Browsing articles in "Young Adult"
Apr
14

Where The Wild Things Are by Dave Eggers

Written by: Mike Lawson//Fiction, KidsLit, Young Adult//1 Comment

I was hesitant to pick up Where The Wild Things Are by Dave Eggers because I’m so in love with Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.  I was afraid that Eggers was going to ruin the beloved chidren’s book.

It was hard to think that any author – even Eggers – could capture that whimsy that accompanies the original picture book.  Maybe Eggers could get the whimsy, but could he also get the message of how powerless youth are, and how liberating their fantasies can be?

In short, yes he could.

Dave Eggers co-wrote the movie version with Spike Jonze, and then he penned this novel based on their screenplay.

The original Where The Wild Things Are is just a dozen pages with no more than 250 words.  Super short.  The longer Eggers version still has a wild boy named Max, and he still bites his mother and is told he’s too wild and is sent to his room.

Max still finds himself on an island with the Wild Things.

But there are differences too.  We see much more of Max’s home life in the Eggers version.  We learn that Max has an older sister that’s too cool for the baby games that Max wants to play.

One of my favorite differences is that Eggers pulls out a lot of the kid-with-behavioral-issues and puts them front and center.  Max isn’t just a wild boy…he’s got some serious fucking issues.  Perhaps he’s bipolar.

On the island of wild things, Max is king and he still leads the wild rumpus.  And in the Eggers version each of the wild things have their own distinct voice and personality.

Think of this book as it’s own thing…not just a quick adaptation.  I wouldn’t call this book brilliant, but for those young adults moving on to full novels, or just those adults out there that enjoy “kidslit” (or a flashback to the Sendak of their youth), this is a good read.

Just a longer version of that picture book you loved.

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage; 1 edition (March 9, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0307475468
Apr
10

Postcards from No Man’s Land

Written by: Megan Ellis//Fiction, Young Adult//No Comments

In my past life (i.e. pre-munchkins) I was a children/teen librarian, and I spent my days happily reading picture books, manga, and fulfilling my incredibly embarrassing obsession with Wolverine.   But every once in a while I’d tear myself away and read a “real book.”  Reading Postcards from No Man’s Land by Aidan Chambers was the result of one of these fits of maturity, and it’s a book that I continue to remember & reflect on even 4 years later.

This tale has 2 storylines; one from the perspective of a young man, Jacob, in the 1990’s exploring Amsterdam, the other story follows his grandmother, Geertrui, and her experiences in WWII.  It is a beautiful melding of lives, cultures, and history, and presents compassionate and realistic discussions of euthanasia, adultery, and love.  I’m not a big war story fan, yet this book appealed to me through accessible characters, engaging writing, and an empathetic discussion of hot button issues – with no accusations or recriminations.  I also enjoyed the romantic aspect of the book.  Both Geertrui & Jacob discover love, and although love is just one of many themes explored, it struck me as the most rewarding.  Simply put, cliché or no, no matter how bad things get, where there’s love, there’s hope.

Postcards from No Man’s Land is the worthy recipient of the 1999 Carnegie Medal, and the 2003 Michael  L. Printz Award.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Great book to curl up with. Cocoa & blanket required.

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Speak (January 11, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0142407887
Apr
1

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Written by: Jessi Gardner//Fiction, Young Adult//No Comments

Have you ever met someone and thought you already knew them?

After reading Fallen by Lauren Kate, you’ll make sure to talk to this (non)stranger.  I was perusing the shelves and this book said, “take me.”  So I did.  And the book ended up taking me away.

Haunted by memories of an accident, Luce has ended up at the Swords and Cross School.  Swords and Cross is for kids that have misbehaved their entire lives.

Some of her classmates have metal bracelets trackers and there are cameras that watch everyone.  Arriane befriends Luce and shows her around the school and also keeps her out of trouble.

A mysterious boy named Daniel greets Luce by flipping her off and smiling, but Luce is magnetized by his eyes and smile.  She can’t shake the feeling that Daniel looks familiar.

Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce – he calls her a stalker – but secretly Daniel enjoys being stalked.  He gives Luce hot and cold cards to figure out.  Lauren Kate only gives you a bare sketch of things in the beginning and throughout she darkens lines and shows you the shadows of her characters.
The plot and the ending were both surprising.  Great book for an airplane…or if you just want to indulge.
Even an Ice Queen just might root for love’s power.
  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; First Edition/First Printing edition (December 8, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385738935
Mar
31

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Written by: Lily Lu//Fiction, Young Adult//1 Comment

The hilarious yet heartbreaking Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is such a gem of teen fiction that I was a little bit afraid to read something else by her that might disappoint me. Thankfully, I was not disappointed.

Like Speak, Wintergirls plumbs the depths of despair of a high school student with extreme darkness, poignancy, and acidic wit. It starts out a bit slow, but gains momentum and gets you deeply engaged, and also becomes more identifiable with Speak as it goes on. It is different, but has many similar beloved traits. Anderson uses language to satirize modern consumer/suburban life in a way that nobody else does. That incredible emotional intensity and ability to make us feel for the main character is a driving force. Her words often have startling clarity. It has a gritty feel, and the signature dark portrayal of the painful side of teen life, but has an undertone thrumming throughout of empowerment, warmth, and love.

What I like about Anderson is that she deals with volatile subject matter and never takes the easy or conventional route. Even when it seems like there is a “breakthrough” for the main character and things will start to look up, it doesn’t turn into the cheerful typical pattern of resolution. There is no neatly tied-up happy ending because it rarely happens that way in real life.

One of my favorite things about the book are the recurring surreal, inverted-fairytale descriptions about the main character and her recently-dead best friend which represent Lia’s concept of the “wintergirls.” The imagery in these parts is dreamlike, creepy, thorny, and wintry, gracefully weaving Lia’s pain and guilt about Cassie into haunting scenes. These passages are poetic, imaginative, eerie, and resonant. The book rings dead true, with piercing deadpan wit, and raw, emotional, near-visceral power. It should become a classic of teen fiction. I think it would also be relevant for adults.

If you loved Speak, you will probably also love Wintergirls.


A beautifully written novel about pain, dysfunction, and healing.

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Speak (February 23, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 014241557X
Mar
28

Dark Visions by L.J. Smith

Written by: Jessi Gardner//Young Adult//1 Comment
In Dark Visions by L.J. Smith, Kaitlyn is an outsider and nicknamed “witch.” Even as a child she could predict who was dying or paint pictures of where dead bodies were.
Deprived of a social life because of the visions and sixth sense, Kaitlyn developed an attitude problem. Her school wants to get rid of her at the same time a man named Mr. Zetes grants her a scholarship and the ability to control her powers if she goes to an institute.
A volunteer at the institute begins to harass Kaitlyn at night warning her of evil.  With four other psychic kids her age in the house, she helps lead the fight to stop the evil scientists and ends up saving lives (even of the enemies).
Two boys force Kaitlyn to decide good or evil.  Gabriel the jail-bird is a dark angel.  Rob the country boy has the power to heal.  Either way she has to fight someone she cares about.
Numerous times Kaitlyn puts herself in situations that scare her, but defies the odds and gets what she wants.  Kaitlyn becomes a different person – as do the others in her group.
This book made me realize how hungry I was for a book that could surprise me.   As the characters develop, their powers change and grow stronger and find new ways to manipulate people.
This book will make you wonder what sixth sense you have, and you’ll smile at how delicious those pages were.
Your hands will itch with anticipation and desire for more.

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback: 752 pages
  • Publisher: Simon Pulse; Original edition (September 8, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1416989560
Mar
24

Sunshine by Robin McKinley

Written by: Megan Ellis//Fiction, Young Adult//3 Comments

Two years before the madness of the Twilight Phenomena, Robin McKinley wrote a gem of a tale entitled Sunshine.  My all-time favorite vampire story, this is FAR less angsty, much more entertaining, and an amazingly better read than any of the Twilight series (AUGGH…hear me out before you start pitching those tomatoes!).

Don’t get me wrong – I enjoyed the Twilight series, and yes, I have each title in hardback, picked up the day of distribution at my local bookstore. (Much to the confusion and dismay of my husband). They are fun reads – but they have nothing on the edgy urban fantasy McKinley creates in Sunshine.

Unfortunately, there’s no real way to describe this book – but here are a few ways to decide if Sunshine is right for you:

  • If you loved Twilight, this is a perfect next step
  • If you hated Twilight, this book offers redemption
  • If you’re an avid Buffy fan (please, please, let me be not the only one left…)
  • If you like romantic tension – here you go…very tasty
  • If you like Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series
  • If you like Charles DeLint’s Newford series
  • If you, like me, adored Emma Bull’s War for the Oaks…Bravissimo!

Give it a try!!  And let me know what you think…


The best vampire story ever. Hands down. The best.

  • Amazon Link
  • Paperback: 405 pages
  • Publisher: Berkley Trade (October 7, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0425224015