More Young Adult Fiction ...

The list of ABE nominees are here (in a pdf) and this year Susan sponsored students who were reading and voting on selections for the list – that was exciting, especially when they were recognized by the Board of Education for their efforts!  As a group, the Librarians at New Trier will be talking about these books in the next few weeks and I am sure some more reviews will appear here.  In the meantime, here’s a mix of recent Young Adult titles, some of which might appear on the ABE list in the future:

Don’t you love the cover of THE BEAUTY THAT REMAINS by Ashley Woodfolk (March 6; Random House; SLJ: Grade 9 up)? The story is also multi-faceted, being told from three perspectives by racially diverse characters: Autumn, Shay, and Logan each of whom have lost someone they loved (a best friend to a car crash, a twin to leukemia and a boyfriend to apparent suicide). They, too, need to rebuild and reform their lives and get beyond the shocking situations, the panic attacks and the self-medicating with alcohol. Debut author Woodfolk weaves a darker and very emotional tale as these three try to cope with grief, saying at one point, “Lying is the new language we speak. It’s the only way we can talk at all.” Gradually, though, they begin to rely on new friendships and a shared interest in music. THE BEAUTY THAT REMAINS received a starred review from School Library Journal. 

A GIRL LIKE THAT by Tanaz Bhathena (February 27; Farrar, Straus and Giroux; SLJ: Grade 8 up) has another very compelling cover and insightfully explores some heavy themes. This story, told from multiple viewpoints, offers a look at life in Saudi Arabia for a young orphan girl named Zarin Wadia. Her aunt criticizes and restricts her actions constantly and, as Kirkus says, there are “graphic descriptions of assault and sexual abuse.” Zarin has difficulty establishing friendships (unlike her Muslim school mates, she is Zoroastrian) and she rebels, acting out by smoking cigarettes and sneaking around with male friends. Readers will feel compassion for her and anger at her difficulties coping with such a controlling and often sexist society. A GIRL LIKE THAT received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal. Read an excerpt here.

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE by Cori McCarthy (April 1, 2018; Sourcebooks; SLJ: Grade 8 up) is an unusual blend of present day movie making and a fantasy story.  As it begins, Iris Thorne (17) and her young brother Ryder are arriving in Ireland to observe the filming of their grandmother’s fantasy epic named Elementia. Iris has a trust fund established by her grandmother and is clearly privileged.  She doesn’t seem to recognize this and spends an inordinate amount of time sulking and bemoaning her in loco parentis role as well as obsessing over the strained relationship she has with her father. Good for her that there are several supportive cast members and an empowering, feminist-leaning director. Seemingly on a quest herself and experiencing romance for the first time, Iris does an amazing amount of maturing in just over a week or so as the filming zigs and zags from one crisis to another. 

Although not too realistic, NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE is ultimately an uplifting, hopeful story and I have two favorite quotes:  “My ma has a saying.  It’s a life policy, really. Do something that scares you every day.” And…   “Say that the book is a sculpture. You can walk around the story.  You can touch it. You can view it up close or far away.  That is why people love books.  The stories interact with your memories, your experiences.  They are personalized.  Movies? Movies are a picture of that same statue.  The parameters are set. The characters have defined faces. The scenes artistically rendered to one person’s vision.” Can’t wait to use that description in my next booktalk!  In the meantime, hope you find a book that speaks to YOU.

All We Have Left by Wendy Mills

All We Have Left by Wendy Mills is a September 11 fictional story.  I will be honest and say that it took me a while to realize how this story is told in two different time periods: today and 2001.  The narrators are two young women. One is a contemporary high school student named Jesse whose brother, Travis, died in the World Trade Center collapse. The other narrator is teenaged Alia whose conflict with her parents and struggles with her Muslim culture resulted in her visit to the towers on that fateful day.

I liked the cover of All We Have Left but there is even more worth contemplating in the pages of Wendy Mills’ writing, especially as our nation reflects on terrorism across the globe. Mills says, “Hate is just fear. Fear that we are powerless, ugly small, nothing, so we hate people to make us feel better about ourselves, so we don’t have to be scared all the time.”

Even though they are separated in time, Alia and Jesse share a common experience of feeling alone, angry and misunderstood. Both girls face difficult choices and must try to understand relationships within their families and with their friends.  All We Have Left received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal, which said, “this outstanding, touching look at a national tragedy promotes healing and understanding and belongs in every library.” Find All We Have Left in our new library soon.

And, if you have younger children or students, encourage them to read the middle school book, Nine Ten by Nora Raleigh Baskin as the 15th anniversary approaches.

Young Adult September releases

Here are a few new titles written about high school students: Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between is another “light” YA title from Jennifer E. Smith (Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight) and deals again with teen romance. In this case, Clare and Aidan are leaving for college within 24 hours.  They spend their last time together trying to figure out their relationship, re-living some memories, and creating some new adventures with friends Stella and Scotty.

If you set your expectations appropriately, you will likely enjoy this book, especially if you are also about to experience a life change like high school graduation. Personally, I found the character of Clare to be a bit controlling and had some trouble empathizing with her almost obsessive need to make a decision about breaking up.  In addition, it seemed a little improbable that multiple sets of parents, no matter how uninvolved or permissive, would allow teens to be out all night right before making the big trek to college. I have liked other titles by Jennifer Smith more, but Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between is a quick read and generally entertaining.  My favorite part was near the end when they really did seem to “grow up” and appreciate someone else’s perspective and the value of their friendship. Starred review from Voya.

Are You Still There? by Sarah Lynn Scheerger is a little uncomfortable to read at times, given that it deals with a school bomb threat and bullying that led to a student suicide.  However, it would certainly be a worthwhile read for literature circles or a social worker and students grappling with serious issues.  Gabi Mallory, conscientious student and near perfect daughter of a policeman, attends high school where a bomb threat resulted in a three hour lockdown.  The school responds by setting up a student-staffed helpline (Is that realistic? What would the lawyers say?) and Gabi gets involved – maybe too involved since the bomber seems to be contacting her directly.   

Who is making the threats? Why? Some clues are available in the Stranger’s Manifesto, diary entries from the bomber which are interspersed with Gabi’s first person commentary on events. Are You Still There? is a quick read due to the many suspects (Gabi’s new boyfriend, other helpline staffers, her sister’s friends) and mounting tension.  Aside from some implausible aspects with the helpline, author Scheerger deftly weaves mystery with the emotional struggles of feeling invisible and worthless. Scheerger, a licensed clinical social worker who counsels at-risk youth, points especially to the often callous bystanders who may not actively bully someone, but who show little empathy for others who are different. As Gabi and her friends and family learn, the consequences of inaction can be very serious.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon has a beautiful cover and its story will be compared to John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. Everything, Everything is a fine book to recommend for “fun” reading – and it will certainly read quickly due to short chapters, diagrams/drawings and text/email additions, but I could not relate to the characters and their motivations.  Madeline is stuck in a sterile home environment, complete with an airlock (really?!) due to compromised immunity and is almost totally dependent on her Mom for social interaction. When the Mom is cutting an 18-year-old’s food, it should be the first clue that more than one person in the relationship is “sick.” At the same time, it did not seem believable that this isolated girl could apply for a credit card and charge airfare to Hawaii – much less that she would risk traveling on a plane where even healthy people tend to get sick. 

And why would someone who had barely any experience of physical contact move almost immediately to an intimate physical relationship with the new boy, troubled Olly, next door? Yes, Madeline was evolving and growing as the story continued, but how quickly would she really change? Wouldn’t she have been overwhelmed by the stimulation in the outside world? Would she have rebelled much earlier (another example: her Mom still knows and freely uses her password)?  Or would Madeline realistically have taken smaller risks and tended to stay more true to her accepting, “Zen-like” philosophy, and less adventure-some persona? The publisher has provided a 6 page discussion guide and in pdf form and Everything, Everything received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal (grades 10+) – so read this for yourself and let me know your reaction!  

I will be posting about some other YA titles soon and am always looking for recommendations.