Review: Before We Go by Amy Bright

Before We Go by Amy Bright

Published by Red Deer Press May 2012

Source: ARC provided by the author

Summary:

Visiting her dying grandmother in hospital is not what 17 year old Emily wants to be doing for New Year's Eve, but it's not like she has anything else to do. Leaving the hospital, she meets a teen-aged boy named Alex, who is also leaving. When he invites her to go for a burger with him and his sister, she goes along. What Emily doesn't know is that Alex, too, is dying, their meeting is not a coincidence, and she is in for a New Year's Eve unlike any other.

My Thoughts:

   I was excited to be contacted by Canadian author Amy Bright about reviewing her book Before We Go.  The story was a great surprise as there was much more to the book than I initially expected. They say not to judge a book by its cover but I tend to do that initially and I wish the cover for Before We Go was stronger, and spoke more to the gem of a story inside it. 

As the story opens we meet Emily who is at her grandmother’s bedside in the hospital. Her grandmother is gravely ill with pneumonia and Emily knows that it won’t be long until the the dread of loneliness she feels will be made a reality. She discovers an unexpected friend in Alex when she meets him in the elevator, as well as something completely unexpected. 

I loved how Emily’s and Alex’s lives were so seamlessly intertwined. The author writes both female (Emily) and male (Alex) voices well and I related to Emily’s feelings of loneliness and Alex’s wish to help her as a way to deal with his.   The writing was strong, with well developed characters and parts of the plot fit together perfectly. I enjoyed the subtle surprises and there were many moments that were completely unexpected. Recommended for those who enjoy good contemporary stories, that leave you wanting more. Great for fans of Sarah Dessen. I’m looking forward to more from this Canadian author.

Recommended.

Book Review: First Day On Earth by Cecil Castellucci

First Day On Earth by Cecil Castellucci

Published by September 2011 by Scholastic Press

Reviewed from finished copy provided by publisher.

Summary

A startling, wonderful novel about the true meaning of being an alien in an equally alien world.
"We are specks. Pieces of dust in this universe. Big nothings.
"I know what I am."
Mal lives on the fringes of high school. Angry. Misunderstood. Yet loving the world -- or, at least, an idea of the world.
Then he meets Hooper. Who says he's from another planet. And may be going home very soon.

My Thoughts
  Mal is an outsider. He sits on the outskirts of activity at school. At home he is the care taker of his alcoholic mom. He also believes he was abducted by Aliens, left only with the scattered memories of those experiences. He’s alone in a world he feels he can not escape.
“There is a question that I always ask myself. I ask it many times during the day. How far away from here is far away enough? How far away would I be willing to go? My answer is always the same. You? I’d bet you’d think the moon was far away enough. I say the moon is still too close”pg16
  First Day On Earth is a short read; but it’s a powerful one. A mere 148 pages, it packs in such strength, and beauty and rawness. I think so many can relate to that feeling of not belonging, and the author captures it perfectly here. I love Cecil Castellucci’s writing style.
A book for teens and adults alike, there is much to experience and learn from this amazing novel.

Book Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

by Jennifer E Smith

Published by Poppy January 2nd 2012

236 pages

Reviewed from finished copy provided by the publisher

Summary

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18C. Hadley's in 18A. 

Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

My Thoughts:

     It is such a good feeling  when you read about 10-20 pages into a book and you just know it's going to be great. That was the case with The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. Hadley's still dealing with the break up of her parent's marriage, while on her way to her father's second wedding.  Forced to go, feeling trapped, a series of events lead her to miss her flight...and in steps Oliver. Handsome, British, (just think of the accent) and scheduled to be on Hadley's next flight. They share  an immediate connection, feel at ease, seem to understand each other and are destined to help each other more than they know. 

  

There were lovely phrases and moments along the way that I just had to mark:

"In the end, it's not the changes that will break your heart, it's the tug of familiarity"

"it doesn't matter that you once stood in front of all those people and said that you would. The important part is that you had someone to stick by you all the time. Even when everything sucked"

"No one is useless in this world", it reads "who lightens the burden of it for anyone else"

The story itself covers just over 24 hrs in their lives, but the characters are well developed and despite the short amount of time spent with them, I felt like I knew them well. An enjoyable contemporary read, it reminded me a bit of Dash and Lily's Book of Dares. Recommended. 

For more info check out the publishers webpage.

Book Review: Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

Published December 27th 2011 by Harpercollins

446 pages

Reviewed from ARC provided by the publisher

Summary:

When her parents split, Marcie is dragged from Idaho to a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She leaves behind her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father. 

By the time Labor Day rolls around, Marcie suspects this "vacation" has become permanent. She starts at a new school where a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up. But understanding love, especially when you've watched your parents' affections end, is elusive. What does it feel like, really? can you even know it until you've lost it? 

My Thoughts:

   I  enjoy novels in verse but I have to say this was one of the best ones I've had the pleasure of reading and also one of the best contemporary YA  novels I've read in a while. The story flowed flawlessly, and Marcie was a well written, likeable main character. 

The language had a rich depth  and it's almost impossible to pick a quote that I loved more than others, because there are so many to choose from. 

This one stands out for me:

"I can't believe he doesn't think I understand. I do. Your arms ache to hold someone- you move in slow motion from one hug to the next so you won't jostle the warm feeling off your shoulders before the next hug comes your way."

The story is compelling , sprinkled with the perfect combination of funny, serious and steamy moments. It's well written and even those readers who may have shied away from reading novels in verse before will not regret picking Love & Leftovers up. Highly Recommended. 

Book Review: Tilt by Alan Cumyn

Tilt

Published by Ground Wood Books July 2011

272 pages

Summary:

Stan is an intense sixteen-year-old loner who desperately wants to make the junior varsity basketball team. And it seems that he may be about to do so, until he’s blindsided by the unexpected attentions of Janine Igwash. Suddenly Stan is no longer thinking about jump shots. Instead he is obsessed with Janine’s spiky hair, her milky white shoulders and the mysterious little tattoo at the base of her neck, not to mention the heat of her breath, her dark eyes, wide hips and . . . Sometimes Stan’s imagination runs so wild he wonders whether he might be going crazy. That would be par for the course given his home life. His mother is dating the feckless Gary, and his little sister, designated gifted but a holy terror, is acting out. Then Stan’s father arrives on the scene with Stan’s four-year-old half brother, 

and things become truly insane

My Thoughts:

  I love when books surprise me and Tilt offered a lot more than I initially expected.  I'm not easily hooked on contemporary fiction especially one with a male protagonist, but Stan was so easy to like and I rooted for him.   
  His dad's abandonment left his family devastated and as they slowly put the pieces back together, Stan is left to take on more of a parent role for his sister and his Mom ( I was not a fan of hers) as well. Amidst all the turmoil at home; his sister's  insistence that their father is coming back soon, and his desperation to make the junior varsity basketball team, Stan falls for an unlikely girl who stirs things in him he had never felt before. Her mixed messages confuse him and without someone he can really talk to he is left to figure things out on his own. Just as he thinks he might be getting it together, someone unexpected returns and all (heck) breaks loose.  
 I think Tilt has great appeal for  teens who enjoy the contemporary genre (girl or boy). The story is compelling enough to hold the attention of any reluctant reader.  Similar authors like Corey Whaley, Jay Asher, and Gordon Korman came to mind as I was reading it. Recommended. 

Book Review: Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

Why We Broke Up

Published by Little Brown Books for Young readers

December 2011

368 Pages

Summary

I'm telling you why we broke up, Ed. I'm writing it in this letter, the whole truth of why it happened.

Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up. Two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a folded note, a box of matches, a protractor, books, a toy truck, a pair of ugly earrings, a comb from a motel room, and every other item collected over the course of a giddy, intimate, heartbreaking relationship. Item after item is illustrated and accounted for, and then the box, like a girlfriend, will be dumped.

My Thoughts:

   I wanted to love this book. I saved reading it so it would be the first book I read in 2012. The concept sounded fabulous. A girl (Min) delivers a letter and a box to her ex-boyfriend (Ed) with the intention of illustrating  why they broke up. I loved the concept, I loved that illustrations of each of the items she returned to her ex was included in the book.  I thought Min and Al were likable.- Not Ed of course, but the writing style got in the way of everything I liked about the book.

Unfortunately, I did not love the writing.  The sentences, paragraphs, and pages seemed to run together. I get that we were seemingly in Min's consciousness, experiencing her thoughts as she wrote them, but those thoughts felt jumbled and were challenging to decipher. There was too much dialogue as well.. "I said" then "you said" then "she said", I found it made the story disjointed, stilted and hard to follow. Perhaps I didn't fully understand the authors intentions, or maybe I built the book up so much in my own head, that I couldn't be anything but disappointed. I think what's more likely is that this type of writing style, just isn't for me. 

Waiting to Read -Nov 2-2011

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Each week we are invited to highlight the books we are anxiously waiting for!

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

by Jennifer E. Smith

Hardcover, 256 pages

Expected publication: January 2nd 2012 by Poppy

Summary

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18B. Hadley's in 18A.
Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.
 
This sounds wonderful!!! Can not wait to have it in my hands!
What are you waiting to read?

Dear Bully

Dear Bully Edited by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones

Published by Harper Teen September 1st 2011

ARC provided by the Publisher

Summary

You are not alone

Discover how Lauren Kate transformed the feeling of that one mean girl getting under her skin into her first novel, how Lauren Oliver learned to celebrate ambiguity in her classmates and in herself, and how R.L. Stine turned being the “funny guy” into the best defense against the bullies in his class.

Today’s top authors for teens come together to share their stories about bullying—as silent observers on the sidelines of high school, as victims, and as perpetrators—in a collection at turns moving and self-effacing, but always deeply personal.

     I would never dream of reviewing a book like this because the stories contained within are the personal stories of the author. It wouldn't be possible to review their experiences. I will however say how important a book like this is, how scary the statistics are and how sad it made me to read and remember the cruelty of  others. This book needs to be on the bookshelves of every home with a school-ager, tween or teen. In every school classroom, in every school library and in every public one too. It should be required reading for every teacher and school Principal. It needs to be accessible to everyone because the message that  "you are not alone" is such an important one.

My story: (this is me being brave and personal-because the authors are inspiring)

   I can tell you that when I was in high-school I felt like the "most" alone person in the world.  In between grade 8 and grade 9 was the summer that really started it all. I hung out with my best friends everyday and every evening. We partied, had sleepovers, and watched endless amounts of horror movies. In August of that summer my family took a vacation- I was gone 4 days. That's it. 4 flipping days. And I came back to a complete life change. My friends no longer spoke to me. I had no idea why, I never did find out because they never said. I got the silent treatment, and when they weren't being silent they were calling my house and saying horrible things, and sometimes evening threatening me. When I told my mom she said "they are not your friends then" but they were, they had been and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what had happened. 

  Of course this made starting high-school in the fall terrifying. I switched schools. I went to a school where I thought no one would know me. I sat alone at lunch, and then I skipped school to avoid sitting alone at lunch and then somehow I became a target there as well. I was spit on, shoved, kicked, threatened, held down while a boy did something awful. So I switched schools again- that was my mom's answer- switching schools- I switched 6 times. I never went to Prom or graduated High school (I did much later by doing equivalency exams) I hated myself, and spent a lot of my time wishing I could just disappear. I still have trouble trusting people, and I always have this fear when I go away that when I get back people I love won't be there in the way they were before. I'm not sure that I will ever get over that. But now as an adult I have friends who are there for me, a husband that I'm madly in love with, a son who lights up my life everyday and a job where I can support and encourage kids, adults and teens. Maybe I wouldn't have that if my life as a teen would have been different?
I wish there had been a Dear Bully book 14 years ago.

Highly recommended.

Withering Tights



Withering Tights by Louise Rennison

Published by HarperCollins July 2011

Hardcover 351 pages

Reviewed from Library Copy

Summary

Hilarious new series from Queen of Teen – laugh your tights off at the (VERY) amateur dramatic antics of Talullah and her bonkers mates. Boys, snogging and bad acting guaranteed!

Picture the scene: Dother Hall performing arts college somewhere Up North, surrounded by rolling dales, bearded cheesemaking villagers (male and female) and wildlife of the squirrely-type. On the whole, it’s not quite the showbiz experience Tallulah was expecting… but once her mates turn up and they start their ‘FAME! I’m gonna liiiiive foreeeeeever, I’m gonna fill my tiiiiights’ summer course things are bound to perk up. Especially when the boys arrive. (When DO the boys arrive?) Six weeks of parent-free freedom. BOY freedom. Freedom of expression... cos it’s

the THEATRE dahling, theatre!!

I was so thrilled when I first heard about this book. Louise Rennison's Georgia Nicholson series had me laughing out loud, and this one did the same. This author knows how to write humour and thank god she puts a glossary in the back for all of us non-brit readers.

  Fun, light and thoroughly enjoyable, exactly what I needed after all the heavy dystopians I've been reading. That's not to say that Withering Tights didn't have substance, Talluah was an over the top lovable character but she had to deal with all the insecurities and self doubts teen-age girls (and adult women for that matter) contend with on a daily basis. I wish there had been a Summer Performing Arts School when I was teen. Especially with a boys school next door! :) I can't wait for more Tallulah adventures. Recommended.

You can find out more about Louise Rennison here: http://witheringtights.com/
And if you haven't read "Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging" go now and get it.......

Ten Things We Did (and probably shouldn't have) Review

Ten Things We Did (and probably shouldn't have)

by Sarah Mlynowski

Published by Harperteen June 7th 2011

Reviewed from ARC provided by the Publisher

Summary:

2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house – parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have.
If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um,
"Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them.
In this hilarious and bittersweet tale, Sarah Mlynowski mines the heart and mind of a girl on her own for the first time. To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . .
one thing-she-shouldn't-have-done at a time.

Ten Things I Loved About this Book ( I could probably write more)

1. MC: April was an incredibly relate-able character- I saw my teenage self in her on each page
2. Hudson. *swoon*-though I would have loved more of him and less of Noah
3. April's love/hate relationship with her parents was reminiscent of mine, though I don't think I got away with nearly as much. I wish I had this book when I was 15
4. Chapter headings-each chapter title was one of the ten things they did. The book was layed out well  and propelled the reader forward
5. It's a page turner. See above. I read this in a sitting and couldn't put it down
6. So funny! I can't believe some of the choices April made
7. April's friendships. Vi was real to me, I knew someone (know someone) exactly like her
8. This could also be titled "Parents: 10 things your kids will do" but don't panic
9. Reminded me of times when I didn't have to be responsible for anyone else but myself
10. Perfect Summer Read

Recommended Read.

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Published by Atheneum (Simon & Schuster)May 2001

228 pages

Reviewed from ARC provided by the publisher.

Summary from Goodreads

Just when seventeen-year-old Cullen Witter thinks he understands everything about his small and painfully dull Arkansas town, it all disappears. . . .

In the summer before Cullen's senior year, a nominally-depressed birdwatcher named John Barling thinks he spots a species of woodpecker thought to be extinct since the 1940s in Lily, Arkansas. His rediscovery of the so-called Lazarus Woodpecker sparks a flurry of press and woodpecker-mania. Soon all the kids are getting woodpecker haircuts and everyone's eating "Lazarus burgers." But as absurd as the town's carnival atmosphere has become, nothing is more startling than the realization that Cullen’s sensitive, gifted fifteen-year-old brother Gabriel has suddenly and inexplicably disappeared.
While Cullen navigates his way through a summer of finding and losing love, holding his fragile family together, and muddling his way into adulthood, a young missionary in Africa, who has lost his faith, is searching for any semblance of meaning wherever he can find it. As distant as the two stories seem at the start, they are thoughtfully woven ever closer together and through masterful plotting, brought face to face in a surprising and harrowing climax.
Complex but truly extraordinary, tinged with melancholy and regret, comedy and absurdity, this novel finds wonder in the ordinary and emerges as ultimately hopeful. It's about a lot more than what Cullen calls, “that damn bird.” It’s about the dream of second chances.

    It took me a while to get through this one. It's not a plot driven book like many YA are, though I have to say the last few chapters had me holding my breath. This story is more about the characters and I find I read books like this much more slowly.
   Cullen is a genuine and likable character, his journal of Book Titles was hilarious. I adored his best friend Lucas and admired his loyalty to Cullen. The story seemed real. Like I was there beside him watching him go through the motions of daily life after his brothers disappearance. His guilt, his fear, his pain- all of it.
  But it's not just Cullen's story. There's another story weaving in and out and you are given just subtle glimpses of the how stories intertwine as you read along. The author does an absolutely fantastic job of the connecting the lives of all the characters in the book and that had me thinking about the impact (or lack of impact) I might make in the lives of people I have known, or are yet to know. Where Things Come Back is a powerful read. One that will leave you appreciating what you have and thinking about what you can do for others. Highly recommended.

Beauty Queens by the fabulous by Libba Bray

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Published by Scholastic May 2011

400 pages

Reviewed from ARC borrowed from co-worker

Summary from GoodReads

From bestselling, Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray, the story of a plane of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert island.

Teen beauty queens. A "Lost"-like island. Mysteries and dangers. No access to email. And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives underground in girls, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Oh, the horror, the horror! Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count.

 

    I don't even know where to begin with Beauty Queens. It was brilliant and funny and made a statement about our pop culture, what we view as entertainment and the lengths people will go to for money in a completely unique way.

  I loved the premise of the pageant contestants "lost" on a desert island. They proved to be a lot more resourceful than I imagined as I feared in the beginning that the characters would be 2 dimensional- after all on tv thats how they are often portrayed. I was surprised at how much I liked all "contestants" (except one really) they were all so different and it was fascinating to witness their growth (or lack of) through out the book.
  There was a really memorable part in the story when a couple of the girls compared themselves and their reaction to being stranded on an island to the mandatory highschool reading "Lord of the Flies" where a group of boys are stranded and how much better the girls faired than the boys did. (these girls really kicked some island butt)

The book highlighted the contrasts between the typical stereotypes and what makes the "ideal" girl and how often society allows us to be thought of as either one or the other.

  Beauty vs. Brains

 Virtuous vs Promiscuous
Through all it's quirkiness what stood out most for me was the girls realization that they don't have to be one or the other, they can be whoever they want to be and that the "ideal" girl is ultimately the one who is just herself.
I think that's a great message for all teens (and for us "adults" too.) Highly Recommended.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Leviathan

Published by Knopf Books October 2010

272 pages

Reviewed from purchased copy

Summary from goodreads

“I’ve left some clues for you.

If you want them, turn the page.

If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?
Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

 
3 things happened when I finished reading this book.


1. I went out and looked for a red moleskin notebook, I wanted my own and though I secretly wished that someone had left notes inside for me it was empty (it’s not really made out of moles is it?)

2. I wished that I had visited New York over the holidays instead of this past August.

3. I wished I had known about The Strand bookstore while we were there.

 I am a huge fan of David Leviathan and Rachel Cohn writing together. Their writing is always beyond clever and laugh out funny. Dash & Lily was no exception. It took a while for Dash to grow on me. He’s so pessimistic (or a realist if you prefer) but Lily (who I could relate to on many, many levels) was a superb contrast to him and they balanced each other out.
I enjoyed the premise of trading the notebook back and forth in New York and how they only shared parts of themselves at a time. As the book progressed Dash and Lily revealed more about themselves to each other and it became apparent how lonely they both were. Friendship and love can come from the most surprising places and at the most unexpected time.
This is destined to become an annual Holiday read for me. I loved the literature references throughout and have since added From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg to my to-read pile. Highly recommended.