You'll Be the Death of Me - Karen M. McManus

Time for a YA fiction read! Karen M. McManus is one of my favourite teen fiction writers. Her newest is You'll Be The Death of Me.

Cal, Mateo and Ivy were the best of friends in Grade eight. They've since drifted apart and are now seniors. A chance meeting outside the school entrance has them all deciding to pull a Ferris Bueller day. They've each got their own reason for wanting to ditch school. It's a great idea - until it's not. They stumble across a crime scene....

McManus has created three very different protagonists. They're all likable and each brings a different dynamic. McManus always captures and portrays her teen characters in a believable manner. You'll Be the Death of Me is told in rotating chapters from each of the three. As readers, we're privy to their thoughts, angst - and secrets. McManus devotes time to the romantic entanglements as well as family issues of the the three, but this only adds to the overall feel of the book. 

That crime scene? Each of them has a connection to what has occurred.....

McManus gives us lots of choices for the whodunit. The final aha won't be overly hard to suss out, but it's the journey there that's the most fun. And I did have fun reading this one. Ferris Bueller with a side of Scooby Doo. McManus has a formula that works - and she had me happily ensconced on the couch for on rainy Saturday afternoon. See for yourself - read an excerpt of You'll Be the Death of Me. 

This is How We Fly - Anna Meriano

My latest teen read is This is How We Fly by Anna Meriano. Young adult reads have changed a great deal over the years. While marketed as teen reads, there is much to be learned for all ages from this genre. That's definitely the case with This is How We Fly. 

This is the last summer before Ellen heads off to college. She and her two besties aren't headed to the same places, so she is looking forward to spending the summer with them. But, the best laid plans....

Instead, one friend wants to cut the ties now and Ellen herself is grounded - for the entire summer. Thanks to her stepmother Connie, Ellen will be doing a list of chores every day. And her dad backs Connie up. (A little bit of Cinderella there...) 

I loved Ellen and her passion for her own beliefs, whether it's feminism, veganism or climate control, she is determined to make the world a better place. Connie and Dad really irked me. Connie is well, mean, and her dialogue had me fuming. We get to know bestie Melissa much more than Xiumiao, but both are well drawn with their own issues instead of just being a foil for Ellen.

When Melissa joins a Quidditch team (yup, you read that right - the Harry Potter game), Ellen gets reluctant permission to join as well. The team, the players and the game are a big focus of the plot. I thought it was a unique premise and a great vehicle to introduce so many topics, themes and situations. Friendship, gender identity, romantic relationships, sex, belonging, blended families, coming of age and acceptance can all be found in these pages. There are so many personalities introduced though the team and tournaments. I thought they were really well done and inclusive.

I've of course read all the Potter books and had a pretty good mental image of a Quidditch match. But I had no idea of how this would be played in our reality. Meriano provides great descriptions. And the title of the book is from that question...." If it's Quidditch....how do you fly?" 

I thought the writing was great and I enjoyed This is How We Fly very much. I did think the 'resolution' at the end of the book was a bit quick, but it's the right ending. Read an excerpt of This is How We Fly.

Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon

Every so often, I take a break from my usual murder and mayhem reading and tuck into a 'teen' read. But honestly, I hate labelling a book - 'teen' reads aren't just for teens. So let's say I enjoy a change of reading style.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon was a great choice.

Seventeen year old Madeline Whittier has Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease. "Basically I'm allergic to the world. I don't leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years."

And then Olly moves in across the street....."Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster."

Oh, but it's a wonderful book!  It's clever in so many ways - the dialogue, the plotting and the actual presentation of the book. The story of Maddie and Olly is told in texts, post-its, messages, emails, blog posts, drawings, diary entries and charts. (and yes, actual writing!)

Maddie's voice was so engaging - her outlook on life and her sense of humour. Olly is well, swoon-worthy - kind, thoughtful, clever and oh, yeah good-looking. I enjoyed watching their relationship bloom in such an unusual setting and manner. But not all is sweet and light - Olly too has his own set of problems. Yoon tackles love, loss, grief, mental illness, friendship, relationships and more. And all of it done in a wonderfully entertaining format.

But, just when I thought I knew where the book was headed (there's a lot of 'dying/sick teenage girl' books out there), Yoon surprised me with a nice little twist.

I love book covers - and I have to say this one is beautiful and is absolutely perfect for the story. The stark white Everything and the contrasting busy, blossoming Everything mirrors and depicts the novel perfectly. (And there's many little images hidden in the colour that also tell their own story)

Everything, Everything offers up some nice quotes."…Life Is a Gift. Don’t Forget to Live It …" And the title? Maddie..."To want everything, everything the world has to offer."

Read an excerpt of Everything, Everything. Fans of The Fault in Our Stars will love this book. Kudos to Yoon for such a great debut novel.

You can connect with Nicola Yoon on her website, as well as on Twitter.  Watch for the movie - MGM has bought the movie rights to Everything, Everything.

Guest Post - Shaunta Grimes - Viral Nation

Resident teen blogger Ella has just reviewed Shaunta Grimes' new young adult novel Viral Nation. (Check out her review)

She also asked Shaunta about her path to becoming a published author.....

"I've known forever that I wanted to be a writer. It took a while for me to take the leap between wanting to be a writer and doing something about it. In between, I had several interesting jobs that could have become careers if my heart had been in it.

 My first real grown-up job was as a newspaper reporter. I was 24-years-old, suddenly a single mom with two tiny kids, and I answered a job-wanted ad looking for a reporter in a tiny Northern Nevada town called Battle Mountain. My first day on the job, I was sent to the court house to start covering a the trial of two teenage boys who murdered one of their entire families. Later I worked at both major newspapers in Las Vegas. I loved being a journalist, but it was too hard for me to do any other kind of writing after a full day writing news.

I've worked as a substitute teacher, and for a long time thought I wanted to teach high school English. I've tutored kids in reading and writing, taught creative writing through my local community college. I love teaching, and I hope that I always find ways to do it. In the end, though, my heart wasn't in being a classroom teacher.

I've also worked as a drug court counselor. That was the hardest, most stressful job I've ever had. I learned a lot at that job though. I learned that I don't have the fortitude to be a social worker. I learned important lessons about people and compassion that have definitely informed my writing.

I think the one big take away from my wide variety of jobs is this: follow your heart, but be open to learning from where ever you find yourself at the moment."

Thanks for stopping by Shaunta! You can find Shaunta on Facebook, on Twitter and at her website.

Pandemonium - Lauren Oliver

Resident teen blogger Ella is back to school after March Break, but she got in a lot of 'not school related' reading last week! Here's one of her picks....

"Pandemonium is the sequel to Delirium, a dystopian novel about a girl falling in illicit love with a hot guy who's of limits because the Man's iron, dictatorial fist and wacky rules are keeping them down. If this sounds familiar, you've either read Delirium or one of the multitude of other dystopian books with the same essential plot. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Delirium: the idea of treating love like a disease to be hated, feared and operated away is pretty cool. Still, I wasn't particularly blown away by it. When I picked up Pandemonium, I was expecting your typical middle-of-a-trilogy YA book: as good as or worse than the first one, mostly filler, love triangle, blah, blah, blah. I was very pleasantly surprised to find myself really liking it.

The book picks up really randomly, with Lena (the heroine) pretending to be a cured girl in a New York City school. The next chapter is a flashback to immediately after Delirium, with Lena joining the resistance in the Wilds, the unregulated country between the cities where people who oppose the cure have escaped to. The story continues like that, Lena's present with the past six months explained every other chapter. All lot of others have tried this in books I've been reading recently, but Oliver pulled it off really well. Amazing pacing and character development. I was really impressed with the way she dealt with the growth of Lena's character. In Delirium, she felt kind of average, but she gets really cool in Pandemonium. Grief can be a tough one to write in a dystopian YA book, but Lena's was flawless, as was her healing process. As she grows stronger, both physically and emotionally, it never stopped being believable. There's a new male protagonist, Julian, and her feelings for him were spot on, as was her loyalty and love for Alex, her first love, who is presumed dead. He's on the enemy's side, but their relationship never enters the irritating realm of star-crossed-lover cliches. My favourite part, though, was that Lena gets tough. She's strong physically, but more than that she's self-contained, independent. She can think for and take care of herself, but knows when to accept help. A lot of heroines try for this, but don't quite meet the mark. Yay Lena!

The requisite shocking-twist-ending/hook-to-leave-you-with-bated-breath was predictable, but shocking enough to Lena that I gasped along with her. All in all, a solid read.

I would definitely suggest it to any dystopian fan! I think you could probably read it as a stand alone, but reading Delirium first might be a good idea. Nice job Lauren Oliver!"

And nice job to you too Ella! I always enjoy your refreshing take on books.

Read an excerpt of Pandemonium. You can find Lauren Oliver on Facebook and on Twitter and at her blog.

Embrace - Jessica Shirvington - Review AND Giveaway

Resident teen blogger Ella is back with her review of Embrace, the first book in a trilogy by Jessica Shirvington.

"I’m not actually sure how to summarize without giving anything away. Let’s see: Violet Eden is about to turn 17, but she’s not excited, because it’s also the 17th anniversary of her mother’s death (grim stuff, I know).  Luckily, she has her (hot,older) friend Lincoln, to distract her. Not long after though, weird changes start occurring within her, and things get a little more interesting…

I liked it, and not just because it has the coolest cover since The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. A nice addition to the angel mythology, and, I was happy to see, the Lilith lore. It was action-packed without going too fast, and the characters were nicely fleshed out. I personally think it stands out among the many angel books that are currently floating around. Violet, the main character, is pretty cool, despite a series of terrible errors in judgement, and has huge potential to become a bad-ass, enchantingly lacking in the whining and Mary-Sue-ishness than can be found in way too many fantasy heroines. Case in point: she’s been unwittingly being trained by her friend Lincoln to be a warrior for several months, which means we get to skip the annoying ‘OMG, I wish the boys would stop protecting me, even though I have absolutely no self-defense skills of my own’ stage of the game, without an upsetting deus-ex-machina burst of magical power from the middle of nowhere.  On top of that, Lincoln is a total babe, and Phoenix is the original bad-boy (literally?). I love that Jessica managed to make this book fairly self-contained, but still leave enough loose-ends that I won’t forget to look for the sequel. So glad Australia decided to share!"

As always Ella, thanks for a great review! And if Ella has whetted your appetite, we have a copy of Embrace to giveaway! Simply leave a comment to be entered. Open to US and Canada. A winner will be randomly chosen March 31st. Or get a head start - read an excerpt of Embrace. You can find Embrace on Facebook as well.

Legacy - Cayla Kluver

Ella is back with her latest YA review - Legacy, by Cayla Kluver.

"I'll be honest, I picked up this book cause it has a cool cover. It also appealed because princesses in medieval-style realms were some of my first forays into the fantasy genre as a kid. I got hooked pretty quickly, though. It was clearly a first novel (the whole thing is written in quasi-almost-Hollywood-medieval speech, full of obnoxious thou's,  shant's and twas's,  but you only really pick up on it at first, while the author is hitting her stride) but it was still pretty captivating. The story is told by Alera, a princess who will be married on her next birthday. Whoever marries her will be king, and her father has pretty good idea who he wants. Of course, Alera loathes him (stay with me, it was a decent book). Where it gets interesting is that Alera's kingdom has an ancient enemy that they just finished a war with. 49 baby boys were kidnapped, and only 48 bodies where left to be found. Smack in the middle of Alera's marriage drama, baby 49 comes home, all grown up, raised by the enemy. Why did they take him? Why is he back? Why is he so cute? All questions Alera struggles with. Casual read, not earth-shattering, but definitely a sign to check in with Kluver as she gets more sophisticated as an author. I liked it!" Read an excerpt of Legacy.

You can find Kluver on Facebook and on Twitter.

As always Ella, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I'm so glad to have you on board as the resident teen blogger and can't wait to hear about your reads in 2012!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer - Michelle Hodkin

Resident teen blogger Ella is back with a book that she calls 'outrageously exciting.'

"I am ignoring my Spanish homework to let the world know they need to drop everything and go find a copy of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. Now. Oh. My. Gawd, it is good. Beyond the quality of the world-building and witty repartee, the actual storyline is mind-blowing. I don't even know how to begin explaining how hard waiting for the sequel will be. The insane-twist/inevitable-ending high has yet to wear off. I have no idea what's going on, and I really, really want to know.

If my giddy glee doesn't convince you, check out the cover. How cool is it? Also, it has an awesome title. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. So foxy. So fitting.

The story is about Mara Dyer falling apart after she survives being trapped under a collapsed building (that turns out to have been an ABANDONED INSANE ASYLUM!!!! I know, right? Don't worry, that's the only cheese in the book) The accident killed three of her friends, but she remembers nothing. The book starts as she wakes up from a three day coma, and struggles to remember the events surrounding the accident. Not long after, she starts having insane and spooky hallucinations of the dead kids, and other eerie things. Creepy, but so, so good. I spent half of the book laughing out loud, and the other half looking over my shoulder, or falling off my couch when my cat meowed or did something equally terrifying. I don't know what I would have done with myself if Mara's story ended here. Never left my room again, because I'm too freaked about the outside world, probably.

Now stop reading Luanne's blog, and go get a copy, before everyone else gets theirs!" Get a head start - read an excerpt of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer.

Oh boy, that's a resounding recommendation Ella! As always, thanks for sharing your thoughts on some great YA reads with us. Now....get back to your homework......

Sweetly - Jackson Pearce

Resident teen blogger Ella is back to share her thoughts on Sweetly by Jackson Pearce. (Seriously - that's a creepy cover!)

A modern retelling of Hansel and Gretel, with a few twists. Ansel and Gretchen just got kicked out by their stepmom. Their dad died a few years ago, and their mom didn't last long after Gretchen's twin was kidnapped by a 'witch' when they were little. They decide to start over on the East Coast, and pick a town at random. Half an hour away from the end of their cross-country  trek, the car breaks down, and they have no cash. Luckily, an attractive young choclatier needs help with a few home repairs. Nevermind that she lives alone in a candy coloured house in the middle of the woods. Have a piece of her candy, breathe in the smell, it'll take care of your worries. Those girls who disappear every year after the chocolate festival? Don't worry about it. Pure coincidence it's her event they disappear after. Just don't go in the forest, 'kay? And ignore the sea shells that keep showing up everywhere.
This book was pretty good. It wasn't scary, per se, just quite eerie at times. There was just this delicious feeling of dread for most of the second half, and though it was kind of predictable, I was still managed to be shocked when it all came together. I will never smell chocolate or look at a sea shell the same way again, and I'm terrified to go hiking. The witches were very creative, though they got kind of weird at the end. Good weird, though. I'm pretty sure this is in the same world as Sisters Red (which I haven't read), but it didn't really mention anything from the first one.

Read an excerpt of Sweetly. You can find Pearce on Facebook and on Twitter.

As always, thanks Ella for sharing your thoughts on some great reads!

Devoted - Hilary Duff

Teen blogger Ella is back with her thoughts on Hilary Duff's latest book Devoted - newly released yesterday.

"The first thing I would say about this book is that you pretty much get what you expect. Hilary Duff is an attractive, successful singer, actress and designer, among other things I've probably forgotten; it ought to be a statistical improbability for her to also be an amazing author capable of writing fantasy fiction that absorbs the reader and takes them to a brand-new world of possibilities.

That being said, this is not a terrible book. It's got a pretty cool premise that hasn't been done to death (Clea Raymond has had a star-crossed love affair with her immortal soul-mate Sage for many past lives. He's been kidnapped by a group that's PO'd he drank the Elixir of Life all those centuries ago, and it's up to Clea to find him before they kill him for it).   Devoted has some fancy twists and turns (and a rather foxy last bombshell). What it lacks is sophistication. The diction, for example, somehow falls flat. The dialogue, both internal and between characters, is missing depth, and the wording often seems more like something a classmate of mine would write, and not the wording of a twice-published author.

As well, her bad guys are kind of ridiculous. Some of them are pretty believable, but Devoted has more than it's fair share of old-school tattooed, scarred, missing-toothed thugs, which somewhat eroded the effect the less over-the-top bad guys were trying for (it's hard to let an author make you feel something when you're choking on kitsch). Another big complaint is that I was kind of confused for big chunks of time because I haven't read Elixir, the first book in the series, for months. I have a pretty good memory for plots, but I'm not always good with names and fiddly details. All sequels walk a fine line between too much and too little when it comes to giving back-story from the previous book(s), and Devoted fell on the too little side of things. I would not suggest reading this book if you haven't read Elixir first, and relatively recently.

Like I said, though, this isn't a terrible book. There's less running around in Devoted than in Elixir, which was kind of nice, and a crazy new element was added to the plot. In some parts, actually, I was more into the flashbacks of said Crazy New Element than I was in the "present" drama, and Crazy New Element has certainly not been done before, at least that I've read. If you liked Elixir, go for it, and read Devoted, it's a pretty good follow-up. If Elixir wasn't your thing, though, or you don't really have the time or inclination to read something that will in all likelihood fall shy of rocking your world, don't bother with Devoted."

 Read an excerpt of Devoted. You can check out the book trailer here.

As always Ella, thanks for sharing your take on books!



YA reviews with Ella!

Resident teen blogger Ella is back to school and back to work at the library, but has lots to share on what she read this summer. And we're glad to have her back - her take on books is fun and unique.

First up is Blood Red Road by Moira Young.

"First, let me say how refreshing it was to have a truly selfish protagonist. Paragons of virtue are all very well and good, but every once in a while it's nice to read about someone who has less than any interest in being a hero. Saba's twin brother has been kidnapped and her father murdered, so she starts an epic journey across the dusty wasteland of their dystopian world to get him back. They have a little sister that Saba truly harbors nothing but jealousy and anger towards (which was nice while it lasted) who insists on tagging along. Gladiator-style cage matches, slavery, a drug empire, an attractive young man named Jack and some truly cool warrior girls all come included. The book is divided into parts, which I found made it slightly disconnected, like a series of novellas in one book, but it was still pretty good, despite Saba's disappointing sudden growth of a conscience. More of a library read than a addition to a personal collection is my advice." Read an excerpt of Blood Red Road.

Next - Wildefire by Karsten Knight.

"Yet another teenage girl has a crazy catalytic thing happen to her, and gets sent to boarding school. 3 guesses what she finds out there, and the first 2 don't count. You got it! She has magic powers, and is part of an epic power struggle between light and dark. What makes Wildefire different is that it's AWESOME! Ashline Wilde (I'm jealous of her name) has a pretty original power, and the drama with her homicidal, cuckoo-for-cocoa-puffs sister was kind of cool. What made this book stand out of the identical backstory crowd? I really don't know. It just clicked. The amazing ending had something to do with it. Be warned, I was left gasping in shock and upset I have to wait to find out what was going to happen. Also, be aware before you get attached to characters that Knight has no qualms killing people off. The clever, evil man is ruthless, and knows how to play your emotions like a piano. It gets a little tiresome in the middle, cause it seems like the book is just doing exactly what every other book like it would do, but stick around a few more chapters and you won't regret it." Read an excerpt of Wildefire.

Thanks Ella for sharing your thoughts on some great YA titles - watch for more in the coming weeks. See you at work on Thursday Ella!

Bookurious Canadian teens

Got a teen reader (or non reader - this might get them interested!) in your house?

Random House Canada has just created this really great social network for teen readers aged 13-17. From the site:

"Bookurious [book-yoor-ee-uhs]

1. – noun. A network for teens who exhibit a curiousity for books and reading

.2. – adj. To be drawn to books; have the desire to read almost anything.

Are you a teen who loves to read books; books big and small, fictional or otherwise?

Do you find yourself thinking “I would so rather be reading right now”?Then you are Bookurious.

Bookurious.com is a community designed especially for avid Canadian readers aged 13 to 17. Join today to talk to other teens about your favourite books and discover new authors. You’ll also find fun challenges, cool giveaways and tons of reading suggestions.If you love books, you’ll love Bookurious.com"

They're on Facebook too!

I'll be mentioning this one to the teens at my local library. Great idea!