YA Review: Audacious by Gabrielle Prendergast

Title: Audacious

Author: Gabrielle Prendergast

# of Pages: 

Publisher: Orca

Publication Date: October 1st 2013

Source: Provided by author in exchange for honest review

Level: Young Adult

Rating: 2.5 Hearts

Synopsis

Sixteen year old Raphaelle is that girl who says the wrong thing, who crosses the wrong person, who has the wrong hair, the wrong body, the wrong attitude, the totally wrong clothes. She can’t do anything right, except draw, but she draws the wrong pictures. When her father moves the family to a small prairie city, Raphaelle wants to leave behind the misfit rebel, the outcast, the vengeful trouble-maker she was. Reborn as “Ella,” she plans fit in at her new school, while her perfect younger sister goes to the Catholic girls’ school and her emotionally fragile mother looks for a job.

But Ella might just be a different kind of misfit. She’s drawn to a brooding boy in her art class, Samir, and expresses her confused feelings in an explicit artwork. When a classmate texts a photo of Ella’s art to a younger friend, the horrendous fallout spreads though Ella’s life like an uncontrollable disease. Ella is expelled from school and faces pornography charges, her mother is hospitalized, her sister fails all her classes, and her distant father finally notices something is wrong.

My Verdict

I don't know if you guys remember or if you followed my blog back then, but I actually interviewed author, Gabrielle Prendergast last year as part of my Novels In Verse Reading Challenge (which can be read here). Point being, I have been waiting for this book to come out for a long time! I'm so grateful to Gabrielle for providing me with an ARC for review purposes.

Being an artist myself, I thought it would be easy for me to connect with and understand Ella. Unfortunately, this didn't happen. I just couldn't see where she was coming from at all. Including a naked picture of herself in a school art show and frankly, not caring what happened in response. The thing is, it seemed like this wasn't the first time Ella had done something like that. I got the impression that her artwork had caused problems before. I feel like she just wanted the attention, whether good or bad and didn't really think of how her decisions affected others.

Her love interest, Samir, is also an artist but again, I just wasn't able to connect with him either. For a main character, he felt really distant to me throughout the whole book.

Religion is also a large topic in this story. Ella's family is Catholic, while  Samir's family is Muslim. Both characters are struggling with their faith, what they believe, who they believe in, or if they even believe anything at all. Personally, I didn't like the way religion was portrayed as this burden that both characters were trying to escape from. However, I respected the fact that the author didn't shy away from religion like most YA books do.

While this book wasn't a good match for me, I do think a lot of others will enjoy it. Especially fans of Ellen Hopkins and other books with heavier, more controversial subject matter.

Book Review: The Language Inside by Holly Thompson

Title: The Language Inside

Author: Holly Thompson

# Of Pages: 528

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: May 14, 2013

Source: Borrowed ARC

Level: Young Adult

Rating: 4 Hearts

Synopsis

(From Amazon.com)

Emma Karas was raised in Japan; it's the country she calls home. But when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer, Emma's family moves to a town outside Lowell, Massachusetts, to stay with Emma's grandmother while her mom undergoes treatment.  

Emma feels out of place in the United States. She begins to have migraines, and longs to be back in Japan. At her grandmother's urging, she volunteers in a long-term care center to help Zena, a patient with locked-in syndrome, write down her poems. There, Emma meets Samnang, another volunteer, who assists elderly Cambodian refugees. Weekly visits to the care center, Zena's poems, dance, and noodle soup bring Emma and Samnang closer, until Emma must make a painful choice: stay in Massachusetts, or return home early to Japan.

My Verdict

Author, Holly Thompson uses free verse to weave together a great multi-cultural story about family, friends, love, hardship, and what to do when the language inside doesn’t match the language outside.

The main character, Emma, and her family move from Japan (the only home Emma’s ever known) when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. The family moves to Massachusetts to stay with a relative so that her mom can be treated in Boston. 

Her mother’s breast cancer, the move - it all leaves Emma with a lot of stress and she starts to suffer from severe migraines. Emma also experiences a lot of guilt having left Japan right after it was struck by the tragedy of a Tsunami. She feels she should be there with her friends to help clean up the destruction and start rebuilding.

Her grandmother signs Emma up to volunteer at a long-term care facility while she’s in town. She is there to help a patient named Zena , who suffers from locked-in syndrome, write poetry.  The only way Zena can communicate is with her eyes. Emma has to hold up an alphabet board organized by row and color, reading each one out until Zena looks up to select a letter. I found this dynamic of the story to be very heartwarming as we get to watch Zena and Emma’s relationship grow as they connect with one another through their mutual love of poetry.

There is also a small romance aspect to the story between Emma and Samnang, a fellow volunteer at the care facility. It’s a sweet relationship that develops slowly throughout the story but at times it was frustrating too because they weren’t even going out but Emma would get all worked up and upset if he hung out with another girl *insert eye roll*.

“I look at him

and he looks straight back at me

into me

and there’s a calm

between us

we are just sitting, breathing,

and I think we are smiling

with out eyes.”

As you can see, this book deals with a lot of different issues; breast cancer, locked-in syndrome, post traumatic stress disorder, and migraines, to name some, but it does so effortlessly, weaving them together into one coherent and touching story about one girl’s journey to find herself.

Defy the Stars Book Weekend: Author Interview

Welcome back to day two of Defy the Stars Book Weekend, thanks for coming back =)

Yesterday we started with a book review and today we have an interview with the lovely author herself, Stephanie Parent. 

Here's how things are gonna go: 

Yesterday: Book Review

Today: Author Interview

Tomorrow: Giveaway & Author Mad Lib

Born Bookish: Defy the Stars is a retelling of Romeo & Juliet, what made you want to reinvent this story? 

I had written a previous novel in verse and received feedback from editors that it wasn’t “edgy” or dramatic enough for today’s YA market, so I knew I needed to go further in my next novel. Someone in the publishing industry actually suggested the idea of a modern Romeo and Juliet story involving drug addiction. At first I wasn’t sure about it, but then I reread the play and was struck by how well the “poison” in the original play correlated with modern drug use. I was also frustrated with several recent YA books that I think portray Romeo and Juliet in an overly simple, one-sided way, and I wanted to explore Shakespeare’s work in a deeper way. 

Born Bookish: Did you read many novels in-verse to prepare yourself to write one of your own? 

I didn’t specifically read verse novels in preparation for this one, but I’ve been reading verse novels for many years before I attempted to write one. In fact, I would like to read every YA verse novel ever published if that were possible! 

Born Bookish: What is your favorite novel in-verse? 

It’s so hard to pick! One absolutely amazing, completely original verse novel I have to mention is Martine Leavitt’s My Book of Life by Angel. This is the gritty, uncompromising story of a teenage prostitute on the streets of Vancouver, and the author was inspired by the real-life disappearance of a number of prostitutes in the Vancouver area. The poetry format works perfectly to illustrate Angel’s broken psyche and her broken world, and Leavitt works in excerpts and themes from Paradise Lost to stunning effect. 

Another verse novel I really love, which I think definitely deserves more recognition, is Dead on Town Line by Leslie Connor. At less than 10000 words, this book is short even by verse standards, but the author manages to tell a complete, moving, satisfying story that somehow feels more like a novel than a short story or novella. Sort of a YA version of The Lovely Bones, this book is dark and sad, yet ultimately hopeful. 

On a lighter note, I absolutely love Sonya Sones’ companion verse novels, What My Mother Doesn’t Know and What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know. Sones is one of those authors who just makes it look so easy—her verse is deceptively simple but so clever, elegant and charming, it will definitely leave a smile on your face. 

Born Bookish: A lot of people are hesitant to try reading this format, why do you think that is? 

I think a lot of people develop a fear of poetry in high school and/or college English classes and never really outgrow it! I completely understand this, because there are plenty of poems I’ll NEVER understand no matter how much time I spend analyzing them. In addition, some people hear “verse” and assume a verse novel will be a series of poems, perhaps confusing and overly metaphorical, without a clear and overarching narrative. The truth is, many verse novels are quick and easy to read and perfect for reluctant readers, since they contain so few words per page and cut to the emotional core. 

Born Bookish: Can you tell us a little bit about your writing process? Do you make yourself write a certain number of words a day etc.? 

I really don’t enjoy—in fact, I pretty much dread—the actual writing process, so I usually don’t force myself to write a certain number of words a day, and I have a lot of weird little rituals to help me write. I actually like to write with a TV show on in the background of my computer! It has to be a show I’ve watched before so I’m not too distracted, but having that extra noise rather than the gaping silence really helps me. Oddly enough, though, I can’t listen to music while writing, especially music with lyrics—I find that too distracting. I also like to give myself permission to take frequent breaks and surf the net while writing. It means the process takes longer, but it preserves my sanity a bit! 

Born Bookish: Which character was easiest for you to write? Why? 

Julia, since in many ways she’s similar to who I was as a teenager—I was also a fairly serious piano player and a bit of a perfectionist and workaholic. 

Born Bookish: If you could be one of your characters, who would you be? 

Honestly, since Defy the Stars is a pretty depressing story, I’m not sure I’d want to be any of the characters! Probably Julia, because it might be worth the pain she goes through to experience that kind of love. 

Born Bookish: Piano plays a big part of Julia’s life, do you play piano yourself or was it just something that interested you? 

I actually do play the piano—although not nearly as well as Julia does! I went to a performing arts high school, The Baltimore School for the Arts, as a classical piano major, and I also took private lessons at the Peabody Preparatory, the pre-college branch of the Peabody music conservatory that Julia applies to in the novel. However, I was never too interested in or dedicated to the technical aspects of playing, and I knew I didn’t have the drive to pursue it as a career. I definitely couldn’t play the third movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata that Julia tackles in the novel! 

Born Bookish: Both of the main characters in your book are musicians, did you listen to music while writing? If so what was the main song that inspired you? 

I have a hard time writing to music, especially music with lyrics, but I did listen to a lot of classical piano music while writing the book. One piece I listened to over and over is Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata—you’ll see why if you read the book! A few more modern songs I was also inspired by are “1979” by The Smashing Pumpkins and “Your Decision” by Alice in Chains. 

Born Bookish: What was your favorite children’s book growing up? 

So many, but if I had to choose one, Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. One of my most vivid childhood memories is sitting on the stairs and sobbing my heart out while reading the last few pages of that book. It really showed me just what an emotionally intense experience reading can be. 

Born Bookish: Do you have any new books in the works that you can tell us a little bit about? 

I have a shorter novel called Forty Days coming out in February—it’s actually the first installment in a two-part story, a YA retelling of Noah’s ark from the point of view of Noah’s sixteen-year-old granddaughter, Neima. Then in May I’m releasing a New Adult romance titled Precious Things, about a girl who has to switch from her chosen university to a community college at the last minute, and the intriguing people she meets there (including a hot guy, of course!). Then in late summer or early fall I’ll have Forty Nights, the second half of the Noah’s ark story. 

Born Bookish: Here at Born Bookish I have a segment called Breathtaking Book Covers where I post the cover image of a book that I think is stunning. Is there a book cover that has ever taken your breath away? If so, what book? 

I really love the covers of most of Francesca Lia Block’s books, which are designed by the amazing photographer and visual artist Suza Scalora. I think my favorite is the cover for I Was a Teenage Fairy.


Thanks so much for the interview Stephanie!!!

Book Weekend: Defy the Stars

It's time for another  Book Weekend! 

This coming weekend January 25th through the 27th stop by for a weekend dedicated to Defy the Stars by Stephanie Parent, a Young Adult novel in verse. 

Here's the schedule for the weekend:

Friday: Book Review

Saturday: Author Interview

Sunday: Giveaway & Author Mad Lib

I hope you stop by! =D

Book Review: Hidden by Helen Frost

Title: Hidden

Author: Helen Frost

# Of Pages: 160

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Publication Date: May 10, 2011

Level: Middle Grade

Rating: 4 Hearts

Synopsis

(From Amazon.com)

When Wren Abbott and Darra Monson are eight years old, Darra's father steals a minivan. He doesn't know that Wren is hiding in the back. The hours and days that follow change the lives of both girls. Darra is left with a question that only Wren can answer. Wren has questions, too.

Years later, in a chance encounter at camp, the girls face each other for the first time. They can finally learn the truth—that is, if they’re willing to reveal to each other the stories that they’ve hidden for so long. Told from alternating viewpoints, this novel-in-poems reveals the complexities of memory and the strength of a friendship that can overcome pain.

My Verdict

Hidden is told from two alternating points-of-views, Wren and Darra. Wren’s sections are told in free verse, while Darra’s sections are told in a unique form created by the author specifically for this book.

This idea of an unintentional kidnapping was very intriguing to me. Wren is in the backseat of her mom’s minivan when it gets stolen. Too afraid to say anything, Wren stays hidden until the car comes to a stop where she finds herself closed in a garage. While hidden in the garage Wren learns about the man who took her and his family, which includes a daughter the same age as herself. The two girls never speak, they never even see each other, but it is with her help that Wren is able to stay hidden long enough to come up with a plan and make her escape.

Years later the two girls end up in the same cabin at summer camp. At first they both try to ignore each other and the past, but the past soon becomes too big a burden that neither of them can ignore anymore.

Wren and Darra were both likable main characters who were easy to sympathize with. Both girls had been affected by this event in their pasts, but it had changed their lives in different ways. The main focus of the story was definitely character growth as we see these two girls overcome their painful past and start to forge a strong friendship that will continue into the future.

The thing I really liked was how creative the author was with this unique form of storytelling. The poems told from Darra’s view were created in a way that when you read the last word of all the long lines straight down the page from top to bottom it tells you more of the story. I thought this was a really unique and fun way to bring more depth to the story. Once I had finished the book, I saw the authors note on this and really enjoyed flipping back through the book to read these little bits on Darra’s life that give us a bit of a deeper look into her side of things, and how life changed for her as well as Wren.

Overall, this was a unique and enjoyable read. It’s the first of Helen Frost’s books that I’ve read but it certainly won’t be my last.

Book Review: Karma by Cathy Ostlere

Title: Karma

Author: Cathy Ostlere

# Of Pages: 528

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: March 31, 2011

Level: Young Adult

Rating: 3 Hearts

Synopsis

(From Amazon.com)

It is 1984, and fifteen-year-old Maya is on her way to India with her father. She carries with her the ashes of her mother, who has recently committed suicide, and arrives in Delhi on the eve of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination - one of the bloodiest riots in the country's history.

Then Maya is separated from her father and must rely upon the help of a mysterious, kindhearted boy, Sandeep, to safely reunite them. But as her love for Sandeep begins to blossom, Maya will have to face the truth about her painful adolescence . . . if she's ever to imagine her future.

My Verdict

Karma is definitely the most complex and thought provoking novel-in-verse I’ve read to date.

Set in 1984 the story starts in Canada but the majority of it takes place in India. The story focuses on fifteen-year-old Maya who is half Hindu, half Sikh. Her parents wed against both families’ wishes and both of their beliefs.

After Maya’s mother commits suicide, her and her father travel to India to spread her ashes. While there, terror rocks the nation when the Prime Minister is murdered and all chaos breaks loose. Sikhs are now being hunted down and brutally murdered.

Caught up in the middle of this bloody massacre, Maya’s father abandon’s her to find help. Scared and alone, Maya is forced to try and survive on her own, find her father, and make it back home.

Cathy’s use of free verse and poetic way with words made for a beautifully told story, with descriptions that could take your breath away. I found myself tucking little scraps of paper into pages as I read marking my favorite passages.

“The pilot steers along ribbons of light. Green

polar flames rippling in the dark. Long silken

scarves floating on the air. It’s like watching the

wind on fire. Pulsing.”

“I stand up. Stretch my arms out wide to the

empty horizon. Do not be afraid of limitless

possibilities. The desert is infinite to the eye

as love is to the heart.”

“The dream-sky is perfect black. The moon in shadow like a

shy girl hiding behind her mother’s skirt. Yet the

atmosphere hums. Then pulses with light. The pilot

strings the stars together with green ribbons.”

The story is told from the perspectives of three different personal journals; Maya’s diary, Sandeep’s notebook, and Jiva’s journal.

The thing that bothered me most was that many of the characters had multiple names, which got confusing at times. I’m not sure if one was the name and one was the word for mother or father? I’m not really sure, all I know is it was confusing.

• Maya/Jiva
• Leela/Mata
• Amar/Bapu
• Pavarti/Deedi
• Sandeep/Miraj
• Barindra/Pita
• Amma/Mina

The other thing that threw me off at times was the use of different fonts and italics to indicate conversation and dialog, leaving me unsure if some things were being spoken or just thought.

While the first half of the book flew by as the momentum built, the story really started to slow down in the second half and you could really feel those last 250 pages.

Objectionable content warning: There are a number of instances with upsetting and brutal violence that would be too much for young readers.

Book Review: Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

Title: Reaching for Sun

Author: Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

# Of Pages: 144

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books

Publication Date: March 6, 2007

Level: Middle Grade

Rating: 5 Hearts

Synopsis

(From inside flap)

Josie Wyatt knows what it means to be different. Her family’s small farmhouse seems to shrink each time another new mansion goes up behind it. Her mom is demanding, her gran is opinionated, and her father- well, she’s never known him. Then there’s her cerebral palsy: even if Josie wants to forget that she was born with a disability, her mom can’t seem to let it go. Yet when a strange new boy- Jordan- moves into one of the houses nearby, he seems oblivious to all the things that make Josie different. And before long, Josie finds her herself reaching for something she’s never really known: a friend… and possibly more.

Interlinked free-verse poems tell the beautiful, heartfelt story of a girl, a proud family farm reduced to a garden, and a year of unforgettable growth.

My Verdict

Reaching for Sun was a great lazy-day read that took me only about an hour from start to finish. It is written in a series of free-verse poems, which I love.

I’ve come to find out that formatting is a big deal when it comes to novels in verse. All of my favorite books in verse share a common thread, the format, which is short and sweet. The lines are all short and to the point, each poem containing its own heading, kind off like a chapter title, that ties in with what is being said. This book was also broken into seasons, which I really liked. I thought it worked really well with the book because the story has so much to do with gardens and plants, which all change due to the season.

The author made it easy to get into Josie’s head. Her thoughts were so true, so pure, so real. This was an uplifting, heartfelt story of a young girl finding her place and her voice in life. 

Book Review: Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

Title: Chasing Brooklyn

Author: Lisa Schroeder

# Of Pages: 432

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: January 5, 2010

Rating: 5 Hearts

Synopsis

(From Amazon.com)

High school junior Brooklyn and senior Nico are trying to move past the death of Lucca, a pivotal figure in both of their lives. Lucca was Brooklyn’s boyfriend and Nico’s brother. Although it has been one year since Lucca’s death, the recent overdose death of Gabe, Lucca’s long-time best friend, shakes Nico and Brooklyn by reopening the wound of Lucca’s sudden passing. Soon after dying, Gabe begins haunting Brooklyn’s dreams. Gabe’s intent is not clear, but the dreams have a malicious overtone that unsettles Brooklyn. Meanwhile, Nico has his own supernatural communications with his dead brother, and the clear message from Luca to Nico is that Brooklyn needs help. Nico reaches out to Brooklyn, and their grief and love for Lucca bring them together. But soon Brooklyn and Nico’s newfound friendship leads to deeper feelings.

My Verdict

    

This book was amazing! Chasing Brooklyn is a book written in free verse, by one of my all time favorite authors!  Lisa Schroeder is such a powerful writer, she know just what to say to pull on those heartstrings. This is Lisa’s third YA book written in verse, and can I just say that they keep getting better and better!

  
Books written in multiple perspectives are a toss up. Most of the time I really like books written this way, but sometimes I really hate it. I guess it all depends on the execution by the author. In this book I loved it. The chapters alternate back and forth between Brooklyn and Nico throughout the whole book, diving into the heart and soul of two different characters, experiencing the same heartbreak, both of whom you will fall in love with as you read this book.

   
As you can imagine this book was very emotional. Brooklyn has lost her boyfriend Lucca, who was also Nico’s brother. Then they both loose a friend, Gabe, who was Lucca’s best friend. But through all this loss and heartbreak they find each other. So it was an emotional journey to say the least. One that brought me to tears more than just once, but I loved every minute of it.