Young Adult

Redemption (Finished a book – finally. #readathon)

2011, Books in Bed, Dewey's Readathon, Kindle, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

I finally finished Redemption. Finally. Lord that was long – and really, it’s the only complaint I have about this book. It was just a wee bit too long the beginning should have been edited a bit. I think the lead was just a little to long. Otherwise – interesting story – demons, angels, wiccans, gargoyles. Who doesn’t love that?

I will be interested to see what happens after the flying carpet and the ring of Solomon.  See – how awesome is that?

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I Now Pronounce You Someone Else

1 Comment / 2011, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Fiction, Young Adult /

I knew going in that I Now Pronounce You Someone Else was not going to be my favorite YA book on the shortlist. And as expected, I did not love it. But – I did not hate it nearly as much as I thought. There was good stuff in there. Some pretty funny parts. Some very sweet parts. Some sad parts. Some serious anger-inducing parts.

Not bad for a book about a teen girl who plans to get married in order to get the life and family she didn’t have.

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Three Cybils – One Yay! One Nay! One In Between!

2011, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Fiction, Poetry, Young Adult /

I’m digging into the poetry category and back into the YA category from the Cybils shortlist. I’m nonplussed about both categories so far, which is troubling.

First, Split. I didn’t hate it. I didn’t love it. Christian seemed wrong to me but not as wrong as both Miriam and Dakota seemed. The women in Jace’s new life seemed almost too perfect and too good, though the author tried to make sure that we understood neither was like Jace’s mom or like Lauren. Still. I don’t know. Miriam before she got to know about all of Jace’s problems seemed a little over the top, then once she found out the entire story, she seemed to willing to dig her heels in for the long haul. It just seemed – backwards and not as realistic as I’d hoped.  The most troubling thing here – this was the YA winner. Darn. Maybe it’s just me?

Then Ubiquitous – great title for a children’s poetry book. Nice pictures. Good idea. The poetry left me bored while I enjoyed the facts about all of the ubiquitous creatures. For a poetry book, the poetry shouldn’t leave you bored. Kids have a hard enough time getting in to poetry to start with.

Next comes Scarum Fair – loved it. Loved the artwork. Loved the poetry. Loved the idea. Not for kids who scare easily but for kids who like ghoulish make believe – fabulous. Love, love, love.

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Plain Kate

2011, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

Plain Kate is on the Cybils shortlist in the YA Science Fiction/Fantasy category…. And with that, I take a sigh of relief. Because the ending of this book… wah! While listening, I thought it was middle grade SciFi/Fantasy and that bit seemed a bit much.  (It involves cats… and knives… and blood… and fire… and it was rough….)

Anyway, about the book itself, it started a little slowly but once Plain Kate had moved to her father’s stall and Linay arrived, things moved more quickly.  The biggest problem with the book, for me, is that Kate didn’t connect the dots more quickly. This lack of understanding made it seem like it was middle grade rather than YA. I cannot imagine a teenager alive who would not have rolled her eyes at Kate’s inability to figure out WHO Linay was. It was almost painful. Kate wasn’t stupid and she should have figured it out much, much earlier.

Other than that… enjoyed it quite a bit.

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Happyface

2011, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Comics & Graphic Novels, Favorites, Fiction, Young Adult /

A couple weeks ago, Elly asked me to reserve a book called Happyface… so I did. She read it and then she bugged me non-stop to finish whatever I was reading so I could read Happyface… so I did.

It’s a combination graphic novel/novel. It’s a bit about bullying. A bit about a dysfunctional family. It’s about alcoholism. Dating. Family relationships. Reinventing yourself only to find you’re still who you were, sort of, before the reinvention – because you haven’t dealt with who you were before the reinvention.

It’s a wee bit sad. It’s also funny in the right places. And thought-provoking in others, particularly if you’re a teenager who’s on the outside looking in. Or maybe on the inside wondering how to get out.  This could be a Cybils shortlister, I think.

I’m impressed that Elly liked this book so much.  Now I have to figure out when I can sit down and discuss it with her. We might have to video chat or something in order to have that conversation before I forget what the book was about. Heh.

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Harmonic Feedback

1 Comment / 2011, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Fiction, Young Adult /

I was leery of Harmonic Feedback because I do not like the cover. Sassymonkey said it wasn’t a bad book so I kept reminding myself of that and she was right. It wasn’t a bad book. I ended up enjoying it, even though I didn’t particularly love the Asperger’s theme.  The weird part is that I don’t really know why it didn’t work for me. I liked Drea. I really did. I even believed she is on the spectrum somewhere. It all just felt a little… flat.  Like the cover… ?

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Two Cybils – One I Loved, One — Not So Much

2011, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Fiction, Young Adult /

First, Some Girls Are… Yes, I know. Some Girls Are… a lot of girls are. And some books make reading about some girls a painful, painful experience. It’s not that the book was badly written – it wasn’t. It’s not that it was a bad topic – it wasn’t. It was just a trouble book blown to smithereens by trouble. I kept picturing mean girls reading this book and victims of mean girls reading this book and none of the pictures popping into my head were good ones.

I do not think I can read another Courtney Summers book – so I hope she doesn’t make the Cybils shortlist again. I just… can’t do it. There’s no pay off for me when it’s over.

Now a book that I did love – Ninth Ward. That was a painful book, too. But not painful the way Some Girls Are was painful. It hurt to listen to Lenesha and Mama Yaya all the while knowing what was going to happen to them in the Ninth Ward. That helpless feeling… I remember that feeling. And I loved Lanesha and Mama Yaya and Tashon and even Spot.

When Mama Yaya said “how can it be mandatory when I don’t have a way to go…” yea, that right there… painful.

But the story was beautifully told. The characters wonderfully written. The hope… The universe shines with love….

My goodness I loved this book.

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Hex Hall and Demonglass

1 Comment / 2011, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

I could have sworn I read Hex Hall last year but apparently I only thought I read it – or maybe I started it and never finished it? Whatever – I’ve read it and Demonglass and I’m dying for the next book. I really hated the cliffhanger in Demonglass – what in the heck are they going to do NOW? And where is Jenna?? And… and… and… great series. I just need book three immediately!

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Sisterhood Everlasting (The Final Book in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Series)

1 Comment / 2011, Books in Bed, Fiction, Women, Young Adult /

I cannot write about Sisterhood Everlasting without giving away spoilers – thankfully, Sassymonkey created a Sisterhood Everlasting spoiler thread on BlogHer.com. If you want to hear me rant, click over to that discussion.

I just cannot believe that this is the book Brashares gave us.

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The Dead Boys

2011, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Young Adult /

Oops. I had it in my head that The Dead Boys was a Cybils Shortlist middle grade graphic novel. Imagine my surprise when I picked it up last night and discovered it wasn’t. Hah. It’s definitely a Cybils short list middle grade fiction but it’s so not a graphic novel, (though it would make a truly excellent one if the right someone drew it.)

This was one hell of a creepy story and I think a whole lot of kids will love it – I’m really surprised at the ending. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a book like this, end this way…

**spoiler – do not read this part if you think you might read the book!!!**

Every 10 years, one 12 year old boy disappears. The bodies are never found… flash forward and a new 12 year old boy moves into town and something wants him to disappear now.

But he figures out what’s happening and finds those missing boys. They’re still 12 year old boys… and in the end, the boys are brought back… as 12 year olds.

I want to know how that goes over with their families… that’s just weird, and creepy!

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