Wednesday, February 18, 2015

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

by Leslye Walton

Summary:
Born with wings, Ava has been kept in her house with her wingless twin brother since she was born. Now 16, Ava just wants to experience the world and perhaps discover more about her family's past in an attempt to figure out why she is the one with wings. In a world where love makes us all fools, Ava is about to find out that while love can be a many splendid thing, it can also be the thing that kills us.

Review:
This was an extremely odd book, but also oddly compelling. The book starts with a history of Ava's family, and their extreme bad luck when it comes to love. The misfortunes of her ancestors are what leads to Ava being born with wings. Ava's innocence to all things evil is quite endearing, but her extreme strength is what is lasting. It's a nice read for those who don't mind suspending belief for a bit, and would be good for those who aren't necessarily into full fledged fantasy but don't mind a sprinkling.

Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

They All Fall Down

by Roxanne St. Claire

Summary:
Every year the list of the 10 prettiest girls comes out. For these girls the list is a ticket to popularity, entrance into the best parties, and more. When Kenzie finds out she was named number 5, she's both surprised and ambivalent. Being number 5 isn't going to help get her into Columbia. But when girls on the list start dying, Kenzie realizes that maybe it's time to take her number seriously.

Review:
I was surprised at how great this mystery novel was! While a lot of the characters play into some pretty typical stereotypes, and it was definitely far fetched, it was a fun read that kept you guessing until the end. There's some alcohol use and a bit of violence, but overall things are pretty tame. Highly recommend to teens that like mystery and suspense novels.

Genre: Suspense Fiction
Age Level: 8th Grade

The Carnival at Bray

by Jessie Ann Foley

Summary:
When her mother falls in love, Maggie knows the cycle. It'll be great for a bit, but then the inevitable breakup occurs and after her mother falls apart and puts herself back together, life goes on. But this time her mother has gotten married and moved them from their hometown of Chicago to Bray, Ireland, a little town outside of Dublin. Now, away from everyone she has ever loved, especially her rocker uncle Kevin, Maggie might just learn something about love and loss herself.

Review:
Set in 1993, this book is a great illustration of both teenage life then and now. It was remarkable to me how little the book felt like it was set 20 years ago, before cell phones or the internet. The author does a great job of focusing on the characters and the interplay between them. Kurt Cobain might not be on too many teenage radars these days, but the book does a great job of illustrating just how important he was to many. Maggie's uncle's drug abuse is barely talked about, and his fairly horrid death is talked about briefly. It's suitable for slightly mature teens, and will mostly likely find it's main audience in older teens or adults.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade