Supernatural book without the supernatural ??

Lets be real. The cover to this book is very eye catching. I was sucked in by the cover, read the summary and thought I would really enjoy this book. Now, I know the whole supernatural teen love saga is hot(although I think it's slowly starting to lose steam), so I was expecting a sappy supernatural love story.

Nora Grey is a 10th grader trying to get good grades. Her little world is fine, except for her father dying, and her mother always gone because she has to take a job in Upstate New York to pay the bills. So the family is poor, but they have a maid(I didn't understand that). Everything else is good, until the mean biology teacher decides to change the seating chart. Now Nora is forced to sit next to the dark, mysterious, and snarky Patch. They do not get along and of course there is sexual attraction. I mean, how can a girl not like a guy who is always mean and rude to her? Well, the story progresses, at a very, very slow pace, and we learn that ...well, we don't learn much, and that's the problem. All we know is that someone is trying to kill Nora and she attempts(badly) to find out who is trying to do it.

Throughout most of this book I'm waiting and waiting and waiting for the action. In my opinion there isn't enough in the book. I thought this was going to be about fallen angels and all types of supernatural craziness. However, the story I got was a sheltered Nora liking Patch even though he treats her like crap, but hey its love right? I might have bought the love story if it hadn't been so mind numbing. Most of the book deals with these two snapping at one another. OK, that's fine, for three chapters, but can we move on? No, the author didn't think we could move on...apparently. And countless pages later I am still reading about them snapping at each other.

The writing is fine. I would compare it to a lot of teen books that are out now. The characters limp along throughout the story. The big bang at the end took too long. Some editing would have been great. If the book had been condensed, and the action more exciting and there were more fallen angels then I would have enjoyed it better.

Will my students enjoy it? I think teens who crave supernatural books will enjoy it. I don't know if this title will be as heavily circulated as some of the other ones out there. My suggestion is if a teen is really interested in this book to loan it from the library.

I'm looking forward to the upcoming school year to hear what my students have to say about this one.

It ain't easy being a teen

Tessa has a lot of problems. Her mother is distant and they do not have a strong relationship. She doesn't know her father because he ran out on the family when Tessa was a child. Another problem is that her mother is a hippie who won't let go of the past and drags Tessa wherever the wind takes them.

Poor Tessa is brought to a compound where her mother can get in touch with her spiritual self. Meanwhile, Tessa tries to make the best of a horrible situation. Things start to look up when she meets the older, handsome Colin. She is drawn to him and soon their relationship grows and takes Tessa down some mature roads.

Things in the compound start to get strange. Plus, Tessa decides she needs to reach out to her father by writing him letters. But will the outcome be what she wanted?

This book is for older readers because it deals with sex and drug abuse.

This is about a young woman trying to find herself during a confusing time. Any teen going through some awkward moments can relate to the main character.

Things that go bump in the night

Rebecca's father is going to China on business and instead of leaving his daughter in New York City by herself he ships her down to her aunt's house in New Orleans. The idea of staying with her crazy hippy/gypsy aunt and cousin(who goes to a private school) isn't her idea of fun. But she doesn't have a choice.

Life in New Orleans is strange and hard to adjust to at first. Everyone seems obsessed with social class and family history. Rebecca isn't having fun until she follows the popular kids into the cemetery. Her world changes when she meets Lisette, a ghost who died from unnatural causes in 1850.

After Rebecca becomes friends with Lisette(a ghost) she is thrust into a world of curses, prejudice, murder, and scheming. Adding to her problems is Anton Grey, one of the popular boys. She is attracted to him, but he isn't a man she should love or a person she can trust.

I enjoyed this book a lot, but it had so many different elements that I love. First I have always been fascinated by New Orleans and its unique history. The author did a wonderful job of portraying the city. I like to explore different cemeteries(a cemetery was one of the settings in the book). Ghosts stories are fun(for me) and I though the author handled Lisette very well.

While I enjoyed the novel it did have a few flaws. I thought it started out a little slow. Rebecca wasn't a strong character. She seemed like a passenger along for the ride. She never figured anything out and had to be told everything.

Still, despite the flaws(which were minor in my opinion) I liked this book a lot. It was something different and unusual, something I haven't come across in quite sometime. I look forward to future novels by Ms. Morris.

Not for me

Reggie works at a bookstore where she comes across an old journal. She smuggles it home and begins to read it. She finds out about a strange smoke like being called the Vours. Reggie and Aaron (her friend) try to make the Vours appear, but something goes terribly wrong. Strange things start to happen around Reggie's home and soon her little brother isn't the same kid he was a few days ago. Something has changed. Now Reggie and Arron must try to defeat the Vours from destroying everyone.

This book has gotten glowing reviews on Amazon but I could not get past the cliches. First we have Reggie who works in a used book store, that has some old dusty books and she just happens to come across a unique journal. Then the person who owns the store is an expert on all things supernatural. Reggie is in love with the football star and then she has this side kick Arron who feels like a helpless puppy dog who I am waiting at any moment to say he loves Reggie more than words can say!

I swear I read this book before, or bits and pieces of it from other books. And the journal aspect and smart but old bookstore keeper has been done a million and one times. Been there. Done that.

To be fair I will let everyone know I stopped halfway through the book. So maybe it did get better. But I could not stay focused on the story becuase the elements above continued to trip me up. I kept thinking about them and how this didn't seem like anything knew.

I will say this. There is a sequel coming out in September. If you like horror stories this maybe for you. Sorry to say I could not get into it.

Not another teen runs away from home book!

Almost Home is the story of seven teens living on the streets. The cast of characters includes such catchy names as Eeyore, Rusty, Squid, Scabius and Critter. Then we have the common names of Laura and Tracy. The story is interwoven so you get every characters perspective of life on the streets. The book doesn’t hold any punches and is gritty and realistic.

Overall I enjoyed it. I think Ms. Blank does an excellent job of showing the reader how brutal life on the streets really is. This is her first novel and I look forward to her second.

With that said, I think I have had my fill of these types of books. I mean how many teen runaway books can someone read in a year? I am clocking it at three for 2008. I’ve read Miles from Nowhere and Living at the Edge of the World in addition to Almost Home. They are all very good and compelling novels, but I think I am burnt out and therefore this is the best review I can write.

So I’ll say this…

For students who are interested in the tale about runaway teens that is gritty and realistic then this is the book for them. If you are looking for something different and have had your fill of runaway teen books then I strongly suggest you pass!

Have a great new year everyone!

Not your typical historical fiction novel

My last Skirt is based on the true story of Union solider Jennie Hodgers.

The novel opens in Ireland, where Jennie and her brother Tom are very poor. Their father tells Tom he has a job as a shepherd, but Tom doesn’t want the job. Knowing that the family needs money Jennie decides to dress up like a boy and work for the bishop. During this time Jeannie realizes that there are more opportunities for boys than there are for girls, and so begins her transformation into a boy.

Their father dies and the children leave for America where Jennie continues to dress like a boy. Tom is extremely jealous of his sister who is hard working and gets all the praise. Tom decides to tell everyone that is brother is really his sister and thus Jennie must flee. She cannot live like a girl now that she has experienced the freedom of a young man.

War Between the States breaks out and Jennie decides she is going to enlist and become a private. Jeannie is known as Private Albert Cashier and fights along side her comrades for the Union.

The story was alright. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat compelled by the action. It was interesting to read how Jennie disguised herself as a man and the lengths she had to go to keep her secret. For readers looking for a woman soldier falling in love with another soldier then they will be disappointed. I was glad we didn’t get the typical love story, but then again I was hoping for it as well. The book was a decent enough read, but it just didn’t grab me like most historical fiction novels do.

That being said, Jennie’s life is very interesting and sad. The reader also experiences her life after the Civil War and into 1913. I felt sorry for Jennie as I read what happened to her after the war. In order to have the freedom of a man had she had to sacrifice a great deal. I wonder if she was truly happy.

For students looking for a historical fiction read that isn’t typical, and then this is for them. For those who are looking for a little romance and a nice pretty story that ends with rainbows and butterflies this is not the novel for them.

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.

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.

Who ya Gonna Call?

For Halloween I thought I’d read a cool ghost story. Who doesn’t like a nice gothic tale of ghosts a mystery and more ghosts? The Spirit has gotten great reviews on Amazon, and it was about a Victorian couple so I thought I’d give it a go, seeing how I love historical fiction and ghosts. Win/win. Right? Wrong.

First I need to stop reading teen historical fiction because it makes me want to bang my head up against a wall. Ok, that was harsh. Let me rephrase that. Historical fiction for teens set in the Victorian Era makes me want to bang my head against the wall. There. I said it.

Tess and Tobias Goodraven are seventeen and they are married. Oh and they are quite rich as well. Yes, of course they are..hmmm. Anyway, the first chapter is something I didn’t quite understand about a lake and a father and a daughter. Maybe I shouldn’t have been watching the nightly news and trying to read this at the same time. But anyway in the second chapter we meet the main characters. Who have had a tragic past, wrote lots of letters throughout the years because they were separated at a young age, and when they see each other after X amount of years they marry. I think the main reason for marriage is because Tess wanted to get away from her governess.

So we have a madly in love couple, who barely know each other. Check.
They are very rich. Check.
They live alone in a very expensive rich house. Check.
They are ghost hunters. Check.
The story was too absurd for me to continue. Check.

I couldn’t get past the checklist above and to be honest from what I read (3 chapters..or maybe it was 4) I wasn’t impressed by the writing. I wanted a neat gothic story, but all I found was this contrived story that couldn’t hold my interest. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe other readers will enjoy it more. If you did, please tell me why. I’d love an explanation.

My First Book Giveaway!

This is it! It is my first book giveaway. I'm excited (now watch no one wants the book!) I am giving away one copy of Sunrise over Fallujah. If you are interested in the book please send me an email at yabookmarks@gmail.com . The drawing will be held Sunday (Oct. 19th). In the future I hope to give away more books to my loyal readers. I think this is the perfect way of saying THANK YOU! Or, as I always say to my students GRAZIE!

This giveaway is for those within the United States. Maybe in the future I'll expand it.