Category Archives: Book Review and Content

Review: Wonder by R J Palacio

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Wonder by R. J. PalacioWonder
R J Palacio
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published February 14, 2012

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Fifth grade student August Pullman faces his first day at school. After being homeschooled for his entire previous education, his parents have decided it’s time for him to be around other kids his age. He’s prepared academically. He’s even met a couple of students already who’ve been very kind. But no one has prepared the rest of the school for August and his unusual appearance. When some students turn cruel, Auggie and his few friends band together, determined to outlast the hazing.

The story is first narrated first by Auggie and then others in his life, each of whom battle a deep insecurity, often less visible than Auggie’s. The changes in point-of-view at first seem like it might distract from the depth and poignancy of Auggie’s story. Instead, each adds richness and harmonious layers and broadens the view and understanding of a remarkable boy and his equally remarkable family and friends.

When an author can include an entire commencement speech and make even that jaw-droppingly wow-worthy, the rest of the book can only be more incredible. And with Palacio’s novel, this is most definitely so. Each character is so lovingly crafted. Even Auggie’s parents (let’s face it, a lot of kids’ books have half-created, silly parents) were phenomenal. I adored his entire family.

Each time the story changed to a different point-of-view, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to like the new narrator as much as the previous one, and each time I was proved wrong. There were so many great moments, from the building of friendship between Auggie and his classmates to his sister’s struggles with her own friends. Ack! And the moment Auggie’s dad tells him what really happened to the mask? I was a blubbering mess. So moving.

Not since reading The Book Thief for the first time has a story so fully reached out and latched onto my heart and soul. This is an amazing story, one all young readers and their parents should read.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
No profanity.

Sexual Content
Brief kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Boys pick on another boy younger than they are and a fist-fight ensues. It ends quickly.

Drug Content
None.

 

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Review: Marked (House of Night #1) by PC Cast and Kristin Cast

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

Marked (House of Night Series #1)
PC Cast and Kristin Cast
St. Martin’s Griffin
Published May 1, 2007

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Zoe’s friends and family totally flip out when she’s marked as a vampire. An instant outcast, she retreats to her grandmother’s house for some much-needed advice and then turns herself over to the House of Night, a sort of boarding school for fledgling vampires. There she’ll be educated and wait to see if her body is strong enough to undergo the transformation into an adult vampire.
Even among other fledglings, Zoe is far from normal. Her vampirism seems to be developing at an advanced pace and her mentor has high hopes for what this might mean. Unfortunately, some other students see Zoe as a threat to the well-established hierarchy, and they will do whatever it takes to sabotage her.

Many things about this book disappointed me. Zoe’s attitude, for one. She started off angry and bitter at the world, smarter than everyone around her. I found it snobby and really off-putting. Her family and human friends were half-characters sort of slapped together without any deep thought to their own motivations or personalities. Why did Mom do that? Because she’s stupid and annoying. Really? I didn’t dig it.

Once she got to the House of Night, Zoe seemed a little easier to impress and her friends seemed a little more worthy. Her blossoming romantic feelings for her dream guy felt shallow. Why isn’t she concerned about his behavior with his apparent ex? She was kind of concerned for a minute but then pretty quick to dismiss it. And what virtues does Mr. Dreamboat have to offer? He’s hot. And he’s infatuated with her. Does a girl need more? (Yes!)

In fairness, this book had been on my reading list for a long time and I may have had unreasonable expectations for it. It’s definitely more the steamy-vampire-novel than the deep, introspective story of a young girl experiencing an unpredictable transformation. But alas.

Vampire-lit lovers: I recommend Julie Kagawa’s The Immortal Rules.

Profanity or Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity and crude sexual language used with moderate frequency. Also – despite the use of explicit sexual language in earlier scenes, Zoe refers to her responsibility cleaning a stable as shoveling “horse poopy.” She also refers to breasts as “boobies.” I’m not a fan of the explicit language, but the infantile words seemed equally out of place. Very strange.

Sexual Content
Brief description of a couple engaging in oral sex and several references back to that scene.

Spiritual Content
Zoe connects with her Cherokee spiritual heritage in a spiritual encounter. Vampires also worship a goddess. Along with the fledglings, they participate in elaborate rituals and ceremonies to honor the goddess.

Violence
Several references to blood lust. In one scene, a human boy is threatened by vampires.

Drug Content
Zoe attends a ritual at which marijuana is burned like incense. Former school friends also drink and use drugs, a behavior of which Zoe disapproves.

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Review: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

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The Hero and the Crown (Damar #2)
Robin McKinley
Open Road Integrated Media
Published November 18, 2014 (Orig. 1984)

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About The Hero and the Crown

Surrounded by royalty blessed with magical ability and rumors of her mother’s despised foreign ancestry, Aerin never felt at ease as the king’s daughter. Desperate to escape her loneliness, she befriends a retired war horse with a weak leg and stumbles onto an ancient recipe for a fireproof lotion. When rumor of a small dragon terrorizing pasture animals and children in a nearby village reaches Aerin’s ears, she decides to ride out from the castle alone and attack the beast herself.

Thus begins her reputation as a dragon-slayer, not a noble enterprise in her kingdom, but a place and an identity for Aerin. When a dragon emerges who is greater and more terrible than any she’s ever faced, Aerin bravely rides out to meet it. But the dragon proves to be only a small part of a grave evil which seeks to destroy her homeland forever. With a strange blond man from her dreams to guide her, Aerin begins another quest to save the people who do not love her from a threat they cannot understand.

My Review

I first read this story as a teenager and read it many times since. It’s been years since the last time I visited Damar and Aerin, so I was eager to see if the story was as great and engrossing as I remembered. It’s definitely still one of my favorites. I’d forgotten that there are some passages that leap from one point-of-view to another, causing some momentary confusion, but the characters are phenomenal. Aerin is the perfect misfit. Her horse, Talat, has enough character for three companions, and he doesn’t even speak! Great stuff.

As often happens in the way of fairy tale romances, Aerin has two admirers, one familiar and the other mysterious. For myself, I felt like there wasn’t enough virtue in the mysterious guy to make him worthy of her. He is powerful and handsome, but sort of aloof and selfish. I much preferred the other guy. The preference didn’t cheapen my experience reading the story, though.

Also – side note – I love the new cover!

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
Aerin spends nights with her traveling companion and accepts his invitation to “not sleep” one night. Their intimacy is hinted at but not described in any way.

Spiritual Content
Brief mentions of religious icons or priests of Aerin’s people. Many people claim that Aerin’s mother was a witch. (She was indeed a student of a mage.) Trouble from the north is referred to as demon mischief. It’s not precisely described as to whether it’s a creature or more of a spiritual problem.

Violence
Brief descriptions of battles between men and beasts.

Drug Content
Aerin hallucinates and suffers physical ailment after eating leaves from a surka tree.

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

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Review: Everblue by Brenda Pandos

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

Everblue (Mer Tales #1)
Brenda Pandos
Obsidian Mountain Publishing
Published March 22, 2012

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When Ashlynn’s best friend disappears with her family, she worries that it has something to do with a family secret. And it does. Only, Ash thinks the family secret is that Tatchi’s dad is an alcoholic… the real secret is: she’s a mermaid, one of the Mer people. So is her hot twin brother, Fin, whom Ash can’t help drooling over.

Just when he has a chance to connect with the beautiful and forbidden Ashlynn, Fin is forced to return to Natatoria, the home of the Mer people, with his family. What at first seems like a quick meeting quickly explodes into house arrest and disfavor with the king’s bratty son. Just great.

But even beneath the sea, Ashlynn’s cries for help reach Fin and nothing will stop him from saving her. If he saves her, he will creates a bond that only death can break.

In a refreshingly chaste but passionate romance, Pandos introduces a mermaid story with a sort of role-reversal: this time, the Mer man is hopelessly in love with a human girl. Some elements of the Mer world were clever – the fact that the Mer people transformed at night and could only be human during the day, for instance; the sealing of a lifelong commitment by a single kiss.

Some elements of the plot seemed a bit more contrived: the romance between Ash and Fin is a given from page one and doesn’t really deepen in a relationship sense. Why does she like him? Because he’s hot. Why does he like her? Because she’s innocent and forbidden. That’s as true at the beginning as it is at the end. There’s not a lot of growth there.

Fans of tales of mermaids will probably still enjoy this story for its exploration of undersea lore. New readers to this vein of fantasy may also be interested in the series The Syrena Legacy by Anna Banks.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
Ashlynn worries about going to a dance with a boy from school and what he’ll expect from her that night. He is a perfect gentleman.

Spiritual Content
Ashlynn’s family are church-going people and her mother prays with her when she’s upset.

Violence
Battles between Mer people. There’s very little description of injuries.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: A Different Me by Deborah Blumenthal

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

A Different Me
Deborah Blumenthal
Albert Whitman & Company
Published October 14, 2014

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Allie has only one wish for her birthday this year. She wants surgery to fix everything wrong with her. Specifically, to correct the huge problem in the middle of her face: her nose.

Through an online forum, she meets two girls also waiting for nose jobs. Together they form a sisterhood, sharing insecurities, secret hopes and dreams, and crossing off the days until their procedures.

Then a mentoring project challenges Allie to look past her initial perceptions of people. She learns that there’s more to a person than the way they look, how they dress. And she’s forced to reevaluate everything she thought she knew about herself – and everything she thought would make her happy.

Blumenthal explores the world of insecurities swirling through high school hallways, exposing them with surgical precision. Each character is presented in layers, complexities deepening as Allie gets to know him or her. She’s moved by compassion for the hurts and fears others face, and through them begins to face her own. In a world that prizes the perfect exterior, A Different Me is a breath of fresh air, a trumpeting voice bringing us back to the core truth that beauty is borne of kindness, compassion and sincerity. It’s a great story and a lesson we all need to hold dear.

Profanity or Crude Language Content
Moderate profanity, mild frequency.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
None.

Drug Content
None.

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

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Review: Zac and Mia by A J Betts

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

Zac and Mia
A J Betts
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group
Published July 24, 2013

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Trapped in the ICU at a hospital near Perth, Australia, Zac is desperate for any distraction. Anything that will get his mum to leave him alone for a little bit. Anything new to ponder. When the newest patient on the adult cancer ward turns out to be a surly but gorgeous girl, Zac attempts to reach out to her. Mia is all fire and fury, but Zac doesn’t give up. He remembers those early days of denial and anger. All he can do is tell her it’ll get better and hope he’s right.

The bond between the two seems dissolved when Zac is discharged, but still he can’t help thinking of her, hoping she made it through her recovery. Mia emerges in his life once more, still the angry, frightened girl. Zac’s desperate attempt to reach her changes his own life.

While a contemporary novel about two teens battling cancer probably sounds eerily similar to another popular story, Zac and Mia bears some surprises. Far from the supportive, team-oriented family one expects to surround a cancer-diagnosed protagonist, Mia’s single mom is as angry and resentful as she is. Zac’s own loving family comes with a few fabulous quirks, not least of which is the ownership of a popular olive farm and petting zoo.

I liked the off-beat nature of the narrative. Betts ignores stereotypes of kids-with-cancer stories and plows new ground. This is a story which delves deep into what it means to be a true friend to someone experiencing cancer treatment and the life-altering outcomes. It’s packed with warmth and heart, a great choice for readers who enjoyed The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E Smith.

Profanity and Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity, moderate frequency.

Sexual Content
References to sexual behavior, but no details.

Spiritual Content
Characters briefly discuss what happens after death. Zac is a pretty staunch atheist, but Mia believes there must be something more, that our souls continue after death, perhaps in heaven.

Violence
None.

Drug Content
Brief references to teen drinking – though since the story is set in Australia, it’s legal to drink alcohol at age 18.

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

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