Review: If I Tell by Janet Gurtler

If I Tell
by Janet Gurtler
October 1, 2011
Received from NetGalley
Goodreads Page
Amazon Page
Grade: A

Jasmine Evans knows one thing for sure... people make mistakes. After all, she is one. Jaz is the result of a one-night stand between a black football player and a blonde princess. Having a young mother who didn't raise her, a father who wants nothing to do with her and living in a small-minded town where she's never fit in hasn't been easy. But she's been surviving. Until she sees her mom's new boyfriend making out with her own best friend. When do you forgive people for being human or give up on them forever?

---

I read Gurtler’s I’m Not Her and enjoyed it, but I wasn’t blown away.  (And since it’s a cancer book, I didn’t review it.)  Still I was looking forward to If I Tell and was terribly excited when I received permission to read it through NetGalley.

Let me tell you, if Janet Gurtler improves upon If I Tell as much as she improved from I’m Not Her to If I Tell, that third book is going to be the best book ever written.  If I Tell absolutely blew me away in every sense.  The main character, Jaz, had an amazing, incredibly believable character arc, the supporting characters all read as real, fully-developed people in their own right, and the writing was searing and honest that a way we don’t often get to see.

Jaz is a good example of a character that I didn’t always like but I loved anyway.  The book begins as she’s possibly just witnessed the straw that may cause her to wall herself off from people forever - the utter betrayal of her mom’s boyfriend making out with Jaz’s best friend, and the rest of the story is her deciding how to react.  I can’t say I enjoyed watching her reactions because some of it was so very painful, but they were very realistic and just made my heart hurt. 

I also appreciated the examination of her race and the repercussions of both being biracial and the only biracial girl in her school.  Jaz’s feeling of never really belonging anywhere was clear, and her discomfort in her own identity came through in a sometimes uncomfortable reading experience.  I probably say this every time I get to read a book with a non-white protagonist, but young adult lit is so whitewashed, that I’m always happy to see someone addressing issue.  To have Gurtler really examine the issue in such a skillful way is an even bigger bonus.  Someday I’d like to read a book with a non-white protagonist and feel like it happens often enough that I don’t even need to comment!

In a less weighty issue, I adored adored the love interest in this book.  Jackson is both a great character and utterly wonderful.  He reminded me in the best ways of one of Sarah Dessen’s love interests.  And that’s a high compliment from me because I love me some Dessen boys.  He also is more than “just” the love interest.  He’s definitely a three-dimensional character who’s respectful, totally sweet to his mother, and someone trying to rebuild his life after his own mistakes.

So yes, this is seriously a great book.  It’s not always the easiest to read because of the emotions brought up, and Jaz probably will make you want to shake her as she works through her plot (seriously, Jaz, call your friends! That’s what they’re there for!), but it’s really, really good.  I’d recommend it to anyone looking for an excellent contemps read with very interesting and relevant themes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcefire Books for allowing me to read this book!

Review: Little Women and Me by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Little Women and Me
by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
November 8, 2011
Received from NetGalley
Amazon Page
Goodreads Page
Grade: B-

Emily is sick and tired of being a middle sister. So when she gets an assignment to describe what she'd change about a classic novel, Emily pounces on Little Women. After all, if she can't change things in her own family, maybe she can bring a little justice to the March sisters. (Kill off Beth? Have cute Laurie wind up with Amy instead of Jo? What was Louisa May Alcott thinking?!) But when Emily gets mysteriously transported into the world of the book, she discovers that righting fictional wrongs won't be easy. And after being immersed in a time and place so different from her own, it may be Emily-not the four March sisters-who undergoes the most surprising change of all. Lauren Baratz-Logsted's winning confection will appeal to fans of Little Women as well as anyone who enjoys a modern twist on an old favorite.

---

I think I need to preface this review by saying Little Women and Me was not for me.  I definitely think there’ll be readers who’ll enjoy this romp through the classic nineteenth century novel, but I can’t count myself as one of them.

I try to take a book’s premise at face value – e.g. I don’t have a problem with the main character being sucked into a book, and I don’t feel the author needs to explain how this happened, but I greatly prefer the rules of the ‘magic’ stay consistent once they’re established.  While Emily’s within Little Women, at times she remembers what’s going to happen next and at times she has ‘story amnesia’ and which happened when never seemed to have a reason beyond increasing tension.  The original book characters also seem to have a difficult time remembering that Emily is there which was an intriguing idea but also frustrated me because again there didn’t seem to be any real consistency which happens when.

I’d have been able to overlook a lot of the above if I was more engaged with the main character.  Emily never really gelled into a real ‘person’ for me.  Instead - like some of the plot devices - I felt like Emily’s personality bent at the whim of the story.  She was definitely amusing, and I especially enjoyed her observations about the nineteenth century and the March family as a whole.  Her relationship with Beth was also incredibly sweet, but beyond that Emily seemed more inclined to chase boys (all the while declaring that she needed to change the book so Jo ended up with Laurie) than interact with either her real sisters or her March sisters in any meaningful way.  Being self-centered isn’t anything new for a YA heroine, but that coupled what seemed like a complete lack of empathy (other than towards Beth), Emily never seemed to develop beyond this until her sudden realisation at the end of the book.

Reading the author’s notes, I saw that she had written the book by reading one chapter of Little Women and then writing one chapter of her book, and suddenly much of the book made more sense to me.  Perhaps the author wished to have an episodic style, but while Little Women obviously has overarching themes and plot, Little Women and Me never seems to achieve that.  Even Emily’s realization at the end of the book seemed out of nowhere, and I think the novel as a whole would have benefited from a more consistent dramatic arc to aid in both gradual character development and thematic structure.

There was a twist towards the end that made me laugh out loud, but when looking back at it, I still can’t see more than one indication that it was coming.  I really love surprise twists where the framework is laid more consistently throughout the book.  As it is, I’m left feeling like the author simply wished to throw a plot twist in the ending pages.

I’m seriously disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this book more.  I’d been really excited to get the opportunity to read it – especially since Little Women is one of my favourite books.  (Though I have to admit that I’m possibly the only reader ever who thinks that Jo marrying Laurie would be a terrible, terrible idea.)  But unfortunately neither the book nor the characters lived up to my expectations.  It may be that my love for the source book is standing in the way of a love for this one, but I don’t think so.  I enjoyed the outsider’s perspective on the March family and their admittedly slightly insane way of life, and I enjoyed the idea that some of the family’s most charming traits for a reader would be incredibly annoying to a participant.  What kept me from enjoying the book as a whole was an uneven structure and a frustration that the main character was never developed fully enough to love or hate.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for allowing me to read this!

Review: Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

Five Flavors of Dumb

by Antony John

November 10, 2010

Amazon Page

Goodreads Page

Grade: A

The Challenge: Piper has one month to get the rock band Dumb a paying gig.

The Deal: If she does it, Piper will become the band's manager and get her share of the profits.

The Catch: How can Piper possibly manage one egomaniacal pretty boy, one talentless piece of eye candy, one crush, one silent rocker, and one angry girl? And how can she do it when she's deaf?

Piper can't hear Dumb's music, but with growing self-confidence, a budding romance, and a new understanding of the decision her family made to buy a cochlear implant for her deaf baby sister, she discovers her own inner rock star and what it truly means to be a flavor of Dumb.

---

This might not be the most coherent of reviews because I totally loved this book.  It’s the whole cliché – I laughed, I cried, and I was completely disappointed when it was over.

Piper was a fantastic heroine with a great character arc.  Sometimes you read a book, and even when it’s good, the character journey is pretty predictable, but I never felt that way with Piper.  She begins as a fantastically intelligent girl who struggles to express her personality both at school and with her family.  Many of her difficulties originate in her lack of confidence – not in herself so much but in her ability to find a voice in a world that highly values hearing and speech and dismisses most other forms of communication.  When she decides to become the manager of a high school band, she’s forced to confront society’s paternalist attitudes towards Deaf people and Deaf culture head on.  Piper moves from mainly a passive role in society to a person who knows what she wants and how to achieve it.  It’s something she’s always known – we learn very quickly that she’s an insanely good and aggressive chess player but the process of applying this to her own life is a complicated one.

She’s snarky, determined, crazy smart, and completely stupid about boys.  I absolutely fell in love with her the instant she appeared on the page. 

I also loved every member of her very present family.  Each member of the family is going through their own struggle.  Her father’s trying to adapt to the loss of his job and becoming the stay-at-home parent, her mother deals with suddenly being the sole income and the secondary caregiver, her little brother Finn (who I utterly adored and wanted as my own brother) is trying to adapt to going to high school as the “brother of the deaf girl.”  And the baby just received cochlear implants that will allow her to enter the hearing world.  Sometimes even when a family or parents appear in a YA novel, their lives seem to revolve around the central character’s, but it’s clear in The Five Flavors of Dumb that each of these people has their own life, their own inner struggles, and the story becomes not just Piper’s but the entire family’s especially as they all try to resolve the conflicts between the hearing members – now including the baby, Grace - and Piper’s Deafness.

The titular band is also comprised of strong and interesting personalities, and there’s really no need for external conflict because the interpersonal issues are set up so well.  Even so, there’s definitely two tiers of character development within the band – the girls - Tash and Kallie - and Ed become fully three-dimensional characters while Josh and Will lurk in the background even when Josh acts as antagonist to his own band. 

While there isn’t any overt violence or sexual themes in the book, the narration shies away from absolutely nothing.  Some of the themes and emotions are raw enough that it feels like the book is addressing much more controversial issues, and that just strengthens the overall text.  There’s so much in this book that I loved!  If I could think of a cool way to do it, I'd draw a comparison between this book and the movie Almost Famous because while the story is completely different, the ability of music to save and transform lives comes through in the similar ways.  Seriously, go read this book.  I can’t even stress that enough.

Review: dancergirl by Carol M Tanzman

dancergirl

 by Carol M Tanzman

November 15, 2011

Goodreads Page

Amazon Page

Received from NetGalley

Grade: B+

The videos went viral...

EVER FEEL LIKE SOMEONE’S WATCHING YOU?

ME TOO.

BUT LATELY IT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN MY ROOM.

WHEN I’M ALONE.

A friend posted a video of me dancing online, and now I’m no longer Alicia Ruffino. I’m dancergirl. And suddenly it’s like me against the world—everyone’s got opinions.

My admirers want more, the haters hate, my best friend Jacy—even he’s acting weird. And some stalker isn’t content to just watch anymore.

Ali. dancergirl. Whatever you know me as, however you’ve seen me online, I’ve trained my whole life to be the best dancer I can be. But if someone watching has their way, I could lose way more than just my love of dancing. I could lose my life.

---

Y'all, it's killing me not to capitalize the title up there, but I'm trying to resist!

I really enjoyed this book!  While the synopsis focuses solely on the dancergirl online sensation, the plot transitions into a stalker story and how Ali reacts to suspected invasions of her privacy.  And that is really well done.  The tension in the writing is amazing.  I read the entire book in one sitting because I really didn’t want to put it down. 

As a main character, Ali’s a fairly normal teenage girl.  She's dedicated to dance, working at her dance studio to earn free classes and dreaming of Julliard.  She struggles with her classes but gets by with the help of her friends - especially the good-looking boy in the apartment below who’s suddenly started to pull away.  I have to say that I really appreciate that the author made her main character a person of character (even if the apparent cover decided to erase that).  YA books are so often so very, very white. 

Dance is the most important part of Ali’s life which makes the entire situation that much more horrifying.  As a sort of joke and sort of a way to help out but mostly just a chance to dance, she agrees to shoot a few videos with Charlie, a friend from school.  The videos nearly immediately go viral, leaving Ali uncertain what to do in the face of this new internet fame.  Charlie wants to shoot more installments, her friends think the whole situation is awesome, and Ali’s just trying to finish her choreography solo and get ready for auditions at the dance studio.  It was a really neat look at the power of the internet.  Something so little can so easily come to mean so much to thousands of people, each with their own opinions about a girl they’ve never met.  It’s a familiar story - especially for people like us who use the internet so much in our daily lives.

The suspense in the book is quickly increased through as Ali begins to wonder if she’s being stalked by one of her ‘fans.’  The ins and outs of the situation as her friends work together to try to figure out who’s behind it are fully explored,  This part becomes the weakest of the book as the pacing falters while the students suspect one person than another, but the highlight of this section is Ali questioning everything.  Did she bring this on herself?  Is she responsible for the invasions of privacy?  What does she need to do to protect herself?

It feels difficult to say that I ‘loved’ this part because it’s such a horrible topic, and I’d never want to see anyone go through such a situation, but I felt the way the author handled the entire question was really, really well done.  I don’t want to get into any type of spoilers, but I will say that I thought both the final culprit - and the reasoning behind it - relieved me.  I was a little worried at times that the book was going to veer into some victim blaming of Ali, and it was really excellent to see it go in a completely different direction.

The friendship of Jacy, the boy downstairs (and yes, I called him Jace for ¾ of the book) and Ali is another strong point of this book.  The two really feel like best friends since forever, and when Jacy starts to pull away from the friendship, Ali’s left unmoored and unsettled in the midst of this entire ordeal.  Jacy’s story is just as compelling as Ali’s and once some of his personal situation is revealed, we get two strong characters at the center of this tension-filled book.

I requested this book from NetGalley because of the dancing aspect, and while that part was definitely enjoyable, the realistic tension and questions about privacy and stalking, both on the internet and in person, were very well done.  Plus there’s a good story of boy/girl friendship that might just veer into more.  I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for a tense contemporary read.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarlequinTeen for the opportunity to read and review dancergirl.

Review: Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Bunheads
by Sophie Flack
October 11, 2011
Bought on Kindle
Goodreads Page
Amazon Page
Grade: B+

As a dancer with the ultra-prestigious Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward juggles intense rehearsals, dazzling performances and complicated backstage relationships. Up until now, Hannah has happily devoted her entire life to ballet.

But when she meets a handsome musician named Jacob, Hannah's universe begins to change, and she must decide if she wants to compete against the other "bunheads" in the company for a star soloist spot or strike out on her own in the real world. Does she dare give up the gilded confines of the ballet for the freedoms of everyday life?

---

Bunheads is a really interesting addition to the canon of girls-who-dance literature.  Hannah has already ‘made it.’  She’s a member of the corps de ballet in one of the best ballet companies in the world, the Manhattan Ballet Company (clearly supposed to be the New York City Ballet both because the author Sophie Flack danced there and because that’s the New York company that performs Balanchine’s Jewels).  Between that fact and that Hannah’s the rare YA protagonist who’s college aged instead of in high school, this book is both a fantastic read and something very different to enjoy.

Hannah’s life is something very few of us can even begin to imagine.  She’s utterly devoted to her art, and since she moved to New York to study, she’s barely had a chance to see any of the city beyond the interior of the Manhattan Ballet’s studios, theatre, and school.  Even though she’s accomplished far more than the vast majority of ballet dancers ever manage to, it’s not nearly enough, and she and her friends in the corps work even harder now to try to be cast in bigger roles and be promoted to soloist.

I really enjoyed Hannah as the main character.  She breathes ballet, but ever so slightly she’s beginning to wonder if she’s missing anything in life.  The idea begins (as so many do) with a chance encounter with a boy, but the author really does an excellent job making sure that Hannah’s decision is never between the boy and ballet but rather the entire world and ballet.  If it had been just the first, this would be a much, much weaker book.  While she’s obviously an intensely dedicated person, we meet her as her devotion may be waning.  She decides over and over to try to rededicate herself to ballet.  If it was something less than her entire life, she’d seem awfully wishy-washy, but the enormity of any decision has been firmly established, and instead Hannah is a woman trying to decide the course of the rest of her life.

The reader is given an in-depth look at the world of the corps de ballet and the short dancing lives of the people who inhabit it.  One of my favourite lines was at the very beginning when Hannah remarks that dancers rarely buy new practice clothes because no one knows when their career will come to a sudden halt.  The dressing room more than the stage is the central focus of the book, and along with Hannah, the reader meets the dancers who share the room and also rotate through roles as friends, confidants, rivals, backstabbers, and sisters-in-arms on a near hourly basis.  The ever shifting alliances and jealousies make for an interesting and slightly confusing set of personalities, and the confusion the reader feels only enhances Hannah’s continual uncertainty about where she stands.

There isn’t a lot of high drama in this book which matches well with Flack’s reserved writing style.  Unfortunately it was so reserved that at times I wished for a little more intensity to the scenes especially the higher tension ones – between Hannah and the ballet master or between Hannah and Jacob.  It’s clear that this is Flack’s debut novel, and I’ll be interested to see if she succeeds at writing a different story, one that’s not based on her own life.  For Bunheads, the tension of the ballet scene is enough to carry novel, but there’s a decided lack of any external tension or plot movement.

I also wasn’t enamored of Jacob.  He was never fleshed out into a truly three-dimensional character or even move much past ‘interested in the narrator.’  I never really understood why Hannah liked this awfully stereotypical musician.  On one hand, this makes sense since part of the conflict is that Hannah can’t spend much time with him, but on the other hand, a more deft rendering of his character would have been really nice.

There’s a possible love triangle that’s sketched in, and while the character remained fairly two-dimensional, I could definitely understand Hannah’s attraction to him since he represented all the acclaim a true ballerina, not just a corps dancer, could attain.  However beyond that, there isn’t much to the love triangle plot, and it quickly fizzles out. I would have liked to either see it developed more or removed completely to help tighten the structure of the book.

Overall I very much enjoyed Bunheads and loved the realistic – no stage magic and no pink gauze to add to the romance – look at the ballet world.  There were some flaws, but it remained a good if quiet read for anyone even remotely interested in ballet or the theatre.

Review: Spoiled by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Spoiled
by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
June 1, 2011
Borrowed from Library
Goodreads Page
Amazon Page
Grade: B

16-year-old Molly Dix loves her ordinary life in suburban Indiana, so when her single mother passes away, she is shocked to discover that her biological father is Brick Berlin, world famous movie star and red carpet regular.

Equally intrigued and terrified by her Hollywood lineage, Molly moves to Southern California and plunges head-first into the deep end of Beverly Hills celebrity life. Just as Molly thinks her new life and family couldn't get any stranger, she meets Brooke Berlin, her gorgeous and spoiled half-sister whom welcomes Molly to la-la land with a healthy dose of passive-aggressive "sisterly love."

Set against the backdrop of a sparkling and fashion-filled Los Angeles, this deliciously dysfunctional family soap opera will satisfy every reader looking for their next lifestyles-of-the-rich-and-famous beach read.

---

There’s no doubt that Spoiled is a really, really fun book.  I’ve enjoyed the Fug Girls’ snarky fashion and celebrity blog for years, and Spoiled is written in the same breezy and hilarious style.  The plot isn’t as fantastic as the writing style, but I wanted to forgive the book anything just because the ride was a blast.

As mentioned in the synopsis, our co-heroines are half-sisters suddenly introduced to each other after the death of Molly’s mother.  And their father just happens to be one of the biggest movie stars on the planet.  Very often Molly comes across as just too sweet to be real.  She forgives insult after insult and even when she decides to fight back, she instantly feels terribly about it.  Her naivety is also played up a little too much especially when she first meets Brooke.  Brooke’s insincerity and sabotage of Molly nearly drips off the page, but Molly doesn’t even suspect anything until she’s been publicly ridiculed for the results of Brooke’s actions.

Brooke, on the other hand, is delightfully mean though she doesn’t quite reach the heights of her hero, Blair Waldorf.  Her nastiness is a lot more interesting than Molly’s sweetness, and as badly as I felt for Molly, I tended to root for her mean girl sister.  Brooke’s dark secret is also maybe a little too easily revealed.  Once she’s hugged, she lets go of that mean girl image almost instantly to try to form a sisterly bond with Molly.

My absolute favourite character was the movie star father, Brick Berlin.  Every time he appeared, I couldn’t help laughing at the perfect satire the authors created.  He was hilariously over sincere, and his ever-present iPhone with its note taking app provided more than a few laughs even as the reader felt badly for any child of this self-absorbed man.

I definitely want to read the upcoming sequel to Spoiled.  None of the plot devices or characterizations (other than maybe the father Berlin) were terribly original, but the writing more than made up for it.  Also the authors really seemed to enjoy themselves.  You know how sometimes you read a book by established authors just entering the YA field, and it feels like they figured it’d be easy money so no need to actually write well?  The Fug Girls are the complete opposite.  The authorial voice is obviously having a great time, and it pulls the reader along for the ride.

Review: Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

Son of Neptune (Heroes of Olympus Book 2)

by Rick Riordan

October 4, 2011

Bought in Hardcover

Goodreads Link

Amazon Link

Grade: B

In the first pages of this standalone sequel to The Lost Hero, Percy Jackson remembers only his name and the name of Annabeth, a mysterious woman he associates somehow with the city of San Francisco. From those sparse clues, he must somehow complete a mission for the leader of the Roman camp even as he is being pursued by the two sisters of Medusa, who possess an apparently unquenchable thirst for vengeance: Even when killed, they spring back to life. Rick Riordan's second Heroes of Olympus promises even more excitement than the first.

---

Rick Riordan has a very simple formula for his books.  There’s some camp life, a demigod receives a quest, the chosen teen and his friends go off into Incredible Danger. run into gods and monsters to help or hinder them, complete the quest against all odds, and come back to camp victorious.  Knowing that, I probably shouldn’t enjoy them as much as I do, but the books are also a great example of ‘it’s not the destination; it’s the journey.’

Son of Neptune is no different, but I still waited breathlessly for a year after reading The Lost Hero, and I totally expect to wait on the edge of my seat for the next twelve months until The Mark of Athena is released.  Actually I’m pretty sure I’m going to be even more desperate to read book 3 because the set up for it at the end of this book is so incredibly cool!

The eponymous Son of Neptune is, of course, everyone’s favourite Son of Poseidon Percy Jackson (well, okay, if Tyson’s your favourite, I can get behind that).  He begins the book remembering nothing about his past except a name – Annabeth.  Even though Percy only slowly regains his memory, he’s still the badass but dorky guy who’s completely and inexorably loyal to his friends.  The mystery that made Jason so intriguing in The Lost Hero is nowhere to be found since the reader already knows the truth about Percy, but it’s still interesting to watch the character we know so well interact with a entirely new society in the Roman demigod camp.

And the Roman camp is very cool.  The contrast with Camp Half-Blood is instant and major as the Romans run their camp as (what else) a Roman legion.  Each demigod serves 10 years in the Legion before being released with an option to live in the small city protected by the legion.  While Greek demigods assume they’ll die young, the Romans have figured out a way for generations of demigods to exist.  I loved the legion and cohorts and Reyna as the ultimate badass Praetor.  The Romans have the same rivalries and politics as the Greek camp; they’re just oriented differently - between cohorts rather than between children of different gods.  And like the ancient Romans, the Roman establishment is aware of - and completely distrusting of - the Greeks.  I completely cracked up at one point when a Roman demigod busts out the old “don’t trust Greeks bearing gifts!”

The two demigods who accompany Percy on the inevitable quest both have the typical Riordan ‘horrible secret’ that must never be told to their friends.  I was happy that that particular plot point was resolved earlier than the similar one in The Lost Hero, and both demigods - Hazel, daughter of Pluto and Frank, son of ...well, that’s a bit of a plot point - are interesting and endearing.  I especially enjoyed Hazel who’s the complete opposite of what one would expect from a child of Pluto/Hades.  She’s a little bit younger than the other demigods but probably way more responsible than most, and she’s the excellent contradiction of a sweet badass.  I loved Frank in all his ineptness and growing confidence, but he was on the more typical ‘I need to learn to trust myself’ journey, and while the specifics of the journey were interesting, it mostly felt like we’d already traveled that road more than a few times in this series.

So yeah, I enjoyed Son of Neptune, but the seams of Riordan’s writing show more in this book.  Much of it felt like action that simply had to be slogged through before the possible (hopeful!) gamechanging of the third book.  I liked Percy, Hazel, and the Roman camp, but the specifics of the quest weren’t entirely enjoyable this time.  I’ll definitely stick with the series because book 3 looks really cool, but if I were trying to get people to read the books, I wouldn’t start with this one!  (Other than, you know, it’s book two.)

Review: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

The Name of the Star
by Maureen Johnson
September 29, 2011
Bought in Hardcover
Goodreads Page
Amazon Page
Grade: A+

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

---

The only book of Maureen Johnson’s that I read before this was 13 Little Blue Envelopes, and my attention wasn’t really caught by that one. But between the London setting and the boarding school and the main character’s awesome name, I had to pick up The Name of the Star.  I’m so happy I did.  This book was atmospheric, suspenseful, spooky, and downright hilarious.  It’s an odd combination if you look at it that way, but trust me, it worked. 

I seriously enjoyed how Johnson began the book in a completely normal world.  Rory was concerned about moving to London, adjusting to boarding school and her roommate, dealing with classes, differing expectations, and the cold for the first third of the book with only the slightest hints of the paranormal oddness to come.  I could see where some could be annoyed by the long introduction, but I thought it did an amazing job in both setting the scene and introducing us to Rory as she is before her life is turned about.  Also it gave the author the opportunity to write some absolutely hilarious narrative sequences.  I don’t usually laugh out loud during a book, but The Name of the Star had me absolutely cackling in places.

The hints of the paranormal were introduced subtly and could easily go unnoticed, but slowly they begin to pile up until neither Rory nor the reader can ignore the evidence in front of them.  I don’t mean to imply that Rory was unobservant because I felt her slow realization was a nice touch as the completely normal girl was introduced to a world beyond the obvious.

As the ghostly storyline began to take over, we see less and less of Wexford School and the friends Rory made there.  It certainly makes sense since Rory’s focus is anywhere but on schoolwork, but I did miss the school details and Rory’s interactions with her friends and classmates.  A fair amount of the action here begins to seem implausible.  Not the actual ghost plot because that was both well-done and an interesting take on the idea.  Instead I mean the fact that the housemistress and headmaster of Wexford seem to not mind at all as Rory is taken in and out of their locked down school or that Rory’s (or the other students’) parents are completely pacified by reassurances and don’t immediately pull their children from school after a murder occurs on school grounds.

Rory was an intriguing and endearing heroine.  Her reactions to all things British were absolutely hilarious without ever crossing the fine line of mocking either Rory or British customs.  Rory’s stories about her family and life back in Louisiana also stayed on the good side of that line.  In the hands of another author, the stories could have turned into mere stereotypes or picked up a nasty or derisive quality.  Instead each of them was hilarious, gently mocking and loving. I liked that Johnson allowed her main character to be smart and resourceful enough to figure things out instead of always needing to get explanations or spoonfeeding the information to either Rory or the readers.  Managing to avoid the cliche of rushing into everything, Rory absorbs every single bit of information and then sits down to put it all together later.  The conclusions she comes to aren’t always correct but at least she thinks about her observations!

Despite not having a huge amount of face time, Rory’s classmates mostly managed to be three-dimensional characters who one could really believe lived a whole life apart from their interactions with the main character.  Jazza especially was fantastic, and every scene she appeared in made me smile or want to reassure her or just be her friend myself.  I also enjoyed Alistair in all his sullen snarkyness, Jerome and his attempted muckraking, and Charlotte the officious Head Girl.  In the interest of keeping this review as spoiler free as possible (and not violating the Official Secrets Act), I’m not going to really get into the members of the Ghost Squad, but suffice it to say that they were also fully defined and interesting characters.  I’d read a full novel about any of the secondary characters in this book - they all intrigued me that much.

I knew going in that The Name of the Star was the first book in a new series so I was pleasantly surprised to find an actual conclusion to this volume.  There’s still a hook which would make it clear another installment was coming, but the so-called A plot of the book was happily resolved.  Thankfully because I can’t take another series of cliffhangers!  I'm a little sad this book is going to be billed as a ‘paranormal romance' because the romance part is much smaller than one might expect given that description.  It's much more of a contemporary ghost story! I really was pleased that the main focus was not on what guy Rory was or wasn’t in love with though some readers may definitely prefer more swoonage in their paranormal read!

From the length of my review, you can tell how much I enjoyed this book!  It’s a talky enjoyment as opposed to utter flaily ‘I have nothing to say except squee!’ enjoyment, but I love it all the same.  I’d definitely recommend The Name of the Star to anyone looking for a new take on a ghost story, an amazing atmospheric setting, and really great characters to fall in love with.  ...now does anyone know when the second book will be coming out?

Review: Beautiful Americans Trilogy by Lucy Silag

Beautiful Americans Trilogy
by Lucy Silag
January 8, 2009
Borrowed from Library (1st and 2nd)
Bought on Kindle (3rd)
Amazon Page
Goodreads Page
Grade: B

Pretty Little Liars meets My So-Called Life in this story of four American teens in Paris and the scandals that haunt each of them.

There's rich New York girl Alex; Cali-born dancer Olivia; closeted Memphis boy Zack; and finally PJ, an elusive beauty from Vermont who's hiding a dark past.

Studying abroad for their junior year of high school, they run wild in the Tuileries, hold clandestine parties in their host families' luxe apartments, take over tiny crowded cafes and generally live the glamorous life.

But in the end they all must face the lies they've told and secrets they've kept when the unthinkable happens.

---

I wasn’t expecting much at all from these books.  I requested them from my library because I wanted a book-set-in-Paris fix, but the Pretty Little Liars reference in the synopsis made me wary.  So I was pleasantly surprised by this trilogy - and even purchased the third book on my Kindle because I didn’t want to wait for the interlibrary loan to come in.

The books focus on the junior (of high school) year abroad of four Americans in an exclusive Lycee in Paris.  They play, flirt with other American students - and sometimes even the French ones!, work, and experience Paris as they all grow up over the course of the year.

My major issue with the books was that none of the students seemed like 16 year olds.  I hate when people make that comment about YA books so let me explain.  All the students live with French host families, but apparently none of the families have any compunction about letting their wards run around Paris at all hours of the night, none of them worry when the students come home drunk, and none of them even question the constant coming and going of new friends and acquaintances. A few times, the characters refer to their host parents, and two even mention that they share rooms with younger French ‘siblings,’ but still there’s no worry about going home drunk.  It bothered me.  I think the author could have made the students college age without much difference in the stories and avoided a lot of my qualms.

I haven’t been shy about the fact that I often dislike multiple narrators in books, but that was my absolute favourite part of Beautiful Americans.  The points of view spiral between our four main characters in almost a cinematic fashion.  This allows the reader to both see what the characters are thinking and feeling but also how that character comes across to others, and, as often with people though maybe teenagers especially, contradictions abound.  It was seriously well done.   Each of the characters' voices was easily distinguishable, and each was very flawed but still immensely likable.  I enjoyed each of them which makes the 'picking my favourite' game hard.  Alex, Zack, Olivia, and PJ all had their moments of brilliance.

Paris, as it often is, was basically a fifth main character, and as the students roamed through arrondissements, the reader gets to see Paris in all its glory, beauty, and filth.  Each of the scenes are framed by a vibrant Parisian setting whether it’s Alex and Zack shopping at Galeries Lafeyette, Olivia dancing with an underground ballet company, or PJ finding herself in a seedy club in Pigalle.  The reader can definitely tell that the author is very familiar with - and in love with - that city.  The second book is noticeably the weakest of the trilogy, and I believe that’s partially to due with the fact that Paris is left for other parts of France including Rouen and the Riviera plus a sequence set in Amsterdam.  The life of Paris pulses through the story, making outrageous adventures more believable and providing more than a backdrop for the four narrators’ coming of age story.

This isn’t a great trilogy, but it’s a fun and light read with four engaging and interesting main characters.  If you’re looking for some good brain candy with a glorious setting, it's definitely here.

Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door
by Stephanie Perkins
September 29, 2011
Bought from Amazon
Goodreads Page
Amazon Page
Grade: A

Synopsis (from Publisher):  Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

---

I feel as though everyone’s already said all there is to say about Lola and the Boy Next Door, but when has that stopped me from rambling on?  (Answer: Never)

I started Lola with a bit of trepidation.  After all, I’d loved Anna and the French Kiss so much – was the new book going to measure up?  What if I didn’t love it?  I didn’t want the pressure of the disappointment!  To my relief, after an uncertain first thirty or so pages, I fell completely in love with Lola in all her quirky and costumed glory.

I feel like Lola experiences more of an internal journey than Anna did (and, yes, I’m going to have to compare the two a bit because between the fact that they’re companion novels and the fact that Anna and St. Clair are secondary characters, the comparison is just so immediate!).  Anna’s journey was one of trying to figure out who she was after being ripped away from everything familiar while Lola had to determine if her need to stand out was her real self or some sort of disguise surrounded by helpful (and not so helpful) family members and friends, all with opinions of their own.

I really loved her quirky and hilarious voice even when (especially when) it turned bittersweet as she tried to muddle through the boy and family troubles, many of which really seemed universal.  We don’t all have an older rocker boyfriend or a homeless mother showing up on our doorstep, but we all have probably had the boyfriend (or girlfriend) that our friends hated or parents who don’t quite see where we’re trying to go.

And then there was Cricket.  Sigh, Cricket with his awkward limbs and great sense of style and total adorableness.  I was half in love after his first introduction and totally head over heels as the book continued.  I really liked seeing the tension as he was pulled between his twin sister Calliope and his crush in Lola.  He so badly wanted to be there for both of them, and neither made it all that easy on him.  Speaking of which, I loved Calliope in all her prickly, perfectionist glory.  If book 3 could be Calliope and Her Quest for Olympic Gold, I would be all over that.  Because seriously, how awesome is she?

As long as we’re on the secondary characters, I was so excited to get the glimpse into Anna and St. Clair’s lives!  Other blog reviews had mentioned that they play a big role of course, but I was thrilled to see them interact with Lola, Cricket and her other friends and just to see how they’re doing a bit down the line.  Especially I liked how their complete connection and little jokes still were at the point where people outside of their little circle of two were slightly excluded.  …okay, not that that’s a good thing, but it seemed so relevant to their relationship that I loved seeing it continue.

So yes, I ended up loving Lola and thinking myself totally silly for ever worrying about it.  Now…can I have Isla’s book please?  Maybe right after I reread Anna?

Review: Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell

Little Blog on the Prairie
by Cathleen Davitt Bell
May 11, 2010
Borrowed from Library
Goodreads Page
Amazon Page
Grade: A

Synopsis (from Publisher): Gen's family is more comfortable spending time apart than together. Then Gen's mom signs them up for Camp Frontier--a vacation that promises the "thrill" of living like 1890s pioneers. Forced to give up all of her modern possessions, Gen nevertheless manages to email her friends back home about life at "Little Hell on the Prairie," as she's renamed the camp. It turns out frontier life isn't without its good points--like the cute boy who lives in the next clearing. And when her friends turn her emails into a blog, Gen is happily surprised by the fanbase that springs up. But just when it seems Gen and family might pull through the summer, disaster strikes as a TV crew descends on the camp, intent on discovering the girl behind the nationwide blogging sensation--and perhaps ruining the best vacation Gen has ever had.

---

So this book?  Totally adorable.  I don’t usually stay up past my bedtime to read a middle grade book, but that’s what happened the other night as I raced to finish and see what the ending was going to be.  If you ever watched Frontier House or just dreamed about what living on the prairie like Laura Ingalls might be like, you’d probably enjoy this one.

I really liked Gen as our narrator.  She moaned and complained like any thirteen year old girl, but her complaining never slipped into ‘just grow up already’ territory or got on my nerves.  It probably helped that she had a lot to complain about - I’d complain too if I were dragged to a summer long farming experience without being able to brush my teeth or check my email, and I’m into historical interpretation!  She’s smart and observant and manages to find the humour and absurdity in her own situation - trying to pump herself up by singing Beat It to the corn or accidentally peeing on her stocking because she can’t make herself use the outhouse.  Which is where the blog comes in, of course, as Gen texts her observations to her friends back home using a smuggled in cell phone and one of them (they never appear except by text so I can barely distinguish between them) posts her texts on a blog for her computer science summer school class.

Gen’s family is also a well-developed combination of characters.  At first I was a little concerned because her father’s defining characteristic seemed to be being afraid of bears and her mother’s was a determined cheerfulness in spite of all reality.  But as the book continued - and Gen matured a little and began to see more clearly - her parents emerged as three-dimensional characters in their own right.  Gavin, her ten year old little brother, became one of my absolute favourite characters with his epic fishing prowess and attachment to the family chickens.  I really enjoyed watching Gen and Gavin’s relationship develop from one of benign neglect into a real partnership and friendship between the siblings.

Camp Frontier itself made me stare and mutter things like “there is NO WAY their insurance company would allow this.”  When the campers arrive, they’re fed a communal supper by the camp owners and then bundled off to their separate farm plots with no training, no instructions, just a “go to, cook on the wood stove, farm that corn, and kill those chickens!  Here’s some cornmeal and possibly rancid salt pork!  And, oh, by the way, you’re being graded!”  Obviously the book’s scope wasn’t to question the insane decisions (or insurance premiums) of the insane owners, but I kept wanting to tell them that if they attached a week of instructions on how to actually perform the tasks being asked, the families would probably have a much better time of it! 

The other camp families (there are four total) were an amusing combination of survivalists, a newly blended family trying to coalesce, and parents trying to give their little girl the vacation of her dreams.  We don’t get to know the other families as well as Gen’s of course so they’re mainly sketched in, but the narrative manages to make them all seem real as they struggle with similar issues of farming and feeding their families with limited provisions and a woodburning stove.  The other children become more major as Gen and Gavin bond with them over the insanity of the camp and their attempts to perform 19th century chores.  I also enjoyed the sweet developing relationship between Gen and Caleb, the hot felt hat-wearing neighbor boy.

This review sounds overly gushing, and I suppose that it is, but it was a very cute book that never pretended to be more than what it is while portraying a very different type of summer vacation from the more normal beach reads.  Gen grows up a lot over the course of the book, and the reader gets the pleasure of seeing how this changes her and her relationships to her family and community.  I’d definitely recommend Little Blog on the Prairie.

Review: The Earth, my Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

The Earth, my Butt, and Other Big Round Things
by Carolyn Mackler
June 14, 2005
Borrowed from Library
Goodreads Page
Amazon Page
Grade: A

Synopsis (from Publisher): Fifteen-year-old Virginia Shreves has a larger-than-average body and a plus-size inferiority complex, especially when she compares herself to her slim, brilliant, picture-perfect family. But that’s before a shocking phone call — and a horrifying allegation — about her rugby-star brother changes everything. With irreverent humor and surprising gravity, Carolyn Mackler creates an endearingly blunt heroine who speaks to every teen who struggles with family expectations, and proves that the most impressive achievement is to be true to yourself.

---

I loved this book SO MUCH.  I’m pretty sure I can’t even write a coherent review here because all I am about this is starry eyes and flailing hands.  So I heard about The Earth, My Butt... after listening to the author on NPR (yeah, you knew I was a dork) about the new anthology Dear Bully.  I ran across a copy of The Earth, My Butt while putting together a display for Banned Books Week at the library.  Which obviously meant I had to substitute another book (Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret if you’re curious) and check out Mackler’s book myself.

Coherence is at a minimum so what I’m going to do here is just list the parts that made me so happy.

• Virginia’s funny, sarcastic, completely blunt voice
• Every character being realistically flawed
• Froggy
• Adult mentors.  Adult mentors!
• Eyebrow piercings
• Characters named after authors 
• Family that means well even as they hurt you
• Kickboxing
• Virginia not suddenly becoming thin
• Learning that even your heroes are real and very, very fallible
• Virginia learning how to find her own voice and use it at home and school
• Earthquacks
• Realistic teenage worries about boys
• Anais’ fantastic advice on making out and sex.

This was very definitely a ‘message’ book - learn who you are and be true to yourself instead of becoming who your family or friends want you to be.  But it’s done in a funny and engaging voice from a character who feels very multi-dimensional and real, and I can’t help but think that this is a message that every teenager - every person - needs to hear as often as possible.

Review: Ten Things We Did by Sarah Mlynowski

Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have)
by Sarah Mlynowski
June 7, 2011
Borrowed from Library
Goodreads Page
Amazon Page
Grade: B+

2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house – parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have.

If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them.

In this hilarious and bittersweet tale, Sarah Mlynowski mines the heart and mind of a girl on her own for the first time. To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . . one thing-she-shouldn't-have-done at a time.

---

I seriously read this book while peeking through my fingers.  The choices April made were so bad and so teenager-y that I couldn’t even handle it. I wanted to shake her for being stupid and shake her parents for letting her stay in Westport and basically yell at everyone involved.

So yeah, one could say I was a little over-involved in this book.  It’s probably because I could see myself making every single one of April’s choices if I’d been given the opportunity when I was sixteen, and I’m so happy I never had the opportunity (mostly because I had to beg for weeks to be allowed to spend a weekend with my best friend at college when I was a senior in high school). 

But beyond all those personal issues, I really enjoyed reading Ten Things....  April was an engaging narrator, and I loved how the narrative jumped back and forth between the past and present as the former was needed to explain references.  It felt like a friend was telling you the story and having to keep jump back to fill you in on the people or places referred to.  In a weaker author’s hands, this style probably would have been annoying or confusing, but Mlynowski made it charming and a lot of fun to read.

Each of the girls - April, her housemate Vi, and her best friend Marissa - developed and matured through the novel.  We only see April’s point of view, but all three are challenged by their families, their boyfriends, and their friendships, and we get to see all three learn from the challenges and overcome them.  The boys in the book weren’t nearly as well-defined.  Several of them - Dean and Hudson in particular - were sweet, but none of their characterizations were more than that one dimension.

I think that’s the weakest point of the book.  I would have liked to see the boys that these girls are interested in be well-developed as the girls themselves.  I also found the premise itself unbelievable.  A caring parent will really allow his daughter to stay with a friend's "mom" without ever meeting her?  But I'm willing to accept most premises if the story that follows is a good one, and this one is.

Mlynowski always writes an entertaining story.  I enjoyed the light fluffiness of Gimme a Call, and I enjoyed Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn’t Have) even more.  I can’t wait to see what she does next!

Review: Slayers by C.J. Hill

Slayers
by C.J. Hill
September 27, 2011
Received ARC from NetGalley
Amazon Page
Goodreads Page
Grade: B

Synopsis: Dragons exist. They’re ferocious. And they’re smart: Before they were killed off by slayer-knights, they rendered a select group of eggs dormant, so their offspring would survive. Only a handful of people know about this, let alone believe it – these “Slayers” are descended from the original knights, and are now a diverse group of teens that includes Tori, a smart but spoiled senator’s daughter who didn’t sign up to save the world.

The dragon eggs have fallen into the wrong hands. The Slayers must work together to stop the eggs from hatching. They will fight; they will fall in love. But will they survive?

---

Review:  When I first saw the synopsis of this book, I thought ‘oh hey!  Rampant with dragons!’ But I was wrong.  Slayers is much more in the Percy Jackson line (without gods obviously) with a group of superheroes by birth reuniting every summer at camp and never able to talk about camp in their regular lives.

I seriously would have done anything to go to Dragon Camp when I was a preteen or teenager!  I loved the horse camp I went to, but a whole summer with riding, archery, medieval tactics, and dragon obsessions would’ve been magic.  Literally if I’d gotten to hang out at the advanced camp with the slayers. 

Tori provides our view into the group of slayers as the new member of a team that’s been training together for four years.  She is, as the synopsis says, a spoiled rich kid who spent the previous summer at a ‘finishing school’ in Cancun and is definitely the fish out of water in the rustic surroundings.  Her uncertainty about the purpose of the group at first reads true - because seriously? a bunch of teenagers claiming to fight dragons? But since the reader knows that dragons are real and the slayers are well-intentioned, it’s also played slightly for laughs and provides some nice levity.  I also enjoyed her reaction to the idea of dedicating her life to fighting the dragons.  As much as we all hope we’d step up valiantly if we were given the opportunity to save others, I think most of us - and Tori - would have more than a few qualms at the idea.  I liked that she wasn’t immediately gung ho about her heritage and purpose and the camp itself.

The rest of the slayers fade mostly into sketched in (likeable) archetypes - there’s the snobby girls, the prankster, the gentle healer, the two immensely hot team captains (who also function as two points of a somewhat forced love triangle with Tori).  As it is, only Jesse and Dirk - the team captains - get much development.  About halfway through the book, Dirk begins to assume more prominence and starts to have his own viewpoint chapters.  The point-of-view change is a little startling, and I think alternating viewpoints might have worked better if they occurred from the beginning.

I never felt uncertain about where Slayers was headed, and none of the plot twists were terribly surprising, but the training scenarios and team interactions at Dragon Camp were very engaging.  The plot was action-packed and well-paced, and I think most readers will find it enjoyable.  Some of the dragon mythology seemed awfully convenient, but I can accept it - like the underdeveloped supporting cast of slayers - in hopes that further books will develop the mythology and other teens more fully.

The writing of Slayers is snappy with short dramatic chapters that feel made for TV.  I could almost see fade to commercial each time there was a chapter break.  While the writing was cinematic, the reading experience was extremely choppy.  However though I wasn’t the biggest fan of the style, I can definitely see people - especially boys - who may not read a lot enjoying the easily consumed and action-packed chapters.

I’m definitely interested in reading further Slayers books to see what happens as the group of heroes continue to go up against the dragons and the dragon lords who control them.  Many thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Book Press for the opportunity to read the ARC!

Review: Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strolm

Pilgrims Don’t Wear Pink
by Stephanie Kate Strolm
May 8, 2012
Received copy from NetGalley
Amazon page
Goodreads page
Grade: B+ (but A for the history details that manage to be accurate without overwhelming)

Synopsis (this is the synopsis in the ARC instead of the one on Goodreads mainly because I like it a lot better):  “It’s not like I’ll actually be LIVING in the eighteenth century.  It just looks like the eighteenth century.  A sanitized, tourist-friendly eighteenth century.  I’ll be like an eighteenth-century Disney princess!  Colonial Cinderella!”

Oh, I could see it now.  I had the perfect shade of lip gloss to pull off that all-natural no-makeup makeup look.

It may not be your idea of the best summer before senior year ever, but to Libby Kelting - historical-romance-reading, Jane Austen-adaption-watching, all-around history nerd - working at Camden Harbor (“In here, it’s always 1791!”) is, like, a dream come true.  Supercute coastal Maine location, a fabulous wardrobe of eighteenth-century fashion, hearth cooking, needlepoint...what’s not to love?  Throw in a summer fling with Cam, the hottest sailor in the harbor, and you’ve got yourself an old-fashioned good time.

But it’s not all sonnets and primroses.  Libby has a majorly annoying roommate situation to deal with, and bunking with rookie newspaper reporter Garrett McCaffrey aboard the Lettie Mae Howell is only a tiny step up.  What could be more awkward than sharing a fo’c’sle with a Star Trek-loving geek?

Oh, right.  Sharing a fo’c’sle with a Star Trek-loving geek and the ghost of a drowned sea captain.

It’s not quite the summer she bargained for, but Libby Kelting is going to make it work.

---

Oh this book!  It’s probably not a shock by now that I love history, and as a previous interpreter at living history museums, I so totally had to leap at the chance to read the ARC of this book.

First things first, Libby is a fun main character - so longing for a Jane Austen-ified version of the past that she has a hard time both seeing history for all its dirty parts and also living in the present.  She’s more than a little grossed out by the reality of cooking over the open fire (and using lard!), but she dives headfirst into her role as Education and Interpretation Intern (or “just a camp counselor” as the hilariously bitchy fellow intern Ashling points out).  Her utter excitement at getting to live in the 18th century and spend a summer teaching little girls about colonial crafts and cooking is slowly tempered by the realisation that nowhere - not even the oldest living history museum in Maine - is perfect.  Instead of living in a historical romance, Camden Harbor (and maybe even the past itself) is full of other people’s opinions, dirt, politics, and the need for more money.  And maybe, just maybe, there’s a ghost of a ship Captain.

Libby's a little too perfect at times almost the epitome of an accomplished eighteenth century girl - she can sing excellently, cook amazingly, sew, read, and be ever-patient with her group of demanding (but adorable) preteen campers.  However I really enjoyed watching her slowly grow over the course of the summer from a girl who escapes into the romance of history to someone who starts to realise that nothing is perfect and sometimes that even is better.

Her crush is one of the ‘Squaddies,’ the boys who do the demonstrations on the museum’s ships.  Cameron’s basically made for any historical romance loving girl - he quotes Shakespeare, brings flowers, and looks really, really good in a pair of breeches.  He’s also pretty much a complete ass, and it frustratingly takes Libby all summer to figure this out.  I would have liked her to catch onto his lady-killing ways earlier - she seems to miss every obvious clue, and the fact that she doesn’t makes her seem stupider than she really is.

There’s a bit of a ghost story as the plot unfolds which forces Libby to spend much of the summer sharing bunks on one of the ships with boy reporter, Garrett - he who wears Stargate t-shirts and flabbergasts Libby by paying absolutely no attention to fashion and who won my heart by reading Northanger Abbey after Libby said it was her favourite Austen.  It’s a slightly contrived plot point, but it’s hard to argue with something that allows one to read about the fo’c’sle (definition: living quarters consisting of a superstructure in the bow of a merchant ship where the crew is housed) over and over.  Best word ever.

Libby’s best friend from home, Dev, makes appearances both by phone and in person during the course of the novel, and while I enjoyed his character, it would have been nice if the character was slightly less of a stereotypically sassy gay best friend.  I love seeing LGTBQ representation in YA lit, but we need to move on from the stereotypes into real characterizations.  In contrast, the other interns at Camden Harbor have much more well-rounded characters, and while they admittedly have more 'screen time,' given how well Libby knows Dev, I think he could have been developed beyond the stereotype without much trouble.

In tone (other than a small scene with teen drinking), Pilgrims Don’t Wear Pink reads more like a middle grade novel than young adult - Libby’s journey is one of self-discovery and the romance, while present, is mostly very sweet.  The history details and realities of a living history museum are consistently right on the mark.  Much more so than I’d ever expected and that part especially brought me great glee. 

I’d recommend this book to anyone who wants a charmingly light read about sweet summer romance and self-discovery.  If one’s not terribly interested in history, I’d still recommend it - the history details, as I said, are accurate but not overwhelming and other than a knowledge of the fact that Jane Austen is a 19th century novelist, I don’t think any specific historical knowledge would be required to enjoy the novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Graphia/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for allowing me to read and review this ARC!

Review: Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

Shut Out
by Kody Keplinger
September 5, 2011
Borrowed from Library
Amazon link
Goodreads page
Grade: B+

Synopsis (from publisher): Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention.

Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: she and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.

Inspired by Aristophanes' play Lysistrata, critically acclaimed author of The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) Kody Keplinger adds her own trademark humor in this fresh take on modern teenage romance,
rivalry and sexuality.

---

If Kody Keplinger wasn’t such a good writer, I’d kind of hate her for writing so well and being so young!  It’s a conundrum, I know.  But I loved The Duff, and Shut Out was definitely a worthy second novel.  There are few authors - YA or otherwise - who write as frankly about sex and what teenagers go through with regards to it as Kody, and I think it’s something that should be written - and talked about! - more. 

One of my favourite series of scenes in Shut Out involved the girls taking turns to host sleepovers to keep the morale up during the strike. Different girls kept coming up to Lissa and confessing - they were a virgin or didn’t really like sex but they couldn’t say it to the group as a whole because they were worried about judgment.  Some of the scenes during the sleepover struck me as a little bit preachy as the girls banded together and claimed girl power, but these really spoke to how I remember my worries about sex and having it when I was a teenager.  Everyone’s supposed to love sex.  It’s supposed to be this great thing...but sometimes it isn’t, and who do you blame but yourself if you don’t have friends to talk to?

Which is pretty much the theme of the book, and it was one that rang true to me.

Lissa was a likeable heroine who I desperately wanted to get into therapy.  Her obsessions and control issues were obviously disrupting her life and while Cash (the love interest) brushed them off as “part of her,” I really, really want to imagine her going to see a therapist and working out some of these reactions to her mom’s death.  Counting every second to try to relax is a coping mechanism, sure, but it’s not the best one.

Other than that, I really enjoyed her perspective on school, the rivalries, and everything.  Her relationship with Randy, the school’s quarterback was difficult to read about, but again it rang true and watching Lissa as she grew to like herself enough to not want to be treated badly by Randy was a pleasure. 

The supporting cast of girls seemed to be mostly a collection of teen movie stereotypes - this one’s a virgin, that one loves sex, that one’s a bitch because she doesn’t know how not to be - but if they were mostly one-dimensional, they were very charming stereotypes, and I couldn’t help but root for them and enjoy their scenes.

Which brings me, of course, to the hilariously named Cash Sterling.  First off, I was so very glad Kody hung a lampshade on his romance novelesque name because otherwise it would’ve been just too cheesy, but wow, he was very nearly too perfect.  Who wouldn’t want a boy who not only plays soccer midfield but also works at the library and wants to discuss Greek poetry with you?  He reminded me in many ways - all good - of a Sarah Dessen love interest, and I’m not going to even try to pretend I didn’t fall in love with him a little bit.

I didn’t love Shut Out as much as I did The Duff, but it was a really good read all the same.  I’d definitely recommend it to those looking for a contemporary YA read that’s a little more frank about sex and how it affects both girls and guys than your average YA book.  And, of course, a thoughtful and likeable heroine (who really needs therapy) and a swoon-worthy love interest.

Review: Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

Fixing Delilah
Sarah Ockler
December 1, 2010

Borrowed from library
Amazon link
Goodreads
Grade: B

Synopsis from Publisher:  Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.

She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.

Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?

Rich with emotion, Sarah Ockler delivers a powerful story of family, love, and self-discovery.

---

My feelings on this book have swung back and forth like a crazy pendulum in the week since I read it.  I meant to do this review at the end of last week, but I just couldn’t pin down what I think about it.   I’m still not sure I’ve pinned it down, but I’ll try to work it out in the next few paragraphs.  Bear with me here.

I absolutely loved Twenty Boy Summer.  It was one of my favourite books of last year - the exploration of grief, friendship, and moving on from your first love just absolutely touched my heart.  So it’s fair to say that I was expecting a lot from Fixing Delilah.

And again, Ockler wrote a sensitive story about how families can break apart but be put back together again.  Her families and their problems, large and small, always strike me as very real.  They have rivalries, ambitions, losses that all must be dealt with as a family unit - something that’s common in life but rather rare in young adult fiction.

My major issue with Fixing Delilah is that I never really felt connected to Delilah.  While she was determined to get to the bottom of her family’s mysteries, her lack of empathy for her family members drove me a little bit nuts.  Her mother and aunt were still trying to cope with the suicide of their youngest sister, but Delilah never seems to acknowledge that or allow them any latitude for it even when she’s demanding answers about her dead aunt’s life and how its end affected the family for years. 

I did really enjoy the way she slowly formed real friendships over the course of the summer.  Her friendship with Em was seriously well-written, and I loved that Delilah’s growing relationship with Patrick didn’t overshadow the importance of that friendship.  Both Em and Patrick were particularly well-developed for secondary characters as were Delilah’s mother and aunt.  I found myself wanting the book to focus on the relationship between the sisters or on Em's struggle with her father instead of on the main character.

There’s a lot of appreciate about this book - the writing is like a leisurely stroll on a summer day: descriptive and lovely. Unfortunately the story just didn’t connect with the me in the way Twenty Boy Summer did, but it’s still a good read that I'm sure other people will truly love.  I’ll absolutely be picking up Sarah Ockler’s books in the future.

Review: Ambitious by Monica MacKayhan

Ambitious
by Monica MacKayhan
September 1, 2011 
Received ARC from NetGalley
Amazon Page
Goodreads Page
Grade: D

Synopsis (from Publisher): There's only one thing tougher than getting in to Premiere High: Staying in…

At Premiere School of the Performing Arts, nicknamed Premiere High, talent is a must and competition is fierce. But the payoff is worth it. Some of the biggest stars in music, movies and dance are on the alumni list. New student Marisol Garcia dreams of taking her place among them one day. And being chosen to take part in a local dance contest where a film role is the prize could possibly be her first step into the spotlight.

Almost as big a challenge: getting Drew Bishop to see her as more than a friend. But Drew is preoccupied with his own dilemma of either playing basketball, which could be a free ticket to college, or pursuing the stage where he really comes alive. But every dream comes with a price. And as Marisol becomes consumed with winning, the once straight–A student risks losing everything. Starting with her parents' approval, her friends and her place at Premiere High…

---

Girl gets accepted to a massively competitive performing arts high school and soon proves herself one of the best dancers in the school...and gets the hottest and most talented guy in her class.

Wait...that's not how it works, is it?

In Ambitious, it definitely works that way. Marisol is accepted both to Premiere High School of Performing Arts AND the top dance class in the school despite any formal dance training. A free class the previous summer seems to be Marisol's only actual dance instruction. People can be naturally talented, but from the first page, Ambitious flirts with snapping my suspension of disbelief.

Her love interest, Drew, also is far better than seems reasonable. With echoes of High School Musical dancing and singing through the head, Drew's not only a standout basketball star who's approached by a Georgetown scout in his sophomore year (after he's stopped playing ball in order to attend Premiere), but he's also apparently an amazingly talented actor who lands the starring role of Walter Lee Younger in the school production of A Raisin in the Sun. This is despite any acting experience beyond a Christmas pageant in sixth grade and an Easter play at his grandmother's church.

Marisol and Drew alternate point-of-view chapters as they experience the first months of attending Premiere High. They both have to handle family issues – Marisol's little brother is being pressured to join a gang and Drew's dad doesn't like his son giving up basketball. Marisol also has difficulties combining her neighbourhood friends with the girls and guys she meets at school in Manhattan.

Marisol is a likeable enough character as she deals with leaving her close-knit Brooklyn neighbourhood and expanding her horizons into Manhattan – and hopefully future stardom. But while the character is sweet, she never seems to have to actually struggle to achieve anything. She competes in a Dance America! Contest – referred in the book as the most competitive dance competition in the country, but Marisol breezes through to the finals in California while seeming to only train for the competition at lunch. Her old best friend is jealous over Mari's new school friends, but the issue is smoothed over when said old friend gets sick of the girl she befriended to replace Marisol and tries to make amends. She worries about boys, but they compete with each other to ask her to the formal dance. Without much adversity to define her character, the likable qualities seem mostly one-note and the character lacks needed complexity.

I wasn't nearly as fond of Drew even on a superficial level. His chapters failed to provide a level of character development expected from a main character, and they mostly detail his name brand possessions and trips to see Knicks' games or golf outings. I kept expecting some quality of self-reflection from him, especially given his interest in acting, but I was disappointed. The only scene where his character seemed like a human and a teenage boy instead of the author's conception of the ideal teenage boy was when his grandmother visited and talked with him about acting and girls. But even then, I was glaring at the page, annoyed that his grandmother is portrayed almost as maid – she comes by every week or so to clean Drew and his father's apartment, do their laundry, and cook for them. I wanted to shake the boy and ask if he really was sitting there letting his elderly grandma scrub his toilet.

I had high hopes for Ambitious. I've such a soft spot for stories a) about boarding schools/exclusive schools and b) about theatre or dance, and this one seemed to hit all those points. The synopsis and promise of a future series set at a Manhattan performing arts high school sounded like it could be really interesting and full of the backstabbing drama that only really shows up in the arts. Also YA lit can be so saturated with solely white heroes and heroines, and a series that was explicitly multicultural was really appealing too me. But until the characters actually have to work to succeed in such a high pressure environment, I'll be passing on any future Premiere books.

Many thank yous to Netgalley and KimaniTRU for the ecopy of this book for review