When terrorists seize control of a cruise ship, a Good Samaritan tosses Leah overboard and helps her escape on a lifeboat with several other survivors. Leah and three men reach a small deserted island after several days at sea. One man volleys lewd comments at Leah. Another moves to dazzle her with his intellect. The last, a young, reserved Arabic man named Musir only seeks to protect Leah from the others. As the four prepare to make the island their home, Leah tries her best to navigate between the four men, avoiding conflict whenever possible and learning more about the mysterious Musir. Her mind drifts back to her parents, who may still be trapped on board the cruise ship and who may fear that she’s dead. She never imagines that she is trapped on the island with one of the men behind the terrorist plot.
In her protagonist Leah, Haddad has created a brave and wise heroine. She responds calmly to frightening situations, always able to talk herself down from hysteria. For a girl of little experience with them, she is a shrewd judge of men, slicing through their exterior chitchat to expose the motives beneath their words. Yet she remains polite and kind to all as the story swerves from one misfortune to another.
While the basic plot contains some suspenseful elements, the story maintains a more moderate pace, allowing readers plenty of time to react to each new twist and revelation. The ending leaves much to the reader’s imagination, giving it a true-to-life feel.
Language Content
None.
Sexual Content Everyone seems interested in Leah’s virtue, or rather in her losing it. One man assumes she’s been intimate with the others in their party. One asks about her prior experience. She spends time kissing one man and sleeps curled up with him. She plans to have sex with him but is interrupted. No graphic details given.
Spiritual Content Leah discusses literature and poetry with Blue, one of the other survivors. They briefly discuss poems about God and spirituality from a Christian, Catholic and Islamic perspective.
Violence A man attacks Leah in an attempt to sexually assault her. Another man stops him.
Drug Content
References to alcohol, but none consumed in the story.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The day Cantor has been dreaming of has finally arrived: his mentors have released him to make the journey through a portal to a new realm and begin his training as a Realm Walker. A shape-shifting dragon and a wild-haired girl quickly join Cantor as they begin their first mission to free prisoners forced into military service. Though Cantor believes Realm Walkers should be just and good, he discovers many simply are not so. When he’s confronted with the depths of the depravity of those leading the Realm Walkers Guild, he cannot simply sit by while the corruption runs rampant, even if stopping them should cost his life.
While Cantor and Bixby are both fascinating and unique characters, the author’s prowess really shows in her creation of the dragon characters, Bridger and his sister Totobee-Rodolow, who put the fun and pizzazz in this tale. Though at first glance this may seem a heavy story for younger readers, Paul handles the battles and conflicts deftly, shielding the reader from unnecessarily gory details and focusing on character and story. Recommended for readers ages eight to fourteen.
Language Content
None.
Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content Cantor and his friends serve the god Primen in a monotheistic religion similar to Christianity.
Violence Brief references to physical violence. Cantor and his friends work to thwart a terrorist attack against council leaders. Details are vague and the attackers aren’t featured much.
Drug Content
Cantor and Bixby team up with a healer who uses various potions to patch their wounds.
Fifteen year-old Nell has always been comfortable in her older sister’s shadow. She and Layla are intertwined. Nell begins her first year of high school, delighted to share her school days with her sister again and thrilled by the interest of a handsome boy. Then she begins to sense something strange in Layla. Her sister is pulling away. Keeping secrets. And try as she might, Nell can’t understand why.
Desperate not to lose their closeness, Nell pursues Layla, being supportive and loyal. Earning her way back into Layla’s secrets. But learning Layla’s secrets comes with a price Nell isn’t sure she can pay: should she keep Layla’s confidence even if she believes Layla is doing something wrong and deeply destructive? As she watches her usually sensible sister slide further into her secret life, Nell realizes that the only way to save her sister may be to betray her.
Reading this novel is like taking that first ride on a roller coaster and feeling the adrenaline and rush building over each tick-tick-tick as the coaster inches up to the top of its track until its riders can look out over the imminent fearsome drops and wild loops ahead. Reinhardt nails the emotional turmoil of teen relationships and the anxiety of difficult choices, creating a powerful story about both the healing and destructive powers of love.
Language Content
Moderate word choice, infrequent usage.
Sexual Content Nell and Layla go to a very liberal-minded school whose students, according to Nell, are more interested in briefly hooking up than actually dating or having relationships. Nell very briefly relates her own experience with boys. Details are scarce and the experiences are few. Nell sleeps over at her best friend Felix’s house while his parents are out of town, but the two are not intimate with each other.
Spiritual Content None.
Violence None.
Drug Content
References to a family friend who was rumored to have a drug problem. Nell and Layla attend a couple of parties at which teens guzzle alcoholic drinks. Nell indicates that a few people retreat to the porch to smoke a joint, but she doesn’t describe further nor does she participate.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Several months ago a friend recommended two fantastic novels for my reading and reviewing pleasure: Glass Girl and its sequel Perfect Glass. These novels follow Meg’s journey through the terrible grief of losing a sibling and the discovery of a healing love in the wild, heart-of-gold cowboy Henry. As I read, I devoured not only the marvelous tale but the emotional trek of each character through the sorrows and joys of loss and love. Today, Laura Anderson Kurk answers my burning questions about her creative process, reading recommendations and more!
A story is often inspired by a question. What question inspired you to write Glass Girl and Perfect Glass?
This is a great way to look at story genesis! In 2010, when I first began working on Glass Girl, our country was seeing a rash of school shootings—in middle schools, high schools, and on college campuses. The questions that occupied a lot of my thinking at the time were – What did the siblings of school shooting victims feel like as the surviving child? What did this kind of loss do to their place in the family and the formation of their personhood?
I read an interview of Craig Scott years ago that stuck with me. Craig’s sister, Rachel, was the first victim in the Columbine shooting. Craig, who was in the library at the time the shots began, was in agony because he and Rachel were separated and he didn’t know if she was safe. I saw how the media surrounded the Scott family, but naturally focused the most on Rachel’s parents. I worried about Craig, although the Scott family is tremendous and he had plenty of support. It did make me wonder about survivor guilt in this new, horrible phenomenon of school violence. This was, to some degree, an unprecedented psychological turn that this country faced. Children were dealing with the violent deaths of their friends and siblings in the halls of the places they had felt most safe. Children faced their own post-traumatic stress disorders because they’d had to cower under desks and in bathroom stalls to survive. These were issues faced by families in war torn countries, not here. These were not skills we taught kids; although now, unfortunately, my own children know exactly what to do in the event of gunfire on their campuses. This … I feel this deeply in my bones as a loss we’ve all suffered.
In the sequel, Perfect Glass, I had some clear questions in mind, too – What happens to “perfect” all-American kids when they suddenly face adversity in an international setting? What happens when we are stripped of all the crutches we’d leaned on? How does calamity sharpen and focus us more than anything else? What does loving the “unlovable” look like?
You create the most amazing and realistic characters. Jo Russell, the artist Meg cares for in Perfect Glass really struck a chord with me. What inspired you to include her in the story?
My favorite people on the planet are fine artists. My dearest friend, Mara Schasteen, is a critically-acclaimed painter. Mara’s uncanny ability to see the world clearly has always pulled on me like the moon draws the tides. Jo’s vocabulary and sense of wonder came from Mara and other artists in my life. Her cantankerous nature, though, came from a collection of older people I’ve known and loved through the years.
I wanted Meg to meet someone who was hard to love, but who would offer the greatest reward if her shell could be softened and opened. Meg needed to meet someone who could show what a life deeply lived would look like. Meg and her mom both lived deep, subterranean lives and sometimes couldn’t see the forest for the trees. Jo revealed the forest and taught Meg so much about the power found in letting go and seeing profound connections in redeeming relationships. She was Meg’s perfect glass (or mirror) in the way the Nicaraguan orphans were Henry’s.
Can you tell us about an author or novel you think deserves a greater spotlight?
One fairly recent YA that stole my breath was John Corey Whaley’s Where Things Come Back. It had great critical success in 2012, winning the Printz Award, but I think it deserves a far larger audience. The protagonist, Cullen, is one of my all-time favorite characters. Whaley has a great sense of what makes a teenager tick and I bow to his genius in that. I just bought Whaley’s second novel, Noggin.
I also really like what Cath Crowley does. She’s writing YA in Australia and I’m a big fan of her spare style. She tries to write about those tender, quiet moments in a girl’s life, and I think more readers of contemporary YA should grab her books. Grafitti Moon is my favorite of hers. A Little Wanting Song is fantastic, as well.
I was surprised, too, about the lackluster sales of Sara Zarr’s latest The Lucy Variations. I loved this book! I love all of Zarr’s but that one was really special. I hated that it sort of got shelved and wasn’t read by a large audience.
Both novels take place in Wyoming, and PerfectGlass adds a small town in Nicaragua as a setting. What made you choose these particular settings for the backdrop of Meg and Henry’s stories?
I first set Glass Girl in Colorado. I realized, as I read through the first draft, that I wanted a place where independence, “toughness,” and self-reliance were even MORE celebrated. I pushed it north into Wyoming and am so glad I did that. I have since grown to love that state for its quirkiness and unique understanding of how to make one’s own way in life. Moving Henry to an orphanage in Nicaragua happened when I heard the very true and heartbreaking story of Programa Amor. This government closure of privately run orphanages really happened, and it affected some dear friends of mine who were directors of a home for children there. They watched as their children were taken from them and then they spent months trying to locate them again. I felt like this was a story that needed telling, and that Henry’s character (which had been so perfect when seen through Meg’s eyes in the first book) needed to taste a bit hardship so we could see what he was made of. Turns out, Henry struggles like the rest of us to overcome failings, but what makes him great is that he sees things through and is loyal to the end. Things didn’t work out like he wanted them to, but he surprised himself with his acceptance of that.
What do you most hope that readers take away from your novel?
I want readers to see that there’s good even in the darkest, most difficult moments of life. That those valleys make the mountaintops more special. I want them to know – really know – that we all struggle with the ugly parts of our lives but that help is all around. I want them to see the beauty in the people who’ve been placed in their lives—even those deemed unlovable by the world. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from those who’ve walked before. Or from those who are marginalized by a shallow society. Always hope. Don’t be afraid of the dark. Speak up when you need help. Make friends everywhere.
What’s next for you? Is there another novel in the works? Do Meg and Henry have another adventure, or are you moving on to something new? Can you tell us a little about it?
I think Meg and Henry are fully launched into their life together. I really hadn’t even planned on writing a sequel to Glass Girl, but I had so many questions about what came next that I became consumed with it myself and before long, I had another book written. As it turned out, Perfect Glass became my favorite of the two books, so I’m awfully glad I stuck with the story.
My next project will be a standalone YA contemporary. I can’t say too much because I’m always afraid I’ll jinx my own creative processes, but it deals with a subculture that hasn’t seen a great deal of discussion in recent years. The tagline is something like – A daughter who believes she’s finer than her origins learns that living on the surface is impossible when the boy who holds her heart is underground. Going back to your first question – in this book, I’m asking myself this—Do “place” and “belonging” shape identity, and who are we if we hate the place and never belonged?
Thanks so much for inviting me to chat! I’m honored that you read and enjoyed my books and I’m grateful for all you do for YA readers!
Laura Anderson Kurk writes unconventional, bittersweet stories for young adults. Her first novel, Glass Girl, is Meg Kavanagh’s story of coming back from the precipice after losing her brother, and it begins the love story of Henry and Meg. Perfect Glass, the sequel to Glass Girl, is an emotional story about the antagonistic effect of long-distance on a relationship, and how Henry and Meg find each other again.
Laura lives in College Station, Texas with her family. For more information about Laura or her books, visit her at laurakurk.com or connect with her on Twitter (@laurakurk).
Get Your Copy of Glass Girl and Perfect Glass
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You will think he’s your best friend. Then, when tragedy strikes someone close to you, he’ll disappear, fade into memory.
Since he was 12, he’s been in the Program. He moves from place to place, from one assignment to another, befriending someone close to his target and then quietly completing his mission: assassination.
But the latest mission is different. Memories swell to the surface of his mind and the daughter of his target sees him too clearly. Instead of honing in for the kill, he hangs back, hovering too close to the raw emotions of this family so recently touched by another loss.
If word of his hesitation reaches his superiors, he is as good as terminated. Despite that risk, he can’t help falling for the beautiful, tragic girl whose father he is supposed to kill. If he could understand why he was sent to destroy this man, perhaps he could still convince himself to follow orders. That’s the thing about information, though: once he starts asking questions, he can’t ignore the answers and what they mean may throw himself and the girl he loves directly in the line of fire.
Readers who like their plots fast and furious will fall face-first into the wild ride of this suspenseful story. Zadoff spools out clues about the protagonist’s traumatic past, his shockingly intense training and his history with the Program who trained him, expertly pacing the first novel of The Unknown Assassin series. Fans of Rick Yancey’s The 5th Wave may also enjoy this book.
Language Content
Extreme but infrequent.
Sexual Content The boy who calls himself Benjamin finds himself caught between two aggressive girls, one of whom is not shy about offering sexual favors, including oral sex. Ben refuses her, but does briefly reference a previous sexual experience and engages in sex with another girl during the timeline of the story. Few details are given about either occurrence.
Spiritual Content None.
Violence The protagonist is a trained and deadly assassin. Though his usual method involves subtly injecting his victim with a powerful serum that causes near immediate death, occasionally he is forced to take on opponents in a much more active manner. The descriptions of these encounters are clinical and brief. Memories of his father’s capture and evident torture haunt him as well. He does not witness any ill treatment of his father, but is traumatized by the memory nonetheless.
Drug Content
A drug stored in a special pen incapacitates and kills quickly. Teens at a party enjoy alcoholic drinks.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Mercy Millar just wants her father to see her for who she is, instead of the son he wishes he had. She does enjoy the freedom to come and go the way her father’s son would, though. She is even allowed to drive to the edge of town and pick up the Maliseet workers unescorted. She looks forward to that drive each morning because it’s the only place she and Mick, a Maliseet boy, can be together. They steal a few minutes dreaming of a future far from Watsonville and its prejudices, where a white girl and a Maliseet boy can make a life together.
But when a local man’s daughter and another Maliseet boy run away together, racial tensions run high in the tiny Maine town, and Mick and Mercy find themselves right smack in the middle of it all. In an effort to keep Mick from harm, Mercy tries desperately to keep her feelings a secret from the rest of the town. When Mick is falsely charged with a violent crime, Mercy fears the worst. She must find a way to turn the tide of hate to mercy before an innocent man is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit.
Shades of Mercy is a simple love story wrapped in the tumult of the Civil Rights Movement in the northeast. While other parts of the country begin to embrace the bold words and dreams of leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr, the people of Watsonville, Maine restrict their Maliseet Indian population to a life in shanties built on the town dump. The story follows those first moments of powerful change as townspeople begin to demand equality for all citizens. The unique and important historical view of this novel makes it an unforgettable, valuable achievement and a worthy read for today’s youth.
Cultural Elements Shades of Mercy deals with racism in a small Maine town. Mercy is a young white woman. Mick is a young Maliseet (Native American) man.
Language Content
No profanity or crude language.
Sexual Content Mercy and her boyfriend share a few kisses.
Spiritual Content Though Mercy and her family live among a strong Christian community, some community members do not believe that the Maliseet people should have the same rights as others. Mercy learns by the example of her parents when to be silent and pray versus when to speak out against wrongdoing.
Violence A brief altercation occurs when a young Maliseet man is accused of attacking a white man. A terrible storm destroys and floods the town of Watsonville, Maine, leaving many citizens injured.
Drug Content
Alcoholism and apathy run rampant through the Maliseet camp.
