Evernight by Claudia Gray

Bianca wants to run away. Her parents have just accepted a job at the exclusive Evernight Academy and today is the first day of school. Evernight is a goth's dream, a centuries old building out in the middle of nowhere New England, full of perfect and otherworldly beautiful students. Of course, the one thing it soon has going for it is two very handsome suitors, Lucas and Balthazar.

Lucas is mysterious and antagonistic, constantly in fights with the more "Evernight-types" in the school; but he seems to be the only person who understands Bianca's reluctance to become part of the in-crowd. In fact, he adamently opposes her becoming "part of them."

Balthazar is definitely the "Evernight type"--tall, strong, worldy, and perfect. However, he is also interested in actually learning something and takes a very strong personal interest in Bianca. He is a nice guy, and quickly becomes Bianca's first friend at Evernight. But could he be more?

At first, this book seems like the same old story--girl goes to new school, something sinister is happening, girl is mysteriously drawn to boy, girl discovers strange secrets.....But about halfway through, there is a big twist and it gets really interesting....and kind of steamy. At places, it will remind you of Harry Potter and of Twilight, but it is so much better than Twilight. Bianca is in some ways similar to Bella, but much stronger and much more interesting.

All I can say is, check it out. Not going to spoil it for you...just saying any Twilight fans will enjoy it and it is sooooo much better. There will be more and I am looking forward to it.

*Okay, so I have thought about this book a bit since I reviewed it, and realized that I was a little too enthusiastic right after finishing. Don't get me wrong, I still like it better than Twilight, but the first half of the book is kind of dull. I understand that the author was trying to draw out the tension, but there were quite a few times when I nearly put it down. The twist in the middle sort of makes up for that. I just thought I should warn you. Plus, although Bianca is much more interesting than Bella, she is still extremely angsty.....

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The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Oh my good gracious. I have found a book that is now in stiff competition for first place in my 2008 favorites.

Todd Hewitt is the last boy in a town full of men. He has a month left before he turns 13 and in the eyes (and laws) of Prentisstown become a man. He can't wait. Only it doesn't turn out quite like he thought. He discovers disturbing pockets of quiet in the swamp. Quiet that shouldn't be there. Quiet that no one has known since all the settlers of New World were infected with the Noise virus that makes it possible for everyone to hear everyone else's thoughts. Secrets begin to rise to the surface, ugly, violent, dangerous secrets. Before he can blink, Todd must escape in order to survive.

The Noise germ that has infected all the men (it immediately killed all the women) has also infected all the animals. Todd has a dog named Manchee that he can talk to and they can hear each other's thoughts as well. Hearing the thoughts and spoken words of every man and creature is a loud cacophonous ever present sound. Hence the name - the Noise germ. It is almost unbelievable how the author manages to present what could be a confusing situation. He uses fonts which almost appear like illustrations as a physical representation of what being infected with the Noise virus feels like. It is so effective. He also uses italics for thoughts in many cases. And even more amazing he creates personalities for creatures (like squirrels and alligators and sheep - oh the sheep!) so their thoughts are exactly what you think they would be. And Manchee the dog is pretty much what you would expect. He is loyal, thinks about pooing a lot, loves to chase, and is the sweetest thing that will completely steal your heart. When I could tear myself away from reading (which was very difficult) it was to pet my dogs and tell them i loved them.

There are so many twists and turns to this story it would be easy to accidentally let loose with spoilers and that would be tragic. Luckily, the back cover of the galley (which says what I presume will be the inside flap) doesn't give away anything. I can safely say that it is almost non-stop action that will leave you breathless as you wait to find out what happens next. Todd learns some hard lessons. My favorite was that people fall from grace, what's important is not that you've fallen, but that you pick yourself back up. READ THIS!!! Seriously. Read it!

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No Choirboy: Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row by Susan Kuklin

From the back cover (of the galley): "Between 1990 and 2005, only eight countries in the world still sentenced people younger than eighteen to death for their crimes-Iran, China, Nigeria, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Pakistan, and the United States of America." A powerful statement.

This book interviews men who were teenagers when they were sentenced to death row, families of those sentenced, and even victims of a man who was a teenager when he was convicted (and subsequently executed). It is very interesting food for thought. Generally I'm not a big fan of "in their own voices" story telling. I tend to think that that's why God invented editors - to tell a cohesive and tight story that doesn't meander and isn't full of "you knows" or "man..." or "does that make sense?"...you know, all those colloquialisms that are fine when you're speaking, but make for tedious and painful reading. However, in this collection of stories I get the sense that even though the author used their own words, there was quite a bit of editing to make it flow into an understandable narrative. And it is intense.

Never have I wanted to enter jail, but after reading this I want to even less. The men interviewed have been in prison and on death row from the time they were 16 years old. They are frank in their discussion of the savagery of prison life.

This book has a strong anti-death penalty agenda and I think by the end of the book it will have even the most pro-death penalty advocate thinking about whether or not an eye for an eye is the way we want our justice system to work. It is a book created to make the reader think about the criminal justice system and it most definitely accomplishes this goal.

The Brothers Torres by Coert Voorhees

Frankie spends most of his time working at his parent’s restaurant, blowing things up with his friend Zach, and lusting after his object of affection Rebecca. He also has an older brother whom he looks up to. His brother is the high school soccer star with scholarships to various universities, he’s a chick magnet, and he’s extremely popular. What’s not to look up to?

The Brothers Torres is at its heart, a book about deciding what kind of person you’re going to be. Do you act tough in order to earn respect? Do you go along with things you know to be wrong to gain acceptance? Or do you stand up for what you know is right? Frankie has some tough decisions ahead of him. Decisions made even more difficult by the fact that his brother seems to be headed in the wrong direction and is attempting to pull Frankie along with him.

Frankie is a Hispanic male growing up in small town New Mexico. Spanish is peppered throughout the dialog, New Mexican food (which sounds absolutely scrumptious) is almost a character in this book. It certainly makes several appearances which will set your stomach to rumbling. Anyhow, food is without a doubt a serious issue in this particular town. The Dalton family moved in, bought out old family recipes, and created a restaurant empire. Many of the town residents are now dependent on them for their livelihood. An uneasy situation which rears its head in several situations throughout the book.

Your male readers, Hispanic, African American, Caucasian, etc. - they are all going to be able to relate to this book. Voorhees has captured something essential about what it is like for males to grow up in America today. I saw so many of my library teens in Frankie, his brother Steve, gang-banger Flaco, and the other boys. The posturing, the desire to be tough, the focus on respect, the general lack of understanding about what being a “man” is really about.

And Frankie is just an incredibly likable, sweet, funny, realistic teen boy. His struggles are believable. His character develops at a pace that seems reasonable. He’ll have you rooting for him from the first page. The secondary characters are also extremely well developed. His friend Zach, who in spite of the fact that he now has a glass eye due to an explosion gone wrong still blows things up in the backyard. His brother Steve who has been given too much freedom because of his starring role on the soccer team. Cheo, Steve’s best friend, and so on.

The cover will draw the boys in like flies and the story will keep them hooked.

Hero-Type by Barry Lyga

Kevin Ross, Kross to his friends, has been labeled a "hero" by his community after saving a classmate from a serial killer. But Kevin feels conflicted about this label, especially since he holds his own and his father's dark secrets. And when a reporter publishes an inflamatory article about Kevin removing two "Support-the-troops" ribbon magnets from his car, he becomes a social outcast. So, what does it mean to be a hero, especially today? And what exactly do those ribbon magnets do anyway?

Okay, so this is definitely a somewhat political book and one that will be interesting to discuss with just about anyone. Kevin speaks to me; he has some real problems and hard questions that no one really wants to hear, much less answer. It is fascinating to watch as everyone around him reacts to his quest to understand and enlighten. His great secret, and that of his father, is very slowly revealed and hinted out; both are also multi-layered and much more complex than most people want to deal with. Right up until the end, you are wondering if Kevin will overcome his problems, continue his quest, and finally become a "hero."

I would really enjoy reading this book with a group of teens. The political and philosophical discussions alone would be electric. Possibly a future teen book club selection? Either way, I am anxious for others to read it, just to be able to fully talk to someone about it! So, I shall pass it on to my coworkers and hopefully have an energetic discussion on a future date.

Only found one other review:

Goddess of YA Literature

The Good Neighbors: Kin by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh

So, Holly Black has written a graphic novel and it takes place in the same world as Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside. And I snagged one at ALA! Here's my review. Feel free to add comments as you read it.

Rue is an unusal and adventurous teenager, with punk rock band friends and a habit of urban exploration. When Rue's mother disappears after a fight with her father, he becomes a suspect in not one, but two murders. Not only that, but Rue is beginning to see some pretty strange things around town; and now her mother's long-absent family shows up.

Okay, so the story feels similar to Tithe, but has characters that remind me more of Valiant. I definitely like Rue, though her moody looks occasionally got to me. That's when I reminded myself that a lot is going on in her world, including loss of a parent and a complete reassessment of who she is. She has a strong demeanor and a lot of confidence, even when very confused. Her friends are cool and interesting with opinions and attitudes of their own. And Tam (possible future love interest?) is quite intriguing.....

The artwork is just detailed enough without being photo-realistic. I especially enjoyed the variety of facial expressions and occasional use of background details. Darkness and light are pretty important in this story, and the artwork reflects that.

*Fyi, be on the lookout for references to other HB works, as well as some pop culture details. One of my favorites is on page 7 of the advanced reader's copy.

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Suckerpunch by David Hernandez

The first thing you’ll notice about Suckerpunch is the striking cover. It is so appealing, I was immediately drawn to it and picked it up to read. I’ll admit that my first attempt failed. I put it down. About 3 weeks later I decided to pick it up again and I’m glad I did.

It is the summer. Marcus is hanging out with his friends, drinking, doing lots of drugs, lusting after his brother’s new girlfriend. You know, the usual. What makes this summer different is it’s the first summer after his father took off. Right now its just him, his mom, and his brother. It isn’t actually that bad – until they get some disturbing news about their father. The next thing Marcus knows his brother and him are on a road trip to pay a surprise visit to his dad along with a couple of friends and a gun in the glove compartment.

This is a story about abuse and the way that it infects and affects the family members involved. Within a few pages of the story you know that Marcus’s father beat his younger brother Enrique. You know that the father is gone and that everyone in the household is still dealing with the aftermath. Marcus is dealing with feelings of guilt and impotence. Enrique is on anti-depressants and is increasingly angry. The mother is loving, but clued out. The road trip is the boy’s idea of a solution, an end all to their situation if you will.

There are some extremely crude references to a boy’s mother which seemed completely gratuitous. On the second read it didn’t bother me as much and didn’t seem so unnecessarily crude anymore (although, don't get me wrong, it was still raunchy). The author doesn’t use any quotation marks which lends the book a dreamy surreal feeling. An interesting choice for a book that deals with such stark issues of drugs and abuse.

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Los Angeles Times

Mid-Year Favorites

Top Three:

Hunger Games-Suzanne Collins
North of Beautiful-Justina Chen Headley (pub. 2009)
Paper Towns-John Green

Other favorites:

Amulet: The Stonekeeper-Kazu Kibuishi
Jellaby-Kean Soo
Suite Scarlett-Maureen Johnson
Click-Youngran Lee
How to Be Bad-E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle, and Sarah Mlynowski
Tekkon Kinkreet-Taiyo Matsumoto
100 Cupboards-N. D. Wilson (pub. Dec. 2007)
Crimson Hero-Mitsuba Takanashi
Beauty is the Beast-Tomo Matsumoto
The Underneath-Kathi Appelt

Twilight Gets Fugged

and boy is it funny!

Black Rabbit Summer by Kevin Brooks

It was supposed to be one last get together before everyone moved on to college. It was supposed to be about reminiscing. It was supposed to be fun. It wasn't.

Probably because the five “friends” aren’t actually friends anymore. So they get together, get drunk, get stoned, and start to get on each other’s nerves. Then they split up and once they’re seperated things begin to fall apart. People argue, people go missing, act suspiciously, lie, and are never seen again. Everyone is a suspect.

The main protagonist, Pete, attempts to figure out what has actually happened. Not an easy task when no one is willing to share what they know. This is where Kevin Brooks’ writing really excells. He slowly reveals hints, secrets, little tidbits of information so that you’re sitting on the edge of your seat and are unable to put the book down. This is how a thriller is supposed to be.

I will admit though that the book is a big book. Maybe more of a tome. Don't let that scare you off. Once you start reading, once you know that events, terrible violent events, are just moments away (and that isn’t more than a few chapters in), I promise you will not be able to put the book down. At least I couldn’t. The bad guys are wonderfully menacing. The writing is dark, atmospheric, hinting of mysteries that can’t entirely be explained. And the ending is sort of typical Kevin Brooks, resolved, but no happy little bow - there are definitely things left to speculate about. Which is sure to frustrate some readers. I, however, am of the school that I don’t want to be talked down to. I don’t want every minutia of mystery explained to me because the author thinks I’m too stupid to figure it out myself. Kevin Brooks never dumbs it down. Just another reason to love him.

****SPOILERS****

I especially liked the friendship between Pete and Raymond. I liked the weirdness of Raymond and how he had a black rabbit that he thought talked to him. And I loved how his disappearance is never really explained. Did he run off? Was he murdered? Was it the man with the moustache or was that just the drugs making Pete hallucinate? Was it a travelling carnie serial killer? And how much did I love being able to write that? Did Black Rabbit really talk to Raymond and then Pete? Or was Raymond just projecting his wants and desires onto the rabbit because he couldn’t express them any other way? Who mutilated his rabbit? All questions that are left unanswered.

****End of Spoilers****

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