Category Archives: Book Review and Content

Review: Remember to Forget by Ashley Royer

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

Remember to Forget by Ashley RoyerRemember to Forget
Ashley Royer
Zonderkidz

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After Delia’s unexpected death, seventeen year-old Levi spirals into depression, unable to speak to anyone. When several attempts at therapy fail, Levi’s mom sends him from their home in Australia to Maine to live with his estranged father. Bitter, angry, and hopeless, Levi’s determined not to let anyone into his life, especially the girl who reminds him so much of Delia. For her part, Delilah’s content to let Levi to himself. He’s rude and erratic, definitely not the kind of guy she needs in her life. But beyond his angry exterior, she senses his deep hurt and finds herself powerfully drawn to the aching boy caged behind his silence.

Crafting an angry yet likeable character has to be one of the hardest challenges in literature. While it was clear that Levi’s deep grief often motivated his surly outbursts, I found it hard to understand why Delilah was so captivated with him. It’s a pet peeve of mine, too, for a story to follow a romance between a hero with what could become abusive behavior (unpredictable, explosive anger.) While we’re supposed to know and believe in the ultimate well-meaning, sweetness of Levi’s heart, his behavior toward Delilah is, at times, disturbing. He never hits her or anything like that. But honestly, when a boy behaves the way Levi does toward Delilah, we tell her to lose that guy.

All that said, I know we are supposed to root for him and want him to find healing. Certainly healing from grief is a journey, and it’s noble to stand by someone through that process. I think I just needed to see something admirable in Levi. Some reason for Delilah to invest besides the simple mysterious cause of his anger/grief.

I don’t know much about selective mutism, though I’ve read a review on the blog Disability in KidLit of a book dealing with progressive mutism. (I’d be interested to see what they say about the portrayal in this book as well.) I liked that in Remember to Forget, it wasn’t a simple matter of Delilah being the one to break through Levi’s silence. I like that his healing came in layers, too. Though he struggles with continuing to take his medication, the meds do ultimately play a positive role in his recovery.

Over all, this was a pretty simple, sweet story about a boy recovering from grief and learning to give himself permission to be happy again. As far as content, it’s fairly clean. See below for details.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
Aiden and Delilah take Levi to a party where teens drink alcohol. Delilah and Levi don’t drink, but Aiden does. Delilah and Levi leave him at the party.

Levi takes several medications to manage depression and anxiety. He struggles with feelings about the medication and sometimes avoids taking it. Levi also smokes cigarettes. He eventually, he decides to quit.

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

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Review: The Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse

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

The Girl in the Blue Coat
Monica Hesse
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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In 1943 Amsterdam, Hanneke is the girl who can help you find things like coffee, meat, kerosene. But when a lonely widow asks Hanneke to find a missing Jewish girl, Hanneke at first refuses to get involved. Locating a Jewish girl and trying to rescue her is far too dangerous.

On the other hand, maybe danger is exactly what Hanneke needs to distract her from the aching grief of her boyfriend’s recent death. Reluctantly, Hanneke agrees to investigate the girl’s disappearance. Her search throws her in the path of a well-organized group of resistance workers who beg Hanneke to help them. Soon Hanneke is up to her neck in activities that could get her shot at any time. As the days pass and the chance of finding the missing girl alive dwindle, Hanneke becomes desperate. She must find this girl before the Nazis do. She must repay her debt, saving this girl to atone for the life Hanneke’s responsible for ending.

I don’t read much historical fiction, but every time I do, I enjoy it and vow to include more in my reading lists. I grew up reading and listening to Corrie ten Boom’s memoir, The Hiding Place, so the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands holds a special interest for me. It always calls to mind the courage and perseverance of those involved in resistance and rescue efforts.

I loved that Hesse included sides of the resistance movement that I wasn’t at all familiar with, including the Underground Camera movement and the rescue of infants and small children from the major deportment site in Amsterdam.

The story has a lot of layers. On the surface, it’s about finding a girl with the help of various resistance efforts. But the story goes much deeper into how the Nazi occupation affected relationships between friends and lovers. The kinds of small betrayals that, due to the severe restrictions placed on the people by the German occupation, ultimately led to death. All those layers weave together to form an intricate story that kept me turning pages all the way to the end. I read this entire book in one sitting, and I’d probably read it again tomorrow.

The Girl in the Blue Coat will appeal to fans of Code Name Verity, though on the whole, it’s much cleaner in terms of language and violence. This is a great representation of an important moment in history, and because Hesse highlighted some of the lesser known efforts happening behind enemy lines, the tale felt fresh and new. I definitely recommend this one.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild swearing.

Romance/Sexual Content
A couple of brief kisses. One boy confesses to being in love with another boy.

Spiritual Content
There’s a brief discussion about the fact that at first non-practicing Jews thought they might be safer from Nazis than practicing Jews.

Violent Content
A teenage girl is shot in the head.

Drug Content
None.

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

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Review: King’s Folly by Jill Williamson

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

King’s Folly
Jill Williamson
Bethany House

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Earthquakes rock the kingdom of Armania. The king responds with sacrifices to the gods. His advisors claim the Five Woes and the end of the world are upon them. Prince Wilek believes there must be another solution besides blood shed in sacrifice to angry gods. He and his companions embark on a journey to save the kingdom before the quakes swallow the land. Along the way, they find an empress in need of rescue. A priestess whose goddess demands the ultimate sacrifice from her, and a prophetess who speaks of salvation for the people.

I’ve been a fan of Jill Williamson’s writing since her debut novel, By Darkness Hid. (If you like fantasy and haven’t read it, I recommend the whole Blood of Kings series!) King’s Folly, the first novel in the Kinsman Chronicles, takes us back to the very same story world in which the Blood of Kings books take place, only years earlier.

I’m always a little nervous to revisit something that expands on an old favorite. Truth be told, the first quarter of the story felt a little slow to me. There are LOTS of characters and relationships referenced, though not all of them are deeply important to the story. There is a character glossary, but I found myself not referring to it. (I tend to be too lazy to zip back and forth when I’m reading ebooks. If there’s a map or glossary in a paperback, I’m much more likely to make use of them. But I digress.)

That said, once I read past that first part, I really began to be hooked on the story. I loved Wilek, even from the beginning. I think I felt like I kept waiting for him to do something – he seemed sort of trapped by his own passivity and sense of duty. The situation with Lebetta really lit a fire in him, and I felt like suddenly, the story sprinted forward.

There are some great characters that simply won’t get enough airtime in review. I loved Kal and the prophetess. I found Charlon, the escaped slave turned acolyte, to be a really compelling character, too. And of course Trevn and Mielle!

I’m really glad I read this book. I found it to be a lot darker than By Darkness Hid. After reading the note from the author on why she chose some of those themes (see my reference below under spiritual content), I think including them makes sense. But the darker themes may make the story better suited to older readers.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
There are some references to sex, but no descriptions or the event. Some members of the royal family have concubines and/or multiple wives. A woman who escaped from prostitution (we only know this from some hints at her past life) is told she must seduce a man in order to become pregnant.

Spiritual Content
In Wilek’s kingdom, they are expected to worship five gods. His father’s favorite, Barthos, demands human sacrifices. The king is happy to comply, and once even offered one of his own sons.

Mantics use power over a shadir, or spiritual creature, to perform impossible feats. In some places, these practices are illegal. In others, powerful mantics rule over others.

One of the gods is known as Arman (readers of the Blood of Kings books will be familiar with this name.) Arman demands total devotion, forsaking all other gods, and calls himself a Father God.

Williamson describes the spiritual elements of The King’s Folly as being inspired by stories from the Old Testamant, a time during which God’s people often turned to idols only to bear disastrous consequences. In this novel, following Arman becomes like following the Christian God.

Violent Content
Wilek is forced to attend ceremonies involving human sacrifices. He does not witness the sacrifices being consumed, but hears sounds from far off. Several fights take place between characters and enemies or assassins. A woman is found murdered.

Drug Content
Mantics ingest poison as part of rituals of power.

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

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Review: The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten

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

The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B
Teresa Toten
Delacorte Press

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Almost-fifteen-year-old Adam meets Robyn at his group therapy session for teens with obsessive-compulsive issues. It’s hardly the setting for romance, but Adam can’t deny how he feels for her. Robyn seems drawn to him, too. Maybe. But while Robyn’s most troublesome days seem to be behind her, Adam’s life continues to spiral out of control. He’s at the mercy of his half-brother’s anxiety issues, and his mother refuses to get help though the threatening letters she receives only seem to be getting worse. As Adam desperately struggles to hold everyone together, he begins to split at the seams. But it may be the voices of his Group mates which bring him the strength and courage to face greater truths about his family, his condition, and himself.

Adam faces a lot of challenges related to his obsessive-compulsive disorder, from counting to threshold issues. While his OCD is an important and ever-present element in the story, it doesn’t dominate who Adam is. He’s also kind, funny, loves selflessly, and is wholly devoted to his family. Each member of Adam’s family and community circle comes across as complex and essential to the tale as well. Toten doesn’t leave readers with a neat and tidy ending, all loose ends wrapped up, either. I felt that this added to the sense of realism in the story. Though there’s a sharp change in Adam’s OCD as the story resolves, other threads are left hanging, blanks for the reader to fill. Fans of Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer and Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella need to give this novel a read.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used moderately throughout the story.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing and “shy touches.” (No details.)

Spiritual Content
Adam teaches Robyn about Catholicism. He and his group mates visit the Catholic church Adam and his mother used to attend, and he explains various rites and rituals, including praying the Rosary, genuflecting, lighting candles, etc. There’s a brief discussion about whether it’s appropriate for non-Catholics to enter the church. A few of Adam’s friends are Jewish. Adam prays desperately at one point.

Violent Content
Adam’s mother receives disturbing letters in the mail. While they don’t directly threaten her, they’re cruel and deeply upsetting to both her and Adam.

Drug Content
Adam is responsible to monitor his own dosage of medication. As his symptoms worsen, he responds with increasing his medication. He and his friend Ben celebrate the New Year by guzzling Red Bulls until they’re ridiculously buzzed from the caffeine. Then they crash and sleep until the following afternoon.

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

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Review: Off the Page by Jodi Picoult

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

Off the Page
Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer
Delacorte Press

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Delilah and Oliver can finally be together in the real world. But in order to maintain Oliver’s presence, Edgar had to take his place in the fairytale story where Oliver really belongs. As Oliver struggles to acclimate to the new and unfamiliar setting outside his story, he must impersonate Edgar well enough to fool Edgar’s mother and to fit in at school. When another portal between the story and the real world opens, two more characters swap for real life counterparts, leaving Delilah and Oliver to untangle the mess. For both of them, one thing is certain: they must find a happily-ever-after solution for their entire cast.

While Off the Page is cute, a few of the plot twists didn’t resonate well with the story, to me. Though Oliver finds a way to exit the fairytale, he’s not a real boy. Punch him, and he’ll bleed ink, not blood. It seemed like at some point this would have to be addressed if he were to intend to spend the rest of his life outside the confines of the book. Also, the swap – a real human boy for a prince in a fairytale – is uneven. A boy gives up an entire life for confinement in a story so that a high school girl can have a life with the boy she’s in love with? What does the story’s new protagonist get out of the exchange? It seems like living in a book would get terrifically old after a while. Other than a few plot wrinkles, the story progresses smoothly, and true love is found by all the essential characters. True to its promise, the tale delivers its happily-ever-after for nearly everyone.

Honestly, I really didn’t care for Delilah very much, and Oliver was hit and miss for me. I loved Jules and Edgar (though his name kept tripping me up. I kept thinking of the butler from Disney’s Aristocats. I know, my daughter was recently in a musical performance, so it’s probably just me.) I really wanted the story to be more about them, and I felt like the end sort of cheated each of them. There were some side characters – Socks, Humphrey, and Frump – that really made things entertaining. Over all, I liked the story of Off the Page. It didn’t blow me away, but I wasn’t sorry I read it.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing, lying next to each other on a bed.

Spiritual Content
References to fate. There are a couple of passages that compare the living characters in the story Delilah loves to real people – one commenting that we all have an author. Nothing more specific than that.

Violent Content
One boy punches another boy in the face. Reference to a dog getting hit by a car.

Drug Content
None.

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

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Review: Just My Luck by Cammie McGovern

Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , ,

Just My Luck
Cammie McGovern
Harper/HarperCollins

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Bad things keep happening to fourth-grader Benny and his family. His best friend moved away, and he hasn’t been able to find a new one. His dad’s still recovering from a brain injury (was it Benny’s fault?) His mom tells him to focus on being kind to others, and with a new kindness program at school, Benny’s trying his best, but no one seems to notice. As things get worse, Benny worries his family will never be able to recover, and nothing will be the same again.

Benny is quite possibly the most lovable boy in literature. He strives to be a good brother both to his oldest brother Martin, who has a girlfriend for the first time. He takes care of his brother George, who has autism. He even struggles through an unrewarding friendship with a pushy boy in his class. Inspired by the story of the Indian in the Cupboard, Benny creates his own movie using Lego minifigures to tell the story of heroes who wake to find themselves trapped in the life of toys. As Benny’s heroes learn to face the challenges fate brings them, so he also finds the courage to brave life’s scary unknowns, including the terrifying experience of a parent who may never be the same.

Benny’s mom is incredible. In the midst of overwhelming circumstances, she teaches Benny to pursue kindness, but she remains real and frank herself about her own worries. In one scene in which Benny’s dad’s condition is still pretty dire, she confesses, “You don’t think you could ever, in a million years, handle it, and then it happens and you do. You just go one day at a time, and suddenly you realize, here I am. I’m handling it.” It’s moments like these that make the simple truths in this story so powerful and moving. This is a wonderful story about very simple things: love, community, and kindness.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Benny’s class studies the Zen short stories. He mentions one story and relates its lesson to what’s happening facing trials in his own life.

Violent Content
Benny flies over the handlebars of his bike and crash lands on the track. When his dad tries to help him up, they bonk heads. Later, his dad collapses with a brain injury. Benny blames himself.

Drug Content
None.

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

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