Review: Wrecked by Maria Padian

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

wreckedWrecked
Maria Padian
Algonquin Young Readers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

In the midst of Haley’s recovery from a concussion, she learns her roommate has been raped. As Jenny wrestles with the aftermath of the trauma, she’s faced with a lot of decisions: should she report the incident to the college? Should she go to the police? She depends on Haley for support, a burden which Haley isn’t sure she’s capable of shouldering. Especially when a group of aggressive feminists rally around Jenny to support her and convince her to respond the way they believe is best.

In this midst of all this, Haley meets Richard, a handsome fellow student and math tutor. Just when it seems she may have, for the first time, found someone special, she learns that Richard lives in the same house with the boy who raped Jenny. Worse still, he recently dated the gorgeous lead feminist. (She dumped him for his chauvinistic attitudes, another fact that makes Haley nervous.)

The two struggle to navigate the new relationship in the midst of the crisis, and it’s not easy. Rumors, distrust and scandal show up at every turn. If there’s any hope of a future for them, Haley and Richard will have to find out the truth about what happened to Jenny and resolve for themselves what constitutes sexual consent.

This was a tough read. (I feel like I’m saying that a lot lately.) I liked that rather than the story being from the point-of-view of the victim and perpetrator, it’s told from the perspective of bystanders. There’s a lot of hope in the development of Haley and Richard’s relationship, and a lot of opportunity for healing.

Wrecked brings a lot of great moments offering discussion on consent. It sheds light on the process a rape victim might go through as she reports the incident and the information becomes relatively public. It shows how an entitled college kid could take advantage of a girl almost without realizing it.

He should have realized it. That’s kind of the point. But honestly, isn’t this another reason that getting drunk at a party like this is a terrible idea? Would he have realized, had he been sober, that this girl was in no position to give him her consent, and that she in fact was only barely conscious? Because that’s another conversation we need to be having.

His inebriation doesn’t excuse him anymore than it would if he’d chosen to get behind the wheel of a car. But I’m not sure we’re doing a great job educating kids about this either. As a culture, don’t we sort of treat college drinking—sometimes even teen drinking—like some kind of rite of passage? At any rate, I’d have liked to see that connection between drinking and making bad—criminal, in this case—decisions more clearly drawn in Wrecked, but even without it, the focus on the consent issue was very well-done.

More and more I’m convinced that consent is a conversation we need to have and aren’t having enough. I think Padian presented a wide array of responses to the topic in Wrecked, from the uber-politically-correct feminists to the creepazoid guy who spearheads a slander campaign against Jenny on social media. If this isn’t a conversation-starter, I don’t know what is.

Cultural Elements
Most characters appear to be white middle- or upper-class. One character is African-American.

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

Romance/Sexual Content – TRIGGER WARNING
We learn Jenny’s account of her experience through what she says in a hearing as well as in a real-time scene describing what happens to her. A boy has sex with her while she’s just in and out of consciousness. It’s described explicitly.

Richard reflects on his relationship with Carrie, and at one point begins to tell her that he enjoyed how assertive she was with him the night before. (That’s pretty much as explicit as he gets.) Later, another girl interested in him laments her status as a virgin. She worries that the fact that he has sexual experience will mean that he’s not interested in her or won’t respect her boundaries. She doesn’t feel committed to her virginity, she’s just inexperienced thus far.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
See sexual content. The rape isn’t violent in terms of the boy doesn’t attack her, though it’s no less wrong or traumatic.

Drug Content
College students drink alcohol at parties and beforehand. Rumors state that one boy who mixed drinks for a party may have added drugs to them.

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

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Author Interview and Giveaway with Cat Clarke

Author Interview, News and Fun, , , ,

Author Cat Clarke is here today to talk about what inspired her novel The Lost and the Found, a story about a girl abducted as a child who returns home thirteen years later. Stick around for the interview and then enter the giveaway for a chance to win one of three copies of The Lost and the Found. To start us off, here’s some more about the story:

The Lost and the Found
Cat Clarke
Crown Books for Young Readers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

LOST.

When six-year-old Laurel Logan was abducted, the only witness was her younger sister. Faith’s childhood was dominated by Laurel’s disappearance – from her parents’ broken marriage and the constant media attention to dealing with so-called friends who only ever wanted to talk about her sister.

FOUND.

Thirteen years later, a young woman is found in the garden of the Logans’ old house, disorientated and clutching the teddy bear Laurel was last seen with. Laurel is home at last, safe and sound. Faith always dreamed of getting her sister back, without ever truly believing it would happen. But a disturbing series of events leaves Faith increasingly isolated and paranoid, and before long she begins to wonder if everything that’s lost can be found again…

Author Interview with Cat Clarke

Was there a particular case or event that inspired you to write The Lost and the Found?

The inspiration for The Lost and the Found actually came from a documentary. Unfortunately I can’t tell you the name of it as it would be a little spoiler-y! It was more of a jumping off point, really – the book isn’t based on the same case that was explored in the documentary. The subject of missing children is one that’s interested me for a long time, particularly in relation to the siblings who are left behind, and how it impacts on their childhood.

Totally understand. No spoilers allowed! Writing about the sibling perspective definitely intrigues me. Do you have a favorite character in the story? Were there things about him or her which couldn’t be included in The Lost and the Found?

I do! Michel is my absolute favourite. He is my main character’s confidante and (sort of) step-father. He’s a French veterinarian, who likes to bake and has a cat called Tonks. There’s so much more I would have liked to have included about Michel – I could probably write a whole novel about him! But I had to rein in my desire to write more about him, and just keep to what was relevant to Faith’s story.

He sounds like an incredibly fun character. Also, I have to say you have the best cat names ever, even in imaginary cats! That’s fantastic. Is there a scene or moment in your novel that really sticks with you? Can you tell us a little bit about it?

I tend to forget almost everything about my books as soon as I finish editing them. I actually have to refer back to them when I get asked even fairly basic questions! Still, there’s one section of The Lost and the Found that has stuck with me: the last couple of paragraphs. And that’s not just because of the huge (HUGE!) relief at reaching the end of the story… honestly. 🙂 It’s because I hadn’t exactly planned how the very end was going to play out, and while I was writing it, I was hit with this devastating idea that made me think differently about the whole story. So of course I went ahead and added it, and it felt like exactly the right ending for Faith’s story. It’s the kind of thing I could never plan – I just had to write my way slowly towards it, if that makes sense!

It does make sense, and it’s awesome. I think that’s my favorite part of the novel-process– all the things discovered in the writing of it. The Lost and the Found reminds me a little bit of Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride, in which a girl returns home after having been kidnapped, and her former best friend tries to reconnect with her. It also sounds like you’ve taken your novel in a different direction. Can you talk a little about what makes this story different than some of the others? (I’m thinking The Face on the Milk Carton or The Deep End of the Ocean, that sort of thing?)

This is tricky, because I haven’t read these books – but now I’m going to! When I had the idea for The Lost and the Found I deliberately avoided any fiction that might have any slight similarities. I immersed myself in non-fiction instead. I find it hard to read any type of fiction when I’m writing. Writers often worry when they realize there are other books out there on the same subject matter as theirs, but the truth is that there are no truly new ideas – just different ways of exploring them.

Ha! Sorry about that. It makes sense to avoid books with similar themes. I’ll be curious to read and compare for myself, too. What do you most hope that readers take away from The Lost and the Found?

My primary goal is always to tell a story, and to do justice to that story. If readers take something from it, that’s wonderful, but I try to steer clear of having some sort of message I want to get across. I’m always delighted to get emails from readers telling me their thoughts on my books. They are usually far more insightful than I am!
What is one question about your novel you are often asked by readers?
It’s a question about the ending of Undone, and I get asked A LOT. It’s basically ‘WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?!’ and I always feel guilty that I can’t provide a better answer than ‘I guess that’s up to you!’ It’s one of the things I love most about fiction – that characters can live on in your head long after you’ve turned the final page.

About Cat Clarke

Web Site | Twitter

Cat was born in Zambia and brought up in Edinburgh and Yorkshire, which has given her an accent that tends to confuse people.

Cat has written non-fiction books about exciting things like cowboys, sharks and pirates, and now writes YA novels. She lives in Edinburgh with a couple of cats, Jem and Scout, who spend their days plotting to spit up furballs at the most inconvenient times. She likes cheese A LOT, especially baked camembert.

Enter to Win a Copy of The Lost and the Found by Cat Clarke (US Only)

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Check out the Other Stops on the Tour

Week 1:
9/12: Such A Novel Idea – Review
9/13: The Story Sanctuary – Q&A (you are here!)
9/14: Avid Reader – Review
9/15: Who RU Blog – Novel Secrets
9/16: Novel Ink – Review

Week 2:
9/19: Here’s the Happy Endings – Guest Post
9/20: Blue Books and Butterflies – Review
9/21: Take Me Away to a Great Read – Mood Board
9/22: Quest Reviews – Review
9/23: Curling Up With A Good Book – Top 10

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Review: Melissa by Alex Gino

Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

Melissa (previously published as George)
Alex Gino
Scholastic Press
Published August 25, 2015

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Melissa

BE WHO YOU ARE.

When people look at Melissa, they think they see a boy named George. But she knows she’s not a boy. She knows she’s a girl.

Melissa thinks she’ll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be CHARLOTTE’S WEB. Melissa really, really, really wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can’t even try out for the part… because she’s a boy.

With the help of her best friend, Kelly, Melissa comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte — but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.

My Review

One of the things that struck me about this book was how, from the very first moment of the story, Melissa’s identity wasn’t a question. She wasn’t gathering and analyzing her feelings to try to figure out what they were or what they meant. She’d already processed and concluded: the problem was she was a girl everyone saw as a boy.

I think I expected or wanted to see more of what her process looked like for arriving at that realization, but this story isn’t really about how she got there. It’s about her right to her identity and to be known as she truly is.

A story like this is important for a lot of reasons. First, obviously, young readers sharing the experience that the main character in this book has deserve to see themselves on the page as the hero of a story. They deserve the model of a supportive parent who doesn’t have all the answers, but loves her child no matter what, and is determined to be on her side, even if the journey is different than she might have expected.

Another reason is that many people, myself included, don’t know what this experience is like for someone. A story like this gives an opportunity to see what life looks like from inside this experience. To stand in a young transgender girl’s shoes for a bit.

MELISSA should inspire our empathy. It should inspire us to listen. To withhold judgment and hear what someone we love is saying to us. To remember the courage it takes to own who we are, and to speak up when someone else has it wrong, especially when it’s the people we love most.

Conclusion

One of the great things about this story is that it allows us to open a dialogue with our kids. How do we treat someone who is transgender? MELISSA invites readers into the discussion about how to talk to or about someone who is transgender. What does it look like to be a supportive friend? What does it look like to be a supportive teacher or administrator? A supportive parent?

I loved the writing in this book and the way the author used CHARLOTTE’S WEB in the novel. The way Melissa’s connection to Charlotte became such a powerful motivator was really cool. The character relationships felt very organic and really moved me. Honestly? I cried when the principal told Melissa that her door was always open. That message and that gentle support is something we all need as we wrestle with hard things. To have a trusted adult look into your face and say, in effect, “I see you, and it’s okay.” Wow. I tear up even now writing about it.

Content Notes

Representation
Melissa is a fourth grade student who struggles to tell her family that she is a transgender girl. She’s certain about her identity, but the news comes as a shock to some around her.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
This isn’t really sexual content in a romantic sense, but I wanted to specify some notes for clarity.

Melissa hides in the bathroom with magazines meant for preteen girls. Her brother comments that she must be in there with a dirty magazine. She’s grossed out by the idea.

At one point, Melissa borrows clothes from a friend and exchanges her boy clothes for panties, a skirt and a pretty tank top. Melissa visits public bathrooms, but hates using the boys’ bathroom at school. The day she wears her friend’s clothes, she uses the girls’ bathroom and feels much more comfortable.

As Melissa wrestles to help her family understand who she is, at one point her brother asks if she’s gay. Melissa responds that no, she isn’t gay, and that being transgender is a completely different thing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links which do not cost you anything to use but help to generate support for this blog.

Updated December 16, 2022 to reflect the current title of the book.

Review: Pax by Sarah Pennypacker

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , ,

Pax
Sara Pennypacker
Illustrated by Jon Klassen
Balzer + Bray

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

From Goodreads

Pax was only a kit when his family was killed, and “his boy” Peter rescued him from abandonment and certain death. Now the war front approaches, and when Peter’s father enlists, Peter has to move in with his grandpa. Far worse than being forced to leave home is the fact that Pax can’t go. Peter listens to his stern father—as he usually does—and throws Pax’s favorite toy soldier into the woods. When the fox runs to retrieve it, Peter and his dad get back in the car and leave him there—alone. But before Peter makes it through even one night under his grandfather’s roof, regret and duty spur him to action; he packs for a trek to get his best friend back and sneaks into the night. This is the story of Peter, Pax, and their independent struggles to return to one another against all odds. Told from the alternating viewpoints of Peter and Pax.

My Review

This book, to me, was like Disney’s The Fox and the Hound meets John Boyne’s Stay Where You Are and Then Leave. Well, it was all the things I loved about those stories. Pax was the cutest thing ever, and my heart totally broke for him as he got left behind. I loved Peter, too, for his devotion and loyalty to his fox. I wasn’t totally sure about Vola at first. I sort of expected her to be a brief presence in the story, but she stayed around, and actually, I came to love her, too. There’s one moment where she places her hands on Peter’s head, and it’s this really tender gesture, especially since Peter has been so starved for affection since his mom’s death. I totally bawled. It’s so sweet.

The illustrations also added a lot to the story. I loved the style of the drawings. It made me really want to give the book as a gift for Christmas. And I just might do that!

Some of the descriptions of war are a bit harsh, so this story definitely has some grit to it. In some ways, that only strengthened the power of the other themes about love and the value of a life, any life. If you liked Be Light Like a Bird by Monika Schröder, you will want to check this one out.

Cultural Elements
Vola describes herself as part Creole, part Italian among other things. Peter describes her as someone who used to speak another language that sounded like a song.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Vola swears, saying “dyeableman.” At one we’re told Peter swears. (What he actually says doesn’t appear.)

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Peter describes his connection with Pax as feeling a mental or spiritual connection. Vola tells him about the Buddhist concept of oneness—“two but not two.”

Violent Content
Land mines explode, killing and injuring animals. Vola lost her leg in a similar explosion. Pax learns to hunt and kill prey. He and the other foxes eat mice, etc.

Drug Content
None.

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Dusty Crabtree’s Top Ten Book Quotes

Young Adult/Teen 12-18

Author Dusty Crabtree joins me today to talk about her paranormal young adult novel Shadow Eyes. Here are her top ten favorite quotes from the book. Stick around for more about Shadow Eyes and enter the giveaway for a free $50 Amazon gift card!

Dusty Crabtree’s Top Ten Favorite Quotes from Shadow Eyes

10. Sometimes the shadows’ influences had such minor ramifications. Others…let’s just say that wasn’t the worst thing I’d seen a person do when prompted by a shadow.

9. Bursts of glimmering, bright light flashed through waves of murky darkness in an ever-moving, ever-changing, and never-ending battle of good and evil.

8. I decided on a wave goodbye, but outstretched my hand more forward than sideways, which he mistook as a move to hold hands. When he took my hand and then realized that wasn’t what I had intended, we both felt awkward and tried to cover it up with an even more awkward hug, hands still clasped between us. All we needed to do was pound each other’s backs with our fists and we’d be frat brothers.

7. He glanced back to check my reaction and found me gaping and unable to move. As he began working on his project, a devious grin played on his face as if he knew I was nothing but a mere marionette easily manipulated by the slightest twitch of his master fingertips and that I was his favorite puppet to play with.

6. …the second shadow tilted its head back and opened the dark abyss of its mouth. What came out was the most horrible noise I had ever heard. It sounded like the echoing cackle of a demon drowning in a deep well. As piercing as nails on a chalkboard yet as murky and surreal as a nightmare.

5. It was as if his green eyes were my kryptonite, making all my defensive powers of wit and sarcasm useless. I was exposed and vulnerable. But for some reason, with Patrick…I liked it.

4. “Well, yeah. Since you have a boyfriend, nothing I say or do to you is meant to have any deeper meaning than harmless flirting.” He softened his voice as he leaned in closer to me and began tracing his finger from my hand up my arm to my shoulder. “Now, if you didn’t have a boyfriend…well, let’s just say, you could read as deeply into my actions as you wanted to.”

3. Suddenly, a gush of black water poured from the back seat over my shoulder and into my lap. I barely had time to let out a gasp of surprise before it circled rapidly around my body in a thick spiral, tightening its grip as it climbed up to my face. Within seconds I was smothered, consumed, oppressed, and overcome.

2. With his eyes still fixed in our direction, he continued to flaunt how much he enjoyed her agony. How much he savored the ecstasy of twisting himself around her wrists and lapping up her blood. **

1. I closed my eyes and slowly raised my hand to my forehead. I didn’t have to be completely lucid to recognize that our wreck of a situation had just escalated from a mild concussion to being thrown through the windshield of the car.

About Shadow Eyes by Dusty Crabtree

Amazon | Smashwords | Goodreads

Iris thought she could ignore the shadows…until they came after everyone she loved.

Seventeen-year-old Iris Kohl has been able to see both dark and light figures ever since a tragic incident three years ago. The problem is, no one else seems to see them, and even worse…the dark figures terrorize humans, but Iris is powerless to stop them.

Although she’s learned to deal with watching shadows harass everyone around her, Iris is soon forced to question everything she thinks she knows about her world and herself. Her sanity, strength, and will power are tested to the limits by not only the shadows, but also a handsome new teacher whose presence scares away shadows, a new friend with an awe-inspiriting aura, and a mysterious, alluring new student whom Iris has a hard time resisting despite already having a boyfriend. As the shadows invade and terrorize her own life and family, Iris must ultimately accept the guidance of an angel to revisit the most horrific event of her life and become the hero she was meant to be.

About Author Dusty Crabtree

Dusty’s Web Site | Facebook | Twitter

Dusty Crabtree loves a good story, but she also loves young people. These two loves are evident in all parts of her life. She has been a high school English teacher since 2006 and a creative writing teacher since 2014. She’s also been a youth sponsor at her local church for as long as she’s been teaching. She feels very blessed with the amazing opportunities she has to develop meaningful relationships with teens on a daily basis. With her love of reading in the mix, becoming an author of young adult books was just a natural development of those two passions in her life. She lives with her husband, Clayton, in Yukon, Oklahoma, where they often serve their community as foster parents.

Enter the Giveaway for a Chance to Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card

Visit the Other Stops on the Tour

August 21st – Kick off the tour on Dusty’s Blog

August 22nd – Sharon Ledwith (5 truths and 3 lies)

August 23rd – Tana Rae Reads (Review)

August 25th – Sara Daniel (Character interview with Patrick)

August 26th – Laurel Leaves (Small pub to self-pub)

August 27th – Fang Freakintastic Reviews (The creep factor in Shadow Eyes)

August 29th – The Minding Spot (Review)

August 31st – Suite T (New and Improved Shadow Eyes)

September 2nd – Carrie K’s Book Reviews (Review)

September 4th – Eleni’s Taverna (Iris, the Unlikely Hero)

September 6th – Clarissa Johal (My Dream Cast)

September 8th – The Story Sanctuary – You are here!

September 10th – Finish the tour on Dusty’s Blog.

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Review: The Cat King of Havana by Tom Crosshill

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

The Cat King of Havana
Tom Crosshill
Katherine Tegen Books

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Tired of his geeky reputation as “that cat guy” for his successful Lolcat site, Rick decides it’s time to get out from behind the computer and live a little. After meeting a beautiful girl who dances a mean salsa, Rick decides to take dance lessons. The lessons don’t go as smoothly as Rick had hoped. In fact, he’s terrible. But that doesn’t stop him from dancing or from pursuing Ana. When an opportunity comes for him to make a trip to Havana to reconnect with his heritage and learn about his mom, Rick leaps at the chance and brings Ana along with him. But Cuba isn’t all beaches and fun. The longer they stay, the more Rick and Ana witness the struggle of the people under strict government rules. When Rick dares to defy the Cuban government to help a friend, he learns that some sacrifices come with costs to more than himself, and sometimes the price of principles proves too high to pay.

Rick is a true underdog. If you’re looking for the traditional Dirty Dancing type story where the inexperienced dancer suddenly blossoms into an expert just as the romance swells to crescendo, be warned: this isn’t that kind of story. In fact, it’s better. I loved that Rick struggled and worked to gain any competency at dance. It felt real, and a lot of times added moments of humor and insight. I like that his relationship with Ana doesn’t follow a simple romantic path. It made for another fresh element to The Cat King of Havana.

The parts of the story set in Havana definitely made me want to travel, but more than that, they made me think about the Cuban people. I felt like Rick’s journey brought me along with him from tourist to something more in a way that few stories have done for me before.

I found it interesting that instead of taking the usual rebel-slash-principles-mean-everything approach, Crosshill explores a slightly different angle. When Rick breaks rules, he realizes that it’s not only himself, but his family who would bear the consequences. He might be able to hop on a flight to New York with a clear conscience, but he’d be leaving his aunt and cousins behind to pay a high price for his actions. He wrestles long and hard over what to do. I really appreciated that about him. In fact, the one moment of the story that really irritated me is when Ana tells Rick that he’s not a nice guy. And the truth is, he does make some choices that he later reflects on as being bad decisions, but at his core, Rick really is a good guy who cares about the people around him very deeply. I loved that about him. I think he needed to be that way in order for me to truly understand and respect the decisions he made to protect his family.

Overall, I enjoyed The Cat King of Havana quite a bit. Dance fans and fans of stories with overseas settings should definitely give this one a read. In some ways it reminded me a little bit of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, though this story is cleaner and doesn’t dive quite as far into politics as Oscar Wao does.

Cultural Elements
Rick’s mother was Cuban and his father is German. Rick returns to Cuba to reconnect with his mom’s family. With him goes Ana Cabrera, a Puerto Rican girl and Rick’s salsa dance partner. Rick’s best friend is gay, but his experience doesn’t play a large role in the story.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Most of the swearing and crude language is in Spanish. There are only a few curses in English. The Spanish profanity occurs with moderate frequency.

Romance/Sexual Content
Rick’s cousin Yosvany has loads of suggestions on how to get Rick a girl. Most of his advice is in Spanish, and Rick warns against looking up a translation because it’s usually pretty dirty. Yosvany believes in saying whatever’s necessary to get a girl into his bed. Rick experiments with a few of Yosvany’s more romantic suggestions, but ultimately finds lying is not to his taste.

Rick has sex with a girl—no details of the event itself other than that it didn’t last long. He describes losing his virginity as feeling a weight lifted that he didn’t realize he was carrying. He’s definitely felt a lot of pressure to achieve that goal, and he’s not entirely happy about how it all happened, in part because of his own behavior.

Rick witnesses another couple kissing and feels uncomfortable about it.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Rick watches a video taken by a witness to a girl’s kidnapping.

Drug Content
Beer and cocktails are served at some of the clubs Rick visits. He and his friends drink alcohol at places that don’t ask for ID.

Ana’s father is an alcoholic. Her parents separated for a time, but now her mom has let her dad move back in, and Ana worries about what he will do. When one of Rick and Ana’s dance teachers shows up for class drunk, she becomes furious and refuses to dance for him anymore.

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