Book Review: Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills

Gabe was born Elizabeth but has always felt different.  Even though he’s physically a girl, he knows who he really is.  However, his tiny Minnesota town isn’t quite so accepting.  When he gets a gig hosting a late-night radio show, he finally gets to be himself.  Through the show–Beautiful Music for Ugly Children–Gabe allows his true self to shine through.

Despite not being transgender herself, Kirstin Cronn-Mills wrote a moving and often heartfelt story about a transgender character that feels both delicate and authentic.  While there are certain risks an author takes in telling a story that isn’t quite theirs, Cronn-Mills tries to be faithful to the authenticity of her characters first, and the result is quite successful.  Gabe’s voice never feels appropriated or inauthentic, and he remains completely sympathetic throughout.

What works best about Cronn-Mills’s story is the fact that Gabe’s coming-0ut story is only part of the narrative present in the book.  There are vivid characters, fantastic talks about music, and many completely real high school experiences to round out the story of Gabe’s senior year.

All of the main characters are well-rounded, but this is particularly true in the case of John, the radio station manager who befriends Gabe and offers a surprising amount of warmth as Gabe struggles to come out.  His shared enthusiasm for music and his support of Gabe’s transition provide warmth to the story, which takes a dark turn about halfway through the novel.

Although there are some plot contrivances here, this is a strong debut well worth a reader’s time.  Strong characters, snappy pacing, and a smattering of musical pop culture make this one entertaining as well as enlightening.  Highly recommended.

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills. Flux: 2012. Electronic galley accepted for review via NetGalley. Read for 2012 Cybils Round 1 Panel.

Book Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Greg has prided himself on being a high school nobody, able to melt into the scenery and never get noticed.  His only friend is Earl, and the two of them are obsessed with making weird movies which largely turn out to be homages to Herzog and Coppola.  Life is going along well enough until Greg’s mom forces him to rekindle a friendship with Rachel, who has been diagnosed with leukemia.  Hilarity and heartbreak ensue.

In all honesty, this was the only one of the Cybils finalists that I really cared about.  This was my only horse in the game after all of my other favorite titles were cut.  Jesse Andrews’s debut is well worth fighting for, and is well worth a reader’s time and investment.  Smart, funny, and absolutely authentic, this is definitely a standout of last year.

There’s a lot of great stuff at work in Andrews’s novel (which will get comparisons to John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, even though it shouldn’t and can completely stand on its own), but what works best is Greg’s authentic narration.  He works hard to convince readers that he’s not likable or remarkable in any way, but it doesn’t take long to work out that he’s totally wrong about himself.  He’s funny, smart, and has a good shot at becoming a decent human being.  It’s easy to see why Rachel likes to hang out with him.

Andrews does a nice job with the supporting characters as well, but especially in the case of Earl.  Earl is an angry, disaffected youth, and his friendship with Greg is like a ticking time bomb.  The fact that Andrews doesn’t shy away from this makes the novel all that much stronger.  The very real fact that Greg and Earl will have to confront their differences sooner rather than later help propel the story towards its somewhat inevitable conclusion.

There’s plenty to like here.  The book is laugh-out-loud funny (a rarity for this reader) and so spot-on that it’s almost uncanny.  Andrews has a fresh voice and a lot to offer the YA cannon.  This is a great read that should have appeal to both male and female readers.  There’s a surprising amount of heart here without it ever becoming overly-sentimental.  Definitely one of the best books of last year.

Highly, highly recommended.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews. Harry N. Abrams: 2012. Electronic ARC read for Cybils Round 1 Panel.

Book Review: The Rivals by Daisy Whitney

Last year, when Alex was raped by another student, her board school turned a blind eye.  Alex had to turn to the Mockingbirds, a secret society of students who police the student body because the staff refuses to.  Now Alex is the had of the Mockingbirds, and it’s her turn to take charge and right wrongs.  The problem is that this year’s case is different from what the tribunal is used to.  How do you prove guilt when there isn’t a clear-cut victim?  How far do you take something, even if it means jeopardizing relationships with those closest to you?

Although readers don’t technically have to read Whitney’s debut in order to follow the characters and plots present in this sequel, it certainly helps.  Having a sense of who Alex was last year, during her own rape trial, and who stood behind her and what it all meant will help add meaning to this convoluted mystery.  (This reader will admit to wishing for a little more review of what had happened in the previous book.)  That being said, the story moves along quickly enough that new readers should enjoy the twisty story.

Readers familiar with the Mockingbirds at Themis Academy will be surprised to find many changes afoot in this follow up.  While The Mockingbirds illustrated the group’s policies and procedures as a streamlined set of guidelines full of checks and balances, Alex really fumbles in this one.  Whitney provides a lot of ethical questions, and thankfully doesn’t attempt to answer all of them.

Also well done is the way that Alex’s rape stigma follows her around throughout this novel as well.  It is believable and authentic.  The reactions of characters around Alex help to add a realness to the novel that might otherwise be lacking.

That brings me to the biggest sticking point and the piece I find hardest to swallow: despite its entertaining qualities, the book’s main premise smacks of unreality.  The fact that the school’s administration turns such a blind eye to all student infractions never feels authentic.  Are we to believe that they really aren’t afraid of legal ramifications?  Really?

Despite all this, this is a fast-paced read that fans of twisting mysteries should gobble up.  This one doesn’t have staying power, though.  It fades from memory pretty quickly.

The Rivals by Daisy Whitney. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers: 2012. Library copy. Read for 2012 Cybils Round 1 Panel.

 

Book Review: Crazy by Amy Reed

When Connor and Izzy meet at summer camp, they decide to keep in touch via email after they go their separate ways.  As they email back and forth, Connor realizes that while she might never love him the way he’s fallen in love with her, he has become her close friend.  As she confides in him, Connor starts to realize that her mood swings are too extreme and that she just might be a danger to herself.  Can Connor help her, and will Izzy let him?

Reed is fast becoming one of the premiere YA authors who write about edgy, contemporary topics.  With her latest offering about bipolar disorder, Reed paints an authentic, emotionally raw portrait of what it’s like to live with the disease–and what it’s like to love someone who suffers from it.  Teens will race through this epistolary novel.

Reed manages to develop distinct voices and personalities for both Connor and Izzy.  Because the entire story is told through emails to one another, Reed must keep the pacing going despite the fact that all the action is happening ofscreen.  For the most part, she manages to do this.  Connor’s increasing worry about Izzy and Izzy’s increasing erratic behavior make for a tense plot.  The rising action will keep readers glued to the book (this reviewer read the book in one sitting), eager and nervous to see how it all pans out.

What is commendable is the fact that Reed doesn’t shy away from making Izzy a difficult character. She’s selfish and flighty and totally manipulative, but she’s also sympathetic.  The facets of her personality blend perfectly with someone who has bipolar disorder, and anyone who knows someone with the disease will see how very real all of this is.  Both characters are flawed and dependent on one another.  It’s all very well done.

Recommended.  This is one that fans of contemporary YA shouldn’t miss.

Crazy by Amy Reed. Simon Pulse: 2012. Library copy. Read for 2012 Cybils Round 1 Panel.

Book Review: Fighting for Dontae by Mike Castan

Javier’s life is already set out for him, and he’s just entering middle school.  He lives with his mom, who struggles with money and drugs.  Sometimes his father’s around, when he’s between jail trips.  Dontae and his friends are supposed to be in a gang and are constantly being asked to prove their own toughness.  Javier struggles with all of this plus the fact that he likes to read and doesn’t actually want to court trouble, let alone be in it.  When his school assigns him a service project working with the kids in special education, he knows he’ll never hear the end of it.  What he doesn’t expect is to end up loving it–especially when he gets to read to a severely disabled Dante.

Mike Castan’s story about a young boy fighting against the inevitability of his own future is tailor-made for reluctant readers, but it also has broader appeal because it doesn’t pander to its audience.  Although Castan’s prose is simple and there’s not a lot of time given to detailing the characters who inhabit Javier’s world, the story works quite well.

There’s also the fact that this will likely resonate with many of the readers in the intended audience.  Javier’s father actually sums up the underlying problem Javier faces: “I mean, it’s easy to say you want to do something, but can you see the path?  Shoot, man. I wanted to do a lot of things, but I had no idea how to even start.”  Javier’s own interior conflict: fitting in with his peers or fighting for a chance to break free of his (doomed) future is mirrored in his father’s struggles to stay out of prison.  Castan’s novel doesn’t try to sugarcoat the fact that Javier’s world doesn’t have a lot of good options for him.

Which is why reading with Dante is such a nice contrast to the darkness of Javier’s world.  As he and Dante form a bond through reading, Javier starts to feel what it would like to be successful.  This positivity should impact readers as well.

A moving story that should work especially well for tween and teen boys.  Recommended.

Fighting for Dante by Mike Castan. Holiday House: 2012. Library copy. Read for Cybils 2012 Round 1 Panel.

Book Review: No Name Baby by Nancy Bo Flood

Sophie is haunted by dreams of gravestones under the trees.  When her pregnant mother takes a fall and begins labor prematurely, Sophie is guilt-ridden.  As the family waits to see if mother and child will survive, Sophie flirts with the neighboring farmer and deals with her oppressive Aunt Rae, who has come to stay with the family for the birth of the baby.  As Sophie grows up, she also learns about the family secrets.

This tender, short historical novel is going to appeal to readers who like their stories sparse and grounded in fact.  The novel has an authentic view of life in the early 20th century (especially if life was on a small farm).  It also boasts well-developed characters and a quick pacing to keep readers engaged.

It might work for younger readers who like their stories set in the past.  Flood’s prose is pretty enough to entice an older crowd, too.  Sophie is a fully-realized character, and her tender relationship with the neighbor should help add a little romance for readers looking specifically for that.  But this is a story ultimately about family, and it is here that Flood particularly excels.

Although Aunt Rae is hard to like and understand at first, her motivations become clear by the end.  The fact that Flood is able to make her sympathetic speaks volumes.  Although the novel is short, it doesn’t feel rushed, and the conclusion is believable and heartfelt.

Definitely a quiet read, and one that will work for readers who like their books with less flash and pomp.  Not a standout for this reader, but there’s definite appeal here, and it should work for younger readers.

No-Name Baby by Nancy Bo Flood. Namelos: 2012. Library copy. Read for 2012 Cybils Round 1 Panel.

Book Review: Endangered by Eliot Schrefer

Sophie is on her way to spend the summer with her Congolese mother at the bonobo sanctuary she runs.  When Sophie rescues a sick baby bonobo from a trafficker, her mother is unhappy about Sophie’s method of procuring it but clearly pleased at Sophie’s work to bond with the baby.  While Sophie is still in the Congo, war breaks out, and Sophie and Otto, her baby bonobo must flee the militants and locate her mother in the northern part of the country.

Schrefer’s book was nominated for the National Book Award this year, and upon opening the book’s pages, it’s immediately clear why.  This well-researched, fast-paced adventure novel should appeal to teens and adults alike.  Realistic characters, gripping situations, and excellent writing set this adventure novel apart from others in the genre.

Schrefer sets the tone and pace early on in the book, and once Sophie is fully ensconced in the world of the bonobos, he doesn’t let up.  The fast plotting, suspenseful story, and rising action should keep even the most restless reader glued to the page.  All of this is done masterfully, as Schrefer also inhabits the pages with a great deal of science and information about bonobos.  Despite all this, the novel is never didactic or preachy.

There are moments that will strain credulity for the more cynical readers, but these are few and far between.  For the most part, this is a novel that is gripping, compelling, and moving.  Readers will be informed and inspired by what takes place between the pages of Endangered.  Definitely a standout read of 2012.

Endangered by Eliot Schrefer. Scholastic: 2012. Library copy. Read for 2012 Cybils Round 1 Panel.

Book Review: Tilt by Ellen Hopkins

Three teens share their stories in this verse novel.  All three teens have connections to one another through their parents’ family relationships.  As the adults in their lives become more focused on their own issues, the lives of these three teens begin to change.  Mikayla is crazy in love with her boyfriend Dylan and will make some choices that lead to tough consequences.  Shane is struggling with coming out and his first love all while his little sister dies.  Meanwhile, Harley is young, impressionable, and looking for acceptance.

As I’m not a Hopkins fan, I didn’t go into this one with much in the way of expectations, but I still left feeling sort of let down.  I understand the appeal of Hopkins–and know she has a great deal of crossover between adults and teens, but this companion novel to one of her adult titles fell flat for me.  However, it’s a quick read, and her fans are likely to enjoy it, as it is a page-turner to be sure.

The first noticeable thing about this particular offering was that it wasn’t as stylistically sharp as some of her previous works.  Something about this one felt rushed–and not in a good way.  While the pacing is quick and the drama is high, there are so many issues packed into this already overstuffed verse-novel that it begins to feel sudsy before it ever really gets off the ground.

There’s also the issue of narration.  While the book alternates between its three main narrators (which might be too many already), it also allows other characters to have a page or two to tell their own stories.  This gives the entire novel a watered-down feel and lessens the impact of the tragedies greatly.  It all starts to feel like too much, and then it is too much, and this reader didn’t care anymore about the outcomes.

The sparse verse works better for characters who are removed from the world in which they live (as in some of Hopkins’s previous works), but here it feels ill-matched with the narratives.  The characters here are angry and bored, and it wasn’t long before the reader starts to feel those things, too.  There’s an emotional disconnect that doesn’t feel intentional.

At any rate, it’ll work for some teens, especially those who like their verse novels dark and full of hot-button issues.  It’ll probably turn some teens onto her adult fiction (including Triangles, which tells this story from the mothers’ perspectives).

Not a standout for me, but there’s certainly a lot of appeal here for teen readers.

Tilt by Ellen Hopkins. Margaret K. McElderry Books: 2012. Library copy. Read for 2012 Cybils Round 1 Panel.

 

Book Review: The Boy on Cinnamon Street by Phoebe Stone

There are a lot of things Louise should have.  She’s in 7th grade, and she should have  a lot of friends, but she doesn’t.  She should be the captain of her school’s gymnastics team, but she isn’t.  She should have two loving parents–but she doesn’t.  Instead, Louise lives with her quirky grandparents and hangs out with her two best friends.  When she starts getting notes from a secret admirer, she tries to figure out what’s happening, but she can’t ever seem to connect with the object of her affection.  She should have a totally charmed life–but she doesn’t.  What’s the secret that’s keeping Louise from fully realizing her potential?

Phoebe Stone’s moving, authentic novel will appeal to tween and teen readers alike.  Despite the fact that the novel features a 7th garder, Stone’s writing is so good and so compelling that it transcends age barriers.  Believable, quirky characters, authentic narration, and an emotionally resonant plot make this book a standout read this year.

Stone could go the obvious route and make Louise’s pain over the top, but she’s in complete control of her prose (which is really quite lovely) and slowly unravels the layers of Louise’s pain.  Louise’s voice is strong and compelling, and her pain is unbelievably raw.  It would be easy to manipulate the readers, but Stone doesn’t go for the easy way out with this one, and the result is gripping and never overly sentimental.

Strong secondary characters round out this sad and appealing story.  Despite its heavy issues, Stone adds enough humor through the use of Louise’s quirky grandparents and Louise’s two best friends.  There’s a lot to love here, and this reader was completely taken aback by how enjoyable and emotionally cathartic the story was.

Highly, highly recommended to fans of contemporary middle grade and YA.  This is one that transcends its age group.

The Boy on Cinnamon Street by Phoebe Stone. Arthur A. Levine Books: 2012.  Library copy.  Read for 2012 Cybils Round 1 Panel.

Book Review: Also Known as Rowan Pohi by Ralph Fletcher

One day, while bored at IHOP, Bobby Steele and his friends Marcus and Big Poobs decide to create a fake application for Whitestone Academy, a fancy private school that rivals their own public one.  Rowan Pohi is born, and they have a good time creating a persona for this person.  But then Rowan is accepted to Whitestone, and Bobby decides to attend the school as Rowan.  Everything goes according to plan for a while, but Bobby can’t balance his two worlds forever, and eventually they come crashing together.

Readers, what can I say?  Nothing about this one worked for me.  It’s fluffy wish-fulfillment masquerading as deeper fiction, and the result is an uneven mess.  Even with a complete suspension of disbelief, the story seems improbable at best.  Half-baked characters and an underdeveloped plot make this one difficult to get through despite it’s very short length.

Even recognizing the story’s implausibility isn’t enough to make this one enjoyable.  When Bobby decides to attend Whitestone as Rowan, the reader knows he won’t be able to keep up the facade for very long.  Perhaps making things worse is the fact that Bobby is never a fully developed character, making his plight as a nice guy from the wrong side of the tracks fall completely flat.  This is exceedingly apparent, especially when he starts talking about the night his father abused his mother: it’s supposed to be upsetting, and it is, but it also feels incredibly manipulative.

Nothing about the story feels authentic in any way.  Bobby’s ultimate success at Whitestone feels completely undeserved and is largely underwhelming, as far as culminating events go.  Everything about this novel was underwhelming, except for the weirdly culturally insensitive and racist comments about Native Americans.

Definitely worth skipping.  It might work for reluctant readers (especially male ones), but there are so many better options out there it hardly seems worth it.

Also Known as Rowan Pohi by Ralph Fletcher. Clarion Books: 2011. Library copy. Read for 2012 Cybils Round 1 Panel.