Monthly Archives: February 2006

Feb23

Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty

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McCafferty, Megan. Charmed Thirds. Wednesday Books, 2021 (reprint). ISBN 978-1250781833 528 pp. $9.99

***

Although third in a series, this new novel contains many firsts for our New Jersey heroine and sarcastic queen of quips: first time making nice with her sister, first internship, first love (continued). We find our darling Jessica well into sophomore year at Columbia, sex starved and missing reformed bad boy Marcus, who has gone all Buddhist, becoming more unreadable than ever. The book takes us sporadically through Jessica’s college years, tracking major and heartrending experiences. Readers will cheer to see obligatory letters to Hope (doing well at RSID, thankyouverymuch), snide asides,  and invented vocabulary that are quintessential McCafferty; new gems include Poetry Spam (haikus created from junk email), Google stalking, and continued worship for all things ‘80’s. 

Too many allusions to past events will send new readers searching for other titles in the series.

This is a book to champion from the relative safety of the adult collection. After all it took for Jessica to finally hook up with Krispy Kreme, her ad nauseum raving about her newfound sexuality is healthy but occasionally delves into the TMI zone. As I recommended with the other two books in the series, plop it in adult fiction – the fans will find it.

Feb21

Red Sea by Diane Tullson

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Red Sea by Diane Tullson

Diane Tullson. Red Sea. Orca, 2005. ISBN 978-1551433318 176 pp. $

****

Libby has been ripped from her social scene (think Jen from Dawson’s Creek: beer bash + older boyfriend = caught in flagrante delicto) to spend the year sailing with her mother and stepfather Duncan. While restocking and waiting for favorable weather at Djibouti (a French territory in East Africa), Libby purposely lags behind on the morning of their departure, causing their boat to miss the launch of the flotilla. Alone in the Red Sea, they are attacked by modern day pirate who ravage the ship, murder Duncan and shoot her mother. The 14-year-old girl is left with little food, no medicine, no radio, no GPS, and bullet hole riddled sails–and a storm is on the way. Luckily, Libby has been well-trained in sailing, and her survival instincts are strong.

The action is speedy and the sea ever-changing and ferocious enough to fear for our strong heroine. The loss of Duncan allows Libby to finally let herself love this man who was so central to her mother’s life, without deteriorating into a sappy eulogy. There is beauty in small details, such as Libby’s remembrance that her stepfather taught her to tie sailor knots using black licorice. The writing is vivid and exciting, and the pacing makes this a one-sitting book–impossible to put down. The appealing crimson cover will stand out on public and school library shelves

Feb20

Owly: The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer by Andy Runton

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Owly: The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer by Andy Runton

Runton, Andy. Owly: The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer. Top Shelf Productions, 2004 (reprint). ISBN 978-1891830624 160 pp. $10.99

*****

This nearly wordless graphic novel is about the kindliest of raptors, Owly. In The Way Home he rescues a worm and nurtures him through the winter season, and in The Bittersweet Summer he and his wormy friend await the return of their migrating hummingbird pals. 

The portrayal of a lonely owl with an unexpected friends is reminiscent of my favorite pacifist stories when I was little, A Toad for Tuesday and the Tawny Scrawny Lion, both about predators making friends with their prey.

The Way Home has a subtle message about intolerance – when the worm is returned to his family they are initially terrified and upset that he has brought an owl to their home, but he assures him the bird is a friend, and they slowly accept him.

The Bittersweet Summer is about sacrificing what you would like so someone else can get what they need (librarians will love that Owly consults books to learn what hummingbirds eat). Owly and the worm would love the hummingbirds to stay but as the weather turns colder, the birds food supply dwindles and they can’t stay warm, and must fly south, and Owly must hope for their return in the spring.

The story and accompanying black and white illustrations are absolutely, utterly charming. The rounded shapes enforce Owly’s soft and gentle demeanor. Runton conveys emotion vividly with just a few expressive strokes of his pen. Text is used sparingly and symbolically, with punctuation for emphasis and a few sound effects spelled out. This is truly a book for all ages, perfect for dialogic reading with younger children.

Feb20

Dead-End Job by Vicki Grant

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Dead-End Job by Vicki Grant

Grant, Vicki. Dead-End Job. Orca Soundings, 2006. ISBN 128 pp. $9.95

***

Aspiring artist Frances is working the late shift at a local convenience store when a customer arrives and attempts to charm her. She’s used to some of the regulars hanging around for a few minutes to warm up but something about this Devin guy isn’t quite right, plus she knows her boyfriend Leo would be jealous of another man’s attention. She ignores him, tries to befriend him and even sets him up with a friend, but he remains singularly focused and frighteningly moody, finally driving away Leo. Is Devin a harmless con artist, or mentally unbalanced enough to be dangerous?

Grant has penned a fast paced and exciting novel about a resourceful teen trying to do the right thing. She doesn’t waste limited space describing the protagonist or setting, lending versatility to the story. The title is clever, and the ending is quickly resolved in a way that leaves gory details off the page. Supporting characters are hastily drawn but Frances’s voice is strong. The book has potential for use in middle and high school settings for discussions about dating safety, and the neon cover, subject matter, 3.6 reading level and short length should find appeal with reluctant readers like other titles in the Soundings series.

Feb20

Stay with Me by Garret Freymann-Weyr

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Stay with Me by Garret Freymann-Weyr

Freymann-Weyr, Garret. Stay with Me. Clarion, 2007. ISBN 978-0618605712 308 pp. $17.99

There is so much to love about this book: the cake metaphors, the interesting characters, the sad but hopeful mood. Leila’s favorite stepsister, struggling with bouts of depression her entire life, has finally made a successful suicide attempt, and 16-year old Leila is certain there has to be a reason for what her much older sister has done. Months later when her physician parents leave for Poland, Leila opts to stay with her remaining stepsister, the coolly elegant Clare, who assists with Leila’s attempt to decipher the mystery that was Rebecca’s life.

Leila begins to track down Rebecca’s favorite haunts, positive there are clues in the people she knew and the places she went. When she gets a job in the café where she last saw her sister, it’s not so much that she wants the job, but wants to be there when the man she saw her sister with walks in, to interrogate him. Only, she meets another interesting man there – 31-year old Eamon, who makes her senses hum as he gently flirts with her. Until he realizes she is way too young for him. And then, she decides she isn’t.

Leila’s complexity is what makes this book real: her attunement to her body, her dyslexia, her relationship with the “boyfriend she was mean to,” her interest in theatre and set design, the ghost of 9/11 hovering in the NYC setting. This is a superior coming of age story about life lessons and figuring out what great love is. “I think of the things I’ve learned by accident–” says Leila, “when to accept jewelry and what to order–and know I’m glad to be learning how to negotiate the where, the when, and the importance of sex.” Supporting characters are as interestingly drawn.

In spite of all the wonderful thing about Stay With Me, it’s going to be a book that puts censors on high alert: an adult develops a physical relationship with a seventeen year old that toes the edge. It’s tasteful, mature, carefully considered, and mirrors the real experience of some teens, but it will raise hackles. The book, which builds developmental assets though modeling planning & decision making, time spent constructively, and supportive family environments, should be able to stand on the unquestionably high quality of the writing.

Feb20

Jazz Age Poet: A Story About Langston Hughes (Creative Minds Biographies) by Veda Boyd Jones, illus. by Barbara Kiwak

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Jazz Age Poet: A Story About Langston Hughes (Creative Minds Biographies) by Veda Boyd Jones, illus. by Barbara Kiwak

Jones, Veda Boyd, illus. by Barbara Kiwak. Jazz Age Poet: A Story About Langston Hughes. ISBN 978-1575057576 64 pp. $26.99

***

This Creative Minds biography focuses on the life of Langston Hughes, an American poet, playwright, novelist and journalist who wrote about the black experience during what came to be known as the Harlem Renaissance. Author Jones traces Hughes steps from his boyhood in the midwest to his jazz and blues infused funeral after infection from an operation, stopping at pivotal moments along the way – first experience at a gospel church, first protest (grade seven, when all the black students were placed in Jim “Crow Row” at the back of the class)  and first job ($.50 a week, cleaning at the local hotel).

Hughes is portrayed as ambitious, fair, creative and resourceful. The author recounts facts in an engaging way, setting each scene with the sights and sounds of the time. She explains the concept of having a patron, as Hughes had several in his lifetime, one of whom saw him through the Great Depression unscathed.

The book contains no quotes from the Hughes, but it doesn’t attempt to recreate scenes with fictionalized dialogue. Static black and while pencil illustrations act as snapshots capturing a quiet afternoon on the farm, a second in the city, an introspective moment on board ship and a proud graduation day.

A brief bibliography and an index conclude the volume. The lack of timeline or excerpts from the writer’s work make this a secondary selection.

Feb20

Spoiled Rotten by Dayle Campbell Gaetz

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Spoiled Rotten by Dayle Campbell Gaetz

Gaetz, Dayle Campbell. Spoiled Rotten. Orca Currents, 2005. ISBN 978-1551434742 128 pp. $9.95

***

Jessica is not adjusting well to her father’s recent remarriage to a woman who seems to be the antithesis of her nature-loving mother. To make matters worse, stepmom Patti comes with baggage: her bratty daughter named Amy who is used to getting her own way through any means necessary. A boating vacation meant to bring the family together causes more turmoil. When Jessica tries to sneak off for a solo hike, Amy is hot on her heels, but unused to the rigors of hiking.

The wilderness surrounding the scenic Powell River in British Columbia Canada becomes a threatening character, as the girls face potential grizzly bears, exposure and even falling and getting hurt. Dramatic tension is heightened as the tale evolves, with the elements waxing as the conflict between the girls wanes.  Jessica’s character development is driven by the action and she emerges from being “spoilen rotten” herself to maturity and acceptance of change, making believable magnanimous gestures to indicate an improved attitude toward her new family members.

The linear plot, 2.8 reading level and first person point of view will especially appeal to reluctant readers. Although the story has enough adventure to hold a boy’s attention in spite of the (strong) female protagonists, the hot pink cover may be a deterrent.

Feb14

Nailed by Patrick Jones

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Nailed by Patrick Jones

Jones, Patrick. Nailed. Walker, 2006. ISBN 978-0802780775 224 pp. $
****

A daring to be different theatre geek in a garage band, Bret is constantly at odds with his recovering alcoholic father, a natural mechanic with a strong work ethic, and the school’s star athlete Hitchings, a meathead bully whose jibes–and jabs–go unnoticed by most teachers.

Use of first person present tense novel catapults the reader directly into 16-year-old Bret’s head. The voice is clear and strong; Bret is fast-talking and quick-thinking, a trait that gets him both out of trouble, and in it, like when he calls the football coach (who is, ironically, the junior year English teacher attempting to introduce a poetry unit) an “asset, all right.”

In addition to juggling family, school, an ushering job, and drama club, a goth girl hottie crushes right back, before crushing his heart to pieces. Bret’s consumption and betrayal by this girl rings all too true, but when we (and he) get a glimpse into her purple diary and innermost thoughts, she becomes a bit too one-dimensional.

Overall, the writing is very clever, such as “Alex mostly avoids the problems I have swimming upstream against the high school gene pool” and philosophy from his wiser elders: his dad’s constant query of “Who told you that you can have what you want?” and his mother’s answer to what you call a wish when you get past age forty: “A regret.” Other gems: use of the term jockarchy, coined from a Nirvana song about the ruling athletic caste, and Bret’s graffitied adulation to Kylie that he “lives” her (instead of loves her; a Chaka Khan allusion?) as an indication of the depth of his feelings and commitment.

Peppered with analogies, Jones is careful to keep to cult status references like wrestling, Monty Python, and Austin Powers that teens will be able to relate to with little explanation. Bret’s two best friends, Alex and Sean, are wonderfully characterized through dialogue and action as well as asides from Bret in a scene where the three boys are girl-watching (and rating) outside the local movie theatre. Teens are true in this novel, which means sexuality and language are as real as their cruelty, passions, and dreams.

Jones successfully blends three major plots: the father/son conflict, the Bret/Kylie romance plot, and student rights plot, by building a scenario in which the protagonist finally speaks out against the ongoing harassment, and gets to see who supports him when the going gets really tough. Bret’s growth is well-paced, believable and satisfying.

The Nailed title is an apt analogy (although, the readers get the “nail that sticks out the furthest is the one that gets hammered hardest” analogy pounded over their heads) in more ways than one. This sophomore novel really showcases the maturing of YA guru Patrick Jones’ writing–he ‘nailed’ it!

Feb7

Joker by Ranulfo

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Joker by Ranulfo

Ranulfo. Joker. Harper Teen, 2006. ISBN 978-0060541583 208 pp. $12

*****

If you liked Baz Lurhman’s film retelling of William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, you’ll LOVE this version of Hamlet, “cracked” by Australian author Ranulfo. Modeled nearly act for act after the Bard’s tragedy, the novel is set in the post-September 11th “kingdom” of Elsinore High and features Matt, a boy of Danish ancestry.  His mother has recently taken up with his father’s close associate Claude, driving the poor man nearly mad and causing him to haunt his once happy home and implore his son to kill his competition

Matt’s struggling with his parent’s destroyed relationship (and the recent loss of his best buddy, Ray)… so of course, he takes it out on his sweet girlfriend, Leah… His madness mainfests as Joker, an alter ego who pervades his thoughts and is a catalyst for his darkest thoughts and actions, leading him to contemplate suicide.  The story is a familiar one, told in a jumble of hallucinations, rap, blog entry, and dialogue besides traditional narrative.

Characters are recognizable from the original. Moral Polonius appears as Leah’s dad – the high school principal. Matt moves out of his house, hooking up with former classmates Roscoe and Guido in a tent city, and wandering across the grave of Rick Yo,  before founding his theatre of truth, peopled with misfits.

The flow is smooth, the voice is smooth, and the story riveting and accessible. Although not told in old English or riddled with quotes from Hamlet, there are many clever and fitting allusions to other works by Shakespeare, citing Rosalind from As You Like It, and referencing the sonnet “Venus and Adonis,” to name a few. Pair with the play for best results.

Feb7

Smart Feller Fart Smeller and Other Spoonerisms by Jon Agee

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Smart Feller Fart Smeller and Other Spoonerisms by Jon Agee

Agee, Jon. Smart Feller Fart Smeller and Other Spoonerisms. Michael Di Capau Books, 2006. ISBN 978-0786836925 64 pp. $22.50

***

What happens when you mix up the first letters of a pair of words? Shel Silverstein’s last book Runny Babbit (Harper Collins, 2005) did exactly that, and in Smart Feller, Fart Smeller, Jon Agee presents his own twist on the concept – why not make spoonerism riddles? A slew of verbal mix-ups follow.

After an introduction to how spoonerisms got their name, he provides a series of questions, such as “What did Rapunzel say to the filthy giant?” The reader turns the page to find the answer: “You need to shake a tower!” Or, “What did the weatherman say about the soggy forecast?” “Expect more roaring pain!” Just in case you miss a few, the final page helpfully pairs the mixed-up sentences with their intendeds.

The illustrations have Agee’s classic softly rounded style – dots and lines for eyes, a few wide strokes to suggest details such as patterned clothing and hair, and shades of gray to break up the black & white illustrations. The layout varies, with every other two-page set containing a border.

Out of twenty-eight pairs, this reviewer guessed only one. Less than half of the question illustrations contain any hint to the answer, and the questions never contain the words that are going to be mixed up.  In most cases, the illustration depicts the question, rather than hinting at the answer. Matching the answer illustration to the question would have been a much safer (and less frustrating) move. I’d give this title four stars for the concept, but only two for the execution.

Cautious librarians can rest assured that “fart smeller” is as edgy as the text gets. An obvious class exercise is to share the book and have students invent their own spoonerisms.