The Witches of Cambridge by Menna van Praag

Title: The Witches of Cambridge
Author: Menna van Praag
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date: February 9, 2016
Rating: 4/5 

The Gist: Amandine Bisset has always had the power to feel the emotions of those around her. It's a secret she can share only with her friends all professors, all witches when they gather for the Cambridge University Society of Literature and Witchcraft. Amandine treasures these meetings but lately senses the ties among her colleagues beginning to unravel. If only she had her student Noa's power to hear the innermost thoughts of others, she might know how to patch things up. Unfortunately, Noa regards her gift as a curse. So when a seductive artist claims he can cure her, Noa jumps at the chance, no matter the cost.

Noa's not the only witch in over her head. Mathematics professor Kat has a serious case of unrequited love but refuses to cast spells to win anyone's heart. Her sister, Cosima, is not above using magic to get what she wants, sprinkling pastries in her bakery with equal parts sugar and enchantment. But when Cosima sets her sights on Kat's crush, she conjures up a dangerous love triangle.

As romance and longing swirl through every picturesque side street, The Witches of Cambridge find their lives unexpectedly upended and changed in ways sometimes extraordinary, sometimes heartbreaking, but always enchanting.

Review:

The Witches of Cambridge is a lovely book with just a touch of magic within its pages.  It tells the story of five women, of finding love, of losing love, and of learning to love your own gifts.  Amendine fears that she is losing her husband while also trying to help her mother, Heloise deal with the death of the only man she has ever loved.  Noa's inability to prevent her self from blurting the truth as she sees it have prevented her from having a true friend, let alone a true love, and she soon finds herself at the mercy of a mysterious man with a power all his own.  Cosima wishes for the unrequited love of a child and her sister Kat refuses to admit to love, even to herself.  Together these wonderful women weave a web of magic as they see out their heart's desire and learn to heal themselves.

Menna van Praag writes fantastic worlds where magic is in the everyday and her characters are bound to witch their way into your heart.  She tells a powerful story of friendship, love, loss, and finding yourself.  The women are all very different characters and the plot revolves through their points-of-view.  This keeps the plot moving at a steady pace, though while four of them move in and out of each other's stories, Noa ended up feeling a little disjointed as her story (admittedly the most interesting one) occurs outside of the sphere of the others.  She doesn't have much contact with the other witches, and they are so wrapped up in their own issues that it takes a little too long for them to realize that she is in trouble.  I also have to admit that I wasn't nearly as invested in the sisters' story lines.  I think this is because they are introduced later than the other characters and I was less invested in their tales.

The magic in The Witches of Cambridge simmers just at the surface, with a wonderful sprinkling throughout the plot.  Except for Cosima, the witches are much more passive with their powers, having things happen to them rather than because of any actions that they have taken.  Cosima uses her magic in her bakery, creating fantastic treats for all sorts of reasons, including the attempt to bring her the only thing she has ever wanted - a daughter.  I particularly loved Heloise's storyline as she dealt with the death of her husband and the long grieving process.  We get to watch her 'come back to life' and even find love again, all the while, her magic blooms around her. 

Unfortunately, the ending comes together a little too quickly and easily and I felt some moments that could have been truly poignant were glossed over.  Mostly though, it is great story with some beautifully written characters.    

Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman

Title: Shadow Scale
Author: Rachel Hartman
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Release Date: March 10, 2015
Rating: 4/5

Cover Impressions: These covers are so intricate.  I can't help but stare at all the little details and I love the color.  I wonder if the physical copy has the iridescence that the Seraphina re-do did.

The Gist: The kingdom of Goredd: a world where humans and dragons share life with an uneasy balance, and those few who are both human and dragon must hide the truth. Seraphina is one of these, part girl, part dragon, who is reluctantly drawn into the politics of her world. When war breaks out between the dragons and humans, she must travel the lands to find those like herself—for she has an inexplicable connection to all of them, and together they will be able to fight the dragons in powerful, magical ways.

As Seraphina gathers this motley crew, she is pursued by humans who want to stop her. But the most terrifying is another half dragon, who can creep into people’s minds and take them over. Until now, Seraphina has kept her mind safe from intruders, but that also means she’s held back her own gift. It is time to make a choice: Cling to the safety of her old life, or embrace a powerful new destiny?

Review:

Shadow Scale continues the story of half-dragon, Seraphina as she seeks out others of her kind and endeavors to find a way to save her home from the fallout of a dragon civil war.  Seraphina still struggles with who she is as she travels the region meeting hatred in some and acceptance in others.  

Shadow Scale features some fantastic characters.  First, we continue with the half dragons we have already met - Abdo, Lars and Dame Okra - all phenomenal characters in their own right.  Particularly with Dame Okra's sense of wit.

"'Ah children' growled Dame Okra, watching him climb. 'I forget what darlings they are.  How I long for the opportunity to forget once more.'"

But, as Seraphina travels we get to encounter even more half-dragons and see how the avatars in her mind garden compare to the actual specimen.  It was fascinating to see how the dragon side manifested in each of these people and the different motivations of each.  We are also able to see the impact of location and upbringing as we travel from Goredd, where Seraphina hid among the people of the city, to Ninys, where the Ityasaari were banished from society, to Porphyry, where they experienced their own sense of community and family.  We also see more of Jannoula, raised in the worse of circumstances and playing her own game with the people, Ityasaari and dragons.  We spend a great deal of time trying to ascertain her motivations and whether or not she can be trusted.  This adds a sense of intrigue and mystery to the plot.  

The story itself lags a little as we get bogged down in several different places.  There are instances where Seraphina appears to spend a great deal of time in limbo, never really accomplishing anything and also times when the plot is slowed by a sense of helplessness as Seraphina appears unwilling or incapable of saving the people that she loves.  There are also several sections where the author delves into metaphor and introspection, particularly with regard to the inner workings of Seraphina's mind.  The whole concept of the mind garden and Jannoula's tethering is confusing at best, and I did find my eyes glazing over when the author tried to explain them.  The rest of the plot is much stronger, particularly after Seraphina returns to Goredd and the war approaches.  

This being YA, we can't quite escape the love interest aspect, but it is particularly well done in Shadow Scale.  Here we see two characters making a conscious choice not to be together because of the pain it will cause someone they both care about.  There are also some unexpected surprises to this portion of the plot which were a breath of fresh air to someone who has seen the same old love triangle over and over again.  I was also very thankful to Harman for the inclusion of diverse characters - those of color, of all sexualities and even transgendered.  Those aspects of the characters are not a plot device, or even their defining characteristic - it is simply part of them being well-developed characters.    

Bottom Line: Shadow Scale features some phenomenal characters and an interesting plot.  It is an excellent continuation of the story started in Seraphina and, in the end, will leave the reader satisfied, even if we do wish for books in this world. 

Notable Quotables: "Oh, good - he was dead, too. It wasn't just me."

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 12 and up
Sex:  Kissing
Violence: Swordplay, Knifeplay, Death by Falling
Inappropriate Language: Bastard
Substance Use/Abuse: None

The Dress Shop of Dreams by Menna Van Praag

Title: The Dress Shop of Dreams
Author: Menna Van Praag
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date: Dec 30, 2011
Rating: 4/5

Cover Impressions: This cover is a wash of magic.  From the beautiful dress to the lovely swirling colors. The font stands out without overwhelming the delicate tone.

The Gist: Since her parents’ mysterious deaths many years ago, scientist Cora Sparks has spent her days in the safety of her university lab or at her grandmother Etta’s dress shop. Tucked away on a winding Cambridge street, Etta’s charming tiny store appears quite ordinary to passersby, but the colorfully vibrant racks of beaded silks, delicate laces, and jewel-toned velvets hold bewitching secrets: With just a few stitches from Etta’s needle, these gorgeous gowns have the power to free a woman’s deepest desires.

Etta’s dearest wish is to work her magic on her granddaughter. Cora’s studious, unromantic eye has overlooked Walt, the shy bookseller who has been in love with her forever. Determined not to allow Cora to miss her chance at happiness, Etta sews a tiny stitch into Walt’s collar, hoping to give him the courage to confess his feelings to Cora. But magic spells—like true love—can go awry. After Walt is spurred into action, Etta realizes she’s set in motion a series of astonishing events that will transform Cora’s life in extraordinary and unexpected ways.

Review: 
The Dress Shop of Dreams is a really lovely story.  It is one that you know will wrap up in a happy ending, but the journey to get there is really fun.  All of the characters in this book are well developed and have a touch of magic all their own.  Despite there being rivals for one man's affection, there is a decided lack of girl on girl jealousy that is really refreshing.  Cora is unique in her outlook on the world and her obsessive counting which accompanied the narration just enough to be charming, without becoming tedious.  There are several plot lines that weave through one another in a delightful way and a number of smaller mysteries that are sprinkled throughout the plot.  These helped move the plot along and allowed it to avoid stagnating as we approached the answers to the big mystery - what actually happened to Cora's parents.  That particular plotline was a little disappointing as it was fairly predictable.  Despite a slightly slow start, The Dress Shop of Dreams wrapped up beautifully and left me really satisfied.  I am looking forward to delving into more of Menna Van Praag's world.    

Oblivion by Sasha Dawn

Title: Oblivion
Author: Sasha Dawn
Publisher: Egmont USA
Release Date: May 27, 2014
Rating: 3/5

Cover Impressions: I'm not usually a fan of full face covers, but I like this one.  The eyes are very detailed and the writing keeps your eye moving across the cover.  I am not, however, a big fan of the title font.
The blurb sounds really interesting and I am excited to read about someone who suffers from graphomania.  I have heard of this condition before and I really hope the author gets her facts right.  I do wish they had left the whole "new guy at school" part off, I don't see any reason for this story to be wrapped up in a romance.

The Gist:  Calliope Knowles suffers from Graphomania - a compulsion to write.  Words pop into her head and torment her until she is able to get them out.  The disorder started the night her father, a local minister, disappeared with a young girl from the parish.  Callie was found in her old apartment, scrawling I KILLED HIM across the bathroom walls.  Since that day, she has no memory of what happened, but as she refuses to take her medication and slips deeper and deeper into the grip of the words that haunt her, they begin to form a pattern.  These clues lead her on a search that uncovers more family secrets than she ever thought possible.

Review: 

I skipped over this book when I was in the middle of a reading slump and decided to wait to review it until I was more likely to enjoy ANYTHING that I was reading.  I'm very glad I did because Oblivion got off to a pretty slow start and and needed some patience.  There was something about the writing style that didn't quite grab me.  There was a distinct lack of transition between Callie's narrative and her Graphomania episodes and hallucinations/memories.  There was a great deal of description every time one of these hit (which was A LOT) and it really started to slow down the plot.  Callie spent a ridiculous amount of time searching for a pen, which drove me insane.  Every time her graphomania hi, she went frantic looking for a pen and notebook and I kept questioning why someone who suffers from this disorder doesn't have a pen in every pocket.  The plot was also slowed by the whole romance element.  Callie has a boyfriend, but naturally starts to fall for another guy who, unfortunatly, is the current interest of her foster sister - which leaves him off limits.  This led to a lot of pages dedicated to teen angst when all I was interested in was what actually happened to Callie and if she killed her father.  Eventually, I started to skim until I got to the halfway mark and things got interesting.

The mystery was less of a whodunit, and more of a whatexactlydidtheydo.  There were some decent surprises along the way.  I did feel like this book could have been more effective as a mystery if they cut some of the boyfriend drama and gotten rid of some of the repetition and made the book shorter.  By the time the main mystery had been resolved, it felt like the story was done, but there was a great deal of time spent wrapping up some of the loose ends, which left me a little bored. 

Callie was a decent main character, though she had more a tendency to follow along with other people's plans rather than to take charge of her own life.  When she did make her own decisions, they usually left her squatting in an unoccupied apartment with no real plan for the future.  The most interesting part about her was the graphomania.  I would love to know how accurate a portrayal this was and if Callie is representative of what people living with this issue actually go through.  I would also like to know how someone who has experienced this felt about John referring to it as a gift.  None of the other characters were particularly compelling, except Callie's mother, who is barely featured.

Oblivion didn't work for me right away, but the last 1/4 or so picked up and I enjoyed the mystery plot. 

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age:15 and up
Sex: Sex between teens
Violence: Physical Child Abuse, Sexual Child Abuse, Knifeplay, 
Inappropriate Language: Piss, Bitch, Fuck, Whore, Shit, Slut
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage Drinking, Marijuana Use

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: May 13, 2014
Rating: 4/5

Cover Impressions: Nothing that I would ever pick off a shelf.  The colors are muted and a little bland.  I really dislike when covers use all lower case font, but that is my own personal issue. 

The Gist:  

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

- Goodreads.com

Review: 
We Were Liars is far more unique than I ever anticipated.  Lockhart certainly has a writing style that is all her own, but one that I feel is dividing readers.  I loved it.  But, I can see where it would annoy others.  It opens with short, choppy sentences that are more statements of fact than storytelling, but it is incredibly effective.  The story is told from Cady's point of view who suffers from memory loss, migraines and is forced to use pain killers to cope.  These facts left me wondering about her reliability as a narrator and questioning everything that she tells the reader.  It also features variations on the the three princesses fairy tale which add charm and depth to the story.

I will admit, there was a point about halfway through where this felt like just another rich girl, whining about her problems.  It certainly took patience to begin to piece the clues together and see that there was a really important story to be told.  There are a lot of characters to get straight and a lot of home names to put into place.  There are actually three group of players on the island: the Liars (the older children), the Aunts and Grandfather, and the Littles.  The Liars are the main characters, teens who have run of the island each summer.  The Aunts constantly fight each other for the Grandfather's attention and bicker over belongings and homes.  The Littles do not play a major role, but, when the book was over, I found myself thinking back to some of their actions in light of the new information which added some great depth and enjoyment.  In fact, by the end, the reader realizes that there were clues from the very first page, we were just unable to see them in context without more information.

To be honest, this review is really difficult to write without giving away too much of the story, so I will probably stop there.  We Were Liars is a beautiful, melancholy mystery that is beautiful in it's style and storytelling.

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 13 and up
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Death by Fire
Inappropriate Language: Bastard, Bullshit, Fuck
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage Drinking

ARC Book Review: The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer

Title: The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy
Author: Kate Hattemer
Publisher: Knopf/Random House
Release Date: April 8, 2014
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions:  This cover is interesting, but I am not sure that I love it.  The colors are a little bland and the two characters on the front are trying far to hard to look cool.

The Gist: The students at Sewlyn Arts Academy have been invaded by reality TV.  The new hit show For Art's Sake is being filmed in their halls and is pitting student against student for a once in a lifetime chance at a scholarship that could change their lives.  Mediocre student Ethan, and his friends are appalled at the changed that this has caused in their school and the way that Ethan's crush, Maura, is being portrayed.  Inspired by Ezra Pound's long poem, they decide to write one of their own - to protest and bring down For Art's Sake, even if it means losing one of their own. 

Review:
I had a difficult time with this novel.  I feel like this book was written for a reader that is far hipper than I am and I found the overly adult dialogue being spouted from the mouths of teenagers to be more annoying than refreshing.  I actually found myself finding other things to do and other things to read, rather than to finish this novel.  

This book had a bit of a strange structure.  At the beginning, there were 3 "opening" chapters that jumped around in time.  I found this to be a bit disconcerting as I was concentrating more on figuring out the time structure than in relaxing into the story.  This is repeated at the end with three "How it could have ended" chapters which did not allow me the sense of closure that I was hoping for.

My biggest problem came from the fact that there was no real sense of urgency in this story.  Yes, their school was hosting a reality show competition but, I never really felt like this impacted their life in any meaningful way.  It had to be annoying, sure, but other than having a few classes interrupted or having to avoid certain hallways, school appeared to be continuing as usual.  Instead, the characters just felt like overprivileged children that were desperate to find something to rage against.  The whole idea of protesting through the use of a long poem was so inauthentic and it turned me off the characters immediately.  I teach teenagers and even my brightest student would never find this idea the least bit appealing nor would they have any chance getting their entire student body to read it.

The story could easily have been saved if the characters had been a little more interesting.  I saw hope, the triplets were wonderful.  I loved how funny they were and the sweet way that Ethan's relationship with them was portrayed.  I found myself daydreaming about my son playing Candy Land with a (yet to be conceived) younger sister.  These moments gave me real hope for the story and the characters because they were so well written, cute and funny.  They showed a unique view of the teenage boy's personality and made for some very amusing interludes.  I actually found myself very unhappy to see them end and the "real" story pick up again.  The other characters were flat and boring.  Other than their particular talents, they didn't seem to have any personality.  Ethan's ridiculous crush on Maura was maddening, even more so when he was blind to see that he actually did have a shot with her, and self deprecation and dependence on Bacconaise in every situation became more and more annoying as the story wore on.

In the end, I was treated to a predictable plot twist and ending.  What I was not expecting was how preachy things would get.  Clearly the author has some issues regarding reality TV which, quite honestly, may be founded in a great deal of truth.  However, I was not prepared to listen to a soap box lecture on the woes of commercialization.  

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 14 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Electrocution of an animal
Inappropriate Language: Piss, Ho, Slut, Bitch
Substance Use/Abuse: None

ARC Book Review: The Wishing Thread by Lisa Van Allen

Title: The Wishing Thread
Author: Lisa Van Allen
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: September 3rd, 2013
Rating:  4/5

Cover Impressions: This cover has that beautiful, magical feeling that keeps me coming back to this genre.  I love the natural background and the simplicity of the barefeet.  The yarn adds a wonderful pop of color and the tendrils on the font give it just that little extra detail.

The Gist: The Van Ripper women have always been strange.  Living in The Stitchery - a run down home in Tarrytown, New York, they walk the line between the modern world and the realm of magic.  The women in the family have the ability to knit spells, an ability they share with the people of the community - at a cost.  Holding the town's secrets sets the Van Ripper women apart, sometimes even from each other.  When the death of the family matriarch brings the three sisters home once more, they must learn to live with one another and with impact their decisions will have on the family for generations to come.

Review: 

Every now and then, I feel the need to leave behind the world of YA and jump into an "adult" book.  Usually when I am enticed to do this, it is by a book in the Magical Realism sphere like this one.  The Wishing Thread is a wonderful story of three sisters and what home truly means.  I loved the world of these women.  The Stitchery had that run down feeling where magic can bury itself deep in the walls and permeate the very existance of each person who steps foot there.  The sisters are all strong and unique characters with their own strengths and weaknesses.  I loved getting to know each one of them and watching as they embraced what their hearts had known all along. 
There is a touch of romance in The Wishing Thread but it never overpowers the main story.  The love interest is a kind and gentle man, willing to support Audrey in her endeavors and never balks at the idea of magic.  I really enjoyed how the women weave their spells in a very subtle but powerful way.  This is the kind of magic I love reading about - the everyday magic that takes work and sacrifice but reinforces the strength of the women who wield it. 
The Wishing Thread is beautifully written.  Lisa Van Allen has a wonderful majesty over language and weaves the story together seamlessly.  I will be looking forward to whatever works she is planning in the future.

Book Review: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Title: Wonder
Author: R.J. Palacio
Publisher: Knopf Books
Release Date: Feb 14, 2012
Rating: 4/5 

Cover Impressions: I love the mysterious nature of the image here and the incorporation of the title. 

The Gist: August Pullman was born with a facial deformity that invites stares and begs questions whenever he goes out in public.  Having been home-schooled for most of his life, Auggie is about to embark on his first year of middle school.  Wonder chronicles his year as a fifth grader as he tries to show is classmates that he is just an average kid, despite his appearance

Review:
Wonder is honest and thought provoking.  For a book that follows a fifth grader, albeit a very unique fifth grader, it has a remarkable level of depth.  It presents emotional moments, but in a way that is palatable for a general audience.  Perhaps my main criticism is that it did not go quite far enough.  I was waiting for the heart wrenching moment that would cement Wonder in my mind, but it never happened.  It was a sweet novel, with some sad moments and some insight into the world of a child that is just trying to fit it - but I don't really feel that I will remember this book in a year's time.

The novel was written in sections, each one from the perspective of a different character.  I enjoyed this, particularly when the sections over-lapped and was able to see the same actions through a different point of view.  The one caveat, was the section from Justin, Via's boyfriend.  There was a distinct lack of punctuation that I found frustrating (is the boy allergic to capital letters?) and distracting.  It left me wondering why his section was given this treatment when the chapters from the fifth grader's POVs were perfectly written?

To be honest, even despite these few flaws, Wonder was well on its way to a 5 star rating until I hit the ending.  In the last 1/4 of the novel, an incident occurs in which August's bullies come to his aid.  From this point on, everyone loves him (in a very patronizing, pat on the head kind of way).  Even his main tormenter is suddenly made unpopular and eventually changes schools.  It all seemed a little too sunshiney for me.   

No tears here, but I do admit it was a sweet, touching book that may convince the reader to take a look at how they can show kindness every day, and what a difference that kindness can make.

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 12 and up
Gender:  Both
Sex:  None
Violence:  Kid Fighting:  Shoving, Punching
Inappropriate Language: None
Substance Use/Abuse: Smoking

Notable Quotables:

When discussing whether or not they should be dating: "'Yeah, I agree,' said August. 'Which is kind of a shame, you know, what with all those babes who keep throwing themselves at me and stuff?'"

"Shall we make a new rule of life ... always to try to be a little kinder than necessary?"

ARC Book Review: Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirsten Cronn-Mills

Title: Beautiful Music for Ugly Children
Author:  Kirsten Cronn-Mills
Publisher: Flux
Release Date: Oct 8, 2012
Rating: 3/5

Cover Impressions: The cover grabbed me enough to make me take a look at the synopsis, so that is something.  I like the graffiti feel of it, but would prefer for it to be a little more gritty, like an image taken from an overpass - raw and real.

The Gist: Beautiful Music for Ugly Children chronicles a few, particularly eventful months in the life of Gabe, a teenaged transexual boy.  Gabe was born Elizabeth and has recently "come out" to his parents about his true sexuality and his decision to stop hiding.  He has also begun working on a late night radio show which forces him into the spotlight and endangers himself, his friends and his family when some people decide that Gabe would be better off staying hidden.

Review: I chose to request this galley because I have read so little YA fiction that features trans characters.  As a teacher, I am always trying to find ways to better understand the struggles that my students might be going through and I hoped Beautiful Music for Ugly Children might provide some insight.  This was one of the books high points.  It was interesting and sometimes moving to watch the characters as they struggled with Liz's decision to start living as Gabe.  There was some conflict between he and his best friend as she tried to decide what their new relationship would look like and where the boundary lines lay.  There was also a struggle in his parents that I, as a mom, could understand.  Having raised Elizabeth from a little girl, her parents displayed feelings of anger, disbelief and guilt as they struggled to accept her as Gabe and to change the way that their family interacted.  It is easy for books like this to try to do too much and to make a complete 180 from emotional wreak to warm, loving family, but I feel like Beautiful Music for Ugly Children didn't make this leap and that it showed, instead, a believable level of growth on the part of the parents.

This novel had some great potential and it touched on some very important themes.  However, I feel that it could have done more.  There was the underlying threat of violence but this never felt entirely real.  If the author had chosen to start off small and build toward the ultimate showdown, I think it would have felt more realistic.  There was also the tendency for things to be a little too easy.  There just happens to be an automatic audience to a brand new radio show that is so enthralled by the DJ's music choices that they take on tasks to please him?  There just happens to be a radio contest looking for a young, fresh DJ to launch their career?  The transgendered kid comes out and is immediately embraced by his (hot) best friend and pursued by his (also hot) classmate?  Opportunities seemed to fall in Gabe's lap and things were a little too convienent for my taste.

I also had a little trouble connecting with the character of Gabe.  I liked him, sure.  But I didn't really CARE about him.  There was something I couldn't put my finger on stopped me from emphasizing with him.  Perhaps it was the length.  This is a short novel, and there was A LOT crammed into those pages.  That didn't leave a lot of room for character development or back-story.  I really would have preferred if the novel started with Liz, a closeted transgendered kid, and then chronicled her transition to Gabe and coming out to her family and friends, rather than to have started after all that occurred.

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children fell short of my expectations, but was still a good read that provided some insight into the feelings of a teen in transition. 

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 16 and up
Gender: Either
Sex: Kissing, Talk of Erections, Allusions to Sex
Violence: Threats, Sexual Violence, Attack with a Baseball Bat
Inappropriate Language: LOTS! Bitch, Ass, Dick, Shit, Carpet Muncher, Goddamn, Jesus, Pussy
Substance Use/Abuse: Smoking, Underage Drinking

ARC Book Review: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

Title: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
Author: Rachen Cohn & David Levithan
Publisher: Knopf Books
Release Date: Oct 26, 2012
Rating: 3/5

Cover Impressions: The cover is cute.  I love that it represents New York without relying on the predictable and cliched images that are so often used. 

The Gist: When Dash finds a mysterious red notebook tucked onto a shelf at his favorite used book store, he is faced with a set of dares.  These challenges reveal tidbits about the author, Lilly and encourage Dash to set some dares of his own.  As they pass the notebook back and forth, Dash and Lily learn a little about each other, and a lot about themselves

Review: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares starts off with a really interesting premise: two teens, who have never met, are drawn together through dares and challenges set in a notebook that they pass back and forth.  Having never visited New York (but always longed to go) I loved how the adventure carried the characters through some iconic (and not so iconic) sites in the city.  The fact that it takes place at Christmas, and Lily's love for the season, made me really wish I was reading it during December and I think it would be a great holiday read.

Dash and Lily are both great characters, but in very different ways.  Dash is intense and brooding, with a vocabulary that will give any reader a reason to dig out their dictionary (or download a new app).  His manner of speaking was a little pretentious and stopped me from really rooting for him.  I also think that it would put off some readers, particularly teen boys.  Lily, on the other hand, is sweet and positive.  Her happiness is infectious and really helps set that holiday mood.  I had a lot of fun watching her rebel a little and loved that we saw some growth by the end.

I enjoyed the first half of this book much more than the second half.  The dares and challenges were entertaining and kept me wondering about what the kids would come up with next.  However, once they finally met each other, I lost some interest.  Things became awkward and more unbelievable.  I also got a little annoyed with watching the characters continuously get in their own way and was sort of hoping for a less expected ending.  Despite these issues, Dash & Lily's Book of Dares is a fun, quick read that I think would be a great pick for the holidays.

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 15 and up
Gender: More suited for teen girls
Sex: Kissing
Violence: None
Inappropriate Language: Fuck, Shit, Hell, Prick, Douche, Bitch, Whore, Piss
Substance Use/Abuse:  Underage Drinking

Book Review: A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff

Title: A Vintage Affair
Author: Isabel Wolff
Publisher: Random House Audio
Release Date: September 7, 2012
Rating:  5/5

Cover Impressions: I really like this cover.  The colors are muted but eye-catching.  You get just enough of a feel for the setting of the book and I LOVE that the cupcake dresses are featured.

The Gist: Phoebe Swift has suffered a terrible loss.  Riddled with guilt and regret, she removes every trace of her old life and sets up Village Vintage, a vintage clothing shop, in the hopes of burying herself so fully in her business that she does not have time to dwell on the past.  In sourcing clothing for her shop, Phoebe encounters Therese Bell, an elderly woman with painful past of her own.  Through the tale of a child's blue coat, both women will come to a new understanding of love, loss and regret.

Review:  In moving to a new school this year, I found myself in the thick of traffic for the first time since I started working.  In an attempt to circumvent the frustration of the bumper to bumper drive, I turned to the audio of A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff.  The narrator, Violet Mathieson, had a wonderful voice couple with a beautiful accent.  She was also quite skilled in creating voices and accents for each of the characters.  A Vintage Affair so enraptured me that I actually looked forward to getting stuck in traffic as it ensured me a few more moments in that world.

The characters themselves are almost all deeply flawed and beautifully broken.  The pain of both Phoebe and Mrs. Bell was palpable, as was the love for their lost friends and their regret at not having made different choices.  Supporting them, was a cast of men and women who all had issues of their own and who evoked in the reader a sense of understanding and sadness.  There are no villains here.

The descriptions in this novel made me long to walk into Village Vintage, to hear the bell tinkle overhead and to trace my hand along some of the beautiful fabrics that were sure to greet me.  If you have not developed a love of vintage clothing already, A Vintage Affair will certainly set you on that path.  I, personally, have fantasies of a deep purple cupcake dress.

While this novel is not exactly fast paced, it doesn't lag either.  The stories unfold themselves in intervals and, more often than not, the readers sneaking suspicions are proved correct.  The true beauty in this novel lies in the underlying humanity behind the characters' actions and the pain and regret that is so relatable by anyone who has suffered a loss. 

I highly recommend a venture into the painful and poignant world that Isabel Wolff has created.

ARC Book Review: Velveteen by Daniel Marks

Title: Velveteen
Author: Daniel Marks
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: Oct 9, 2012
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions: The cover is what first attracted me to this book.  It is deliciously dark, simple and stunning.

The Gist: Velveteen was murdered by a serial killer named Bonesaw.  She spends her days emerging from purgatory in order to chase down errant spirits and attempt to foil the plans of her killer.  When purgatory is thrown into upheaval, it is up to Velveteen and her team to hunt down the culprits and restore the balance between the living and the dead.

Review: The blurb for this novel led me to believe that it was the story of a ghost seeking revenge on the serial killer that murdered her.  That story excited me and I imagined a dark and disturbing show-down between killer and victim.  This was not what I got.  Instead, Velveteen centers around a group of souls that are attempting to escape purgatory and return to the "daylight".  This story is not nearly as exciting.

A major problem exists with the world building in Velveteen.  It presents a unique representation of purgatory, however, there is little to no explanation of anything that is going on.  We are left to stumble after Velvet in the hopes that she will drop some tidbit of information that will help bring this world into being in our minds.  Alas, these tidbits are few and far between.  For example, purgatory seems plagued by Shadowquakes.  I never got a clear picture of what this looks like, nor what it means for the souls that are left in it's wake (one girl appeared to be captured by the first quake but was later mentioned as being shaken up - but fine).  We are led to believe that all of purgatory is mashed together from items that can stolen from the living and smuggled in through the cracks, yet there is a train and it is never explained how this came to be.  Every time I encountered one of these issues (and there were many) I was left flicking back pages, convinced that I had missed something.  It ruined the flow of the story and left me annoyed.

The characters themselves are bland and boring.  Velvet is a terrible leader and the souls that make up her team seem interchangeable.  They evoked no sympathy or emotion whatsoever and were not the least bit clever or witty.  It is never explained what makes these particular teenagers special enough to be members of the ________ team.  ________ was such a boring character that I just had to go back and look up his name.  There was zero chemistry between him and Velvet and her half-assed attempt to stay away was annoying and wasted time that could have been spent on developing the plot or explaining what the heck was going on.

When Velvet interacted with her killer there was a real sense of urgency and excitement.  These scenes gave a titillating glimpse into the book that could have been.  Unfortunately, there were only a few of these moments and, in order to reach them, I had to wade through page after page of grey dullness in purgatory.  

In the end, Velveteen left me unsatisfied.  I realize that this is the first in a series, but that doesn't mean that it shouldn't provide SOME answers to the motivation of the villain, or the secrets hidden by those in charge.  Velveteen gave me no closure on this story and no desire to continue with the next.

A final note on appropriateness:  As a teacher, I would NOT recommend this book to my students for fear of being fired.  There is A LOT of casual swearing (see below), some pretty nasty violence and description of torture. 

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 17 and up
Gender: Female
Sex: Allusion to sexual acts
Violence: Knifeplay, Gunplay, Kidnapping, Torture
Inappropriate Language: A LOT AND OFTEN! Piss, Shit, Blue Balls, Bitch, Slut, Ass, Tripping Balls, Dumpster Baby (just wrong), Whores, Fucking, Douche-Baggy, Dick, Pussy
Substance Abuse: Use of Gas?

ARC Book Review: Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield

Title: Hanging by a Thread
Author: Sophie Littlefield
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: Sept 11, 2012
Rating: 1/5

Cover Impressions: Not impressed with this particular cover.  It appears that she is lying on a bloody comforter on a bed (is that what everyone else sees?).  This never happens in the book.  Clare spends page after page describing her wacky designs, but all I see pictured is a simple lace top and VERY traditional necklace.  The pose is boring, the color is bland and there is nothing to make me pick this one up off the shelf.

The Gist: The town of Winston, California has been rocked by tragedy for each of the past two fourth of July weekends.  After moving back to the town where she grew up, Clare is simply concerned with trying to fit in with the popular kids and maybe find some summer romance.  She is also trying to hide the fact that a mysterious gift allows her glimpses into people's lives just by touching their clothing.  When chance brings her into contact with the jacket of Amanda, the girl who died the previous July, Clare must decide what to do with the disturbing vision.

Review: This book did not work for me at all.  In theory, it had good bones: the prodigal return, a mysterious power, a possible serial killer, a bad boy love interest - but when all those things came together in Hanging By A Thread they created a big pile of "Meh".  It starts off with promise, but gets bogged down once Clare starts playing Nancy Drew and each and every character is compelled to spill their guts for not apparent reason. 

The writing involves a great deal of Telling rather than Showing and tons of Info Dumping.  LOTS of long paragraphs explaining how events went down.  Seems like everyone in this town kept their secrets for two years and then all Clare has to do is ask a simple question and they break down and confess their life story.  The plot was fairly predictable and eventually, I ended up skimming paragraphs because I was getting tired of being told things that I had already figured out.  Had the author thrown out a shocking twist or two, I could have been brought back on board but instead I got the standard "rich parents bail out rich kids and someone decides that they should be punished" storyline.  For most of the book, Clare runs around town asking questions and when we finally did get a touch of action it was only slightly more exciting and over all too quickly.

The characters were incredibly one-dimensional.  Clare was boring and spent a considerable amount of time feeling resentful of her gift and arguing with herself about whether or not she should do anything about the information that she found.  She blames a lot of her problems on her mother and, despite constantly reminding us that the woman needs to slow down/find friends/reconcile with her own mother, Clare's only contribution to making these things happen is to yell at her.  The other female characters were pretty boring.  Rachel and her friends all sort of blended together and seemed to only serve as a way to pile on information through gossip sessions.  The males, on the other hand, were all really un-likable.  Clare's dad is a deadbeat, the guys she hung out with were jerks who called her a tease and a slut, and even the love interest, Jack, was an anger fueled young man with control issues.

I did not buy the romance angle for one minute.  In fact, it seemed pretty unhealthy to me.  Clare spent the first moments of their relationship grilling him about his murdered ex-girlfriend (to which he responded with anger and hostility) then continued to suspect he was the killer while running off to be alone with him in deserted areas of town!  As with the other characters, Jack spills his guts a little too quickly and then the pair act overly familiar for kids who just met and I really doubt the validity of their connection.  Clare reveals her secret (which left me yelling "what the hell, you just met like three days ago") and Jack starts throwing out lines like "Clare - it's me.  Tell me what you need." (which led to a lot of eye rolling).

I normally enjoy YA Mystery and I have heard good things about Sophie Littlefield, but Hanging by a Thread just fell flat for me.  On to the next book.

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 16 and up
Gender: Female
Sex: Discussed, not described, kissing.
Violence: Fighting, Knifeplay
Inappropriate Language: Bitches, Shit, Jesus, God-Damn, Dick, Fuck, Slut, Pisses, Jerk, Hell, Bastard
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage drinking (and stealing of alcohol) 

Unanswered Questions:

If the parents are so concerned about a serial killer, why are they letting their teens out of the house at all?  It is called grounding folks (or if you want to be more PC about it - Family Game Night)

Having encountered/subdued a murderer, WHY DIDN'T YOU PHONE THE POLICE???

ARC Book Review: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Title: Unspoken
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: September 11, 2012
Rating: 4/5
 

Cover Impressions: OOOOOOOHHHHHH PREEETTTYYYY!  I really like this cover.  The silhouette effect creates a sense of mystery and the font adds a fantastical charm.  I cannot wait to see if/how this theme continues with the next book in the series.

The Gist: For as long as Kami Glass can remember she has heard a voice in her head.  She has lost friendships and the other citizens of Sorry-in-the-Vale avoid her gaze but she has never been able to give up her imaginary friend.  When the mysterious Lynburn family returns to town, Kami is faced with the realization that Jared is not so imaginary and that if their connection could be real, perhaps Sorry In the Vale might also hold more sinister secrets. 

Review:  Unspoken is based on a really interesting premise.  Kami and Jared have been able to hear one another since birth, but have convinced themselves that the other was not real.  When they finally discover each other, one might think that they would fall in the ultimate insta-love and proceed to sicken us with their every move.  BUT Brennan would not do this to us.  No, No, instead she wrote characters who recoiled at the thought of a real, physical person knowing their every intimate secret (who wouldn't?!).  To complicate matters, Kami is investigating the return of the Lynburn family, whom the townspeople speak of with both awe and fear and the sudden violence that has erupted in Sorry-in-the-Vale. 

The true strength of Unspoken lies in its characters.  There are no one dimensional characters here.  Each and every person, from Kami, to her friends, to her parents and brothers and the Lynburns, have unique and interesting qualities.  My favorite has go to be Angela, Kami's outspoken best friend.  She loathes nearly all people and covets a laziness that can only be matched by her brother, Rusty.  Angela has a quick wit and says whatever is on her mind.  This often leds to moments that have me literally laughing out loud such as:

"Angela spared a glare for Kami and then resumed her marathon glaring session at Jared.  'I'm not calling you that,' she announced flatly.  'It's too weird.  I'm going to call you Carl.' Jared scowled.  'I don't want you to all me Carl.'  'That's interesting, Carl,' said Angela, cheering up."

I also had a special place in my heart for Holly, the girl who hit puberty a little too hard and found herself shunned by most of the girls her age.  She is incredibly sweet and it is clear that she has tried to make friends with Kami and Angela for quite some time.  Even she gets a few great lines:

"'Right,' said Holly, 'Well.  If the unicorn is pink, about two feet tall, with a sparkly mane, we'll know my imaginary friend is real too.'"

Believe me, there are LOTS more examples of this fantastic dialogue, in fact, a number of quotes from Kami's dad can be found in the Notable Quotables section below.  In fact, in writing this review and reading others I have seen quote after quote after quote and hardly any repeated.  THAT is how good the dialogue is.

The plot of Unspoken moves smoothly as secrets are revealed and the danger heightens.  The story was not bogged down with the typical insta-love and love triangle that could have happened if Brennan when the easy route.  I did feel that Kami made some stupid decisions (creating a few "What, what, what are you doing? moments) and a few things could have been fleshed out further (such as the encounter with Henry Thornton) but overall, the action was exciting and suspenseful.  

I feel I must discuss the ending.  ABANDON HOPE OF NOT BEING SPOILED, ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE:  Kami's ultimate decision was unexpected in terms of the actions of most YA heroines, but was completely in line with who she is as a character.  Jared's reaction surprised me and broke my heart a little.  Endings like these are frustrating in that I feel unsatisfied.  Secrets have been revealed, plots uncovered and bad guys identified, but nothing has been solved.  That being said, it also accomplishes the author's purpose, which is to create in the reader a voracious longing for the next book!

Yes, yes, yes! to reading the next book the moment I can get my hands on it! 

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 13 and up
Gender:  Both
Sex:  Kissing
Violence:  Knifeplay, ritual sacrifice, murder
Inappropriate Language: Asshole, Hell 
Substance Use/Abuse: None 

Notable Quotables:

Note: There are TONS of awesome quotes from this book but I thought I would pick a few from Kami's dad because parents hardly ever get the great lines in YA.

"Kami, I know all the other kids are throwing themselves down wells right now, but your mother and I have a firm policy of no danger sports until you're eighteen."

"'Why are you putting on lip gloss, my daughter?' Dad asked.  'Trip to the library?  Trip to the nunnery?  I hear the nunneries are nice this time of year.'"

"'Wearing that?  Wouldn't you fancy a shape-less cardigan instead?  You rock a shapeless cardigan, honey.'" 

Unanswered Questions:

Kami and Jared seemed to be able to block each other at times, so why doesn't Kami employ this strategy during awkward moments, such as when she is on a date with someone else?

Book Review: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Title: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Author: Alan Bradley
Publisher: Delacorte
Release Date: April 28, 2009
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions: I really like the simplicity of this cover.  The symbols are very fitting and the color really makes it stand out on the shelf. 

The Gist: Flavia de Luce is a remarkable 11 year old.  She is fascinated by Chemistry, particularly poisons.  With a dead bird on her doorstep and a dead body in her garden, Flavia endeavors to put her prodigious wealth of knowledge to the test and solve not one, but two murder mysteries.   

Review: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie felt a little like an overly large piece of dessert, delicious and comforting for the first few forkfuls but sickly sweet after one bite too many.  Flavia de Luce is overly precocious and more than a little too intelligent to be believable.  her ability to wax poetically about any subject, from history to music to lock picking, made her feel much older than her 11 years and tended to distract from the plot.  Her manner of speaking felt like it fit with a time period far removed from the 1950's and her level of freedom to roam the countryside without a word of caution from any adults was concerning.  I enjoyed Flavia's quick wit and the tumultuous relationship with her sisters but failed to see even a spark of caring to balance out the ire between them. 

The plot of this novel centered around two murder mysteries which were richly woven through time and included elements of illusion and sleight of hand.  Ultimately however, the identity of the killer was a little too predictable and I would have preferred a nice plot twist.  Secrets were often revealed through long winded speeches and details were repeated endlessly as Flavia mulled them over in her mind.  There were moments when she was discovering a connection that I was certain she had actually made 10 or 15 pages earlier.  The flashes of chemical knowledge that were of great interest to me as a Science teacher, became more and more complicated as the plot wore on.  If my eyes were glazing over at these descriptions I can only imagine a person with little to no Scientific background would skim or abandon these sections altogether.  The writing itself tended to be a little long winded and I found myself losing interest during several rambling sessions.

I do not believe that I will continue with this series.  While I enjoyed the IDEA of Flavia de Luce, pint sized chemist and part time investigator, I could not connect with the way that the character was executed and I think my time might be better spent with other child wonders.

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age:15 and up (for reading level rather than content)
Gender: Either
Sex: None
Violence: Death by poisoning, death by blunt force trauma, kidnapping.
Inappropriate Language: Damn
Substance Use/Abuse: Smoking
Other Issues: Character describes having impersonated a stereotypical Asian man, included use of yellow face paint, pinning of eyes and racist accent.

Notable Quotables:

"If there is a thing I truly despise, it is being addressed as 'dearie.' When I write my magnum opus, A Treatise Upon All Poisons, and come to 'Cyanide,' I am going to put under 'Uses' the phrase 'Particularly efficacious in the cure of those who call one 'Dearie'"

ARC Book Review: The Blood Keeper by Tessa Gratton

Title: The Blood Keeper
Author: Tessa Gratton
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions: On it's own, this cover might have been ok.  The imagery is nice, the colors work well together and the runes invite further examination.  But when compared with the cover for its predecessor, it is less than impressive.  I do not like it when the covers of a series do not fit with each other and this certainly does not fit with the gloriously gothic and unique cover for Blood Magic.

The Gist: Mab Prowd has been raised to be the Deacon of her family's blood land.  Magic to her is as natural as breathing and she has dedicated her life to the practice.  When she stumbles across Will Sanger and inadvertently allows him a glimpse into this world, Will finds both beauty and terror and Mab finds herself embroiled in the fight of her life.

Review: During the first half of The Blood Keeper I was disinterested but I couldn't quite pin down why.  The characters were ok, the writing was ok, the premise was ok.  As I continued, the fact that I neither loved nor hated ANYTHING got to be more and more annoying.  When I read Blood Magic, I was a little underwhelmed, but I gave points for originality and willingness to be a little more dark and delve into the nitty gritty of sacrifice in exchange for power.  However, with the second book in the series, these things are simply not enough.  This time, I expected strong characters, an exciting plot and some serious magic.  I did not get these things.

The Blood Keeper does not follow the same characters as Blood Magic.  Instead, we meet Mab - a child raised to be keeper of the land and master of magic and Will - a regular kid from a nearby town.  That's right, that is all I have to say about Will.  There is really nothing special about him that I could see and the time spent developing his family drama bored me to tears.  His family is suffering from the loss of their middle son to a car crash and the return of their oldest from Afghanistan.  This is the perfect backdrop for some moving scenes and serious character development.  However, that is not what we get.  Instead we have to suffer through Will's whining about how everyone wants him to join the Marines and his incredibly tame arguments with his parents.  Mab is only slightly more interesting, though she spends an inordinate amount of time discussing her love for the land and mooning over Will.  I did enjoy her quirkiness and lack of concern with how she is viewed by the more mainstream families (and teens) in town.  

While this is not exactly a sequel to Blood Magic, I would have appreciated some re-cap so that I could remember who the other characters were (they appeared as minor characters, popping in and out of the story).  As it was, I actually went back and re-read the last few chapters of Blood Magic and found that that helped me re-orient myself.  The narration switches between Mab, Will and Evelyn.  Evelyn's story is told through letters to Arthur, the former Deacon, and the change in narration style is a little jarring.  For their part, Will and Mab blended a little too well.  If I was away from the book for a time, it was difficult to tell who was speaking without going back to the beginning of the narration change.

The plot seemed to be split between three problems 1) The repercussions from Will's encounter with Mab's spell 2) Will's issues regarding his parent's desire for him to join the marines and 3) Lucas' curse from his father.  Both 1 and 2 seem to be resolved by the end of the book but 3 simply got a band-aid solution.  It bothered me that there wasn't further momentum on this issue, but perhaps it will be further explored in a third book?  I also felt that the plot seemed to get bogged down in ridiculously long magical preparation, from planning, to gathering ingredients, to prepping the area - only to culminate in a lackluster spell with very little in the way of excitement.

By the end of this book, I found myself skimming the pages.  I cared enough about the characters that I wanted to see what happened to them, but not nearly enough to put up with pages and pages of Gratton's flowery prose.  The Blood Keeper did not provide the emotional or entertainment pay-off that I was expecting and I do not think I will hang in there for a third in the series.

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 15 and up
Gender: Female
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Bloodletting, Knifeplay, Poisoning, Violence towards animals
Inappropriate Language: Dick, FUBAR, Bullshit, Bitch, Douchebag, Shit
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage Drinking

ARC Book Review: The Stone Girl by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

Title: The Stone Girl
Author: Alyssa B, Sheinmel
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions: I do not believe that this cover would stand out on a shelf.  It is not particularly unique.  As for connection with the plot, the cover model doesn't look unhealthy or troubled and her expression does not evoke much of anything in the viewer.

The Gist: Sethie Weiss is determined.  Determined to be the perfect, sort-of girlfriend for Shaw.  Determined to ace the SAT and have her pick of colleges.  Determined to control her body and watch the number on the scale drop lower and lower.  She suffers from body dis-morphia and examines the other females around her, noting their perfect bodies and lamenting her own flaws.  Sethie revels in feeling hungry and will resort to any means necessary to get rid of every last ounce of fat. 

Review: The Stone Girl offers a glimpse into the mind of a girl not yet in the extreme danger zone but still, suffering from some major body (and self esteem) issues.  While the book tackles a very serious and important issue, I don't feel that it accomplished anything that hasn't already been achieved by its predecessors.

The writing itself is very choppy and the sentence structure just doesn't work.  The author seems to have an aversion to pronouns and sprinkles each paragraph with an abundance of names

"Sometimes he calls Sethie's father, who lives in California, for the money, as though it's the absence of a man that's making Rebecca late.  But Sethie knows that like Shaw, Rebecca can't always be hampered by dates and times.  Though her lateness isn't smooth the way Shaw's is.  Rebecca's lateness is always messy, choppy, harried.  Sethie knows the landlord would love an excuse to evict the tenants of 12A, Rebecca and her daughter, Sethie, the quiet girl who no one would have guessed might be a troublemaker."

This quirk is very jarring and interrupts the flow of the writing.  I also question the choice of third person narrative for this subject matter.  It is difficult to truly get inside Sethie's head and near impossible to see any type of growth by the novel's end.  Were we able to experience more closely with her, we might have gotten a better understanding of the way her mind works.

As a character, Sethie is not particularly likeable.  We are constantly reminded that she is smart, but never get to see this in action and instead are forced to watch as she makes a myriad of bad decisions and lets herself be led around by the males in her life.  I think I might have preferred the story if it had begun prior to Sethie's involvement with Shaw.  That way, we could have seen her as a determined (if damaged) individual and would have been able to lament at her downward spiral.  I did enjoy her budding friendship with Jane but the character seems to serve no other purpose.  The other secondary characters are pretty forgettable, in fact, I had to keep going back in order to remember their names and Sethie's mom plays the chiche absentee parent who doesn't seem to have a clue what is going on with her daughter (or at least doesn't have the guts to do anything about it).

Despite these issues, the book was a sold 3 stars for me.  That is, up until the ending.  I don't want to give too much away, but it was simply too easy.  Nothing had happened to make me believe that Sethie was about to take a step in the right direction and even her mother didn't make any brave moves toward saving her daughter.

As a final note, several times throughout the novel, Sethie mentions how lectures, books and articles on the subject of Anorexia and Bulimia had served as instruction manuals.

 "Sethie is reading a memoir by a girl who was both anorexic and bulimic.  She gets some good ideas from it ..."

"The only thing Sethie had ever gotten from these articles is tips on how to be better at dieting"

This is a personal fear that I have in putting books like these in my classroom.  The last thing that I want to do is further aid a student in their self-destruction.

Due to the content and sexual nature, I would not recommend this book to my students and would probably steer them towards a book on anorexia that had more in the way of characterization.

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 16 and up
Gender: Female
Sex: Described, but not graphically.
Violence: Self-harm
Inappropriate Language: Bitch, Ass, Fuck, Jesus Christ, Asshole
Substance Use/Abuse: Cigarette Smoking, Pot Smoking, Use of Cocaine, Underage Drinking

ARC Book Review: Scarlett Dedd by Cathy Brett

Title: Scarlett Dedd
Author: Cathy Brett
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: Aug 14, 2012
Rating: 4/5

Cover Impressions: This cover does not even scratch the surface of the awesomeness that is inside.  See those fantastically creepy drawings? Those are EVERYWHERE and they get even better.

The Gist: Scarlett was dead, to begin with.  Heh, always wanted to start a review like that.  Anyway, in attempting to avoid a painfully awkward class trip, Scarlett Dedd accidentally kills herself - and her entire family.  In finding herself Bodily Challenged, Scarlett does the only sensible thing and attempts to gain some ghostly pals - by killing her old friends.

Review: I cannot possibly go any further in this review without mentioning the illustrations in this book.  Not only are they clever, creative and deliciously gruesome, they are also integrated into the text in a way that I have never seen before.  The storyline is melded with pictures, doodles, membership cards and coffee stains.  The way that the author plays with words and pictures (see below) is fun and keeps the reader entertained.  Elements like these add a sense of whimsy and macabre and would certainly enthrall any young readers.

The story is told through several sources.  Along side the traditional narrative style, we see Scarlett's blog, online conversations and even an interview transcript.  Personally, the constant changes in perspective and style took some getting used to, however, I can appreciate the creative effort and I know that my students would find it fun and refreshing.  The plot took an interesting twist when Scarlett decided to try and kill her friends so that she would have some company, but otherwise was fairly predictable.

The characters are an interesting bunch.  They are the artsy kids.  The ones who tend to dress in black and compare recipes for fake blood rather than the latest party.  While the "teen speak" feels a little forced, the characters feel like a realistic portrayal of typical teenagers.  The only part that really bothered me about the secondary characters is that they don't seem particularly affected by the death of their friend.  They also seem determined to exploit her current situation for fame and popularity rather than try to communicate with her.  For her part, Scarlett incredibly self-absorbed, whiny and exceedingly dense.  This is rather annoying for about the first half (how long does it take her to realize that her parents are also dead?) but it does get better.  Eventually, she gets over her naivety and is able to put the needs of others before her own.  

Scarlett Dedd is certainly a book that will appeal to fans of graphic novels and to those readers who can appreciate a little blood and gore.

For a taste of Scarlett Dedd, you can also follow her blog: ScarDeparted 

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 12 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Death by poisoning, several attempted murders
Inappropriate Language: Retard, illustration of character gesturing with middle finger
Substance Use/Abuse: None

ARC Book Review: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Title: Seraphina
Author: Rachel Hartman
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: July 10, 2012
Rating: 5/5

Cover Impressions: This cover is so beautifully intricate.  It is not the type of cover that jumps off the shelf but it is the type that encourages the reader to stop and study it.  I am already intrigued to see the artwork for the next in the series.

The Gist: The kingdom of Goredd holds a tenuous balance between it's human citizens and the dragons who can take their form.  As the 40th anniversary of their peace treaty approaches it seems that someone is determined to tip the scales and renew the old conflicts.  Seraphina straddles the line between humans and dragons.  When a member of the royal family is found beheaded, she becomes an integral part of the investigation - if only to try and keep her own secrets hidden. 

Review: Oh God.  These are always the hardest reviews for me to write.  I can rant all day about books that I hate, pointing out the slow plot, annoying characters and writing that would fit quite well in my stack of grading from grade 7.  Those reviews are my bread and butter, they flow through my fingertips like water, gracing the page with WTF's and FFS!'s.

Every now and then, however, I come across a book that was just so fan-fucking-tastic that I can barely put into words why.  Seraphina was one of those books.  The world building is complete and unique.  The characters are fully developed, sometimes flawed and remarkably human (even when they are not).  The writing is polished and elegant, begging you to savor every word.  The plot never lags or races but maintains a pace that keeps the reader enthralled (seriously - as soon as the baby went to bed I begged my husband to just leave me alone and go watch sports or something so that I could read).

Seraphina is easily one of my favorite characters thus far this year.  She is intelligent, talented, brave, vulnerable, and loyal.  She struggles with her own self worth and undergoes remarkable growth.  The secondary characters are also not to be missed.  Hartman has not allowed for one dimensional characters here.  Between the members of Seraphina's garden, the dignitaries at court and the dragons in human form, there was always someone intriguing to watch and someone else to wonder about.

Hartman creates a world that is wonderfully strange yet oddly familiar.  Though the people and dragons of Goredd negotiated a peace treaty nearly 40 years ago, there is still a great deal of animosity and racism on both sides.  The hatred and anger between these peoples was palpable and created some of the most tense scenes in the novel.

The writing in Seraphina flows beautifully.  The one thing that I did not enjoy (and this is a criticism of fantasy in general rather than this book in particular) is that choosing not to explain certain terminology in the text and to rely on a glossary is fine in a physical book, but I find it becomes rather tedious while reading an e-book.

This novel easily makes the list as one of my top books of 2012. Now, when is that sequel coming out???!!! 

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 13 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Implied at
Violence: Death by be-heading, Knifeplay, Swordplay, Death by Poisoning
Inappropriate Language: Bastard
Substance Use/Abuse: Drinking of Wine

Book Review: The Mosts by Melissa Senate

Title: The Mosts
Author: Melissa Senate
Publisher: Delacorte
Release Date: June 8, 2010
Rating: 3/5

Cover Impressions: The cover is cute.  it reminds me of the old school YA novels.  Simple, but effective.

The Gist: Maddie was invisible.  Not popular, but not ridiculed.  After spending a summer in Italy, she re-enters the school fashionable, confident and on the arm of one of the hottest guys in school.  Madeline is everything that Maddie wasn't and she is quickly adopted by the "Mosts" who gained their title from the list voted on by the students at the end of each year.  When her perfect boyfriend moves away Madeline wonders if he was the key to her success and if she can maintain her status as a Most without losing herself. 

Review: When I picked up this book, I was in the mood for a quick, fluffy read and that is exactly what I got.  In fact, I managed to read the whole thing in about 2 hours.  The writing was clean and more concerned with the plot than with flowery descriptions.  The book began a year after Maddie's transformation and I do wish that we were able to see some of her time being invisible and her efforts to re-invent herself in Italy.  The characters were fun, though I would have preferred that they be a little more developed.  I am very glad that Madeline's popularity techniques for the Nots were limited to outward appearance, confidence and not trying too hard and that they did not attempt to change the core values of the people she was helping.

This novel was a little tame when it came to the actions of the teenagers.  There was only the barest illusion to sex and underage drinking, and the actions of the Mosts were limited to some cruel comments and a few rumors.  I do believe that if real teenagers were feeling their social roles being threatened they would take more drastic actions (I'm sure you've seen Carrie).  However, in making this choice, the author did manage to keep the book appropriate for nearly any teenager.

The Mosts is a fun book that is recommended as a beach read or to take along on a car trip this summer.  Happy Reading!

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 12 and up
Gender: Female
Sex: Spoken about but not described
Violence: None
Inappropriate Language: Bitch
Substance Abuse: Allusion to underage drinking