About The Echo Room
Rett wakes on the floor of a cold, dark room. He doesn’t know how he got there, only that he’s locked in. He’s not alone—a girl named Bryn is trapped in the room with him. When she finds a mysterious bloodstain and decides she doesn’t trust Rett, he tries to escape on his own—
Rett wakes on the floor of the same cold, dark room. He doesn’t trust Bryn, but he’ll have to work with her if he ever hopes to escape. They try to break out of the room—
Rett and Bryn hide in a cold, dark room. Safe from what’s outside.
But they’re not alone.
My Review
I feel like this book should be an episode of Black Mirror. (Disclaimer: I’ve only seen two episodes of Black Mirror because I’m waaaaaay too much of a fraidy cat for things that qualify as horror-ish.). The Echo Room definitely had that otherworldly, spooky, outside-the-box feel to it. I loved that!
While some parts of the story are simple—a boy, a girl, a quest to find an item—other parts are not so simple. Rett and Bryn have really fractured memories. They make assumptions from the clues around them, but we start to piece things together almost before they do, which creates all sorts of interesting nail-biting tension.
The beginning has a kind of repetitive rhythm to it (on purpose), but the way it’s written, you notice different things each time a repetition happens, so it feels like peeling back layers of the mystery, and that feeling kept me reading page after page.
I found Rett and Bryn both really likeable. There’s a good balance between the plot with its sci-fi elements and the characters, which is a must for me when I read sci-fi. So The Echo Room definitely satisfied there.
Though this is a very different kind of story, I think The Echo Room would appeal to readers who like Hayley Stone or Claudia Gray. I highly recommend it.
Recommended for Ages 14 up.
Cultural Elements
Major characters are white or not physically described.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Fewer than ten instances of profanity.
Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between boy and girl.
Spiritual Content
None.
Violent Content
Situations of peril. A man receives a head injury from another person. At one point, a boy discovers a mutilated dead body. Description is brief. A flare gun is used as a weapon.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Obviously the first challenge of a Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) post like this is to narrow down to only ten favorite authors. That took a lot more time than I thought it would. Because there are SO MANY great authors out there, especially in the young adult and middle grade market. But I soldiered through and made my list of ten authors and from there, picking the books to share was pretty easy. Here’s my list.
I LOVED Not If I See You First, and I can’t believe I haven’t read this book yet. Buried secrets, unresolved friendship issues, and a main character with bipolar disorder. I’m in.
Okay, I’m granting myself a teeny bit of a pass on this one, since I just finished reading (actually, listening to) Scythe a couple weeks ago. I LOVED it– thought it married the creativity of Unwind with the powerful writing of Challenger Deep. But this one is on my “please read this before December” list!
My favorite Marchetta books are the Lumatere Chronicles, which are fantasy, but I also loved Jellicoe Road, so this one has been on my list for a long time. The descriptions of wacky students and family troubles packed into a private school setting sounds like it will make for a great read.
Someone recently told me this is better than Walled City, which I totally adored. I’ve been wanting to read more of Graudin’s books, and now that I keep hearing such great things about this one, I kind of have to do it. I mean, time-traveling pirates? Sounds pretty incredible.
I fell in love with Dumas’s writing in It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel – the story of an Iranian-American girl who lives in California during the Iranian Hostage Crisis. This is Dumas’s memoir of her life growing up in America. I don’t read tons of nonfiction, but I’ve been really interested to read this one because I loved the voice and writing in the other book so much.
I have no excuse for not having read this book yet. I’ve had a gorgeous hard cover copy since Valentine’s Day, and the two other books by Emma Mills that I’ve read both had me laughing and bawling my eyes out. They’re so fantastic. Plus, it’s a book about a high school production of Midsummer Night’s Dream – two more things I LOVE! So obviously totally going to be a win once I crack the cover.
I’ve read every other book by Markus Zusak except this one. Why? Because back during my big Zusak reading binge (after I devoured The Book Thief), I couldn’t get a copy of this one from the library. It’s about two brothers who get roped into boxing each other and the internal conflicts one faces through being forced to fight his brother.
I think this is the only book by Cypess that I haven’t read yet, either. I was once in a writer’s group with her and read an early version of her debut, Mistwood, which quickly became a favorite! I love the way she marries these deep, serious fantasy worlds with lots of political intrigue and a few super sassy characters to shake things up.
I’ve been hooked on this author since first reading Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire. I’ve heard great things about this book, too. I’m super intrigued by the 1930s setting first in America and then Ethiopia. This is another I’m really hoping I can squeeze in before the end of the year.
I love The Star-Touched Queen series, so I’ve had my eye on this book since I first heard it was under contract. I wasn’t able to get an ARC, and I haven’t managed to read a finished copy yet, either. I love how Chokshi pulls Indian mythology and legend into her stories.
Who’s your favorite author?
Do you have a list of favorite authors? Have you read all their books, or do you have a catch-up list, like I do?
About The Benefits of Being an Octopus
Some people can do their homework. Some people get to have crushes on boys. Some people have other things they’ve got to do.
Seventh-grader Zoey has her hands full as she takes care of her much younger siblings after school every day while her mom works her shift at the pizza parlor. Not that her mom seems to appreciate it. At least there’s Lenny, her mom’s boyfriend—they all get to live in his nice, clean trailer.
At school, Zoey tries to stay under the radar. Her only friend Fuchsia has her own issues, and since they’re in an entirely different world than the rich kids, it’s best if no one notices them.
Zoey thinks how much easier everything would be if she were an octopus: eight arms to do eight things at once. Incredible camouflage ability and steady, unblinking vision. Powerful protective defenses.
Unfortunately, she’s not totally invisible, and one of her teachers forces her to join the debate club. Even though Zoey resists participating, debate ultimately leads her to see things in a new way: her mom’s relationship with Lenny, Fuchsia’s situation, and her own place in this town of people who think they’re better than her. Can Zoey find the courage to speak up, even if it means risking the most stable home she’s ever had?
My Review
This book has so many cool things about it. I loved that Zoey joins the debate club at school (even though at first she’s an unwilling participant). Her natural talent shows in the way she approaches problems and cares for her siblings, which made it so easy to cheer for her as she battled anxiety about speaking in front of her classmates. I loved her teacher, too. So many moments between Zoey and her teacher had me all teary-eyed. They share a kind of understanding that only someone who’s been through a similar thing can share, and it obviously changes Zoey’s life.
Zoey’s relationship with her mom also gripped me. Because her mom works, Zoey cares for her siblings a lot of the time, and sometimes relates to her mom more as a peer rather than as parent to child. Some of that is kind of sad, but it also showed the way that your relationship with a parent changes as you reach middle school age and start thinking about things differently. I loved the way Zoey’s debate club strategies became the tools she used at home, and the way those same lessons helped her uncover unhealthy patterns in her family.
In the acknowledgements, the author talks about how someone asked her to write about rural poverty so that kids growing up in those situations would have a chance to see themselves in a book. I’m so glad she did. This book made me think of so many kids.
One of the really fun things about the book is the way Zoey uses imagery about octopus behavior to describe how she feels at different times or things she wishes she could do (like have extra hands to manage her three small siblings). I loved those descriptions and how they appeared consistently through the book.
I actually picked up a copy of this book after reading another blogger’s review of it, and I’m so very glad I did. I need to go back and comment on the review say thanks! The Benefits of Being an Octopus definitely deserves a read.
Recommended for Ages 12 up.
Cultural Elements
Major characters are white or not physically described.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content
None.
Spiritual Content
None.
Violent Content
Someone fires shots in a school parking lot near students. After the gun incident, students argue about whether guns are good or bad (Zoey believes guns are tools that can be used for good things like hunting while a few other students argue that no one should have guns.). A girl is physically threatened by a man. A man verbally abuses a woman.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I feel like I’m always saying I can’t believe how quickly the months go by– and I really can’t! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday (meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) post features the fall 2018 books I can’t wait to read– books I think you won’t want to miss, either!
I was a huge fan of the Uglies series when it came out, so I can’t wait to dive into this new look at the story world and hopefully find out more about a few of the characters I left behind in the earlier books.
If you know me at all, you aren’t surprised to see this book on the list. I’ve been waiting for this book for like ten years or something. Fun fact: I once went on a first date with a guy right around my birthday, and he surprised me with a signed copy of The Book Thief (my favorite book) as a birthday present. I married him.
If you like twisty sci-fi stories, definitely check out Parker Peevyhouse’s debut, Where Futures End, which I loved! The Echo Room looks like a dark, suspenseful story about two people trapped alone who have to figure out how to escape and/or work together despite having no idea if they can trust each other.
I saw a review of this book on LILbooKlovers and had to track down a copy for myself. The older sibling taking care of younger sibs appeals to me as well as some of its thought-provoking elements.
I’m super curious about this book as it looks like it tackles some mental health issues and takes place during a blizzard, so it should have high stakes.
Flow Like Water is the second in a suspense series about a parkour expert chasing down a creepy organization who’ve kidnapped his family. Love the action and parkour sequences.
I really enjoyed Hoyle’s debut novel last year, so I knew I wanted to check out her next book. This features another natural disaster (hurricane this time) and a disabled sister. Looks like a great contemporary read.
I pretty much knew I had to read this book as soon as I heard about it. Though I haven’t loved every book I’ve read by Summers, I can’t help but have tons of respect for her powerful writing and her desire to raise awareness of girls’ issues. This book makes me think of the series Vanishing Women and the girls who went missing from the Ohio town.
A teen hacker defending internet freedom. Internet bullying gone out of control. I’m so excited to read this.
What’s on your fall To Be Read list?
Are any of the books on my list also on yours? Any you hadn’t heard of that you’re adding after seeing them here? Or are there fall 2018 must-read books I need to add to my list? Comment below and fill me in on your picks!
A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.
My Review
When Scythe first came out, it was pretty near the top of my reading list because of how much I loved the other Neal Shusterman books I’ve read. Somehow or other, I didn’t get to reading it very quickly, and here I am, almost two years later.
I really enjoyed this book. I’m often sensitive to violence in books, so I was a little nervous about that. But I found it to be a lot like the way The Hunger Games handles violence. The characters are disturbed by what’s happening and find ways to fight against it or call it out as wrong. Some things about it reminded me of Unwind, particularly the moral questions surrounding the Scythes’ role as killers.
My favorite thing about Scythe is the way the stakes just kept getting higher and higher. It felt like every few chapters, there would be some new intense twist making me sit straight up in my seat. Sometimes I suspected the twist a little bit before it happened, but even then, the revelation of it was so satisfying and the intensity ratcheted up so high that I had to keep going to find out how it all turned out.
Would I read the second one? Yes. Absolutely.
If you liked Unwind, I suspect you’ll love Scythe, too. It will also appeal to fans of Scorch by Gina Damico.
Recommended for Ages 12 up.
Cultural Elements
In this futuristic story world, all races are pretty mixed. Certain characters are described as “leaning” toward a particular race or other. Scythes are mandated to kill across a diverse population or else face punishment.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used pretty infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. A couple of references to sex in suggestive comments.
Spiritual Content
Most religions appear not to exist anymore. One group remains, worshipping sound and living monastic lives in secluded communes.
Violent Content
Vivid descriptions of deaths. Some are painless or quick. Others are crueler. This is meant to show the difference in the ways Scythes carry out their jobs. Some use more compassionate means and others seem to revel in causing pain. Rowan struggles with these attitudes, realizing he could in fact become the kind of monster who enjoys killing.
Scythes are allowed to end their own lives, and some do in the course of the story. One suicide happens off-scene. Rowan witnesses another. Sensitive readers may find scenes like this too intense.
Drug Content
Some Scythes use poisons or drugs to end a life, usually as a way to do it painlessly.
Courtney Summers writes gripping stories that tend to stick with you long after the last page is closed. When I listened to her speak at YALLfest in 2016, her commitment to give girls a strong voice really stuck out to me. When I had the opportunity to participate in this blog tour with Wednesday Books, I jumped at the chance to talk more with Courtney Summers about her latest book, Sadie. I’ll introduce the book and then move straight into what I learned from the author.
Sadie hasn’t had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she’s been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.
But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie’s entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister’s killer to justice and hits the road following a few meagre clues to find him.
When West McCray—a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America—overhears Sadie’s story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie’s journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it’s too late.
Q&A with Courtney Summers
Do you have a favorite scene, quote, or moment from Sadie?
My favorite scene is a spoiler, but my favorite quote is this: “I wish this was a love story.”
What gave you the idea for Sadie?
One of the things that inspired Sadie was the way we consume violence against women and girls as a form of entertainment. When we do that, we reduce its victims to objects, which suggests a level of disposability–that a girl’s pain is only valuable to us if we’re being entertained by it. What is our responsibility to us? I really wanted to explore that and the way we dismiss missing girls and what the cost of that ultimately is.
Can you talk a little bit about how you created the setting for Sadie?
Sadie is set in various fictional towns and cities across the state of Colorado and Sadie, as a character herself, was integral in creating those places. I had to make sure to put her in environments she could not only respond to, but would reveal her headspace and past to the reader.
What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating your characters?
When I first started Sadie, I was extremely skeptical of West– he had to prove himself to readers over the course of his narrative and given the nature of his job, I was curious to see where writing him would take me. I really loved the way his arc unfolded. I wasn’t necessarily surprised by it, but more gratified by it than I realized I would be.
What was the hardest part of the story to write?
There wasn’t a particular part that was harder to write than any others—writing a book like Sadie requires occupying a dark emotional headspace all the way through, so it was all a bit tough to write in that sense.
Sadie is told through two points of view: Sadie, as she looks for her sister, and West’s podcasts as he follows her story. Did you experience more difficulty writing one or the other, or did you like writing in one form more? How much of the novel did you write in chronological order, and how much did you jump around?
I enjoyed both of them. Writing Sadie’s perspective was very familiar to me because all of my books feature an intensely close first person, female point-of-view. Writing West’s perspective, the podcast format, proved a little more challenging. Not so much because of the way it was written (scripts) but because each episode had to propel Sadie’s narrative forward and give us a different way of looking at the things she went through.
So far, I’ve only ever been able to write in chronological order!
Was this how you always envisioned the book or did it change as you wrote it?
Regina Spektor said something really interesting about writing songs that I’ve always loved and related to as an author. She said, “[A]s soon as you try and take a song from your mind into piano and voice and into the real world, something gets lost and it’s like a moment where, in that moment, you forget how it was and it’s this new way. And then when you make a record, even those ideas that you had, then those get all turned around and changed. So in the end, I think, it just becomes its own thing and really I think a song could be recorded a million different ways and so what my records are, it just happened like that, but it’s not like, this is how I planned it from the very beginning because I have no idea, I can’t remember.”
I feel something similar when writing– the heart of my idea remains intact, but the way it takes its ultimate form is always a little different (or even a lot different) than I might have been expecting, which makes it difficult to recall the starting point. But that’s okay as long as the heart is still there and you’re satisfied with and believe in what you’ve created.
Courtney Summers was born in Belleville, Ontario, 1986. At age 14, she dropped out of high school. At age 18, she wrote her first novel. Cracked Up to Be was published in 2008, when she was 22 and went on to win the 2009 CYBIL award in YA fiction. Since then, she’s published four more critically acclaimed books: Some Girls Are, Fall for Anything, This is Not a Test and All the Rage, as well as an e-novella, Please Remain Calm which is a sequel to This is Not a Test. Her new novel, Sadie, is available now wherever books are sold. #findsadie
In 2016, Courtney was named one of Flare Magazine’s 60 under 30.
