Author: Kristin Butcher
Title: The Hemingway Tradition
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Publication Date: 2002
Age range: 14 - 19
Genre: Hi/Lo / Realistic Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Shaw and his mother move from Vancouver to Winnipeg after Shaw's father, a successful writer, commits suicide. Shaw, who used to enjoy writing and talking about writing with his father, feels betrayed because his father revealed before his death that he was gay and could no longer go on in his current life. Starting over at a new school, Shaw finds solace in playing volleyball on the competitive school team and keeping active, until the volleyball season ends and he comes across a particularly poorly written article in the school newspaper. Shaw starts writing again, this time determined to defend his friend Jai who is demeaned by some for not being white. Tess, an adamant supporter of and reporter for the school paper, is thrilled when Shaw starts contributing, especially on weighty social issues. Meanwhile, Shaw's mother gives him his father's journal when she thinks he is ready to learn more about what his father was going through before his death. Shaw comes to terms with his father through reading the journal, realizing that the relationship father and son had was equally important to both of them. Shaw no longer feels abandoned and can forgive his dad.
Comments: This captivating book is simply written but contains a compelling story. There are so many elements that will appeal to all readers, including those with low vocabulary who need stories that draw the reader in. Shaw has to deal with homosexuality, prejudice, and the death of a parent. He becomes a new student and has to try to fit in. Shaw challenges himself by joining a new sports team and working very hard to succeed, then shows that a good athlete can also take school and writing seriously, as he gets involved with the school newspaper. Tess is a friend but perhaps something more in the future, and Jai is a great friend who is supportive of Shaw and also teases him like a sibling. By working with his own strengths and allowing himself some time to heal, Shaw gets through a very challenging period of his life. I think all readers can find an issue to relate to here, and the emotional growth that Shaw goes through is inspiring.
Dates Read: 3 – 4 March
Showing posts with label realistic fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label realistic fiction. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Skim - Mariko Tamaki
Author: Mariko Tamaki
Illustrator: Jillian Tamaki
Title: Skim
Publisher: Groundwood
Publication Date: 2008
Age range: 13 - 18
Genre: Graphic Novel / Canadian Author
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Kim Cameron, aka Skim, is a slightly overweight teenager at an all-girls school with a best friend, Lisa, who she can barely stand, a strong curiosity about Wiccan traditions, and a freshly broken wrist. Tired of letting herself be pushed around by Lisa, Kim develops a friendship and then a bit of an obsession with the school art teacher, Ms Archer. Meanwhile, the suicide of a classmate's ex-boyfriend throws the whole school into a whirlwind of life-affirming activity, which Skim interprets as hypocritical and absurd. Constantly sneaking off into the woods for a smoke or taking the bus to drop off a sketch at Ms Archer's house, Skim is full of keen observations about the painful world she lives in, and her viewpoint is a stark one.
Comments: This graphic novel illustrates beautifully the awkwardness of trying to find one's place in the social hierarchy of high school. Parts of it are kept as a diary-format text, and in other cases Skim describes a memory as though she is writing a more general essay. Even when Skim tries to keep her head down she attracts the attention of the suspicious school counselor or her friend Lisa who is generally unsupportive, as well as defensive whenever Skim asks her to explain her statements or actions. The theme of suicide and the need for a support system comes across as the dominant theme in the story, while Skim's attachment to Ms Archer is downplayed as a subtheme. I wasn't completely sure if Skim is gay or not – she is too caught up in describing the activities of the clique of girls who take over fund-raising for local teen support services. Another subtheme is the treatment of Asians in the subculture of the school; Skim refers to herself as Asian without being more specific, which is interesting. All in all, this book was mildly disturbing, and definitely thought-provoking on several levels.
Date Read: 8 February 2009
Illustrator: Jillian Tamaki
Title: Skim
Publisher: Groundwood
Publication Date: 2008
Age range: 13 - 18
Genre: Graphic Novel / Canadian Author
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Kim Cameron, aka Skim, is a slightly overweight teenager at an all-girls school with a best friend, Lisa, who she can barely stand, a strong curiosity about Wiccan traditions, and a freshly broken wrist. Tired of letting herself be pushed around by Lisa, Kim develops a friendship and then a bit of an obsession with the school art teacher, Ms Archer. Meanwhile, the suicide of a classmate's ex-boyfriend throws the whole school into a whirlwind of life-affirming activity, which Skim interprets as hypocritical and absurd. Constantly sneaking off into the woods for a smoke or taking the bus to drop off a sketch at Ms Archer's house, Skim is full of keen observations about the painful world she lives in, and her viewpoint is a stark one.
Comments: This graphic novel illustrates beautifully the awkwardness of trying to find one's place in the social hierarchy of high school. Parts of it are kept as a diary-format text, and in other cases Skim describes a memory as though she is writing a more general essay. Even when Skim tries to keep her head down she attracts the attention of the suspicious school counselor or her friend Lisa who is generally unsupportive, as well as defensive whenever Skim asks her to explain her statements or actions. The theme of suicide and the need for a support system comes across as the dominant theme in the story, while Skim's attachment to Ms Archer is downplayed as a subtheme. I wasn't completely sure if Skim is gay or not – she is too caught up in describing the activities of the clique of girls who take over fund-raising for local teen support services. Another subtheme is the treatment of Asians in the subculture of the school; Skim refers to herself as Asian without being more specific, which is interesting. All in all, this book was mildly disturbing, and definitely thought-provoking on several levels.
Date Read: 8 February 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Annie on My Mind - Nancy Garden
Author: Nancy Garden
Title: Annie on My Mind
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux / McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd
Publication Date: 1982
Age range: 14 - 19
Genre: Controversial / Romance / Realistic Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Liza is a senior in high school, head of the student council and headed to MIT for university. She loves architecture and is constantly visiting museums and other interesting buildings around New York City. On one such visit she meets Annie. Annie, another 17 year-old with a lovely voice and lively imagination, attends a different school and the girls come from very different backgrounds. They feel an immediate connection and develop a fast friendship, soon falling in love. Though their families are supportive of their friendship, they are afraid to share their love for each other with the other people in their lives, fearing the judgment that comes from intolerance and misunderstanding. As they start to explore their emerging sexual feelings for each other, an opportunity presents itself as Liza house sits for two teachers over spring break. The girls are discovered just as they have carved out a space for themselves to investigate their feelings, and Liza has to deal with the fall out at school, as her bigoted principal and some of her classmates believe her behavior is immoral and indecent, even worthy of expulsion. Ultimately Liza and Annie have to deal with their feelings for each other and find a way to deal with the way everyone else around them acts.
Comments: It is interesting to read this book in its third decade of publication. The reaction of some of the self-righteous adults as well as fellow students of Liza's is disturbing. Annie and Liza are both caring, generous souls and it is painful to read about the hatred that is directed at them when people realize that they're not just close friends. Luckily Liza has a very supportive family – they never forget that this is their Liza, even if they are not happy about her sexual orientation. Her brother, Chad, is especially wonderful, as he never blames her, just continues to love her as his sister, even if he is confused about what is going on. This book does a good job of walking the reader through the emotional reactions that Liza (as the narrator) has to different situations, and they're reactions that anyone who is in love and who can't figure out how to make that love understood to others would have, no matter their gender. Garden does a great job of making the characters very realistic. I really enjoyed the description of the relationship of the two teachers, Ms Widmer and Ms Stevenson, who we find out at the very end have been together as a couple since they were teenagers, and who have dealt with exactly the same kind of confusion and disbelief that Liza and Annie are confronted with. The book takes the shape of Liza's reflections now that she is in her first semester at MIT, because she has distanced herself from Annie, who is now attending Berkeley College in California. Liza struggles to write Annie a letter and realizes she needs to work through her memories of the last year in order to continue her relationship with Annie.
Dates Read: 1 February – 4 February
Title: Annie on My Mind
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux / McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd
Publication Date: 1982
Age range: 14 - 19
Genre: Controversial / Romance / Realistic Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Liza is a senior in high school, head of the student council and headed to MIT for university. She loves architecture and is constantly visiting museums and other interesting buildings around New York City. On one such visit she meets Annie. Annie, another 17 year-old with a lovely voice and lively imagination, attends a different school and the girls come from very different backgrounds. They feel an immediate connection and develop a fast friendship, soon falling in love. Though their families are supportive of their friendship, they are afraid to share their love for each other with the other people in their lives, fearing the judgment that comes from intolerance and misunderstanding. As they start to explore their emerging sexual feelings for each other, an opportunity presents itself as Liza house sits for two teachers over spring break. The girls are discovered just as they have carved out a space for themselves to investigate their feelings, and Liza has to deal with the fall out at school, as her bigoted principal and some of her classmates believe her behavior is immoral and indecent, even worthy of expulsion. Ultimately Liza and Annie have to deal with their feelings for each other and find a way to deal with the way everyone else around them acts.
Comments: It is interesting to read this book in its third decade of publication. The reaction of some of the self-righteous adults as well as fellow students of Liza's is disturbing. Annie and Liza are both caring, generous souls and it is painful to read about the hatred that is directed at them when people realize that they're not just close friends. Luckily Liza has a very supportive family – they never forget that this is their Liza, even if they are not happy about her sexual orientation. Her brother, Chad, is especially wonderful, as he never blames her, just continues to love her as his sister, even if he is confused about what is going on. This book does a good job of walking the reader through the emotional reactions that Liza (as the narrator) has to different situations, and they're reactions that anyone who is in love and who can't figure out how to make that love understood to others would have, no matter their gender. Garden does a great job of making the characters very realistic. I really enjoyed the description of the relationship of the two teachers, Ms Widmer and Ms Stevenson, who we find out at the very end have been together as a couple since they were teenagers, and who have dealt with exactly the same kind of confusion and disbelief that Liza and Annie are confronted with. The book takes the shape of Liza's reflections now that she is in her first semester at MIT, because she has distanced herself from Annie, who is now attending Berkeley College in California. Liza struggles to write Annie a letter and realizes she needs to work through her memories of the last year in order to continue her relationship with Annie.
Dates Read: 1 February – 4 February
Friday, January 30, 2009
Freaky Green Eyes - Joyce Carol Oates
Author: Joyce Carol Oates
Title: Freaky Green Eyes
Publisher: HarperTempest
Publication Date: 2003
Age range: 14 - 18
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Fifteen year old Francesa "Franky" Pierson is caught in the middle of a disintegrating family life. Faced with the confusion of parents who say one thing and then act completely differently, Franky starts to feel like a second personality is taking over her at the most stressful times, a coping mechanism for how to explain her own erratic behavior. Franky called this other side of herself Freaky Green Eyes; with curly red hair and intense green eyes, Franky feels that when Freaky takes over, someone might be able to see her other side through her eyes and suspect that she has lost control. Freaky is the one who acts on the strong emotions Franky sometimes feels.
Franky's father is a famous TV personality – an ex-athlete who was forced to retire early due to injury. Reid Pierson is excellent at putting up a perfect, glamorous front, and abhors weakness of any sort. Franky's mother, Krista, has worked for years at being the picture-perfect wife, but after almost two decades of marriage she begins to chafe under Reid's controlling personality, and tries to carve out a life for herself in a quiet artistic community. Reid refuses to let their two daughters speak to Krista or even see her, telling them that Krista has betrayed them all by leaving the family. Franky vacillates between wanting to believe the lies her father is telling them, and knowing that his actions do not match his increasingly erratic and desperate behavior. When Krista goes missing, Reid is suspected by the authorities, and he tells his family to pull together and support him. In a last effort to help Krista, Franky finally has to listen to what the part of her mind she has been trying to shut out has been telling her – her father's story doesn't add up, and Krista is in real trouble.
Comments: Oates normally writes for adults, and I was previously unaware that she has also written for young adults. This is a page-turning story with several different writing styles. Franky writes mostly in the first person, then later in the book the text reads like a police report of her responses to questions, without the questions being given to the reader – because in the context of her answers they are obvious. Later, Franky finds some of her mother's journal writing and the reader gets to briefly experience some of Krista's thoughts and impressions as well, in her own words. It is easy to become frustrated with Franky because she usually allows herself to be controlled by her abusive father, excusing his words and actions while he is constantly threatening his young daughters and influencing their perception of their mother's actions with his lies and theatrics. Ultimately, Franky does the right thing and tears off the blinders her father has been controlling her with, putting together the pieces and relying on an outside ally – Krista's sister, Franky's aunt Vicky – to help Krista as best they can. Throughout the book, however, it is frustrating to read Franky's words and recognize how she is being controlled by her father. This is more of a psychological YA novel than any I've read previously. The end is satisfying but the story is painful. Teen readers will be forced to think about how what people say and how they act may not match up – and how important it is to think for oneself and try to step outside of an emotional situation in order to judge what is really happening.
Dates Read: 25 – 30 January
Title: Freaky Green Eyes
Publisher: HarperTempest
Publication Date: 2003
Age range: 14 - 18
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Fifteen year old Francesa "Franky" Pierson is caught in the middle of a disintegrating family life. Faced with the confusion of parents who say one thing and then act completely differently, Franky starts to feel like a second personality is taking over her at the most stressful times, a coping mechanism for how to explain her own erratic behavior. Franky called this other side of herself Freaky Green Eyes; with curly red hair and intense green eyes, Franky feels that when Freaky takes over, someone might be able to see her other side through her eyes and suspect that she has lost control. Freaky is the one who acts on the strong emotions Franky sometimes feels.
Franky's father is a famous TV personality – an ex-athlete who was forced to retire early due to injury. Reid Pierson is excellent at putting up a perfect, glamorous front, and abhors weakness of any sort. Franky's mother, Krista, has worked for years at being the picture-perfect wife, but after almost two decades of marriage she begins to chafe under Reid's controlling personality, and tries to carve out a life for herself in a quiet artistic community. Reid refuses to let their two daughters speak to Krista or even see her, telling them that Krista has betrayed them all by leaving the family. Franky vacillates between wanting to believe the lies her father is telling them, and knowing that his actions do not match his increasingly erratic and desperate behavior. When Krista goes missing, Reid is suspected by the authorities, and he tells his family to pull together and support him. In a last effort to help Krista, Franky finally has to listen to what the part of her mind she has been trying to shut out has been telling her – her father's story doesn't add up, and Krista is in real trouble.
Comments: Oates normally writes for adults, and I was previously unaware that she has also written for young adults. This is a page-turning story with several different writing styles. Franky writes mostly in the first person, then later in the book the text reads like a police report of her responses to questions, without the questions being given to the reader – because in the context of her answers they are obvious. Later, Franky finds some of her mother's journal writing and the reader gets to briefly experience some of Krista's thoughts and impressions as well, in her own words. It is easy to become frustrated with Franky because she usually allows herself to be controlled by her abusive father, excusing his words and actions while he is constantly threatening his young daughters and influencing their perception of their mother's actions with his lies and theatrics. Ultimately, Franky does the right thing and tears off the blinders her father has been controlling her with, putting together the pieces and relying on an outside ally – Krista's sister, Franky's aunt Vicky – to help Krista as best they can. Throughout the book, however, it is frustrating to read Franky's words and recognize how she is being controlled by her father. This is more of a psychological YA novel than any I've read previously. The end is satisfying but the story is painful. Teen readers will be forced to think about how what people say and how they act may not match up – and how important it is to think for oneself and try to step outside of an emotional situation in order to judge what is really happening.
Dates Read: 25 – 30 January
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson – Louise Rennison
Author: Louise Rennison
Title: Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson
Publisher: HarperTempest (of Harper Collins)
Publication Date: 1999
Age range: 13 - 17
Genre: Awared Winning Ficiton (Printz Award) / Romance / Realistic Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Georgia Nicolson is a girl on the cusp of womanhood – and she worries constantly about how to behave around boys, how to get through her dreary school days, and – this is important! - how to make her nose look smaller. This diary-style story is packed full of young adult drama in the form of school-chum rivalries, parental confrontations, and a cat that is half Scottish wildcat and therefore totally out of control. There is a glossary at the back to help US readers decipher some of the more colorful British terms, like "snogging" (kissing), "fringe" (bangs, as in part of a hairstyle), and "dummy" (a pacifier). Over the course of a year, Georgia has trouble with her school mates, difficulties at home when her dad can't find a job and moves to New Zealand to try to stabilize the family finances, and extreme drama over Robbie "the Sex God" who is a good looking 17 year old boy who seems to get any girl he chooses. Reading Georgia's journal entries, which reflect her wild mood swings as well as her utter lack of common sense, and yet wicked sense of humor, is highly entertaining.
Comments: I definitely laughed out loud. Georgia's style of writing is so straightforward and blunt, and reflective of the questions and emotions that a teenage girl faces with the many difficulties of just getting up in the morning. The diary-style writing is a somewhat new form for me, but I think it works, as it keeps the story rolling. It is sweet to see how Georgia really values her family – for example, finding her toddler sister Libby (who occasionally pees in the bed) cute and cuddly rather than disgusting – even when Libby constantly refers to Georgia as "bad boy!" It would be nice to see Georgia get a bit more self-esteem, as she is clever and funny, and apparently taller than all her friends, thought it's hard to know what her looks are truly like, and perhaps her self-esteem will improve in the next volume of her diary annals – I will be on the lookout for them!
Dates Read: 20 January – 24 January
Title: Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson
Publisher: HarperTempest (of Harper Collins)
Publication Date: 1999
Age range: 13 - 17
Genre: Awared Winning Ficiton (Printz Award) / Romance / Realistic Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Georgia Nicolson is a girl on the cusp of womanhood – and she worries constantly about how to behave around boys, how to get through her dreary school days, and – this is important! - how to make her nose look smaller. This diary-style story is packed full of young adult drama in the form of school-chum rivalries, parental confrontations, and a cat that is half Scottish wildcat and therefore totally out of control. There is a glossary at the back to help US readers decipher some of the more colorful British terms, like "snogging" (kissing), "fringe" (bangs, as in part of a hairstyle), and "dummy" (a pacifier). Over the course of a year, Georgia has trouble with her school mates, difficulties at home when her dad can't find a job and moves to New Zealand to try to stabilize the family finances, and extreme drama over Robbie "the Sex God" who is a good looking 17 year old boy who seems to get any girl he chooses. Reading Georgia's journal entries, which reflect her wild mood swings as well as her utter lack of common sense, and yet wicked sense of humor, is highly entertaining.
Comments: I definitely laughed out loud. Georgia's style of writing is so straightforward and blunt, and reflective of the questions and emotions that a teenage girl faces with the many difficulties of just getting up in the morning. The diary-style writing is a somewhat new form for me, but I think it works, as it keeps the story rolling. It is sweet to see how Georgia really values her family – for example, finding her toddler sister Libby (who occasionally pees in the bed) cute and cuddly rather than disgusting – even when Libby constantly refers to Georgia as "bad boy!" It would be nice to see Georgia get a bit more self-esteem, as she is clever and funny, and apparently taller than all her friends, thought it's hard to know what her looks are truly like, and perhaps her self-esteem will improve in the next volume of her diary annals – I will be on the lookout for them!
Dates Read: 20 January – 24 January
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Flavor of the Week – Tucker Shaw
Author: Tucker Shaw
Title: Flavor of the Week
Publisher: Hyperion
Publication Date: 2003
Age range: 12 - 16
Genre: Realistic Fiction / Romance
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Cyril Bartholomew is 16 years old and a fantastic cook; his family relies on him to plan and prepare all their meals. His dream is to attend the nearby culinary school and become a real chef. Though Cyril loves to eat delicious food and to share what he makes with others, he doesn't want his classmates at school to know about his talents because he's very sensitive about his weight. Cyril is crazy about his friend Rose, even though he knows she doesn't see him "that way". Unfortunately, she does think Cyril's best friend Nick is pretty cute, and he likes her too. To Cyril's dismay, Nick ends up enlisting his help to win over Rose – and the way to Rose's heart is through her stomach. Though Cyril doesn't want to see Rose with Nick, he does want to see Rose happy, so he prepares all the things he knows she'll love, and watches Nick take the credit for the fabulous cooking. Nick's longtime blindness with regard to Cyril's weight is also something Cyril is grateful for, and another reason Cyril allows himself to get involved with Nick's plan. Of course, Rose clues in eventually when Nick's behavior doesn't match the subtlety of the flavors in the delicious dishes and snacks he tries to take credit for.
Comments: I thought this was an original approach, with a male narrator who is embarrassed about his weight, as well as the recipes interspersed throughout the book. Some of the recipes are outright complicated, and it's nice to see that the challenges of cooking and having the right ingredients and tools hasn't been 'dumbed down' for the YA audience. Each recipe relates to something served in the previous chapter, from Cyril's own 'kitchen-sink cookies' recipe to 'pressed roasted vegetable sandwiches' – and they all sound totally tasty. Cyril is the nice-guy-friend who girls don't normally want to get intimate with, but with his hidden talents, sensitivity and humor, he is really a catch. Though some of the dialog is forced, and the author is clearly trying to speak the language of his target audience, the positive messages in the book come through. Given enough time, your friends will see through your external appearance and appreciate the real you inside.
Dates Read: 10 January – 16 January
Title: Flavor of the Week
Publisher: Hyperion
Publication Date: 2003
Age range: 12 - 16
Genre: Realistic Fiction / Romance
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Cyril Bartholomew is 16 years old and a fantastic cook; his family relies on him to plan and prepare all their meals. His dream is to attend the nearby culinary school and become a real chef. Though Cyril loves to eat delicious food and to share what he makes with others, he doesn't want his classmates at school to know about his talents because he's very sensitive about his weight. Cyril is crazy about his friend Rose, even though he knows she doesn't see him "that way". Unfortunately, she does think Cyril's best friend Nick is pretty cute, and he likes her too. To Cyril's dismay, Nick ends up enlisting his help to win over Rose – and the way to Rose's heart is through her stomach. Though Cyril doesn't want to see Rose with Nick, he does want to see Rose happy, so he prepares all the things he knows she'll love, and watches Nick take the credit for the fabulous cooking. Nick's longtime blindness with regard to Cyril's weight is also something Cyril is grateful for, and another reason Cyril allows himself to get involved with Nick's plan. Of course, Rose clues in eventually when Nick's behavior doesn't match the subtlety of the flavors in the delicious dishes and snacks he tries to take credit for.
Comments: I thought this was an original approach, with a male narrator who is embarrassed about his weight, as well as the recipes interspersed throughout the book. Some of the recipes are outright complicated, and it's nice to see that the challenges of cooking and having the right ingredients and tools hasn't been 'dumbed down' for the YA audience. Each recipe relates to something served in the previous chapter, from Cyril's own 'kitchen-sink cookies' recipe to 'pressed roasted vegetable sandwiches' – and they all sound totally tasty. Cyril is the nice-guy-friend who girls don't normally want to get intimate with, but with his hidden talents, sensitivity and humor, he is really a catch. Though some of the dialog is forced, and the author is clearly trying to speak the language of his target audience, the positive messages in the book come through. Given enough time, your friends will see through your external appearance and appreciate the real you inside.
Dates Read: 10 January – 16 January
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)