25 posts tagged “young adult fiction”

Bachorz, P. Candor
Egmont, 2009. 249 pages.
$16.95 ISBN 978-1-60684-012-2

Respectful space in every place.
Academics are the key to success.
Never keep secrets from your parents.

These phrases sound like something the average teen would hear on a regular basis as adults try to influence their behavior.  While children may not immediately obey these words, they do listen.  But what if they had no choice but to listen?  What if these messages were not coming from their parents' mouths, but instead being delivered subliminally, every second of every day? 

In the town of Candor, that is exactly what life is like.  Well-to-do families move in, hoping that the messages will help mold their children into something "better".  It only takes a matter of days before the child starts to spout these phrases.  Once cherished items, like skateboards, art supplies, and M&Ms, are thrown in the garbage by their owners.  The town is quiet, safe, and seemingly perfect since all of its citizens must obey the Messages.

Oscar Banks is the son of Candor's creator.  As the Messages will tell you, he is a superior person.  He does well in school, participates in extracurricular activities, and even has a perfect girlfriend, Mandi.  But no one knows the real Oscar.  He was in Candor from the start, and he's managed to figure out how the Messages work.  He can't avoid them completely, but he has created a set of special messages just for himself, to help him remember who he really is.  He also creates messages for kids that are willing and able to pay his high fee to get out. He has managed to build his own little world inside right under his father's nose, and no one knows about it but him. 

Then one night, Oscar meets a mysterious girl.  She's clearly new in town, still wearing her dark clothes and a collection of earrings.  She's also snuck in a can of orange spray paint.  He is amazed by the spirit this girl possesses and is drawn to her.  He slips her a music CD, filled with special Messages to keep her from changing into a brainwashed Candor teen.  He doesn't tell her that, of course.  Who would believe that they were being controlled by subliminal Messages?  Plus, he hasn't quite figured out what he wants to do with her - should he smuggle her out of Candor and out of his life?  Or should he keep her in the town so they can be friends...or more? 

Pam Bachorz's Candor is a society that feels eerily plausible.  Oscar Banks narrates the story in a natural voice, explaining to the reader how the Messages and the town work as a whole.  Oscar starts out somewhat self-centered (as anyone in his situation might be, since he is the only teen not repeating the Messages) but as the story goes on, he begins to realize a bit more about himself, Candor, and the what the world outside must be like.  He starts to see how much of a personality can really be suppressed by the Messages, and how far his father will go to keep the town safe and sterile.

Candor would be a fitting book suggestion for a fan of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series - the bubbly Pretties and the Candor teens have a lot in common.  But even if they are not familiar with that series, readers will enjoy this well-written, fast-paced (and other hyphenated words) story.

After the Heartland war, a decision was made - abortion would become illegal.  BUT when a child is between the ages of 13-18, they are eligible to be Unwound - a procedure that takes every part of the child and allows it to be distributed to someone in need.  So the child is technically still living.  Just not as a single human.

That is the main plot of Neil Shusterman's disturbing YA novel Unwind. Like Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series, this book takes an issue and does what all good sci-fi should do - takes it to an extreme.  It doesn't beat you over the head with what is right or wrong, but it does get you caught up in a story, with characters, but at the same time, your brain begins to think about the deeper themes and questions behind the story.

In Unwind, three teens runaway while on their way to the unwinding facility - Connor, whose parents scheduled him to be unwound after some bad behavior in school, runs away the night before.  Risa, an orphan, was scheduled by the state after they realized they could not afford another mouth to feed.  And Lev, a tithe, a sacrifice that is family had decided to make before he was born, raised knowing that he would be unwound.  Fate throws these three together and the book is the story of their adventure through this future world.

Unwind sucks you in from page 1 and doesn't let go until its over. It is an intense story, and I found myself needing to put the book down and walk away for a bit.  But it is the kind of book you want to read with your friends because you're going to want to discuss it.  Schusterman is careful not to preach  any sort of agenda - he is just playing with a scenario that feels all too plausible in a twisted way. 

If you're in the mood for some well written science fiction that has a good blend of action, suspense, and pseudo-science, pick up this book!

Earlier this year, I read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and I loved it.  I'm talking 5 out of 5 stars, must tell everyone I know about this book LOVED it.  It had everything I wanted in a story - action, adventure, kick-ass heroine, well-developed side characters, and a hint of relationship stuff (but not so much that I started to gag). 

Last month, the sequel was released - Catching Fire.

I am not going to post any spoilers because the thing that made reading Hunger Games and Catching Fire so great was how little I knew about them before I started.  But let's just say that Catching Fire has everything Hunger Games had, but kicked up a notch.  It picks up right where we left off... 

That being said, I give Catching Fire 4 out of 5 stars because of the usual reasons with middle books - this book is more about setting things up for the grand finale than anything else so the ending is a lot rougher than Hunger Games, which felt like the first Star Wars movie - yeah, there was more to do, but it had a satisfying ending for the biggest story. 

With Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins knows that she owns us, that we are invested in these characters, and that we'll be expecting that cliffhanger.  And she gives it to us.  I read the last page several times, trying to figure out exactly what it all meant because I know I have another year before I found out what happens. 

Seriously, why are you reading this post?  You should be reading Hunger Games or Catching Fire RIGHT NOW! 

Just look at that title.  Look at that cover art.  That's a lot for one book to live up to.  Perhaps it would have been better if I had just imagined a plot to go along with the both of them.  But instead I read the book...

Castration Celebration is about Olivia, who is attending a drama summer camp after a very rough year (she walked in on her father fooling around with one of his students).  So Olivia decides to swear off men, and to put all her energy into writing a musical - Castration Celebration!  Of course, as soon as she arrives at camp, she meets a charming young man and the two begin to flirt like crazy...

Someone on GoodReads mentioned Kevin Smith - this is def. more of a Jay & Silent Bob Strikes Back kind of book, rather than the Chasing Amy story I was hoping for.  Wizner goes for crude humor and shock value but forgets that he's supposed to also tell an interesting story.  That's the reason movies like Clerks, Chasing Amy, The Hangover, Superbad are so watchable - you're connected to the characters, even when they are dropping f-bombs and making sexual innuendos that would make a sailor blush.  I kept waiting for Olivia and her crew to become more than static characters, but it never happened.

Olivia makes references to Much Ado About Nothing in the first part of her play, so I was hoping that perhaps the book would be a twist on that tale.   Yeah, no. 

The idea of having the reader go through Olivia's play as she writes it quickly becomes boring.  I waiting for the parts of each chapter that turned into script, and tended to skim them by the end of the book because they had no baring on the actual story anymore. 

An interesting premise but poorly executed - Castration Celebration can't live up to its cover art. 

"In Mary's world, there are three simple truths.  The Sisterhood always knows best.  The Guardians will protect and serve.  The Unconsecrated will never relent."

Mary grew up in the village, surrounded by the fence which separates them from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.  No one goes outside the fence because that is where the Unconsecrated roam.  The Unconsecrated are undead that stumble around with only one goal - to feed on human flesh.  They are zombies.

Mary had never really thought about her life, her fate, the rules that controlled her world, until a few months ago when her father went missing.  Everyone said that he was dead or had been turned into an Unconsecrated.  Her mother became obsessed with finding him and spends long hours searching for him in the crowds of zombies gathered around the fence.  Mary's brother Jed patrols the fence as one of the Guardians, so it is Mary's responsibility to watch their mother and make sure she does not stray close enough to the fence to be attacked. 

But today, Mary lingers to long by the river, when Harry approaches her and begins the ritual of courtship that will lead to a betrothal.  Realizing that her mother has been left alone, Mary rushes back home only to find that she is too late: her mother has been bitten and will turn into an Unconsecrated.  Mary watches her die and then Return, no longer human but a monster.  Jed refuses to let Mary come home, blaming her for their mother's death, so Mary has no where else to turn - she is forced to live in the Cathedral and train with the Sisterhood. 

At night in the Cathedral, Mary begins to hear things - discussion and secrets that she is not supposed to know.   One night she sees a young girl her own age brought into the Cathedral and hidden from everyone else...a young girl from outside the village.  Mary begins to realize that perhaps she should question their world, their way of life...

Carrie Ryan's tale is one parts zombie survival guide, one parts love triangle, and one parts M. Night's The Village.  It is an action packed read that will appeal to both teen and adult audiences alike.  Mary is strong-willed and perhaps a bit selfish (the way any young adult might be if they were torn between their first love, their dreams, and what society expects of them).  Ryan's writing is consistent and well-paced, sucking you into the story right away making the book a quick read even at 310 pages. 

The book has a sequel/companion slated for 2010 and the movie rights were just picked up so a feature film is on the way!

Cody is not the smartest kid in his high school, and he's definitely not the richest.  But he is the star quarterback and he does have an awesome girlfriend.  Clea may live in a mansion, but she gets Cody and they enjoy each other's company.  In fact, one day they are enjoying it a little *too* much and Clea's father walks in on them.  The next time Clea talks to Cody, she tells him that her father is pulling her out of their school in Little Bend, Colorado and transferring her to a private school -- in Vermont.

Cody says a few unkind words, Clea is shipping across the country, and life goes on.  But then Cody is tackled during a game and wrecks his knee so much that he is not allowed to play the rest of the season.  Without football to motivate him, he drops out of high school and ends up working at the local lumber yard.  It is on his way there one morning, that he sees the newspaper in local coffee shop - the front page has Clea's picture on it with a headline "MISSING GIRL". 

Cody drops everything and drives to Vermont, hoping to find out what has happened to Clea.  But when he gets there, he finds a whole new world; kids with money, a boarding school with its own history, and Clea's new boyfriend.  But that doesn't stop Cody, he is determined to find out where Clea is and if she is still alive. 

Reality Check is a quick read, a suspense/mystery book targeted towards teens but since Peter Abrahams is a talented writer, or at least, I feel like he just approaches writing like "hey I'm writing, we'll see who reads it" that this book would appeal to anyone who is in the mood for a mystery.  I enjoyed following Cody around Dover Academy and watching him piece together all the clues, and slowly realize that maybe he was smarter than he gave himself credit for. 

Janie is a "dream catcher".  Since discovering this ability in Wake, she has spent a bit of time training herself to control her power.  Fade is the next step in that story.

While I enjoyed Wake, I think I expected more from Fade.  Like Wake, McMann uses her very quick and readable style to move the story along, and the reader can tear through the book in a matter of hours.  I felt like she had some interesting ideas, but the ending was a little over the top.  Even after you get over the idea that a person's dreams will some how lead to the solving of a crime, the last few chapters just ended up in a very weird place. 

It feels like McMann is probably setting up a third book (or more?) for this series because of what is revealed at the end of this book. 

Imagine a future where the world is ruled by a dictatorship and they have the power to take you away at any moment.  But they don't...instead, they leave it up to chance.  Once a year, your life is on the line and if chosen, your death will be considered entertainment for the masses.

This is the society that Katniss grew up in.  Her family lives in District 12, one of the many districts ruled by The Capitol.  Years ago, the 13 districts tried to rebel against the government of Panem, but the Capitol squashed their rebellion.  District 13 was completely wiped off the map, and the rest were turned into slaves to the Capitol, each providing a different resource for those citizens and leaving their own to starve.  The Hunger Games, a twisted take on reality entertainment, were designed to remind the people of Panem the power the Capitol has over them; that at a moments notice they can take away a child and force them to fight a battle to the death.  And everyone in Panem will be forced to watch as these children try to survive because only one can be declared the winner. 

This book is action-packed and hard to put down.  Reading the story, you can easily (and eerily) imagine an event like the Hunger Games airing on television today.  Contestants are paraded around, try to win sponsors, and then have their trials and tribulations broadcast to the world.  But Katniss has her wits about her, even if her people skills are not that great.  She is a strong heroine and makes this book hard to put down as you follow her through the different facets of the games. 

There's so much I want to say about this book but I don't want to spoil it for anyone.  It is a fantastic read, with writing so vivid, you feel like you're watching a movie (though in a couple years, you will be as Lionsgate just optioned the film rights).  It can get gruesome at time, since the kids are fighting to the death, but the violence isn't enough to turn anyone off if you've watched an action/adventure movie in the passed 10 years. 

This is the first book in a planned trilogy, but The Hunger Games has a satisfying ending to itself, so don't worry about being left with a big cliffhanger.  Collins leaves the story open just enough to continue, but not enough to leave you feeling like you should have waited for book 2 to be out (which it will be in September). 

Do yourself a favor and read The Hunger Games now...because I have a feeling in a few months, everyone else will be talking about it.

Think about all the times you've made a wish; tossing a coin into a fountain, blowing away an eyelash, or blowing out birthday candles.  Were they simple wishes - I want a toy! - or were there layers to these wishes - wishing for the toy meant your friends would find you more attractive?  What if all of those wishes, layers and all, had to be granted?  And what if YOU were in charge of granting them?

Well Witched by Francis Hardinge opens with three friends are out in a part of town their parents have forbidden them to visit when they realize they don't have enough change to pay for the bus ride home.  Desperate to find some coins, the teens stumble upon a well.  They grab a handful and use them to pay for the ride home.  Little do they know those coins do not belong to them, and the spirit of the well wants them back.  She gives each of the teens a special ability - Ryan communicates with her via magical eyes that have grown on his fingers; Shell can speak the thoughts of the wisher; and Josh has the power to effect electricity.  At first, it seems like it will be easy - how many coins could they have taken?  How hard could it be to fullfill a wish?  But they soon discover that there is no such thing as a simple wish and that not everyone wishes for nice things. 

I listened to the audiobook version of this book, and I think I might have enjoyed it more if I had read the book.  It's a bit too long, and one of the downsides of audio is that you can't skim a page if you're not interested in the current content. So I found myself checking the track numbers on the discs, wondering how much was left of the story. 

And there is a lot of story.  It feels like Hardinge might have had two story ideas in her head but tried to get them both into the same book.  She takes great care in creating a family life for Ryan and his friends but the story of the parents feels a bit too complicated and it weighs down the narrative, especially since we already have the story of an angry well witch trying to manipulate the three teens as they struggle to "grant" wishes.

The book has some creepy images, so I would suggest this book for older children, maybe 5th grade and up.  The story was original and interesting, but in the end the overwelming amount of random plotlines makes it drag, so I would only give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.