Rave: The Darkest Minds

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. New York : Hyperion, 2012. Review copy provided by my local library.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken is a novel that takes place in a futuristic world after disaster has struck. A new fatal disease has hit most kids under the age of 16, killing more than half of the population of kids. The survivors are sent to camps because they have developed powers that the government has edemed dangerous. After months of being held in the tortuous camp the main character finally manages to get out with another kid and the camp nurse, but are her intentions for the escaped camp members good ones?

I loved this book. I would recommend this book to fans of the Hunger Games and Divergent. It’s full of action and many twists and turns. The ending will leave teens wanting so much more.

Reviewed by: Celeste N., senior at NAHS

Recommended for: fans of the Hunger Games and Divergent

Rave AND Rant: Nonfiction Graphic Novels

I’m not in school anymore, but I still like to learn about things. And I also like reading comic books, so I’m excited about the increasing number of nonfiction graphic novels. When done right, nonfiction graphic novels can be a great way to learn about a new topic in a fun, easily digestible way.  I recently read Economix: How Our Economy Works (And Doesn’t Work) by Michael Goodwin and Dan E. Burr and Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm. I’d say their titles give you a pretty clear idea of what both books are about–how the economy works, and a history of the first atomic bomb–and neither subject was one that I knew very much about. They’re both somewhat intimidating topics to dive into, and I thought a graphic novel would be a good way to get a good introduction. I was right, although one of these books does a better job than the other.

Rave: Mermaid in Chelsea Creek by Michelle Tea

Mermaid in Chelsea Creek by Michelle Tea. San Francisco : McSweeney’s, c2013. Review copy provided by my local library.

One of the main reasons I was interested in reading Mermaid in Chelsea Creek by Michelle Tea was because of the cover blurb from Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket). His glowing blurb ends with, “I can’t keep still to write a blurb about it. Just read the thing, read it now.” In a sense, that is how I feel about Mermaid in Chelsea Creek as well. It’s a beautiful book, and part of me certainly wants to just shove it at everyone who passes by me.

But another part of me–the part that went to library school–knows that this is not a book for everyone. Let me tell you about it, and you can decide if it is for you or not.

Rave: Carrie by Stephen King

Carrie by Stephen King. Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday, 1974. Review copy provided by my local library.

The first thing to say about Stephen King’s Carrie is that most of the time, you’re already diving into the book with the knowledge that it doesn’t end well. Carrie does not have a happy ending, believe me. If you’ve heard anything about the young girl Carrie with mysterious powers, an overbearing (and extremely religious) mother and bullies to boot, you know that this book goes under the “Most Deaths Ever in the History of..Ever,” section.

But just because it doesn’t have a happy ending doesn’t mean it isn’t a compelling, heartbreaking and masterfully woven story with twists and turns and personality traits that fall perfectly with the characters, antagonists and protagonists alike. You see the characters either become sick and twisted, or have revelations about how Carrie is, in fact, human.

Rave: Delilah Dirk & the Turkish Lieutenant

Whew! It’s been a minute since my last post here! Of course, I’m sure you all know there are other places on the internet where you can get book reviews, but I do want to use this blog to highlight favorites from NAFCPL’s Teen Scene! In 2014 I resolve not to abandon the blog again. Please hold me to this!

For starters, here’s a book I just read after seeing it recommended by several people.

Delilah Dirk & the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff. New York : First Second, 2013. Review copy provided by my local library.

As many of you know, I read a lot of comics. I do love reading about superheroes, but I’m also happy to see original stories with new characters, especially when the new characters are as much fun as Delilah Dirk. When we first meet the titular characters, Delilah Dirk is imprisoned in a Turkish palace after being caught breaking in, and Erdemoglu Selim is the lieutenant who’s been dispatched to interrogate her, because of his language skills. 

Lieutenant Selim enters her cell, where she’s sitting on the floor and chained to the wall. He starts the interrogation by offering her tea:

Selim: I’ve made tea for you.

Delilah: No thank you. I only drink the blood of my enemies.

Selim: (shocked expression)

Delilah: Haha, it’s a joke.

Selim: I think that, in your position, it would be wise to maintain a less casual attitude.

Delilah: Mm. Yes. Absolutely. Done.

This is a perfect introduction to these two characters. Selim is very proper and very concerned about the quality of his tea. Delilah is a carefree adventurer, and she proceeds to impress the heck out of Selim by telling him all about her globetrotting adventures. She also tells him upfront that she’s planning to escape and that she’s very confident that the palace’s guards will be no match for her skills. 

Later, as Selim relays this information to his superior, he’s scolded for humoring Delilah by believing that any of what she says could possibly have been true. But they’re interrupted by Delilah fleeing the palace. Selim’s superior decides that Selim must have had something to do with her escape, and sentences him to death. But Delilah rescues him, and both flee the palace together in Delilah’s flying boat (another unbelievable thing mentioned in her interrogation). Selim ends up tagging along on Delilah’s quest to steal some treasure back from the Pirate Captain Zakul.

I’ve seen this book compared to Indiana Jones, which I’ll buy to a certain extent. Both are comedic action stories about world traveling characters. I appreciate how Delilah Dirk uses a gender flip of the usual conventions for this type of story–Delilah’s the savvy swordswoman, and Selim is the meek tea brewer who’s in a bit over his head. But the story also creates a space for Selim to use his own skillset. Both characters learn from each other over the course of the story, which is both emotionally compelling and hilarious. A lot of the comedy comes from Cliff’s excellent artwork–he’s great at showing Delilah and Selim’s reaction faces. The story feels fresh, and it’s a great use of the graphic novel format. 

Reviewed by: teen librarian Renata

Recommended for: fans of Indiana Jones, and anyone looking for an adventure

Rave: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 2012. Review copy provided by my local library.

 

Before I get started, I’ll say two things: 1) Generally, I prefer not to read this kind of royalty-centric high fantasy; 2) I’m very susceptible to readers’ peer pressure. These things came into conflict recently, but I ultimately decided to read Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers because of reason #2 and despite of reason #1. Grave Mercy is not the kind of book I’m normally drawn to, but several people recommended it to me despite my usual preferences, and I’m glad I gave it a chance.

Grave Mercy is the story of Ismae, who lives in 15th century Brittany (a small kingdom near France). At the age of fourteen, her cruel father sells her off in an arranged marriage to a man who seems equally cruel, but Ismae escapes that fate by being taken to the convent of the order of St. Mortain, the saint/god of Death.

The abbess explains their order:

You would not expect a queen to wash her own clothes or lace her own gown; she has handmaidens for that. And so it is with us; we serve as handmaidens to Death. When we are guided by His will, killing is a sacrament. […] If you choose to stay, you will be trained in His arts. You will learn more ways to kill a man than you imagined possible. We will train you in stealth and cunning and all manner of skills that will ensure no man is ever again a threat to you.

It seems that Ismae’s actual father is Mortain himself, and as such, she has certain abilities. She chooses to stay at the convent and serve Mortain. Initiates of the order serve Mortain by using their deathly talents to carry out espionage and assassin missions. They seek to protect Brittany from outside threats, such as England and France.

After three years of training, Ismae is sent out on a mission at the royal court. Her mission is to find and kill traitors to the crown. Her cover is to serve as mistress to Gavriel Duval, an arrogant soldier (and bastard brother to the duchess). The young duchess has many marriage proposals and many enemies, and Ismae has a lot of work to do to determine who she (and the duchess) can trust.

I won’t go into all the intrigue–it’s complicated, and it’s also not the kind of plot that holds my interest very well. But I still enjoyed reading Grave Mercy because I was so interested in Ismae and her deathly order. Her character has some interesting insights on life and death. I also liked all the action and cool assassin nun gadgets, like Ismae’s teeny-tiny crossbow.

Some of the language used by the characters is a little bit anachronistic, and some aspects of the story were just annoying to me… but overall, I really liked the character of Ismae and enjoyed reading about her adventures! I’m glad I stepped out of my literary comfort zone and tried Grave Mercy, and I’ll also be picking up the sequel, Dark Triumph.

Reviewed by: Teen librarian Renata

Recommended for: Fans of old timey fantasy type books (you know what I mean); fans of assassin nuns (or people who think they might be fans of assassin nuns, if given the opportunity)

Rave: Fangirl

 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin. September 10, 2013. Review copy provided by NetGalley.

I loved Rainbow Rowell’s first YA book, Eleanor & Park, so I was eager to read anything else by her. And when I heard her newest book was called Fangirl, I jumped at the chance to read it. (Figuratively. It’s hard to read anything while literally jumping.) I read an advance copy of this several months ago and told all my nerdy friends to read it as soon as possible. The nerds of the world took this to heart and chose Fangirl as the first pick for the Tumblr Reblog Bookclub.

Rave: Winger

Winger by Andrew Smith. New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2013. Review copy provided by my local library.

Winger by Andrew Smith is one of those books I wanted to read because it felt like everybody was reading it. “So funny,” everyone said. “Such a great look inside a teenage boy’s head!” everyone said. (Note: by “everyone” I mean “all the other librarians I follow on Twitter.”) So I picked it up mostly due to librarian peer pressure.

“Winger” is the nickname of the book’s protagonist and narrator, Ryan Dean West. (“My name is Ryan Dean West. Ryan Dean is my first name. You don’t usually think a single name can have a space and two capitals in it, but mine does. Not a dash, a space. And I don’t really like talking about my middle name.”) Winger attends Pine Mountain Academy, which is “not only a prestigious rich kids’ school; it’s also for rich kids who get in too much trouble because they’re alone and ignored while their parents are off being congressmen or investment bankers or professional athletes.” As for why Ryan Dean himself is at Pine Mountain? “I know you’re going to ask, so I might as well tell you: it was for breaking into and trying to drive a T train. I was twelve. Boys like trains.”

Rave: OCD Love Story

OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu. New York : Simon Pulse, 2013. Copy provided by my local library.

You know how they say not to judge a book by its cover? Well, I’m definitely guilty–I only picked up OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu because the cover caught my eye. Honestly, I was expecting to be a bit annoyed by it. One of my pet peeves is when people use “OCD” when they really just mean “I clean my room.”

Well, Bea, the protagonist of OCD Love Story, doesn’t want to be called OCD either. Sure, she’s a bit quirky, but she doesn’t belong in Dr. Pat’s support group for teens with OCD. Those kids are crazy, like Jenny who’s pulled almost all of her hair out, and her boyfriend Beck who works out for hours at a time and whose skin is rubbed raw from washing it so much. It’s not OCD if she drives carefully, right? Even if she can only bring herself to drive thirty miles per hour, max? Even if she has to keep doubling back to make sure she didn’t hit anything?

Rave: Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets

Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. Copy provided by my local library.

Sometimes I read criticisms of YA fiction that complain that “teens don’t really talk like that.” So what? I ask. How many adult fiction books have adults who talk like regular adults? Characters in books can be more real–sharper, funnier, more honest–than people who are just out walking in the world. Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos is the realistic, moving, and very funny story of James Whitman, a 16-year-old who loves the poet Walt Whitman, hates his dad, and frequently consults with his imaginary therapist, Dr. Bird. Who is a bird.

Pigeons strike me as good listeners–they discern the voices of mates over the cacophony of the natural world. They move the right way too. A pigeon’s head-tilts suggest the kinds of things that I imagine therapists say: “Really?” or “How did that feel?” or “Tell me more.” Plus: one intense, glassy black eye staring at me, the neck-bob of agreement, the puffing of feathers when I’m being evasive.