When You Reach Me

Rebecca Stead has definitely written a book that librarians and English teachers will love, but When You Reach Me will also appeal to kids who like fantasy and learning about philosophy through books. This Newbery winner chronicles Miranda's life in the late 1970s, as her friendships change, mysterious and frightening events happen, and her mother prepares to be on a game show. The protagonist is obsessed with Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, but is puzzled by a new acquaintance's explanation on time travel, and why he punched her friend Sal, and why Sal now no longer wants to be friends, and who is leaving notes in her bedroom, and how to herself and her mother out of a life rut, and so many other things. As Miranda begins to unravel the mysteries of the people in her life, she grows up and learns to accept both happiness and tragedy in life.
I read this book in one evening, and know that upper elementary and even lower middle school students of all stripes would enjoy it. There's mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, and emotion. Both boys and girls will like it. One of the most charming parts was its setting in a time that is close enough to be familiar, but just foreign enough to be exotic. I am thrilled to discover Rebecca Stead.

Hidden

Ellen Frost's Hidden has a thin premise and thinner story, but this story of two girls joined forever by a crime works at showing the redemptive power of truth and forgiveness. When Darra's father steals a minivan that hides a sleeping Wren, both eight-year-olds have a experience that changes their lives forever. When they re encounter each other at camp as teenagers, then girls have to overcome feelings of loss and resentment. While their emotional journey via swimming and other camp activities is simplistic, the story of the girls is a new twist on overcoming barriers and an incredible story of self-discovery. Older middle-school students with an interest in drama and secrets would find Hidden fascinating.

Something Like Hope

For multiple reasons, I did not want to like Shawn Goodman's Something Like Hope. Firstly, the cover is saccharinely ridiculous, with its open-mouthed girl, staring into oblivion, and failed-perspective geese. I also mistakenly thought it was a historical novel about the Civil Rights Movement, of which I have read too many within the last few years. They were mostly good, but I'm a little tired of them. Secondly, and more importantly, this is a book about a teenager in a juvenile detention group home, written by a school psychologist who has worked in such homes. Generally, these types of books are not well-written, but simply special pleading for the group involved.
Luckily, Something Like Hope is pretty decent. It's simply written with a narrator who is likable despite her violent tendencies. Shavonne has been in the home since she was fifteen, gave birth during the time, and is now nearing her eighteenth birthday and the possibility of freedom. She is mainly trying to ignore the mistreatment from the guards and problems of the other residents. With the help of a new psychologist and her own strength, she attempts to work through the tragedies in her past.
Some problems I had with Something Like Hope are the psychologist as hero (though Goodman didn't focus on him too much), the simplified therapeutic breakthrough, and the pat ending. I do feel that he really captured Shavonne's character and made her seem real, instead of a caricature. The emotion of Shavonne's biggest struggle, that concerning her young daughter, actually made me cry. The struggles of the other girls were handled in a balanced manner, showing how, while there were underlying causes to their antisocial behaviors, those behaviors were still harmful to Shavonne and themselves. The language was realistic and graphic, but based on my teaching experience, not gratuitous. A high school or mature middle school student would enjoy reading about Shavonne's journey into maturity.

The Scorpio Races

When I saw one of Maggie Stiefvater's books on a list of award honoree's (either Newbery Honor or Virginia Reader's Choice finalist), I sighed and put it on my list of books to read, but not happily. I had read Shiver and decided not to read any of its sequels, despite my usual need to know how it ends. I was pleasantly surprised with at least the idea and plot of The Scorpio Races, even though I didn't particularly like the book.
Stiefvater wrote this book about two teenagers on an Irish island whose surrounding sea is populated by carnivorous, vicious water horses, inspired by Irish, Manx, and Scots folklore. These horses become aggressive in the fall, coming on land and attacking (mainly livestock). At the their peak time of aggression, island men trap, train, and then race the water horses in the major event of the year. The story centers around two orphans, a boy who wants to win the water horse he's ridden to victory for four years, and a girl who needs to save her family's home, who alternate narration. Promising, yes?
Steifvater doesn't follow through with her promise. While the story should have been interesting, I skimmed through many sections. The plot was hidden among leaden dialogue; the characters were barely discernible; the action was boring. I actually enjoyed Shiver more than this book, so I doubt I will read any more of Stiefvater's work. What did please me is learning about the legend of the water horses, which I'll read more about--from other sources.

The Glass Castle

In the genre of memoir, a common sub-genre is that of the abuse memoir, recounting a child in which the author was abused by caretakers and how that person escaped. All of these abuse memoirs are tragic and inspiring; many are interesting and well-written too. Within the abuse memoir, there exists a sub-sub-genre, in which the abuser is remembered for the horrible things he or she did to the child, but also for the way he or she brought excitement and enthusiasm to life, how he or she had a never ending sense of adventure, and how the child's life was so much richer for having him (for it's usually a him) in her life. Reading out to these books, it's obviously that the author is still in the abuser's grasp. Jennette Wells' The Glass Castle is one of these books.
This is not to say that The Glass Castle is not a completely enthralling book. While not a YA book, this memoir will fascinate mature high school students and adults. The accounts of her parents' horrific neglect, including refusal of medical attention, almost allowing them to starve and freeze, and simple lack of affection, and how the children dealt with them are fascinating. I found it an interesting psychological study between Jeannette Wells and her older sister, in how they reacted to their parents' neglect.
Yet the main reaction I had to this book was anger. Anger at Wells' parents for their horrible treatment of their children, anger at the witnesses who ignored it and made it worse (they were callous even for the time period), and even a little anger at Wells for her lack of anger at her selfish parents. This is not a book that will leave me soon. Whether that's good or bad, I'm not yet sure.

Bonechiller

While Graham McNamee's Bonechiller is a an award-winning thriller/folk tale, plot-wise, it's not much more than that. The monster and teenagers who are trying to escape its clutches are fairly typical, the maladjusted Danny, a badass girl boxer, a geek with mad stats and computer skillz, and his crazy, pyromaniac brother. The monster attacks one winter night in the small Yukon town, leaving Danny confused and haunted. Eventually he and his friends find a pattern of child and teen disappearances, and work to find a way to save their friend.
While I don't think this book deserves its accolades, the setting truly sets it apart from other monster stories. McNamee's descriptions of the snowy landscapes show the desolation and cold affecting the characters as they succumb to the monster's poison.
As a side note, I had never heard of the Wendigo, a human-eating monster in American Indian folklore until last fall, on a episode of The Grimms. Since then, I've come across it in multiple stories. It seems that popular culture is finally beginning to take advantage of the rich history of stories available.

Dare Me

I've been reading mainly YA and juvenile fiction, just because it tends to go quicker and I'm trying to get through as many books as I can before I get slammed with assignments. Megan Abbott's Dare Me is not, though it reads like one. I simply grabbed it from the new books shelf as my toddler tugged at my arm (without looking at the cover). When I began reading and realized that it was a cheerleader book, I gritted my teeth and kept reading. The dialogue is ridiculous, as is the whole concept of cheerleaders as goddesses of the school. These girls are supposed to be in the current day, and Abbott does a good job of capturing the use of technology, but it feels dated in the depiction of cheerleaders. While I'm sure that many schools still exist in which football players and cheerleaders rule the school socially, in my experience this is no longer true. High school society is segmented enough that many student openly mock these social groups and are admired for it. Many schools are so large that no one social group can claim hegemony.
Despite this theory that makes the book possible, the Abbott does excel in showing the difference between traditional and competition cheering, which is a sport. The mystery develops so slowly that I didn't even realize the book was a mystery until the chaos had enveloped all major characters. As the book reached its end, it actually improved, which is uncommon. If a reader is interested in books analyzing the high school social scene and the cruelty of young women, Dare Me the answer, though most readers, even many high school girls, will be disgusted at the drama of everything.

The Time Traveler's Wife

It's a novel for adults, but Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife will certainly appeal to teenagers, especially romantic girls whose idea of true love involves sacrificing one's entire self. This is not to say that I disliked the book; it was engaging and really interesting how she structured it so that the reader could understand what was going on. Unfortunately, the two main characters were both plot structures on which the reader could place their fantasies, instead of developed personalities. Their conversations were insipid; their interactions contrived. The main reason to read this book is the plot, which is fascinating and keeps the reader intrigued no matter how dull the characters are. I definitely recommend this to high school girls who want an interesting, romantic take on time travel, and even many boys.