Review of Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Perfect Chemistry

Simone Elkeles

2008

Amazon/ Goodreads

Look at all that dark hair!

Reasons for reading:

I downloaded Perfect Chemistry on my Kindle in a jubilant book-buying spree of quite a few books on my TBR list that I haven’t yet had an opportunity to read.  I thought Perfect Chemistry would be a fun teen romance with some steamy parts.  I loved the dark cover- although I sometimes enjoy sugary books with little-girl-y covers, I liked that this cover seemed more edgy.

Basic plot:

Alex is in the Latino Blood gang outside Chicago.  Brittany is a white girl princess with a terrible home life.  When they are forced to be Chem partners, sexual tension and violence ensues…

Curiosities:

Direct quote from p. 278? (according to my kindle): “‘You only live once.’”  Again, p. 280: “Alex pulls me close and whispers in my ear, ‘You only live once, isn’t that what you said? Dance with me again.’”  When I read this, The Motto starts playing in my head… E’ryday e’ryday… YOLO…”  It made me sad that such a watershed part of the book was so cliché.

Alex is hot.  You will not be disappointed in his sexy bad-boy-ness.  This book was worth reading simply because of that.

Not sure if these are the models or what, but :D

Brittany’s older sister, Shelly, has cerebral palsy, yet her character is developed and plays an important part in the story.  I found it refreshing to read a character with serious disabilities who isn’t treated with pity or swept aside by the story.

I was under the impression that the story was a trilogy.  No.  The story is contained in this one book- the two books that come after it are about each of Alex’s little brothers. This story goes beyond a typical book and includes a weird TWENTY-THREE years later epilogue- this just seemed excessive to me.  It was like the author wanted to reassure the reader that they really, really did live happily ever after. Also, I can’t explain this without spoilers, but it’s almost supernatural- reminds me of what’s going on in Starcrossed.

Final thoughts:

I’m glad I read it, but I wish I had read it when I was younger and I wanted stories to tie up neatly.  I feel like I’ve either read this book or seen the movie because the plot was VERY predictable, but Alex’s hotness and the tenderness Brittany feels for her sister made this book worth reading, and I would recommend it to mature middle (there is actual SEX) / high school readers looking for a romantic story about love overcoming circumstances.  Three stars.

Book trailer:

I'm glad I didn't watch this book trailer until after I read the book... BUT THEN AGAIN, my middle schoolers would love this trailer and would be fighting over the book.  SO if you are under the age of 15, watch the trailer.  Over 15, just read the book.

80's Pop Culture, Trailer Stacks, and an Easter Egg- Review of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Ready Player One

Ernest Cline

2011

Amazon/Goodreads

Wade lives in a "trailer stack"- literally a stack of trailers!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is a dystopian novel set in 2044.  Due to global warming and the energy crisis, industrialized nations are collapsing.  People escape into the Oasis, an immersive Internet world, where players are able to build the lives they wish they had in reality.  When the 1980’s-obsessed inventor of the Oasis dies, he leaves his fortune to the winner of a virtual contest within the Oasis.  High school senior Wade Watts is determined to win this fortune- and the most epic videogame of all. 

I enjoyed this fast-paced read because of the incredible world building, the 1980’s pop culture references, and the mysterious clues within the contest.  I even found myself trying to solve the riddles along with Wade.  The characters demonstrate inspiring perseverance and sacrifice in their quest, and teenage and adult readers alike will enjoy the game contained in this book.

For more information, check out the book's website.

A Spanish Convent, Love Triangles, and Lots of Aliens: Review of The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

The Power of Six

Lorien Legacies, #2

(Sequel to I Am Number Four)

Pittacus Lore (pen name for James Frey)

Will be released on August 23, 2011

(but you can pre-order!!)

**BASIC SPOILER ALERT FOR I AM NUMBER FOUR!!**

The Power of Six is a strong follow-up to I Am Number Four (review here).  The story picks up shortly after the last book ended, but it opens with a new member of the Garde (super-cool young aliens with special powers, only six known survivors of their race).  Marina (Number Seven) and her Cepan (older protector alien, skilled in combat but without the special powers) have been hiding in a convent in Spain for a long time.  Marina is now almost eighteen and skilled with the Legacies she has discovered so far.  The problem is that her Cepan, Adelina, has dedicated her life to the Church and refuses to acknowledge what they are and what their mission is.  With the help of an adorable new orphan named Ella, Marina plots to find the Chest containing her powerful inheritance- she wants to find the other five, before the Mogadorians find her!

The book is split back and forth between Marina's story and John's story.  John, if you will recall, has run away from Paradise, Ohio with Six, Sam, and Bernie Kosar, leaving Sarah, the love of his life, behind.  They are major fugitives, suspected of terrorist actions and hunted by the police as well as the Mogadorians. John is still holding on to the letter than his Cepan, Henri, wrote to him before he died, and he hasn't opened his Chest to explore his Inheritance yet.  Meanwhile, both John and Sam have crushes on Six- which makes John feel guilty and Sam feel jealous.

Fortunately, relatively little time is spent on the love triangle(s) aspect.  This book is action packed-  the fight scenes are more frequent and even better than in the first book!  The Garde have such cool powers, and in this book, they use them creatively.  Marina, in particular, uses her powers skillfully.  I remember reading I Am Number Four and wondering why John didn't use this or that power to do whatever, but in this book, he  uses his powers in ways that I hadn't imagined, leaving me impressed with his innovative thinking.  There's also a really cool part where John and Six use their powers to directly help humans by freaking out a bad guy.  Sam also has special moments- he's NOT like Ron Weasley (mostly useless in combat until the very end).  Despite being a human instead of an alien, Sam shows bravery, strength, and skill alongside John and Six.

The only downside was that the book was a little hard to get into- the first 50 pages or so set up the story for both John and Marina, which ends up being a lot of build up.  After that, though, things start to get exciting... There are several cool twists- some in the beginning, and some near the end, and I LOVE twists that I didn't see coming!  The last one hundred pages I couldn't put the book down, and I can't wait for #3!  This book definitely ended on a cliffhanger, but the kind that makes you look forward to the next book, not the kind that makes you write an angry tweet and then delete it.

I would recommend this series to fans of YA Adventure.  This is an alien story, which is kind of different, and it's a lot of fun to read.  Yes, there's lots of violence, and yes, there's sad parts, but the writing gives you a positive, vibrant feeling, and the characters are good natured and warm.  Both boys and girls will enjoy this book, and I think it transcends interest levels- this would be just as good to someone my age as to a fourteen year old.

Check out the website for more info!

Disclaimer:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Music, Love, and a Fateful Porn Shop Meeting: Review of Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

John Green and David Levithan

YA Contemp Romance

2010

I'm guessing the cover, which is beautiful,
is showing city lights on the night the two Wills meet.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is the story of two boys, both named Will Grayson, and their struggle to learn to love others and themselves.  John Green and David Levithan each created a character and then had them meet- incidentally at porn shop that neither one was supposed to be at.  This chance encounter brings out different aspects of their personalities as their friends interact and as they compare themselves to each other.

The "first" Will Grayson is a quiet boy with a very loud, very openly gay, very huge best friend named Tiny.  Tiny is a giant football player who falls in and out of love several times each week, and he's working on a musical about his life called Tiny Dancer.  Tiny is the GSA president, and another member, Jane (who at first may be part of the gay or the straight side of the alliance, Will isn't sure), turns out to have awesome taste in music, be very smart, and totally cute to Will.  Can Will discover his place in this group of friends?  Will needs Tiny, but does Tiny need Will?

The "second" Will Grayson is a guy struggling to live with major depression.  Will lives with his mom, who loves him dearly, but clearly has her own problems as well.  He has few friends, none close, except for an online friend named Isaac.  Isaac and Will talk online every night, and they hope to one day meet.  Finally, Will plans to travel to meet Isaac...

I had a hard time getting into this book, but once I got past the first 50 pages, I loved it.  This is an excellent LGBT book about teens, but it's really just a book about LOVE.  Love between parents and kids, love between friends, love between boys and girls, and love between boys and boys.  What is love?  How do you know you are in love?  What will you do for someone who loves you?  Can you make someone love you?

While this book deals with the painful topic of major depression, both Wills are humorous which keeps this from being a depressing read.  There is a dark tone to it, but the use of music lightens things up periodically. The "first" Will Grayson and his friends are into punk/indie music, and they go to a couple of shows and talk about their favorite songs.  A sub-plot of the book is Tiny's production of his musical, including some lyrics, that are super funny while expressing issues and questions surrounding his sexuality and his desire for love (example: a baseball scene with the song "What's Second Base for a Gay Man?").

I LOVE the honesty of this book.  The "second" Will Grayson eloquently expresses his feelings and frustrations with his life and depression: "it's not fair, because i didn't ask for dad to leave, and i didn't ask to be depressed, and i didn't ask for us to have no money, and i didn't ask to want to f--k boys, and i didn't ask to be so stupid, and i didn't ask to have no real friends, and i didn't ask to have half the s--t that comes out of my mouth come out of my mouth.  all i wanted was one f--king break, one idiotic good thing, and that was clearly too much to ask for, too much to want (p. 148)."  Will feels a great sense of injustice that his life is so hard.  He knows he's hurting people, but he doesn't want to, he's just trying to survive with the life he has been given.  I think he wants space, too, space to be himself even if it bothers other people.  He wants those around him to realize that he's hurting and may hurt them, and to love him anyways.

There's a scene when the "first" Will is giving Tiny the silent treatment that I really found insightful.  "It's not even that I want to torture him anymore.  I'm just reveling in the glory of not having to hear the neediness and impotence of my own voice (p.158)."  If you've ever argued with someone who is more loud, more demanding, and more assertive that you, you might identify with Will here.  I know that I do.  There comes a point when you feel so helpless that you don't even want to try to get your point across, and there's power in NOT speaking, because the other person needs you to say something in order for him or her to shut you down.  Will is sick of his relationship with Tiny, and he wants to stop feeding his own need for Tiny.

Bottom line: GREAT read.  I'd highly recommend it to all high school students as well as anyone who likes diverse romance books or books about friendship.  I can't wait to read other books by Green and Levithan.

I checked this book out of my local library.

Top Ten YA Trends- More or Less?

More:
1. LGBT characters- I'm not sure if this is really a TREND... but I'm reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson right now, and of course, I'm a big TMI fan, and I love reading about queer characters worked into the story, sometimes main characters, sometimes supporting, but present and not victims.

2. Steampunk- I really want to see MORE steampunk, because it's not something I'm super familiar with.  I really like what Julia said about it on The Broke and the Bookish for today.

3. Magic! I love reading about magic.  So does most of the rest of the YA audience, apparently.  I love reading to escape, and reading about magical people with power and large scale problems is a good way to get out of my own life and into someone else's.

4. Cool covers- Beauty Queens by Libba Bray might be my fav cover ever.  It's cool and striking- it definitely grabs your attention with the bikini clad girl wearing a bandolier of lipsticks!  There are also a lot of beautiful covers on the paranormal books- pretty angels, glitter, shining lights.

5. YA pride!  YA hasn't been around for that long- I love that the YA section of my local library is growing and the books are getting bigger and prettier!

Less:
6. Series.  I imagine that lots of people will include this under the "Less" category.  Series are great, if it's a world so amazing that you would want to live there and immerse yourself, but for books that are a) really sad or b) iffy in plot intrigue, I'd rather get it over in one book.  Example: personally I found Matched by Ally Condie to be SO DEPRESSING... and I know a lot of people loved it, but it just made me so sad and so angry... and when it ended with a "to be continued" I almost went crazy.  I might have thrown the book.  I know that I like binged on happy food or something because I just was so sad!  I don't know if I want to read Crossed, because Matched made me so upset!  It's like The Giver by Lois Lowry... clearly another book could have been written all about Jonas, but she LEFT IT ALONE.  Instead, she wrote about two other characters in the same world- the three books have different tones and different main characters and you can even enjoy them as stand alones!  I wish more books were written that way, without these epic "Friends" length romances and love triangles.

7. Mega angst- I'm just sick of teens whining for the sake of whining.  If something is really wrong, that's one thing, but if you are just feeling moody (like HP circa book 5... well, things were bad for him, but not as bad as they would be later!) then I don't want to read about it.  I had a Xanga... In fact, it's still up, I think, and I can't stand to read about how lame I was in high school.  Get over it.

8. Creepy faeries- Personally, I am not the biggest fairy fan.  I like my good and evil distinct, not mixed together in a cold but beautiful way.  I enjoyed Tithe by Holly Black, but it's not something I'd like to immerse myself in (like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson).

That's all I can think of!  Thanks for visiting- leave a comment so I can check out your list as well!

Mean Girls, BFFs, and a Creeper: Belated Books Review of ttyl by Lauren Myracle

ttyl

Internet Girls, #1

Lauren Myracle

2004

209 pages

Fun, simple cover- tells you what to expect with the internet vibe and the dramatic emoticons!

I picked up this book from the library out of curiosity.  ttyl was on the ALA's Top Ten Most Frequently  Challenged Book list from 2007-2009 for "offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group."  Since it looks like a typical young teen girl book, I wanted to see what all of the fuss was about.  Interestingly, the book, which is about high school sophomores, was published the year I was a high school sophomore.

ttyl is written as a series of IMs between three best friends. Maddie is loud and funky- she really wants to be cool and edgy, so she tries to get in good with Queen Bee Jana. Angela is boy-crazy but loyal to her friends. She reminded me of Tina Hakim-Baba from The Princess Diaries.  Zoe is a very straight-laced, obedient kind of girl who is unsure how to respond to attention from her young English teacher.  She is also curious about the Christian group at her school, and she experiments with faith and religion.

The book was exactly what I expected- the crazy actions of high school girls, mixed with drama and tension between the friends.  The book contains cursing and vulgar language, but not as bad as the language online when I was in middle school.  The sexual content is not explicit, although one scene where Maddie recounts her visit to a frat party might be shocking to a sheltered girl, like her friend Zoe, whom she tries to hide what happened from.  Basically, this book was a pretty realistic picture of what high school can be like.

The dynamics between the friends were believable- they get jealous, love each other, and bicker about stupid stuff.  Their voices were authentic- I felt like I knew these girls.  They didn't say "lol" as much as I know my friends and I did and still do online- I actually can't find any "lol"s just flipping through.

I'm opposed to book banning in general, but I especially don't see why this was banned except because it was so popular and some girl wasn't subtle enough... I always kept books my mom wouldn't like in my room, or I hid them under things so my mom wouldn't randomly see them and decide to read them to get in touch with teenagers.  Whatever.

Bottom line, this book was fun but not particularly groundbreaking- I'd recommend it for light reading, or to get a young teen girl involved in reading.  I don't think I'll be reading the other books in the series right now- I wish I had read this in high school, because I think I would have loved it back then!

I checked this book out from the library.

Belated Books-- Glowing Hands, Scary Knives, and a Delicate Girl: Review of I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

I Am Number Four, #1

Lorien Legacies

Pittacus Lore (pseudonym for James Frey)

2010

In case you missed it, this book was made into a movie very soon after it was published.  Goodreads says it was published in August 2010, and the movie came out February 2011.  Wow- maybe I'm missing something, but that's really fast turn around time.  I saw the movie and liked it, but I wasn't fully convinced to love the story.  I did, however, really enjoy the book- I found the book to be a 4.5, and I would recommend it to readers who like YA adventure.  The writing is mature enough for adult readers, and the book is "safe" to recommend to friends and family who scoff at vampire books.  Aliens are cool, right?

Basically, "John Smith" is a humanoid alien from a beautiful planet that was invaded by the greedy Mogadorians.  His people sent nine children and their guardians to Earth in an attempt to keep them safe.  Before they left, a spell was put on them so that they could only be killed in a specific order.  The child was was Number One had to be killed before Number Two could be hurt, etc.  This book begins when Number Three is killed, meaning Number Four aka John is next in line.  He and his guardian move to Paradise, Ohio, where John makes a couple of new friends, including a nerdy boy who believes in aliens and a lovely ex-cheerleader who enjoys photography.  Despite John's enjoyment of his new town, the threat of being caught or having to move always looms over him, particularly as he starts to develop his super powers ("legacies").

The movie kept most of the premise the same, but I was pleased that the actual super power/action/thriller scenes are much better in the book.  For example, there's a weird thing about these magical geodes in the movie, but that's not part of the book.  The book is also over a longer period of time, which allows for more character growth, both of John and the supporting characters.  Basically, the book is richer with more detail and background about why things are the way they are.  Interestingly, I don't think a physical description of John is ever given- but I just pictured Alex Pettyfer in my head and hummed "Rolling in the Deep," which was quite enjoyable.

Sigh.  I love JCB, but AP would have made such a cute Jace!

Some other reviews I read found the book boring, but I enjoyed the relaxed style.  There were funny things and quirky moments- John's guardian can't get the hang of cursing in English, so he occasionally swears using the wrong words for the phrase.  While some of the characters are naturally "cooler" than others, they all have their moments of importance to the final outcome of the story- they can make good and bad choices, but none of them is helpless or without impact.

I can't get out of my head these awesome flashbacks that John has when he mentally travels back in time to his home planet and he views the destruction as well as his family.  His planet was suspiciously Earth-like, but a fantastical version with shape-shifting animals.  There's a subtle message about caring for our planet- contrasting his people, who made environmental concerns their priority after almost destroying their planet, versus the Mogadorians, who used up their resources, then John's planet's resources, and now want to use up Earth's resources.

The book was well-paced- I read it in a day or two without growing bored or grouchy.  Scenes of intense action and drama are interspersed with brief, more mundane, daily life scenes, which gave me time to relax and showed what life might be like for an alien living in Ohio.  This was a great book for vacation because it kept me engaged while reading but I didn't shout at people who interrupted.

The end of the story clearly opens up for the next book, The Power of Six, which comes out August 23.  I will be reviewing it soon, so be on the lookout!

There's also a short eBook on Amazon that tells the story of Number Six- apparently it's very short, just a bonus material book.

I checked out this book from my local library.

Philadelphia, Secret Powers, and Stolen Art: Review of The Cordovan Vault by J Monkeys

The Cordovan Vault, #1

The Livingston-Wexford Adventures

J Monkeys

YA Adventure

2011

The cover shows the mysterious vault...  Where is it, and what's inside?

The Cordovan Vault is J Monkey's debut novel.  When fourteen-year-old Kayla Livingston and Quinn Wexford's older siblings (and legal guardians) duck out of their wedding at the beginning of the reception, Kayla and Quinn have no idea what's about to happen to them.  The next day, they receive heartbreaking news from the police that Jim and Lorelei have been found dead, and that Kayla and Quinn are emancipated minors.  However, a frantic phone call from Lorelei- whose death has apparently been faked- puts Kayla and Quinn on a secret escape and journey to The City of Brotherly Love, where mysteries await them.

During the story, we find out that Kayla and Quinn's families have some interesting history involving secret societies and special powers.  I really enjoyed this mystery/adventure aspect.  The story is linked to Masonic and United States' history, similar to National Treasure, and I learned some interesting historical information, such as about the history of libraries and other city facts.  A large chunk of the story takes place at a very very old inn, where Kayla and Quinn help out the elderly owner.

Kayla and Quinn are likeable main characters, but I would age them at around 16 or 17, not 14.  Their hyper-maturity is acknowledged in the story, but they really do behave with much more confidence, street smarts, and personal responsibility than the 14-year-olds I know.  Kayla is fun and very smart- she loves solving puzzles, and this is an important element in the story.  She is, however, subject to mood swings and temper tantrums, typical of a teenager.  Quinn is very tall and noble- he has very good social skills and is able to work most situations to his advantage.  When the book begins, Kayla and Quinn are not friends- they treat each other like bitter step siblings, but that quickly changes under the extreme circumstances of their escape.

There is very little boy-girl tension present in this story- presumably to make it appropriate to a wider audience, but possibly the author just chose not to focus on it because of the adventure genre.  I would like to see a more natural, realistic development of the relationship between Kayla and Quinn in #2- even if there is no physical attraction between them, I feel like the boy-girl element deserves some more attention.  As a child/teen I had a very close family friend who was a boy- we never were romantically interested in each other, but there was still tension between us, such as when he had a crush on my best friend, or when I introduced him to my new boyfriend.

My favorite element of the story is the puzzle-solving.  Throughout the story, Kayla and Quinn are faced with mental challenges, and it's really cool to see them work through the puzzles and to see the pieces fall into place.  Some of the things I figured out while reading, but some solutions were surprising to me, which was exciting!  If I could change anything about the story, I would make the paranormal element stronger.  It's not a major part of the story until about the last third, but I expect that this will change in #2.

I would recommend this story to younger teens or anyone who enjoys fun adventure stories.  Readers who are looking for something to read in between Rick Riordan releases would enjoy this book.  There is a very small amount of language and some brief but scary violence/torture parts, but I would still recommend it even to middle schoolers whom I don't know very well.  Book #2, The Peacock Tale, will be out in the fall, and I look forward to finding out what happens to Kayla and Quinn!

Check out the Goodreads page, the Amazon page, or the author's website for more information!

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Orange Blossoms, Hurricanes, and Brides: Review of Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither

The Chemical Garden, #1

Lauren DeStefano

March 2011

YA Dystopian

The cover shows Rhine's beauty quickly fading
as she approaches the age of 20 and death.
The bird in the fancy cage represents her gilded prison.

Wither is an excellent YA novel in the dystopian genre- it's less violent than The Hunger Games, more serious than Bumped, and more glamorous than Delirium (note: I enjoyed all of those books, but hopefully that gives you a frame of reference).  A 16-year-old girl named Rhine is kidnapped and forced to marry a kind but strange man because his wife and love is dying at only 20.  Rhine will die at 20 also, and her new husband at 25, unless a cure is found for the "genetic virus" that kills all young people at these ages.  Rhine's wedding also belongs to two other girls, one much younger and one older.  This first book in the series chronicles these sister-wives as they get to know one another, their new husband, and his creepy father.  They live in a beautiful mansion with lovely gardens and a fancy pool, but to Rhine it is just a prison keeping her from her beloved twin brother.

I picked this book up at the library because of lots of positive reviews- and I certainly enjoyed it.  Most other dystopian fiction I have read is about people struggling to fulfill their daily needs, but Wither examines the future from a comfortable albeit restrictive sitting room.  Both views are important for the whole story, but with the harsh conditions that are a reality for some of my students, I find reading about luxury to be more fun.  I expect that #2, Fever (next February?), will be quite different from Wither in setting, but I hope that the romantic, feminine tone will continue at least in part.

Rhine is a beautiful character- she has two different colored eyes, and gives off an air of pride and virtue.  Rhine's new husband, Linden, reminds me of Ashley Wilkes- wussy and sheltered, but his father has President Snow written all over him... CREEPER.  EW.  I kind of like Linden, despite his lack of a spine- perhaps it's his father's fault that he's so dependent on home.  His visions of the perfect home provide a window into his grief over the loss of his first wife, Rose, and the life he wanted them to have.  Gabriel is a servant in the home, and I'm never quite sure why a male servant is allowed to tend to these imprisoned wives.  He's not my type, but apparently he's quite cute, so why can't he tend the gardens or the automobiles or do any job other than directly serving the wives in their rooms?  That's just asking for trouble.

My favorite thing about this book is how beautiful it was- the lovely imagery, the soft language and tragic pictures of the other wives, contrasted with Rhine's anger.  This beauty is bittersweet because of both the pain surrounding it and its false nature- most of it is human-controlled, hence the series name "The Chemical Garden."  I'm excited for Fever and the adventure it promises.  I would recommend this book to any YA reader who is aware that it's not as edgy as Divergent and The Hunger Games- Rhine is a different sort of heroine, but I'm expecting big things from her in the future!

Owls, Bad Boys, and Corkers: Review of Withering Tights by Louise Rennison

Withering Tights

Misadventures of Tallulah Casey, #1

Louise Rennison

Spin-off to Confessions of Georgia Nicolson

June 2011

Love this cover!  The tights pattern, the title font, and the cute owl
give the reader a good idea of what's inside!

Teaser:  "The boys didn't get off at their stop because Phil said, 'We'll escort you ladeez to your homes in case of carriages going by and sloshing your evening gowns.'
What is he talking about?
Phil said, 'We've been doing Jane Austen at Woolfe, so we can get inside the female mind.'
I said, 'What is inside our female minds, then?'
Phil said, 'Well, for instance, should one of you want to climb up a staircase on the way home, we lads would have the training to quickly get behind you and walk up the stairs, bracing ourselves.'" Page 140

Tallulah Casey is Georgia's younger cousin.  Fourteen and a half years old, to be exact, and every bit as hilarious, with extremely long legs that she's very self-conscious about.  Tallulah has been accepted to a Performing Arts College Summer School in the moors of Britain- basically in the middle of nowhere.  Because she applied late, she doesn't get to stay in the dorm.  Instead she stays with a funny family in town with two little mischievous boys.  The family is a bit odd, and they put her in a small wooden room and give her handmade furry squirrel slippers.  Tallulah has a bit of a hard time adjusting to the school- disaster after disaster occurs as she tries to discover her talent and earn herself a permanent place in the program.  Meanwhile, she makes some crazy friends- tiny but strong Jo, loyal Vaisey, and boy-magnet Honey, among others.  Tallulah and her friends meet up with some boys from a nearby school, and they discover that teenage boys aren't quite what they had expected.  Tallulah also tries to avoid Cain, a local boy who reminds her strongly of Heathcliff because of his deplorable manners.

The title, Withering Tights, acknowledges the desolate setting, crazy Cain, and the musical version of Wuthering Heights that the school puts on at the end of term.  One of the most fun things about this book is the local pub-owner's daughter, Ruby, who follows Tallulah around like a younger sister.  Ruby and Tallulah find some owl eggs and get to see the chicks!  Ruby also has an older brother named Alex, who is going away to a performing arts school in Liverpool.  Tallulah, of course, has a secret crush on Alex, but Ruby finds this to be disgusting.

There's also a very helpful dictionary at the end of the book which helps with the slang.  Here's an example: "corkers: Another word for girls' jiggly bits.  Also known as norkers.  Honkers, etc.  Cousin Georgia calls them 'nunga-nungas.' She says because when you pull them out like an elastic band, they go nunga-nunga-nunga.  I will be the last to know whether this is true or not."  This dictionary is funny even if you don't need to look up the words!

I really enjoyed this book- it was definitely zany and cute.  Four stars!  The only downside was that it really reads in a fourteen-year-old's voice, so it was like spending a lot of time with my younger sister.  Because of this, I would recommend it mostly to middle school girls, but fans of Georgia Nicolson would probably enjoy it a lot, too.  The references to Wuthering Heights add to the depth of the story, but you probably don't need to have read Wuthering Heights to enjoy this book- some info is included in the dictionary.

The publisher's website also includes a link to the first chapter!

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

MEG CABOT WEEK: YA Day

Today, I'd like to feature some of Meg Cabot's other YA titles.  I've read most of these, but it's been awhile, so I'm just going to touch on each one.

All-American Girl series
All-American Girl, #1
Ready or Not, #2

This is a super fun two-book series about Samantha Madison, an artsy teen living in DC who saves the president from an assassination attempt.  This spirals her into the center of media attention, and earns her a position as Teen Ambassador to the UN.  To complicate things, she finds herself attracted to the president's son, which only fuels the media's intrusion on her life.

I remember really enjoying these books- perfect summer reads for teens looking for something fun.

How to Be Popular

(Stand Alone)

This is probably my least favorite Meg Cabot book, but it was still funny.  Basically, Steph is a social outcast, so she reads a book on How to Be Popular.  The plot is kind of predictable- Steph changes herself, ignores her nerdy friends, and then learns a lesson.

Teen Idol

(Stand Alone)

High school student Jenny  is surprised when  a super hot actor comes to her town for a visit and he pays attention to her!  I remember  this book as being a lot of fun.  I would definitely recommend this a s a good YA stand alone for the beach.  

Avalon High Series

Avalon High, #1

Plus three MANGA novels!

I LOVED Avalon High.  Basically, this girl moves to a new school and finds herself in the midst of an Arthurian myth being replayed.  The first book is a novel, the next three, which I haven't read yet for some reason (my TBR stack is probs the reason) are GRAPHIC NOVELS... How cool is that?  I would definitely recommend this to young teens looking for a strong heroine.  Apparently this also became a Disney Channel movie, but I haven't seen it.

MEG CABOT WEEK! Belated Books: Review of When Lightning Strikes and Code Name Cassandra by Meg Cabot

Meg Cabot is skilled at creating story premises.  It's like she goes, "What would happen if...?" and then develops it into a story world.  I mean, I would imagine that's what most authors do, but Meg Cabot's imagination captures what it's like to be a young woman- full of inspiration and tenacity.  I love the pure fun of her books, and her ability to recreate the embarrassing incidents all girls live through with humour and grace.

When Lightning Strikes, Book 1

Code Name Cassandra, Book 2

The 1-800-WHERE-R-YOU series

Meg Cabot (2001)

Originally written under pseudonym Jenny Carroll

Can now be purchased together as Vanished (2010)

I just now read these books because I was afraid that they would be scary.  I know, I'm a wimp, but I seriously have to be careful about thrillers because they scare the dickens out of me.  Needless to say, I found these books to be adventurous and exciting, but not really scary, so that was good!

Basically, Jess is struck by lightning on her way home from school one day, and it gives her the ability to locate missing people.  If she sees a picture of a missing child, the next day she wakes up knowing where the child is.  Cool, right?  Unfortunately, this ability has some scary consequences... Jess finds a child who does not want to be found, and the media and government go crazy for her new ability.  The attention scares her older brother who is struggling with schizophrenia, and Jess has to figure out how to straighten things out before they go out of control!  Plus, there's a super attractive bad boy with a secret past... 

In Book 2, Jess is a counselor at a summer camp, and she is faced with a difficult choice when she is asked to find a missing child...  I can't say more than that without spoiling Book 1!

I've only read the first two books in this series (in the Vanished combo-form), but I'd love to read the others.  Jess is a typical Meg Cabot heroine- she doesn't quite fit in, but she is courageous and willing to do whatever it takes to do what she thinks is right.  There is also an X-Files reference that made me laugh out loud (super awkward when reading in public).  The supporting characters are well developed- I love the presence of the older brother with schizophrenia.  It's important for authors to incorporate characters who incidentally have mental problems.  Real families deal with mental illness, and I love it when books realistically acknowledge this.  

Four stars for fun stories- these would make great beach reads!  I look forward to reading the rest of the series.  PS.  This would make a great Disney channel show (haha)!

Belated Books: MEG CABOT WEEK!

In preparation for the release of Meg Cabot's new book, Overbite, on July 5th, here's a glimpse into my minor obsession with Meg Cabot!  This week, I will feature some of her books- she has written A LOT...


The Princess Diaries series (and associated bonus books!)
The Insatiable series (my review)
How to Be Popular
Teen Idol
Nicola and the Viscount (my review)
The Airhead series (my review)
All-American Girl series
Queen of Babble series
Heather Wells series
The Abandon Series (my review)
The 1-800-WHERE-R-YOU series (have only read the first two)
Pants on Fire (haven't read this yet)
Jinx (haven't read this yet)
The Boy series (have only read the first one)
She Went All the Way (haven't read this yet)
The Mediator series (haven't read these yet)
Victoria and the Rogue (haven't read this yet)
Avalon High series (have only read the first one)
Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls series (haven't read these yet)

The Princess Diaries Series- SPOILERS. but this is romance/drama, not a mystery, so you probs don't care.

I don't exactly remember how I got into The Princess Diaries, but I'm pretty sure that my mom took me to see the movie when it came out in 2001.  I would have been in... 7th grade?  Soon after seeing the movie, I picked up the first book at the library and loved it, although I was surprised at how different it was from the film.  I remember reading Volume III: Princess in Love while on a camping trip- this is still my favorite from the whole series, because the ending is so magical and Michael is so hot.

Yes, I have had a major crush on Michael, both in the movie and the books- I love dark haired guys, and my boyfriend of almost 8 years is Jewish, just like Michael.  Michael is a musician, a genius, and three years older- how dreamy!

I guess the reason I love The Princess Diaries so much is the characterization... Here's a rundown of my ten favorite characters:

• Mia aka Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo (I definitely just wikied that- I forgot Grimaldi!)-  Princess Mia herself rocks for the self-discovery she goes through in the later books- she writes her own novel, Ransom My Heart, which is available for you to read!  Mia also has a lot of guts- she pulls a fire alarm, stomps on a cell phone, and eventually brings constitutional monarchy to her country.  In the books, Mia is actually blonde and looks nothing like Anne Hathaway. 2.  

• Helen Thermopolis- Mia's mom is a crazy artist who is somewhat irresponsible (particularly when it comes to family planning) but cares about Mia more than anything else in the world.

• Mr. G. aka Frank Gianini-  Mia's algebra teacher turned step-father is a stand-up guy.  He helps Mia with math, takes care of Mia's mom when he gets her pregnant, and is generally a fine male specimen. 

• Lilly Moscovitz-  I spend a lot of time wanting to punch Lilly in the face- she's pushy, selfish, and too smart for her own good- but underneath it all, Lilly is a sensitive girl who needs Mia just as much as Mia thinks she needs her. 

• Michael Moscovitz-  *dreamy*  I really would like to smell his neck, just once.  Michael is romantic, bossy, and nerdy enough to make me crazy.  I'm not sure why Michael works at a garage in the movie, because he is really just a member of the Computer Club until his band Skinner Box gets off the ground. 

• Tina Hakim-Baba- I wish that I had a friend like Tina- her father is very rich, so Tina has a body guard just like Mia.  However, Tina is shy and super super nice- she loves all things romance- and Tina is so unselfish and pure-hearted.   

• Grandmere-  HAHAHA Grandmere is a nightmare.  I can picture her with her tattooed eyeliner and cigarette, eye-balling the run in my stockings and cursing me in French.  Grandmere is the dowager princess, and she takes it upon herself to prepare Mia to be proper royalty. 

• Lars-  Lars is the most hilarious body guard- he hides Mia's diary for her, exchanges knowing glances with Michael, and generally is a quiet sidekick to Mia's shenanigans, serving as a lookout on a couple occasions and pointing out obvious flaws in Mia's plans. 

• Boris Pelkowski-  Boris is a violin virtuoso who drops a giant globe on his head because of his love for Lilly.  The globe scene alone makes him one of my favorite book characters of all times. 

• Lana Weinberger-  Lana is a nasty nasty girl- at least in the first half of the series.  I would love to know who Meg Cabot based her off of and whether or not they know about it.  I hope no one ever makes me a mean character in a book!

There are other excellent characters that I omitted, but these are my favs!

However, there was a rough patch in my relationship with The Princess Diaries... In Volume VIII: Princess on the Brink, Michael and Mia have a huge fight and he leaves for Japan for an extended stay, essentially ending the relationship.  When I got my copy of the book, I was looking forward to a fun read, but I found this book super upsetting, and I cried hysterically for a long time.  When I finally stopped crying, I changed my Facebook profile pic:

I took it with my laptop, so I had to write the note backwards, which is why it looks all facacta.

I was so mad!  I wanted to write her a letter.  I was so upset that I didn't get the next book as soon as it came out, but when I did, I was relieved to find out that Mia sort of becomes less insane and makes good decisions with the help of her therapist.  Volumes IX and X were excellent, and by the end of the series, I felt that the story had come full circle with lots of character growth.

If you haven't read this series, I highly recommend it.  Mia's voice is authentic, the NYC setting is fun, and the situations Mia finds herself in are comedic and challenging.  Fans can continue to enjoy Mia's thoughts by following her blog- on which there may or may not be hints about a wedding to come!

As mentioned above, Meg Cabot also wrote a book as Mia Thermopolis: Ransom My Heart.  For Mia's senior project, she writes a historical romance novel- that we can actually read!

During BEA week, I went to the Scholastic Store in NYC to the This is Teen event, and I actually got to meet Meg, which was an amazing experience.  There were school kids in front of me (boys and girls who looked to be in middle school), and they were SO EXCITED to meet Meg- apparently they are reading her books for school.  It was great to see middle schoolers so excited about reading- especially boys.

Highlight of my year- maybe my decade, unless I get married before 30.

Review of The Magnolia League by Katie Crouch

The Magnolia League

Katie Crouch

2011

348 pages

Unfortunately, I began reading this book around the same time that someone tweeted an article by the author(s) on the subject of YA literature.  The article includes a killer spoiler, so if you want to be surprised by the book's ending, stay away for now!  I found the article to be mildly offensive, as a dedicated YA fan, particularly this bit: "But readers in Y.A. don't care about rumination. They don't want you to pore over your sentences trying to find the perfect turn of phrase that evokes the exact color of the shag carpeting in your living room when your dad walked out on your mom one autumn afternoon in 1973. They want you to tell a story."  


And telling a story is exactly what the author has done here.  The Magnolia League is about a grungy hippie girl (Alex) with dreads (who apparently doesn't shower).  When her mom dies in a freak accident, Alex is forced to leave the commune where she has grown up and move to Savannah, Georgia to live with her rich grandmother, who goes by Miss Lee.  Strange things start to happen, and Alex discovers that her grandmother's secret society, the Magnolia League, is really a hoodoo club in partnership with some people who continued practicing hoodoo after being brought to the US during slavery.


The story is very fast paced, which I enjoyed, but the characters are inconsistent and just...weird.  Here are some examples:


Alex vacillates between being super naive/smart and super coarse/vapid: "This week it's Jane Eyre, the one novel on the school summer reading list I haven't already read.  Thoughts so far: Edward is hot, but a total nightmare.  And what is with this banshee in the attic?" (p. 65).  She sounds like a snarky blogger being silly, not like a well-read lover of literature, and I'm always suspicious of characters who claim to have read every good book out there (ahem, Bella).  I LOVE to read, but I certainly haven't read even the smallest appreciable fraction of the books out there.  Alex also confuses me by being a super-virgin (her thoughts on sex come off as preachy), then making the following comment: "And how about those love scenes with Frederic and Catherine?  Totally orgasmic" (p.121).  WHAT? First of all, not even Mia Thermopolis would accidentally say that.  Then she goes on with, "Not that I even know what an orgasm is... I mean, I do know.  I do it all the time! Or sometimes.  Whatever."  I can almost take this as clumsiness to add to her "naive" character, but really?  What person is that ridiculous?  Also, I find it weird that Alex is overweight when she only eats health food and works outside all day.  She should probably get her thyroid checked, because usually nature girls aren't chubby at all.


The first clue that something was off came at the beginning of the story, when the two queen bees of Savannah are driving.  One is listening to Taylor Swift loudly on the radio, and the other turns down the music with this line, "I don't mean to get all Kanye, but you need to hear me" (p. 39).  Again, WHAT?  Who says that?  Not one of the most popular girls in a huge city! It's funny when the school principal makes a Kanye joke, just like it's funny when the 55 year old white chemistry teacher dougies at a pep rally.  It's NOT FUNNY when your friend makes such a late joke.  Kanye's over.


I'm going to stop ranting, now I promise.  And I'm going to read book two, because like I said, the story is excellent here.  I just hope that book two reads a little more authentically.  


3 stars to a fun book with tantalizing hoodoo secrets.  I'm a sucker for glamour and secret societies!

Review of The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

The Throne of Fire

The Kane Chronicles, Book Two

Rick Riordan

May 2011

Sadie and Carter are aboard the sun boat.
Ra's throne is glowing behind them!
You can also see creepy scarabs at the bottom...

In Book One of the The Kane Chronicles, The Red Pyramid, we meet totally awesome brother and sister Carter and Sadie Kane.  Carter has spent his life traveling the world with his father, who is an Egyptologist.  Sadie lives with their grandparents in England, because, sadly, their mom died when they were young.  When something goes terribly wrong and their father disappears, Sadie and Carter are taken by their uncle, and they discover that they are descended from two lines of pharaohs- and they are Egyptian magicians!  They work together to save the world, but learning about their new life is full of challenges in unexpected places.

In Book Two, Carter and Sadie again have to save the world- this time from the rise of Apophis, an evil snake (aka Chaos), and to do this, they must find the sun god Ra, who hid himself away long ago.  A host of fun trainees (including a cool healer named Jaz and a charm-maker named Walt) and a very strange god who smells like curry help them out, but ultimately it comes down to Carter and Sadie to get the job done.

While I enjoyed Book One, Book Two is really excellent.  The Throne of Fire has a faster pace, and I really enjoyed the adventure that the kids go on.  There are also several intriguing subplots, including Walt's secret, Sadie's crush triangle (try competing for a girl with a god!), and Carter's anxious search for Zia, which provide a change of pace from the main story.  I also like the switch off on narration between Sadie and Carter.  As usual for one of Riordan's books, there is a lot of humor- the god Bes is quite entertaining- just wait until you read about how he scares away demons! 

Here is a quote that I particularly enjoyed: "Our camels plodded along.  Katrina tried to kiss, or possibly spit on Hindenburg, and Hindenburg farted in response.  I found this a depressing commentary on boy-girl relationships."  Too true.

There is really nothing that I would change about this book, except I was really sad when it ended! The ending definitely makes you eager for Book Three to come out (2012!!).  I recommend this series to readers who enjoyed Percy Jackson, readers who are curious about Egyptology, and readers in 6th-9th grade- appealing to both boys and girls.

For more information, see The Kane Chronicles website here!

Review of Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Beauty Queens

Libba Bray

390 pages

May 2011

Beauty Queens is the story of a plane full of Miss Teen Dream contestants that crashes on a seemingly deserted island.  Of course, all of the adults have died,  but chaos is averted by Miss Texas, who takes control of the situation and starts to organize the girls. The book starts in the POV of Adina, who admits right away that she thinks the Miss Teen Dream pageant is stupid and she wants to throw the whole thing, but I really liked that it didn't stay in her POV.  We get to experience the POV of many different girls, which is really cool- throughout the story, we find out each girl's secrets and how they perceive the world.  Reality TV pirates and a psycho dictator soon join the story, which add to the humour level significantly.

Throughout the book, social commentary is weaved in through "Commercial Breaks" and foot notes.  Readers will enjoy seeing Sarah Palin represented (I'm now even more terrified of her after reading this book), as well as Justin Timberlake, popping up in an unexpected place (at least, I think it's Justin Timberlake, haha).

Libba Bray really uses this book to create a space for dialogue about the oppression of women, female sexuality, LGBTQI issues, racial stereotypes and identity formation, how we perceive intelligence, and even environmental issues.  At first, it felt really preachy, but it evens out  when you realize that the book isn't Adina "Man-Hater" vs. everyone else, and each girl has her own strengths and weaknesses.  The book even made me think about my life- such as my anxiety about how I look at the gym.

I give this book 5 stars and I recommend it as an excellent YA beach read.  It's full of hot girls and guys, heart-pumping action, and a hilarious pirate captain who reminds me of Russell Brand.

Review of Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Bumped

Megan McCafferty

323 pages

May 2011

Bumped is a hilarious, tongue in cheek dystopian novel about a pair of twin sisters living in the futuristic United States.  The premise is that a virus has made everyone over 18 infertile, so teenagers are actually encouraged to "bump."  Many teenagers donate their "preggs" to childless couples or pregg for people that they know, but there are actually professionals who pregg for money.  Melody is one of these girls.  Her adoptive parents have taken her perfect genes and given her every physical advantage, and she has signed a major contract with a wealthy couple.  The only hitch is that the future parents can't seem to find the perfect male, and Melody is getting anxious.  Her parents would like her to have two if not three preggs, but at this rate, she might not even have one!  There's another problem: she has a complicated relationship with her best friend Zen. Of course.

To make things more interesting, Melody's twin sister, who seems to be hiding something, shows up on her doorstep to convert her.  Harmony has grown up in a super-religious compound sort of society (this vaguely reminds me of the stories of teen brides in extremist Mormons).  The religious aspect of the book is very weird, because it is changed from actual Christianity in some ways but not in others, which just gives it a very weird vibe.  For example, there are some quoted scriptures that I look up- they are changed a little bit and taken out of context, but still reflect the original verses.  It's just hard to put my finger on how I feel about this aspect.

The one complaint I had about the book was the ridiculous slang and coined terms, similar to high fantasy novels where there are 40 characters with "fantasy" names involving combinations of letters that I have never seen despite living in one of the multicultural hubs of the country.  In the first three pages, we have "Mi-Net," "Tocin," "neggy," "pregg," "fertilicious," and "omnicide."  You can pick up on the meanings of the words from context, but until you get used to the strange language, this book is a little hard to follow.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in a lighter dystopian novel.  It's a pretty fast read and definitely funny.  I give it three stars.  Learn more at the author's website here.