Teen – Page 49 – Mom Read It

Fantasy, Fiction, Teen, Tween Reads, Uncategorized

Egg and Spoon – Gregory Maguire spins a rich Russian fairytale

Posted on July 20, 2014July 20, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Egg and Spoon, by Gregory Maguire (Candlewick, Sept. 2014). $17.99, ISBN: 9780763672201

Recommended for ages 12+

Gregory Maguire is renowned for creating his alternate versions of fairy tales, most notably, Wicked. In Egg and Spoon, he creates a sweeping Russian fairy tale, encompassing historical figures such as Tsar Nikolai Romanov and Rasputin, and fantasy favorites like Baba Yaga, the Phoenix/Firebird, and the Slavic Dragon, to create a sweeping tale that goes from the impoverished Russian countryside all the way to Saint Petersburg and beyond.

At its heart is a tale reminiscent of The Prince and the Pauper: a young peasant girl named Elena meets a spoiled rich girl named Ekaterina, when Ekaterina’s train breaks down in Elena’s village. Elena’s mother is dying, her brothers have been called off either to military service or employment, and her father is dead. She wants to go to St. Petersburg to ask the tsar to send her brother home to help care for their mother. Fate intervenes, and the two girls swap places, where each learns about the other girl’s life by living her life. Baba Yaga shows up, because the chaotic seasons are causing her distress, and she ends up becoming Ekaterina’s guardian as they proceed to St. Petersburg to ask the tsar what’s going on in the world.

The tale, narrated by a prisoner in the tsar’s tower, looks at magic in the everyday world, and what a stabilizing force it is. There are themes of family, friendship, and morality all at play, with a lot of humor – Baba Yaga is hilarious here – and conflict.

My only concern here is that at almost 500 pages, middle graders may balk at reading this. Teens will enjoy the story, and it’s a book that really should be on every library shelf. This one will win awards, there’s no question. The writing is beautiful and there are some incredible themes explored. A semester-long unit on fairy tales for older students would really be enhanced by using this book, and book groups for all ages will never run out of material to talk about.

Fiction, Horror, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Welcome to the Dark House: where reality turns deadly!

Posted on July 15, 2014July 15, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Welcome to the Dark House, by Laurie Stolarz (Hyperion, July 2014). $16.99, ISBN: 9781423181729

Recommended for ages 14+

Imagine your favorite horror movie director emails you about a contest – where YOU can be in his next movie. All you have to do is tell him about your worst nightmare. For six winning contestants, it’s the chance of a lifetime. For the seventh – a girl named Ivy Parker – it’s the chance to finally rid herself of a real-life nightmare that’s haunted her since she was a child.

Seven fans of horror director Justin Blake find themselves part of his next movie, based on his Nightmare Elf series. They all have secrets – some darker than others. That’s the price of admission. But shortly after settling in and getting to know one another, the group starts experiencing strange things – one member has gone missing. There are strange messages and bloodstains showing up. This is all part of the movie, right?

I loved this book. It’s a great, old-school slasher movie brought to YA, updated with a splash of reality show drama. We get a good backstory for each of the characters (within reason – read the book to see what I mean) – their personalities, their motivations, their secrets – and their interactions with other characters. These folks don’t gel together and become instant BFFs; there are personality clashes and internal issues that affect their actions and interactions. Set within the larger-scale story of Justin Blake’s contest, it’s a great character-driven story. Not all the characters are likable or even sympathetic. I appreciated that.

The book is a horror novel, so expect violence and mind games. If you’re a horror fan, you’ll love this book. If you’re an old school slasher movie fan like I am, you’ll recognize a lot of the tropes that make those movies (and the experience of watching them) so much fun. The book’s ending will hopefully leave you like it did me – wondering when we’ll find out more.

Graphic Novels, History, Non-Fiction, Teen, Tween Reads

March: Book Two cover revealed!

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

jI’ve made no secret that Rep. John Lewis’ MARCH: BOOK ONE was one of the best books I read last year, and that I was excited about the next book in the series. Well, we’re one step closer – Top Shelf just revealed the cover earlier today!

US Congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis made history with the release of March: Book One, his award-winning and #1 bestselling graphic novel memoir co-written with Andrew Aydin and drawn by Nate Powell. Aside from the unprecedented factor of such a major figure using the graphic novel format, the book has been embraced as both a true work of literature and also a much-needed tool for reaching new generations with the history and lessons of the civil rights movement.

Today, for the first time, we’re revealing the gorgeous cover design of March: Book Two, the much-anticipated second part of the March trilogy. It’s scheduled for release in early 2015, so we’re still half a year away — but the interest in this title is so tremendous that we wanted to showcase something special now, as we head into Comic-Con next week.

Book Two will be significantly longer than Book One, taking a step forward into the tumultuous events of 1961-1963 while continuing the framing narrative of President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009. Major plot lines include the famous journey of the Freedom Riders, imprisonment at Mississippi’s Parchman Penitentiary, and young John Lewis’ involvement in helping to plan and lead the legendary 1963 March on Washington.

Nate Powell’s powerful cover showcases (on top) the Freedom Riders’ bus set on fire by a white supremacist mob in Anniston, AL, May 14, 1961, and (on bottom) Lewis’ fiery speech at the March on Washington, August 28, 1963.

Check out this great piece from CNN featuring Rep. Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and author Brad Meltzer!

Fantasy, geek culture, Graphic Novels, roleplaying, Science Fiction, Teen, Tween Reads, Uncategorized

In Real Life: Where online worlds cross over to reality.

Posted on July 2, 2014July 2, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

In Real Life, by Cory Doctorow/Illustrated by Jen Wang (:01 First Second, Oct. 2014). $17.99, ISBN: 9781596436589

Recommended for ages 13+

I’m a Cory Doctorow fan. I loved Little Brother, and I was fascinated by For the Win, which examines the lives of “gold farmers” – people whose job it is – in real life – to acquire gold and magic/rare items in games, and sell them to players for real-world currency. The gamers – which include children – are from poor families in third-world countries: India, China, and Singapore, working in deplorable conditions, and exploited by sweatshop bosses who pay pitiful wages.

In Real Life is a graphic novel about a girl named Anda, who loves playing a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) named Coarsegold. She makes friends in the gamespace, ultimately falling in with Lucy, a more experienced gamer who takes Anda under her wing. They stalk and “kill” the “gold farmers” they encounter, believing them to be cheating by selling gold and rare items to fellow gamers. The farmers look small, almost childlike, and Anda – despite doing this in the gamespace – feels guilty. She strikes up a friendship with one of the farmers, a Chinese teenager named Raymond, who tells her about his life and his job – laboring under sweatshop conditions to farm so that he can help support his family – and Anda decides that something needs to be done.

The story is similar to Doctorow’s plot in For the Win, but without delving into the global politics and economics involved in the novel. I loved this graphic novel, which could be an introduction or supplement to For the Win. We get to see positive representations of female gamers, teenagers, and we have a moral central character who is forced to understand that even morals don’t come solely in black and white. At the same time, In Real Life calls attention to a form of human rights violation taking place all over the world, yet located in our homes, our libraries, and anywhere we game.

Jen Wang’s art is perfect for Doctorow’s story. She’s got a manga style that works for me. Her use of color works to as a soft contrast to the tech storyline, and brings out the humanity at the tale’s core.

In Real Life publishes in October of this year, and I can’t wait to get it on my shelves. It’s going to be a great addition to any graphic novel collection, and a must-read for older tweens and teens, especially those who game. Social Studies courses could get some great discussions by adding this book to their curriculum.

Teen, Tween Reads

Summer Reading for Tweens and Teens! Refeatured Reviews!

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The New York Summer Reading Lists for Tweens and Teens Summer Reading look pretty fantastic this year. I’ve read a few of the books on the list, so I thought I’d reshare those reviews to get you started.

The City of Ember is a great beginning to a hugely popular series. Imagine a post-apocalyptic society that went underground to survive. They live off the meager light produced by generators. But after so long underground, the power is going out in Ember. There’s been rumor that there’s a way out… who will be brave enough to uncover the truth about Ember?

Icefall is an amazing book that I was lucky enough to read when I was on the Cybils Awards panel a couple of years ago. A Viking warrior king’s children are sequestered away while their father is at war. A storm encloses their stronghold in ice, and they learn that there’s a traitor in their midst.

Zita the Spacegirl is a graphic novel series that I’ve evangelized from day one. I love the story, I love the art, and most importantly, I love the character. Zita is a spunky Earth girl who finds herself in space on an adventure. Her adventure continues in Legends of Zita the Spacegirl and Return of Zita the Spacegirl – don’t miss out on this series.

In Darkness won the Michael L. Printz Award in 2013, with good reason. This taut story of a young Haitian gang member trapped in the rubble of a hospital in the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake is compulsively readable, equally parts fascinating and brutal.

History, Non-Fiction, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Discover the World War I trench poets in Above the Dreamless Dead

Posted on June 11, 2014June 11, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Above the Dreamless Dead, edited by Chris Duffy (:01 First Second, Sept. 2014). $24.99, ISBN: 9781626720657

Recommended for ages 16+

As World War I dragged on, an artistic movement arose from the trenches. The Trench Poets, as they came to be called, were a group of soldiers who wrote about the horrors around them, as a way to cope with what they saw around them. The Trench Poets ultimately became a significant literary movement – but as all things pass, it appears that the memory of the Poets has dulled a bit. No longer. Contemporary comic book and graphic artists have given new life to these poems by giving readers an illustrated retelling. Artists, including Kathryn and Stuart Immonen – two of my favorites – are here, as are Anders Nilsen, Eddie Campbell, Kevin Huizenga, George Pratt, and many more.

There are 20 poems in comic form here, and they present a brutal, beautiful look at World War I through a soldider’s eyes. There’s no glorification of war here; no rousing cries of “Let’s get ‘im, boys!” and no grandstanding. These poets rejected the glorification of war and looked inward at the psychological damage these men knew they were taking home. The stark black and white art adds to the powerful punch delivered by this work.

I consider myself a pretty well-read person. Perhaps it’s because I’m not as up on poetry as I should be, but I’d never heard of the Trench Poets until I got a copy of Above the Dreamless Dead in my hands, and was blown away by what I read. This is a book that should be in every high school library; English and History teachers could put together one heck of a unit with this book. This stands with Maus and Persepolis, as graphic novel interpretations of history that demand to be read to understand, truly understand, a moment in time through the eyes of a person living it.

Some of the Trench Poets didn’t make it home from the War. Their stories are told briefly at the end of the book. I may not have known anything about the Trench Poets when I picked this book up, but I intend to find out more now. And really, that’s one of the best things one can say about a book.

Non-Fiction, Teen

Peek into the mind of a teen with The Isobel Journal

Posted on June 4, 2014June 4, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Isobel Journal, by Isobel Harrop (Capstone, August 2014). $16.95, ISBN: 9781630790035

Recommended for ages 12+

The Isobel Journal is a real-life journal from Isobel Harrop, “just a girl from where nothing really happened”. She lives in Britain, and shares her journal here with readers, who get a glimpse of her thoughts on herself, her friends, otters, and love. It’s filled with her artwork – she loves to sketch – and tidbits about her family and friends. I like her sketches, juxtaposed over photos, like the pages featuring her dog and cat. They’re fun pieces that bring art and life together.

Isobel is a teen girl – she likes to collect things, like photos and ticket stubs, and stick them in her journal. She likes to draw on herself. She daydreams, she explores. She’s got a fun, friendly sensibility that comes right through the page. Some reviewers have called this book random, but isn’t that the point of a journal? Isobel invites readers into her world, and in so doing, brings readers together – because what feels like not far too long ago (but in actuality, is), I was a teenage girl doing the same things, and reading this journal made me smile and think about that.

The Isobel Journal is a fun, quirky book that teen girls will get a kick out of looking through. Take a look at the book trailer!

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club – a Jazz Age retelling of a beloved fairy tale.

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club, by Genevieve Valentine (Atria Books, 2014). $24, ISBN: 9781476739083

Recommended for ages 14+

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club is a reimagining of the fairy tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, set in the Jazz Age. Jo, the oldest – known as “The General” to her sisters – and her 11 sisters are all but prisoners, locked in their businessman father’s townhome. Ashamed that his marriage couldn’t produce a son, he hides his daughters from the world, homeschooling them and giving them a small amount of money toward living expenses, like clothes and shoes. Their mother died, leaving Jo to watch over all of them. Their cold, standoffish father periodically sends for Jo to give him updates, but never spends time with his daughters.

Jo’s had enough. At first, she sneaks out to movie theatres, where she falls in love with dancing. She learns the moves, and teaches them to her sisters. And then, they start going out at night. As each of them are old enough, they join Jo, Lou, and the rest of their sisters, until all 11 girls wait for Jo’s nightly signal, sneak into cabs outside, and head for the speakeasies, where they dance their nights away. They live to dance and flirt, and Jo watches over all of them.

But nothing can last forever. The father has decided to start quickly and quietly marrying them off, and he expects Jo’s help in getting the job done. The time is coming for Jo to make decisions that will change all of their lives forever.

The Roaring Twenties is really a perfect setting for a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and Ms. Valentine’s description of the nights out, dancing in the speakeasies, the clothes, and the music really placed me in the setting. One issue I had with the book is that, with so many characters, it was hard to “know” anyone but Jo. We get a very good idea of who she is, but the character development is really just touched on with the other sisters. The narrative sometimes slows down a bit too much, but it’s only because it’s leading to a literary explosion, a little more than halfway through, where I couldn’t put the book down. The tension between Jo and her father, when it finally comes to a head, is fantastic.

The book hits bookstores on June 4, and I think it’s a great summer read for teens. In an age when so many fairy tales are being remade for younger audiences, like Frozen’s retelling of The Snow Queen, we shouldn’t forget that teen readers can enjoy fairy tales, too. It’s also a great look into a prominent decade in American pop culture.

Fiction, Teen, Uncategorized, Young Adult/New Adult

Oblivion – a mystery about identity and secrets

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Oblivion, by Sasha Dawn, Egmont USA (2014). $19.99, ISBN: 9781606844762

Recommended for ages 16+

Calliope Knowles is a 16 year-old graphomaniac. For her, writing isn’t just a hobby – it’s something she’s compelled to do. When the mania hits, she needs her notebook and a red felt-tipped pen; she writes, in a trance, and the words, while almost poetic in structure, are unsettling. Possibly because they may be subconscious clues – Callie’s father is missing, along with a 12 year-old girl named Hannah. Callie was found in an abandoned apartment writing, “I KILLED HIM” all over the walls. Her mother is in a mental institution, after stabbing her abusive father only weeks before the disappearance.

Her father, a reverend at the Church of Holy Promise, was popular with his congregation, but was not a good man. Now, Callie, living with a foster family, is haunted by faulty memories that her subconscious is fighting to access. At the same time, she has a foster sister that she adores, but finds herself attracted to the same guy as she; she has a team of police and a therapist working with her to unravel the threads of her memory, and her mother seems to have a lot of secrets.

I thought this was a great book. I love a good mystery and I like an unreliable narrator/main character, because it keeps me guessing. Sasha Dawn has created an amazing series of layers for this story, with a main plot and several subplots running throughout, and always manages to keep all the balls in play. When revelations hit, time and time again, I was bowled over. This is a great summer read for teens who appreciate a good mystery and a story about identity. There are references to abuse, sex, and drug use, so I’m going to recommend an age of 16 for this one. If parents feel their child is mature enough to handle this subject matter at an earlier age, I’ll suggest age 14, but I really wouldn’t go younger. The book hits shelves on May 27, so put this one on your summer reading list.

Horror, Post-apocalyptic/Dystopian, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Quarantine 3: The Burnouts brings the post-apocalyptic trilogy to a tense end

Posted on May 20, 2014May 20, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Quarantine 3: The Burnouts, by Lex Thomas, Egmont USA (2014). $17.99, ISBN: 9781606843383

Recommended for ages 14+

The third book in Lex Thomas’ post-apocalyptic series continues the story of Will and David, the brothers from McKinley High, where the kids are quarantined in the wake of a disastrous infection. Lucy, the last of the group from the previous book, is still inside – for now – trying to survive, and Hilary, who’s finally, completely, snapped, brings a reign of terror with her as she takes control of the school and all the gangs within it.

The publisher has called this series “Lord of the Flies in a 21st century high school setting”, which is spot-on. The kids inside the school have split into factions that fight to survive life inside the school. It’s a no-man’s land where children will do whatever they are forced to in order to make it to “graduation” – when the disease breaks and they can leave the building, assimilating into life on the outside.

I couldn’t put this book down. It’s got action, fantastic pacing, strong characters, and pulls no punches in its storytelling. There are references to sex, pregnancy, drug abuse, and violence throughout the book, so if any of these are issues for readers, this isn’t your book. It’s a powerful, gut-wrenching book that will keep you on the edge of your seat as you read.

The world in Quarantine isn’t safe inside or outside the McKinley walls – on the outside, there are those who want to destroy what the citizens have put together. They want to destroy the school and destroy the disease that rages on within its walls. The citizens on the outside – the families of the children inside – have to fight to stay alive and keep their kids alive.

The book hits shelves on August 22nd. In the meantime, check out the first two books: Quarantine: The Saints and Quarantine: The Loners and get ready.