YA Lit Ramblings

Parallel – Lauren Miller

EHL — Sun, 12 May 2013 18:25:02 +0000

When parallel worlds collide, Abby is thrust from one world to another. The story opens when her plans for college and a journalism career take a wrong turn after she enrolls in a drama class her senior year that leads to a career in Hollywood. A bit of world colliding occurs and Abby is no longer in Hollywood but thrust into her freshman year at Yale, having not chosen that high school drama class. In this world, she had a falling out with her best friend but reconnects with her. Fortunately, her high school physics teacher/professor, known for his parallel universe theories, is nearby to help make sense of this. There is a love triangle of sorts, depending on how many parallel worlds are taken into account. Deliciously confusing as all multiple universe plots can be, the story intrigues and can lead the reader to ponder the myriad of choices we make each day that determine our future. Highly recommend.

eGalley review Publication date 5.14.13

The Caged Graves – Dianne Salerni

EHL — Sun, 12 May 2013 18:18:02 +0000

Set in a small community in Pennsylvania following the Civil War, Verity Boone, returns to her birthplace to be reunited with her father and meet her intended husband. Her mother died when she was a toddler, so she was sent away to be raised by her extended family. Her first day back, she discovers her mother and aunt were buried outside the cemetery with cages placed around their graves. She sets her determined mind on discovering the secrets in the community, buried treasure and unexplained deaths. Equal parts historical fiction with a glimpse into the rural 1860s, and equal parts mystery, this book is successful on many levels. There is a bit of a love triangle to satisfy teen girl interest but not enough to deter boys from reading. The focus here is the mystery told through rich, well drawn characters. Highly recommend.

NetGalley review Publication date 5.14.13

Kindness for Weakness – Shawn Goodman

EHL — Sun, 12 May 2013 18:11:00 +0000

When James’ older brother gives his mother an ultimatum, the boyfriend or him, he moves out leaving James alone to deal with the abusive boyfriend and a mother that has checked out long ago. James’s brother, whom he idolizes, has become a drug dealer and enlists James’s help in deliveries. He is quickly arrested and at 16 finds himself in a juvenile detention facility. Abandoned by everyone, his mother, his brother, he reaches out to a favorite teacher and receives encouraging letters from him. The guards are abusive, violence abounds, and teens die. This is a ‘scared straight’ type of book and very well written. Gritty, dark, and rough. Highly recommend for older teens.

NetGalley review Publication date 5.14.13

The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code – Margalit Fox

EHL — Sun, 12 May 2013 18:06:04 +0000

British archeologist Arthur Evans was convinced that Mycenaean society was too advanced to be without writing, but no firm evidence had emerged. Clues began to point him toward Crete, and he eventually chose Knossos, the seat of Minos’ empire, for his dig in 1900. After only a few days, the first tablet was unearthed. Hundreds more soon appeared. Buried for about three thousand years, the tablets were covered with symbols and pictograms of horse heads, chariots, swords, goats, and humans. It was like no known writing. For half a century scholars tried to decipher the tablets. At last, an amateur, Michael Ventris, accomplished the task. This is the story, widely known, of the writing known as Linear B. But it is missing one little known crucial element: an American woman, Alice Kober. Alice Kober spent her life carefully classifying each symbol, gradually bringing order to chaos, laying the groundwork. Without this work, Linear B would never have been deciphered. If she had only lived a few more years she might have gained the recognition she so greatly deserved.

In addition to writing very readable biographies of the three principal researchers, Margalit Fox has done a remarkable job explaining the science (or is it an art?) of cryptanalysis, enabling someone with absolutely no relevant background to understand the process involved in unraveling an unknown script. I learned a great deal while enjoying a good book.

The Boleyn King: A Novel – Laura Andersen

EHL — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:57:00 +0000

On a summer’s night in 1536 a rush of falling stars accompanied the birth of a prince, Anne Boleyn’s healthy baby boy. Now, seventeen years later King Henry IX, known to his family as William, is impatiently entering the last year of his regency, longing to be fully king. He trusts only his sister, Elizabeth, her lady in waiting, Minuette, and his friend, Dominic. The Catholic supporters of Princess Mary are hatching plots and the French king looks to test the resolve of the young English king. This quartet of teenagers must keep England safe from foreign wars and domestic rebellion.

I have always enjoyed a good alternative history in which the author changes one historical fact and then examines the consequences of that change. Unfortunately, this is not a good alternative history. It’s just a formula teen age love triangle in period costume with a bit of mystery thrown in. I wanted to like it. It was pleasant and well written, but the action was so predictable and there was little authentic historical background.

eGalley review Publication date 5.14.13

Invisibility – David Levithan and Andrea Cremer

EHL — Mon, 06 May 2013 22:18:01 +0000

Stephen was born invisible. This was not an unexpected surprise for his parents. His mother was cursed by his evil cursecasting grandfather. His invisibility was too much for his father to bear so he left his wife and young son, moved east and began a new life. After his mother died, Stephen was alone, living in the same apartment and supported by his estranged father. Stephen never knew why he was invisible and knew nothing of the world of cursecasters and spellseekers. When cute new neighbor, Elizabeth, moved in and turned to speak to him, astonishment gave way to possibilities. Together they set out to understand and hopefully end his invisibility. At first, I was reminded of Andrew Clement’s Things Not Seen and bits of Levithans’ latest superbly written, Every Day. But Invisibility took a different course in introducing the world of cursecasters. The excitement builds, the characters are rich, and hurray for Laurie, Elizabeth’s common sense and heroic brother. The book strongly hints of a sequel – hope so! This is a very well done collaboration between two popular young adult authors that works on all levels. Highly recommend.

eGalley review Publication date 5.7.13

The 5th Wave – Rick Yancey

EHL — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 17:49:11 +0000

Aliens have invaded Earth. They are not just among us, they are in us! Well, just some of us. The vast majority of humans that aren’t hosting a little alien shadow are pretty much killed off before the book begins. When the army comes to the survivors’ rescue and they leave with little Sammy, big sister Cassie is determined to find him and get him back. When the aliens look like humans, it is hard to tell who to trust. Action-packed and stocked with the self-sacrificing characters of Cassie, Ben, and Evan, this will be one popular book among teens. There is a bit of foul language, so if that is a concern, perhaps older teens. If an alien was intent on killing me, I doubt I would say, “Golly jeepers!” Highly recommend.

eGalley review Publication date 5.7.13

For Adam’s Sake: A Family Saga in Colonial New England – Allegra di Bonaventura

EHL — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 17:41:11 +0000

Joshua Hempstead of New London, Connecticut was a rather ordinary man and lived a rather ordinary life in the first half of the 18th century. But he did an extraordinary thing. For nearly forty-seven years he kept a diary, dutifully recording planting and reaping, births and deaths and other details important to his life. This is far removed from the colonial diaries of educated New Englanders. Joshua was the son of a wheelwright. With his formal education limited to a shipwright’s apprenticeship, he was a most unlikely diarist and his records offer a rare look into the daily life a New England tradesman. The appearance in the diary of Adam, his slave, and the account of Adam’s daily activities, makes this record even more valuable. Adam spent nearly thirty years working closely with Joshua and his family.

Allegra di Bonaventura did a remarkable job, turning the bare bones of Joshua’s diary into a very enjoyable book. Joshua’ wife, children and neighbors become real people, not just names. I was especially taken with accounts of the lives of slaves and the relationships between slave and master, for in later centuries New Englanders tended to ignore the fact that many households held slaves. This is a well-researched and beautifully written book. Highly recommend.

eGalley review Publication date 4.22.13

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena – Anthony Marra

EHL — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 17:32:34 +0000

When she was only eight years old, Havaa’s father instructed her to pack her suitcase and have it ready, should she need to leave in a hurry. So when the pounding on the front door began he gave her the suitcase and pushed her out the back door into the night. Hiding in the cold, trying not to look, trying not to think, she saw them drag her father out, throw him into the truck. She watched them set fire to her home. After everything was quiet again, her neighbor, Akhmed found her, carried her to his house and tucked her in bed. The next morning they walked to the city from their village and to the hospital in the city. Everything was bombed, the streets, the buildings, even the hospital. Akhmed could think of no other place where Havaa might be safe, might be hidden. The hospital was mostly deserted. Only Sonja, the doctor, Deshi, the nurse, remained to treat the influx of wounded rebels and refugees.

Set in war ravaged Chechnya; this is a beautifully crafted novel with the scene shifting at random from 2004 to 1994 and the years between. It has a very Russian feel . . . dark and brooding with characters worn down and resigned to their fate by years of deprivation. Only Havaa, the brilliant child, provides a tiny ray of hope. This is Anthony Marra’s first novel and I am eagerly looking forward to his second.

eGalley review Publication date 5.7.13

Fyre (Septimus Heap Book 7) – Angie Sage

EHL — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 01:00:12 +0000

Ahhhh . . . I am savoring the finale of this very special series that I began in 2005, when I was given a galley of Magyk. It sure seems that every character featured in the preceding books gets a nod or mention in this satisfying conclusion. The queendom is recovering from the Darke invasion and preparations are being made to destroy the Two-Faced Darke ring forever. That Darke ring embodies all the evil that has plagued wizards for generations. Literally. The two all-powerful evil wizards that tried to kill Hotep-Ra, the first ExtraOrdinary Wizard, have been imprisoned in the ring all these many years. The ExtraOrdinary Wizard, Marcia Overstrand, must admit the need for Alchemie to restart the Fyre to be used for the destruction. Oh, but it is not that simple! Things go awry in many, many ways that require the help of just about every major and minor character in the series. Fine with me! Even Stanley, my favorite messenger rat, makes an appearance. Humorous, witty, snippety, and friendly, so very friendly, the finale hits the mark leaving me wishing for friends like that and a dragon boat of my own. Thank you, Angie Sage, for 8 years of blissful enjoyment. Highly recommend.

Side note- the series must be read in order. For those that have read many other books while waiting for each installment, reviewing The Magykal Papers prior to reading Fyre is helpful in igniting character and storyline remembrance.

eGalley review Publication date 4.16.13