Adolescent Lit. Review: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

The first books I read by Maggie Steifvater were The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy.   I really enjoyed them and even had the opportunity to meet Maggie at the ALA conference  in 2011.  At this conference she was handing out (and signing) free copies of The Scorpio Races.  I have been meaning to pick it up and read it for some time now, but just haven't had the chance.  I was further motivated to read it when Maggie won a 2011 Printz Honor Award for the book.  It definitely deserved the award.  I love how she develops her characters and how she creates the setting of the island of Thisby.  As I was reading, I kept thinking that I would really like to visit Thisby only to have to remind myself that it does not exist.     

Synopsis: 
In this award winning novel, Maggie Stiefvater takes readers to the fictional island of Thisby where flesh eating water horses, better known as capaill uisce, inhabit the surrounding waters.  Thisby is home of the annual Scorpio Races where islanders attempt to train and race the capaill uisce and tourists travel from all around to see the race.

Kate "Puck" Connolly lives with her two brothers, Gabe and Finn.  Their parents were killed by a capaill uisce and they were left to take care of one another.  Gabe, Puck's older brother, decides that he can no longer stand to live on the island of Thisby, and makes plans to move to the mainland.  In an attempt to stop him Puck decides that she will race in the Scorpio Races, but cannot bear to ride one of the capaill uisce that killed her parents.  She instead decides to ride her land mare, Dove.  

Sean Kendrick, four time winner of the Scorpio Races, longs to be free of his current employer and owner of most of the island, Benjamin Malvern.  Malvern refuses to sell Sean the capaill uisce, Corr, that once belonged to his father.  But this year, Malvern has agreed to sell Corr to him if he wins the race.  

Who will win the Scorpio Races?  A large cash prize awaits whomever crosses the finish line first.  Both Puck and Sean need the money, but someone will come back empty handed.

Recommended for Ages 13+.  

Image from http://maggiestiefvater.com/the-scorpio-races/ 

Adolescent Lit. Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

I had just started to hear about Shadow and Bone when I went to the ALA (American Library Association) conference in California.  Leigh Bardugo was there signing books and giving away maps of Ravka and very cool grey nail polish.  It was great meeting her and hearing a little more about the book, but I still really didn't know exactly what I was getting into.  It took me less that two days to read the book and I am thinking that it will be very hard for me to wait for the next book in the trilogy, Siege and Storm, to come out in 2013.  

Synopsis:  
In this first installment of the Grisha Trilogy, Leigh Bardugo introduces readers to a fantasy world based on Russian folklore and culture. The land of Ravka has been at war for many years and is divided by the Shadow Fold, an area of complete darkness and flesh-eating volcra.  With enemies at all sides, the King of Ravka trusts the fate of his land to the Darkling and his Grisha (those with unique magical abilities).  At a very young age, children in the land of Ravka, are tested for Grisha abilities.  Alina and Mal, orphans brought to live at the home of a Duke, are tested, but Alina hides her abilities so that she will not be separated from Mal.  Years later, Alina and Mal are in the army; Alina is a mapmaker and Mal a tracker.  While traveling through the Shadow Fold, a place where the Darkling has no power, a volcra attacks Mal, and Alina protects him by shielding him with light.  Once out of the fold the Darkling whisks Alina away and announces that a long awaited "Sun Summoner," who will help destroy the Shadow Fold, has been discovered.  As Alina learns to use her summoning powers and trains to become a Grisha, she longs to see Mal again, but is also drawn to the Darkling.  The more time Alina spends as a Grisha at the Little Palace, she struggles to know what to believe and whom she can trust. Bardugo does a fabulous job of creating the world of Ravka, with its subtle but intriguing magic.  There is suspense throughout most of the book and just when you think you've got the plot figured out, you discover that things may not be as you suspected.  All of you Harry Potter fans and lovers of fantasy, Shadow and Bone is a must read!

Recommended for Grades 9-12. 

Image from http://www.leighbardugo.com/books/. 

Adolescent Lit. Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Lena Holoway, seventeen, always looked forward to her eighteenth birthday when she would receive the cure.  Before scientists found the cure, people thought that love was a good thing, but now they know better.  Falling in love, or catching the deliria, is a disease and once it has taken hold there is no escaping its grasp.  Lena believed that being cured would allow her to be safe and without pain.  The only problem is that with only months left until her appointment to be cured, Lena Holoway falls in love. 

Lauren Oliver's Delirium is the first book in yet another dystopian trilogy.  From the beginning, Oliver has reader's sitting on the edge of their seats trying to figure out just what Lena's society is all about as they attempt to eradicate love, pain, and feelings in general.  At the age of eighteen, an appointment is made for each member of the society to receive their cure.  While the exact steps for the procedure are not outlined in the book, it is suggested that the part of the patient's brain that controls feelings is removed.  In the novel, Lena transitions from a girl who completely trusts in her government and their way of operating to a girl who questions their ideas and recognizes that love is necessary for living a life that is full and complete.  

Oliver leaves readers hanging at the end of the novel, but thankfully book two in the trilogy, Pandemonium, is already out.  

Recommended for Grades 9-12. 

Adolescent Lit. Review: Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Walter Dean Myers has a special gift for writing novels that many of today's teenage readers are interested in and can relate to.  Myers won the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1994, where four of his books, Hoops, Motown and Didi, Fallen Angels, and Scorpions, were recognized for "authentically portraying African-American youth without being limited to any particular ethnic group" (American Library Association). In 2000, Monster won the Michael L. Printz award for excellence in young adult literature. Walter Dean Myers is the current National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. 

Synopsis: Steve Harmon, a sixteen-year-old black male, has been arrested and charged with felony murder.  As the lookout in a robbery that left a store owner dead, Steve struggles throughout the novel with whether he is truly guilty of murder.  If convicted, Steve could face a sentence of 25 year to life in jail.   Having taken a film-making class in school, Steve tells the story of his ordeal by alternating between screenplay and journal formats.  The screenplay format allows readers to see the intensity within courtroom while the journal entries show the inner feelings of Steve as he is unsure of what his conviction will be. Black and white images are also expertly woven in to accompany the text. In this novel, Myers tells a realistic story of a boy who experiences jail and struggles with guilt, but wants more than anything to be pronounced innocent.    

Recommended for Grades 9-12.  

Click here to purchase from Amazon.

 

Adolescent Lit. Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska is John Green's debut young adult novel.  It won the Printz Award in 2006 which is an award for a book that "exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature." Green also received a Printz Honor in 2007 for his novel An Abundance of Katherines.  Other YA books written by Green include Paper Towns and Will Grayson, Will Grayson. 

Synopsis:  

Before
Sixteen year old Miles "Pudge" Halter, who has a talent for remembering famous last words, is in search of the "Great Perhaps." He is done with his boring,  friendless life in Florida and decides to follow in his father's footsteps by enrolling at the Culver Creek Boarding School.  Upon arrival, Miles meets his roommate Chip Martin, known as The Colonel, who is extremely poor, but a genius.  The Colonel's best friend, Alaska Young, lives down the hall and has managed to get almost every one of her male friends to fall in love with her.  Alaska is creative, beautiful, and extremely intelligent.  The Colonel and Alaska introduce Pudge into the world of smoking and drinking and also show him how to pull of the best pranks.  They go to class, cut up, and live life together until tragedy strikes.  

After 
"How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?" -  Simon Bolivar

This is a question Alaska asks throughout the novel.  As the characters deal with tragedy (you will have to read the book to find out about the details), the author John Green, addresses issues of grief and suffering.  While this is a sad book, it is a great book about life and suffering.  Because it is YA, this is also a book that many young adults can relate to. 

Recommended for Grade 9 and up. 

What's Next:   I have read that there is potential for this novel to be made into a movie.  The characters from this novel would definitely make a great film! 

Adolescent Lit. Review: Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

I had the wonderful opportunity of meeting Ilsa J. Bick at the American Library Association's 2011 Conference this past June.  Ashes is not due to release until September of this year, but Bick generously gave out a number of uncorrected proofs to many of the attendees at the conference. Bick is a child psychologist and a writer of short stories, novellas, and novels.   I have to say that Ashes hasn't even been officially released and I am already pining for the second book in the trilogy.    

Synopsis:  Alex, a seventeen year old traipsing through the wilderness as she ventures to spread her parent's remains in Lake Superior, discovers a lot more than she bargained for. Told from her point of view, Ashes, tells the story of Alex and those she encounters in the Waucamaw Wilderness of Michigan.  Four days into her trip, Alex is suddenly struck with an excruciating pain which she initially believes to be caused by the brain tumor that has been slowly killing her.  She starts to believe otherwise when she discovers that those around have had the same experience and some are even dead. Her journey after the "zap" brings new discoveries as she travels with two other survivors (Tom: a war veteran and Ellie: an 8 year old whose grandfather died after the zap) and they deduce that the "zap" must have been some sort of EMP (electromagnetic pulse) explosion.  They also discover that the "zap" has caused most teenagers to turn zombie like and go on killing sprees. 

Tom, Ellie and Alex must fight for survival in a new world and the adventures only begin with these characters.  Warning:  This book is full of blood and guts and even some cannibalism.   But, it is a page turner with suspense around every corner and definitely one of the best books I have read in a while (I would rate it up there with The Hunger Games).   


What's Next:  The second book in the Ashes Trilogy, Shadows, has no current release date.  I will post an update when Bick sets a release date.  In the meantime, her book Draw the Dark also looks very interesting.  Tip:  You can always read the first chapter via Kindle App for free.  

Update:  I just got word from Bick (via Twitter) that Shadows is due out in Fall 2012.   

Recommended for Grades 9-12.
Click here to preorder/purchase: Amazon

Audiobook Review: Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Synopsis: Gemma, a 16 year old girl traveling with her parents, is kidnapped by a very handsome man  during a layover in the Bangkok airport.  He drugs her, disguises her and puts her on a plane to Australia.  Gemma awakes to find that she is in the middle of the Australian Outback surrounded by nothing but desert.  Ty, her captor, has created a new existence for them.  He treats her kindly and soon reveals that he has taken her because he cares for her and wants her to be his companion.  

The book is written as a letter from Gemma to Ty.  In it she shares her perspectives and feelings of the entire kidnapping.  Readers get a first hand experience of what Gemma's psychologists diagnose as Stockholm Syndrome.  
 
Audiobook:  Audiobook narrator, Emily Gray, has a voice that fits this story well.  Her British accent matches well to what would be perceived as Gemma's.  I did have a slight issue in the beginning believing that Gemma could be 16 because the narrator's voice seemed much older.  As the novel progressed, I came to realize that it fit the story well because Gemma grew up a lot during the time she was captured.  To be able to write the letter that she wrote to Ty, she has to think through many things that normal 16 year olds would not have to deal with.  As this book was written completely from Emma's perspective, Emily Gray did a great job of presenting that perspective in audiobook form. 

What's Next:  Lucy Christopher has a new book, Flyaway, hitting stores in the US this October (2011).  Check out a synopsis of this new book on her site:  http://www.lucychristopher.com/flyaway.  Also, I had the great honor of meeting Christopher at the ALA (American Library Association Conference) in New Orleans in June.  She hinted that she is now working on a new book that will be "darker" and more like Stolen.  

Recommended for Grades 9-12.  
Click here to purchase: Amazon