Dead Beautiful

Title: Dead Beautiful
Author: Yvonne Woon
Age Level: Young Adult (Grades 9-12)
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Copyright: 2010
ISBN: 9781423119562

On her 16th birthday, Renee Winters finds both of her parents lying dead in the middle of a forest. Just a few days later, she is whisked away by a grandfather she hasn't seen in years. She soon finds herself at Gottfried Academy in northern Maine, a mysterious boarding school that specializes in the study of philosophy, Latin, and "crude sciences." Here, Renee finds herself strangely attracted to Dante, a fellow student with a bad reputation and a deadly secret. As she settles in at Gottfried Academy and her relationship with Dante grows deeper, she realizes that the mystery and danger that awaits is far beyond her wildest dreams.

I really enjoyed Dead Beautiful. Although the story was fiction, the ideas behind the story were rooted in philosophers of the past, which gave the book more validity than much of today's romantic fantasy. I also found it incredibly interesting because the concept presented in this novel was very different than the vampires, witches, werewolves, and fairies I've been reading about lately. The love story was also quite compelling. Hopefully a sequel is in the works!


(Review based on an advance copy. This book will be released in September 2010.)

Need

Title: Need
Author: Carrie Jones
Age Level: Young Adult (Grades 7-12)
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Copyright: 2008
ISBN: 9781599903385


Zara has always had a need to understand things. She can name almost any phobia and believes that if she can name it, she can conquer it. After her father dies, she slips into a deep depression and her mother sends her to live with her grandma Betty in northern Maine. Upon her arrival in Maine, she begins attending school and is promptly taken in by a group of loyal (if somewhat outcast) friends. Not heeding her grandmother's advice to be in the house before nightfall, Zara loses control of her car on a dark and icy road and is rescued by mysterious, handsome Nick. Add a little pixie dust and a stranger who follows her everywhere to the list, and soon Zara begins to realize that things aren't exactly what they seem. In fact, there is magic and danger beyond her wildest imaginations encroaching on her safe, controlled little world.

I absolutely LOVED Need. It had all of the elements for an entertaining adult novel with none of the smut. I believe that one of the marks of a book's true success is if it can transcend age groups. Although this book is really aimed more towards teens, I think it would even be appropriate for mature tweens and even adults. I love that Jones has written a romantic science fiction/fantasy novel that involves a creature other than vampires. The writing is good, the storyline flows well, the characters are loveable AND respectable (a rare combo,) and the book is just REALLY good. I can't recommend it enough. If you liked Twilight, you will love Need.

Buy me here!

What My Mother Doesn't Know

Title: What My Mother Doesn't Know
Author: Sonya Sones
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Copyright: 2001
ISBN: 0689841140


What My Mother Doesn't Know is an interesting look at young love through the eyes of 14 year-old Sophie. Written in verse, this book almost reads like a diary with fairly short, descriptive "chapters" that are really more like one to two page vignettes. Each one flows beautifully in the next, weaving a story that is complex enough to entertain adults and simple enough to appeal to teens. Sophie's maturity and integrity are seen as she has to make a tough decision at the end of the book. Readers will be glad to find that the story continues in a companion book, What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know.

I absolutely loved What My Mother Doesn't Know. This is the first book written in verse that I can recall reading and I was very surprised at how well it flowed and how quickly it was over! The author walks a delicate line in this book, describing young love and a teen's awakening feelings about the opposite sex in a descriptive yet appropriate way. There are a few things in the book some parents might object to, but Sophie makes good decisions that will help teens as they encounter these same issues. Although the verse style can be off-putting at first, given a chance, this book will delight and inspire.

Achingly Alice

Title: Achingly Alice

Author: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Publisher: Atheneum Books

Copyright: 1998

ISBN: 0689803559

.

Achingly Alice, the 10th book in the Alice series, explores the complexities of love and puberty. Not only is Alice concerned about her relationship with her own boyfriend, but she also has her widower father to worry about as his relationship with her teacher Miss Summers seems to be getting serious...or is it? Alice and her friends experience equally hilarious and unfortunate events as they stumble their way through eighth grade.

I absolutely enjoyed Achingly Alice. Although I hadn't read any of the prior books in the series, I was able to pick it up easily and understand what was going on. While there are many frank topics discussed in the book, they are age appropriate and told in a positive manner. Alice is one character I am definitely excited to spend more time with. Although this Alice book is fairly tame, I always recommend screening any books your teen child wants to read.

Life As We Knew It

Title: Life As We Knew It
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Copyright: 2006
ISBN: 0152058265


Written in diary form, Life As We Knew It chronicles teen girl Miranda and her family in the days following a meteor's crash into the moon. Because the moon is hit so hard, it is knocked out of it's orbit and begins to cause many catastrophic events on earth- namely tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanos. Miranda and her family live in rural Pennsylvania, far enough away from all of the major happenings, yet they are still affected. They must ration food, water, and gas to survive, going for months without electricity. This is an interesting book about one woman's idea of what the world might look like in the event of a natural disaster of catastrophic proportions.

Generally I only review books on this website that I find enjoyable. I am taking a break from that practice to bring you my thoughts on Life As We Knew It. Let me say up front that I found the story interesting. It held my attention throughout the book. The character development was decent and I found myself caring about what happened to Miranda, her family, and friends. The concept was intriguing as well. In the science fiction genre, we often hear about meteors hitting earth or aliens invading and causing epic catastrophe (or better yet being spared by Will Smith,) but I've never given any thought to how a disaster on the moon could affect us here on Earth. In that respect it was original and interesting. I'm not sure how scientific any of this is, but it doesn't really matter, because it's fiction. Because of the interesting plot and solid character development, I'm tempted to read the next two companion books, but because of what I am about to discuss, I'm just not sure if I can.

My problems with the book far outweigh the things I liked about. To be frank, this book seemed nothing more than a platform for Pfeffer to present her political and religious views. I don't believe it is ever appropriate to use a work of fiction in this manner, but especially not a book written for teens! They are still children and do not need the opinions of one jaded author coloring their beliefs. (While this book is considered Young Adult, School Library Journal categorizes it as being appropriate for grades six through eight!) It is very obvious that the author has a problem with Christians. Prior to the meteor crash, Miranda's best friend turns to Christianity to deal with the death of another of their good friends. The minister in the church she attends is portrayed as a sneaky, hypocritical brainwasher and his followers are made out to be kooks. Regardless of one's religious standpoint, I think most would agree that the way she portrayed Christians was completely unnecessary. I actually read a review from an Atheist on amazon.com who said she felt the treatment of Christianity in this book was absolutely unacceptable. Had the story been about an evil Jewish rabbi and his crazy followers, I doubt it would've made it past the editors.

Even if one could overlook the anti-Christian aspect of the novel, it would be impossible to overlook the bias she has against former president George W. Bush. Although fiction, it is obvious that he is who she is referring to when making statements (through Miranda's mother) about how stupid he is, what an idiot he is, etc. At one point she talks about how the president took all of his friends and all the food and went to his ranch in Texas. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out she's not talking about Bill Clinton. While I am less concerned with her political viewpoints being shared than I am about her religious viewpoints, I still feel it is unnecessary to the story and quite inappropriate for children's literature. Most of the kids reading this book aren't even of voting age!

While I would offer this book as well as it's companions on age-appropriate library shelves, I would never recommend this book to anyone at all, much less teenagers. Because of the fact that I wouldn't want my children reading this book, I could not with good conscience use this book in a lesson unless I was teaching about prejudice or bias. This book would definitely be a good example for that!