Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Release Date: January 10, 2012
Publisher: Dutton Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 336


Source: Bought.

Image from Penguin.com

Summary:

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.


Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love. (From Penguin.com)

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The diction and characters in John Green's The Fault in Our Stars are as electric as the novel's bright blue book jacket. I finished reading this book a month ago*, and the funny, insightful Hazel and the adorably pretentious Augustus--who chooses his "'behaviors based on their metaphorical resonances'"--still burst in on my thoughts.

Hazel Grace Lancaster meets Augustus Waters at Cancer Kid Support Group. Hazel carries an oxygen tank everywhere she goes, because--in her words--her lungs "suck at being lungs." Hazel was diagnosed with incurable Stage IV thyroid cancer that had also spread to her lungs when she was thirteen. Miraculously, she's still alive at sixteen thanks to Phalanxifor, a fictional experimental drug that keeps the tumors in her lungs from growing. Phalanxifor grants Hazel some extra time, but no one knows how much. Augustus, on the other hand, is in remission from osteosarcoma that left him with a prosthetic leg. Augustus is long, lean, and hot. He invites Hazel to his house the afternoon they first meet, and she says yes.

The Fault in Our Stars is a love story: a beautiful, heartbreaking, luminous love story. While cancer plays a major role in the novel, Green never lets it consume the characters or the plot, showing that sick people are--above all--still people. At one point, Hazel remarks, "You have a choice in this world, I believe, about how to tell sad stories, and we made the funny choice." John Green makes the funny choice, too. The Fault in Our Stars is full of hilarious conversation and observations. And when I say hilarious, I mean so funny you want to roar with laughter and read the book out loud to everyone you meet. Or maybe that was just me.


Amidst all this humor, however, Green's characters face tragic, torturous situations. Life isn't fair in reality, and Green does not sugarcoat the reality of cancer. Hazel and Augustus are both forced to contemplate death more often and more seriously than average teenagers, and they are concerned with universal human desires to be remembered, to not truly die, to go on being people. The Fault in Our Stars asks readers to consider the definition of heroism and what it means to do something that matters.


The Fault in Our Stars is also a book about books. When Hazel goes to Augustus's house the afternoon she meets him, they talk about books. Augustus cajoles Hazel into revealing her favorite novel, An Imperial Affliction, which exists only in the fictional world of Green's novel. August announces that he will read it, but adds, "'All I ask in exchange is that you read this brilliant and haunting novelization of my favorite video game.'" Green's characters display an appreciation for different types of fiction, and the novel comments on the place of stories in the face of life and death.

The Fault in Our Stars is one of the best books I have ever read, and I recommend it to readers who enjoy romance, humor, and pitch-perfect prose. I was working at the library the day my branch received our copy, and it was all I could do not to rave about this book to every customer who approached me with a reference question. So I will rave here: The Fault in Our Stars is funny, addictive, quotable, deep, and lovely. And I hope many, many people decide to read it.
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*I happened to pre-order the book from the company that accidentally shipped its pre-orders early . . .

Review: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, from an original idea by Siobhan Dowd, and illustrated by Jim Kay

Release Date: September 15, 2011
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 224

Source: My local library.

Image from the author's website.

Summary:

The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do.

But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...

The monster in his back garden, though, this monster is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth.

Costa Award winner Patrick Ness spins a tale from the final idea of much-loved Carnegie Medal winner Siobhan Dowd, whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself. Darkly mischievous and painfully funny, A Monster Calls is an extraordinarily moving novel of coming to terms with loss from two of our finest writers for young adults. (From the author's website.)
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In Patrick Ness's novel A Monster Calls, the yew tree in the churchyard behind thirteen-year-old Conor's house comes walking. The yew tree monster begins showing up while Conor's mother is in the midst of taxing chemotherapy treatments. So yes, A Monster Calls is a Cancer Book. But it is also a story about stories; the monster approaches Conor because he wants to tell the boy stories. And the stories the monster tells have teeth. The first one begins like a fairy tale, but ends unconventionally. The monster is not interested in falsehoods and happy endings.

In between Conor's encounters with the monster, Conor lives the painful, awkward life of a child with a sick parent. Conor's teachers and classmates treat him differently because his mother has cancer. Regular social and school rules no longer apply to Conor, and the unreality and unfairness of it all frustrates him. To top it off, the monster wants Conor to tell a story, too. He wants Conor to tell the truth. And it isn't the truth I thought he would tell.

A Monster Calls is a lyrical, well-written novel that contains moments of dark humor, uncomfortable realism, and, of course, pain. The novel also contains illustrations by Jim Kay that add to the foreboding, sometimes gothic atmosphere of the novel without taking the visuals completely away from the reader's imagination. However, enjoyed is not a verb I would use to describe my experience as I read this novel. Nevertheless, I highly recommend A Monster Calls to anyone of any age who wishes to read a powerful book. A Monster Calls is marketed and shelved as a young adult novel, but I think I would have a hard time recommending the book to teens and especially children looking to read for fun. This novel requires readers to acknowledge their own mortality and--perhaps most terrifying--the mortality of the people they love and all the uncertainties inherent in life. And there is the fact that Ness built this novel out of characters and a premise developed by Siobhan Dowd, an author who died of cancer before she could write this book. Different readers will react differently to this information, which Ness presents in a note before beginning his tale. I can't hand this book to someone and promise that they will enjoy it. But I can promise that they will walk away with a new appreciation for life, truth, and the struggles we may all face.

Book Review: Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Release Date: July 26, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 352

Source: My local library.

Summary:
A lot has changed in the six months since Evie escaped from the International Paranormal Containment Agency with her shape-shifter boyfriend, Lend. She finally has the blissfully normal life she’s always dreamed of, including
1) A real live high school
2) A perfectly ordinary after-school job
3) Her very own locker (and by the way, rusted metal is every bit as awesome as she imagined)

But Evie’s not-so-normal past keeps creeping up on her...and things get pretty complicated when you factor in:
1) A centuries-old, seriously decaying vampire stalker
2) A crazy faerie ex-boyfriend who is the perpetual bearer of really bad news
3) A major battle brewing between the faerie courts where e prize in question happens to be...Evie herself.

So much for normal. (From Kiersten White's website.)
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Paranormalcy--the first book in this series--was pink, sparkly fun, and I am pleased to announce that the laughs--and the pink--are still present in the second book of the trilogy, Supernaturally. Evie, the main character, has come a long way from page one of Paranormalcy, in which she takes down paranormals such as vampires with Buffy-esque wit and Tasey, her pink taser, while longing for a normal high school life.

The beginning of Supernaturally finds our spunky heroine living a fairly normal life. Her roommate is a vampire, and her boyfriend is an immortal shapeshifter, but her high school is normal. (Read: boring.) And, since she no longer works for IPCA, the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she is free to focus on the terrors of real life, like girls' gym, a boyfriend who's in college and can only visit on the weekends, and the fact that her favorite teen drama is in reruns.

Normalcy is overrated.

So when Raquel shows up with an offer for side jobs with IPCA, and an impish, annoying new assistant named Jack, Evie says yes, even though Lend--her boyfriend--and her other new friends disapprove. Author Kiersten White combines this disagreement with mysterious faerie attacks, the reappearance of Evie's ex-faerie-boyfriend Reth, and some startling revelations about Evie's origins to create an intricate, interesting tale.*

While I recommend reading this series in order (readers who do not will likely be confused), Supernaturally stands enough apart from Paranormalcy to be a good story in itself. White avoids a potential snoozer or simple bridge to the last book in the novel by adding characters like Jack and building more complexity into the characters readers already know.

Supernaturally is a breezy read, but, as with Paranormalcy, I didn't find it impossible to put down. I like Evie and Lend and the other characters, but I wasn't emotionally attached to them. White's writing, on the other hand, is fantastic. She turns on a dime from funny to profound, and in the end her plot threads all come together beautifully. I recommend Supernaturally to readers of paranormal romance, contemporary and realistic fiction (despite the paranormal twists, Supernaturally deals with surprisingly common teen drama, like the horrors of college applications), and readers who like sweet, clean romance. And laughing. Because anyone who reads one of Kiersten White's books will be doing a lot of that.
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*Evie isn't completely normal; she has some special abilities. But you can read all about those in Paranormalcy.

Book Review: The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard

Release Date: January 7, 2010
Publisher: Viking (Penguin)
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 208

Source: My local library.

Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Colt has been sneaking out at night to meet Julia, a girl from an upper-class neighborhood unlike his own. They’ve never told anyone else about their relationship: not their family or friends, and especially not Julia’s boyfriend. When Julia dies suddenly, Colt tries to cope with her death while pretending that he never even knew her. He discovers a journal Julia left behind. But Colt is not prepared for the truths he discovers about their intense relationship, nor to pay the price for the secrets he’s kept. (From the author's website.)
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I read most of The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard* in one sitting, and--I don't care how cliched this next clause sounds--I enjoyed every page of it.

The Secret Year in a nut shell: take Romeo and Juliet, subtract the double-suicide, add class conflict and a heaping cup of secrecy, and add an extra dash of suspense. Mix thoroughly.

Colt Morrissey is a boy from the flats--think wrong side of the tracks--and Julia Vernon is a privileged girl from Black Mountain Road, a fancy neighborhood not too far from the flats. They attend the same school, but hang out with different people: Colt with his friends from the flats, and Julia with the Black Mountain elite. Julia already has a Black Mountain boyfriend, but after she and Colt meet by chance at the Willis River bridge and share an illicit kiss, she begins leaving Colt secret notes and asking him to meet her at the bridge. Julia tells Colt that she wants to have a secret, no-strings-attached relationship with him; she tells him that he wouldn't enjoy the social obligations of being her public boyfriend. And Colt agrees. The two meet at the bridge in secret for a year, until Julia dies in a car accident. Colt is left to grieve for his secret sort-of girlfriend in private.

No one can know about the Secret Year because Julia wouldn't like it if their relationship became public, and besides--who would believe him? Julia already has one grieving, real, Vernon-family-approved-Black Mountain-boyfriend.

Julia was beautiful, cunning, and spirited. She was also a poet who kept a lot of journals. And, not long after the funeral, Julia's younger brother approaches Colt with one of Julia's journals. It's full of letters written to a C.M.: Colt Morrissey. Colt reads the journals over the school year following Julia's death, and Julia becomes a forceful, if deceased, character through her journal. Julia is constantly in Colt's head, and his secret relationship with her begins to affect his relationships with his friends, potential girlfriends, and family.

The Secret Year is a beautifully written novel about love, friendship, and the power people can have over others even after they are dead. I recommend The Secret Year to readers of contemporary and realistic fiction as well as readers who appreciate stories filled with social intrigue, class conflict, and stories dealing with family dynamics.
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*Not to be confused with Jenny Hubbard, author of Paper Covers Rock. Although, funny story, the only reason I picked up The Secret Year was because I did get them confused. I liked Paper Covers Rock so much that, if Jenny Hubbard wrote any other books, I wanted to read them, pronto. Did I think the different first names and the middle initial were odd? Yes. But the two novels contain so many similarities that it's spooky: both feature first-person narration from male protagonists, guilt, unrequited and/or secret love, poetry, settings centering around rivers, untimely deaths, and tell either all or part of the story through journal entries. These elements could easily be the favorite motifs of one writer.

Except that they are not. The J. Hubbards are talented--and distinct--authors. And I'm so glad I mistook one for the other and ended up reading The Secret Year.

Book Review: Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard

Release Date: June 14, 2011
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 192

Source: My local library.

Summary:

At the beginning of his junior year at a boys' boarding school, 16-year-old Alex is devastated when he fails to save a drowning friend. When questioned, Alex and his friend Glenn, who was also at the river, begin weaving their web of lies. Plagued by guilt, Alex takes refuge in the library, telling his tale in a journal he hides behind Moby-Dick. Caught in the web with Alex and Glenn is their English teacher, Miss Dovecott, fresh out of Princeton, who suspects there's more to what happened at the river when she perceives guilt in Alex's writing for class. She also sees poetic talent in Alex, which she encourages. As Alex responds to her attention, he discovers his true voice, one that goes against the boarding school bravado that Glenn embraces. When Glenn becomes convinced that Miss Dovecott is out to get them, Alex must choose between them. (From the publisher.)
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Alex Stromm, a student at a North Carolina boarding school in the early 1980s, begins keeping a journal after his friend Thomas drowns in a river near the school. He hides his "journal/Not-So-Great American Novel" behind an ancient copy of Moby Dick in the library. He greets the reader on the first page:

My apologies to Herman Melville, from whom I may have to steal a few words to tell the story that is about to be told, that is in the middle of being told, that will never stop being told. Such is the nature of guilt; such is the nature of truth. But it is also the nature of guilt to sideline the truth.

Welcome to the sidelines, Dear Reader.*

The sidelines of Alex's thoughts are an intriguing place to be: the story of what happened at the lake the day Thomas died unwinds slowly, and details come to light that surprise even Alex, who was there. What Alex knows for sure, however, is that if anyone finds out what happened before Thomas drowned, he and the other two boys who were at the river--Glenn and Clay--will be expelled. And Glenn, the ringleader of the group, is not about to let that happen to himself.

Miss Dovecott, a new English teacher and recent Princeton graduate, was out for a run when she stumbled on the scene of Thomas's death. Glenn is certain that she knows more about what happened at the river than she lets on, and he suspects that she's waiting to use her knowledge against them. Glenn's plan to find out what Miss Dovecott knows (and get rid of her if necessary) coincides with Alex's growing relationship with Miss Dovecott. (It's not a romantic one, although Alex spends a lot of time writing about his awkward crush on her.) Miss Dovecott notices Alex's talent for writing, and she begins meeting with him one-on-one to encourage him to develop his skills.

Glenn is the one to suggest that Miss Dovecott may be using Alex to see if he reveals anything about Thomas's death in his writing. Glenn--who grows increasingly paranoid that Miss Dovecott plans to expose them--pushes Alex to choose between him and Miss Dovecott.

Alex's choice is guaranteed to spark conversation between readers.

Paper Covers Rock is a short novel, but I read it slowly. Author Jenny Hubbard's prose is beautiful and full of thoughtful observations about life and literature, yet still believable as the journal of a precocious high school poet-boy. Literary allusions springing from Alex's studies fill the novel's pages, too; Paper Covers Rock is as much about poetry as it is about the aftermath of Thomas's death.

(And in spite of the plot's intensity, Paper Covers Rock finds time to be funny: the school installs a fountain in memory of Thomas, who--let's not forget--drowned.)

Paper Covers Rock isn't a fantasy, but it is set in another time and-- unless the reader happens to be at a boarding school for boys in rural North Carolina--another place, and the setting feels real. For this reason, and also for the novel's prose, tight plotting, and wide appeal, Paper Covers Rock is one of the best books I've read in the past few years.

Paper Covers Rock possesses crossover appeal; Alex's struggle between self-preservation and doing the right thing is universal, and Miss Dovecott--although seen through the eyes of a teenage boy--is a strong adult character who provides someone for older readers to identify with. I recommend Paper Covers Rock to readers who appreciate psychological drama, mysteries, and realistic fiction.
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*This book may shame me into reading  Moby Dick . . .**
**Bad English major, I know.

Book Review: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Release Date: May 24, 2011

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 400

Source: My local library.

Summary:
From bestselling, Print Award-winning author Libba Bray comes the story of a plane of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert island.

Teen beauty queens. A "Lost"-like island. Mysteries and dangers. No access to email. And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives underground in girls, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Oh, the horror, the horror! Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count. (From libbabray.com)
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Reading Beauty Queens is like watching a classic screwball comedy such as Bringing Up Baby*, but smarter: author Libba Bray keeps the satiric laughs and plot twists coming so quickly that reading this novel is almost exhausting.**

After the contestants for the Miss Teen Dream pageant crash on an island en route to the pageant venue, the survivors form two teams--the Sparkle Ponies and the Lost Girls--to salvage materials from the wreckage of the plane, and search for more survivors in the jungle. Unfortunately, the list of survivors is few, and food and water are in dangerously short supply. One beauty queen reflects on the girls' predicament:

 "Ohmigosh. No food at all . . . . I am going to be so superskinny by pageant time!"

The beauty queens soon have more to worry about than food. In the universe of Bray's novel, a giant company called The Corporation seems to hold a monopoly on TV shows and all sorts of products. The Corporation also has political ambition and takes part in shady deals with leaders from other countries, like the one that's scheduled to take place between The Corporation and MoMo B. ChaCha, the dictator of the Republic of ChaCha (whose most trusted advisor is a stuffed lemur named General Good Times), on the same island as the one the beauty queens crashed on.

The resulting hijinks, violence, and explosions are wacky fun. Also, there are sequins.

Bray executes her outlandish plot with plenty of satire and wit, and the laughs don't stop when the Deep Thoughts begin. In Beauty Queens, Bray goes after materialism, gender roles, racism, society's attitude toward the handicapped, environmentalism, the fashion and beauty industries, and more. Bray invites readers to question the world around them: just because certain social ideas exist doesn't mean they're right.

Bray's main aim, however, seems to be to subvert the social expectations placed on girls and women. Bray clearly states within the novel that Beauty Queens is a sort-of retelling of Lord of the Flies, but with girls and a more positive view of humanity. While thinking about life on the island, Miss Nebraska muses:

"Maybe girls need an island to find themselves. Maybe they need a place where no one's watching them so they can be who they really are."***

Much of the novel focuses on identity. Each beauty queen has a specific struggle, although some characters bleed into the background while others are forceful and memorable.

I had mixed feelings about Beauty Queens until I finished it. The serious and funny parts don't always mesh very well, and much of the novel feels all-over-the-place. But now that I'm done reading it, I'm still thinking about it. And laughing. (General Good Times, anyone?) Beauty Queens is an enjoyable, intellectual novel, and I highly recommend it.

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*Bringing Up Baby trailer

**I'm not sure how Bray lives in her own head without laughing 24/7. Or maybe it's more of a cackle.

***This quote instantly reminded me of Barbara Kruger's 1981 work Untitled (Your Gaze Hits the Side of My Face), which uses the format of a magazine cover to suggest how aggressive the way society scrutinizes women can be.

Image from SGA Art History

Book Review: Chime by Franny Billingsley

Release Date: March 17, 2011
Publisher: Dial Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 368

Source: My local library.

 Summary:
Before Briony's stepmother died, she made sure Briony blamed herself for all the family's hardships. Now Briony has worn her guilt for so long it's become a second skin. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out, even as she believes she deserves the worst kind of punishment.

Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair. He's as natural as the sun, and treats her as if she's extraordinary. And everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know. (From frannybillingsley.com)
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Franny Billingsley's Chime is dark, yet uplifting. One of my favorite books in elementary school (and to this day) was Billingsley's The Folk Keeper.* Much like The Folk Keeper, Chime is about a girl who discovers startling truths about herself while learning how to give and receive love.** Briony isolates herself, and part of the fun of Chime is separating truth from the lies that surround Briony: lies that were told to Briony, and lies that Briony tells.

The novel begins:

I've confessed to everything and I'd like to be hanged.
Now, if you please.
 
As she recounts her story, Briony continues in this sharp, funny-yet-serious manner. Chime is set in turn of the century England, and new swamp-draining technology is coming to the Swampsea, where Briony lives with her mostly absent father and her identical twin, Rose. With the new technology come new residents, like Eldric, a funny, handsome "boy-man" who shows Briony a new side of herself as well as of people. Briony and Eldric bond over fighting lessons and Latin jokes. Briony says of Eldric:

If Eldric were to tell the story, he’d likely begin with himself, on the day he arrived in the Swampsea. That’s where proper stories begin, don’t they, when the handsome stranger arrives and everything goes wrong? But this isn’t a proper story, and I’m telling you, I ought to be hanged.

As indicated by her repeated insistence that she ought to be hanged, Briony struggles with guilt throughout the novel: guilt over her sister's peculiarities, guilt over the flood that damaged her family's home, guilt over her stepmother's recent death. Briony is convinced that she hurt Rose's head when they were children, which is why Rose speaks too loudly and needs looking after. Briony also tells the reader that she spoke to the Old Ones and called the flood that injured her Stepmother. She reminds herself of her misdeeds over and over, like scratching at a cut and never letting it heal.

Although the experience of reading Briony's guilt-ridden narration isn't as painful as it sounds, Chime is an intense read full of believable grief, regret, and all the painful and confusing bits that can accompany love. Chime is also funny, and fun. The atmosphere is fairytale-like, and the tales of the Old Ones in the swamp are both spine-tingling and entertaining. With words like "scareful," the dialect of the Swampsea is convincing. There is also unrequited love and silly crushes, as well as requited love and one of the most touching romances I've ever seen in literature. It's the best kind, in which the boy and girl act as equals. And all that guilt and darkness? Billingsley's characters find a way around it.

I recommend Chime to anyone who enjoys romance, folklore, family drama (Rose is a fantastic character), mysteries, and--of course--beautiful prose.
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*Add it to your reading list if you enjoy historical fantasy mixed with folklore and beautiful prose, and if you like reading, period. Seriously. I own a copy of The Folk Keeper, and it sits on the second shelf of my bookcase***, which I reserve for my Favorite Books of All Time.

**This aspect of Billingsley's novels is not as cheesy as it sounds. Pinky swear.

***Because that shelf is easiest to reach, of course.

Book Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Release Date: April 5, 2011
Publisher: Dutton
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 208

Source: My local library.

Summary:

It’s been three years since the devastating accident … three years since Mia walked out of Adam’s life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard’s rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia’s home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future—and each other.

Told from Adam’s point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance. (From gayleforman.com)

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I made time for Where She Went back in the craziness of April when school was still in session, and I've been waiting to pull out my notes and rave about it ever since.* Whenever I opened it, I always read for longer than I meant to. That said, there seemed to be many natural stopping points. I rotated between being glued to the pages and wanting to put the book down for awhile, but Gayle Forman's characters and the delightful atmosphere of Where She Went were always on my mind.

The same economical, beautiful prose in If I Stay is present in Where She Went, only Adam plays the narrator, instead of Mia.

*Spoiler alert: People who haven't read If I Stay may want to quit reading now, although the biggest spoiler--the fact that Mia stays--is already evident from the existence of Where She Went. This warning is only a little unnecessary. . .*

I have much respect for Forman's unconventional handling of Mia's and Adam's romance. Where She Went is a funny (at times bitterly so), ultimately feel-good novel populated with realistic, imperfect people who don't always deal with each other and their situations in the best possible ways. Adam's voice comes across as realistically upset and depressed as he makes sense of the downside of rock 'n roll fame and Mia's inexplicable rejection of him. (Translation: He swears. A lot. But never for no reason.)

Where She Went is intense, yet cozy. Even when it's strained, Mia's and Adam's relationship feels like a well-worn pair of shoes. I imagine the coziness is amplified for readers who are already acquainted with these characters, but enough background information is provided for readers to read the two books out of order.

Where She Went is a graceful novel that explores changes and ups and downs in relationships while allowing the reader to vicariously experience the exciting lives of two remarkably successful twenty-one-year-olds: a rockstar and a classical cellist. Forman highlights beautiful details, like how the sounds of the crowds at concerts for Adam's band changed as the band grew in popularity. I recommend Where She Went to readers who like contemporary fiction with a dash of inspiration, as well as readers interested in romance and family dramas. Where She Went is a book that affirms that people can get back together and grow and change. And the writing is GORGEOUS.
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*Any book I made time for in that whirlwind of a month had to be very, very good, and Where She Went was evidently good enough to come between me and my textbooks.

Previously by Gayle Forman: If I Stay

Book Review: The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

Release Date: March 7, 2011

Publisher: Harcourt

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 304

Source: Bought.

 Summary:

The summer of 1889 is the one between childhood and womanhood for Amelia van den Broek-and thankfully, she’s not spending it at home in rural Maine. She’s been sent to Baltimore to stay with her stylish cousin, Zora, who will show her all the pleasures of city life and help her find a suitable man to marry.

Archery in the park, dazzling balls and hints of forbidden romance-Victorian Baltimore is more exciting than Amelia imagined. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset-visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. Newly dubbed “Maine’s Own Mystic”, Amelia is suddenly quite in demand.

However, her attraction to Nathaniel, an artist who is decidedly outside of Zora’s circle, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own- still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him. And while she has no trouble seeing the futures of others, she cannot predict whether Nathaniel will remain in hers.

When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause. (From the author's website.)

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The Vespertine in three words = mischievous, creepy, and gorgeous.

The mischief starts with the first sentence: "I woke in Oakhaven, entirely ruined." This sentence could lead to a cautionary and/or steamy tale of a young, imprudent Victorian woman, but--thankfully--it introduces the reader to Amelia van den Broek, an only slightly imprudent young Victorian woman, who is locked in the attic of her brother's house in Maine. Author Saundra Mitchell goes on to allow Amelia to tell the reader how she came to be there, transitioning back to her brother's house--from the events to their aftermath, and back again--a couple times throughout the story.

Amelia recounts her arrival in Baltimore, and how she makes friends with Zora, who she is staying with, and Zora's friends, Sarah and Mattie. (I have to mention their names because I feel I know them so well; there are no small parts in The Vespertine.) Zora's family hosts a dinner party shortly after Amelia arrives. Unfortunately, one of the guests cancels at the last moment, leaving thirteen people at the table. Thirteen is an unlucky number, so Zora's parents hire a young man to round out the party. His name is Nathaniel, and he is a starving artist. Of course, he's attractive, and Amelia is instantly captivated and self-conscious. Starving artists are not, of course, marriage material, but Mitchell avoids a cookie cutter forbidden romance by adding a supernatural twist. Nathaniel seems to be everywhere and anywhere, and he seems to appear out of nowhere; he has a secret.

Amelia has a secret, too. On the night of the dinner party, she sees figures in the sunset outside the window. Her vision comes to pass, and soon she and her new friends are testing the limits of her gift. Word travels, and soon Amelia and her friends are entertaining legions of callers and telling their fortunes over tea. It's all good fun until Amelia stops seeing wedding dresses and spies disasters instead. A tangled web of different people's emotions and agendas makes for an intense resolution.

The Vespertine isn't completely dramatic, though; it's fun and funny, too. Amelia and Zora peek at Zora's crush through fence posts, giggle over late night conversations, hold boys' hands without wearing gloves (oh, the scandal!), practice archery, and get up to all sorts of hijinks. And they do it all in tight-fitting, movement-constricting corsets in Mitchell's gorgeous and atmospheric prose. Seriously, nearly every sentence of The Vespertine is a treat to read. I wasn't always glued to the plot, but I was always in love with the language.

I recommend The Vespertine to readers who enjoyed Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy (A Great and Terrible Beauty, etc.) as well as those who enjoy a dash of the supernatural with their historical fiction. As far as I can tell, Mitchell allows her characters to enjoy unusual adventures without ignoring the realistic consequences of their behavior within late nineteenth-century social rules. I am eagerly looking forward to The Springsweet, a companion novel to The Vespertine, which is due to be released next spring.

Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Release Date: December 2, 2010

Publisher: Dutton

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 384

Source: Bought.

Summary:
Anna was looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all . . . including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss? Stephanie Perkins keeps the romantic tension crackling and the attraction high in a debut guaranteed to make toes tingle and hearts melt. (From stephanieperkins.com)
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Anna Oliphant is sent to Paris for her senior year of high school by her father, a Nicholas Sparks-ish author who writes "novels set in Small Town Georgia about folks with Good American Values who Fall in Love and then contract Life-Threatening Diseases and Die." Luckily, she makes friends quickly, and even luckier for both Anna and the reader, one of them--Étienne St. Clair--is a Very Hot Boy.*

I can't say enough about this book. A tangle of relationships--friendship, love-gone-wrong, misleading flirtation, friends crushing on friends--compose the plot, and author Stephanie Perkins adroitly juggles her characters' many different dreams, agendas, and feelings. And despite the boarding-school-in-Paris setting (which I loved), the interactions between the characters stem from realistic situations. A person doesn't have to be in Paris to break and repair friendships or fall in love with someone who's already taken.

Anna tells her roller coaster of a tale in funny, clever first-person narration. I would've read this book in one sitting if I'd had the time. The ending is unique, mature, and gorgeous. Anna and the French Kiss left me light and wide-eyed, stuck in warm knits in Paris with the scent of baguettes and a sense of boundless possibility. Anna is a dream of a book--so, so satisfying, yet realistic. And as much as I like him, Étienne St. Clair isn't perfect. He makes mistakes, and there's no idealism here. There are also some faintly stereotypical high school moments and some over-the-top emotions, but over all Anna and the French Kiss left me in post-good book depression because I couldn't find anything to immediately replace the experience of Anna. I wanted to keep wandering Paris with Anna, Étienne, and their friends. I recommend Anna and the French Kiss to anyone who likes contemporary fiction and/or romance, armchair travel, humor, and good writing. I've already started reading Anna a second time.
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*This diminutive text is accidental; Blogger is doing some odd things with font size and will not let me fix it.

Book Review: Visibility by Sarah Neufeld, Illustrated by D. Meister

Release Date: June 2008

Publisher: Bowler Hat Comics

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 320

Source: Review copy from publisher.

Summary:
Natalie is the disappointingly normal daughter of Jayden Irving, a universally reviled woman with the power to turn invisible at will. When Natalie discovers she had inherited more than just her mother’s metallic blue eyes, she decides it’s about time she traveled beyond the boundries of her suffocating life. Desperate to escape Jayden’s indifference and disdain, Natalie soon finds herself pulled into a web of blackmail, false identities, and lies that threaten to turn mother against daughter. (From Bowler Hat Comics.)
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First, even though the cover suggests it, Visibility is NOT a graphic novel. According to the back of the book, it is an "Illustrated Novel." This is an accurate description; illustrations are scattered throughout the novel, but the words do the storytelling. In fact, the illustrations sometimes seem unnecessary, but a few are helpful for visualizing the story. Their greatest contribution lies in lending Visibility an occasional comic book feel that suits the book's superhero plot well.

Natalie Irving's mother, Jayden, has the power of invisibility, but--to the anger of the government and the public--she refuses to use her gift to help others. She's cold, inaccessible, and, as Natalie repeatedly insists in her first-person narration, a terrible mother. Jayden sends Natalie as a representative to meetings she'd rather not attend, and even throws her a rather public birthday party just to show how inept Natalie is with reporters and other humans in general. Jayden seems to find pleasure in making her daughter uncomfortable. She's a difficult woman to read, and while she becomes more interesting toward the end of the novel, she's talked about more than she's seen-- there's a lot of Jayden this, Jayden that. It makes sense when combined with Jayden's power of invisibility and Natalie's own limited knowledge of her mother, but I would've liked an extra scene or two with her.

As for the other characters, Natalie is a likeable narrator, and Peter--her bodyguard/friend--is an appealing character. He's unfailingly kind, intelligent, and always there for Natalie. He also draws a lot, which plays into the novel's illustrations well. I even liked a certain blackmailing police officer, an ambiguous character as far as good and evil go.

In a nutshell, Visibility is a well-paced, well-written, and entertaining novel. Author Sarah Neufeld keeps the plot moving, and introduces plot twists and jolting surprises at perfect moments. It is hard to be bored while reading Visibility. Natalie is an endearing character: living in Jayden's shadow leaves her with little self-confidence, and she feels invisible in a way that many girls without distant parents with the power of invisibility feel. Neufeld explores figurative visibility through literal invisibility--the idea of seeing oneself, seeing others, and being truly seen by others.

Visibility stays away from getting too philosophical, though. It's a superhero story with a realistic twist at heart, complete with humor, secret missions, and enough action to keep readers in suspense. It's a wonderfully quick read, and I'm warning you now that reading it may interfere with small things like housework and sleep. Overall, it's an entertaining and original story. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys superhero stories, coming-of-age tales, or fast, exciting reads.

Book Review: Carney's House Party and Winona's Pony Cart by Maud Hart Lovelace

Release Date: October 12, 2010 (reprint)

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Age Group: YA/children's/crossover
Pages: 448

Source: Review copy from publisher.

Summary:

It is the summer of 1911 and Carney Sibley is back home in her beloved town of Deep Valley, Minnesota. She's looking forward to hosting a month-long house party, with guests including her Vassar college roommate Isobel Porteous and old chum Betsy Ray. With lots of the old Crowd and a new friend -wealthy, unkempt but lovable Sam Hutchinson-around, the days are filled with fun. And romance seems to be in the air. But Carney can never be romantic about anyone but Larry Humphreys, her high school sweetheart, who moved to California four years ago. Then Larry returns to Deep Valley and sets the town abuzz. Will Larry propose? And will Carney say yes?
Included with Carney's House Party is the bonus children's novel by Maud Hart Lovelace, Winona's Pony Cart. Winona Root is almost eight years old. More than anything in the world, she wants a pony for her birthday. She wishes so hard for a pony that she's sure to get one-at least, that's what she tells her friends Betsy, Tacy and Tib. It's only when the exciting day grows near that Winona begins to wonder: What if her father meant it when he said she couldn't have a pony? (From HarperCollins)
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Carney and Winona* are characters from Maud Hart Lovelace's wildly popular Betsy-Tacy books. If you haven't heard of the series, you're not alone--the series began in 1940. Carney and Winona were first published in 1949 and 1953, respectively. The Betsy-Tacy books have maintained a loyal following ever since.** And from what I can tell, the people who like Maud Hart Lovelace's books really like them.

Carney and Winona join Emily of Deep Valley in a reprint of Two Deep Valley Books featuring characters from the Betsy-Tacy series. I recently read Emily and fell in love with Deep Valley, the setting of Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy books.

I expected to like Carney, and I did. The beginning of the book finds Carney at Vassar, finishing her sophomore year of college. There are pompadours, class day dresses, massive daisy chains, and hot cocoa parties. Everything about this novel is cute and cozy, yet smart. Lovelace brings up complex, real-life problems and offers insightful ideas that, as far as I can tell, are standing the test of time. (About sixty years, anyway.) Carney has been in love with Larry, who moved to California while the two were in high school, for years. They've been faithful pen pals, and she's sure he's the one. Like life, though, things don't always go how one expects. I won't spoil the story, but I will say that the romance is squeal-worthy. Carney contains one of my new favorite kissing scenes.

Maud Hart Lovelace based her books on her childhood, but she knew how to combine reality and fiction to make a good story. My favorite thing about the character of Carney is her ability to think and reason through her feelings. She's a strong, self-confident young woman.

Winona is short, sweet, and funny. Basically, Winona wants a pony. She also wants to invite lots of people to her birthday party. Misunderstandings both embarrassing and hilarious give way to a satisfying ending. Both Carney and Winona are written clearly (with younger readers in mind) and with the same sweet humor that stays just shy of too sugary. Carney was my favorite work of the two, but Winona seems like she'd be a favorite with children, especially when read aloud. In any case, don't let the children's lit category put you off these books. Carney's House Party and Emily of Deep Valley are easily some of the best books I've read in the last few years. They've earned the right to be called modern classics, and they possess enough humor and insight to satisfy all ages.***
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*I keep wanting to call her Ramona; it's easier to type.
**The Betsy-Tacy Society in Mankato, MN. How many series with full blown historical societies do you know of?
***This book also contains a foreword from Melissa Wiley, another reader who discovered Lovelace's works as an adult. If you've ever wondered what prefacing a favorite--and classic--book is like, check out my interview with Mitali Perkins on prefacing Emily of Deep Valley.

Book Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Release Date: August 31, 2010
Publisher: HarperTeen
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 352

Source: Bought.

Summary:

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.

But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal. (From the author's website)

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Ohmigosh, so fun! So pink. So side-splittingly funny.

Evie, the main character of Kiersten White's Paranormalcy, wandered away from her foster parents when she was eight years old. She ended up in a graveyard where she saw a vampire, learned she could see through paranormals' human-like glamours to their true natures, and was subsequently snatched up by IPCA, the International Paranormal Containment Agency. Now she's a hardworking teen with a full time job identifying, bagging, and tagging paranormals with Tasey, her pink rhinestoned taser.

Evie's world is shaken early in the novel by the arrival of a handsome shape-shifting paranormal boy. Soon, she's questioning the hard line between paranormals and humans and brushing aside disturbing hints that her world, and her identity, aren't what they seem. It doesn't help that her faerie ex-boyfriend is up to no good.

Paranormalcy is a quick--though not wildly unputdownable--read with a creative spin on paranormal romance and mythology. While I wasn't always crazy about Evie's repetitive first person voice, her narration is engaging and funny; I dare anyone who picks Paranormalcy up to keep a straight face. Moreover, White delivers not one, but two attractive male leads. The winner of Evie's heart is obvious, but it's still fun to watch the romance--and the most adorable first kiss scene I've read in a long time--take shape.

As the novel progresses, Evie's world goes from simple to complex, and she learns to think of normal in new ways.

I recommend Paranormalcy to readers who enjoy paranormal fiction, squeaky clean (and super cute) romances, books with both humor and attitude, and anyone looking for a quick, fun read.* Paranormalcy left me many lovable characters and enjoyable scenes to carry in my head after finishing it. Oh, bleep!** I can't wait for the sequel.
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*Evie uses Buffy-esque snark on more than one bag and tag mission.
**You'll get it if you read the book.

Book Review: Mockingjay (Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins

Release Date: August 24, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 390

Source: Bought

Summary (STOP READING if you haven't read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, plan to read them, and want to be surprised) :

"My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead."

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.


It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans -- except Katniss.


The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay -- no matter what the personal cost. (From Good Reads)
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Last year I read, but did not review, Catching Fire. I didn't read any reviews of it, either, because nothing anybody said was going to stop me from reading that book. I feel the same way about Mockingjay, but I'm reviewing it anyway because I can't stop thinking about it.

Mockingjay is a fitting end to The Hunger Games series, but I can't call it satisfying. Katniss and Peeta have become two of my favorite fictional characters, and it's not a spoiler to say that they--and the reader--endure many difficult scenes in this book. Author Suzanne Collins dials the brutality of the series up a notch, and Katniss is forced to choose how violent she will be outside the arena. Katniss is physically strong, but after the last two novels she's emotionally broken, and Collins doesn't gloss over that; she doesn't grant any of the main characters a magic protagonist bubble, and she bravely allows the logical, dark reality of her fictional world to overshadow what readers may want for the characters. Be prepared for mixed feelings.

That said, the close of Mockingjay isn't without hope, and the novel does have its fun, humorous moments. Readers can also expect a closer look at colorful, hedonistic, and absurd Capitol ideas and customs. (There's a shop that sells fur undergarments.)  As for the writing, I've disliked the pacing in all three Hunger Games books, and for me Mockingjay alternated between unputdownable and annoyingly slow and repetitive. Mockingjay invites many questions about the ethics of revenge and when--if ever--violence is acceptable. Also, a lot of horrible things happen, and people die in unthinkable ways. These scenes, of course, are narrated in Katniss's matter-of-fact voice, and she's too busy fighting and being the face of the rebellion to feel the full emotional impact. And thank goodness the emotions aren't all there, or readers would be nervous wrecks after Mockingjay.

All in all, certain plot elements felt too convenient, and if you're looking for flawless prose, you won't find it here. What you will find, though, are fascinating, fully drawn characters and an entertaining and challenging read that demands thought and discussion about ends, means, and even storytelling. Most readers of The Hunger Games series already have it on their To Be Read list, and anyone who read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire and didn't hate the books owes it to themselves to see how Katniss's story--and that awful cliffhanger in Catching Fire--turns out.

Book Review: Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan

Release Date: October 19, 2009

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 336

Source: My local library.

Cover image from BTSB Bookstore

Summary:

Fifteen-year-old Blake has a girlfriend and a friend who’s a girl. One of them loves him, the other one needs him.

When he snapped a picture of a street person for his photography homework, Blake never dreamed that the woman in the photo was his friend Marissa’s long-lost meth addicted mom. Blake’s participation in the ensuing drama opens up a world of trouble, both for him and for Marissa. He spends the next few months trying to reconcile the conflicting roles of Boyfriend and Friend. His experiences range from the comic (surviving his dad’s birth control talk) to the tragic (a harrowing after-hours visit to the morgue).

In a tangle of life and death, love and loyalty, Blake will emerge with a more sharply defined snapshot of himself. (From the author's website)
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I didn't pay attention to this book when it came out last year because I didn't like the cover--shallow, I know. Other people paid attention to it, though. Flash Burnout won the 2010 William C. Morris Award, an ALA award that honors YA debut authors. I looked past the cover after author Stephanie Perkins recommended Flash Burnout in this post.

I now understand why it won an award.

Flash Burnout is a love story: first love, love going well, love gone wrong, parental love, brotherly love, friendship, and self-acceptance. Blake, the main character and first person narrator, has a likable, humorous voice that made me laugh even as bits of Blake's life were falling apart. Blake has a girlfriend he loves and a girl friend and fellow photography student he likes spending time with, and who, after Blake unknowingly snaps a picture of her meth-addict mom, needs him.

Author L.K. Madigan navigates first-relationship awkwardness and the tension between Shannon and Marissa, the two girls in Blake's life, well. Each scene flows neatly into the next; Flash Burnout is well-paced and well-suited for long sittings. I liked all of Madigan's characters--Blake has a great family that includes a Medical Examiner dad who occasionally brings his work home, a no-nonsense mom and a surprisingly awesome older brother, as well as a dog named The Dog Formerly Known as Prince. Half the fun of this novel is watching Blake's family interact and support each other.

Anyway. The drama of Blake's girl issues escalates until it explodes, and Blake does a Bad Thing. I won't say what it is, but Blake's actions and their fallout invite much serious thought about a mature subject. Through it all, though, I never disliked Blake, nor did I feel sorry for him. Madigan walks a tightrope of feelings and ends up with a beautiful, sad (not oh-no-somebody-died sad, but rather realistically bleak), and funny novel. The plot is intense--externally and internally--and but for one awkward sneaking out at night scene, I have no complaints.

I recommend Flash Burnout to readers of contemporary fiction, those who enjoy juicy internal conflict, and anyone looking for a thoughtful, funny read.