Tuesday Ten - Fictional BFFs

In no particular order...

1. Tibby Rollins - The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
2. Bronwen Oliver - I Now Pronounce You Someone Else
3. Diana Holland - Luxe
4. Bethany - The Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading
5. Ari Mitchell - Other Words for Love
6. Cisco - Flirt Club
7. the Bean - Flirt Club
8. Penny Lane - The Lonely Hearts Club
9. Serafina - serafina67
10. Mallory Pike - BSC

You guys, I did want to go into detail and explain why each of these characters should be my fictional best friends, but then I realized that entailed discussing friendship and that is kind of a sad subject for me.

Which makes no sense, I realize.

Review - Wild Child

WILD CHILD
Mike Wells
self-published

When his best friend Brie is hit by a speedboat while swimming in the lake, Kyle's sure she's dead. There's no way to survive a blow like that. But when Brie reemergest from the water a few minutes later, she's strangely energetic and her wounds are already closing up. Brie has found a green water at the bottom of the lake that seems to have healing powers. Soon, Kyle and Brie are on the run from government officials who want their discovery -- to make things worse, Brie's health is fading fast the longer she stays away from the green water.

This book is straight-up sci fi; the story starts up right away with a minimum of backstory. Kyle and Brie aren't the most compelling characters by themselves, but their relationship is interesting enough to pull me into the story and their bond does a good job of grounding what is an incredibly unbelievable story. Unlike most scifi I've read, this one takes place in our world and as impossible as it is to believe this "green water" heals and gives the ability to breathe underwater, I accept this part of the story wholeheartedly because that's how Kyle reacts.

That said, though I bought into the premise of the green water, this story still leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Not only are we left to wonder just what, exactly, the green water actually is, but also: who are these government agents? Why is Kyle so sure they're bad? Why do they want the green water so badly? This is a super-short novel and because of that there are certain aspects -- like Kyle's relationship with his dad -- that aren't fully developed. In most cases, this is fine; the story is focused exclusively on Kyle, Brie, and the mysterious green water that Brie is dying without.

For me, this biggest issue with this book is the sudden, bizarre ending. I had to read it a few times just to be sure what I thought happened actually happened. This ending seems to come out of nowhere and apropos of nothing, but that's not entirely a bad thing. For a novel, it's definitely a head-scratcher, but this entire book reads less like a novel and more like a very long short story, where unresolved questions and sudden endings are more common. And for that it works well.
This book is published as an eBook for both the Kindle and the Nook. 

*ebook received from author

Review - Back When You Were Easier to Love

BACK WHEN YOU WERE EASIER TO LOVE
Emily Wing Smith
Dutton Children's Books

Having moved from a college town in California to the super-wholesome, super-Mormon, ruled-by-conformity city of Haven, Utah, Joy latches on to the one guy who isn't just like everybody else. Zan is smart, gorgeous, and so over everybody in Haven. And, sooner than later, he's also over Joy. He graduates early, changes his cellphone number, and heads off to college leaving Joy not-quite-dumped, but definitely without the boyfriend she was sure she was meant to marry. Still obsessed with him and seeking closure, Joy convinces Zan's former best friend, Noah to road trip to California in order to find Zan and get the answers she's looking for.

This book was super-cute, let's get that out of the way right off the bat. It's funny, nice, sweet, and squeaky-clean. I'm honestly a little surprised it's being published as mainstream YA fiction just because there's so much Mormonism in the story and I know that's going to put off a few readers. And those that aren't put off by this might be a bit confused in some parts. Though the author does a good job of explaining most of the more Mormon-specific details, there were still a few times when I found myself just the smallest bit out of the loop.

There were a few things about this book that seemed a bit off-kilter and out of line with the characters. Though Joy's journey as she tries to make sense of her break up with Zan, the boy she thought was perfect, is sweet and funny, it often seems a bit contrived. A suspension of disbelief is needed in order to buy into Joy and Noah both lying to their parents and roadtripping out-of-state by themselves. (Not to mention that all of Joy's friends went along with this plan.) These don't seem like characters that would skip a boring class, much less leave town with a member of the opposite sex. It's easier to believe coming from Joy, whose obsession and lingering questions over Zan seem to be clouding her judgement, but it was a real stretch to believe that super-good, super-popular, super-duper-duper Noah would go along with her.

However, in spite of these flaws I absolutely enjoyed this book. Not to give too much away, but Zan was such a jerk and there's a nice contrast between his personality and the personalities of Noah and the blind-to-reality Joy. There are a few subplots here regarding Joy's feelings on moving to a town like Haven and the friends she's made, and these are wrapped up nicely in Joy's story as she makes the journey from obsessing over Zan and refusing to move on to... well, driving out to California and having to confront the boy she thought she loved.

The ending seems a bit abrupt and I wanted at least a couple more pages of wrap-up, but in all this book was far from disappointing and I recommend it for anyone who wants a sweet, funny, wholesome story of what happens after first love ends.Back When You Were Easier to Love is set to be released April 28, 2011.


*Received ARC at ALA.

Scar Story

Yesterday's Road Trip Wednesday over at YA Highway asked the question: What is the story of your best scar? And I know I'm a day late, but I couldn't help tackling this topic.


My scar is a pale and faded line, from almost-collar-bone to almost-belly-button. I see it when I change and when I shower and when I look in the mirror. I could cover it up all the way if I wanted to, but wearing necklines that high just because of a scar seems ridiculous. It is healed skin, flesh cut open and sewed back together. Scar. Zipper. Live saver.

It is always, always reminding me of what I am and who I am and what has happened. Underneath the scar, my heart beats. It beats steady, reliably, stronger than expected but weaker than hoped. The story of my scar is not funny or outrageous or extreme because I did something dangerous and got cut or bruised or burned. I did not crash a bike, touch a hot iron, or crack my head on concrete trying to dive. I am so much more boring than that.

I used to hate this scar. It's the only one that isn't completely covered by shirts and I was thirteen and fourteen and fifteen and horribly awkward and I wanted to be just the same, just like everyone else. I didn't want people looking at me because I didn't know how to explain without sounding moronic or brave, of which I am neither. Plus, it hurt. Not the scar itself, but all it reminded me of. There's that trying-to-hard quality to my voice when I say I had heart surgery when I was younger. I try on this oh so casual tone, like it's no big deal. Like oh, that doesn't matter. No biggie.

This scar is not my sole defining quality, but it is also not a small thing. It is there. It is a piece of me. It is a reminder of needles and tubes and medicine and hospital beds and breathing and not breathing and fear fear fear, pray pray pray. It is brokenness and healing and growing, being patched up and on my way. It is faith and luck and being scared and being saved. It is my own story, my own history.

Review - In the Shadow of the Lamp

IN THE SHADOW OF THE LAMP
Susanne Dunlap
Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

After being fired from her job as a parlormaid, young Molly Fraser stows away aboard the ship carrying Florence Nightingale and her nurses to Crimea. The work is horrifying and the hours are long, but Molly is determined to make her family (especially her mother) proud. She finds herself falling for a young doctor in spite of the strict rules Mrs. Nightingale has against her nurses socializing with the men. But the doctor isn't the only one she has feelings for -- there's also a boy from home who's joined the war in order to be closer to her.

I'm a bit torn over this book. On the one hand, I did like it and it was an interesting look into the character and legacy of Florence Nightingale. However, on the other hand there were parts of Molly's story that didn't seem to fit or ring true to the character.

Molly is a strong-willed character who manages to not only stowaway aboard the ship carrying Mrs. Nightingale's nurses, but also convince Nightingale to let her stay on as a nurse despite being much younger than the others (as well as untrained). Molly is determined to make her mother proud and pay back the money she borrowed to make the journey. I loved this version of Molly; she was smart, talented, and determined to make something of herself in spite of being turned out into the street after being betrayed by someone she thought was her friend.

However, as the story goes on a couple of different romantic storylines develop. In spite of the strict rules against socializing with the men, a romance grows between Molly and one of the doctors. At the same time, she finds herself contemplating marriage to a soldier she's known for quite a while. For me, this derailment into a romance-focused story really took away from the story of Molly becoming a nurse as well as changing her from a character who cares about following the rules and learning from Mrs. Nightingale, to breaking the rules and sneaking away. If it had seemed like she really had strong feelings for either of these men, maybe the effect would have been different, but that's not how it came across.

This book has a wonderful historical setting and backstory, as well as shedding light on Florence Nightingale and the early beginning of modern nursing practices, but the romance aspect got in the way of the rest of the story for me. However, I'm not generally a big fan of historical fiction, so this book may be better for those who do enjoy the genre.

Someone Finally Read Speak

There are some books that I read because I want to and some books that I read because I feel like I should. Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak definitely falls under the second category. Though I'd read a few of Halse Anderson's later books (Twisted, Catalyst, Prom, and -- my favorite -- Wintergirls) and I'd heard tons of praise for Speak, I'd never bothered to read it. It falls under the category of: books I always meant to read.

After the whole Wesley Scroggins debacle last year, I meant to read it even more. When it showed up at my used bookstore I had to buy it. Eighteen pages in, I understood why this book is considered a contemporary classic, the beginning of the YA genre as we know it today. And it's not because the book tackles such a huge topic, one that hadn't been talked about much (at all?) before in books for teenagers; it's because that, while sullen, angsty, withdrawn, and dealing with something huge, Melinda manages to be something of an everygirl. Written in a very stream-of-consciousness style, Melinda's dry-toned observations on everyday high school life are spot on. Despite being a rape victim and outcast, her outlook on life is, to a degree, the quintessential teenage angst.

I mean, she's depressed, no doubt. But there's something in her voice -- her concerns, her lack of confidence, the fact that nobody listens to her paired with her observations on everything and everyone -- that speaks to every teenager. And there's something in the story -- a mix of the everyday trials of Being A Teen and the Big Issue that Melinda's dealing with -- that seems to lay the foundation for the YA we know today.

This is all to say that:
1. I'm so so glad I finally read Speak and
2. even more importantly, I'm so grateful that Speak was written and published in the first place.

If you're a YA reader (and especially a YA reader who also writes YA) who has somehow managed to go this long without reading Speak, I really urge you to.

The Sister Books

The book I'm working on rewriting and revising is about two sisters and in the spirit of that, here are a few YA books* that feature great sister relationships.

1. That Summer

Sarah Dessen

Honestly it's the rare Dessen book that doesn't have a sister relationship in it, but I definitely have a soft spot for this one. The messy relationship and misunderstandings that exist between Haven and her older, wedding-crazed sister, are lovely and poignant to me. Other great Dessen books with sisters include Dreamland (where a sister running away is a catalyst for something much worse), The Truth About Forever (where this relationship is in the background of everything else), and Just Listen.

2. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (series)

Ann Brashares

I have much more than one issue with the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movies, but the main one is definitely that Lena's younger sister Effie wasn't a part of them. In the books, the relationship between beautiful Lena and her younger sister Effie is, if not a main plot, at least a major subplot. There's a lot there and despite being in the background for most of the time, the relationship these two share and Lena's thoughts and feelings toward her younger sister ring absolutely true and wonderful. The push-and-pull of Lena, Effie, and Lena's friends is brilliant. These two are definitely one of my favorite sets of sisters in literature.

3. Wither

Lauren DeStefano

Though not sisters in the traditional sense of the word, Rhine and her sister wives are easily my favorite part of this book. Within an incredibly strange situation that none of the girls particularly wanted to end up in (except maybe the youngest), these three form some intense and complicated friendships that mirror those of any sisters.

4. The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June

Robin Benway

If I had put this list in any kind of order, this book would most likely be up at the top. The voices, feelings, and relationships of these three sisters are authentic and at the forefront of the novel. Their dialogue is funny and sweet and just like conversations between actual sisters. I love it, I love it, I love it.

*Also, in a related note, I'll be reading Nova Ren Suma's novel Imaginary Girls soon and that is also about sisters. I'm so excited!