Crosspost: New to Me: Gentlehands

So what would you do if you found out your grandfather had been a Nazi officer? That's the dilemma faced by Buddy Boyle in M.E. Kerr's Gentlehands: this month on the YALSA blog!

Review: The Cardturner

The Cardturner
Louis Sachar
2010; Delacorte; ISBN 978-0-385-73662-6 (hardcover)

Summary: Alton's great-uncle Trapp is blind, rich, and a great bridge player. When he needs a new cardturner-someone to help him play-Alton's parents make him take the job. At first, Alton is unsure of his uncle and confused by bridge. But slowly, Alton starts to understand both his uncle and the cards being played. He's helped by shy, pretty Toni, the girl that Trapp taught to play bridge. Trapp's goal is to make it to the national bridge championships. When that becomes impossible, it'll be up to Alton and Toni to play for Trapp.

Only Louis Sachar could make a novel about bridge interesting and comprehensible. The sections with extensive bridge information are marked off, so a reader can just skim the rules and know enough to understand the story. In Alton's droll, matter-of-fact voice, the rules of bridge are explained while allowing the story to continue. The relationship between Trapp and Alton is the heart of the novel, and it shows the power of intergenerational relationships. Sachar's talent for gentle humor and an eye for personal dynamics create a charming novel. Use The Cardturner as the flip side to poker novels like Pete Hautman's All-In.

ARC Contest Winners!

Congratulations to . . . Alexandra Provence, Jessica, and LaurenEmily! You've each won an ARC pack. Please send an email to dettiot at gmail dot com with your mailing address. Packages will be sent out early next week.

Thanks to everyone for participating!

Review: The Mark

The Mark
Jen Nadol
2010; Bloomsbury; ISBN 978-1-59990-431-3 (hardcover)

Summary: Since she was a little girl, Cassie has occasionally seen a glow around certain people. It's not until she's sixteen that she realizes what the mark is: a sign that the person will die that day. The only person she can tell is beloved grandmother, Nan. But Nan's death sends Cassie into a tailspin. Sent to Kansas to live with an aunt she's never met, Cassie tries to cope with this gift. It will take her philosophy TA boyfriend and a friendly psychiatrist for Cassie to learn the reason for the mark.

A paranormal tale, grounded in reality and with an unusual outcome, The Mark puts a new spin on an old concept. Being able to foresee someone's death is an idea that has captured the imagination since the ancient Greeks. In Nadol's hands, Greek mythology is woven into the tale of a girl struggling with an unusal power. Cassie is both sympathetic and guarded, one who slowly comes to understand herself. Pondering choices vs. destiny and the ethics of telling the truth or staying silent, Cassie finds her own path. Pair this with Numbers by Rachel Ward if focusing on the death omens; for a primer on free will contrasted with destiny, match up The Mark with Meg Rosoff's Just in Case.

Reminder: Win A Lot of ARCs!

Remember, you have until Friday at noon EST to enter my latest ARC giveaway contest. As the lottery motto goes, someone's gonna win--why not you?

Contest: Win A LOT of ARCs!

This month, there's a bonanza of ARCs available for three lucky readers!

Contest Rules
Leave your name in the comments. This time around, there's no selecting which ARC pack you'd like to be entered for.

The contest closes at NOON (EST) on FRIDAY, MAY 21. The winners will be announced on the blog that afternoon. The winners can contact me via email to make arrangements for getting their ARCs.

ARC Pack #1
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick

ARC Pack #2
Folly by Marthe Jocelyn
Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey
Three Rivers Rising: A Novel of the Johnstown Flood by Jame Richards

ARC Pack #3
Green Witch by Alice Hoffman
The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

Good luck! Feel free to spread the word about this contest.

Review: The Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading

The Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading
Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance
2009; Simon Pulse; ISBN 978-1-4169-7834-3 (paperback)

Summary: Becoming part of the cheerleading squad is the last thing that Bethany expected. Both Bethany and Moni, her best friend and fellow new cheerleader, are geek girls. That makes them invisible in the high school hierarchy. But now that they're cheerleaders, being invisible is not in the cards. Maybe that's a good thing, since Bethany now has the attention of her crush, jock Jack Paulsen. Yet it won't be all smooth sailing, thanks to friends and enemies alike. Will Bethany prove that you can be a geek and a cheerleader?

A heartwarming twist on the high school culture clash, The Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading is an engaging read. A step up from many fluffy YA novels, authors Tahmaseb and Vance give their characters real dimension and warmth. The stereotypical head mean girl, selfish senior player, and driven geek all posses greater depth in this novel. The plot unfolds slowly but steadily, giving plenty of time for character development, romance, and dashes of sports action. It's an easy read with a lot of heart--what could be better? Pair this with I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader by Kieran Scott or the Queen Geek series by Laura Preble.

Crosspost: New to Me: A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich

Another month, another New to Me at the YALSA blog! This month, I read A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich.

Review: Escape Under the Forever Sky

Escape Under the Forever Sky
Eve Yohalem
2009; Chronicle Books; ISBN 978-0-8118-6653-8 (hardcover)

Summary: Lucy thought that moving to Ethiopia with her mother, the new U.S. ambassador, would be the start of an amazing adventure. Instead, her mother keeps her shut inside, saying it's not safe to go to the market or explore Ethiopia's wildlife parks. Thirteen-year-old Lucy quickly gets bored with only seeing her friends at school and reading about lions and hyenas. But when she is kidnapped, Lucy will take everything she knows in order to escape and survive.

An intriguing look at an American girl in a foreign land, Escape Under the Forever Sky shows the tension between freedom and safety. Lucy wants to be able to move freely and be self-reliant, yet at the same time she doesn't have yet the ability to trust her instincts and get out of a dangerous situation. Her kidnapping lets her see her mother's point of view, while proving that Lucy does have the skills to protect herself. This story of survival and family dynamics would be enjoyed by readers of Gary Paulsen.

Review: After Ever After

After Ever After
Jordan Sonnenblick
2010; Scholastic Press; ISBN 978-0-439-83706-4 (hardcover)

Summary: Jeffrey may be in remission, but that doesn't mean that cancer isn't still affecting him. The chemo drugs he took as a little kid gave him a limp and problems concentrating. Now that he's starting eighth grade, those problems get complicated with his crush on beautiful new girl Lindsey. At least Jeff has his best friend and fellow cancer survivor Tad to help him pass math. Jeff has to lean on Tad and Lindsey, since his hero of a big brother quit college, went to Africa, and spends all his time learning new drumming rhythms. As the test that could make or break his future looms, Jeff draws upon his friends, his family, and most of all himself.

A moving story of what happens after remission is achieved, After Ever After continues the story of Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie. This time, the story is from Jeffrey's POV, which shows how cancer impacts not just the victim. But more than a story about cancer, After Ever After is a coming-of-age tale, showing one boy's journey towards his future. Pair this with A Summer to Die for another perspective on siblings and cancer.

Review: Hex Hall

Hex Hall
Rachel Hawkins
2010; Disney/Hyperion; ISBN 978-1-4231-2130-5 (hardcover)

Summary: At thirteen, Sophie learned she was a witch. Three years later, after a love spell for someone else went very wrong, Sophie is sent to Hecate Hall, aka Hex Hall, a boarding school for misbehaving Prodigium. Amongst witches, faeries and shapeshifters, Sophie doesn't feel like she fits in. Add in that her roommate is the school's only vampire and she doesn't want to join the popular girls' coven and Sophie has her hands full. It doesn't help that she's got a crush on the school's BMOC and there's a ghost who's always following her. But when girls start getting attacked, and Sophie's roommate is fingered as the criminal, Sophie sets out to clear her friend's name. One thing's for certain: it's a good thing Sophie's got magic.

An enjoyable, lively read, Hex Hall juggles several plots with ease. There's Sophie's crush on Archer, the popular warlock who dates head Mean Girl Elodie. There's Sophie's struggle to learn magic and navigate through a new society. And there's the mystery of who is preying on the school's students. It all adds up to a novel that keeps the story moving. Sophie is likable and engaging, and the cliffhanger ending will leave readers eager for the next book in this series. Teens who enjoyed the Bard Academy series or the Gemma Doyle trilogy will snap up Hex Hall.

Crosspost: New to Me: A Summer to Die

It's time for a (belated) New to Me post at the YALSA blog! Check out my thoughts on A Summer to Die.

Although I'm a big fan of the original cover of this novel . . .



I have to admit that I love the paperback reissue's cover.

Review: The Life of Glass

The Life of Glass
Jillian Cantor
2010; HarperTeen; ISBN 978-0-06-168651-1 (hardcover)

Summary: It's been over a year since her father died, but Melissa still misses him. Having his journal full of unusual facts and quotes about love, her memories of him, and the piece of rainbow glass he touched the night he died--they're no substitute for her father. Now that she's starting high school, Melissa's world is changing again. Her beautiful older sister Ashley ignores her at school, while her best friend Ryan is falling for glamorous new girl Courtney. To make it worse, her mother has started dating. Melissa must find a way to navigate her own path amid friends and family landmines.

The Life of Glass is about mourning, about going on as the death of your loved one becomes more nad more part of your past. Yet this novel is also about coming-of-age, learning how to stand on yoru own rather than go with the flow. That's what Melissa figures out as she grows closer to her sister and avoids the shallow friendship of Courtney. Most of all, it is the slow transformation of her relationship with Ryan-from friend to romantic interest-that marks Melissa's freshman year of exploration. Younger fans of Sarah Dessen and Elizabeth Scott are the perfect audience for Jillian Cantor's second novel.

Any opinions on books published in 2010 are my own and do not represent the opinions of the 2011 Printz Committee.

Review: The Sweet Life of Stella Madison

The Sweet Life of Stella Madison
Lara M. Zeises
2009; Delacorte Press (Random House); ISBN 978-0-385-73146-1 (hardcover)

Summary: It's the summer before her senior year, and Stella think her summer's all set. She'll spend time with her boyfriend Max, who's just said the L-word. She'll get rides and hang out with her friends Olivia and Kat. And she'll work for her mom at the Open Kitchen, a restaurant/food demonstration kitchen, where her father the cook often prepares special meals. As the daughter of foodies, Stella knows about chiffonade and ceviche, but she prefers cheeseburgers and cinnamon twists. But then her summer gets some unexpected new ingredients, like Jeremy, the flirty intern at the Kitchen. And then there's Stella's new job, working as an intern for a local paper . . . and writing about food. Will Stella's summer turn out like a perfect crepe or fall faster than a souffle?

A novel that's like your first glass of summer lemonade, The Sweet Life of Stella Madison is definitely a good-for-you read. Zeises brings her knack for realistic teen protagonists to the story of Stella, a "bouncing rubber ball" girl who wants to figure out what she really wants, and then get it. She spends the summer torn between Jeremy, who likes her but won't make a move, and Max, who is the perfect boyfriend. Meanwhile, her separated-but-not-divorced parents are slowly getting back into the dating pool--with other people--leaving Stella confused about her emotions. Add in her worries over writing about food and Stella's got a lot to deal with. Yet as the summer progresses, Stella finds her own voice and her own way. The Sweet Life of Stella Madison is a great choice for any reader who wants to find themselves, and perfect for burgeoning foodies. Pair this with Flavor of the Week by Tucker Shaw for a similar experience from a boy's perspective.

ARC Contest Winners

Congrats to Wendy, FireandIce, and Shannon, the winners of the three ARC packs! My apologies for the delay in announcing these winners. Happily, I'm now able to get back to blogging. And there will be another ARC contest coming in April!

Thank you to everyone--it's your readership and comments and tweets that help make the work worthwhile!

Hiatus

Due to several factors--first amongst those, finishing the book I've been working on--I'm taking a hiatus for the rest of the month of February. Check back in early March for more reviews!

I will be posting with the winners of the ARC giveaway in the next few days. I'm snowed in thanks to all the storms that have rolled through the Mid-Atlantic over the last week and a half. As soon as I know that postal service is up and running, I'll be announcing the winners and getting their ARCs to them.

Review: Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Will Grayson, Will Grayson
John Green & David Levithan
April 2010; Dutton Books (Penguin); ISBN 978-0-525-42158-0 (hardcover)
Reviewed from ARC received from publisher

Summary: On a night that wasn't too different from any other, Will Grayson walks into a downtown Chicago porn shop after getting left behind by his friends. At the same time, Will Grayson--a different Will Grayson--walks into the same porn shop to meet his Internet boyfriend. The meeting of the two Will Graysons, both with teh same problem, will change each of them in unexpected ways. For both Wills are scared to risk it all. But thanks to a girl named Jane, a boy named Gideon, and the fabulous Tiny Cooper, Will Grayson's life will become something great.

Two Things to Know about Will Grayson, Will Grayson

#1: Two heads are better than one.

From the minds of John Green and David Levithan comes a funny, insightful look at two boys with the same name and a similar problem. While each author's style is clearly visible, working with a co-author seems to have benefitted each story. John Green's Will Grayson doesn't pine after an unattainably beautiful girl--instead, he tries to decide if he wants a relationship with a quirky music geek. Meanwhile, David Levithan's Will is messed-up and moody, but he's perhaps the most accessible and authentic teen that Levithan has written. Will Grayson, Will Grayson is a great example of the strengths that come from two great authors collaborating together on a story.

#2: Sometimes the most memorable characters aren't the star.

A character like Tiny Cooper isn't often the main character. He's just too much: too dynamic, too fabulous, to use his own words. A book written around Tiny Cooper might be too freewheeling, an example of chaos in book form. But as a supporting character, Tiny can be anything he wants to be. Green and Levithan create a group of secondary characters that enrich the story greatly. Besides Tiny, there's Jane the music geek who makes a connection with one Will Grayson, much to his confusion. There's Gideon the friendly, sweet guy who supports Will when he comes out at school. Even parents get small moments with their sons, showing that adults don't all have to be lame or nonexistent in YA novels. All in all, this cast of characters doesn't just reflect back on each of the Will Graysons; they help make the story of each protagonist richer and deeper. Even Maura, who tricks Will with a fake Internet boyfriend, is given motives and shades of gray.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is an enjoyable, accomplished work from two authors at the top of their game. The lives of two boys, from different worlds, are shwon to be not that different. As they learn how to confront the challenges that won't let them change for the better, each Will Grayson opens his heart and makes a difference. Plus, there's the world's most fabulous musical. Teens who enjoyed Dramarama by E. Lockhart, as well as John Green's Nerdfighter fans and followers of David Levithan, are sure to enjoy Will Grayson, Will Grayson.

Any opinions on books published in 2010 are my own and do not represent the opinions of the 2011 Printz Committee.

Crosspost: New to Me: Flowers in the Attic

January's New to Me is Flowers in the Attic. Head over to the YALSA Blog to see my take on this "classic".

As a side note . . . many of us are familiar with the traditional V.C. Andrews cover style. But check out these two new covers!

This one gets what I've called "The Twilight Treatment".



And this one . . . is it just me, or does it look like a standard romance novel?

Contest: Win Some ARCs!

I got some extra ARCs at ALA, so I thought I'd offer them up. There are three sets of ARCs: one middle-grade and two YA.

ARC Pack #1 (Middle-Grade)
Yours Truly, Lucy B. Parker: Girl Vs. Superstar
Robin Palmer
Publication Date: May 2010
When Lucy B. Parker was friend-dumped right before school starts, she figures things can't get much worse. But then her mom announces that she's dating Laurel Moses's dad. THE Laurel Moses--the TV-movie-music star whose face is on the cover of every magazine. Suddenly, Lucy's life is turned sideways! Up until now, her main goal has been to just get through the day without totally embarrassing herself. And now she's going to be the less-pretty, less-talented stepsister of the most famous girl in the world!

Palace Beautiful
Sarah deFord Williams
Publication Date: April 2010
Everyone dreams of finding a secret room in their house that they can escape to, and Sadie is thrilled when she finds one in her new house. It has a sign that says "Palace Beautiful," and she finds a journal written over sixty years ago by a girl her age. But Sadie never imagined her own life could get almost as dramatic as the one she reads about in the journal!

ARC Pack #2 (YA)
This World We Live In
Susan Beth Pfeffer
Publication Date: April 2010
It's been a year since a meteor collided with the moon, catastrophically altering the earth's climate. For Miranda Evans, life as she knew it no longer exists. The struggle to survive intensifies when Miranda's father and stepmother arrive with a baby and three strangers in tow. One of the newcomers is Alex Morales, and as Miranda's complicated feelings for him turn to love, his plans for his future thwart their relationship. Then a devastating tornado hits the town of Howell, and Miranda makes a decision that will change their lives forever.

The Eternal Ones
Kirsten Miller
Publication Date: August 2010
Everyone has experienced deja vu. And love at first sight? Most of us believe it's possible. Maybe it's happened to you already--or maybe it's about to. The Eternal Ones is a novel about discovering that someone you are meant to be with, and knowing in an instant--even if everything else seems set against you. It's a novel that will make you experience for yourself the chilling, tantalizing sensation of having lived many times, of knowing that more awaits you than just this life. That you are a part of something bigger. That you are part of forever.

ARC Pack #3 (YA)
Incarceron
Catherine Fisher
Publication Date: February 2010
Incarceron is a prison unlike any other: its inmates live not only in cells, but also in metal forests, dilapidated cities, and unbounded wilderness. The prison has been sealed for centuries, and only one man, legend says, has ever escaped. Finn believes he came from Outside Incarceron. He's going to escape, because he's found a crystal key and through it, a girl named Claudia. Claudia claims to live outside--her father is the Warden of Incarceron and she's doomed to an arranged marriage. But they don't realize that escape will take their greatest courage and cost far more than they know. Because Incarceron is alive.

The Sky is Everywhere
Jandy Nelson
Publication Date: March 2010
When her fiery older sister Bailey dies abruptly, seventeen-year-old Lennie, bookworm and band geek, is catapulted to center stage of her own life--and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

Rules for Entry
Please leave a comment with your name, your contact info, and if you have a preference on which ARC pack you'd like to win. You have until Friday, February 5 at noon EST to leave a comment. Spread the news about this contest and share some great books!

Quick Thoughts About Midwinter

The 2010 ALA Midwinter Conference was, as always, full of activity. The YALSA Board voted on the BBYA proposal, AASL adopted the term "school librarian" for their profession, and of course, Random House jumped the gun in announcing the Newbery winner.

Midwinter isn't just about the controversial or the unusual. There's networking, watching committees in action, and advance reader's copies of forthcoming titles. Here are my short takes on 2010 titles I've read so far.

Heist Society
Ally Carter
Publication Date: February 2010

An all-out fun book, evoking the world of Oceans Eleven but with teenagers. Carter shifts from her Gallagher Girls series to bring us Kat Bishop, from a family of high-class thieves. She tries to get out of the family business only to be pulled back in when her father is threatened. Carter has a real knack for creating lively, interesting characters, and that skill is showcased in Heist Society. With a plot that moves smoothly and a dash of romance, there's also just enough complexity to create some tension. There's always a question of how Kat and her teenage crew will pull this off, but the answer isn't taxing reality. For a fun, fast-paced read, Heist Society is a great choice.

This World We Live In
Susan Beth Pfeffer
Publication Date: April 2010

The third book in the Last Survivors series brings together the characters from the two previous books: Miranda and her family from Life As We Knew It with Alex and Julie Morales from The Dead and the Gone. Pfeffer continues to be unafraid to pose hard challenges for her characters to face, ranging from a tornado to running out of food and personal care products, not to mention normal teenage concerns like meeting a cute guy and thinking he doesn't like you. It's unfortunate that the characterization in this volume seems clumsy; Miranda, in particular, does not seem to have any of the maturity she gained over the course of the first eight months since the initial disaster. Aside from this problem, Pfeffer shows her talent at constructing plots and increasing the jeopardy for her characters.

Jekel Loves Hyde
Beth Fantaskey
Publication Date: May 2010

The sophomore effort from Fantaskey once again combines a paranormal story with romance. In this book, she's mined less-popular ground, by using the jumping-off point of Stevenson's novella The Curious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Plain, studious Jill Jekel can't help being drawn to enigmatic, gorgeous Tristan Hyde--and not just for the normal reason. No, they are drawn to each other because Stevenson's story was based on their actual ancestors. And Tristan needs Jill's help to conquer the beast within him. Full of sweeping romance, Jekel Loves Hyde is a compelling read. The character of Tristan is perhaps not successful as a teenage boy, but he's got the Byronic romantic hero part down pat. But it's a minor quibble for readers who are looking to be carried away by romance.

Any opinions on books published in 2010 are my own and do not represent the opinions of the 2011 Printz Committee.