Category Archives: Book Review and Content

Review: A List of Cages by Robin Roe

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

A List of Cages
Robin Roe
Disney-Hyperion
Published January 10, 2017

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Julian’s life is a tightrope walk. At school, he hides from belligerent teachers and from his trouble reading. At home, he tiptoes around the house where he’s not allowed to touch anything, where the only things that belong to him are the possessions in the trunk his parents gave him.

When the school counselor gets tired of Julian dodging his appointments with her, she sends her aide, a senior named Adam to find Julian. Adam quickly recognizes Julian as the foster brother who lived with him and his mom five years ago. Now, though, Julian isn’t the chatty kid he once was, and Adam has to figure out why. As he begins to uncover Julian’s secrets, he realizes Julian could be in terrible danger, but trying to rescue him could cost both boys their lives.

This isn’t the book I expected it to be. The story opens with Julian’s point-of-view, and right away, I was pretty hooked. He’s quiet—the kind of kid that struggles to come up with quick responses in conversation. The kind of kid that makes for an easy target to get picked on. But he’s kind and artistic, and I couldn’t help wanting him to find a way through his troubles.

Then I met Adam. Adam is likeable for a whole other host of reasons. He’s bouncy and fun and always upbeat. I loved that about him, and I loved his relationship with his grouchy-but-goodhearted best friend Charlie. I liked that Adam’s ADHD wasn’t the story. You kind of got the picture of how his mind worked and what life was like for him without it being center-stage.

What I didn’t like was the way Adam seemed so protective of Julian in some ways and sort of oblivious in other ways—like bringing him alcohol at a party and expecting his friends not to get Julian too drunk. That didn’t play for me, and I really had a hard time with how casual the attitude about alcohol was, especially when Adam and his mom were so careful about so many other things, like choosing homeopathic remedies over prescription drugs because of adverse side effects. Alcohol doesn’t have adverse side effects? This isn’t a concern?

Anyway. Sorry. Soapbox. Moving on.

The story had so many positive elements in it—messages about the healing power of love in friendships and family, the value of having the support of a community of people through a hard time. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if it lacked some of the casual attitude toward drinking and sex. See below for further notes on content.

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Cultural Elements
I can’t remember any racial descriptions of characters, but I’m not sure if that’s because they’re all hinted to be white or if I just imagined them that way whereas I could have imagined them other ways? Adam is diagnosed with ADHD.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some boy-girl kissing. In one scene a boy remembers a moment where he asked a girl to show him her vagina. Later a girl makes a suggestive comment with her hand on the zipper of his pants. (We later learn not much happened there because she was drunk and got sick.) A boy and girl spend several days together alone in a mountain cabin where they decide to have sex. She waits for him in bed, undressed, but no further details are given.

Adam’s group of friends play a game in which one dares another to do something up to and including some nudity. Two boys have to take off their shirts and put palms on each other’s chests. A girl gives a pair of her underwear to a boy and he has to wear them.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content – TRIGGER WARNING
One character suffers some extreme physical abuse in more than one scene. Some of those details are pretty disturbing.

Drug Content
Julian goes with Adam to a party where all the kids drink alcohol and someone passes a pipe around the room. Julian drinks what the others give him. Adam tries to make sure it’s lighter stuff, but doesn’t try to keep him from drinking.

Adam’s mom uses homeopathic remedies to treat his ADHD after a bad experience with the side effects of prescription drugs.

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

 

Review: Almost There by Laurel Garver

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

Almost There
Laurel Garver
Createspace
Available May 17, 2016

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Just before Dani and her mother escape to Paris for healing and restoration, Dani learns that her grandfather has been hospitalized. The Paris trip was supposed to be the inspiration to create the artwork that will make Dani’s mother a star, plus the project that will save Dani’s own grade in art class. Now, unless Dani can fix up her grandfather’s house, repair the damaged relationships between him and his children, and find someone to care for the ornery man while they’re gone, her trip is a lost cause.

Dani can’t give up, especially when she learns of her grandmother’s dreams that one day her mom would become a famous painter. As Dani struggles to make her life into the perfect happily-ever-after, she discovers that the people she loves most have other plans, other dreams than the ones she imagined for them. She learns that like her grandfather, she, too must learn to love others beyond what they do for her and for themselves.

I really liked this story. I found Dani easy to identify with. Her struggles with trying to make things turn out right for everyone else really resonated with me, as did her confusion over her feelings for her neighbor and her hurt over her boyfriend’s behavior toward her. It definitely echoed my own teen experience in some ways.

The faith elements play a strong role in the story, but they didn’t seem to dominate or steal the show. I liked that prayer was kind of a natural part of Dani’s life, and that the author included it in such an open, organic way. To me it felt more experiential and less preachy, which I think is a great thing.

If you liked To Get to You by Joanne Bischof, check out Almost There for the similar innocent romance and organic expression of Christian faith.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
All characters appear to be white. Dani’s family is wealthy as is her boyfriend’s and friend’s. She meets a boy from much more humble background.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Dani and her boyfriend are very close but have agreed not to have sex until after marriage. They share kisses, and she becomes nervous if she thinks he has ideas beyond that.

Spiritual Content
Dani and her friends pray at difficult intervals throughout the story. Dani shares her faith with her mom, not like salvation prayers, but more like sharing her current experience. For instance, she talks of learning to trust that God will work things out in her life. These deep faith moments happen as though they’re a part of normal life, which might be strange for some readers, but accurately depicts the kind of faith experience of some evangelical Christian families.

Violent Content
Dani’s grandfather becomes violent when he doesn’t get his way. Nothing huge, but his temper is definitely not under control. A fire leaves one man dead.

Drug Content
Dani worries about her uncle, a recovering addict. She learns that her friend’s dad is an alcoholic. The story shows no drug abuse.

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

 

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Review: Life in a Fishbowl by Len Vlahos

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

Life in a Fishbowl
Len Vlahos
Bloomsbury Books
Available January 3, 2017

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Fifteen-year-old Jackie Stone’s whole life turns upside down when she discovers not only that her father has a terminal brain tumor, but that he’s decided to auction his life for sale on ebay. As a reality show executive takes control of her family’s lives, Jackie’s whole life begins to come apart. She finds allies in an online community and the courage to fight for her privacy and her family’s dignity. Together they fight to get the cameras out of the house and win her family’s lives back.

Life in a Fishbowl is totally different than Vlahos’s earlier novels. The story follows the experiences of many characters, most of them adults, which kind of breaks tradition in young adult literature. I think what keeps it grounded in the genre is the tone which the story takes. Not many authors can successfully craft a story like this and have it still feel like young adult fiction, but Vlahos does here.

One of the more surprising elements to me was the fact that the brain tumor was an anthropomorphized character as well. At some moments, I struggled with this—it definitely requires a lot of willingness to suspend disbelief. At other moments, it felt like a natural turn in the story. I loved Jackie’s character, but my real favorites were Hazel, an online gaming girl, and Max, Jackie’s friend from Russia. Both really hit that note for me of the shy kids who have so much more going on under the surface. Jackie also had that vibe, too, and the story shows each of them blossoming in the midst of adversity.

The story deals with whether someone has the right to euthanasia. Mostly we see the issue from the side of Jared, who himself wants to have the right to end his life—to have a death with dignity, he says. Members of the Catholic Church oppose him, but there’s not a deep exploration of their position on the issue, and the nun who protests the loudest has her own ulterior motives which only twist further the more deeply she becomes involved in the situation.

The way this plays out was very different from the sort of romanticized version of events in The Loose Ends List by Carrie Firestone, in which terminally ill cruise passengers opt for assisted suicide sometimes earlier in their illnesses.

The issue that truly dominates Life in a Fishbowl is less the issue of euthanasia and more the issue of reality television and the invasion of privacy that other members of Jared’s family suffer once he has signed a contract with the studio. Events get edited and clipped into scenes that look vastly different to the public than the reality Jackie and her family face. Ratings, not reality, govern the show, and cameras lurk in every room, recording everything. Eventually Jackie finds ways to fight fire with fire, releasing her own video clips that show the truth happening inside her home.

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Cultural Elements
Jackie and her family live in Portland, Oregon and appear to be an average, white middle-class family. She befriends a young Russian boy online as part of a school project.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.

Romance/Sexual Content
Jackie and her sister discover their parents in the act of making love. They quietly back away and close the door.

Some brief references to a sexual relationship between an executive and his assistant. No descriptions of their intimate activities.

Jared remembers his first kiss ever and his first kiss with his wife.

Hidden TV cameras record in bathrooms in Jackie’s house. It’s mentioned in passing that unbeknownst to her family, male members of the crew watch the girls shower. Jackie is fifteen and her sister Megan younger.

Spiritual Content
A nun bids for Jared Stone’s life on ebay. She considers it a sacred duty to preserve his life, but her motives get swallowed by other, less pious reasons. Her superior also takes the stance that Jared should not be allowed to end his life. When the Catholic hospital becomes responsible for Jared’s medical care, the goal is to keep him alive as long as possible, which conflicts with his own desire to end his life.

Violent Content – see spoiler section
A woman slaps a teenage girl. She retaliates by punching the woman.

A TV executive manipulates Jackie and her family (and others) for his own gain. His behavior isn’t violent, but it’s pretty disturbing at times.

Drug Content
Brief references to drug use in a character’s past.

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

SPOILERS – Violent Content Continued
A man stabs a dog to death with a knife.

A woman smothers a man in a coma with a pillow. Before he slipped into a coma, he asked her to assist him in ending his life.

 

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Review: The Radius of Us by Marie Marquardt

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

The Radius of Us
Marie Marquardt
St. Martin’s Griffin
Available January 17, 2017

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Gretchen lives a small life. It started the night a man forced her to the ground and then told her to run, his own terror taking hold of her. Now she keeps to the small safe neighborhood surrounding her home, places where nothing bad can happen. And then she meets the boy who looks like him. Like the one who attacked her. When she meets Phoenix, though, she isn’t afraid. Something about the way he listens, the way he asks the right questions, the way he carries his own trauma and fear, makes her trust him. Soon she’s tangled up in his life and the desperate attempt to save him and his brother from death at the hand of gang members waiting for him back in Ilopango. To stay safe, he must be granted asylum in the US, a rare occurrence for El Salvadoran refugees.

On its face, this is a simple romance. Sad girl meets sadder boy. Both find that to love they must be brave and work toward healing. Underneath that simple story is a deeper, more heartrending one. This is the story of a boy whose home town gave him two choices: live by the gang or die by it. It’s the story of a small Atlanta suburb and the community thousands of miles from El Salvador still affected by the destruction of gang violence.

I feel like I’m not doing a very good job talking this book up because it’s such a serious topic. There are some light moments in which Phoenix and Gretchen joke around. At one point, she makes it her mission to find pupusas, a delicacy that Phoenix remembers from home and craves but can’t find in the US, and that whole adventure is fun and sweet. Phoenix meets a couple who own a tattoo shop (and also remove tattoos) and befriends them. Their quirky personalities brighten up several scenes, and they offer some timely wisdom.

This is a little darker than Marquardt’s first novel, but still definitely worth reading. It took me some time to acclimate to Phoenix’s voice, but other than that, I really enjoyed the story. Definitely add this one to your list if you’re looking for an unusual romance or book that explores social issues.

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Cultural Elements
Phoenix and his brother are from El Salvador. He lives in the US during the story but vividly remembers events in his home in Ilopango.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency. The sections from Phoenix’s point-of-view contain a lot more profanity than the sections from Gretchen’s point-of-view.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some scenes show kissing between a boy and girl. At one point the two fall asleep together fully clothed. They briefly discuss waiting to have sex.

Phoenix lives under the guardianship of an older lesbian couple. Phoenix mentions seeing them kiss a couple of times.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Gretchen remembers being attacked (not sexually). Phoenix recalls some brutal gang violence and bullying. One boy shoots another from a car.

Drug Content
Gretchen’s (still underage) college boyfriend orders a beer with dinner. No one checks his ID.

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

 

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Review: The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti

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

The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett
Chelsea Sedoti
Sourcebooks
Available January 3, 2017

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett

Hawthorn didn’t even like Lizzie Lovett, but when the girl disappears and the whole town turns upside down over it, she can’t resist getting involved. At first it’s just a pastime. But as Hawthorn’s unorthodox theory takes shape, she finds herself pulled deeper and deeper into Lizzie’s life. She gets hired at Lizzie’s old job makes friends with her understandably wrecked boyfriend, the guy half the town thinks might have killed Lizzie. As she delves deeper into the girl she never knew, Hawthorn learns how little she understands herself and her own place in the world, and understanding what happened to Lizzie becomes her own transforming journey.

My Review

Hawthorn’s voice has to be the strongest part of this story. I wasn’t immediately crazy about the voice, but the style and its consistency definitely drew me in. This is one of those stories with deeply flawed characters, and my disappointment with those that didn’t rise from the ashes of their mistakes (sorry, no spoilers) made me stop reading for a few moments to grieve. Sometimes you just want better for people—even imaginary ones!

I often struggle reading stories about really unconventional families (probably odd, since I think my family would probably fit that description to those looking in from the outside) and Hawthorn’s family was definitely a struggle. I loved her brother and his best friend.

Fans of Cori McCarthy’s You Were Here should check out The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett. The emotional depth and surprising journey of grief reminded me a lot of You Were Here as did the quirkiness of the main character—though Lizzie Lovett is told only in Hawthorn’s point-of-view as opposed to the multiple perspectives in McCarthy’s novel.

Content

Recommended for Ages 17 up.

Cultural Elements
Pretty generic small-town America.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.

Romance/Sexual Content
Hawthorn reveals the source of her name—her parents conceived her under a hawthorn tree. Later she kisses and has sex with her boyfriend—an experience which leaves her with mixed feelings. She didn’t expect the awkwardness. She wonders about Lizzie’s experience with sex and asks some general questions of Lizzie’s boyfriend. He tells Hawthorn that Lizzie liked sex a lot.

Spiritual Content
Hawthorn explores some unconventional ideas about Lizzie’s disappearance. For instance, could she have transformed into another creature? A group of hippies begins camping in Hawthorn’s backyard, and their leader gives Hawthorn some advice about finding her true name and ways to view life according to his ways.

Hawthorn’s mother told her to be careful what she wished for, especially in terms of wishing ill on others. So when Hawthorn wishes ill on someone, she wishes things that are more often comical or inconvenient, such as wishing that whenever a rival microwaved a frozen burrito, the center would stay cold.

Violent Content
A girl at school makes Hawthorn miserable. She never physically bullies her, but her behavior is emotionally bullying and mean. See spoiler alert below for additional violent content.

Drug Content
Hawthorn goes to a party where teens are drinking. She also gets drunk and sick. At one point her brother comes home drunk and sick. The hippies (and Hawthorn’s mother) smoke pot in the backyard. Lizzie comments that if her mom is smoking pot, she can’t very well condemn her underage drinking.

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

Additional violent content – SPOILER WARNING
Searchers find Lizzie’s body eventually. She died by suicide after hanging herself.

Review: Loving vs. Virginia by Patricia Hruby Powell

Book Review and Content, Historical, New Adult 18up, Poetry, , , , ,

Loving vs. Virginia
Patricia Hruby Powell
Illustrations by Shadra Strickland
Chronicle Books
Available January 31, 2017

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Summary from Goodreads
From acclaimed author Patricia Hruby Powell comes the story of a landmark civil rights case, told in spare and gorgeous verse. In 1955, in Caroline County, Virginia, amidst segregation and prejudice, injustice and cruelty, two teenagers fell in love. Their life together broke the law, but their determination would change it. Richard and Mildred Loving were at the heart of a Supreme Court case that legalized marriage between races, and a story of the devoted couple who faced discrimination, fought it, and won.

My Thoughts
Somehow I missed the fact that this story is told in verse—which is admittedly ridiculous, since it’s one of the first things stated about LOVING VS. VIRGINIA. Actually, I thought I would be reading a more traditional narrative relating the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, so discovering the stark, emotive poetry in which Mildred and Richard tell their stories surprised and delighted me.

Each chapter paints a specific scene in the tale of their love. The poems create a sense of time and culture in few words and really drew me into the emotions of the characters. Fans of novel-in-verse storytelling and of historical fiction and romance should definitely read this book. Honestly, I felt like reading LOVING VS. VIRGINIA made me stop and think about how short a time ago in our history a man and woman were denied the right to love one another and be married because of their race.

I loved the message of hope and triumph in the story and the inclusion of historical timelines and other information. Those helped craft a larger understanding of what was happening in the country at the time this story really happened.

Recommended for Ages 13 up

Cultural Elements
This novel in poetry follows the historical story of Richard and Mildred Loving, a white man and black woman who fell in love and married in a time when interracial marriage remained illegal in their home state of Virginia. The novel shows some of the experiences of racism and prejudice against the couple and their friends.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
No explicit descriptions of sex, but readers do understand that Richard and Mildred have sex before getting married. Mildred becomes pregnant with his child more than once. At one point she makes a comment about how a man has needs—saying that she may feel guilty about having sex with him, but kind of a shrug of the shoulders, men-have-needs. I feel like, within the historical context, that kind of thinking may have been the understanding between men and women, but I wish that somewhere the author had addressed it or hinted about the lack of balance and equality in that idea. (Men are not excused from responsibility for their sexual conduct on the grounds that they “have needs”.) This might be an angle to discuss with readers either as a parent or within a classroom setting.

See violent content.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Mildred spends time in jail because she married a white man. The jailer threatens her, marching male prisoners past her cell and insinuating that he might let them assault her. It’s brief and without graphic description, but may be startling to some readers.

Drug Content
None.

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