Top 10 YA Titles

As many of you know, Adele of Persnickety Snark is hosting the Top 100 YA Titles. It ends today and fortunately I managed to get my picks in just in time. I've been thinking about this all month and finally came up with a list that to me, signifies the best of the best. Of course, as soon as I was done submitting my picks, I thought of another three or four potential titles that could have cut it too. But oh well, these are still some of my favorite YA titles. So without further ado, here are my picks.

10. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
Now, I realize there is some controversy with this title considering when it was released in Australia, it was released as an adult title. However, since I bought in the US and it was marketed as a YA book here, I feel safe enough in keeping this book on my list. This story was made for me, let me just say. I love, love, LOVE Holocaust/WWII fiction, I love an unusual narrator, and well, I love when a young person can go against the man, so to spoke. Liesel is just one of those characters.

9. Jerk, California by Jonathan Friesen
I just love the story of Sam, of his coming of age and overcoming a lifetime of negativity and anger towards him. I don't think it's anything all that new in terms of YA fiction but it just really resonated with me. I also am a big fan of road trip books and this book has that element to it also.

8. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
What can I say except I'm a huge fan of her writing and her character building. To make such a mundane, well-used topic of summer for teens and to turn it into something that stays with me still, well that takes talent.

7. North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
Everything in this book was right for me. Terra was such a fragile but yet strong character. Her mom was facing struggles of her own and to see those struggles mirrored in each other, and to see each of them take a step towards a better future. Well, it was powerful and thought-provoking and simply beautiful.

6. The Giver by Lois Lowry
This book has stayed with me all my life basically. I read it for the first time in fifth or sixth grade and since then, I still re-read it. It changes every time I read it in fact. It's such a slim little story but it has more contained in it than stories over 500 pages. It is one of those books that I want to share with my own kids eventually.

5. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
I'm not a big fantasy reader but this story sucked me in and kept me hanging on. It's amazing to me in a time when Bella Swan is the character so many teens and adult women want to imitate that someone like Katsa gets left behind when she is full of life, a powerful and in control woman, what we should want the future generation of girls to strive towards, in my opinion.

4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
To this day, I see mentions of this book in movies, in current YA books (Mockingbird, Also Known As Harper). This is a book that has daily ramifications for the way we treat each other. But even more than that, it's just a damn good story. Great characters, human characters in fact. To be honest, I feel sad for people who haven't read this book. Even if they didn't enjoy it to the extent I do, I firmly believe this is a book everyone needs to read.

3. Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott
To this day, even with all the books she has released since, this is still my favorite Elizabeth Scott book. It is the kind of imperfect relationship book few writers can ever achieve. The family dynamic, the hard choices, the budding romance. All spot on and one I enjoy coming back to every time I re-read it.

2. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
It would be hard for me to have a top 10 YA list without this book. Even though I don't find it as frightening as Wintergirls, I think this author opened the door for a lot of other writers to explore difficult teen issues. Rape, drug abuse, self-mutilation, I truly believe Laurie Halse Anderson paved the way for the great stories that are showing up in YA books constantly.

1. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
This book, this book, oh man, this book. I absolutely fell in love with Frankie's character. She is fresh, intelligent, hard to understand, vulnerable, seeking love, and just full of so much potential. I loved the message of daring and bravery that are encapsulated so well in Frankie's character. This is a book I want to hand to out to people constantly because to me, it's that amazing.

A few honorable mentions:
Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols
Fire by Kristin Cashore
Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman

Review: Runaway by Meg Cabot

Runaway by Meg Cabot is the final book in the Airhead trilogy. When we last left Nikki Howard, aka Em Watts, she had just been forced into a limo by Brandon Stark, forced to declare her love for him. Now, she is holed up in his home and not at all enjoying herself as his captive. It's not easy being Nikki, but it's even more difficult when the real Nikki Howard is living with you, demanding her body back. Em certainly does not want to see that happen.

To top it all off, just about everyone in her life is mad at her for something. Christopher is mad for a plethora of reasons, not all of which make sense to Em. Her parents want to see her life get back on track, and of course, Brandon and Nikki are just throwing yet another wrench into the works. But when Em finally does escape from Brandon's clutches, she discovers that it's not any easier being on the run from her friends, loved ones, and oh yeah, Stark!

I was really excited to finally see the clues unravel and get some answers into this series. And the answers are very creepy, let me just say. I don't want to ever imagine that old people are thinking what Robert Stark is apparently thinking. I will also say one minor thing and that is that in some parts, I thought the plot dragged a bit. I got a bit tired of the back and forth between Em and Christopher. And well, personally, I don't think Christopher was all that. I had a huge crush on Lulu's Steven however. What a brother.

The star of the book was by far Em herself. I liked how she took crazy risks even though she sometimes put herself in the TSTL category. But I didn't mind all that much. She was desperate and well, it's easier to forgive being that desperate and scared and just wanting answers. And finally, there are answers. Em turned her desperation into some kick-butt action and got what she needed. I just wish the action had been more spread out in the book, rather than some of the longer chunks where I found the plot dragging because Em and Christopher were contemplating their relationship again. Or even the beginning, when Em was stuck with Brandon for too long. It was a slow start for me but fortunately it picked up pace soon enough.

This trilogy isn't my absolute favorite by Meg Cabot but she is still such a fun and innovative writer that I can't complain. I will be coming back for more, as usual, especially considering that her next YA series explores the story of Persephone, one of my very favorite myths. (She revealed this great tidbit in the Twitter party hosted a week ago.)

Also, I totally need a Cosabella. I love that dog. All in all, Em went after answers and found them, finally. She started to take-charge of herself, as Nikki Howard, not just Em Watts. She finally realized it was time to consider just who she truly was and I think by book's end she found a nice balance.

This ARC was provided by Around the World Tours which I adore!

Review: The Life of Glass by Jillian Cantor

The Life of Glass by Jillian Cantor is the story of fourteen year old Melissa, a new freshman in high school. She's lost her dead and now, it seems like she is losing her best friend to a new girl in school. Her mother has started dating again, and her older sister, well, Ashley is off in her own world of boyfriends and dating. To cope, Melissa has turned to her father's diary where he talks about random things in life, including the fact that it takes a piece of glass a million years to decay. That is how Melissa is feeling, as if her life is slowly decaying.

Melissa's struggle to come to terms with her father's death and with how everyone else seems to be moving on around is both heart wrenching and humorous. Melissa inserts plenty of pithy comments into the story as she comes to understand her new life, without her father. She also is slowly uncovering a mystery which, while not the most urgent aspect of the story for me, was slowly driving Melissa forward.

I really enjoyed this book. It seems like I've been reading a lot of books lately that deal with death, don't know why exactly. But Melissa definitely stands out. She's still at that in-between age of starting to like boys, in particular her longtime best friend, Ryan, but also not wanting to share her mom with a new man. She believes her mother should be devoted to her father the rest of her life. Melissa is simultaneously young and mature and I think this book is going to hit the teen group exactly right, particularly the tweens (eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen).

The story is very realistic. Melissa argues with her sister quite a bit; she is struggling to fit in at high school while also seeing her friendship change; and of course, she misses her dad enormously. To Melissa, time seems to have stopped, but for everyone else, it is still moving forward quite a bit. I really found her struggles appropriate and timely for what she was experiencing. I was really impressed with Jillian Candor's insights into her characters and felt like she did a great job of exploring this difficult situation.

This is a melancholy book but also, lots of humor and growth for Melissa. As we all know, time will not stand still and even if Melissa doesn't accept that at first, it soon becomes clear. This was a very fast read for me because I was immediately immersed into their lives. All in all, a book I truly enjoyed. Nothing groundbreaking I suppose but it was a satisfying reading experience.

Anonymous Internet blog, right?

Green Bean Teen Queen has a really great post about "who knows your blog?" And it really got me thinking.

My blog is definitely not out there to most of my real life acquaintances. The most open I've ever gotten with it is this past April 10th at the teen lit conference where I presented. I shared with a group of about 75 librarians (and a few teens) about my blog and why I blog. I will say, two of my coworkers were in the audience so now they too know of my blog but they aren't really into the YA blogosphere so I'm not too worried about it.

Why don't I spread the word of my blog to my real life friends? I don't have a real great answer for that. My online life has always been very separate from my real life for some reason. I hate the fact that my mom is on Facebook and watching part of my online life so the thought of letting her read my blog, or my private journal online for that matter, gives me the heebie jeebies. But letting 75 total strangers know about it? I didn't really care. Maybe because having a blog means letting total strangers into your life. And who knows, while I may network with these people in the future (I hope I do in fact) I'm not sure they will ever truly move beyond the stranger realm. Granted, I've made many really good friends from online contacts, but the fact is, my YA blog is really more for me.

I ask authors whose books I enjoy if they will consent to an interview. I review mostly books that frankly, I like. There are a few duds in the bunch of course, but on the whole, I review and talk about books that I truly enjoy. That is where the fun of blogging comes from for me. And yes, I'd love more requests to review books but honestly, I get plenty of review opportunities just from the books I borrow from my library, or that I buy.

And ok, another honest truth, I'd love a few more followers, people who will comment on my blog. But you know, I'm getting there and hopefully in an honest way. I don't have to build my follower count with contests or giveaways. The people who follow my blog (I HOPE!) follow it because they want to read my reviews and some of the thoughts I have about authors and my work.

I'm never going to achieve the popularity of some of my favorite blogs and really, that's fine with me. My little corner of the internet world is a happy place because I enjoy it. Of course, there is always some envy when many bloggers receive a book for review that I really, really want (case in point, Jennifer Echols's new book, Forget You) but I figure, I'll get the chance to read it at some point so it's not the end of the world.

So, yeah, I truly am split into two. Real world me and then online me. I am fine with those two parts of myself not ever truly converging I guess. However, if you ever want to meet me (I know, who wouldn't, right?), I will be attending the YALSA Symposium this November and would love to chat with other bloggers!

So glad Sarah posted this interesting question. Made me think!

Review: Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson

Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson is pretty much a riot of laughter and confusing college emotions. I had heard about this book about the time it was released in 2009 but then got caught up in other books. I was reminded of the book from Persnickety Snark's really great review. I'm so glad I requested it through ILL because it was definitely worth a read.

Leigh Nolan is a freshman in a small college and she's well, a psych major obviously. And if you consider the combination of college freshman plus psych major you may just know what type of book you're in for because frankly, who is more neurotic than your average college freshman relishing his or her freedom? No one.

I loved the character of Leigh. She was utterly fabulous from start to finish. She reminded me of myself in some ways which I don't know if is necessarily a good thing or a bad thing but hey, I enjoyed it. One of my favorite references:

I gaped at him as if he'd said that America's Next Top Model was just some dumb reality show instead of the greatest sociological experiment of our time.

As you may or may not know, I love ANTM to a really bizarre level. Yes, I truly do. Anyway, Leigh is me in a more amazing character. Really, she makes the story come alive. Some of the elements of the story (the romance angle in particular) are kind of obvious and easy to figure out. This doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it because I did. The jerk versus Mr. Nice Guy. Yeah, I want that situation too. The author also tackles some social issues in a funny and frankly current fashion. Leigh gets suckered into becoming a mentor for a middle school girl but ends up finding some common ground with her. I like how awkward but yet natural their respect for each other grew. It certainly wasn't easy considering Leigh was forced to prove she was even in college in a scene that had me laughing. 


The writing is insightful without being annoying in a psych major way frankly. There were several scenes where I identified with exactly how Leigh was feeling. One such lovely snippet:

I'd assumed love was safe, like ordering the same thing at a restaurant every single time. I didn't realize that it could be a greasy roadside sandwich and vomiting, followed by a conversation that made time slow down and my heart speed up.

I just loved this statement. Obvious and straight to the point, but also totally Leigh.


Basically, I had a lot of fun reading this book. Leigh is a bit quirky but also someone I could identify with which I need in a story. The story, while not totally new material, felt really fresh to me. And hey, there were robotic babies! If you can't think of a reason to read this excellent book yet, I hope the robotic babies will sell it for you.


This book comes out in paperback on August 31, 2010 so I hope you'll give it a chance. I visited the author's website hoping to see if she has anything else in the works but no such luck. I hope she has something new on the horizon however.

In My Mailbox

It's Sarah Mail time!

Tons of great stuff in the mail this week:

Bought:
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
The Alpha Bet by Stephanie Hale
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Masquerade by Sheri Whitefeather
Sweet Persuasion by Maya Banks
It's Raining Cupcakes by Lisa Schroeder

For Review:
The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell
My Dangerous Duke by Gaelen Foley
Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas (not pictured unfortunately)
Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt
His at Night by Sherry Thomas
Stay by Allie Larkin (Amazon Vine)

All the awesome books this week definitely made up for not getting any books in the mail last week. So many excellent things to read!

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren with inspiration from Alea of Pop Culture Junkie.

Waiting on Wednesday

Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford, coming September 1, 2010.

The Sullivan sisters have a big problem. On Christmas Day their rich and imperious grandmother gathers the family and announces that she will soon die . . .and has cut the entire family out of her will. Since she is the source of almost all their income, this means they will soon be penniless.

Someone in the family has offended her deeply. If that person comes forward with a confession of her (or his) crime, submitted in writing to her lawyer by New Year's Day, she will reinstate the family in her will. Or at least consider it.

And so the confessions begin.... 

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine.

Reading on the quick

So, in preparation for my final April presentation this coming Friday, I've been reading all weekend some of the books I've put off but that I want to be able to booktalk. Which means I'm only reading about 50-70 pages of these books. But hey, I can book talk a book like that, no problem. I just have more left I need to do. :\ However that being said, I wanted to do a mini-breakdown of the books and the ones I want to keep reading and actually finish once the presentation is over.

Dani Noir by Nova Ren Suma: Actually finished this one and it was great! A perfect tween read. Divorce and noir films come together brilliantly. This story just flew by.

Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines: Will probably keep reading this one just because I'm intrigued by the romance aspect of it and how these two essentially enemies could find a way to fall in love despite the fact one should have to die. I hope the author doesn't cheap out on the ending.

Fallen by Lauren Kate: Going back to the library as soon as the presentation is over. Not really impressed and I found the beginning very blah. I do like how the author set up this very creepy school though. Unfortunately I'm just not intrigued enough to spend another 400 pages with these characters.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly: Really enjoying it! Kind of a slow starter and I don't think it's actually meant for middle grade readers. Sorry, all the science talk is going to bore some of them senseless. I do think teens with a bit more science under their belts will find this one interesting. I really like the friendship between Calpurnia and her grandfather, and how she is facing the restrictions of her time period.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin: Another Newbery honor and one I'm really enjoying. Again, I don't know how tweens/teens will like it, but I am enjoying the various stories interwoven into the story. And the gorgeous illustrations. Minli is a very brave character and I'd like to follow her on her journey.

Also Known as Harper by Ann Haywood Leal: Eh. I really thought I would fall into this one immediately but I'm just not. I think it will end up going back to the library.

Still to come: Beautiful Creatures, Leviathan, When the Whistle Blows, and The Everafter among a few I know I'm forgetting. That's my goal today.

Have you read any of these titles and successfully gotten some of your teens or tweens to read them? What were your "selling" points as it were?

When you just can't get behind the hype

So I've been thinking about this for a few days now, mostly because of an author's messageboard I frequent. The author in question is incredibly popular and everything she writes is fairly good. However, I do notice a tendency on the board in particular to be really gushy about this author's books. Like, over the top. I hardly ever agree with anything these members have to say anymore because frankly, I think this author's books have gone downhill a bit. They are not the must reads they used to be for me.

This author's new book is coming out at the end of April and there is already gushing aplenty. And you know, I've read the book already. I thought it was ok but nothing all that spectacular. I feel like if this author had just started with books of this quality, she would not be nearly as popular as she is. But because her earlier books were amazing (and they truly were, IMO) all her books get overhyped and too much gushing. This book in particular that is coming out is frankly rather boring. It is a romance book and I thought the romance itself was bland and boring and not all that romantic. The couple in the book felt like an old married couple rather than two people just starting their relationship.

However, if I ever said anything like this on the messageboard in question, most of the members (not all!) would jump down my throat for even daring to criticize this author. How dare I say her work is not awesome amazing wonderful??

So, where I'm really going with this is the fact that sometimes I feel a little on the outer fringes of the book community, both romance and YA, my preferred genres. I feel like if I don't jump on the constant praise bandwagon, my views are somehow less significant.

Make no mistake. There are plenty of books I love to bits and I definitely jump on OMG SO AMAZING train sometimes too. We all do, but sometimes I just feel like since I didn't like a book as much as someone else, my opinion is less valid.

I'm certainly by no means on the paranormal YA bandwagon. It takes a very special paranormal book to catch my attention now. The Dark Divine didn't really cut it for me but I remember the praise for that book being vast amongst various YA bloggers. Sometimes I guess I just don't get it. I'm definitely more easily influenced by contemporary YA just because I love real life issues. A strong dystopian book will also really catch my attention. I guess I hold back my effusive praise for a book that really grabs me, (ie see my It's Not Summer Without You review.)

Do you ever feel alienated from the book community? Do you ever hold back your opinion because you think it won't be wanted? How do you determine if a book is really gushworthy? Am I just off my rocker in feeling like this, lol?

Celebrate good times!

I lied, lol. Teen Lit Day is actually April 15th, thank you YALSA! Did you know that today, April 16th, is Teen Lit Day?? Well if you didn't, do not be alarmed because I didn't know either. (I'm hiding my librarian shame face in my sleeve.)

In honor of this fantastic day, the people at Scholastic have put together an awesome video where they asked authors like Sarah Dessen, Judy Blundell, Maggie Stiefvater, Elizabeth Eulberg and many more three questions:

1. What book inspired you to become a writer?
2. What book did you wish you had written?
3. If you weren't an author, what would your job be?

Watch the video and find out their answers!



Are you doing anything fun to celebrate Teen Lit Day? I'm definitely going to have a very teen lit weekend as I try to read about twenty paranormal type books I've been putting off in preparation for a presentation next Friday.

I love teen lit! I love the authors, the variety of stories, the strength of the writing, and the way I always feel fourteen again when I'm reading a teen book. So, spread the word and celebrate.

Author Interview: Jenny Han

Jenny Han is one of my favorite teen authors right now. She has three books out: Shug, The Summer I Turned Pretty, and soon to be released, It's Not Summer Without You, which I reviewed here. Jenny was kind enough to answer a few questions for me and I want to share them with you.

You do such a fantastic job of evoking the very essence of summer in your Summer series. Do you have a particular memory or feeling you draw from to help you create summer in your books?
I don't have a specific memory of summer but more like the general feeling that summer gives me.  I think summer is such an evocative, sensory time.  I think about mosquito bites and popsicles, the smell of sunscreen, the way the backs of your knees get sticky in the car, how good it feels to sit in an air conditioned movie theater.  

Do you have a current playlist of music that is giving you inspiration for your writing?
I always create a playlist for each book I write, music that helps get me in the mood.  Right now, I am listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam, Nina Simone, and Smashing Pumpkins.

Cousins Beach just seems to come alive on the pages. Did you travel to a certain summer location every summer and have wild adventures?
My family usually went to Nags Head in North Carolina, home of the Wright Brothers-- First in Flight!  No wild and crazy stories though.  We'd just go to the Wright Brothers museum and play on the dunes.  The most exciting thing that happened is one of us kids got a cactus stock in his foot.

On Jenny's website, she lists stuffed animals as a particular talent. Well of course I had to know about this!
My special ability is actually naming stuffed animals-- haha!  Whenever my sister and I would get stuffed animals for birthdays and Christmas, I would always be the one that named them.  I would be like, This one is Marshmallow, this one is Ginger, this one is Charlotte.  This talent also extends to naming pets and characters!

If you could switch places with any other writer for a day, who would you choose and why?
Oh, gosh.  I think this is an easy one-- JK Rowling.  I would wake up in her English estate, have a lavish tea service, a bubble bath, ride one of her horses.  Fly around first class, get a sneak peak of Harry Potterland at Disney World.  I would comission my very own Nimbus 2000 to be made for me.  Then I would dive into all of her notes and files and see what she's up to next.  Then I would call up her agent and say, Guess what!  I'm gonna do another Potter book!  Then the world would rejoice.  Oh, also I would call up Prince Harry for a date, just so I could say I went on a date with a prince.

Perhaps a slightly mundane question, but is summer your favorite season?
My favorite season is fall.  I have a theory-- people usually love the season they were born in.  Unless you were born in the winter.  Very few people pick winter as their favorite. 

Thank you so much Jenny! What fun answers!

If you haven't tried any of Jenny Han's books, I definitely recommend giving one a try! She is a fabulous writer and really makes her characters come to life. So, with her third book coming out at the end of April, this is the perfect opportunity to read a Jenny Han book.

Review: It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

It's Not Summer Without You is the second book in the summer trilogy written by Jenny Han. It follows the oh-so-great The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Synopsis: Last year, all of Belly's dreams came true and the thought of missing a summer in Cousins Beach was inconceivable. But like the rise and fall of the ocean tide, things can change--just like that. Suddenly the time she's always looked forward to most is something she dreads. And when Jeremiah calls to say Conrad has disappeared, Belly must decide how she will spend this summer: chasing after the boy she loves, or finally letting him go. 

Before I say anything else, I want to say that this is not a happy, light, summer read. Far from it in fact. By the time I finished it I was both melancholy and sad, but also excited for what the characters had to face ahead of them. I don't want to give too much away but suffice it to say, things have changed big time for Belly and the people she loves. If you've read the previous book, you may have a good idea why.


The charm in this story is seeing the flashbacks, the happy moments, and the sad, interspersed with the reality of facing a situation that seems like it is unreal. Belly, Jeremiah, and Conrad are all dealing with it in very different ways but they all seek the same place eventually, the place where they were once happy and light: Cousins Beach.

As with the previous story, Jenny Han showcases her phenomenal writing skills. Every word and sentence on each page seems so fraught with tension and hurt, with life and just the hopes of summer. One of my absolutely favorite paragraphs in the book came when Belly described kissing Conrad:

Kissing him, being with him like that... it was cool lemonade with a long straw, sweet and measured and pleasurable in a way that felt infinite. The thought crossed my mind that I never wanted him to stop kissing me. I could do this forever, I thought.

Sends chills up my spine! I mean, that is the description of a damn good kiss.

However, there is plenty of conflict in this book. I was really torn because I was rooting for Belly and Conrad in the previous book so much and here, well, he really showed his asshole side more than I wanted to see. And Belly didn't want to give up. It was driving me kind of mad. And then there is Jeremiah. And just... well, sigh, Jeremiah.

And the ending! Jenny Han, you have me on tenterhooks for the final book. I don't know what to expect, I don't even know who I'd truly like to see Belly end up with (and really, as a soon to be college student, does she need to end up with a guy yet anyway?? Maybe she won't!).

I realize this review is probably way more gushy than anything else, but I truly loved it. I don't think it's going to please every reader and like I said, it's not a light and frothy summer read. Jenny Han gives these characters, their emotions, and the plot plenty of heft. I do recommend if you haven't read the first book yet, please start there. It will make what happens in this book so much weightier and important and flawed.

And as a really exciting added bonus, I have an interview from author Jenny Han which I'll be posting tomorrow. Hope you'll come back to read it!

It's Not Summer Without You was generously provided from Around the World ARC Tours.

Review: Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu

I'm going to be perfectly blunt. I absolutely did not like the beginning or the end of this book. Not one bit. However, the middle part, oh how I felt for these characters and the situation.

Synopsis: Everyone has a secret. But Lucy’s is bigger and dirtier than most. It’s one she’s been hiding for years—that her mom’s out-of-control hoarding has turned their lives into a world of garbage and shame. She’s managed to keep her home life hidden from her best friend and her crush, knowing they’d be disgusted by the truth. So, when her mom dies suddenly in their home, Lucy hesitates to call 911 because revealing their way of life would make her future unbearable—and she begins her two-day plan to set her life right. With details that are as fascinating as they are disturbing, C. J. Omololu weaves an hour-by-hour account of Lucy’s desperate attempt at normalcy. Her fear and isolation are palpable as readers are pulled down a path from which there is no return, and the impact of hoarding on one teen’s life will have readers completely hooked. 

As soon as the story opened and Lucy made a decision I could not agree with at all, I felt like stopping reading. What she decided seemed so totally irrational to me. In hindsight, after finishing the book however, I feel like that because of the life she had to live, irrational was Lucy's normal so it actually made some sort of weird sense. If you've read this book already, this statement will make way more sense.


Lucy's life is basically hell on earth for a teen. Talk about major teenage embarrassment and shame. She truly does have to hide her mother from her friends. She has to constantly worry about if she will still have friends at the end of the day. I felt awful for Lucy and empathized with her anger towards her mother and her siblings. Lucy was basically alone throughout the course of this story. The author sets up this singular existence throughout the course of the book with flashbacks and glimpses of what it was like living with her mother. And let me tell you, the Omololu does it well. I realize that hoarding is a mental disorder so I did feel empathy for the mom character too but at the same time, Lucy was clearly suffering with no way out. This picture is only an example of what Lucy was up against. It looks messy right? Well, Omololu is so descriptive that hoarding takes on a very scary and eerie life of its own in this story. Even though I don't necessarily agree with the ending, I feel like she truly thought there was no other choice. As a reader, I just wondered about forensics and determination of time of death and how that would play out once the mother is discovered.

I also felt the story was better served because of the tight time frame the author chose. What a great storytelling decision. It made the tension, the decisions, and the past and present that much more intense and strong.

In the end, I came away from this story with mixed feelings, the second time that has happened to me with a YA read recently. CJ Omololu convinces me of Lucy's misery, her determination to find a new life for herself, but the author does not convince me that the choices Lucy made were the best. But when you are living a life that is a constant lie, a constant low point, perhaps any choice is better than what you're already facing. This is a very fast-paced read. I was immersed immediately into the story and time frame certainly lends itself well to a fast read. I think teens are going to snap this book up frankly. It's got plenty of angst and drama but it also features a character who is essentially going it alone and making do the best she can. She is a survivor and I think that shows.

However, when it's all said and done, I still don't like the beginning or ending of the book, but I think in the context of this story, that works to its benefit, oddly enough.

Author Awesomeness!

This weekend I had the extreme privilege of participating in the Colorado Teen Literature Conference. I had submitted a proposal late last year about talking about the YA Blogosphere and I was accepted. I was nervous and excited! As part of being a presenter, there was a special potluck event in Denver on Friday evening. I just assumed it was going to be the committee members and other presenters. Little did I know in fact just how awesome it would be! Not only because I was surrounded by people passionate about YA and everything teen related, but also because Ellen Hopkins and Matt de la Pena were both present at the dinner! Yes, you read that right. I sat next to Ellen Hopkins at dinner and talked with her and other librarians about what she writes, what she thinks about politics and just all kinds of things. It was seriously like being in an awesome, awesome dream. And Matt de la Pena was also really cool too. He was very mellow. So yes, Friday night, total amazingness. I even worked up the courage to ask Ellen for her autograph. I admit, I kind of always feel tacky doing stuff like that at like, personal events, rather than signings but I figure it was kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Look at that!! (Yes, I am using tons of exclamation points in this post, I totally know it.)

Saturday was the conference. What I think is so exciting about this conference is the fact that lots of teens are invited to it. It's not just all librarians and people interested in YA. Teens get the chance to talk with the authors one-on-one. Pretty special actually. Matt de la Pena was the keynote speaker in the morning and he was great. Very good speaker, funny, but with a great story to tell. One of the teens sitting at my table was going to do a podcast with him after his speech so it was pretty awesome all around. Then, the first session began. I stayed for the local author panel which included Amy Efaw (After), Todd Mitchell (who rubbed me the wrong way, big time; he was at the dinner the night before also), Becca Fitzpatrick!! (Hush, Hush), Laura Resau, and Tucker Shaw, who I have never read but he was really funny so I'm going to have to find some of his stuff. Anyway, they just talked what it was like being a writer, their routines, and just some other interesting facts. Though I didn't have the opportunity in the morning, I did ask Becca Fitzpatrick who ended up sitting at my lunch table (totally randomly I might add, it was one of the only free seats left) if she would take a picture with me. She very graciously agreed even though I was interrupting her lunch.

Yes, how cool is that?? And as many of you know I'm sure, Saturday was the day the cover for Crescendo was revealed so it was definitely a big day for her too. She was signing lots of books from teens and adults and was so nice about it.

After the author panel in the morning, I had my session. I will be totally honest, I was nervous. I mean, I did practice throughout the week and while I was in speech in high school, public speaking is still not my strongest feature as a librarian. I was hoping for 20-25 people at my session because frankly, there were tons of great sessions going on. However, I was blown away. There were at least 70-75 people in my room. All my brochures were gone. I think it went pretty well. I know I started off shaky and fast because that's how I always start out as a speaker but I think as I went on I smoothed out. I had a lot of questions and great audience participation which made me happy. I did use a small powerpoint too. I say this only because I hate powerpoint but I didn't want to rely on wireless for website images just in case my computer was going slow. Anyway, all in all, I think it went well. I was pleased on the whole.

After my session, it was lunchtime and Ellen Hopkins was the keynote speaker. She was also excellent and relates really well to teens (obviously, given the popularity of her books.) Then, in the afternoon I attended a session about anime and manga since that is something I always need help brushing up on since I don't watch or read it in general.

All in all, it was a spectacular two days. I met some very cool teen librarians across the state, met some teen bloggers too, and met authors. I mean, really, how can an event get more fabulous?? I'm glad I took the chance on being a presenter because it paid off in spades. If you are a Colorado teen librarian and didn't get the chance to go, I hope you can go next year. It was a totally amazing and intelligent event.

In My Mailbox

Sarah Mail!

This week was a slower week for mail and books but that's ok because I had so much to do this week, I wouldn't have accomplished much anyway.

Bought:
The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Ross

For ARC tour:
It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han (YESSS!!!)

Contest prize:
Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott (paperback)
Of All the Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren with special kudos to Pop Culture Junkie.

Hope to have an exciting post to share about a great author experience this weekend. Just have to download some photos and write it all up. Some fun hints: it involves Ellen Hopkins amongst other authors.

Earth Day Recycling

On Earth Day, I will be participating at a school festival to help celebrate this special day. The school wanted me to do a craft or something for the kids and teens (it's a K-8 school). Last fall I made duct tape roses which were a big hit. Well, I needed something cheap and that a mass audience could create. After inquiring on a few list-servs, I came up with this wonderful craft: Make a gift bow from a magazine. Let me just tell you, it's so easy and the gift bows come out looking exactly like the ones you pay good money for in a store. And, they are more colorful!

Don't they look fabulous! I have many magazines I've discarded at my library so it's the perfect recycling craft and it's easy enough that I think the younger kids are going to be able to make one without too many problems.

I am not crafty at all, like at all. I can knit but barely so I always am on the look out for really easy to do crafts. This fits the bill perfectly! I highly recommend it. It could also work really well in conjunction with a holiday type program for kids or teens.

Do you have any favorite crafts you'd like to share that are easy-peasy to make? Please link me to them because I'm always open to new ideas.

Waiting on Wednesday

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler (releases October 18, 2010 my birthday!)

"Come on, Lisabeth," Death said, not unkindly. "It’s time to do your job."

The words didn’t make any sense. "My job?" Lisa said as Death helped her to her feet. She was a seventeen-year-old high school junior in the suburbs; she didn’t have a job.

"Thou art Famine, yo," Death said. "Time to make with the starvation."

Lisabeth Lewis is no stranger to starvation. Her life revolves around counting calories, constant exercise, denying herself even the strongest cravings. Lisa is in a constant battle with hunger for control over her body. When, in a moment of desperation, she almost gives up that control completely, she is visited by a wisecracking messenger who turns out to be Death. He offers Lisa a rare opportunity: to become one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse—Famine.

As Famine, Lisa travels the world on her black steed, visiting parts of the world where hunger is a painful part of everyday life. She’s horrified to see her own power destroy crops and turn food to dust. But when she finds a way to harness her power as Famine and use it for nourishment rather than deprivation, Lisa finally gains the courage to face her own problem.

A wildly original approach to the issue of eating disorders, HUNGER is about the struggle to find balance in a world of extremes, and uses fantastic tropes to explore a difficult topic that touches the lives of many teens. 

Sounds great right?? I can't wait to read it! Hopefully it won't be your typical eating disorder book.

(Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.)

Very exciting contest win!

Yesterday, I was informed by email that I had won a very, very cool contest that Elizabeth Scott is holding. My name is going to be in the acknowledgements of her 2011 Simon Pulse title, Between Here and Forever.

If you can't tell, I'm a bit of an Elizabeth Scott fangirl so when I received the email I was ecstatic. I will more than likely be buying multiple copies of that book. It may just be the acknowledgements but it's very exciting.

So that news definitely kicked my week off to a great start. Now I'm making magazine bows for an earth day event and let me just say, what a nice and easy craft for teens and kids I think.

Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver is haunting, ethereal, but also kind of boring, at least for me.

Synopsis:
What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha Kingston has it all: the world’s most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High, from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12 should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.
Fortunately, she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing. 

Samantha Kingston is stuck in a loop. She is pretty much your typical "mean girl" follower. She's high up on the popularity chain, she follows the group leader, Lindsay, in making mean remarks and very hurtful actions towards others, and she just does it because she knows she can get away with it. Sam totally admits this from the very start of the book. However, everything changes the night of a party when Sam dies. Thus begins the loop of reliving the same day over and over again, seven times by book's end.

As each day begins again, Sam starts to change, to see just how hurtful she is to others, and to herself in a lot of ways. Her actions are brought back to her tenfold and characters that started off as minor become major catalysts for her change.

All this said, I found Sam's journey to be incredibly long and drawn out. I started skimming midway through this book because I found her days starting to get repetitive. Yes, she did change but at the same time, I felt like the book was bogged down in the minor details of the day. Many readers may find this a good thing, and it certainly reinforces how even the most minor of actions can have a major consequence, but at the same time, I just wanted to see the story truly move forward.

Lauren Oliver has a very strong writing style however. She does a great job of subtly showing Sam's new understanding and change. Oliver just has a wonderful writing style and that kept me hanging onto this story when in other books, I may have given up if the writing had not been so strong.

One of my favorite passages in the book comes about when Sam is spending the day with her younger sister, Izzy. She says:

It's kind of sad, if you think about it. Like there's no continuity in people at all. Like something ruptures when you hit twelve, or thirteen, or whatever the age is when you're no longer a kid but a "young adult," and after that you're a totally different person. Maybe even a less happy person. Maybe even a worse one.

That just jumped out at me as being so very true. That is one of Lauren Oliver's talents in this book. Hitting the teen nail right on the head. Being self-centered, self-absorbed, but also having an insight into the world that an adult has passed by.

I think the true "theme" of this book, if you will, is encapsulated in this one paragraph:

It amazes me how easy it is for things to change, how easy it is to start off down the same road you always take and wind up somewhere new. Just one false step, one pause, one detour, and you end up with new friends or a bad reputation or a boyfriend or a breakup. It's never occurred to me before; I've never been able to see it. And it makes me feel, weirdly, like maybe all of these different possibilities exist at the same time, like each moment we live has a thousand other moments layered underneath it that look different.

Then there is the ending of the book itself which left me with no closure whatsoever. I guess it kind of fits in light of the dreamlike quality of some of the story but I wanted something different. In the end, I came away from this book with mixed feelings. The writing is fantastic; I felt like I was able to explore Sam as a character because of the reliving of the same day. But at the same time, I didn't feel like it was action-packed enough to keep my interest. And despite the heavy subject matter, it didn't quite engage my emotions as strongly as it could have. I feel like teens will love this book because it is such a heavy topic and lord knows, the more tragic the story, the more teens seem to love them. Lauren Oliver gives tragedy a new twist with exceptional writing. Even with my mixed feelings, this is a quality piece of teen fiction.

In My Mailbox

Many, many excellent books in my mailbox this week!

For review:
Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles (which I actually got from Amazon Vine awhile ago, so look out for a potential Rules of Attraction contest!)
Blood Feud by Alyxandra Harvey (these were my first two ever UNSOLICITED books for review. Thank you Bloomsbury.)
Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine (Around the World Tours)
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (Amazon Vine)
Zen and Xander Undone by Amy Kathleen Ryan (Amazon Vine)

Bought:
The Summer Before: the Baby-Sitters Club prequel by Ann M. Martin
9 Rules to Break when Romancing a Rake by Sarah Maclean (author of the YA book The Season)

Good stuff all around! Yet even more to add to my always huge TBR stack.

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

March: month in review

Here's what I read in March:

31. My Cup Runneth Over: The Life of Angelica Cookson Potts by Cherry Whytock (3/3/10)
32. Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts (3/3/10)
33. Fire by Kristin Cashore (3/9/10)
34. Pure Princess, Bartered Bride by Caitlin Crews (3/10/10)
35. The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen (3/12/10)
36. Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles (3/15/10)
37. Very LeFreak by Rachel Cohn (3/16/10)
38. Boys, Bears, & A Serious Pair of Hiking Boots by Abby McDonald (3/17/10)
39. Tangled by Carolyn Mackler (3/21/10)
40. Nothing But Trouble by Rachel Gibson (3/22/10)
41. The Summer of You by Kate Noble (3/27/10)
42. Gone by Lisa McMann (3/28/10)
43. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine (3/30/10)

Total books read: 13

(At this rate, I'm never going to make it to 200+ this year! Need to get faster again. Will say, March ended up being a busy month.)

Favorite books this month:
Fire by Cashore
The Summer of You by Kate Noble
Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

Did you have a favorite title in March?