Saturday, January 26, 2013

The Opposite of Hallelujah

by Anna Jarzab

Summary:
Carolina has been essentially an only child since she was 8 years old, when her older sister Hannah decided to enter the convent.  Now, 8 years later, Hannah decided to leave the convent and come home.  It's not that Carolina doesn't want her there, but having a virtual stranger move into her house her junior year is not ideal. Besides the fact that none of her friends even know she has a sister (because you try explaining that your sister is a nun and you barely remember her because it's been so long since you've seen her). Yet as Hannah moves back in, it becomes apparent to everyone that everything isn't quite right with her. Carolina is about to find out that old secrets have a way of coming to light, and that it's always better to face things head on rather than try and bury them in the past.

Review:
I really enjoyed Jarzab's book.  Carolina is both bratty and compassionate, dealing with the stress of being an overachieving high school student and having her home life completely thrown upside down.  It's easy to think that she's in the wrong most of the time, but as you get to know her you really feel for her situation, it would be really hard to live most of your life with no sister then have one thrown at you and be expected to be best friends with her immediately.  I thought that Hannah's situation could have been talked about more, the end was a bit 'here's all the problems ok now we move forward' but overall it was good. Definitely a good read for teens who are a bit more spiritual. It's a good balance of religion and fiction, making it appealing to a broad audience.  I really liked that it questioned a lot of beliefs and had Carolina really looking at her life. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade

Speechless

by Hannah Harrington

Summary:
Chelsea has always been proud of her status as one of the most popular girls in her high school, and also as the one who knows the dirt on everyone and isn't afraid to share it.  After all, gossip is just telling what you know about people.  But when she lets out a secret about a boy in her class, a secret that results in him being attacked and almost killed, she realizes that maybe her inability to keep a secret is not good.  As a penance of sorts, she decides to stop talking altogether. As she loses her friends and popularity, she beings to find that maybe everything that she thought she was was a lie. Maybe through not talking she'll find her true friends and a better way to be.

Review:
While I thought the whole 'vow of silence' thing to be a bit cliche and selfish of Chelsea, I really wound up liking her as a character by the end of the book. The book itself deals with some very heavy themes: sex, hate crimes, LBGT rights to name a few, but it does so in an age-appropriate way.  The book really reminds you the impact that one careless statement can have on many, and in all honestly how many people can say they've never gossiped about someone and regretted it afterwards.  A really good read for teens. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

The Gathering

by Kelley Armstrong

Summary:
Maya has lived her entire life in a small town on Vancouver Island.  But just because it's a small town hasn't meant she's missed out. The company most of the town works for provides the best for it's employees. The best teachers for their children, the best health care for everyone. When new kid Rafe comes to town, suspicious things start to happen. Suspicious things that might just reveal that everyone in the town isn't just working for the company, everyone might just be an experiment by the company.

Review:
What I liked most about The Gathering was that although there is shape shifting and other paranormal activities, Armstrong presents them in a pretty matter of fact way. It's not glorified or really the primary focus of the book or the characters, but all of the characters find their talents revealed through their everyday activities.  I thought that the reveal of the company as this evil corporation exploiting the children of the town's gifts to be pretty predictable, but the ending still left me surprised and excited about the next book. Definitely a good read for anyone who likes supernatural fiction. There isn't a lot of romance in the book, but the relationships between the characters are still great.

Genre: Supernatural Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

Monday, January 14, 2013

City of Bones (Mortal Instruments Series)

by Cassandra Clare

Summary:
When Clary went to Pandemonium that night, she expected to have a fun night out with her friend Simon. Instead, she sees two Shadowhunters destroy a demon. Not that she knows what a Shadowhunter is. When her mother is kidnapped by unknown forces, Clary finds herself thrust into a world she knows nothing about. A world where demons and vampires, werewolves and fairies exist. As do Shadowhunters, people who have sworn to keep humans safe from these creatures.  With Simon at her side, and the incredibly handsome Shadowhunter Jace always there when she needs her, she's about to learn that nothing she grew up knowing about her family was true.

Review:
While I had a hard time liking the love story between Jace and Clary (the possibly brother/sister plot line is a bit hard to digest), overall the first book in the Mortal Instruments was well written and interesting. By the end of the book I couldn't wait to get my hands on the second.  Clary is a pretty strong character who doesn't simply rely on the men in her life to do everything for her.  In the romance department her character is fairly predictable (flipping back and forth between the 2 boys), but that's not the be all and end all to the story. Definitely a good book for teens who like paranormal romances.

Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade
Series: City of Bones (Book 1), City of Ashes (Book 2), City of Glass (Book 3), City of Fallen Angels (Book 4), City of Lost Souls (Book 5), City of Heavenly Fire (Book 6, comes out April 2014)

Prequel (Infernal Devices Series): Clockwork Angel (Book 1), Clockwork Prince (Book 2), Clockwork Princess (Book 3, comes out March 2013)

The Fault in Our Stars

by John Green

Summary:
Hazel has stage IV cancer. And she's ok with it.  She's accepted what will eventually happen to her. In the meantime she's living her life however she can. She goes to the support groups, where she is one of the few left out of the group who was there when she first started treatments (left because they died, not because they lived). But then she meets Augustus Waters, a cancer survivor. Charming, fun, makes her forget for a little while that she has cancer Augustus.  And she starts to wonder....maybe she can beat this thing, maybe she can have a normalish life. Even if it is a life with cancer.

Review:
Once again John Green has created another incredibly memorable and moving story.  Teens and adults alike will readily identify with the characters in the book. The poignant love story between Augustus and Hazel is heartbreaking, a first love torn apart in a way that no one should ever have to experience.  It presents a life with cancer in a compelling and realistic way, particularly the way that friends seem to drift away from the sick person, only to come back at the end.  It's a fantastic read, but one that is sure to make you cry.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade