YA Librarian's blog
Tina's Mouth
Published in
Tina's Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary
by Keshni Kashyap
illustrated by Mari Araki
Graphic Novel
Realistic Fiction
* * * * Stars (Great!)
Tina is of east Asian descent and goes to a very nice private school, Yarborough Academy, in Southern California. She’s a sophomore and her story is told through the diary she’s keeping as an assignment for her Existentialism class. Like most people her age, she’s trying to figure out who she is and where she fits into the universe. Her former best friend just dumped her for a boyfriend and a new group of friends, and Tina is at loose ends. Hurt and angry, she decides to be proactive and she joins some new activities, tries out for the school play (gets the lead!), and meets some new people. She also finds herself obsessed with a certain boy who sometimes seems to return her interest, but more often than not confuses her. Love is not all it’s cracked up to be. And Being is a lot more difficult than being.
Tina doesn’t fit well into the usual groups or stereotypes. She’s kind of quiet and angsty and she dresses a bit punk-rock goth. Although there are cliques at her school, she drifts in the space between them and is her own person. I like that she’s not afraid to confront the boy and that she doesn’t wallow in self-pity when things don’t go her way. She may not have all the answers, but she’s well on her way to figuring things out. “I’m a lot of things,” she says. “Multifaceted.” Relatable, funny, and engrossing.
Fault in Our Stars
Published in
The Fault in Our Stars
by John Green
Cancer
Realistic fiction
* * * * * Stars (Amazing!)
I give up. I give in. I’m going to buy this book. My very own copy. It was that good, and I’m itching to copy down all of my favorite snatches of dialogue (only that would be most of the book, so I’d be saving myself time and effort if I just had it ready to hand).
Hazel Grace has cancer – the kind that’s most likely terminal, and she’s been dying since the day she was diagnosed (well, born, really – we all are). Her parents force her to go to a teens with cancer support group where she meets Augustus (bone cancer survivor), who has a similar sense of humor (dark, strange, wonderful) and they fall in like over a book Hazel lends Augustus (An Imperial Affliction). Their friendship grows and their feelings for one another deepen – although Hazel is initially wary of allowing anyone to love her (knowing that she’s going to die some day). They become obsessed with finding out what happens to the characters in Hazel’s book after it ends, and enter into an email correspondence with the author, who invites them to visit him (for answers) in the Netherlands. A. uses his “wish” (given to terminal cancer kids) to enable them both to travel there. The author is a disappointing mess, but Hazel and Augustus make the most of their trip anyway. Until Augustus reveals that his latest scan shows his cancer has metastasized, or spread, all over his body.
SPOILER!
I finished reading this in the very not-private confines of the gym, where I tried valiantly to see the last words on the last page through a haze of tears because Augustus was going to die, and we’ll never know what happens to Hazel Grace (except we have to assume that she’ll also die), because each was afflicted with rather serious, terminal cancers. And this, you would think, is just about the most emotionally manipulative you can get (teenagers at Death’s door), but it’s not. It’s inevitable, but John Green makes you love the people. Their disease, while consuming (literally), is sort of secondary. I love that HG and A. fell in like over a book. That they were so used to being sick that they’d each developed a sick sense of humor that was complementary to the other’s. I like that their parents noticed this about them.
I have flipped through the book a bunch of times now wondering what I could/should share that would, you know, sum it all up and make everyone want to read it…and it’s so hard to choose. There are so many good ones. And also, so many others that you just need more background to appreciate. You need to already know and be in love with these characters as I am. But here is one:
[A]nd then Dad said, “You know what I believe? I remember in college I was taking this math class, this really great math class taught by this tiny old woman. She was talking about fast Fourier transforms and she stopped midsentence and said, ‘Sometimes it seems the universe wants to be noticed.’
“That’s what I believe. I believe the universe wants to be noticed. I think the universe is improbably biased toward consciousness, that it rewards intelligence in part because the universe enjoys its elegance being observed. And who am I, living in the middle of history, to tell the universe that it – or my observation of it – is temporary?”
“You are fairly smart,” I said after awhile.
“You are fairly good at compliments,” he answered. (p. 223)
Mostly I want to quote A.’s eulogy for HG. But that’s the end. And it’s maybe too much. Please read this.
Behemoth
Behemoth
Leviathan trilogy #2
by Scott Westerfeld
Alternative History
Science Fiction
World War I
* * * * * Stars (Amazing!)
Behemoth continues the adventures of Midshipman Deryn (Dylan) of the Leviathan, and Prince Alek (Austrian Archduke and possible heir to the Empire). The airship Leviathan arrives somewhat worse for wear in Constantinople where “the lady boffin” attempts to present her gift to the Sultan. Constantinople is already overrun with Germans (Clankers) and German influence, however, and her peace-making efforts fail. During their layover, Alek manages – with Deryn’s help – to escape and falls in with a resistance movement that aims to overthrow the Sultan. Meanwhile, Deryn is sent on a secret sabotage mission, to pave the way for the arrival of the Leviathan (a submarine-like creature) which is en route from Britain. Although she succeeds, the rest of her team is captured and she chooses to join Alek and the resistance efforts until she can make contact with the Leviathan. Based on the events that led up to World War I, this steampunk series is a suspenseful and exciting alternative history/science fiction with marvelous illustrations. If you haven’t read Leviathan (the first book in the trilogy) do so immediately! This second installment is just as good as the first (rare in series fiction these days).
We Bought A Zoo
Published in
We Bought a Zoo: The Amazing True Story of a Young Family, a Broken Down Zoo, and the 200 Wild Animals That Changed Their Lives Forever
by Benjamin Mee
Animals
Audio edition
Autobiography
Biography
Nonfiction
Zoos
* * * * Stars (Great!)
Benjamin Mee’s mother was looking to downsize after her husband passed away, but when a unique opportunity to own and manage the Dartmoor Wildlife Park in England was brought to her attention, she and her adult children (and grandchildren) decided to bid on it. Several attempts to secure the zoo ended in failure, but the family was finally able to purchase it in 2006, refurbish it, and open (to great success!) in July of 2007. During that time, Ben lost his beloved wife Katherine to cancer, and had to make many difficult decisions concerning the grounds, and the 200+ animals that were now in his care. This is a touching and empowering story of a family’s rather whimsical decision to throw caution to the wind and concentrate their efforts and energy on revitalizing a failing zoo. May we all be so lucky with our endeavors and enjoy – as did Mee and his family – the fruits of our labors. The family’s story has also been told in a BBC documentary series (Ben’s Zoo), and has been released as a major motion picture film. Readers will be happy to learn that the zoo is still going strong under the tender ministrations of Mee and his dedicated staff. Click for more information about the Dartmoor Zoo.
Ashes
Published in
Ashes
by Ilsa Bick
audio edition
Horror
Suspense
Thriller
* * * * * Stars (Amazing!)
Alex, a teenage girl with cancer, decides to hike out into the woods to scatter her parents’ ashes and make some decisions about her own life. While she’s out in the wilderness, something catastrophic happens – perhaps an EMP (electro-magnetic pulse) – and the whole world changes. Some people die outright, some people change into zombie-like cannibalistic creatures, and others survive but are different somehow – with special or enhanced senses. Everything is chaos and the survivors band together in small groups, defending what they have and taking what they can from others. Alex finds Elly (an 8 year old girl) and Tom (who is a little older than herself) and together they decide to go north, where there are likely to be fewer people (and, presumably, less danger). Almost immediately, things go wrong, and Elly is kidnapped, Tom is wounded, and Alex must go off on her own to seek help. She finds a community, but its members won’t go back for Tom or Elly, and although Alex begins to make peace with this, she discovers a terrible secret that makes it impossible for her to stay.
This takes off as soon as the EMP discharges and the suspense and terror you feel as Alex finds herself in one perilous situation after another is unrelenting. The audio edition makes this almost unbearable, it’s so stressful. Katherine Kellgren, the reader, really brings this to life. Truly scary and gripping. You’ll be dying to know what happens to Alex (and her friends) in the next book (I am!).
Note: I’ll probably read the next book, rather than listen to it – I wasn’t kidding about feeling stressed out by the audio edition. My brain can manufacture its own suspense, and Katherine Kellgren’s reading was just too impassioned for me. I need a little distance from my terror, thanks! I’m sure other people will love it for exactly that reason. Excellent read.
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick
Published in
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick
by Joe Schreiber
Mystery
Realistic Fiction
Suspense
Thriller
* * * * Stars (Great!)
Perry Stormaire’s family has been hosting Gobija Zaksauskas – a Lithuanian foreign exchange student – for the past few months. Gobi is definitely not what Perry had hoped for (hot, experienced), although she does have an outrageous accent. But she’s not what she seems, either. Just before she’s supposed to go back to Lithuania, she expresses a desire to go to the prom, and Perry’s parents make him take her. That’s when she reveals that she’s really some kind of international spy/assassin and she’s on a mission to kill 5 targets. This, as you might imagine, comes as a total surprise to Perry, who becomes her unwitting (and unwilling) accomplice on her one-night killing spree. During their wild and crazy night, Perry learns who Gobi really is and what her mission of vengeance is all about.
Written as a series of college entrance essays, Perry’s story is both exciting and funny. Gobi is a cold-blooded killer, and a master of disguise, and she would probably have been better off without Perry’s “help,” which is more hindrance than anything else. However, her interference and influence allows Perry to break out of the straightjacket hold his father has on his dreams and aspirations and to finally choose what he wants for himself. Gritty and violent, like a James Bond flick, and with the same sly humor. Perry is NO 007, but he brings his own sort of bumbling charm.
