One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Think about The Breakfast Club with a dead body and you have ONE OF US IS LYING by Karen M. McManus, a fantastic new YA novel.  McManus brings several students – good girl Bronwyn, bad boy Nate, jock Cooper, seemingly clueless though popular Addy, and misfit Simon to Mr. Avery’s after school detention. In the space of just a few minutes, one is dead and the others fall fairly quickly under suspicion. 

Social media is a key factor since the the About That app was ready to publish secrets related to cheating (on tests and in relationships), alleged steroid use and drug dealing involving each of the remaining students.  I do read many mysteries and found ONE OF US IS LYING to be fast-paced and full of surprises. The realistic teenage angst is spread around and shared from multiple perspectives as the narration shifts amongst the students.  School Library Journal described ONE OF US IS LYING as “smart, twisted, and unpredictable” and YOYA gave McManus’ debut novel a starred review. Check it out soon!

 

GOODBYE DAYS by Jeff Zentner

GOODBYE DAYS by Jeff Zentner (March 7, Crown) deals with grief, loss, guilt, death and high school friendships. This title definitely falls into the realistic fiction category as the main character, Carver, copes with his friends’ deaths due to texting while driving.  And, coincidentally, distracted driving was the cover story for last week’s Upfront Magazine which is written for high school students.   

Of course, Carver is sad to have lost Sauce Crew, his 3 best friends (Blake, Eli and Mars), but I did feel that at over 400 pages long the story dragged at points. Perhaps this pacing was intentional in order to mirror Carver‘s feelings of loss and depression as he experiences panic attacks and faces charges of criminal negligence. The reading experience is emotionally intense at times.

The writing itself is stellar, even if the internal monologues are a bit mature for a high school boy: “I wonder if the actions we take and the words we speak are like throwing pebbles into a pond; they send ripples that extend farther out from the center until finally they break on the bank or disappear.  I wonder if somewhere in the universe, there’s still a ripple that’s Blake and I sitting in this living room, laughing ourselves silly. Maybe it’ll break on some bank somewhere in the vast sky beyond our sight.  Maybe it’ll disappear. Or maybe it’ll keep travelling on for eternity.” Truly, the best parts of this book are brief flashbacks and humorous dialogue between the friends.  An online discussion guide is available and GOODBYE DAYS received starred reviews from both Booklist and Publishers Weekly.  Zentner also wrote The Serpent King which was just nominated for 2018 Abe Lincoln Award. 

New YA titles - Spring 2017

I feel as though there are so many new books to read and comment upon during February, March and April so I am going to keep my reviews short and encourage you to try some yourself – especially with Spring Break fast approaching. Let’s start with this post on YA titles, many of which are listed here with 30 other “Really Excellent YA Books You Need to Know About.” That article is referring to UK releases and showing UK covers, but it’s still an impressive overview containing some titles - like PIECING ME TOGETHER - that we have already highly recommended. 

GILDED CAGE by Vic James is one of several fantasy titles on that list.  I liked how this debut novel – the first in a planned trilogy – combines magic and political intrigue while commenting on social inequality. There is plenty of adventure and suspense as Abi, a servant, falls for the son of the ruling Jardine family and her brother Luke, forced to slave in a Millmoor factory, plots revolution. GILDED CAGE received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal which commented on its “solid YA crossover potential” and “appeal to fans of Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games.”

OPTIMISTS DIE FIRST by Susin Nielsen.  I honestly cannot decide how I feel about this contemporary fiction book; one moment I want to share it with many readers and, yet, I also find a few sections to be unrealistic and somewhat cringe-worthy. You decide – we will have a copy in the library!  I did especially like the “crafter” emphasis and felt the portrayal of two main characters, Petula and Jacob, who had suffered great loss, was well-done.  I also liked the “Breakfast Club” feel to part of this book, but found the easy acceptance of premarital sex unnecessary to the plot which centers on a small group of misfit students in high school. Susin Nielsen is a Canadian author and, sadly, I am not very familiar with her other – often award-winning work – I will be looking for more (seems like a sequel to OPTIMISTS DIE FIRST could be coming, too).

Also on that list, THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ by Lilliam Rivera is another book where I am curious to hear student reaction.  A quick read, I found it to be rather stereotypical and filled with clichés, but maybe that is not a fair assessment since it is talking about a place undergoing gentrification (Bronx, New York) and a culture (Puerto Rican heritage) with which I am not very familiar.  Margot Sanchez was caught stealing and now has to work off her debts over the summer by doing manual labor at her family’s supermarket.  

There is plenty of family drama and secrets involving serious issues like infidelity and drug abuse, along with Margot’s exaggerated fixation on friends at her new private school.  She could hang with Elizabeth, a friend from her neighborhood who is going to art school, but Margot says, “I always used to take the lead and Elizabeth always went along with me. The [Elizabeth’s] blue hair is daring, but not in a way that makes sense.  What benefits does it have? I’m daring because it will get me somewhere.  Now that I’m in with the right crowd at school I have to keep up.  Blue hair will work for the artsy-folksy crowd at the museum but not at Somerset.”  Overall, I think the appeal of THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ will be highest with middle school and less mature high school readers.

We are looking forward to hearing your thoughts, reactions and recommendations! Tell us what you think!