Speak (YA Challenge 2009 #11 of 12)

Wow. I can see now why this book by Laurie Halse Anderson won awards. This was a one day read for me and I am sitting here trying to sort it out. Melinda is a high school freshman and is already an outcast at her school. She called the cops during a party right before school started and lots of people got in trouble. People throw food at her, call her names, ignore her, bump into her, and all the while Melinda stays silent. As the school year progresses Melinda falls into deeper and deeper depression as she tells her story...as the bits of horror she has stored up within herself are revealed.

Reading this story hurt. I hurt for Melinda as she hurts herself. This book was written nearly twenty years ago and its frank tackling of the issues of rape and depression and the cruelty of high school is something that is sadly but incredibly necessary today. Speak has been repeatedly challenged in both public and school libraries though it is one of the least graphic books discussing these topics that I've read. It is an important book. There is an interesting interview with Anderson at the end where she says "Censoring books that deal with difficult adolescent issues does not protect anybody. Quite the oppositve. It leaves kids in darkness and makes them vulnerable." I liked Speak because it was a good story. A real story that was well told.

Dune (Book Awards Challenge II #10 of 10)

I can see why this is a science fiction classic. This Hugo Award winning novel by Frank Herbert is possibly the best-selling science fiction book in history. Paul, the son of Duke Leto Atreides and his concubine Jessica is at the heart of this story set thousands of years in the future. The Atreides family has moved to a desert planet called Arrakis at the request of Emperor Shaddam IV. Arrakis had been ruled by the Harkonnen family which oppressed and enslaved the native population, the Freman, in order to extract "spice" from the desert. Spice is an addictive drug created by the life cycle of the gigantic and deadly sandworms that live in the desert and is incredibly valuable off planet. Through both the subtle and the violent interplay between religion, politics, and family, Paul rises from the Duke's heir to a prophet and powerful leader.

Dune is a heavy book and it took me a bit to really get into the characters. And I am not sure I would continue to read other books in the series. However, the plot moved along well and the desert world of Arrakis was fascinating with its massive worms and native people who have figured out how to conserve every drop of moisture. I appreciated the glossaries at the end which explained the nuances of the language and culture.

Tamar (Book Awards Challenge II #9 of 10)

The subtitle of Mal Peet's Carnegie Medal winning novel is: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal. And it sure does contain all three of these. Tamar switches between 1995 and 1944. The modern scenes centered on a fifteen year old girl named Tamr and the World War II scenes, Tamar is also a major figure...only this Tamar is a spy for the Allied Forces who is living in Holland. When Tamar's grandfather (this would be the female Tamar) dies, he gives her a box containing several items which make very little sense to her. As she deciphers the meaning of the puzzle left by her grandpa, his story is also told.

I did enjoy this book but I didn't tear through it like I do with most of my books. It seems as if the World War II books I've been reading lately are from so many different angles and I love that. It is certainly the first story I've read about an Allied spy in an occupied country. There is a lovely romance and both the courage and brutality of war are shown in equal measure.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Book Awards II Challenge #8 of 10)

Brian Selznick won the Quill Award and was a National Book Award Finalist for this novel in pictures and words. I wasn't sure what to expect from it, I haven't talked to anyone who didn't love it but I didn't understand how the pictures fit in. But now it is all clear to me. Obviously.

The story of Hugo Cabret is told with 284 pencil drawings, over half the book is taken up with them. But they are truly fantastic. Hugo lives in Paris in the walls of a train station where he takes care of the clocks. He steals his food and prizes a notebook above all else. But when he is caught stealing from a toy booth, the old gruff owner takes the notebook and tells Hugo to forget it. Unable to understand why his notebook has been taken, Hugo appeals to Isabelle, the owner's goddaughter to help him get it back. What unfolds next I will not say. But I will say I read through this book in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it.

How I Live Now (Book Awards II Challenge #7 of 10)

When Corinne saw this in my car on my way to the gym she said, "You'll read that in one day." She was right. Meg Rosoff's Printz Award winning novel was completely engaging. Daisy, a fifteen year old from New York, moves to England to live with her Aunt and cousins. They live on a farm in the country and things seem to be pretty idealic...but then a war begins. England is invaded by "The Enemy." There are no telling details about this particular enemy just that it has taken over. This is when things get scary for Daisy and her cousins. Daisy and her younger cousin Piper end up being sent away, seperated from Edmund (her cousin who oddly enough she has fallen in love with who she is having a serious relationship) and her other male cousins. As the war progresses, Daisy ends up having to do things she never thought she would have to do. I won't go into too many specifics but How I Live Now is a survival story and Daisy is absolutely determined to survive.

The Name of the Wind (Book Awards II Challenge #6 of 10)

I will admit, I was daunted when I checked out Patrick Rothfuss' Alex Award winning first book of the Kingkiller Chronicles. At 665 pages this book seemed like serious business. But then I started reading and was totally sucked in.

Kote is an innkeeper. A quiet man making a living in a way he seems to enjoy. He is new in town but the bargoers like him. Then Chronicler comes. He is traveling to find Kvothe, a near mythical magician. Some say he is an assasin, others say he is a hero, almost everyone believes he is dead. But Kote is Kvothe and the Chronicler convinces him to tell his story. Though very reluctant at first, Kvothe agrees. This book is subtitled Day 1 and is so because the story is from the first day of three in which Kvothe will let the Chronicler write his life. The condition Kvothe sets is "Do not presume to ch ange a word of what I say. If I seem to wander, if I seem to stray, remember that true stories seldom take the straightest way."

This first book covers Kvothe's childhood through his teenage years. His life is sad, dangerous, and unpredictable. But he is a fantastic character. He has amazing talents and obvious flaws. Through his interactions with the Chronicler and his student Bast he is portrayed as a wise but tired man running from his past but through his story he becomes an increasingly complex and fascinating. I have to say I am quite looking forward to the next book in the trilogy.

The Patron Saint of Butterflies (YA Challenge 2009 #9 of 12)

This was a one-day read for me. It's not a short book or a fluffy book by any stretch...the story was just so compelling and sad that I just have to see how it turned out. Cecilia Galante's first young adult novel alternates between the views of Agnes and Honey, two teenage girls living in a commune in Connecticut called Mount Blessing. Under their leader, Emmanuel, the people of Mount Blessing live their lives according to stringent rules, the disobedience of which produces harsh physical consequences inflicted by Emmanuel. Honey is disillusioned, scared, and wants out of Mount Blessing. Agnes wants to be a perfect believer and truly believes what Emmanuel has told her about being a Christian and what God expects of her.

The Patron Saint of Butterflies reminded me in an odd way of The Witch of Blackbird Pond - both of these books made me reel from what some people believe it means to be Christian. The way they treat each other is so repugnant to me. In both of these books, God is a vengeful taskmaster who is waiting to punish those who sin and people take it upon themselves to judge others by what they believe God would think about their behavior.

I truly could not stop reading this book, it was a 1A.M. finisher for me. Highly recommended.

Criss Cross (Young Adult Challenge 2009 #6 of 12)

"The trouble with being too careful about your wishes, though, was that you could end up with a wish so shapeless that it could come true and you wouldn't even know it, or it wouldn't matter." So thinks Debbie as she is wishing that something good would happen. Something good...to her...soon. And thus begins Lynn Rae Perkin's Newbery Award winning novel about the interconnectedness of lives, opportunities grasped, and chances missed.

The story weaves in and out through the lives of Debbie and Hector and to a lesser extent Phil, Lenny, and Patty. All of them good, young teenage kids trying to figure themselves out. Debbie likes Dan the jock who is dating Meadow who Hector has developed a crush on. Hector is learning how to play the guitar but isn't able to get much past the chorus of the songs he's trying to write himself. Debbie befriends and old German lady and helps her remain independant for a little longer. Criss Cross is a realistic, optimistic look at the lives of teenagers and reminds all of us that things usually sort of work out in the end.

Seeker (Book Awards II Challenge #5 of 10)

Jack McDevitt's Nebula Award winning novel, the sequel to the also popular Polaris (which I have not read) is one of the first non-YA science fiction novels I've read in a long long time. And it was pretty fun. Chase (a female) and her partner Alex deal in antiques that they've basically looted from abandoned spaceships. When they find a 9000 year old cup which is linked to an almost mythological planet called Margolia, they embark on a mission to find it and the spaceship Seeker which brought colonists from earth thousands of years earlier. But not everyone is thrilled with the idea of making money off of antiquities...and some are willing to do more than just seethe at Alex and Chase's business ventures.

I have to say I was worried about getting into this book. It's just been a long time since I've done some real sci-fi but the characters were well drawn and the plot moved quickly. I hadn't read the first book but the story still made sense. I have a few more science fiction on my Awards Challenge list and I'm remembering that once upon a time I really did like this genre.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Book Awards II Challenge #4 of 10)

I wish I had lots of good things to say about Michael Chabon's novel about comic book creators Joe Kavalier and Sammy Clay. It's not that the book wasn't good...it just didn't interest me. It won all kinds of awards and receieved glowing reviews, but I wasn't taken with it at all. I think I read like 6 other books while I trudged my way through this one.

Joe Kavalier escaped from Nazi-occupied Czechsolvakia and made his way to America where he met up with his cousin Sammy Clay. The two of them together create a comic book character called The Escapist who is an outlet for Joe's hatred of Hitler and the Nazis. At once fiction and non-fiction, The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay describes a comic-book obsessed America during the 1940s and the lives of two young men who are trying to make their way in the world.

This novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

Looking for Alaska

Miles can't stand life in Florida. While not having any friends may have influenced his decision to attend Cluver Creek Boarding School in Alabama, what Miles truly wants is to seek "a Great Perhaps." What he finds is Alaska, a crazy, funny, moody, beautiful girl who throws him completely for a loop. Caught in the middle of rivalries, classes, and rules, Miles tries to find his place at Culver Creek and with his roommate the Colonel, his friend Takumi, and Alaska he thinks he has. But Alaska may be more than Miles bargained for.

John Green gives his main characters funny quirks - Miles' is the ability to recall people's last words. It's not Miles only quirk but it's a good one. Another quirk is the division of the book - there are no chapters. The book begins "one hundred thirty-six days before" and ends with "one hundred thirty-six days after." What Miles hears at day 0 he will never forget.

Cuba 15

It is almost Violet's fifteenth birthday. Turning fifteen isn't a huge deal for everyone, but Violet's Cuban-born grandparents live with her family and in Cuba, turning fifteen means a quinceanero - a party celebrating the transition from girl to woman. Violet is not interested in having a quince. She hates dresses, does not like being the center of attention, and basically thinks its ridiculous to stand up and proclaim her woman-ness to her family and friends.

While her unwanted quince hangs over her head, Violet joins the Speech team at school and uses the antics of her Cuban family as original comedy material while at the same time trying to get her father and grandparents to talk about their life in Cuba, a subject which is hardly ever discussed. Violet's unique personality comes to life in this first-person narrative of a teenage girl who is trying to figure out who she is.

Cuba 15 won the Pura Belpre Honor and is an ALA Best Book for Young Adults

American Born Chinese (Graphic Novel Challenge #3)

This graphic novel written by Gene Luen Yang begins with a tale about a money king who wanted to be a god but because of his monkey-ness he was cast out of heaven and was none too pleased about it.

Then the novel shifts to tell the story of Jin Wang. Jin Wang was born to parents who met eachother after moving from China to America. When he was nine years old, Jin's parents moved from Chinatown to an overwhelmingly white suburb. He encounters the offhanded cruelty of his classmates but becomes fast friends with a new boy from Taiwan named Wei-Chen.

A third storyline begins with a boy named Danny who's unbelievably stereotyped Chinese cousin Chin-Kee (complete with buck teeth, yellow skin, eyes permanently squinted shut, and botched English) comes around as he has once a year and proceeds to mess up Danny's life.

For the rest of the book, the novel switches between the Monkey King's story, Jin Wang's story, and Danny's story. It explores identity and acceptance and the innate desire of wanting to fit in.

Postcards from No Man's Land (H.C.A. #6)

Jacob is seventeen and having typical nineteen year old issues. He feels awkward, worries about what he says and does...basically an insecure boy who is visiting Amsterdam at the request of his grandmother (who is English) so he can visit Geertrui, his grandmother's old friend. The story alternates between Jacob and and a nineteen year old Geertrui in Holland as the Allies are trying to liberate the country from the Germans.

As jacob tries to figure out why exactly he has been asked to visit Geertrui, he tours Amsterdam with Geertrui's son and does some exploring with his sexuality...nothing graphic, mostly thoughts and jumbled feelings.

Family, truthfulness, love, euthenasia, are only a few of the things Jacob must navigate through as he learns about his past and why it is he who must learn geertrui's story. Aiden Chambers won the Hans Christian Andersen award in 2002 and won the Printz Award and the British Carnegie Medal for this book in 2003. I have to admit this one kind of sucked me in...Jacob's insecurity and self-depreciation at times were tedious but I loved Geertrui's character. Though the book kept switching between the 90's and the 40's, the book really flowed well and the pieces came together just fine at the end.

i am the messenger

i picked up this book by markus zusak because i loved the book thief so much. it's a michael l. printz award winner which is a plus as i am trying to read some of those, but really, i wanted to read this book because of association.

ed kennedy's life is pretty lame - he drives a cab, plays cards, takes care of a nasty-smelling dog, and tries to deal with the fact that he is totally in love with his best friend audrey who for sure is interested in him that way. but things start to change for him when he happens to be in a bank which is robbed - and he sort of accidentally stops the robbery.

not long after, ed receives an ace of diamonds card in the mail with 3 addresses and times written on them. not having a clue of what is going on, ed visits the places and times named and learns that he has been chosen to help people - whether he wants to or not. thugs keep a watch and give him some not so gentle encouragement to keep at it. ed works his way through the aces, the clubs, the spades, and the diamonds - each card leading him to three people in whose lives he can make a difference. and of course as he does, ed tries to figure out who could possibly be wanting him to do this.

as ed continues his mission, his view of his family, his friends, and his life changes...how could they not? but ed's final message is powerful although i had to read the end again to try to figure out exactly what happend. this book is about what people can be...how we can help each other. not in a everyone hold hands and sing together way though. Everybody has pain and problems. we can be something more, something better, if we have it in us to look at other people's pain and then try to do something about it.