pyrajane’s review #34: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Whoops!  Wrote this one a while back and forgot to post it here.

I love love love Holly Black.  When I read Tithe for the first time, I found a kindred spirit.  I’ve read all of her YA and dug up a lot of her short stories in various anthologies.  I’ve been lucky to see her on a few different panels at different book events.  Even better, she lives a few towns over from me, so sometimes I’ll see her when I’m out.  And then I embarrass myself by trying to tell her how much I like her writing.  Seriously, it’s bad.  I once walked past her in a restaurant and didn’t want to interrupt her, so I planned on tossing out a quick “Thank you for writing” but instead I sang it.  I sang it.  “Thank yooooooooo… for wriiiiiiiiitinggggggg…..”  Think of the scene from Elf where they think Buddy is a sing-o-gram except make it horrific.  I don’t know what happened in my brain.  I then followed up with “I donnnnnn’t knowwwwww… why I am sinnnnnnngingggggg….”  She laughed and thanked me.  I went to the bathroom and realized I was going to have to walk by her table again on the way back to mine.  I’m in my thirties and I had just awkwardly and painfully serenaded a favorite author.  I think I managed to save it on the way back with a casual “I really love your books” as I passed by.  Smooth.

Coldtowns are where the vampires live.  And those who might become vampires. And those who are obsessed and enthralled with vampires and want to serve them in any way.  It’s also where people are sent who are infected and if you can prove you’ve made it through your quarantine without turning, you can leave.  But no one ever seems to leave.

When you’re bit by a vampire, you get cold.  And hungry.  If you go Cold and then drink human blood, you’re done.  You get sicker, then you die, and then you come back to life, or whatever the category is for vampires.  The guideline for quarantine is eight-eight days.  If you can make it that long without taking human blood, you’ll be OK.  The problem is that when you’re craving blood, you will do anything to get it, including trying to kill your own daughter.

Read more about seventeen year old Tana, her bitten ex-boyfriend and a vampire that she’s either helping, or is waiting to kill her.

Look, I know that Twilight has done a lot of damage, but please don’t judge this book by those.  It’s really good and it’s not a “Ooooo, I’m going to write bad vampire YA to cash in!” book.  Black is an incredibly talented writer and had this been published before all the Twilight crap, it would be getting the love and attention it deserves.

And hey!  If you like Twilight, then check out a different tale of what happens when a teenage girl gets involved with a vampire.

Caitlin’s #CBR5 #62: Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

This is a really good book, plus one of the few that aren’t part of a series. It’s a world where water is running out. Lynn and her mother live on a farm and protect their little pond. There’s lots of action and drama. I loved how Lynn’s character changes and grows from her isolated life with her mother to her less isolated life after she ends up on her own.

Seriously, this was a great book. You can read my full review here.

Caitlin’s #CBR5 #61: Bubble World by Carol Snow

This is an interesting book about a girl who lives on an island utopia…except it’s not what it seems. It ends up being some sort of junior matrix situation, where teenagers who have difficulty in the real world are hooked up to computers and live virtual lives. I wasn’t expecting that at all when I started the book, and it ended up being much more interesting than I thought it would be.

You can read my full review here.

Caitlin’s #CBR5 #60: OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu

This was a really different YA novel, told from the point of view of a young lady afflicted with obsessive compulsive disorder. She joins a support group for OCD and starts a relationship with a boy from the group.

The book is told entirely from the girl’s point of view. Some parts are really cringe-inducing, more so than your normal YA drama. It’s a little heavier than some books, but I really enjoyed the story and characters, and the glimpse of a different point of view.

You can read my full review here.

Caitlin’s #CBR5 #58: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

I really liked this book. It’s creepy and moody. It will seem like nothing is going on, then all of a sudden ALL OF THE STUFF HAPPENS.
It’s about a girl in a small southern town who meets a mysterious stranger with a secret. A dangerous secret, of course. It’s all very Twilight-y, but I liked it anyways.
You can read my review here.

Popcultureboy’s #CBR5 Review #105: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

 

Because reading one YA novel dealing with cancer this year simply wasn’t enough. I had to have more. And effing eff, am I glad I read this book. Of course, everyone else in the world already has read it, so you all know how bloody wonderful it is. But don’t let that stop you reading my full review. It’s on my blog here.

Jen K’s #CBR5 Review #101: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Considering that I read this a few months ago, I’m not quite as late to the party as it looks, but I’m still rather late.  As much as I enjoyed Attachments, and as much as I trusted everyone else’s recommendations, I was still a bit skeptical.  I think this might be because almost every other piece of YA I’ve read is on the dystopian or fantasy side of things.  How could a story about two teenagers in the ’80s be that exciting or groundbreaking?

Full review.

Polyphonist’s #CBR5 Review #32: Friends With Boys by Faith Erin Hicks

This was a great read; I loved the art, I adored the main characters, and the pacing was good. However, by the end, I was kind of confused about why it’s called Friends With Boys because the story seemed to center around the main character, Maggie, and her making friends with a boy and a girl. Granted, she does have three brothers that she learns better how to relate to over the course of the book, and I guess that could be considered becoming friends with them, but I was just expecting something other than the sweet coming-of-age tale of a teenager who’s mother used to home school her and her brothers but mysteriously ran off one day.

Another thing I wasn’t expecting? That Maggie is haunted. This storyline was interesting in many ways because it never really went into why she’s haunted and it wasn’t something that got resolved. Lots of times in stories, a ghost is still around because of “unfinished business” and while they did explore that a little, ultimately, that wound up not being resolved, which I appreciated. It also served to be a neat detail of interest for Maggie’s new friend, Lucy. The girl is punk, but not sterotypically so. She’s obsessed with maritime lore and legend, really bouncy, and slightly socially awkward, and I LOVE that about her. I greatly appreciate stories with strong, unique female characters like Maggie and Lucy.

The guys in the story were pretty varied, too, which was awesome. One of Maggie’s brother’s, Daniel, is a theater geek and a little on the large side (and constantly made me cast Jack Black in the role whenever his character made an appearance) while her other two older brothers, Zander and Lloyd, were more involved in this weird twin sibling kill-each-other thing. But it was obvious that they cared a lot about their little sister and each other. It was a realistically drawn broken but functioning family with some great friends to boot, and as such I highly recommend this graphic novel.

Polyphonist’s #CBR5 Review #31: Amelia Rules! #5 – The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular by Jimmy Gownley

A few years ago, I came across the Amelia Rules! series. It looked cute and a bit snarky, which I prefer my YA reading to be.  The series didn’t disappoint. When I was looking through graphic novels in my local library, I saw a new Amelia Rules! and promptly scooped it up. Thankfully, Jimmy Gownley’s still got it. Great art with varied art styles as homages to other artists, fantastically developed characters, and snarktastic and nifty writing.

This particular book centers around the titular Amelia and her friends as they navigate popularity and social interactions in elementary school. This story opens with Amelia and her sometimes friend Rhonda running from the riot they incited at school. And we’re talking full-blown, being-chasing-through-the-town-straight-up-a-tree-until-the-sun-goes-down, riot. What could be so bad that an entire student body goes against them? Well, I recommend reading the book but let’s just say it involves tweenage social pressure, an overly heavy dose of honesty, and homemade space suits. How Amelia and her friends deal with this fallout is the best part, though, and includes a hilarious fake book called The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular. There are many gems in this “book.” For instance, the chapter on makeovers alone is worth the price of admission (for a library book…yeah, I think I misused that metaphor…anyway):

Phase Two: MAKEOVERS

Face it. We live in a country where 83% of all citizens are obese and the other 17% have eating disorders. Now, I know I just made those statistics up, but doesn’t change the fact that unless you’re 60% plastic, there’s probably something wrong with the way you look.

Many people misunderstand the point of makeovers. Makeovers are not about making you look good, they are about making you look trendy. Also, they are about making you appear to be something you are not. This works to your advantage, though, as what you are must not be much, or you wouldn’t be reading this book.

If you’re still at a loss for where to start, my rule of thumb is to dress and act as age inappropriate as possible. The chart below should prove to be a useful makeover guide for the rest of your soon-to-be trend-obsessed life.

Ages 12-16 – Dress like an 18-2-year-old, act like a 25-30-year-old.
Ages 17-21 – Dress like a 25-3-year-old, act like a 12-year-old.
Ages 22-30 – Dress like a 16-year-old, act like an old Madonna song.
Ages 31-45 – Dress like a 50-year-old, read your old yearbook a lot.
Ages 46-up – Just try to stay indoors as much as possible.

Of course, it’s done way over the top to make create a clear juxtaposition of what healthy vs. unhealthy beauty and self image standards. But it’s done well and with a big dose of humor. But what scares me is that the dress guide is fairly accurate for some people. I know 30-year-olds who dress like they’re 16 and kinda act like an old Madonna song. We all do. That’s why Comics Buyer’s Guide says that Jimmy Gownley has a “a timeless manner to which readers young and old can easily relate.” There are things in here for the kids, and for the parents and relatives of the kids that will hopefully read this to/with them.  For example, one of the chapters is called “Juliana Hatfield vs. Dr. Bones McCoy.”  Not necessarily a reference you’d expect in a “normal” YA/children’s graphic novel.  Unless the graphic novel and/or the kids were AWESOME.  Like this graphic novel is.

Side note: a few years ago, when I first came across these books, my ex-husband was able to get some for free through work and when I realized we had duplicates, I sent them off to his cousin, a school teacher, mother with a daughter the perfect age for these graphic novels, and AWESOME. She thanked me profusely, saying she and her daughter greatly enjoyed them.  See?  Awesome.

ElCicco #CBR5 Review #48: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian: A Novel by Sherman Alexie

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is Native American poet Sherman Alexie’s semi-autobiographical novel about a Spokane Indian teen from the reservation. Arnold Spirit (aka Junior) is different from the other kids on the reservation, and not just because of the condition he was born with. Arnold is different because he has hope and dares to leave the rez to attend the all-white high school in town. Filled with humor, sadness, hard truths and enduring hope, this YA novel, which won a National Book Award last year, is an inspiration for those who feel different and alone.

Arnold was born different. As an infant he had hydrocephaly, and he has had medical and speech problems through his life, problems that made him an object of bullying on the reservation. Arnold likes to read, draw (illustrations by Ellen Forney) and play basketball with his pal Rowdy, also from the rez and a really tough kid. When Arnold starts his freshman year in Wellpinit high school on the reservation, his frustration with the poor, outdated resources at the school causes an incident that ultimately leads to his decision, with his parents’ support, to attend the white kids’ public school in town. Arnold’s decision causes anger and resentment on the reservation, especially from his friend Rowdy, but others like his sister and his dad’s friend Eugene seem to understand and admire his drive to live his dreams.

The novel covers Arnold’s first year in high school, which turns out to be eventful and surprising in both good and bad ways. Arnold spends a lot of time alone and learns to handle it. He also finds some surprising allies at his new school Reardan, gains some confidence and discovers skills he hadn’t realized he possessed. One of the powerful messages of the book is the importance of parents and adults in developing young people’s self confidence. If expectations are high and the adults in your life show that they believe in you, it’s amazing what you can do.

At the same time, though, Arnold struggles with the loss of his friendship with Rowdy and a series of tragic deaths. In one chapter, Arnold addresses Tolstoy’s idea that happy families are happy the same way but sad families are sad in different ways. Arnold disagrees and the reader learns that sad statistics about alcoholism and deaths on the reservation. Arnold observes that on the reservation, they were all drunk and unhappy in the same way. Another powerful chapter deals with the basketball rematch between Wellpinit and Reardan, where Arnold has become a star. It becomes a bittersweet showdown for Rowdy and Arnold.

Alexie’s message for his YA audience (and it’s appropriate for anyone) is to make sure that you don’t let others define who you are or make you fit in some narrow category. Instead, recognize all the tribes you belong to and try to expand them. In an interview at the end of the book, Alexie says that you should be prepared to be lonely, as Arnold was when he made his decision, but Arnold found with time that the people he expected to shun him completely were part of his tribe. Arnold says, “If you let people into your life a little bit, they can be pretty damn amazing.” It’s a moving story with a great message.