Category Archives: Young Adult/Teen 12-18

Review: Gilt Hollow by Lorie Langdon

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

Gilt Hollow by Lorie LangdonGilt Hollow
Lorie Langdon
Blink YA/Zondervan
Available September 27, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Ashton Keller has longed for this moment every day for the last four years: the day he returns home to Gilt Hollow for revenge on the boys who ruined his life. He will do whatever it takes to clear his name and prove he didn’t murder his friend Daniel. But the town doesn’t greet him with welcoming arms, and it’s certainly not going to give up its secrets easily. Harder still, being back reminds Ashton of things he’d rather forget, like his best friend Willow.

Willow spent months writing Ashton every day after his conviction, which she believed false. She stood by him, even though all she ever got in return was silence. Now that Ashton’s back, she’s determined to steer clear. But the affection that brought them together once somehow survived their time apart. With Ashton digging up the past, Willow must decide whether to stay away or risk her own life. As the sinister truth about what happened the day Daniel died begins to emerge, Willow and Ashton realize the next murder victim may be one of them.

This story is a bit darker than the Doon series tales that Lorie Langdon wrote with Carey Corp. I wasn’t sure if there would be some kind of supernatural element here in Gilt Hollow. There isn’t, but I didn’t feel like the story needed it either.

The whole perfect pure girl falls for bad boy storyline is not a new idea. I worried that the romance elements would overshadow the rest of the story, but I think there’s actually a really great balance between the plot of solving the murder and the development of the romance.

I enjoyed the antics between her and her best friend Lisa. She was another character who kept the story from getting too swoony. I wasn’t a huge fan of the way Lisa pushed Willow to wear things outside her comfort zone, especially when the goal seemed to be to impress a boy. It’s definitely something that happens, but I guess I would have had more respect for Willow if she stuck to her guts and wore what she was comfortable with rather than trying to be someone else.

The most difficult part of the story for me was the fact that both Willow and Ashton continue to date other people as the romantic tension between them heats up. Neither of them seemed to have any feelings of guilt or remorse for basically leading their dates on or using them to gather information. I feel like at least a pause for reflection or some acknowledgement that what they were doing was wrong or hurtful would have made me like them more. Ashton’s girlfriend does have a frank conversation with him about not wanting to be used, but he doesn’t come clean with her or seem to feel that bad even when he reflects on it briefly afterward.

On the whole, I enjoyed the story, especially the mystery elements. I don’t read enough stories with this blend of mystery and romance. The suspense elements were light enough that I think even younger teens could handle them. See below for content information.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
All major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Two instances of mild profanity. Someone urinates on a popular boy’s football jersey. I’m disappointed in the use of profanity in the book. Blink is an imprint of Zondervan publishing books with no overt Christian message, but even so—profanity? Really? Why is this in a book by a Christian publisher?

Romance/Sexual Content
Ashton and Willow get a little bit fresh with each other in comments that hint at sexual contact. They’re fairly oblique. A boy and girl kiss several times. Both Ashton and Willow date someone else as a means to gather information. They aren’t faithful and don’t really seem to have much remorse about it.

Spiritual Content
Willow’s pastor makes a brief appearance and offers her some spiritual advice. It’s a small moment that doesn’t drive the story, but it felt authentic.

Violent Content
A couple boys have a brief fist fight.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

Review: The Infinity of You & Me by J. Q. Coyle

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

The Infinity of You & Me
J. Q. Coyle
St. Martin’s Griffin
Available November 8, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Alicia’s hallucinations are only getting worse: more frequent and more intense. Despite that, she doesn’t want to give them up because the hallucinations are the only place she sees her father. Then he shows up in real life, warning Alicia of incredible danger, and suddenly everything shifts. The people Alicia trusted most have been lying to her, and now she’s on the run from them. The hallucinations are real. In them, Alicia journeys to other universes, ones where more than her life is at stake. She must find an atlas, a map to all of them and stop one critical universe from dying if she’s to save the people she loves and her own life in her home universe.

When I first started reading this book, I was worried it would be too confusing. I wasn’t really hooked by the whole hallucination bit—it seemed like asking a lot for me to invest in the most exciting parts of the story believing they were fake. But once I realized that they were real, I definitely wanted to keep reading. I loved Alicia and Hafeez. Jax, the boy from another universe that she meets, wasn’t my favorite—he’s kind of stubborn and I just didn’t really connect with him very well. I’m totally team Hafeez.

I liked how she had an opportunity to revisit the relationships in her life in other universes. Things were often different in other places than they were in her home universe, but often there was some lesson hiding in those moments or some kernel of truth she could grab onto. I also really liked the references to Sylvia Plath’s poetry and Alicia’s connection with her.

The only thing I really consistently struggled with is the fact that Alicia is so young—almost fifteen—which seems to place the story in the lower end of YA, yet there’s a LOT of profanity. I feel like aging Alicia up a little or reducing the profanity would have made it easier to recommend to readers.

The story ends with lots left unresolved, which hopefully means there will be a sequel. If you liked Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton or Life at the Speed of Us by Heather Sappenfield, you need to read this one. I think the characters are more even than Seeker, and I liked the way The Infinity of You and Me handled the multiverse better than the way it was in Life at the Speed of Us.

Recommended for Ages 15 up.

Cultural Elements
Alicia’s best friend Hafeez is Middle Eastern. Other characters appear to be white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief boy/girl kissing.

Spiritual Content
Alicia jumps between universes to other realities similar and different to her own.

Violent Content
In one reality, a man shoots Alicia and appears willing to hurt her further. Her mother discusses a surgery that could prevent Alicia from experiencing the jumps to other places. She intends to force Alicia to have the surgery without her consent.

A bully picks on Alicia and Hafeez at school. He punches Hafeez.

Drug Content
Alicia’s therapist tries to regulate her experiences with medication. Later, a therapist sedates her and restrains her. She believes her dad may be on drugs—maybe that’s why he’s gone from her life.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

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Review: Orphan Trains by Rebecca Langston-George

Young Adult/Teen 12-18, ,

Orphan Trains
Rebecca Langston-George
Capstone Press
Available August 1, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

From 1853 to 1929, The Children’s Aid Society and other organizations like it placed 250,000 orphaned children with families using trains to deliver the children to new families along railway lines. Sometimes children found loving homes and parents who brought them into their families and treated them as members of their household. The Children’s Aid Society sought to address the overwhelming poverty and difficulties placed on children in large cities whose parents abandoned them or died. It is the predecessor of the modern-day foster care system. Sometimes the children were seen as laborers or servants and treated far differently from a couple’s other children. The book focuses on the stories of seven orphans whose lives were transformed by their ride on an orphan train.

Reading this book made me think a little bit about the movie Newsies, specifically the parts where the characters talk about how the city thrives on child labor. This would have been around the same time in history as the orphan trains were beginning. I found it interesting (though heartbreaking) that at first the orphans were thought of primarily as laborers, and sent west because farm life would be a better life than city life for a child. The children were instructed to refer to their caretakers as employers rather than parents. It was certainly a different time then.

I found it heartwarming to read the stories of some of the orphans who grew up to become leaders and great men and women. Among them, two governors, a nun, and countless lawyers, doctors, and other professionals. Many of those children probably wouldn’t have survived to adulthood and certainly wouldn’t have been educated without the opportunity the orphan trains provided for a better life.

I liked that the book is broken down chapter by chapter into different stories. That made it easy to read in shorter sittings. It also gave the opportunity to explore some of the very different outcomes the children experienced in a deeply personal way.

Orphan Trains would make a great addition to a classroom history bookshelf or resource for research on this time period or the origins of the foster care system in America. The book contains a glossary of terms, extensive index, lists of sources and bibliography.

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Cultural Elements
The story follows several white children from orphanages in the East who ride a train west and find homes with farming families there.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
The Children’s Aid Society was founded by a minister named Charles Loring Brace. Orphan Trains relates the story of a nun who believed she’d been called by God to minister to children and opened an orphanage to care for abandoned infants and children. One orphan grew up to become a nun herself.

Some organizations attempted to match children born into Catholic families with new Catholic families and Protestant children with Protestant families.

Violent Content
Some of the families were unkind to the orphans placed with them. If the child was able to communicate to an agent about his or her unhappiness, she could be removed and placed with a different family. No graphic details given of abuse or neglect.

Drug Content
One child was placed in a home in which the mother abused opium and the father was an alcoholic.

 

Review: Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

Every Exquisite Thing
Matthew Quick
Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers
Available May 31, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

It starts with a book. A beloved teacher gives Nanette his copy of an out-of-print novel called The Bubblegum Reaper, about a Holden Caulfield-type boy who falls in love with a girl who shares her secrets with a turtle. As Nanette reads and rereads the novel, she becomes impassioned. She reaches out to the author and discovers another boy who loves the book, and in him, a potential soulmate. But when his vigilante attitude takes him too far, Nanette must learn find the courage to be herself despite the expectations of others on her own.

Part The Fault in Our Stars and part The Bell Jar, Nanette’s journey follows two misfits struggling to find a way out of the parts of life they find so smothering, a story sure to resonate with anyone who has ever been bullied or felt out of place. As Nanette slips closer to the edge of her own sanity, it’s easy to feel her fragility and desperation. Though not quite as dark as his earlier novel Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, this tale lacks none of the emotional punch and wry quirkiness that readers have come to expect from Quick.

While I’m kind of a sucker for this kind of story, I find I’m often left kind of wishing there was more of a triumph at the end of the tale. I did feel that way here, but in a way, it’s kind of the point that I think the author was trying to make. In life, we don’t always get those big moments where things snap neatly into place. Every Exquisite Thing isn’t without its victories. But it’s definitely one of those stories whose goal is to force you to think more deeply about situations in your life rather than to scratch the happily-ever-after itch.

Fans of Belzhar should give this one a try.

Recommended Age 17 up.

Cultural Elements
None.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency. Much of the profanity was in the latter half of the book. There’s also some crude language about sex and male genitals. In one instance, Nanette and her friends are talking about boys and her friends ask about the size of Nan’s boy’s parts. She responds with an exaggeration that’s meant to point out the stupidity of the conversation, but the joke goes over the girls’ heads.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Nan invites a boy to touch her boob. (Afterward, her mom comments on the “nice show”.) At one point, Nan decides to have sex with a boy. It’s briefly described. At one point, Nan visits an adult friend only to discover that he and a lady appear to be in the middle of a romance. She doesn’t see anything wholly inappropriate. (I think one character wears a robe when answering the door.)

Spiritual Content
Nanette and Alex talk at length about God. At one point they list reasons they don’t believe in God (disasters, pain, negative things like that) and reasons they do believe. Nanette comments that it’s clear they both wish the list of reasons to believe would outnumber the reasons not to.

Violent Content
Alex tells Nanette (via his poetry) about being bullied at school. Later, he fights bullies picking on another kid and punches a man in the face.

Drug Content
Nanette goes to parties where her friends get drunk.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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November 2016 Monthly Wrap-Up

Young Adult/Teen 12-18, ,

I’m not going to lie. November 2016 has been a tough month, and I’m not sorry that it’s over. On the upside, I was able to attend YALLFest in Charleston for the first time (also my first visit to the area– must go back!) AND I wore my amazing bookish costume. Sadly, all the other stuff has kind of crowded my time this month, so I haven’t really been as attentive to the blog and as quick about reading as I hoped to be. I still managed to review eight books, which is fewer than usual, but feels like a lot considering all the other hoopla that’s happened.

Thoughts on YALLFest

If you’re thinking about going next year, DO IT. I loved it, though there are, of course, things I’d do differently in the future. I keep meaning to be sneaky and write a YALLFest Tips post while it’s still relatively fresh in my mind and queue it up for a few weeks ahead of the festival next year.

The best part of the whole event, to me, was the way everyone seemed to pull together. For a lot of people, election week was pretty rough. Many people feel afraid about the future. Instead of dwelling on those things, YALLFest became a time when people rallied together and reminded each other about what freedom means and how powerful our voices can be. Who better to remind us of those things besides the writers whose stories change our lives? Just too cool.

Initially, I planned to go nuts and try to get a ton of books signed. I dragged a bunch to the festival but quickly abandoned that scheme. I loved the author panels. After the opening keynote, I was hooked. I felt like, I could stand in line for an hour (or more!) waiting for an autograph or I could go listen to what the authors had to say about a host of topics. I don’t regret that choice one bit.

Three kind of cool moments for me: When Sabaa Tahir talked about one of her favorite childhood books: Seven Daughters and Seven Sons, also one of my favorite childhood books. Yay! And when Jenny Han described her writing process and how she’s never talked to another writer who crafts a manuscript the way she does. From what she said, it sounds like she writes each scene as it comes to her, not in chronological order. Then at the end she stitches things all together how they go. Which sounds like a LOT of work and definitely sort of stressful. It’s like designing a puzzle one piece at a time and then assembling it afterward, right?

Funny story… that’s exactly how I’ve been writing my current manuscript. So that was a huge encouragement to me, because I’ve been thinking, like, is this even a reasonable way to attack this thing? But knowing someone else has done it successfully is a huge relief. I feel like it gave me permission to use the process and consider it a legit way of writing, which I didn’t realize I needed, but apparently I did.

Also, this happened– yay!

Moving on to review recaps…

Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz (A Descendants novel)

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

I liked the diversity in this cast of characters. It’s something you don’t always see in fairytale retellings. The story was cute– probably much like you’d expect. Overall, I enjoyed it.

The Immortal Writers by Jill Bowers

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

This reminded me of The Muse by Fred Warren. I liked the blend of real and story worlds.

The Homecoming by Stacie Ramey

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

I was super excited to read this book because it followed a minor character in Ramey’s previous novel, The Sister Pact. If you know me at all, you know I’m a huge sucker for a gritty guy trying to find the right path, and stories about family always get me, too. So this one was a win for me, even though it had some strong content.

The Best Possible Answer by E. Katherine Kottaras

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

Kottaras has to be one of my newer favorite authors. I love that she writes about smart girls, but they’re not those girls who have it all, you know? They have issues, but their issues aren’t always the focus of the story. Loved this story.

The Secret of Goldenrod by Jane O’Reilly

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

This one was an unexpected gem. Looking at the cover and description, I wasn’t expecting to be wowed. But Goldenrod charmed me pretty quickly. I loved the small town and its quirky characters and the mysterious house trying to communicate with its occupants.

Infectious by Elizabeth Forkey

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

The premise of this story totally intrigued me. I’m still fascinated by the idea that in a post-apocalyptic world, zombie-ism is a physical disease that reflects the state of one’s soul. I thought that was a really cool concept that kind of blended two genres, Christian fiction and thriller.

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

This one had been on my reading list for a long time, and one stressful night, I rewarded myself by finally cracking it open. I think I read it in one sitting. It’s an unusual read– I think magical realism is kind of hard to swallow sometimes, but again, winning characters and some surprising plot twists made me fall in love.

What about you?

Did you read anything this month that totally knocked your socks off? Any books at the top of your holiday wish list?

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Review: Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Book Review and Content, Magical Realism, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Bone Gap
Laura Ruby
Balzer + Bray
Available March 3, 2015

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

A young woman named Roza disappears from the small town of Bone Gap, and Finn, the only witness struggles to identify her captor. How do you describe someone who looks like everyone else? Everyone seems to believe Roza just up and left Finn and his brother Sean, the same way their mother did. But Finn knows Roza would never just leave on her own. Finn can’t give up. He’s as determined to find her as he is to win over the prickly bee girl with the strange eyes.

This is one of those books that I picked up expecting great writing, but having no idea what I was in for beyond that. As a Michael L. Printz Honor Book and a National Book Award Finalist, I figured it would be right up my alley. And it definitely is. Something about it reminded me of Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (even though there’s no race and the horse doesn’t eat anyone) and Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whalen.

I loved Finn right from the beginning. His complex relationship with his older brother and guardian really rang true, and the nurturing Roza totally drew me in. I was nervous about the magical-realism elements kind of throwing me out of the story. I think generally I like straight contemporary or straight fantasy, and magical realism seems to enjoy blurring those lines.

In this case, I think the fantasy elements were pretty well-grafted into the story. They were strange and a bit dark, but I loved the way Ruby tied everything together in the end, including the revelation about Finn—which I kind of saw coming but still thought was incredibly clever.

Overall, honestly, I felt like some of the sexual content was a little preachy. In one part, Petey, the girl Finn is interested in, recalls her mother giving her information about sex including conversation and an informative book. I liked the nod to parental involvement in sex education—I think that’s really important. I don’t know. Something about the way the relationship between Finn and Petey evolved felt a bit agenda-driven. It could be that I’m just be oversensitive. I like my literary fiction to read a little cleaner than this in terms of sexual content, so maybe it just felt out of place to me.

Despite all that, I loved the themes about love and about what it means to really see someone. The whole town is a bit blind to who Petey and Roza really are, but Finn, despite his other deficiencies, is the one who truly sees and knows them. I found that to be pretty powerful.

If you liked The Secret Life of Bees or the other books I mentioned above, you may want to add this one to your reading list. For more detailed content information, see below.

Recommended Age 16 up.

Cultural Elements
Roza is Polish. Other characters are more generic white, middle class people.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kisses between a boy and girl. A girl invites a boy into her bedroom in the middle of the night. It’s clear she’s willing to engage with him. She briefly reflects on the book her mom gave her about sex. References to oral sex. In one scene, a boy intends to have a girl perform oral sex with him and she refuses. In another scene a boy performs oral sex with a girl after the couple kiss and remove some clothing. It’s about a page long, so there are some limited details.

Spiritual Content
Things happen in the story that don’t make sense in the context of reality. (This is, after all, magical realism…) For instance, a horse flies. Gaps appear to connect the small town to another dimension of sorts.

Violent Content
Roza appears in Finn and Sean’s barn with some serious injuries. Later we learn about the man who caused them while he kept her captive. He’s super creepy. At one point she tries to stab her attacker. A boy attacks a man when he says something cruel about the girl he loves.

Drug Content
None.

 

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