tales of the MADMAN underground: an historical romance 1973

by John Barnes. New York: Viking. c. 2009. 532 pages.
ISBN 978-0-670-06081-8

Karl Shoemaker has decided to turn over a new leaf at the start of his senior year, 1973. He is going to be normal. The first step is to avoid therapy. Not so easy when your dad is dead, your mom is a drunk who steals your money (the money you make from working five jobs!), you're in AA and you and all of your friends are self-proclaimed "madmen."

Set in a small, depressed town in Ohio, Barnes' book spans six days in the life of Karl Shoemaker. Told in the first person, this book is so honest, sad and hilarious that teen readers will tear through these 500 plus pages.

2010 Printz Honor Book, 2010 YALSA Best Books for Young Adults

Liked it? Try Benjamin Alire Saenz's Last Night I Sang to the Monster: a novel, Julie Anne Peters' Between Mom and Jo, Jaye Murray's Bottled Up: a novel, Blake Nelson's Paranoid Park.

Punkzilla

Punkzilla by Adam Rapp. Westminster, MD: Candlewick Press, c. 2009. 244 pages. ISBN 0763630314

Jamie, known as Punkzilla, has been living in a low rent hotel in Portland since he went AWOL from military school. He went off his meds and survives on money he makes stealing iPods and doing cheap drugs. When he finds out his older brother Peter, a gay playwright, is dying of cancer, he begins a harrowing journey to Memphis. Told in a series of unsent letters to Peter and mixed with old correspondences from family and friends.

A Junior Library Guild Selection and 2010 Michael L. Printz Honor Award, 2010 YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2009 Booklist Editor’s Choice-Books for Youth-Older Reader’s Category.

If you liked it, try Steven Herrick’s The Simple Gift: a novel and Willo Davis Roberts’ Blood on His Hands

Salt

Salt by Maurice Gee. Victoria: Orca Book Publishers, 2009. 252 pages. ISBN 978-1-55469-209-5

Volume One of the Salt trilogy.

Hari and the others of Blood Burrow suffer starvation, enslavement and death under Company. Pearl lives a life of luxury and ease but she is under control of Company and has been promised in marriage to a powerful man. While these two come from different worlds, they are connected in their talent to use their minds to speak to people and animals. Both on the run for different reasons, they are soon united in their quest to save the world from a deadly terror found in Deep Salt.

2008 winner of the New Zealand Post Book Award for Young Adult Fiction

Pump Up the Volume

Pump Up the Volume, written and directed by Allan Moyle. Starring Christian Slater. Originally released August 1990, Rated R. 102 minutes.

"Talk Hard. Steal the Air."

This review is a departure from the usual for this blog. I normally only review or write annotations for books. Movies have always been a big part of my life and after re-watching Pump Up the Volume recently (after at least 5 years and 20 years after the first time I saw it), I felt a brief review here was necessary.

Mark is a shy new kid in a small town Arizona high school. At night he becomes Hard Harry, an uncensored DJ on a pirate radio station. He starts to gain loyal listeners amongst the teens in the town who have been waiting for someone to jolt them out of their stupor. When Hard Harry begins to expose the hypocrisy and corruption of the school principal, the FCC is called in to end the show.

This movie was in theatres in 1990. Here was the teen experience of suburbia--the boredom, the pressures, the loneliness. Slater's portrayal of Mark/Hard Harry was so meaningful and honest to me then and when I watched it again, all of the same emotions came back to me. There are some moments when it feels a little dated and almost corny, but this cannot really be avoided with a film 20 years old.

What struck me the most watching it now (as basically an adult) was really a question. Could this movie speak to teenagers today like it did to me when I was young? Teenagers who seem to enjoy being conformists and are so connected to one another almost all of the time? Could they even relate to a pirate radio DJ in these days of Facebook, cell phones, etc.?

the burn journals

Runyon, Brent. The Burn Journals. Reprint. Originally published: New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. With new afterword. New York: Vintage Books, 2005. 327 p. ISBN 1400096421 (pbk.) $12.95

(The following review was submitted as an assignment for the MLIS course Health Consumer Resources and Services for the Spring 2010 semester.)

At fourteen, Runyon put on his bathrobe, doused it with gasoline, stepped into the tub and lit himself on fire. He suffered third-degree burns over 85 percent of his body. He endured months of excruciating skin grafts and physical therapy. The Burn Journals spans Runyon's first year of recovery from this horrifying suicide attempt as he struggles with the pain, the guilt and the questions from himself and others as to why he did it.

This book does not contain any solutions or answers to suicide, depression or self-hatred. Runyon can never answer why he tried to kill himself. He doesn't really know. Runyon wrote his book ten years after he set himself on fire, but he writes it in the first person as his fourteen-year-old self. This makes the book so valuable for teens, especially males, who may run the spectrum of sadness to thoughts or plans of suicide. Here, in Runyon's words, they may find hope that they are not completely alone under the desolate weight of depression.

This book should be included in the teen departments of school and public libraries and will be useful for anyone working with teens; however, this may not be a book for readers who have suffered accidental traumatic experiences and burn victims may struggle to identify with someone who purposely caused such pain.

my picks for YA books you may have missed

I am participating in one-day blog post blitz titled "The Best YA Books You Haven't Read" started by a blogger & wannabe YA writer: http://yannabe.com/2010/01/21/best-books-not-read/

Here are my choices

--Mal Peet's Exposure (2009 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize)
--F.E. Higgins series: Black Book of Secrets, The Bone Magician and The Eyeball Collector
--Blake Nelson's Destroy All Cars
--Blake Nelson's Girl

I think a lot of people missed out on this when it first came out 1994 and the latest editions seem to not be so successful either. I gave this to my 16 year old cousin last year and she loved it. So although some of the music scene references are a little dated, this book can still be relevant to teens today. For me, this book meant so much to me and while I grew up on the other side of the country, I related so much to this story and the whole scene.

Check out my Author Sheet for Blake Nelson on my online portfolio.

Can you tell I'm a fan?

--and finally....C.D. Payne's Youth in Revolt

This book is getting some attention now because of the film starring Michael Cera but I have a feeling more people will just see the movie than read the book at this point. I have not seen the movie yet but I almost guarantee that you will enjoy the book so much more. Sorry no summary here on my blog but will post in the coming months, I promise. I read it so long ago and want to re-read/flip through before I post.

So, go forth and read!

The Grounding of Group 6

by Julian F. Thompson, c. 1983. Young Adult (classic) literature.

Five high schoolers are sent to (what they think) is a boarding school to get them on the right track. All of them have committed some type of misbehavior that has lead their parents to send them away--but none of them would have suspected that they were meant to be poisoned and thrown into a deep crevasse! No one expected Group 6 and their (young) advisor to make it back from their orientation camping trip alive...

While this book will seem fairly dated for today's reader, it is a lot of fun to re-visit if you read this in the 80s as a kid or teen. This is also a chilling story about parents wanting to have their children eliminated which may be a nice companion to a book like Neal Shusterman's Unwind (however Shusterman's world is infinitely scarier). There is some appeal for male readers in The Grounding of Group 6 as much of the story is revealed from the teen boy characters including quite a few (tame) passages about their sexual experiences.

to hellholes and back

(bribes, lies, and the art of extreme tourism) by Chuck Thompson, Henry Holt and Comapny, c. 2009, 321 pages.

I was not very impressed with this book but I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys travel memoirs and especially for fans of (as Booklist describes), "unorthodox travel writing."

From my LibraryThing Early Reviewers:

Funny and witty at times, the book is somewhat enjoyable and good for a light read. Thompson's anecdotes may make you laugh or they may just grate on your nerves as his writing skills really are more suited for his former Maxim job.

Plans for (the brief) Winter Break

Some books I hope to read before the Spring semester starts…in no particular order...

1. The Grounding of Group Six by Julian F. Thompson, c.1983 (finishing this up…)

2. To Hellholes and Back: Bribes, Lies, and the Art of Extreme Tourism by Chuck Thompson, c.2009 (from my LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers, review to follow…)

3. Daughters of Eve by Lois Duncan, c. 1979

4. American Gods by Neil Gaiman, c. 2001 (seems to be many people’s favorite..)

5. Happy Endings are All Alike by Sandra Scoppettone, c. 1978 (one of the first/the few novels about teen lesbians…in the 70s)

6. My Darling, My Hamburger by Paul Zindel, c.1969

7. Youth in Revolt: The Journals of Nick Twisp by C.D. Payne, c1993 (had meant to read this so long ago, now the movie is about to come out…yikes! Have to read before that…)

I may be a little ambitious……

My Booky Wook

A Memoir of Sex, Drugs, and Stand-Up by Russell Brand. New York: HarperCollins, 2009. UK edition: Hodder & Stoughton, 2007. 353 pages.

My Booky Wook is a confessional full of embarrassing and oftentimes disturbing events and choices in Brand's life eventually leading him to rehab for drugs (and later sex addiction). While Brand constantly desires to become famous, he continually commits one self-destructive act after another. Everything is presented for you, the reader, in Brand's clever and (somewhat) literary voice. Brand is perceptive, irreverent and too funny.

City Boy: My Life in New York During the 1960s-'70s

by Edmund White. New York: Bloomsbury, USA, c. 2009, 297 pages.

(from my LibraryThing's Early Reviewers)

White's memoir begins when he he arrives in New York City from the Midwest where he followed his lover instead of going on to Harvard. He is is not a writer yet and these two decades are a formative time in his literary career.

As a gay man, White was still hoping to be "cured" as he regularly (like many other gay men at the time) saw a therapist. In 1969, as the gay movement began with Stonewall, White began to embrace his own identity--and he had little choice when, in 1977, he famously co-authored "The Joy of Gay Sex."

The reader is invited to hear White's tales of the famous artists and literary figures he surrounded himself with and his many lovers and experiences before and in the early days of AIDS. This book is gossip and at the same time revelation. This is a social history of New York at that time told by an insider.

Exposure

by Mal Peet. Candlewick Press, c. 2009, 430 pages.

This is a modern spin on the tragedy of Shakespeare’s Othello and set in South America. Otello is a black soccer star recently traded to the country’s racist south. He falls in love and marries quickly Desmerelda, the country’s striking white pop star (and daughter of a powerful and conservative politician). The glare of the paparazzi‘s cameras can be blinding and enemies can appear to be one’s confidantes and friends.

Young Adult fiction. The story is divided into five acts. Knowledge of Shakespeare’s Othello is not a necessity but allows for comparison of the texts and a contemporary examination of the original by younger readers. There is sympathy for Otello and for the life of a celebrity but this is not a celebrity-worship story. There is racism, poverty and murder. There is grittiness. There are distinct lines between wealth and poverty in this unnamed South American country and the distinction is a huge divide.

Recurring character of Paul Faustino (a sports writer) in two other Peet books.

Winner of 2009 Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize the only award judged by Children’s authors (http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/guardianchildrensfictionprize ) and A Junior Library Guild Selection (http://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/)

Catching Fire

by Suzanne Collins. New York: Scholastic Press, c. 2009, 391 pages.

Katniss and Peeta have survived the televised battle to the death of the Hunger Games and have returned as victors to their home of District Twelve. They should return home to lives of ease and plenty but a visit from the sinister President Snow reveals that it will not be so simple. The president expects Katniss to play the lovesick girl at Peeta’s side—not out with her longtime friend Gale. Soon Katniss and Peeta are on the mandatory victory tour through the nation of Panem as rumors of uprisings in other districts follow them.

This is the second book of the Hunger Games trilogy. This is mandatory reading for fans of the first book and most should not be disappointed. There is a lot of action and suspense leading up to the conclusion leaving the reader anxious for the last book (not due out till 2010). At times Katniss’ love triangle dilemma can become a little exhausting and frustrating. Maybe boy trouble can seem necessary for a young adult book and it can be done successfully. However in this book Collins doesn’t fully explore the relationships and dynamics between the three and this may be because there is no room in the book. This too often happen in the middle books of trilogies. While not as strong as the first book, here’s hoping the final book may be able to redeem it.

The Graveyard Book

by Neil Gaiman with illustrations by David McKean. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, c.2008. 312 pages.

Nobody Owens, Bod for short, is a very alive boy who happens to call a graveyard home. After his family was murdered when his was only a baby, Bod found himself adopted by ghosts and given the freedom of the graveyard. This freedom not only lets him explore things the living never could but also keeps him safe from the man who killed his family and still looks to finish his job—murdering Bod! But this is only inside the gates of the graveyard, outside is a whole alive world where Bod cannot be protected.

The 2009 Newbery Medal. Winner of the Booktrust Teenage Prize 2009 (UK). Suggested ages are from 8-12 but this book could easily be enjoyed by teens.

Audiobook on CD read by Neil Gaiman, 7 discs, 7 hours & 45 minutes

The Eyeball Collector

by F.E. Higgins. New York: Feiwel and Friends, c. 2009. 251 pages.

Hector Fitzbaudly gets his wish to experience the seedier side of Urbs Umida when his father is blackmailed with a secret form his past. Finding himself penniless and homeless, Hector realizes this is not the life he wants and he decides to seek revenge. Unfortunately, the Eyeball Collector is a master of disguise! This book is called a “polyquel” by the author, as it contains elements from both The Black Book of Secrets and The Bone Magician as well as its own mysteries.

The Bone Magician

by F.E. Higgins. New York: Feiwel and Friends, c. 2008. 273 pages.

Pin Carpue is orphaned in the in the crime-ridden city of Urbs Umida after his father runs off, accused of being a murderer. Pin finds work as a corpse watcher, ensuring that the dead are truly dead before they are buried. Eventually Pin ends up living in the same boarding house as a bone magician and his assistant—who seem to be able to raise the dead! This book is dubbed as “paraquel” by the author—the story occurs at the same as the tale in The Black Book of Secrets.

The Black Book of Secrets

by F.E. Higgins. New York: Feiwel and Friends, c. 2007. 273 pages.

Ludlow Fitch is running away from his past (and some tooth-thieving parents!). He finds himself in a remote village where he becomes the assistant to a mysterious pawnbroker, Joe Zabbidou. This pawnbroker specializes in people’s secrets and Ludlow is charged with transcribing them in the Black Book of Secrets. Lucky for Ludlow and Joe, this village is full of people with dark and dangerous secrets to pawn. For fans of historically-based fiction and notably that of late 1800s in England with its many gruesome details of teeth pulling (and selling) and grave robbing.

Three Girls and Their Brother: a novel

by Theresa Rebeck. New York : Shaye Areheart Books, c2008. 341 pages.

After one very successful photo shoot for The New Yorker, three gorgeous, red-headed sisters find themselves as the latest "It Girls" (think "Hilton sisters" plus some literary roots). Their brother in turn finds himself taking on the protector role against the unscrupulous and moral-lacking members of the entertainment/modeling world, the paparazzi and the hungry-for-scandal public. Told in four parts by each sibling. An Alex Award winner for 2009.

Ironside

Title: Ironside; A Modern Faery’s Tale

Author: Holly Black

Publication date: 2007

Number of pages: 323

Genre: Young Adult fiction

Geographical Setting: New York City & New Jersey

Time Period: present, 2000s

Series: yes, third book of the Faerie series, more of continuation of the first book Tithe

Plot Summary: Pixie changeling Kaye is in love with the king of the Unseelie Court. There is war brewing with his kingdom and the rival Seelie Court. Kaye finds herself in the middle as the possible key to bringing peace and stopping death on the faerie and human side. She also struggles with the desire to tell her human mother that she is not the daughter she gave birth to while her best friend, the human Corny, joins her on this quest.

Subject Headings: coming of age, faeries, supernatural, homosexuality, fantasy, love, first love, betrayal, loyalty, war, urban fantasy

Appeal: exciting addition to the Faerie series; tackles issues facing young adults like first love, homosexuality, identity; fantasy set in modern times and location

If you liked Ironside, you might enjoy: Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones, Charles de Lint’s Little (Grrl) Lost, Herbie Brennan’s Faerie Wars

end of summer semester...

In the past couple of weeks I have completed the summer semester and moved. I have not been able to get as much reading done as I would like but I have read a couple of books. Below I give some brief intros to two young adult books.

Destroy All Cars by Blake Nelson (2009, 224 pages, hardcover)

Diatribe by a teen boy on the wastefulness of American consumer culture mixed with the angst of first love and its loss. This book is a fun and quick read for male readers especially reluctant readers and any teens into environmentalism or with leanings to activism. It is in diary/manifesto-style and interspersed with the protagonist’s AP English essays.

Tags: environmentalism, Pacific Northwest, Portland, Oregon, books for boys, consumerism, suburbia, first love, first person.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson (2006, 368 pages, hardcover)

Historical fiction of Revolutionary America mainly told from the diary of Octavian, a black youth raised in Boston and given a classical education. Octavian is a research subject studied by the radical philosophers of the The Novanglian College of Lucidity. As he matures and uses the observational skills he has been taught, he begins to decipher his purpose within the College and in America as a man’s property. This book is not for the causal teen reader. The historical nature of the language may take some readers more than a few chapters to acclimate to however, the reader is greatly rewarded with a moving and exciting tale. Winner of the National Book Award and Michael L. Printz Honor Book.

Tags: historical fiction, slavery, American Revolution, diary, African American, survival

Uglies Trilogy (books 2 & 3)

Title: Pretties
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publication date: 2005
Number of pages: 384
Genre: young adult science fiction
Geographical setting: North America, possibly in the area of California
Time period: far into the future
Series: second in the Uglies trilogy

Plot: After her surgery to make her a Pretty, Tally Youngblood struggles against the brain lesions that work to keep her “bubble-headed” and unquestioning. She has forgotten her promise to test out the cure from the Smokies—until the delivery of the pills and the letter Tally wrote to herself. Too afraid to take the pills alone, her new boyfriend Zane convinces her to share with him. As they begin to stay focused more and more, plans are made to escape their city and find the New Smoke. Tally’s escape leads to frightening discoveries of what the Specials have been doing in the name of human progress and preservation.

Title: Specials
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publication date: 2006
Number of pages: 384
Genre: young adult science fiction
Geographical setting: North America, possibly in the area of California
Time period: far into the future
Series: final book of the Uglies trilogy

Plot: Sixteen year old Tally Youngblood has had the surgery that has made her a part of the elite and extra-special clique, the Cutters. The Cutters have superfast reflexes and strength—and sport frightening “surges” making them look more fearsome than the regular agents of the secret police, Special Circumstances. Tally finally fits in but she still feels like something is missing. She soon finds herself struggling between what the City has made her to be and what she once was, now buried deep under all of the surgeries and manipulations.

Appeal: post-apocalyptic series for young adults; questioning of the price of popularity and fitting in/conformity; exciting descriptions of future technologies and luxuries; the Cutters slice themselves with ritual knives in order to enhance there already super-tuned reflexes and strength

Tags: brainwashing, survival, troubled teens, dystopia, science fiction, cutting, body image, plastic surgery, conformity, cliques, self-induced starvation, series, post-apocalyptic, overconsumption

If you liked Uglies Trilogy, you might enjoy: Lois Lowry’s Gathering Blue, Rodman Philbrick’s The Last Book in the Universe, John Christopher’s White Mountains, Peter Dickinon’s Eva