much less experienced the harsh realities of homesteading.  There are definite comparisons to Hattie Big Sky here, and it’s a good choice for fans of historical fiction.

yearofthegadflyYear of the Gadfly by Jennifer Miller. May 2012. 9780547548593. Gr. 11-Adult

All the politics, secrets, and scandals that are typical of high schools everywhere are amped up at Mariana Academy.  The school has seen its share of issues over the years, and now there is an elaborate Code of Conduct to prevent bullying that a secret vigilante group enforces with blackmail.  Iris Dupont is looking for a fresh start at Mariana, but she can’t resist a good mystery.  Iris is determined to use her journalistic instincts to break into the secret society and expose them.  The twists and turns will keep readers guessing in this complex novel.

purePure by Julianna Baggott. February 2012. 9781455503063. Gr. 11-Adult

In the post-apocalyptic world in this novel, most people are disfigured in some way after surviving the Detonations.  The Pures are the ones who live inside the dome that protected them.  Pressia lives a survivor’s life outside the dome, where  she has it relatively good.  Her disfigurement is comparatively minor, and she barely remembers what life was like before.  Partridge lives inside the dome.  He is safe there, but he feels unhappy with the strict rules and his distant father. Partridge is certain that his mother survived the Detonations outside the dome, and he is determined to find her.  Together, Partirdge and Pressia discover secrets that affect both of their lives.  The next book in the trilogy, Fuse, came out in February

Ryan blogged about Pure and other crossover titles in his post about the recently announced Alex Awards.  Check it out!

MindyBlogger: Mindy R.

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Book Review: The Twelve-Fingered Boy

April 8, 2013 · Filed under Fantasy, Fiction, High School, Mystery, Novels, Paranormal, Reviews · Tagged ,

The Twelve-Fingered Boy by John Hornor Jacobs.  February 2013. 9780761390077.  Gr. 9-12.

I love books with characters that are odd and unique.  I have posted here before about how I believe people judge books by their cover (I know I do!).  I loved this cover and the title, so, everything upon first impression about The Twelve-Fingered Boy grabbed me (groan-inducing pun intended).

Shreveport Justice Cannon, or Shreve for short, is a resident of Pulaski Juvenile Detention Center.  He has lived a rough life, having never met his father and being required to deal with his difficult,  alcoholic mother.  He has had to fend for himself, and also worry about his younger, vulnerable brother, Vig.  Shreve has made a “living” at the detention center by dealing contraband.  Fellow inmates make sure Shreve stays in their good graces, as he supplies the Heath bars, lollipops, and other sweets that they all desire.

Soon, Shreve gets a new roommate.  Jack is a smaller, shy boy who does whatever he can to be inconspicuous, which is difficult when one has twelve fingers.  Jack reminds Shreve of his brother, and Shreve becomes protective of Jack; a friendship is born.  Shreve soon sees that Jack’s hands aren’t the only things that make him unique.  When Jack gets angry, the air ripples around him, and he produces a powerful and destructive shockwave. Jack’s ability has attracted the attention of the dark and mysterious Quincrux, who apparently seeks out those with powers, to use for his own purposes.

Shreve and Jack decide that they can’t stay at the detention center while Quincrux is seeking them, as Quincrux is able to mentally manipulate people, making it easy for him to get past the detention center’s administration and get to Jack.  Shreve learns that he, too, has a special mental ability that was awoken by Quincrux, and this comes in handy while he and Jack are on the run.

We get a lot of “good versus evil” battles, and I must say that Quincrux is as menacing and scary a villain as there can be.  His intentions are not clear, and aside from some ambiguity at the end, it seems certain that he is the embodiment of evil.  A healthy dose of mystery is introduced to be tackled in the next book in this new series, and I am excited to see what is in store for Shreve and The Twelve-Fingered Boy.

Check out the delightfully ominous book trailer here, then get this in the hands (polydactyl or otherwise) of everyone you can!

Ryan

Blogger: Ryan H.

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Book Review: The White Bicycle

April 4, 2013 · Filed under Fiction, High School, Novels, Realistic · Tagged , , ,

whitebicycleThe White Bicycle by Beverley Brenna.  October 2012. 9780889954830.  Gr. 9-12.

The White Bicycle opens with a dream.  Taylor is walking through the woods.  Her mother is calling after her, but Taylor continues walking with her bicycle on the difficult path without looking back.  It is just a dream, but Taylor notes,

“In life it is your dreams that take you forward, and your dreams that make you human.”

Taylor dreams of being independent. She is nineteen years old, and she feels like it is time for her to stop relying on her mother so much.  She was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome when she was eleven, which helped her to understand why some things were difficult for her, but author Beverley Brenna draws on her experience working with people who have Asperger’s to create an intimate story that shares her view that Asperger’s means “seeing the world in a different way, not in a defective way.”  She writes more about Asperger’s and her novels in an interview at the end of the book.  The result is an introspective, occasionally philosophical, coming-of-age novel about an unusual protagonist that will resonate with a wide variety of readers, whether they are familiar with Asperger’s or not.

Taylor’s first person narration takes readers back to her earliest memories, through her parents divorce, and off to the French countryside for a summer job.  Her story began in Wild Orchid, which SLJ compared to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and turned into a trilogy that followed Taylor’s push to move past her fears in new ways as she grows up.  The White Bicycle stands alone as the conclusion of the trilogy, and readers who discover her story will be richly rewarded.

For more books that explore Asperger’s or Autism, see my post about Autism Awareness Month from 2011.

MindyBlogger : Mindy R.

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Book Review: Dark Lord : The Early Years – An April Fools’ Joke?

April 1, 2013 · Filed under Fantasy, Fiction, Magic, Middle School (6-8), Novels, Reviews · Tagged , , ,

Dark LordDark Lord : The Early Years by Jamie Thomson Dirk Lloyd. 9780802728494. 2012. Gr 5-8.

My dad loved jokes and pranks, and I am my father’s daughter.  The difference between us is that my dad could keep up a joke quite a while;  my jokes have to be quick, or my face gives me away—and at my victim’s first sign of doubt, I cave. One year, when a disappointing winter yielded no school cancellations, I woke up my boys on April Fools’ Day with “Guess what?!!!!  It’s a snow day today!!”  After a couple cheers, Alex (a champion at making jokes himself and thus a bit leery of the attempts of others) complained, “Why did you wake us up then?”  End of joke.

Our protagonist in Dark Lord : The Early Years thinks that he is being fooled with.  He remembers falling, a long fall, and when he hits bottom, his world has changed drastically.  Instead of his dark, imperious voice, he hears a high-pitched, boyish squeak.  His Helm of the Hosts of Hades is gone, as are the horns and knobby edges of bones on his skull, to be replaced with a mop of hair.  Where are his tusks and his yellowed fangs, which are so good at striking fear into his enemies?

And what happened to his spell which has covered the sky with the Black Vapors of Gloom?  The warm sun in the blue sky almost gives him a feeling of…”hmmm, let’s see now, something he hadn’t felt in eons, a sense of…peace came over him!”  Ugh!  What would happen to his reputation if his enemies and underlings found out that he was all getting all mellow and everything?

When people come to his rescue, they see only a young boy.  He tries to tell them that he is the Dark Lord, the Incarnation of Evil, the World Burner, but they misunderstand, and so he is given the name “Dirk Lloyd.”  An ambulance takes him to the hospital, where a social worker sets him up in a foster home.   No one believes that he is anything but a twelve-year-old boy with an obsession for fantasy games and movies.

But Dirk knows that he is really “from the Iron Tower of Despair, beyond the Plains of Desolation, in the Darklands.” He must find some way to get back there, because he is the Dark Lord, and his forces are in the midst of a battle with the forces of the White Wizard, Hasdruban the Pure.

But first, he has to go to school and get his homework done.

Dark Lord : The Early Years is hilarious, a great “boy book” for readers reluctant or not.  As the mother of two boys who loved love fantasy worlds, I can relate to all the talk about spells and magical weapons, like rings that can send a Blast of Ravening Flame, a Cloak of Endless Night filled with Bloody Glyphs of Power, and the spell of Agonizing Obedience.

The best part, though, is the doubt in both Dirk’s and the reader’s mind:  Is Dirk just a confused twelve-year-old boy…or could he really be a powerful and monstrous ruler?  Are all his memories just a big joke?

TraceyBlogger : Tracey L.

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Book Review: How to Lead a Life of Crime

March 25, 2013 · Filed under Fiction, High School, Novels, Reviews · Tagged ,

How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller. February 2013. 9781595145185. Gr. 9-12.

I am not a criminal. Far from it.  Sure, I have a couple of speeding tickets on my record, and once was cited for having a dirty license plate (can you believe that? I did appeal that one, and it was dismissed. Thanks, State of Minnesota! Keep your license plates clean, people).  But, for the most part, I walk the straight and narrow.  The great thing about books is that you get to be exposed to experiences outside of your normal life.  This is why a book like How to Lead a Life of Crime appeals to me; it is a gritty, dark, and sometimes gruesome story that is wholly unlike my life.  Do you want to experience the seedy underbelly of society without running the risk of incarceration?  This book is for you.

Flick comes from a rich and privileged family, but is living on the mean streets as a thief, stealing what he needs to get by.  Ties to his family were severed when his abusive, alcoholic father beat Flick’s brother to death and Flick’s mom committed suicide.  You quickly see that life has been grim for Flick, and he understandably holds his father in great contempt.  Flick wants nothing more than to avenge his brother’s death by getting back at his father.  Flick’s remaining bit of humanity is preserved by Joi, who he visits regularly at her shelter, which welcomes kids from across the city that have had difficulties of their own.  Joi is a kind-hearted person who Flick is obviously attracted to, but wary of letting get too close.

Flick is soon propositioned by a mysterious man who wants him to steal some documents from a house.  When the man is satisfied that Flick is skilled enough, he offers him to study at the prestigious Mandel Academy.  Flick soon finds out that the mysterious man is Lucian Mandel, who runs the academy, and who also holds the key to exacting revenge against Flick’s father.  So, Flick agrees to become a student at the school.  It turns out that the academy’s reputation for academic excellence is a front for something far less traditionally academic—students are taught how to get ahead by using criminal tactics.  At the Mandel Academy, courses such as “Partnering with Corrupt Regimes” and “Hand to Hand Combat” are on the schedule, and students battle for positioning in the school’s hierarchy, where there are great rewards at the top, and great consequences at the bottom.

Flick excels in the Academy, but is shaken and surprised when a new recruit shows up, and makes his “education” much more personal.  He has trouble focusing on his ultimate goal of getting revenge on his father, and begins focusing on taking down the corrupt school, all the while being guided by the spirit of his dead younger brother.

Kirsten Miller has come up with a great concept here; at one point, Flick describes the Mandel Academy as “Hogwarts for Hustlers” and this combines with a Hunger Games-like survival theme to make a unique read.  I loved the concept of the students battling for criminal supremacy.  Despite its darkness, there are some surprising moral themes that can be gleaned from the story.  One theme I particularly liked was how a character showed that progress could only be made to overthrow the evil school by banding together, and that starts by getting to know the strengths of all students, not just the ones that are high achievers.

How to Lead a Life of Crime is literary escapism at its finest.  You can go anywhere with a book, even the darkest corners of society.

Ryan H.

Blogger: Ryan H.

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WWII Fiction and Nonfiction for Middle School

March 9, 2013 · Filed under Fiction, Historical, Mackin Picks, Middle School (6-8), Nonfiction, Novels, Reviews, Social Studies

Hero on a BicycleHero on a Bicycle by Shirley Hughes. April 2013. 9780763660376. Gr 6-8.

When I heard the Candlewick rep say, ” Hero is about a 13-year-old boy during World War II, living in Italy,” I wanted to read this book.  World War II is my favorite period of history. We meet Paolo Crivelli, his older sister Constanza, and their mother Rosemary living in the hills of Florence. It is 1944, and the Allied forces are trying to push the Nazis north of Florence to the Italian border. Paolo wants to be part of the war efforts, but is too young to enlist as a soldier and is bored staying home. So he daily plans his escape and rides his beloved bike through the darkened streets of Florence late at night.

One night on his way back home, he is stopped by some Partisans who want help from Paolo’s family. Rosemary agrees to hide Allied prisoners until they can be moved to safety. By hiding prisoners, she puts her whole family at risk of being shot. Paolo, Constanza, and Rosemary show their bravery and courage.

This story captured my attention from the first page. It is Shirley’s first novel, but she has known since she visited Florence at the end of World War II that she would someday write a story about this beautiful area. That someday has come—sixty years later. Her teenage characters seem very authentic, because she based them not only on her own memories as a teenager living in England during this war, but also on a family she met in Italy after the war.

Courage Has No ColorMackin PicksCourage Has No Color : The True Story of the Triple Nickels : America’s First Black Paratroopers by Tanya Lee Stone. 2013. 9780763651176. Gr 5-8.

Courage Has No Color  is also a story about World War II, but it is based here in the U.S. Think about it, we had troops in Europe and the Pacific fighting Hitler’s injustices. But in the United States, men of black skin didn’t have the same rights as those with white skin. German and Italian prisoners of war, who had killed American soldiers, were allowed into the post exchange, but the black soldiers in uniforms were not allowed in. Black soldiers could not even sit at a table with the white soldiers to eat. They were treated as servants.

I had not heard of this group of paratroopers before, but I have gained much respect for them from this book. In the fall of 1943, first sergeant Walter Morris started a training program modeling that of the white paratroopers. Within a week his men began to act like soldiers. Sixteen African-American men made history on February 18, 1944, when they became paratroopers. The Triple Nickels were never sent to the war front, but were transferred to Pendleton Air Base in Oregon. At Pendleton, the Triple Nickels became smoke-jumpers, putting out fires started by bomb-laden balloons. These balloons had been floated by the Japanese on the jet stream to the west coast of the U.S.  I found this story as fascinating as the Red Tails story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American group of pilots from World War II.

Tanya Lee Stone asks, “What did it take to be a paratrooper in World War II? Specialized training, extreme physical fitness, courage, and—until the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion (the Triple Nickels) was formed –white skin… What is courage? What is strength? Perhaps it is being ready to fight for your nation even when your nation isn’t ready to fight for you.”

Guestblogger : Kathy V.

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Book Review: Freaks

February 25, 2013 · Filed under Fiction, Historical, Humor, Middle School (6-8), Mystery, Novels, Reviews · Tagged , , ,

Freaks by Kieran Larwood. March 2013. 9780545474245. Gr. 6-8.

There are a lot of great new books out there.  I am always amazed at the variety and diversity of books for kids; it seems that there is something for everyone.    However, I sometimes get jaded with media, as it seems like everything is too derivative of something else.  I like things that are unique, that haven’t been overdone.

A few things about Freaks piqued my interest and assured me that it would be unique. First, there is the eye-catching cover, depicting three of the “freaks”.  Second is the tagline, “Weirdest. Crime Fighters. Ever.”  Finally, the publisher’s note on the inside that describes it as the X-men meet Oliver Twist assured me that this title would be nothing if not unique!

Freaks is set in Victorian London, a time when sideshow freaks work in less-than-optimal conditions, and “street urchins” beg for money or work long hours at terrible jobs.  Both of these play central roles in Freaks.  The main character is Sheba, a wolf-girl who works as a sideshow attraction in Grunchgirdle’s World of Curiosities, alongside a two-headed sheep named Flossy.  Grunchgirdle is a despicable man that Larwood describes as, “…a rheumy, skinny old man with the aroma of a long-dead trout.” Soon, Sheba is sold to an equally unsavory man named Plumpscuttle.  It is here that she joins a group of other Freaks, including a giant named Gigantus, a ninja-like girl named Sister Moon, a rat-wrangler called Mama Rat, and Monkeyboy, who has a penchant for all things disgusting.

When a girl that Sheba befriends at the sideshow goes missing under mysterious circumstances, the sideshow performers team up to find out what is going on in the city.  Why are poor kids who work near the river disappearing? What is the monstrous, crab-like thing that has been sighted there? Who could be behind all of this?  Sheba convinces the other Freaks that they have to act and try to answer these questions, which takes them on an adventure throughout the city, culminating at the Crystal Palace of London’s Great Exhibition of 1851.

Freaks won the prestigious Chicken House/London Times Children’s Fiction contest.  Kieran Larwood is a Kindergarten teacher in Britain, and one can see this in his writing.  He obviously knows what children find funny, as Monkeyboy provides lots of one-liners and bathroom humor.  Larwood concludes the book with some teaching, in this case about real Victorian London.  He provides a nice history lesson about the impoverished state of the city, the history of freak shows, and the Great Exhibition.

In the book, a sign at the entrance of the freakshow reads, “A Collection of the Hideous, Horrid, and Humongous. Terror and Amazement Await You.  You Are Advised to Bring a Change of Trousers.”  While I won’t go that extent in encouraging you to read this book, I will say that it is a fun and unique story that I thoroughly enjoyed.  Freaks will be released in March.

Ryan

Blogger: Ryan H.

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Book Review: The Tragedy Paper

February 21, 2013 · Filed under Fiction, High School, Novels, Realistic, Reviews · Tagged ,

tragedypaperThe Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth Laban. January 2013. 9780375970405. Gr. 7-12.

“As Duncan walked under the stone archway leading into the senior dorm, he had two things on his mind: what ‘treasure’ had been left behind for him and his Tragedy Paper. Well, maybe three things: he was also worried about which room he was going to get.”

The Irving School has many traditions, including the big assignment in Senior English: Tragedy Paper.  How do you define “tragedy” in the literary sense?  For years, seniors at the Irving School have been trying to answer that very question with mixed results. Now that Duncan is a senior, he is ready to be a part of it all—the treasure and the tragedy.

The problem is Duncan is trying to forget about a tragedy that happened last year.  He keeps telling himself that he is not going to repeat the same mistakes.  He’s going to move on.  Only, the treasure he finds in his room is hardly what he might have hoped.  He finds a stack of CD’s, and when he plays them, he hears the story of what happened last year from the perspective of the boy who had his room last year.  From there, the story splits into two narratives that seem to parallel each other.

Last year, Tim transferred to Irving to escape his old school and maybe have a better experience.  He just wants to blend in, but that isn’t easy for him.  Tim is albino, so his appearance tends to draw attention to him no matter what he does. At Irving, he has caught the attention of one of the most popular girls at school.  That might sound like a good thing, but not when she has a boyfriend.  Duncan listens to Tim’s story with dread because he knows how it ends, but readers are in the dark.  The details slowly come out, and the suspense builds as we delve deeper into Tim’s experience and insecurities.

This book is a compelling mix of mystery, suspense, and, yes, tragedy that will draw in readers with hints of secrets and keep them turning pages to the end.  It’s highly readable, and it will likely have broad teen appeal from readers who like psychological suspense to those who want to explore the layers of literary references to tragedy throughout the novel.

MindyBlogger: Mindy R.

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