Book review: "If I Ever Get Out of Here" by Eric Gansworth

Title:  If I Ever Get Out of Here
Author: Eric Gansworth
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2013

If I Ever Get Out of Here opens right before Lewis Blake begins seventh grade. He is used to being one of the only Indian kids in his class at school, but he is tired of the loneliness; despite his attempts to fit in, he still struggles to be noticed and accepted. Then he meets a new kid from the air force base, George, and things start to change a bit.

George is Lewis's new connection to the white world, though he knows he can't invite his new friend to his home (his mother forbids it, as they live in poverty), and that he still has to deal with all kinds of prejudices at school and in town. Set in the late 1970s in upstate New York, Lewis tells his story about life growing up on the Tuscarora Reservation, going to a mostly white school, and trying to balance out two worlds in a place where loyalties are expected on one side or another. This is a book about friendship and acceptance of self and culture, especially when faced with extremely difficult and unfair situations.

I'm guessing that because this is a book about a boy on an Indian reservation who is one of the few non-white people in his class, it's inevitable that it will get comparisons to Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. But that, I think, is selling both works short. Gansworth's novel focuses on racism, injustice, and a semi-forbidden friendship, all wrapped up together with music (mostly Wings, The Beatles, and Queen). Alexie's is not presented as historical fiction and has more humor and tragedy than Gansworth's work. If I Ever Get Out of Here is more middle-school-friendly in terms of language and content, though it is still a bit hard to read emotionally speaking.

As I was reading this, I kept thinking how important it is to see how others are treated because of heritage or class. It might not be as blatant in our country as it was 30 or 40 years ago, but it still exists and it's important to see it through the target's eyes. It's also important if the reader has been a target him- or herself to see someone else in their same situation and how they handle it.

Lewis also has to deal with a pretty brutal bully, and coupled with the way the adults treat him because he is from the reservation, the situation turns from one of physical assault to that of abject hostility from every corner, especially school teachers and administration. The amount of strength and gumption Lewis has just astounds me, to be so brave and demand justice even when it seems so utterly hopeless.

I hope If I Ever Get Out of Here is widely read, though I'm not sure younger readers will stick with it long enough to finish. I hope I'm wrong about that, because there's a lot in here, and it might just have been me having trouble getting through it because of how sad it made me. Still, I'm really glad I read it and bought it for my library. We'll see if I can get a few kids to pick it up!

Disclosure: I received an e-galley from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

 

Audiobook Review: "The True Meaning of Smekday" by Adam Rex

Title: The True Meaning of Smekday
Author: Adam Rex
Publisher: Listening Library, 2011 (print available from Hyperion, 2007)
Narrator: Bahni Turpin

Starting off with a short essay on what she thinks is the "true meaning of Smekday," 12-year-old Gratuity Tucci tells a short story of how she knows the reasoning behind the new holiday—only to be told by her teacher that she needs to elaborate. So she tells a more full version of her story, basically how her mother starts talking about aliens who talk to her through a mole on her neck, how she ends up with a Boov (the aliens previously mentioned) named J. Lo, and their trip in a floating car named Slushious to Florida, the land allotted to humans by the Boov. After that abridged essay is written, she continues a secret, full-length version of how she and J. Lo cross the country to Arizona in Slushious, meet a number of colorful (and often eccentric, to put it mildly) characters, learn about a bigger threat to Earth than the Boov, and attempt to save the world.

This book is so incredibly rich in symbolism it's fantastic. I could not listen to Rex's words without thinking of Native Americans and relocation; it's pretty much impossible to not think of it if you know the history. It's an incredibly smart and often hilarious post-colonial piece of literature, disguised as a science-fiction story about alien invaders. Oh, did I mention all the satire Rex slips in about American culture? It's great.

Don't be scared away by that description though. This is also a fast-paced road trip story, complete with alien weaponry and battles, and lots of humor. Rex is truly a genius when it comes to poking fun at fantasy cliches, my favorite involving a blob of taco sauce. He also incorporates themes of family and friendship incredibly well, without making it hokey or sappy.

As for the audio version, Bahni Turpin is a master. She gives the Boov great voices, to the point where I believed it was J. Lo talking each time she read his dialogue. Everyone had a distinct voice, and her sound effects added so much to it all. This was one of the best performances I've listened to in a while, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good way to pass the time on their commute.

If you're looking for a smart and incredibly entertaining sci-fi novel, look no further. I've become a huge fan of Rex after this beauty of a book.

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from my local library.

Review: "Diamond Willow" by Helen Frost

Title: Diamond Willow
Author: Helen Frost
Publisher: Frances Foster Books, 2008
Where I got it: Library, after reading about it on Anita Silvey's awesome Children's Book-a-Day Almanac.

*Starred Review*

Told in diamond-shaped poems, this is the story of 12-year-old Willow, a part-Athabascan girl (on her mother's side) who lives in a remote part of Alaska with her family in a tiny community where the only means of transportation are dog sleds and snow machines. Willow isn't very popular at school and tries to stay on the periphery, but she wants her parents to trust her and let her have more responsibility. Finally, her parents let her mush the dogs, led by her favorite, Roxy, alone to her grandparents' house; but on the way home, an accident—as well as unearthing a family secret—will change the way she sees herself, and how she lives her life.

Frost carefully sculpts each poem to fit into a diamond shape, which she explains in her author's note at the beginning. A diamond willow is not a specific type of willow, she explains, but any willow that has lost branches—wherever there was a wound in the tree and a branch fell, a diamond shape appears, with a darker center. Frost also gives a richer, deeper center to each of her poems—bolded letters spell out a secret thought from Willow, who narrates them.

Interspersed are narrations from animals in and around Willow's home, giving a different perspective of the story and providing some context. What makes these narrations so important is the fact that the animals contain the spirits of the characters' departed ancestors. Each had been human at one time, and still they look out for their own.

I cannot say how much I loved this book. The poetry was beautifully crafted, not only to shape the diamond, but to spell out the deeper message. These short thoughts lend an incredible clarity to Willow's spirit and soul; they are the cries behind the words she speaks that are never said aloud, but that she feels so sharply within her mind and heart. I loved finding these bursts in the heart of each poem, and they lend such richness to the story and to Willow.

The story itself is heartrending, as well. It's an incredible yet gentle family story that will not leave me for some time. Willow grows so much, and I loved watching it unfold. I will be going out and buying this for my own collection for sure, as it's well worth owning.

Spooky Halloween Blog Tour for "The Night Wanderer" by Drew Hayden Taylor

Title: The Night Wanderer
Author: Drew Hayden Taylor
Publisher: Annick Press, 2007
How I got it: This book was sent to me by the publisher for review.

Tiffany Hunter is dealing with a lot. She lives in Otter Lake, an Anishinabe (Ojibwa) reservation in central Ontario with her dad and grandmother. She's doing poorly in school, she fights with her dad constantly, and to make matters even more difficult she is trying to navigate a new relationship with a white boyfriend. Demons and ghost stories are the last thing on her mind—but they're the center of everything for Pierre L’Errant, the new boarder Tiffany's father has just taken into their home. Though from Europe, he is clearly Native, and mentions he is of Anishinabe ancestry. But who is he really, and where did he come from? Why has he come to Otter Lake, of all places? In The Night Wanderer, Drew Hayden Taylor gives us a new and refreshing twist on the centuries-old legend of the vampire.

The more I thought about this book, the more I liked it. At its heart, it is about home and family. Tiffany struggles with this, as she is constantly battling with her father over pretty much anything, though especially about her boyfriend Tony. There are a lot of underlying issues with this, as Tiffany's mother left her father, Keith, for a white man about a year earlier. Keith is still trying to recover, and unfortunately he isn't getting very far. He doesn't know how to handle his daughter, so he lets out his anger and pain on her—and she returns it full force. Stuck in the middle of this is Granny Ruth, Keith's mother. She's feisty, but is trying to deal with all of this pain and anger and not-talking-about-the-real-issue on her own, until Pierre enters the picture.

Pierre is a character we can sympathize with, though we're not sure we can trust him. His motives aren't clear until the very end. But what is clear is his attachment to his homeland, the place where he was born centuries before, when he made the decision to leave it and everything he knew for adventure and the unknown. He is not the tortured vampire struggling with what he is at his very essence, though there are hints that he has thought about it. He knows what he is and accepts it, which is truly a nice change from the brooding bad-boy vampire so popular in today's teen fiction.

Taylor works Anishinabe (more commonly known as Ojibwa) culture and language into Pierre's and Tiffany's intersecting stories—both in the modern and more ancient culture and teen experiences. Tiffany is trying to sort out what it means to be a part of her native community, often trying to escape it, though sometimes feeling guilty for not knowing more than she does (for example, she can't speak the language, like her grandmother). Usually I am hesitant to read fiction about certain cultures, especially Native American ones, for fear of misrepresentation of the people and the history. But because Taylor is Ojibwa himself, I trusted his descriptions and allowed myself to enjoy the story, knowing it is authentic. He also manages to include an interracial relationship and its resulting difficulties, such as racism and Tiffany's discomfort at being the only Native teen in a group of white ones.

Another thing I loved are the sometimes surprising little dashes of humor Taylor throws into his prose every so often. I found myself sporting a quick grin at many little details he includes, like this sentence in the middle of a suspenseful scene: "From deep in the bush, a hunter older than James, his house, and the mayonnaise at the back of his refrigerator all put together watched him closely" (79). But despite this comic relief, there are a few chapter that got my heart pounding—many strange and unnatural things are seen on the Otter Lake Reservation after Pierre arrives.

My only complaints lie with the characterization of Tiffany. For a while I felt like she was too flat of a character—I wasn't really getting where she was coming from, and she just seemed a bit off through the beginning. It took me a while to get into the book because it was mostly about Tiffany at first. However, once Taylor started writing about Pierre and other characters, I could see his talent better. I found out afterward that this was originally written as a play, and I thought that might have had something to do with it.

These days, everyone is sick of vampires and their sparkles and forbidden love interests in virginal white girls. But with his fresh interpretation and the addition of family drama and the importance of home, Taylor has given us a reason to enjoy vampire novels again.

This is the last stop on the Spooky Halloween Blog Tour, but be sure to check out the previous stops:

October 25: Teresa's Reading Corner
October 26: A Girl Reads a Book and YA Book Shelf
October 27: Chick Loves Lit
October 28: Word of Mouse Books
October 29: Me!

Until Halloween, The Night Wanderer ebook will be available for only $3.29 (regular price: $9.99) at Kobobooks.com! It's also available as a physical book at Amazon.com.



Or if you'd like to win a physical copy of The Night Wanderer for yourself, fill out the form below. This giveaway will end on November 1 at noon EST. Only one entry per person, please! I will delete people who enter more than once. If you're not sure you entered already, just shoot me an e-mail or tweet at me and I'll let you know.

Review: "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie

Title: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Author: Sherman Alexie
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 2009
Where I got it: I bought it from Barnes & Noble.

*Starred Review*

Arnold "Junior" Spirit has lived on the Spokane Indian Reservation for his whole life, all 14 years of it. But he knows he needs to get out or he'll never make it out of there alive. His only other option? To transfer to Reardan High School, 22 miles outside the rez and full of white people.

Junior's got a lot to deal with. He's the only Indian in this strange new place (aside from the school mascot) with strange new rules. He has to deal with being shunned by his own people, who accuse him of being a traitor to his tribe. And he has to deal with major life changes and tragedy, all while trying to just make it from one day to the next.

Alexie examines serious issues like alcoholism, death, racism and poverty, yet still manages to be funny throughout. Junior gets through everything with as positive an attitude as he can and is able to make the most depressing situations humorous. It's often gallows humor, yes, but it's still laugh-out-loud funny. Junior talks to his audience in a very conversational and familiar tone, creating a kinship with the reader.

Of course, there are many heartbreaking moments that just bleed grief—Junior won't come right out and say what happens at first, but will ease the reader into it, sometimes giving them a shock in the process. His pain is palpable and you can almost hear him wail in mourning behind his written words and cartoons. Yet he's always able to pick himself up and move on, bringing back his unique perspective on the life he was given and the life he chooses for himself.

Junior's cartoons throughout (the work of Ellen Forney) add an extra-textual element that greatly enhances Junior's narration. It often makes the tone light, yet communicates pain and fear through this lightness, creating a complex and more complete story. It also provides us with a little more insight into Junior's mind and the way he sees the world.

This book is largely autobiographical, as Alexie grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation and transfered to the nearby white high school. Wellpinit and Reardan are real places, and Alexie pays them homage in his dedication. Because this is based on fact, Alexie's depictions of life on a reservation can be trusted—not many teens are aware of what that's like even though it should be taught to them (I learned quite a bit too). Alexie provides an honest and blunt picture for his readers; it's presented in a light-hearted fashion, yet retains a sadness that tends to stay with you.

As many of you might notice, I'm posting this during Banned Books Week. Why, you might ask? For what possible reason could someone want to ban such a wonderful and necessary book? "Rough language and sexual situations," according to this KY3 news report on the book's removal from the high school curriculum and library in Stockton, MO earlier this month. One woman said "it's sure not for kids," which I think is a little funny considering the most "sexual situation" within the book is masturbation—an act with which almost every student from middle school, let alone high school, is at least familiar, if they're not experts on the subject. This book provides a valuable learning opportunity and incredibly worthwhile discussion about multicultural issues and what is going on in our own country, but by banning this book, the students in Stockton, MO are losing out greatly on this opportunity. Once again, ignorance takes the lead.

Side note: I just ordered this awesome collector's edition of this book and I'm very excited about it! Support Alexie and buy a copy for yourself or a friend.

Throwback... Friday: "A Voice in the Wind" by Kathryn Lasky

Late! Gah I know, AND I missed last week! Things have been crazy here, what with my new library job and classes starting up again. I apologize for the delays, here is a super quick Throwback Thursday, but really Friday (but really, super duper early Saturday morning).

This week's selection is one I've mentioned time and again on this blog, one near and dear to my heart. It is A Voice In the Wind by Kathryn Lasky, whose name you might recognize. (Published by Harcourt Brace & Co. in 1993.)

*Starred Review*

This is the last book in the Starbuck Family Adventure series, focusing on two sets of twins who can communicate through mental telepathy (basically talking to each other through their minds). The Starbuck family journeys to New Mexico for their father's latest job assignment, and both sets of twins (5-year-old identical Charly and Molly, and 12-year-old Liberty and July) are eager to explore their new home in the high desert. But along the way, they are caught up in a  ancient tragedy that directly affects them in the present. The twins all must work together to set the wrongs of the past right—even if it means putting themselves in the way of greedy grave robbers.

Just so you know, this book is one that is so deeply woven into my childhood that I am completely biased. I read it at least 8 times in my life, probably more. I would take it out of the library every summer and reread it, until they unfortunately weeded it out of the collection. I managed to get my hands on a nice hardcover copy, thanks to the lovely Amazon Marketplace. This book sparked my interest in Native American culture and romanticized the Southwest for me. I still haven't gone there yet, but I plan to one day soon.

Lasky paints an incredibly rich and vivid picture of the Southwest landscape, using color and original yet descriptive simile to give a clear idea of the setting to the reader. This is a huge part of my attraction to this book—I wanted to go where the action took place because it sounded so magnificent and incredible.

She also doesn't shy away from using more advanced vocabulary in her writing. Readers will certainly learn new words here, as the meanings are clear from the context in which she puts them.

As far as plot goes, it's pretty fast-paced once they get to New Mexico. Murder, thieves, supernatural beings, a desperate search for ancient artifacts; all of it's in there. Not to mention it's well-researched and full of Native American culture and lore, with a little bit of history and some information on pottery-making thrown in there.

Just to warn you, Kirkus gave this a pretty bad review, but School Library Journal did not; I loved this book dearly and still do, so Lasky did something right. And just so you know, I didn't read the first two books in the series before this one.

I've mentioned the cover in the past (namely in my Top Ten Favorite Covers post) and took a picture of my copy, which has the original (better) cover, albeit mirror image thanks to my computer:

I know it's hard to see, but at least it gives you an idea! Look at the ghostly figure on the far right, how cool is that? Plus, love the colors of the nighttime scene.

Okay, I'll stop gushing now. Again, I'm completely biased so you might pick this up and hate it. Just sayin', this is one of my all-time favorites so if you do hate it let me know gently!

Vampire Weekend, Part V: "Marked" by P.C. and Kristin Cast

Title: Marked

Authors: P.C. an Kristin Cast

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 2007

Where I got it: I bought this at Barnes & Noble.

Set in a world where vampyres are a normal part of life, and in which most celebrities and high-profile people are in fact “vamps,” Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast, the first novel in their House of Night series, centers on newly marked vampyre fledgling Zoey Redbird. In this world, vampyres are "marked," or chosen by the vampyre goddess Nyx; they are then sent to a school for fledglings, or not-yet-adult vamps, called the House of Night. The series begins with Zoey’s marking and subsequent move into the school, as the new girl on campus. There are all of the typical school problems: mean girls, new boys, deaths of old friendships and the forging of new ones (one of which is the only gay vampire I’ve come across).

But Zoey is a really weird case for a fledgling. After she hits her head in a fall, she has a dreamlike run-in with Nyx, and upon regaining consciousness, the mark on her forehead (every vamp has a mark) is colored in. The thing is, this isn’t supposed to happen until a fledgling graduates to full vampyre. She also discovers she has premature bloodlust (only adult vamps require blood-drinking to survive). And as if all this weren’t enough to make her stand out, it appears Zoey has an affinity for all five elements—air, water, earth, fire, and spirit—a blessing that is all but unheard of in the vamp world. Apparently Zoey is in for an atypical high school experience, even for a vamp.

Zoey narrates the book and has a very engaging voice and sharp wit, making for a really fun read. She talks like a teenager talks, unlike some other books aimed at teens where it’s clear the author was trying too hard to sound like one. Zoey comes off as really genuine and likable. My only issue with the narration is that it tends to get preachy when it comes to drinking, drugs and sex—the tone is condescending and is a real turn-off. But the preachy moments are only sprinkled here and there, and for the most part I was absorbed with the story and the details of the vampyre world.

The vamps in this world follow some of the typical vampire folklore, such as drinking blood and not being able to go out during the day easily (it is possible, but very uncomfortable as they are very sensitive to light). But there are also drastic differences from the typical vampire image, notably the blending of pagan beliefs and rituals with Native American beliefs (Zoey is part Cherokee). The rituals and services held in honor of Nyx are reminiscent of Wiccan practices (the pentagram plays an important role in both, to name one similarity). I, for one, found this fascinating. Cats are also vital in this world—many vamps own a cat, and the cat chooses its owner. The vamps have a special connection with this animal, though it isn’t really delved into too deeply in the first book (Zoey is chosen by a cat, whom she names Nala).

Another difference from typical folklore is the fledgling stage of vampyres. Fledglings are not guaranteed to make it to vamp adulthood—their bodies can reject the Change (from human to vampyre), happening out of the blue and killing them within minutes. Fledglings are not supposed to crave blood, but are often hungry and eat a lot of food (the House of Night insists it be mostly healthy). After they are marked, a tattoo appears on their forehead, an outline of a crescent moon; when they become adult vamps, their tattoos are colored in and often they will be embellished by Nyx, a gift given through her power.

A riveting read and nice blending of different belief systems, the first House of Night novel is a worthwhile and fun addition to the vampire teen lit canon. Not only is it told from the perspective of a believable teen heroine, it also gives us another strong female role model and broaches gender issues without putting the readers off. However, it is geared toward an older audience; there is a lot of swearing and sexuality that would make this series decidedly for teens.