As I write this review, I listen to the organ grinder outside, his monkey, no doubt, perched on his humpback. The government could take care of that bAs I write this review, I listen to the organ grinder outside, his monkey, no doubt, perched on his humpback. The government could take care of that back, of course, and give him a spine. No, not the kind of spine Congressmen need, the actual vertebrae. The G men are in the business. Organs R Us. Which can only mean the black market isn't far behind. You know. Freelancers. Rock chalk chop shops.
This is the sequel to Unwind, which introduced us to the concept of misbehaving teens getting their comeuppance via stormtroopers visiting in the dead (heh) of night. All the thugs need is the signature of Mommy and Daddy -- parents who just don't know what to do with their out-of-control, drug-taking, hard-drinking, utterly-defiant child. From there the 12-18 year-olds are farmed out to processing plants where they are harvested, such that their eyes could wind up in Tallahassee, their lungs in Seattle, their heart in San Francisco (sorry), their kidneys in Corpus Christi (I'll stop, I promise), and their liver in Poughkeepsie.
Variation on a Theme of Vampires, call it. Older, weaker, diseased vampires who suck the bloodlife out of the young and healthy. Age preys on youth, assisted by Uncle Sam. Remember "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" and the quest for eternal youth? What of the Fountain of Youth? The precedents are out there, certainly. "Oh, if I knew then what I know now" and "Youth is wasted on the young." No more.
But I digress. With UnWholly, Shusterman shows his screenwriting chops. This is cinema waiting to happen. And he's upped his game. A lot of irons in the fire. We have the returning stars from Round #1: Connor, the leader of the Graveyard hideout in the Arizona desert; Risa, his wheelchair-bound would-be lover who worries about him; Hayden, the computer guru in charge of defense; Trace, the muscle (here, very Frenchily, called "boeuf") of the outfit; and Lev, the little tithe that could.
Oh. And a returning bad guy -- Nelson, a former Juvie cop humiliated in the Happy Jack Harvest Camp climax of book one, here to seek revenge in the worst possible way as a freelance body parts guy. His number one objective is rebel number one: Connor. And his number one "vengeance is mine, saith the Lord" goal: to have Connor's eyes as his own after the Akron AWOL is captured and unwound.
Lovely.
We also get a new bad boy named Starkey, cut in the same mold as Roland, the lost teen villain of book one (though his arm remains -- attached to Connor... don't ask).
And little Miracolina, the tithe who doesn't want to be saved.
And Roberta, the bitch on wheels who works for the Proactive Citizenry arm (probably some teen athlete's) of the Feds.
And, my favorite, Cam (a.k.a. Camus Comprix), an echo of Frankenstein's monster (Roberta in the role of good doctor and handler). Cam is the first creature ever stitched from multiple unwinds, the best and the brightest and the strongest. He wasn't a person to begin with, someone in need of a part or two, he is the sum of other kids' parts -- every blessed (or cursed) square inch of him. Buff and Brains, call him. And he's in love with a girl named Risa (but of course).
If your wheels are turning just thinking about all of this, so were Shusterman's. He's got threats from the inside (Starkey), from the outside (Nelson), from the government (Juvie Stormtroopers), from the Proactive Citizenry bureaucrats-gone-wild (Roberta), and maybe, just maybe, from this new Superman... er, SuperTHING (Camus Comprix). Meanwhile he's got the subplot of Miracolina, the Little Unwind Who Wouldn't (cooperate with her rescuers). All told, we have loose cannons, looser snipers, and loosest armies ready to storm the Arizona hideout at the drop of a code word ("Pancreas," maybe). What a glorious mess.
And it's not over, either. It doesn't even pretend to be. Book #3 is in the pipelines. UnWholly is clearly unwhole and incomplete. So cool your jets, readers. There's more where this came from.
Overall, lots of fun and sure to intrigue young readers in middle and high school alike. Remarkably clean. Some violence, of course, but no propane language (an abundant gas in YA fare these days) or hanky-panky to speak of. My one-star objection is Shusterman's heavy use of that YA stock character, Coincidence. He's all over the place, bringing characters together in one "Are you serious?" surprise after another. I don't mind a little, but really, in a great big country like ours, it's amazing how quickly a central set of antagonists stumble upon each other. And to have one part of Cam be an unwind who pined for Risa... well, that's just straight out of "Who'd of thunk it?" now, isn't it?
That said, high marks all around. This is better than your average YA bear. And the character of Cam is a fascinating one. As an echo of Frankenstein's beast, he is both reprehensible and sympathetic, poster child for scientific hubris and Adamic cause for compassion. A victim with all the advantages the rest of us would love to be saddled with -- a perfect body and a perfect brain. And finally, raison d'être for Book #3, the last (one hopes).
Anyway, such were my thoughts as the organ grinder played on in the street below my window....
Merged review:
As I write this review, I listen to the organ grinder outside, his monkey, no doubt, perched on his humpback. The government could take care of that back, of course, and give him a spine. No, not the kind of spine Congressmen need, the actual vertebrae. The G men are in the business. Organs R Us. Which can only mean the black market isn't far behind. You know. Freelancers. Rock chalk chop shops.
This is the sequel to Unwind, which introduced us to the concept of misbehaving teens getting their comeuppance via stormtroopers visiting in the dead (heh) of night. All the thugs need is the signature of Mommy and Daddy -- parents who just don't know what to do with their out-of-control, drug-taking, hard-drinking, utterly-defiant child. From there the 12-18 year-olds are farmed out to processing plants where they are harvested, such that their eyes could wind up in Tallahassee, their lungs in Seattle, their heart in San Francisco (sorry), their kidneys in Corpus Christi (I'll stop, I promise), and their liver in Poughkeepsie.
Variation on a Theme of Vampires, call it. Older, weaker, diseased vampires who suck the bloodlife out of the young and healthy. Age preys on youth, assisted by Uncle Sam. Remember "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" and the quest for eternal youth? What of the Fountain of Youth? The precedents are out there, certainly. "Oh, if I knew then what I know now" and "Youth is wasted on the young." No more.
But I digress. With UnWholly, Shusterman shows his screenwriting chops. This is cinema waiting to happen. And he's upped his game. A lot of irons in the fire. We have the returning stars from Round #1: Connor, the leader of the Graveyard hideout in the Arizona desert; Risa, his wheelchair-bound would-be lover who worries about him; Hayden, the computer guru in charge of defense; Trace, the muscle (here, very Frenchily, called "boeuf") of the outfit; and Lev, the little tithe that could.
Oh. And a returning bad guy -- Nelson, a former Juvie cop humiliated in the Happy Jack Harvest Camp climax of book one, here to seek revenge in the worst possible way as a freelance body parts guy. His number one objective is rebel number one: Connor. And his number one "vengeance is mine, saith the Lord" goal: to have Connor's eyes as his own after the Akron AWOL is captured and unwound.
Lovely.
We also get a new bad boy named Starkey, cut in the same mold as Roland, the lost teen villain of book one (though his arm remains -- attached to Connor... don't ask).
And little Miracolina, the tithe who doesn't want to be saved.
And Roberta, the bitch on wheels who works for the Proactive Citizenry arm (probably some teen athlete's) of the Feds.
And, my favorite, Cam (a.k.a. Camus Comprix), an echo of Frankenstein's monster (Roberta in the role of good doctor and handler). Cam is the first creature ever stitched from multiple unwinds, the best and the brightest and the strongest. He wasn't a person to begin with, someone in need of a part or two, he is the sum of other kids' parts -- every blessed (or cursed) square inch of him. Buff and Brains, call him. And he's in love with a girl named Risa (but of course).
If your wheels are turning just thinking about all of this, so were Shusterman's. He's got threats from the inside (Starkey), from the outside (Nelson), from the government (Juvie Stormtroopers), from the Proactive Citizenry bureaucrats-gone-wild (Roberta), and maybe, just maybe, from this new Superman... er, SuperTHING (Camus Comprix). Meanwhile he's got the subplot of Miracolina, the Little Unwind Who Wouldn't (cooperate with her rescuers). All told, we have loose cannons, looser snipers, and loosest armies ready to storm the Arizona hideout at the drop of a code word ("Pancreas," maybe). What a glorious mess.
And it's not over, either. It doesn't even pretend to be. Book #3 is in the pipelines. UnWholly is clearly unwhole and incomplete. So cool your jets, readers. There's more where this came from.
Overall, lots of fun and sure to intrigue young readers in middle and high school alike. Remarkably clean. Some violence, of course, but no propane language (an abundant gas in YA fare these days) or hanky-panky to speak of. My one-star objection is Shusterman's heavy use of that YA stock character, Coincidence. He's all over the place, bringing characters together in one "Are you serious?" surprise after another. I don't mind a little, but really, in a great big country like ours, it's amazing how quickly a central set of antagonists stumble upon each other. And to have one part of Cam be an unwind who pined for Risa... well, that's just straight out of "Who'd of thunk it?" now, isn't it?
That said, high marks all around. This is better than your average YA bear. And the character of Cam is a fascinating one. As an echo of Frankenstein's beast, he is both reprehensible and sympathetic, poster child for scientific hubris and Adamic cause for compassion. A victim with all the advantages the rest of us would love to be saddled with -- a perfect body and a perfect brain. And finally, raison d'être for Book #3, the last (one hopes).
Anyway, such were my thoughts as the organ grinder played on in the street below my window.......more
This is one of those YA books that more adults than "YA's" will embrace. Why? Not much on plot, the lifeblood of popular YA fare. It's aces on writingThis is one of those YA books that more adults than "YA's" will embrace. Why? Not much on plot, the lifeblood of popular YA fare. It's aces on writing style and characterization, though, and it's what they call "sweet" in that the characters are so nice you want to believe they exist. And although it walks the property line of Hallmark Channel Lit., it never quite crosses it, for which we are grateful.
Let's start with a positive. As a writer, Zentner's all in with imagery. Here's a sampling of his writing style:
"I lie back on the sun-warm log. There are days when your heart is so filled with this world's beauty, it feels like holding too much of something in your hand. Days that taste like wild honey. This is one of them.
"When you grow up with ugliness and corruption, you surrender to beauty whenever and wherever you find it. You let it save you, if only for the time it take for a snowflake to melt on your tongue or for the sun to sink below the horizon to a wildfire of clouds. No matter what else might be troubling your mind."
And this:
"She rejoins us, her russet hair damp on her shoulders like autumn leaves stuck to a window after rain, smelling like fake Granny Smith apples and Ivory soap...
"It begins sprinkling, the muted notes sounding like someone trying to slowly and secretly open a plastic bag in a room full of sleeping people. The air grows dense with the shimmering perfume of rain, dewy honey suckle, and mown grass."
Bogs a bit in the middle and the ending's predictable, but still, did I mention how sweet and all-American these kids are? You'll want to adopt them -- and their poetry teacher practically does (I guess you can get away with this in private schools, but have my doubts).
Speaking of, the protagonist, an east Tennessee kid named Cash (yes, yes -- after Johnny) who doesn't know he's in love with his best friend, the scientifically brilliant Delaney, becomes a poet himself along the long and winding way. Props to Zentner for giving air-starved poetry some life, then! And for letting the twosome go to a private school in Connecticut without any Connecticut stereotypes. (Zentner's only mess-up is referring to a "New England accent," as if such a single thing exists.)
Anyhoo, long time no YA. It's good to get one in among all the other books....more
"Mrs. Miller says I have 'lost the plot,' and am now just making lists of things that happened to fill space. But I replied that she is beholden to a "Mrs. Miller says I have 'lost the plot,' and am now just making lists of things that happened to fill space. But I replied that she is beholden to a Western mode of storytelling that I do not accept and that the 1,001 Nights are basically Scheherazade stalling for time, so I don't see the difference.
"She laughed when I said this.
"It was one of those genuine laughs you get and for a second you see the person they are when they're not a teacher. Like the same laugh she might have at a movie or something. She said, 'That was a wonderful use of beholden.'
"And I said, 'Thank you.'"
This exchange between 12-year-old-Iranian-refugee-turned-American-citizen (in Oklahoma, yet!) Khosrou and his teacher on p. 300 of a 351 page book about says it all. There are definite YA tropes here, most noticeably the hero getting teased / bullied / taunted / beat up / questioned as an outsider. That and lots of talk about poop (always a winner in YA books).
What sets it apart is the way it echoes the 1,001 Nights and really lacks much of a plot. Instead, we get lots of characterization through storytelling -- about Khosrou's great, great grandparents, great grandparents, grandparents, Mom and Dad, step-dad, sister, friends, enemies (as you'd expect), but also about heroes from Persian literature.
There's even a six-page stretch where the Shiite-Sunni split is explained in kid-friendly terms, something I'd share with my students if I still taught world religions, including the Islam unit.
Rating it is tough, though. It's good, it's entertaining, it has elements that might intrigue young readers, but the loosely interconnected stories and anecdotes (and lack of plot) might lose more than one young reader, making it one of those YA's that might appeal more to adult readers of YA than to the young adults themselves. At least ones that are reluctant readers.
That said, if you have students who are immigrants and / or ESL students well enough along to read full-blown YA books, by all means hand them a copy. They'll surely empathize with Khosrou's long and difficult journey -- not to mention his pride in his heritage....more
This saintly book was placed on the National Book Award short list (Young Adult Division), so I figured I'd dive back into the YA pool's deep end a biThis saintly book was placed on the National Book Award short list (Young Adult Division), so I figured I'd dive back into the YA pool's deep end a bit.
What I like best about it? The angle. Author Randy Ribay was born in the Philippines (all together now: "one l, two p's") and grew up in the Midwest. Protagonist Jay Reguero, too, was born in the Philippines and is growing up in the Midwest. The novel is bookended by the Midwest, but the heart and soul takes place in the Philippines.
Why is that an angle? How many YAs have you read that take place in dreary suburbia in the dreary USA with a heavy emphasis on life in a dreary middle or high school? Right. That many. HERE you'll learn some basic Tagalog, along with some Filipino culture in the form of traditions and foods.
Best of all, it plunges into politics, as young man Jay flies to the islands of his birth to investigate the untimely death of his cousin, Jun. Seems Jun was executed by Duterte's anti-drug squads. Seems they have a free hand in doing that sort of thing. But Jun doesn't seem the type, and Jun's own father is a deputy in a police department, so Jay has got to know.
There's your driver: Got. To. Know. And so, a plot book, bascally. But you meet some interesting people along the way, too, and learn some interesting things. What's more? No Ugly Americans. (Well, maybe a few of Jay's friends back home, but other than that...)....more
Heartwarming (hold the cinnamon sticks) fare to finish on the Eve. Yeah, some dark issues to grow up with, having a mom with a drug addiction and an aHeartwarming (hold the cinnamon sticks) fare to finish on the Eve. Yeah, some dark issues to grow up with, having a mom with a drug addiction and an absent father, but the grandparents, Joe and Shirl, steal the show. Shirley is especially hysterical, even if she does smoke and drink too much.
Which, oddly, sends me back. When I was a kid growing up like Jarrett, most every parent smoke and drank too much. But they worked hard, too, most of them. And knew right from wrong. And loved you without smothering you with all that 21st century chopper-wing wind.
In that sense, nostalgia, too. Great story, enjoyable art. If you don't feel like reading the book, you can get the gist from Jarrett's TED talk. Just Duckduckgo his name along with TED Talk and pull up a seat for 18 minutes. Worcester pride, baby! Worcester pride!...more
I read Green mostly because the setting was Boston in the 1990s. Didn't realize it was YA until I had it in my hands. It's another study on race (whicI read Green mostly because the setting was Boston in the 1990s. Didn't realize it was YA until I had it in my hands. It's another study on race (which have flourished under the Trump regime and because of it), with a white protagonist, David Greenfield (a.k.a. "Green") and his black best bud, Marlon Wellings (a.k.a. "Mar").
The conceit is that Green's parents, as former hippies and do-gooders and liberal sorts, send their son Dave to a 99% black middle school called King (as in "MLK, Jr."). It doesn't go well, but at least Dave gets friendship out of it with the hard-studying Celtics fanatic, Mar.
This book is a mixed bag if ever there was one. Where to begin. How about with the slanguage? The novel could easily have come with a glossary in the back for the lingo used by these boys. Some were recognizable (the lamentable "crib" for one's home, for instance). But most were not. "Roll" means laugh (where I come from, it meant to mug someone); "wack" means awful; "boys" means best friends; "shorties" are girls; "to rock" means to wear something cool; "fronting" means lying. And so on. The other one I knew about was "to feel someone" which has nothing to do with physical touch and everything to do with personal sympathy, only I thought that expression came way after 1992. Who's to say?
One other thing that hit like a brick was a snow-day scene where the boys are hoping Boston gets called. They listen to the radio and hear all these other towns but not Boston before Boston finally calls. Never happen. Boston and the cities are always first to call a snow day. Can't believe 26 years has changed THAT.
Final clanger: These boys are 6th grade. Say, what? All the action sounds like high school, with all the required-by-law high school YA scenes like school fights and drinking parties and even a go at clumsy sex. Sixth grade? Just read it as if they're sophomores and it will make much more sense.
All that said, there's much to be admired about the two main characters and the way they are used to point out certain racial facts of life, especially in the City of Boston, which struggles mightily with race relations. The back-and-forth in this unusual friendship held up for at least 200 of the 300 pages. In the last third, it sagged a bit. Another book longer than it needed to be, turns out. Mar gets grumpy and distant, and though the reader knows why, Green stays green on the topic longer than he has a right to and the reader gets dragged along until the end.
Another bonus? If you like the Celtics. Lots of Reggie Lewis here, and even a little Len Bias. Curse of the Celtics vs. the Bambino. Brief cameo, only, for Fenway Park and baseball. No Bruins to speak of, and Patriots? What're those?
Overall, a mostly engaging debut book, despite a few "what the's...?" I 3.5 spin it up to a forgiving 4....more
This winner of the National Book Award is an old-school weepie bringing together three siblings who have been adopted (3.5 star lights, star brights.
This winner of the National Book Award is an old-school weepie bringing together three siblings who have been adopted (except for one still in foster care) by different families. The chapters rotate between each, beginning with Grace, a teenaged mom who just gave up a child herself to adoption (and the wheels spin inexorably).
She comes to know younger sister Maya, and eventually THEY come to know older brother Joaquin (different father, as he is part Mexican). Grace is being bullied in school because she had a child and thus, to the tormentors, is a "slut." Maya is the requisite (for YA these days) LGBT character with a rapier wit and a mouth that won't quit. Joaquin is the angry young man (cue Billy Joel).
All told, it gets a bit old as it heads for the high 300s. And it suffers two peculiar YA problems -- coincidences and "perfect" characters (often boyfriends--in this case, Grace's understanding and oh-so-sensitive bf Rafe whose humor looks too similar to Maya's, truth be told).
Enjoyable in its way. A bit bloated in its way. Talky in the typical way. And they all live happily ever after *sob*.......more
A remarkable achievement for a first novel--444 pages of knock-out dialogue and characterization, built around the controversy of a cop shooting a youA remarkable achievement for a first novel--444 pages of knock-out dialogue and characterization, built around the controversy of a cop shooting a young black man in front of the victim's friend, protagonist Starr Carter. Plenty of plot to go around, yes, but the dialogue is a wonder to read. Somehow it reminded me of the play (ALL dialogue) Raisin in the Sun, although the issues here are bigger than that.
Beyond the police shooting, there's also the issue of gang warfare and the toll it takes on black neighborhoods. Starr's dad, Maverick (Big Mav) is an ex-con who owns a business, so this sub-plot begins to gain on the main one as the book heads to its exciting stretch drive.
Plenty of side plots percolate, too--Starr's attendance at a fancy, mostly white school, her troubles with friends, her dating of a white kid, her stepsister, etc. But the driving force remains justice for Khalil, the victim in the shooting and the subject of a grand jury investigation.
If you're thinking classroom libraries, this is dicey in middle school, unless you have a "Mature" section for just such books. All kind of realism in the form of profanity, some violence, and a few sexual situations, is all....more
The more I read of YA, the less tolerant I get to the abuse of coincidence. Granted, teen readers are much more forgiving of such liberties, but I canThe more I read of YA, the less tolerant I get to the abuse of coincidence. Granted, teen readers are much more forgiving of such liberties, but I can't believe they all are. In the end, this book takes it to the extreme. I would provide Exhibits A, B, C, etc., but I know some people love this book and others want to read it, so it's spoilers under wraps for my objections.
At first I thought this was going to be a strong book. I liked Nelson's talent for metaphor and the characters, twin boy (gay) and girl (straight), seemed interesting, too. But after 100 pages (yes, another book that has stayed out much later than it has any right to), it started to grow old. I wondered about the editor's backbone, his or her ability to say to the author, "Here. These are scissors. Their cut is kind, and your book will be like a new person once the bloat is cut."
But, no. Of course not. On and on with the talk, with the angst, with the self-pity. And yes, even by edgy standards, this book pushes the envelope and wouldn't even hold up with a "M" for "Mature" in my middle school library. High school only, I'd say.
Realism, you ask? Don't come looking here. The book begs for the fantasy section. For one, many of Noah's (the boy's) observations are not really observations so much as second cousins twice-removed from magical realism. And for two, both Noah and sister Jude are given "yeah, right" heart-throbs to fall for -- guys with perfect bodies and perfect, sensitive, and beautiful personalities -- the stuff of a writer's fantasies, too good to be true and not from any world we know of, in other words.
That gets old, too, but I might be in the minority here. Maybe some young readers want nothing to do with the trials of teens who must deal with real flesh and blood characters with faults (who they can learn from). Maybe they just want complete escapes from reality because they can't (and still won't be able to) relate to the real world.
Skimmed a bit at the end, but I didn't miss much. There's that much to successfully jump over. Recommended to escapists with a high tolerance for repetition and self-pity. Otherwise steer clear....more
If Winger was a downward leaning 4, then I guess this is an upward leaning 3. Clearly Ryan Dean West is the kid author Andrew Smith wished he was -- aIf Winger was a downward leaning 4, then I guess this is an upward leaning 3. Clearly Ryan Dean West is the kid author Andrew Smith wished he was -- almost too perfect, in his imperfect way -- but that's an author's prerogative, and if I were writing a YA novel, I'd no doubt relive my high school years vicariously, too. If only.
As with Winger, the winning chemistry of characterization and voice carry the day here. It does lack a plot, though, and at 400 pages, it becomes noticeable. JDW is in mourning over the loss of his friend, Joey, from the previous book, and now he's depressed a bit and chased by this graphic (thanks to embedded comics) monster guy named NATE which, very Andrew Smith-like, stands for "Next Accidental Terrible Experience."
Oh. And he has an unlikely roommate. A 12-year-old, 3 years his junior (right) named Abernathy. A kid with all manner of quirks and phobias. Chiefly claustrophobia. And fear of being nude in front of other boys. And using the bathroom in front of other boys. And staying in a room with closed windows. But other than that, normal. Wears soccer jammies. Watches the Food Channel for cooking shows. And cooks, too.
The humor, especially thanks to the Odd Couple Redux here, is often sterling stuff, but alas you can only go so many hundred pages (say, two) running jokes about squirts, grubs, punks like The Abernathy. Even stones run out of blood, squeezed too often.
There are some minor subplots going on here, mostly about friends on the rugby team. As was true of the first book (and of another Smith book, Grasshopper Jungle), there's a few prominent gay (or bi-) characters rolling about. The purpose is heavily didactic, but I guess, as the audience is teen, he can't be faulted too much on that count.
Really it was the lack of a story. But still, I'm amazed at the mileage character got in this baby, and I read it readily enough. And even if RDW is too good to be true, we often suspend suspension bridges of disbelief for that very reason. We need some too good in a too evil world. Right?...more
As YA goes, this is a 5-star plot. It was written in 1962, apparently, and the new translation is coming on 25 August of 2015.
It's the story of a squiAs YA goes, this is a 5-star plot. It was written in 1962, apparently, and the new translation is coming on 25 August of 2015.
It's the story of a squire on the eve of becoming a knight who does NOT become a knight because he makes the fateful decision to answer a call for help. One thing leads to another, and before long, this kid is on a quest with unseen enemies all around him (but with unexpected friends as well).
It's sweet, actually. So old school it will remind you of the type of book about knighthood you could not put down as a kid. A simpler world of good and evil, don't you know. An antidote to the gray confusions in our time.
Memory Lane, anyone? I suspect reluctant readers and fans of all things medieval will love it. ...more
Well-written, above run-of-the-mill YA piece. A bit confusing with the number of friends and beboping around (chapter-wise), but overall, a satisfyingWell-written, above run-of-the-mill YA piece. A bit confusing with the number of friends and beboping around (chapter-wise), but overall, a satisfying, character-based read about middle school girls who agree to be friends forever (yeah, right) and give it the old middle-school try. Lots of friend drama, a sexting fiasco (though the book is tame and middle school safe), and even a mild romantic storyline. Occasionally, even a great line (writing-wise). Not much of a plot, but some forward progress. Second Rebecca Stead (When You Reach Me the first) read for me. Seems a dependable choice and, no doubt, this will be a best seller in the classroom library next year....more
2.5 stars. Shusterman uses pirate ship metaphors to try to describe a boy with a mental illness. Here the captain, the parrot, the crewmen, the naviga2.5 stars. Shusterman uses pirate ship metaphors to try to describe a boy with a mental illness. Here the captain, the parrot, the crewmen, the navigator, etc., all become doubles for real-life people working to make this boy better. This makes for a truly bizarre read, so if it's some semblance of plot you value, forget it at the get-go. Not sure how younger readers will take to this, especially if they enjoy plots and page-turners. This one stumbles along as the boy struggles with paranoia (among other things). If you hang in there, you can appreciate what Shusterman's about, but appreciation and enjoyment might diverge, depending on the readers.
I'm not sure how this book is getting such high ratings, esp. since I am convinced actual young adults would struggle with it and/or abandon it. One theory is that Shusterman, well known for his Unwind series etc., has a considerable adult fan base like, say, Neil Gaiman. These readers, devoted and more patient, might be more sympathetic to such experiments.
A good road book is 2% starting point, 3% destination, and 95% road. In Mosquitoland, David Arnold pretty much sticks to this recipe. Good thing. As BA good road book is 2% starting point, 3% destination, and 95% road. In Mosquitoland, David Arnold pretty much sticks to this recipe. Good thing. As Bilbo Baggins would be happy to tell you, it's all in the journey (you were expecting "wrist"?). And what a journey! This ARC is 342 pages, yet I downed it in two days. Maybe that's no big deal, but when you consider this is more a character book than a plot book, it becomes at least a largish one.
So, the protagonist. She's 16-year-old Mary Iris Malone, a.k.a. Mim, and she's different. Unique. Precocious. True, naysayers might rightfully complain, "No 16-year-old girl talks and thinks like this -- like her 40-something-year-old author, I mean," but you need to get over that ipso fasto (Latin for "in a mosquito moment") or else.
OK. Done. And then there are some other bits that stretch the old suspension bridge of disbelief a bit. For instance, when Mim runs away in search of real mom (leaving behind Dad and unreal stepmom), she's considered a missing child -- one who will eventually see fliers of herself. But wait. She's also carrying her cellphone. Do the letters G, P, and S mean nothing these days?
All that said, it's hard to put the book down (literally or figuratively). Mim is funny, witty, full of allusions, quirky as all get-out, and, thanks be, prone to running into all sorts of characters (savory and un-) on the road from Mississippi to Cleveland. Yes, these characters give her quirkiness a run for its money, but what do you expect for a Greyhound full of strange strangers? By the final 3%, Arnold has offered up a little of everything -- happy, sad, pathos, bathos, love interest, scary moment, mishaps, perhaps, etc. Not bad for a day's work, in other words, and one of the better YAs I've read in the past few years.
Is that a recommendation? Do the letters Y, E, and S mean nothing these days?...more
Jo Knowles "novel" is more like a series of connected short stories, each overlapping, some sharing common characters from a typical high school with Jo Knowles "novel" is more like a series of connected short stories, each overlapping, some sharing common characters from a typical high school with typical high school "sorts" (Breakfast Club without end, amen). The trouble with such a strategy lies in the characterization. None of the characters get a chance to gather traction with the reader. What's more, you will often meet a character never to meet him or her again, except perhaps in passing or by mention of another character much later in the book.
So if you take a shining to a particular character and his or her background (the exposition of which must be covered in each new section), tough luck. You will be disappointed when Knowles moves on. And move on she does. There are many stories here. The boy whose dad does not love him. The overweight cheerleader. The popular girl looking for something more. The regular guy looking for something more as well. The high school drop-out working at a fast food restaurant. The star quarterback who has a fake girlfriend and a secret love for another boy. The new teacher who gets eaten alive by unruly students every day.
Some of these scenarios offer YA staples -- characters with predictable woes and behaviors. Others appear a bit more successful. And the conceit holding them all together? You guessed it, oh cover-glancer. The middle finger. Every episode features either our star of the moment giving the finger or getting it. There are more flipped birds here than Tippi Hendren could imagine in Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece, The Birds. Alas, the bird-flipping doesn't do much for the book and in many cases looks forced. No need to read between any lines, in that case. Trying too hard becomes obvious.
Bottom line? There are some nice stretches of writing, but the center does not hold. I'm tempted to say the design itself is at fault, but then I recall the classic Winesburg, Ohio, which also stitches stories with common characters together -- and succeeds. Perhaps it is a design that requires refined skills. Or perhaps Sherwood Anderson's "grotesques" (as his lovable loser characters are called) are too difficult to emulate, especially with the well-worn stock characters of YA lit set in high schools. Some students may take to these characters, I'm sure, but many others may lose patience without the forward momentum of any true plot....more
A yeoman effort, telling the story of a young girl living in Spain during the time of Ferdinand & Isabella (i.e. the Inquisition). The fact that she iA yeoman effort, telling the story of a young girl living in Spain during the time of Ferdinand & Isabella (i.e. the Inquisition). The fact that she is Jewish is kept from her until events prevent it from remaining a secret any longer. This historical fiction is a one-day read, quick and easy. It's a bit of a paint-by-numbers plot replete with predictable Christian villains and Jewish and Muslim victims. In short, almost didactic in its approach, which takes something away but doesn't change the fact that its lessons are apt and serve as an excellent foreshadowing of the Holocaust, some 450 years later. A nice pre-read for Elie Wiesel's Night, in that respect....more
Well-written YA with an odd setting and topic, as it is about a Japanese family that helps to bring in the wheat crop in Texas. Thus we get a lot of dWell-written YA with an odd setting and topic, as it is about a Japanese family that helps to bring in the wheat crop in Texas. Thus we get a lot of details about tractors and combines and harvesting wheat at the right temperature and proper conditions, etc. Will teen readers -- especially of the reluctant variety -- plow through it? No way, as far as the reluctant crowd goes. Kids that are already big readers -- especially girls? Yes.
The protagonist, named Summer, is beginning to show an interest in boys and has a fear of mosquitoes. Her brother, a nerd, has no friends. As her parents go back to Japan to help their grandparents, Summer and her brother are left in the care of her grandparents, an eccentric but endearing pair of eccentrics if ever there was one. In fact, they are the lifeblood of the book, in my opinion. Funny people, especially the grandmother, who antagonizes (lovingly) Summer no end.
The plot is a bit jumpy and deliberate, but the characters are interesting, anyway. The plot? It lies fallow, I fear. ...more