Top 100 Blogs
Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri, illustrated by Randy DuBurke
This graphic novel tells the true story of Robert “Yummy” Sandifer. In 1994, Yummy, called that because of his sweet tooth, fired a gun into a crowd of rival gang members. He ended up killing a bystander, a teen girl. Yummy was just 11 years old when this happened. The story is told from the point of view of Roger, another boy who knew Yummy from school and the neighborhood. Roger tries to make sense of Yummy and how he became a gang member and killer. This is made even more tangible to Roger because his own brother is in the same gang as Yummy. Throughout this book, deep questions are asked and explored.
Neri’s text creates a great platform to understand the gang wars of the 1990s and the dynamic of southside Chicago. Though the bulk of the book is from Roger’s point of view, the reader also gets to see what Yummy is going through as he hides from police and is eventually killed by his own gang. There is a real restraint in the writing that allows the drama of the tale itself to take center stage.
DuBurke’s illustrations done in black and white are a study in light and dark. Faces change as the light changes on them, becoming sinister and strange. The images are dynamic and underline the youth of Yummy and the transition from bully to killer.
A beautifully crafted graphic novel dealing in brutal subjects, this book is an important exploration of gang warfare. It is also an even more important look at childhood. Appropriate for ages 12-14.
Reviewed from copy received from Lee & Low Books.
Also reviewed by:
Wicked Girls: a Novel of the Salem Witch Trials by Stephanie Hemphill
Through gripping verse, the story of the Salem Witch Trials is told from the point of view of several of the accusers themselves. A fictionalized account, the book captures the lies and hysteria of Salem in 1692, embracing the theory that the girls were deliberately telling lies. There is Ann Putnam, Jr. who leads the group of girls despite the fact she is 12 and others in the group are 17. She is the daughter of a prominent man in Salem. Her servant, Mercy Lewis, is also an accuser. Beautiful and tempting to many, she finds a haven in accusing others of witchcraft. Ann’s cousin, Margaret Walcott, is a girl in love and struggling to hold onto the boy. Her beloved will not stand for the accusations, so she is torn between her friends and her heart. These three girls form the center of the novel, each making accusations for different reasons, each lie leading to another, until nineteen people are killed in the name of piety.
Hemphill’s poems are beautifully constructed, they lend depth to the book at the same time they manage to move the story forward. Each girl has a distinct personality and perspective that comes through in the poems. The author weaves symbolism of the time into the poems, always making sure that these are girls of that period who have the concerns and sensibilities of that time. Yet at the same time, modern girls will understand the aches of love, the power of lies, and the group dynamics that are inherent here.
Hemphill tells the story from the girls’ points of view, allowing readers to see into their thought patterns and what drove them to do it. This perspective makes the book particularly gripping and powerful. She also frames the poems with the seasons, capturing each turn of the season in a poem. Each of these separate poems that is not one from a girl’s view has a decorative corner on the page, marking them as separate. It is a subtle and important touch.
This is a powerful book that speaks to a horrific time in Salem and is told in verse that illuminates all. Appropriate for ages 13-15.
Reviewed from library copy.
Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
DO Judge a Pyramid by It’s Color
Hi there. This is Rowan. (I’m Tasha’s son, if you didn’t know.) and this is the first of my Teen Book Reviews by a Teen. Well, without further distraction, let’s begin!
I liked the Percy Jackson series. It’s hilarious take on Greek Mythology was, well… hilarious. The humor is back in Rick Riordan’s new book (and possible series,) Red Pyramid. The switch from Greek Mythology to Egyptian provides a fresh experience with new characters and a new story. I don’t want to go much further, for the sake of the story, but I will say that if you liked Percy Jackson, you’ll LOVE this book.
How I Made It to Eighteen: a mostly true story by Tracy White
Based on the author’s experiences, this book takes a straight-on look at depression and self-destruction. Seventeen-year-old Stacy Black checked herself into a mental hospital to help deal with her anger and depression. She had just put her fist through a glass window. Stacy hated the hospital but knew that she had to be there to survive, so she stayed. As she spent time there, she developed new friends who helped her in her recovery and in being honest with herself. Told in graphic novel format that is more like a journal than manga, this book is honest, blunt and intelligent. Teen readers will easily see themselves in Stacy whether they are struggling with similar issues or not.
This book appears to be a regular novel until you open it and see all of the illustrations. Done in line drawings, the illustrations are quirky and have the unedited feel of a real journal. Readers get to know Stacy as well as her friends both in the hospital and from outside. This perspective shift, done at the end of each chapter is a welcome view of how outsiders view a teen who enters a hospital. While they express confusion and concern, all of them realize that it was a necessary step. It is a brilliant and subtle way to tell teens that they will not be vilified if they get the help they need.
Though heavily illustrated, White’s writing is also a large part of the story. Stacy is a sarcastic and caustic character. Readers will realize immediately that she is putting on a front, but it takes time for readers and Stacy to acknowledge what exactly has brought her to the hospital and to this place in her life. The slow unveiling of the basis of her problems mirrors the steps in her counseling. This makes the entire book feel organic and honest.
A book that teens will enjoy and relate to, this graphic novel will appeal to a much broader audience than graphic novel readers. Appropriate for ages 14-17.
Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.
Bruiser by Neal Shusterman
Bruiser was voted “Most Likely to Get the Death Penalty” by the kids at school. So when Tennyson’s twin sister Bronte starts dating Bruiser, he is very concerned. Bruiser is a real loner, involved in almost nothing at school, just heading home directly after classes end. When Tennyson follows him home, he discovers that Bruiser lives with his abusive uncle and his half-brother. Tennyson never backs away from confrontations with others, so he is surprised to find himself shaking Bruiser’s hand in friendship and even helping to dispose of a dead bull carcass. As the relationship between Bruiser and Bronte deepens, Tennyson becomes closer to Bruiser too. That’s when strange things begin to happen that show them just why Bruiser is a loner and why his uncle is desperate to keep him home. Written from the perspectives of Tennyson, Bronte, Bruiser, and Bruiser’s brother, this book transports the reader to a powerful place where love and friendship carry a unique pain.
I have been a fan of Shusterman ever since reading The Eyes of Kid Midas back in the 1990s. I love that he writes of magic in the real world, yet never shies away from what the magic brings to life. No one wakes up from a dream in these books or loses their powers. Instead they have to learn to live with what they have. Shusterman’s novels are also allegories for real life without magic. Here readers will find a physical manifestation of the pain and power of love and friendship. Bruiser and his flesh are tangible examples of the torment of life.
Shusterman’s writing here is well done. His characters are multi-dimensional and interesting. The twins are more than simply two sides of a coin, showing great depth of character. When Bruiser takes his first turn as narrator, Shusterman’s writing soars. Bruiser’s sections are in verse, unlike the others. His pain and torment is right there, shouting to the reader about the frustration and loneliness of his life. It is gorgeous and extraordinary.
Highly recommended, this book takes readers on a journey that will be difficult to forget. If you enjoy this book, make sure to check out others by Shusterman. Appropriate for ages 14-17.
Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber
After Iris’ mother died, her father no longer has time for her, immersed in his growing shoe business. When the business is about to expand to Kansas City, her father hires her out to a farm family without informing her first much less asking her opinion. So Iris is sent to care for an elderly woman and her doctor son in rural Missouri. She leaves behind her best friend Leroy and any illusions about her father caring about her. The move to the country turns out to be the best thing that could have happened to Iris. The family is warm and friendly to Iris, who slowly learns a lot about herself, her courage, and her connection to her mother. But all is not perfect in the countryside, they live far too close to an angry man who drove off his wife and is now doing unspeakable things to his daughter. Iris has to find a cunning way to help a girl who has only ever hated her. In the end, Iris may be a hobo, but so are we all.
A virtuoso of a debut performance, this book is written with strength and conviction. Stuber’s writing is beautifully constructed, each small detail meant to lead somewhere in the story or mean something more to the reader. She uses several important themes that tie the entire novel together: homelessness and hobos being the most significant. Yet she never allows these themes to drive the story, rather they are part of it, a twining of theme around the plot. It is beautifully done.
Set in the 1920s, the book never gets bogged down with period details, rather the time period is portrayed through the story. It is woven in and helps tell the story itself. Doctors make housecalls, cars are fairly new machines, and there are no cell phones and only party lines.
Iris is a marvelous protagonist with her hard exterior from years with her father neglecting her and yet her yearning for connection and family. Iris grows as the story progresses and kindness is shown her. Stuber has written her growth in a natural and organic way that really rings true. There are no unbelievable leaps forward, but a slow movement with steps backwards. The supporting cast is also very well rendered right down to Marie, the dog. Mrs. Nesbitt, the fiesty woman whom Iris cares for, does just as much caring for Iris. Mrs. Nesbitt is one of the reasons this book is so successful, she is hardly the stereotypical elderly woman, far from it.
Highly recommended, this book is historical fiction with a touch of romance and danger. It is an intoxicating mix that readers will find difficult to put down. I happily await her next novel! Appropriate for ages 12-15.
Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.
Check out Barbara’s website here and the trailer for the book below:
Zen & Xander Undone by Amy Kathleen Ryan
Zen and Xander are sisters who lost their mother a year ago. In his grief, their father removed himself from their lives, living in the basement and rarely talking to them. Each sister coped with the loss differently. Zen, narrator of the book, immersed herself even more in martial arts. Xander started more and more risky behaviors, coming home drunk or high with questionable guys. Zen found great pleasure in kicking one of those guys in the head, though it injured her back. It certainly did feel good though. As the two girls drift further apart, a mystery brings them back together. They discover that their mother left a valuable statue to a man they have never heard of. Now the two of them have to decide whether to solve the mystery or return to their grief apart.
A beautiful depiction of sisters who are best friends but very different from one another, this book also explores grief with an openness that is breathtaking. I particularly appreciated the intelligence of both of the sisters, both of them bright and filled with humor, caustic at times. Their complex relationship was depicted in a realistic way, never straying too far from the core of sisterhood that held them together.
Xander is a particularly complex character, drowning her grief in booze and drugs and throwing in a lot of risk at the same time. She is difficult to like, until you realize that you are seeing her only in small glimpses. Otherwise her behavior is shielding her from the reader. In the end, she is what makes the book gritty and realistic. She is the barbed truth of grief and coping.
Ryan’s writing is impeccable with a great ear for dialogue, a modern style without relying on any branding to keep it current, and a genuine appreciation for teens. She manages not to be didactic about grief at all, allowing both girls to find their own way not as examples for others but as individuals. Both sisters move through the loss of their mother in well rendered ways, even their mistakes making great sense.
A humor-filled book with great depth, this reads like John Green with girls thanks to the smart sisters. Appropriate for ages 15-18.
Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
Set in modern Burma, this novel is the story of two teen boys on opposite sides of the conflict between the Burmese and the Karenni, one of Burma’s ethnic minorities. Chiko’s father has been arrested for opposing the Burmese government. Now Chiko and his mother have no money to survive on, so Chiko heads out to be tested for a teaching position. But the test was a trap, and Chiko is taken into the Burmese army training to become a soldier. There he uses his wits to survive, befriending a street boy, who knows much more about fighting and survival than he does. When the time comes to allow his friend to head to the jungle on a dangerous mission, Chiko steps up and offers himself instead. Through that mission, he is rescued by Tu Reh, a Karenni teen, who has hated the Burmese ever since they burned down his village. Now Chiko’s life is in the hands of Tu Reh, who sees him only as the enemy. This book is about the bravery it takes to make decisions that turn boys into men, learning that compassion is the only way forward.
Beautifully written, Perkins has captured a complicated situation in a way that young readers will not only understand but will be drawn to. Rather than using alternating chapters for the two points of view, Perkins tells the first part of the book from Chiko’s point of view and then Tu Reh enters in the second half. This lends a great cohesiveness to the story, allowing readers to view the conflict from both sides, understand both, and at the same time get enough in-depth time with each character to see through their eyes.
Perkins excels at depicting foreign cultures through sounds, scents, and tastes. Food is used to convey the differences and similarities of cultures. There are no long paragraphs of description here, instead readers are treated to details woven into the story that bring the entire book to life. This is done with a skill that makes it seem effortless.
Her characterizations are also done with the same grace, allowing readers to slowly learn about the two boys, learn about the cultures, and slowly be exposed to the horror that teens on both sides of the conflict live with. The darker parts of battle and imprisonment are dealt with obliquely, allowing readers to bring their own level of understanding to the atrocities being committed. Again, this is a testimony to the skill of Perkins’ writing.
Highly recommended, this book takes the horrors of war and package them in a piercingly beautiful story. Appropriate for ages 12-15.
Reviewed from copy received from Charlesbridge.
Also reviewed by many, many other bloggers. Check out a list of them on Mitali’s blog.
Blindsided by Priscilla Cummings
Natalie has been losing her sight since she was eight. She is still able to see in a tunneled form, but then receives the news that she will lose her sight completely in a short period of time. Natalie is sent to a school for the blind to learn the skills she will need to have when she is blind. She is taught Braille and how to walk with a cane. But she doesn’t consider herself in the same situation as the other teens at the school. They are blind and she is not. She does learn the skills, but inwardly refuses to accept the situation, hoping for a miracle to happen. Eventually her sight does leave completely and now Natalie has to choose between using the skills she learned and becoming independent or remaining scared and protected at home.
This book is a mix of positive and negative for me. Natalie was a fine character with intelligence, lots of doubts, and complex reactions to her situation. She was well drawn and interesting. The information on the school for the blind and her skills were also interesting, though they could have been woven more into the story itself so that they read more effortlessly.
Unfortunately, the book suffered from heavy-handed writing that was often didactic in tone. There was a sense that the author had a lot to say about overcoming obstacles and disabilities. Her need to inform others intruded on the story itself, which would have been much stronger without the tone. Additionally, there were often moments when Natalie grew to new understanding which the author underlined and pointed out, lessening their impact instead of strengthening it as intended.
I must also quibble with the foreshadowing of the action-filled ending, which would have been surprising except that it was built into the story too clearly with events leading directly to it. Again, a more even-handed writing style would have raised it to another level.
Appropriate for ages 13-16.
Reviewed from copy received from Dutton.
Rush by Jonathan Friesen
The author of Jerk, California (winner of the Schneider Family Book Award) returns with another great read. The only thing that will clear the clouds from Jake’s head is risking his life. He jumps off of waterfalls, takes risky rides on his dirtbike, climbs the town watertower, and scales rock walls. His father and older brother don’t understand what he does at all. His father basically owns their town and his perfect brother is following in his footsteps as a firefighter, something that holds no appeal for Jake. One thing with appeal is his best friend Salome, but he can never let it become anything more than just friends, because he hurts anything he gets close to and he can’t do that to her. When Jake’s older brother loses his best friend and quits the firefighters, Jake is offered a place on a crew that rappels into wildfires. It is a crew with a record of young firefighters dying. Jake isn’t worried, this suits his thrill-seeking nature just fine, but Salome refuses to stand by and watch him die. He now has to choose between his friend and the rush.
My short summary above just scratches the surface of this novel. It is a novel of depression and trying anything to feel clarity and connection. It is a novel of family, exploring the tension-filled relationship between brothers as well as fathers and sons. It is a novel of love, of taking that final step and feeling a different kind of clarity and rush. It is a novel of bravery, of honor, of betrayal. It is a novel that reads at breakneck pace, yet never loses touch with the importance of character and setting.
Jake is a great character in the novel, exploring the reason why people take large risks. He is a tormented soul, unable to form connections with those he loves, able only to bond with the thrills. Yet at the same time, he has friends who love him, despite the ways he pushes them away. The novel is beautifully written, exploring the danger and power of fire, which is used as a perfect metaphor for Jake and his own destructive nature.
A novel that will appeal to a broad range of readers, from those who are thrill seekers themselves and want a great action-filled read to those who are interested in a well-drawn character facing incredible odds. Appropriate for ages 15-18.
Reviewed from copy received from Speak.
Check out Jonathan Friesen’s website, his blog, and an interview about his inspiration for the book.
