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Archive for the “Book Reviews” Category

Ship Breaker takes the Printz!

Monday, January 10, 2011 | 4:41 pm

I picked up Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi to take with me during my holiday travels, and was gearing up to write a glowing review when I woke up this morning to find that it has been awarded the 2011 Michael L. Printz award!

I must stay that I absolutely agree with the committee on this win. This is a fantastic read! Ship Breaker is the story of Nailer and his salvage crew, teenagers who make their living stripping copper from wrecked oil tankers in a postapocalyptic United States, near the drowned city of New Orleans and the ravaged Gulf Coast. Nailer and his friends live a hand to mouth existence, so when they find a luxury yacht beached after a horrific storm, they are thrilled at the riches inside. But while going through the salvage, Nailer finds a survivor, and a moral dilemma; grab the riches and run, or help a wealthy heiress regain her birthright.

So, what can I say at this point, except, everyone thinks this books is amazing! Read it!

Here is a little snippet from the selection committee:

“This taut, suspenseful novel is a relentless adventure story featuring nuanced characters in thought-provoking conflicts. Bacigalupi artfully intertwines themes of loyalty, family, friendship, trust and love,” said Printz Award Committee Chair Erin Downey Howerton.

If you are unfamiliar with the Printz award, it is the Newbery-equivalent for teen fiction. As a relatively new award, it doesn’t quite command the same financial or prestige benefits, but getting a Printz is a great boost for any writer, and the selection committee has highlighted and supported several new and upcoming YA authors.

To learn about this and other Printz winners and honor books, check out the YALSA website here.

—HeadCardigan | 1 comment
(posted in Book Reviews | tagged Book Reviews, Printz, Ship Breaker, YALSA)

Figment.com

Sunday, December 5, 2010 | 8:17 pm

Came across this article in the New York Times about the new teen literary site, Figment.com. On the surface, it seems like a neat idea, for teens to upload their stories and poems to a wider audience, but I’m a little leery of the way that the site makes its money. Publishers will pay for the privilege of direct-marketing it current teen lit to Figment.com members, as well as potentially study what teens are reading to identify genres that might blossom into the next big YA lit craze. Twilight and its spin-offs have generated a lot of cash, so publishers are eager to identify the next big franchise.

I think popular literature has its place, but I think that we’ve seen what happens when publishers craft series that appeal to teens purely based on profit (Clique series, anyone?). The danger is a dumbing down of teen literature, and the incessant push to buy merchandise associated with the initial product. I guess we’ll have to see if the site takes off, and since libraries have been involved with initial teen recruitment, it will be interesting to see if librarians begin to promote Figment.com to their teen patrons.

A quick read through on the forums show that teens are reading the Bell Jar and Naked Lunch, so perhaps my concerns are unfounded? All in all, it is great to see teens excited about reading, and I hope it continues.

—HeadCardigan | no comments
(posted in Book Reviews | tagged Figment.com)

Some Baking to Scare By…

Wednesday, September 8, 2010 | 10:10 am

Well, summer is over here in Washington State. The line of children at the bus stop, all bundled in their rain slickers and goulashes, lets you know that not only is it raining buckets, but that school is back in session. So, naturally, once school begins, you start thinking of the days when you can have a break, which brings to mind Halloween!

I’m not a fan of the super-scary side of Halloween; horror movies give me nightmares, and I can’t really read Stephen King, but somehow doing a Halloween program at the local library is tons of fun! Last year we did a combination of Halloween and Dia de los Muertos stories in a “Scary Stories from Around the World” theme. We made skull masks, and somehow they didn’t seem too scary sparkled with plastic gems and a lot of glitter.

Despite my squeamishness, I’m building a YA scary story reading list, and I’ve got a stack of books to work through. I just finished Killer Pizza by Greg Taylor (Amazon Link/Library Link) and it was a lot of fun! Sadly, I find that there are a lot of great books, but a lot of them are out of print! Or are only in paperback, so I can’t request them through the hold system. Don’t worry though, I haven’t let that deter me.

Before I run off to grab a cup of coffee, a big cozy cardigan, and a seat by the window so I can listen to the rain while I read, I leave you with a great post by not martha on a 3D skull cake mold. Wouldn’t that be fabulous for a Halloween program?

—HeadCardigan | no comments
(posted in Book Reviews | tagged Book Reviews, Halloween, Skull Cake Pan)

Review of Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Friday, June 11, 2010 | 12:54 pm

Sixteen-year old Sophie Mercer is a witch who can’t seem to follow the most basic and important rule of her kind: don’t reveal yourself to humans.  During prom, Sophie discovers a heartbroken girl crying in the bathroom. Determined to set things right, Sophie casts a love spell, which ends up backfiring, ruining the prom and exposing her secret. Sophie is soon sent to Hecate (aka Hex) Hall, a reform school for wayward Prodigium (witches, warlocks, fairies, shape-shifters, etc) where she must stay until her eighteenth birthday, or risk the Removal of her powers as punishment.

Sophie is determined to do well at Hex Hall, but naturally, things don’t go her way.  Her first day at school she learns that her roommate is a reviled vampire with an addiction to eye-searing hot pink. She then offends the other witches by refusing to join their coven, and just can’t seem to find her footing. To top it all off, since Sophie was raised by her human mother (her warlock father is MIA) she is incredibly ignorant about magic and Proigium, making her an easy target for pranks and embarrassing gaffes.

Through it all Sophie maintains her wry humor and upbeat attitude. Teens will identify with her misfit status, and Hawkins has created a fast-paced ride with filled with magic, mystery, and a little romance.

—HeadCardigan | no comments
(posted in Book Reviews | tagged Book Reviews, Hex Hall, Rachel Hawkins)

Are Vampires Over?

Wednesday, April 7, 2010 | 2:30 am

Before all the Twi-hards* stake me, I’m not the one declaring the end of the Vamp Era! GalleyCat, an offshoot of MediaBistro, did an interview with literary agent Caryn Wiseman, who handles children and YA for the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. GalleyCat does these lit agent reviews every week or so, and always asks about the Next Hot Trend.

Caryn, what would you say is hot now, what are editors currently looking for? And what are you looking for?

Funny middle-grade, horror, dystopian, steampunk, multicultural fiction. No more vampires, werewolves or zombies. I’d like to see a middle-grade or YA novel that explores a fresh, new paranormal category or a new twist on a dystopian world. I’d love to see a wonderful middle-grade or YA novel in which the protagonist is multicultural, and that informs his/her decisions, but is not the focus of the story. I’d love to see a great environmental novel. Most of all, I’d just like to see manuscripts that make me laugh, make me cry, and keep me up at night.

So if I ran into Caryn in a dark alley and had to do a Reader’s Advisory on the spot, I’d hand over the following titles:

—HeadCardigan | 2 comments
(posted in Book Reviews, Book lists | tagged Book lists, Book Reviews, reading list, rick owens, Twilight)

Review of “Before I Fall” by Lauren Oliver

Monday, April 5, 2010 | 2:16 pm

Think of it as “Groundhog Day” meets “Mean Girls.”

Samantha “Sam” Kingston has all a teenager could want out of life. Her friends are cool, slim, and popular. Her boyfriend is the hottest guy in school, and as a senior, she’ll soon fly the coop and attend BU (fingers crossed).

The book opens on Friday, Febuary 12th, aka, Cupid Day, at Thomas Jefferson High. Sam and her three best friends dress in matching mini-skirt and maribu-trim tank outfits and speculate on how many roses each will get from the rest of the student body. Sam hopes to get at least nine, but is shooting for the ultimate sign of popularity: fifteen.

What she gets is a screech of brakes and a blinding white flash.

The next morning Samantha wakes and looks at the date: Friday, February 12th.

What Samantha gets is a second chance. And then a third. And then a fourth. Over and over again, the day repeats, and Sam is forced to examine her life and her actions, and the consequences of what it means to have it all, and still not have what you need.

This is Lauren Oliver’s debut novel, and it does not disappoint. Samantha’s voice is raw and authentic, and the writing, fast spaced and gripping, makes this a real page-turner.  If you are looking for a break from vampires and fallen angels, give this a try. You’ll find yourself rooting for Sam, hoping that she’ll be able to make it through this exhilarating, journey of bittersweet revelations about herself, and her life.

Available at Amazon and your local library.

—HeadCardigan | no comments
(posted in Book Reviews | tagged Before I Fall, Book Reviews)

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