"Out of the Dust" By: Karen Hesse Review

Out of the Dust

By: Karen Hesse

Synopsis

When Billie Jo is just fourteen she must endure heart-wrenching ordeals that no child should have to face. The quiet strength she displays while dealing with unspeakable loss is as surprising as it is inspiring.

Written in free verse, this award-winning story is set in the heart of the Great Depression. It chronicles Oklahoma's staggering dust storms, and the environmental--and emotional--turmoil they leave in their path. An unforgettable tribute to hope and inner strength.

My Thoughts

     Incredibly gritty and heartbreaking, Out of the Dust tells the story of a teenager living during the dustbowl in western America. Rain hasn’t come for quite some time, the crops are dying, the animals are suffering and the people are struggling just to survive. Billie Jo, our main character, sees everyone barely getting by and in the beginning, worries only about herself. Wanting to hang out with her friends, play her piano, and just go to school, Billie sees her parents falling farther into despair. Her life takes a devastating turn, when she accidentally hurts her mother, resulting in her death days later.

         Now alone with her father, Billie Jo faces growing up by herself and dealing with the guilt of having a hand in her mother’s death. The days flow together in an endless cycle of dust storms and hopelessness. The crops won’t grow, the rain won’t come, and everyone seems to just be getting more desperate. Hesse absolutely brings out the emotion in this novel and in the end, a happy future isn’t assured. At the finish of the novel, Billie accepts that life is hard and sees hope as the rains come. Sad, melancholy, and heart wrenching in parts, the lives of Billie and her family are not happy and they struggle for everything they have or hope to be. An incredible resource for the era with great historical details, Out of the Dust shares what life could have been like for the lower class of America during the dust bowl and during F.D.R.’s presidency

Book Details

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.

# of Pages: 256

Date of Publication: June 1, 2005

ISBN: 9780439771276

Location: Oklahoma

"Looking for Alaska" By: John Green Review

Looking for Alaska

By: John Green

Synopsis

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.
After. Nothing is ever the same. 

My Thoughts
     Miles "Pudge" Halter's entire life is separated into two sections, before and after. The before time equals his life before meeting Alaska Young and attending Culver Creek Boarding School. Before the terrifying and heartbreaking event that took Alaska from school and from Pudge's life. The after is coming to terms with life, death, and how normal teens deal with absolute loss. Pudge and his friends try to find meaning in something that may never have meaning.
     I enjoyed Looking for Alaska but I think if I had read it before reading The Fault in Our Stars, I would have enjoyed it more. Dealing with a possible suicide is always heart wrenching and Green talks in no nonsense terms about life, death and what comes after. The teens are nowhere near perfect and their actions after Alaska's unfortunate death show how imperfect life and death truly is.
     Perhaps my favorite part of the book is Pudge's fascination of famous people's last words. The juxtaposition of a dying person's last moments and their life here on Earth worked well for the story and gave extra meaning to Alaska's life and subsequent death. Well written and definitely a page turner, Looking for Alaska will appeal to readers of The Fault in Our Stars quite well and to teens as a general audience.

Book Details

Publisher: Speak

Date of Publication: December 28, 2006

ISBN: 9780142402511

# of pages: 256

Location: Alabama

"The Wintergirls" By: Laurie Halse Anderson Review

The Wintergirls

By: Laurie Halse Anderson

Synopsis

“Dead girl walking”, the boys say in the halls.“Tell us your secret”, the girls whisper, one toilet to another.I am that girl.I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.
Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit.
Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia’s descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery.

My Thoughts

            Lia begins Wintergirls by hearing the terrible news that her former best friend has died, alone, in a hotel. What follows is a whirlwind of emotions as Lia wonders what she could have done to help her dead friend while spiraling downward into her own bout with anorexia and mental illness. Lia presents her story in the first person, often crossing out thoughts she wishes she wasn’t having with thoughts she thinks everyone wants her to have. To add to this difficult situation, Lia’s parents seem disinterested in her issues and more absorbed in their own careers than their daughter’s problems.

            Incredibly heart wrenching and an emotionally moving story, Wintergirls takes us into the mind of a teenage girl in the midst of her own mental breakdown. Having a break in reality and seeing her dead friend every night before she sleeps, Lia’s mind plays tricks with her emotions and without much support from either her family or her friends, she continues to spiral downward. I was touched by how ingenious Lia was in hiding her anorexia from her parents (pennies in the pocket of her robe to weigh more), and appalled at how little her parents seemed to want to address her issues until it was too late. 

Book Details

Publisher: Viking

Date of Publication: March 19, 2009

# of Pages: 278

ISBN: 9780670011100

Location: New Hampshire

"Brown Girl Dreaming" By: Jacqueline Woodson Review

Brown Girl Dreaming

By: Jacqueline Woodson

Synopsis

Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.

My Thoughts

      Telling the story of Jacqueline Woodson’s childhood, beginning in Ohio, then living in the South in the middle of the Civil Rights movement and ultimately ending up in New York City, the city of dreams and light. Beautifully told in verse, Woodson’s story shares their triumphs of life and love of family. It’s really a love letter to her family, whether it be good or bad, and a snapshot of her childhood life.

            Woodson doesn’t hold any punches in her writings. She discusses without sugarcoating her religious upbringing in the Jehovah’s Witnesses, her absentee father, her unwed mother and the surprise of a younger half white sibling and what his arrival meant to her family. Jackie’s time in the South is marked by sit-ins, black’s only restrooms, and the trying times her family endures when fighting for their own rights in this controversial period of American history.

            Gorgeously written, Woodson’s story speaks to the human experience. Covering such taboo topics as religion, race, poverty, education, incarceration, death, sickness, unplanned pregnancies, learning disabilities, absentee parents and growing up. This story is so much more than a coming of age novel, it’s a historical document testifying to our past and giving us hope for our future.

Book Details

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

Date of Publication: August 28, 2014

ISBN: 9780399252518

# of Pages: 336

Location: South Carolina

"The Fault In Our Stars" By: John Green Review

The Fault in Our Stars

By: John Green

Synopsis

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

My Thoughts

What can I say about this book that hasn't been written? Gorgeous, sweet, heartbreaking, sensitive, fun, and completely and utterly wonderful are the first words that come to mind to be quite honest. I devoured this book on a Sunday afternoon complete with ugly snot crying in my bedroom before bed.

I fell in love with Hazel Grace and Augustus because of their hearts. Living with a deadly disease, Hazel could have fallen into a deep depression. She could have given up on life. As could Augustus to be honest, but they used the strength from one another to be strong. They were so strong, even in the face of death, sickness and heartache.

My friend Katy from southern Missouri has written a fantastic review on Goodreads if you want to find it. Her words on the cover got to me though and I completely agree with her view. "People ask about the cover and what it has to do with the book. Here's my thoughts: In the book Augustus and Hazel talk about when they were kids and dreamt about living on a cloud before Augustus's teacher slashed his dream by telling him it was too windy and cold and he would die on the cloud. So I think the black cloud represents death and broken dreams and the white cloud represents hope and life. Kind of a huge symbol for this book." (Katy, MO)

Never have I had a book grab me and stay with me like this one has. Even now, months later, its still in my head. Just watching the trailer makes me want to tear up. Highly emotional but so worth it, my only regret is that I didn't read it sooner.

Book Details

Publisher: Dutton Books

Date of Publication: January 10, 2012

# of Pages: 318

ISBN: 9780525478812

Source: Library Checkout

Location: Indianapolis, IN

"16 Things I Thought Were True" By: Janet Gurtler Review

16 Things I Thought Were True

By: Janet Gurtler

Synopsis

Heart attacks happen to other people #thingsIthoughtweretrue

When Morgan's mom gets sick, it's hard not to panic. Without her mother, she would have no one—until she finds out the dad who walked out on her as a baby isn't as far away as she thought...

Adam is a stuck-up, uptight jerk #thingsIthoughtweretrue
Now that they have a summer job together, Morgan's getting to know the real Adam, and he's actually pretty sweet...in a nerdy-hot kind of way. He even offers to go with her to find her dad. Road trip, anyone?
5000 Twitter followers are all the friends I need #thingsIthoughtweretrue

With Adam in the back seat, a hyper chatterbox named Amy behind the wheel, and plenty of Cheetos to fuel their trip, Morgan feels ready for anything. She's not expecting a flat tire, a missed ferry, a fake girlfriend...and that these two people she barely knew before the summer started will become the people she can't imagine living without.

My Thoughts

     Morgan is having a bit of a hard summer. She’s got a job at the local theme park working with snacks, she’s not making any friends, and her Mom just had a heart attack. She doesn’t know who her dad is, never has really. Her twin brothers aren’t any help so Morgan can’t help but feel alone in world filled with people. However, her one lifeline is Twitter and this is going to be the summer she passes 5,000 followers. She knows once she passes that milestone, something amazing is bound to happen.

     As Morgan’s mother lays on the hospital table, she begins to tell Morgan about her birth father. Having assumed he was dead, Morgan is surprised to find out that he is in fact still alive and living just across the border in Canada. A shy girl, Amy, who has become attached to Morgan, offers to drive her to finally meet her Dad. Her boss, and maybe crush at work, Adam offers to go too.  As the three set off on an epic road trip, they question themselves, family, and what is really means to be a friend.

      I was extremely impressed with how well written this is. I was drawn in from page one and couldn't set it down. Characters, setting, and story come together perfectly to create this fantastic blend. 

     16 Things I Thought Were True is a wonderful character study of teens and what they are going through right now. Life isn’t perfect but moments can be. Morgan begins the book disliking life. She doesn't have any friends that aren’t online, she’s had a terrible embarrassment that chased off her real friends so she’s alone. Friendship plays a key role in this story, both old and new and how they affect our lives.

    Completely delightful, I loved 16 Things I Thought Were True. A great road trip story that has a little bit of everything. Bullying issues, friendships, family problems, insecurities, love, and happiness are all thrown in there to create one of the best Young Adult novels I’ve read in quite a while. Great characters and a heartwarming story show how gifted of a storyteller Janet Gurtler is.

Book Details

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

# of Pages: 304

Date of Publication: March 4, 2014

ISBN: 978-1402277979

Source: Advance Reader’s Copy from Publisher

Challenges

2014 Contemporary Romance Challenge

2014 New Author Challenge

2014 Where Are You Reading Challenge - Seattle, Washington

"Kill Me Softly" By: Sarah Cross Review

"Kill Me Softly"

By: Sarah Cross

Synopsis from Amazon:

Mirabelle's past is shrouded in secrecy, from her parents' tragic deaths to her guardians' half-truths about why she can't return to her birthplace, Beau Rivage. Desperate to see the town, Mira runs away a week before her sixteenth birthday—and discovers a world she never could have imagined.

In Beau Rivage, nothing is what it seems—the strangely pale girl with a morbid interest in apples, the obnoxious playboy who's a beast to everyone he meets, and the chivalrous guy who has a thing for damsels in distress. Here, fairy tales come to life, curses are awakened, and ancient stories are played out again and again.

But fairy tales aren't pretty things, and they don't always end in happily ever after. Mira has a role to play, a fairy tale destiny to embrace or resist. As she struggles to take control of her fate, Mira is drawn into the lives of two brothers with fairy tale curses of their own . . . brothers who share a dark secret. And she'll find that love, just like fairy tales, can have sharp edges and hidden thorns.

My Thoughts:

      I have been sucked into the retelling of fairy tales for a couple of years now. Each one is so unique and entertaining, its easily one of my favorite new genres out there today. I had a chance to read and review “Kill Me Softly” before it came out and I just couldn't resist this cute, interesting young adult novel.

     The novel starts out with Mirabelle running away from home. Her parents were killed when she was a baby so she lives with her two “aunts.” (They turn out to be Fairy Godmothers, cue...gasp!) As she is nearing the age of 16, she decides she wants to find out more about her parents. She's been kept in the dark about her family so she sets off in the dark of night to go to where her parents are supposedly buried.

      Mirabelle travels to the town where she was born and immediately meets all sorts of different people. I wish I could make friends as fast as this girl does! She befriends a group of teens who are mysterious and seem to speak of secrets, yet they accept her and her mysterious birth mark. Throughout the book it is revealed the teens are really living out the fates of famous fairy tale heroes and heroines and they each have their own birthmarks. Mirabelle, who had no idea she had such a fate, finds out she herself has such a fate.

     Beau Rivage is a town of fairy tale people. It's a great concept and I loved reading how each teen was going to fulfill their destiny. There are Cinderella types, a Beauty and a Beast who hate one another, and even a Sleeping Beauty. In addition to meeting this specific group of teens, Mirabelle is attracted to two mysterious brothers who hate one another but both attract girls.

      The story is original filled with great multidimensional characters. It was really interesting to find out about the Grimm's tales that are not as well known and how they fit in. I will warn you, when I finished the book I wasn't nearly ready to be done and am already ready to read the sequel. The teens at my library will definitely enjoy this title and as a twenty something librarian, I loved it! Fun, interesting, and the perfect mix of fairy tale mythology and real world, this is one not to miss.

Book Details

Publisher: Egmont USA

Date of Publication: April 10, 2012

# of Pages: 336

ISBN: 978-1606843239

"Anya's Ghost" By: Vera Brosgol Review

"Anya's Ghost"

By: Vera Brosgol

Synopsis from Amazon:

Anya could really use a friend. But her new BFF isn’t kidding about the “Forever” part . . .

Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who’s been dead for a century.Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya’s normal life might actually be worse. She’s embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she’s pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend—even a ghost—is just what she needs. Or so she thinks.

My Thoughts:

      "Anya's Ghost" is officially the VERY first graphic novel I have read completely. MY VERY FIRST ONE!! As most of you know, I am a teen librarian of a middle size library and am in charge of ordering materials for the teens. While I'm not personally a fan of graphic novels, they account for 20% of our circulation. Thousands of books and so its incredibly surprising to see that 20% of the circ is coming from 150 or so graphic novels. So I decided to jump on the bandwagon and see what all the fuss was about.

      "Anya's Ghost" is a really cute graphic novel perfect for teenage girls. There is a little cussing and they smoke cigarettes occasionally so I better put that disclaimer out there. Beyond that though, it tells the story of a teenage girl going through High School. Like most girls she feels ignored and wants the cute boy to notice her. One day grumbling about her life, she accidentally falls into a hole and wouldn';t you know it, there was a ghost!

      At first when the ghost follows her home, Anya likes the situation. The ghost helps her out on tests, instructs her on how to talk to the cute boy, and even encourages her to be more outgoing. As time goes on though, the ghost seems more sinister and has plans for Anya she may not like. It's not until Anya looks up the ghost to find out more information, and when she finds out that her ghost had killed her own family, Anya becomes worried and decides its time to get rid of her once and for all. 

      A gorgeous graphic novel, much of the story takes place in the pictures. Facial cues are enormous and the idea of a teeny ghost in your pocket is so well done through the pictures. The conversion of the happy sweet ghost in the beginning of the book to the evil, mean ghost at the end is extraordinary and packs a punch. The story goes quickly and the drawings take you on a journey. A great graphic novel for a newbie who is interested in a quick story.

Image from "Anya's Ghost"
Copyright of Vera Brosgol

Mean girls - Makes me laugh every time!
Copyright of Vera Brosgol - Image from "Anya's Ghost"

Book Details

Publisher: First Second

Date of Publication: June 7, 2011

# of Pages: 224

"The Chosen One" By: Carol Lynch Williams Review

"The Chosen One"
By: Carol Lynch Williams

Synopsis from Amazon.com:
Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters. That is, without questioning it much—if you don’t count her visits to the Ironton County Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her secret meetings with Joshua, the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her. But when the Prophet decrees that Kyra must marry her sixty-year-old uncle—who already has six wives—she must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family forever.

My Thoughts:

     When I read the synopsis - a polygamy book for teens - I was skeptical. Was this a subject this age of children should be reading? Would they understand the connotations? How would they react? Would the book be sensitive to the teens understanding of the subject matter or painfully unaware of its audience? I'm happy to say, this book was able to put all of my fears aside.

     From the beginning of the story, it is painfully obvious Kyra is not like other children in our society. Her father has three wives and she has many brothers and sisters. She refers to her three mothers as "Mother Sarah" or "Mother _____" but it is clear her favorite mother is her own. The three mothers are constantly pregnant and have suffered greatly having their children. Kyra is close to her Father, impressed with his intelligence and his perceived fairness with all of his children.

     The book takes its time introducing the characters and the environment until it gets to the meat of the story. One of the elders comes to Kyra's home and has seen visions that a man (actually her father's oldest half brother) over the age of 60 is to be her husband. Immediately you know that Kyra doesn't want to marry him, her family doesn't want her to marry him, nor do her friends. Yet, that's where the heart of the story forms. Should Kyra marry this man for God? Should she follow her religious beliefs? Is it right to follow blindly and not say anything or should she fight back and not accept her "expected" lot in life?

     The rest of the book focuses on Kyra's feelings about this marriage and what she and the others in her life do to keep her out of it. The story is a fascinating look at a teenager's views of polygamy while tackling some pretty heavy subject matter. No sexual content is discussed, but it is implied.

     "The Chosen One" is a Missouri Gateway Award Winner - a high honor indeed. A great story that is fast paced, interesting, and ends on a high note of hope. A great read for any teen or adult!

"Past Perfect" By: Leila Sales Review

Today, I am in a "Young Love: Young Adult Romance" video conference so I decided to share one of my favorite YA books that I've read recently.

"Past Perfect"

By: Leila Sales

All Chelsea wants to do this summer is hang out with her best friend, hone her talents as an ice cream connoisseur, and finally get over Ezra, the boy who broke her heart. But when Chelsea shows up for her summer job at Essex Historical Colonial Village (yes, really), it turns out Ezra’s working there too. Which makes moving on and forgetting Ezra a lot more complicated…even when Chelsea starts falling for someone new.

Maybe Chelsea should have known better than to think that a historical reenactment village could help her escape her past. But with Ezra all too present, and her new crush seeming all too off limits, all Chelsea knows is that she’s got a lot to figure out about love. Because those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it….

My Thoughts:
      The only complaint I have about this book is the cover! Has absolutely nothing to do with the book, and no where does it rain or she wears a green coat. BUT the book is an amazingly cute and funny young adult romance about lost love and finding love again.
     Chelsea works as a reenactor in the Revolutionary War Village and her crush Dan, works in the Civil War Village across the street. So, naturally they are enemies but you know how it is, we always love the ones who are worst for us. Add into this funny mix a funny best friend, a weird ex-boyfriend (Ezra) and other zany characters and you have the perfect recipe for a funny romantic comedy.
     Leila writes in such a realistic voice, I felt like I was 16 reading this. She talks about how hard it is to get along with your friends, how exasperating your parents can be, and how annoying those hot summer actually are. Chelsea is a sweet heroine, confused but with a good heart. Ezra, the ex-boyfriend, is self-centered and you really hate him as the reader. AND of course, you luuuuvvvv Dan, the heroic civil war reenactor as they bond over ice cream and trampolines.
     I will definitely be recommending this title to the teens in my library. Sweet, funny and unpredictable "Past Perfect" is a great read for those teens who enjoy history and a little romance!

"Purple Heart" By: Patricia McCormick Review

Today we're talking about

"Purple Heart" 
By: Patricia McCormick

Missouri Gateway Nominee 2011-2012

Synopsis from Barnes and Noble:

When Private Matt Duffy wakes up in an army hospital in Iraq, he's honored with a Purple Heart. But he doesn't feel like a hero.

There's a memory that haunts him: an image of a young Iraqi boy as a bullet hits his chest. Matt can't shake the feeling that he was somehow involved in his death. But because of a head injury he sustained just moments after the boy was shot, Matt can't quite put all the pieces together.

Eventually Matt is sent back into combat with his squad—Justin, Wolf, and Charlene—the soldiers who have become his family during his time in Iraq. He just wants to go back to being the soldier he once was. But he sees potential threats everywhere and lives in fear of not being able to pull the trigger when the time comes. In combat there is no black-and-white, and Matt soon discovers that the notion of who is guilty is very complicated indeed.

My Thoughts:

     I loved this book. Simply loved it. This is another one that I would never have picked it up if it hadn't been a Missouri Gateway Award Nominee but I really enjoyed it.
     The POV of this book is an 18 year old boy named Matt who is a private in the United States Army. The story opens up with a confused Matt not knowing why he is in a hospital nor how he got there. I think the magic in this story is the way the tale is laid out. The magic is how you find out the details - you the reader find out just as Matt does.
     I am 25, not terribly old but not terribly young either. I loved how the author was able to correctly get the ways boys of that age range think and act. Matt is just an American kid plunked down in the middle of this war that he doesn't completely understand, yet he's supposed to subdue these Iraqi's that are people, just like him. He makes friends with some of the people and in the end, that is the heart of the story. Who is an enemy? Who can you trust? Does age play a part in war and if it does, when does innocence come into play.
     An excellent story that will leave you feeling confused but happy you read it. Also very age appropriate for the Gateway award - excellent selection on this title. I'm off to read my next Gateway book but who knows what that will be...some pretty great titles still on the list to read!

"Small Town Sinners" By: Melissa Walker Review

"Small Town Sinners" 

By: Melissa Walker

Synopsis from

Barnes and Noble:

Lacey Anne Byer is a perennial good girl and lifelong member of the House of Enlightenment, the Evangelical church in her small town. With her driver's license in hand and the chance to try out for a lead role in Hell House, her church's annual haunted house of sin, Lacey's junior year is looking promising. But when a cute new stranger comes to town, something begins to stir inside her. Ty Davis doesn't know the sweet, shy Lacey Anne Byer everyone else does. With Ty, Lacey could reinvent herself. As her feelings for Ty make Lacey test her boundaries, events surrounding Hell House make her question her religion.

My thoughts:

    I picked up this book after seeing it on so many YA blogs. It seemed like everyone liked it and I hated to miss out, so...off to the local library I went! "Small Town Sinners" is very unlike anything I have read but I enjoyed it none the less.
     The book starts out very basically. Lacey is attracted to the new bad boy in town, Ty. Lacey is a preacher's kid - Ty is the nephew of the liberal librarian in town and he has a history of being bad. Perfect story right? I thought it would be boring, but Walker does a wonderful job of going beyond this stereotypical tale.
    The author brings up a ton of teenage issues and how different views on these issues may be a good thing. Abortion is a huge issue. Lacey has the role of the girl receiving an abortion in a play for Halloween. One of Lacey's friends becomes pregnant - unmarried and very underage. Both of these areas add to the story in creating an atmosphere of uncertainty. Alcohol, religion, sex, and friendships are also investigated and discussed within the story in context.
    I am definitely going to be recommending this title to the teens in my library. I think its important for the young people now to realize that there are two sides to every story. We have so many people throwing messages at young people now a days...it's nice to find a story where finding your own way and thinking your own way is accepted. 

"Anna Dressed in Blood" By: Kendare Blake Review

"Anna Dressed In Blood" 

By: Kendare Blake

Synopsis from Barnes & Noble: 

     Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.
     So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.
     When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.
     But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.

My Thoughts:  
      I just finished this book last night and boy, do I have a lot to say! "Anna Dressed in Blood" is most definitely NOT something I would have picked up if I wasn't a YA librarian. Yet, I have to tell you, it definitely lives up to its hype of being both creepy yet sweet.
      Cas is a ghost hunter. He kills the ghosts that harm humans and he only goes after the mean ones. The story opens up with him going after a ghost that kills people near a bridge. When you start, Cas seems like every other kid...doing chores, talking with neighbors and suddenly during the first chapter with this ghost kill you realize Cas is much more than what he appears.
     I loved Cas! He was an amazing character, fully developed and you can tell what he was going to do before he does it. Smart too, which I appreciate from a YA novel. Cas kills ghosts because that's what his father did, and his father before him, and his father before him. Cas' father died when Cas was young as a result of an evil ghost that's kind of like a demon thing. Wish I could explain it better but it was kind of murky, definitely leaving room for sequels.
      Anna is a ghost Cas has come to kill. Anna kills people who come into her home. These scenes are pretty grisly, not going to lie. She splits one boy down the middle and she keeps the bodies in her basement. Definitely gross and creepy and the author does an excellent job of describing the scene pretty perfectly. Anna is bad because her mother had given her spirit to a devil or a demon...kind of murky which I think will be more devloped in sequels.
      Cas sees good things in Anna and Anna finds good things in Cas. A little bit of a romance develops between the human and the murdering ghost which I thought was a bit far fetched, but hey it worked in the story. Sure she kills people, but you can see she didn't want to :)
     If your in the mood for a horror story, pick up "Anna Dressed in Blood." The author leaves it wide open for sequels so be prepared. I will probably pick up the sequel, but hope some of the secondary characters will be left out of future installments.

"Jane in Bloom" By: Deborah Lytton Review

Today I'm going to talk about,    "Jane in Bloom"

By: Deborah Lytton

Synopsis from Barnes and Noble:

Jane's big sister, Lizzie, has always been the center of attention. No one ever pays attention to boring, plain Jane. But when Jane's twelfth birthday marks the beginning of Lizzie's final descent into a fatal eating disorder, Jane discovers that the only thing harder than living in her big sister's shadow is living without her.

In the wake of tragedy, Jane learns to look through her camera lens and frame life differently, embracing her broken family and understanding that every girl has her season to blossom. Spare and vulnerable prose marks this beautiful debut that is at once heartbreaking and uplifting.

My thoughts:

     Time for a little honesty...I would never have picked this up in a million years but the local Middle School Librarian highly recommended this book and I thought, if she loves it I better try it. So I picked it up over the weekend and started reading it on Sunday night. It's a quick read, about 2 hours, and boy did I enjoy it. It's sad and more than once I teared up, but I am glad I read it.

     Jane has always lived in the shadow of her sister, Lizzie. Lizzie was always the smart one, the one with the friends, the one who was outgoing and seemed to be the golden child. However, Jane knew of Lizzie's terrible secret...even if her parent's pretended not to know. Lizzie is an extreme anorexic, going so far as to cut one grape into four pieces and that's all she had for breakfast. When I started this book, I thought this book would be entirely about Lizzie's eating disorder. But it wasn't. I have to give credit, the author did an excellent job of showing the disorder's problems as related to Jane.

     About 1/3 of the way through the book, Lizzie passes away. From then on, the story revolves around Jane's feelings about her sister's death and how her family reacts. I'm not going to ruin it, but the story is beautifully written. You can feel the emotion in the writing, you can feel the hurt Jane feels. You can understand the utter devastation Jane's mother feels and you know the father is utterly lost in how to deal with his family fracturing. Well written and deeply emotional, Jane becomes more than just a shadow of her sister. She "blooms" into herself.

     I'm going to leave you with my favorite quote, repeated several times throughout the story. The following takes place on page 61, "Breathe in love, breathe out sadness. Breathe in Lizzie, breathe out pain. If I had known I wasn't going to get to talk to her again, I would have said so much more. I would have told her all the things I love about her. All the things I would never forget about her. Now all I can do is stare at this empty body where Lizzie used to be."  Doesn't that just break your heart? Gorgeous story and simply gorgeous writing.

     This book was a Truman Award Winner in Missouri and is recommended for grades 6-8. For more information on the Truman Readers Award, check out the Missouri Association of School Librarians website. 

"Abandon" By: Meg Cabot Review

Today's review is of a Young Adult book 
I had heard tons of good things about...but hadn't read it.

"Abandon" By: Meg Cabot

Synopsis from Barnes and Noble:

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

But now she's moved to a new town. 
Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. 
Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

My Thoughts:

     I know a lot of reviewers didn't like this book, but I enjoyed it. Not one of my favorites, but I am definitely going to be reading the sequel to see what happens. I can see what other people didn't like (mainly the ending) but I understood goign in this was going to be a multiple book series.
    I'm not going to rehash the story, since the synopsis is basically what happens.  Pierce is an interesting character. She is whiny while at the same time, as the reader I wanted to see what else was going to happen. HATED her family, they didn't seem to care about Pierce at all.
     I like John, even thought I hated his name. If I want a broody hero, I want a more interesting name. I liked him as a hero though. He never was completely drawn out, but I hope in the future books he becomes a well rounded character. 
     The ending...oye, the ending. Completely left open, nothing is finished. There are probably 3 or 4 plotlines kept completely open...and there was no closure. I didn't like that at all. 
     It was an interesting take on the Persephone myth and I'm looking forward to the next story...but I probably wouldn't promote this book to my friends as a great read. 3 Stars out of 5!

Product Information

Book Publication Date: April 2011
ISBN: 978-0545284103

"The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer" By: Michelle Hodkin Review

I can't wait to talk about 

"The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer" 

By: Michelle Hodkin

Synopsis from Barnes and Noble:

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

My Thoughts:

     I loved this book! LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! It was easily one of my favorite books of the year...and when I was done, I just craved more! If you have a chance to read this book...run, jump, skip, ride your bike...do anything to get to it!

     Mara is your typical teenager...until a Ouija board predicts that she will cause the death of her two friends. Suddenly Mara is being pulled from the rubble of an abandoned building as her friends bodies are being recovered. The story slowly reveals what actually happened that night - and that's part of the magic of the story.

     There is romance, there is loss, there is mystery. I don't want to give too much away, but lets just say this book is amazing. Wonderfully written, excellent character development...and ends wide open for a sequel.