Solidarity
Looking for a great curl up on the couch book? A book to read while the sleet freezes your car doors shut? I’ve read some tasty ones recently. Check out these titles on your next trip to the library:
Books I Like a Lot:
Wake by Lisa McMann. Young Adult. Wow. Not expected. Really a great recommendation from another avid reader / friend. How did I miss this one?
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. Young Adult. Well, it’s obvious why she’s a goddess among young adult fantasy writers. Her alternative reality with fairies, yes fairies, is totally dark, twisted, and believable. Don’t believe me? Try one. Just one. Do it. You won’t regret it.
Ink Exchange and Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr. Young Adult. Sequels to Wicked Lovely. Read them all…
Matched by Allie Condie. Young Adult. This book came up at a recent conference and it was a great surprise to me. Something about it resonated long after I’d finished it. I can’t wait to read the sequel, just released.
Snap by Alison McGhee. Middle Grade. I liked this book so much better than Alison’s Julia Gillian series. Although, it’s not a fair comparison. They are two different beasts. My only comment: the subject matter here is mature, beyond what I would expect for middle grade. The voice, however, is spot on. I would only recommend it for the mature middle grade reader.
True (… Sort of) by Katherine Hannigan. Middle Grade. My comments on this book mirror the ones for Snap. Is it any wonder these two writers are friends? Excellent book, well written, not content for the average middle grade reader. (Am I putting down the middle grade reader when I say this? I’m thinking of my own ten year old daughter…)
Ida B by Katherine Hannigan. Middle Grade. Mature content again but executed with a much younger voice than Snap. (See comments, above.) I could see suggesting this to my ten year old…
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. Middle Grade. Still timeless. Reread this one along with my fourth grader. I’d forgotten the ending…the turtle…classic.
The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling. Middle Grade. Also timeless. Loved the writing, loved the story. After fifty years, nothing dated about it.
Books I Enjoyed (but could put down to go to sleep):
Julia Gillian (and the Art of Knowing) by Alison McGhee. Middle Grade. I first read this book (and the others in the series) after meeting Alison’s sister, Holly McGhee, at a SCBWI conference. My daughter had picked this one out of the library because it had a dog on the cover (excellent marketing!), and I snuck it away from her. Honestly, it confused me. I enjoyed it, but it seemed to defy every rule on story telling and showing vs. telling. I also found the main character a little ‘out there’ and not totally believable in today’s age. (Don’t hate me for my thoughts, Alison, I’m still trying to process them!)
I am the Cheese by Robert Cormier. Young Adult. This book sat next to Allie Condie’s book on the shelf so I decided it was time to reread it. What a transformation young adult books have gone through in the past thirty years! Particular in voice. There is a feel to the voice in young adult novels today that didn’t exist back then. This book is an adult-voiced book, written with a young adult aged hero. Hence the categorization. Caveat: my opinion.
Books I’m Glad I Tried (but wouldn’t read again):
The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks. Young Adult. I hate putting any book into the not-so-good pile since I know the labor of love that went into its creation. The idea for this novel was fresh but its execution dragged (for me).
Dear Dumb Diary by Jim Benton. Middle Grade. To be fair, these novels were not written for me. My daughters read them. All their friends read them. Jim has a great hit, and I’m glad he’s keeping these girls engaged in books and away from the electronics. However, I just wish the content, writing style, subject matter, etc. was more, well, literary. It’s the Diary of a Whimpy Kid for teen-y bopper girls.
Abarat by Clive Barker. Young Adult. I disappointed myself in not bonding with this book. I loved the beginning but had a hard time making it to the end. There was also this odd sense like I’d read it before…
