What a girl wants

There has been some comparison to the book Climbing the Stairs. While both are set in India during World War II, they are different books. I felt that Keeping Corner had more detail about Indian culture and I came away with a better understanding of a young woman's plight not so very long ago.

In Keeping Corner we have twelve year old Leela who has been married at a very young age. Leela is your typical girl, and that's what I love about her. She isn't bookish and she really doesn't care about politics. She is interested in looking nice and wearing pretty clothes and jewelry. That is the extent of her life, and I think that makes her so much more interesting as a character. I mean what young adult doesn't like those things? Leela's life is turned upside down when her fiancé dies. Now she is a widow at a very young age and must "keep corner." She has to shave her head; lose her pretty clothes and jewelry. The community views her as bad luck. Leela is trapped insider her house for an entire year.

While she is in mourning Leela's schoolteacher comes and helps her with her lessons. Leela doesn't want to be taught anything. She dislikes school. Yet, as time goes on Leela becomes more interested in her studies and she enjoys hearing about Gandhi. She grows as a character and realizes there maybe something out there for her. Maybe she can change how people view women.

Keeping Corner is an excellent story that has a lot of great details about the era and the plight of women. There is also an index in the back (something Climbing the Stairs didn't have).

I think students who are interested in historical fiction will enjoy this novel as well as students who enjoy reading about other cultures. There is no romance in this novel however, so that may turn some teens away from the book. However, I strongly encourage people to read this novel.

Another Review on the way: Booth's Sister

Bell Bridge Books recently given me a copy of Booth's Sister by Jane Singer. I'll be posting a review soon! For those who are interested there is a book trailer and a summary attached. Hope everyone had a great turkey day!

From Amazon:
"My brother killed Abraham Lincoln. That is my weight, my shame. While he remained at large, I was held captive in my home. I should have told the soldiers who came with guns drawn and bayonets at the ready this true thing: I might have stopped him, for I harbored him and kept his secrets. I was a pie safe locked tight and guilty as he." Asia Booth Clarke was twenty-nine years old and pregnant when Union soldiers and Federal detectives stormed her Philadelphia home in search of her assassin-brother. John Wilkes Booth's older sister had grown up in one of America's most notoriously troubled but spectacularly acclaimed acting families. "Johnny" and Edwin, her handsome brothers, were the matinee idols of the era. When John Wilkes Booth's crime left the nation in furious mourning and the Booth family under a dark cloud of accusation, it was Asia who bore the brunt. Booth's Sister was inspired by Asia Booth Clarke's personal memoirs. Author, Civil War scholar and storyteller Jane Singer has masterfully imagined the family dynamics and intimate dilemmas that led to one of America's most fateful crimes and left a sister's life in shambles."

A decent enough read

Joseph is the sad, but realistic story about a fifteen year old boy who struggles to overcome his troubled past. While most teens are dealing with the typical issues Joseph is living in a shelter with his crack addicted mother. Betty, Joseph's mother, abuses the welfare system, scams people and when she is in desperate need of cash she becomes a whore. But not everything is bad for Joseph. The school he is at is good and could help turn his life around, if his friend's don't find out he lives in a shelter. The teachers seem willing to help; and Joseph has his father, who loves him very much, but is currently fighting in Iraq. Aunt Shirley also wants to help Joseph grow up into a fine young man, despite his troubled past. But can Joseph leave his demons behind?

The story is fast paced and will quickly engage the reader. It's a gritty story without using foul language that tends to litter most young adult novels. While I did enjoy the story I found the writing lacking in some aspects. It was very simplistic, and almost too simplistic in my opinion. The characters are also one dimensional. They are all good or all bad. There is nothing in between. And I wish that Joseph's friends could have been explored a little more.

For students looking for an interesting novel about a young man struggling to find his identity then this is the novel for them. For students who want something edgy, this may not be for them. While it is a good story the usual in your face are not in this novel. Still, I think students will enjoy it.

Happy Birthday little blog!

Happy Birthday to Ya Bookmark. A year ago..yesterday (okay I'm late for my own blog's b day) I returned from a conference where the presenter told us blogs were a great tool and we should all have one. So I decided to create one for young adult books.

In the past year, I have had a few authors stop by. I've gotten some free books to review from publishers (Spiffy, lets contiune that trend!). I seem to have quite a few lurkers (you know who you are!) and some dedicated posters. And hopefully someone, somewhere, has found my reviews helpful. Thanks to everyone who has read my blog.

The first year was fun. Here's hopin the second year rocks!

BTW the cake is from http://www.its-a-piece-of-cake.com/home

Chicks that kick butt

Recently, while on historicalfictiononline.com I came across this rockin' cover. It's a young adult novel that will be released later next year. And since there aren't enough adventure stories with strong female characters I thought I'd showcase this one.

Ms. Pon was kind enough to write a summary:
"No one wanted Ai Ling. And deep down she is relieved—despite the dishonor she has brought upon her family—to be unbetrothed, free, and not some stranger’s subservient bride banished to the inner quarters.

But now, something is after her. Something terrifying—a force she cannot comprehend. And as the pieces of the puzzle start to fit together, Ai Ling begins to understand that her journey to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams in search of her beloved father—missing these many months—is so much more than that. Bravery, intelligence, the will to fight and fight hard . . . she will need all of these things. Just ass he will need the new and mysterious power growing within her. She will also need help.

It is Chen Yong who finds her partly submerged and barely breathing at the edge of a deep lake. There is something of unspeakable evil trying to drag her under. On a quest of his own Chen Yong offers that help…and perhaps more."


Release date is sketchy. Amazon says 4/28, but the author's editor says not until summer 2009. Either way, it looks to be a cool book about a strong female character. Looking forward to reading and reviewing it.

Daddy's little girl

Well, I did it. I finally got around to reading an Ellen Hopkins book. These books are very popular, but I find them difficult to read. I'm not a poetry girl, never was and never will be. So I avoided these books like the plague. But, since I like to think of myself as a cool hip librarian (that's debatable of course) I gave it a go.

This is a novel about identical twins Kaeleigh and Raeanne. To everyone around them they have the perfect family. Their parents have money and good jobs, but what happens in people's homes can be shocking and disturbing. Things aren't always what they seem.

Kaeleigh has caught her father's misplaced attention (incest), while Raeanna spirals out of control and begins down the dark path of drugs sex and alcohol. The story is told in alternating chapters between the girls.

Ms. Hopkins tells this chilling story in poetry format as she has done with her other books. At first I was unsure if this format could do the story justice, but I think it does. You get a disturbing picture of the girl's family life.

Teens that loved Ms. Hopkin's other books will enjoy this one as well.