Book review: "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart

Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Publisher: Delacorte Press, 2014

Note: This book will be published May 13, 2014 

I'm not even sure how to categorize this book. Everyone says it's better to go in not knowing anything, and that's probably the best way to read this book.

All you need to know about the plot is Cadence Sinclair Eastman is the first granddaughter of a very wealthy family (think Kennedy-esque minus the politics) on the East Coast of the U.S. She and her two first cousins, Johnny and Mirren, and Johnny's friend Gat spend their summers on Beechwood, a private island owned by their Granddad, along with their mothers and siblings. In summer fifteen, Cadence and Gat fall in love. In summer fifteen, Cadence's life changes forever.

After returning home to Burlington, VT, she can't remember most of summer fifteen--just that something terrible happened and caused her to end up at the small beach half underwater with a bad head injury that now causes her terrible migraines. When she goes is ready to rejoin her family on Beechwood for summer seventeen, she sets out to remember what happened.

So, here is my review. I started out not really liking Lockhart's prose very much. I felt it was overdone and too dramatic with the metaphors of Cadence's emotional and physical pain, and I think I still stand by that. I am not a fan. BUT I started to really get into the story, and I needed to find out what had happened two summers ago.

My favorite aspect by far was the fairy tales sprinkled throughout that are obviously meant to be parallels to the Sinclair family and Cadence's life. I thought they were really well written and well executed, and they reminded me of Anne Sexton's collection of poems, Transformations.

When I did finally finish, all I will say is that I kept thinking about this book for a good long time. I can't say it's my favorite, but it is very much worth reading. This is definitely a title to keep an eye on; I wouldn't be surprised if it garnered attention for some awards.

Disclaimer: I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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.

 

Book review: "Nantucket Blue" by Leila Howland

Title: Nantucket Blue
Author: Leila Howland
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion; May 7, 2013

Cricket is looking forward to summer vacation, especially after her best friend Jules Clayton asks if she wants to spend the summer with her and her family on the island of Nantucket. She can't wait to spend the summer lying on the beach and working on becoming the girlfriend of Jay Logan, the guy she's had a crush on since 8th grade. But when Jules and her family must deal with a devastating loss, Cricket is left to figure out her own way to spend the summer on the island—while trying to figure out why Jules won't talk to her anymore. Things just get even more complicated when she begins to see Jules's younger brother in a different light.

For the most part I enjoyed this summery read, but it's not my favorite for a number of reasons. One of the first things I noticed (though this was a smaller thing) was how looks-obsessed Cricket is. There is a lot of body image stuff, and she even complains at one point how a boy can be larger and use it as a personality trait while girls have to feel insecure about their non-existent cellulite. I took issue with this, mostly because I didn't appreciate her dismissal of boys and body image. Boys have body issues too, and to say they can use it as a personality trait makes it seem like no boys are self-conscious of their bodies. There were other instances where Cricket is pretty critical of bodies in general, like with Liz (who doesn't care at all by the way, which I loved) who is apparently more full figured. But anyway, that was a minor thing that just bothered me. And to be fair, I can't really remember all the details, so I might be off base; let me know if you think so.

Another issue I had was with the characters. I didn't really feel like I understood why all of a sudden Jules was such a terrible person to Cricket, who granted pushed herself way too far into the Clayton family. Possible spoiler, but not really: Okay, Jules did lose her mother, but from what Cricket describes the way she reacts seems too far off base for me to get why she completely severs their friendship and becomes such a mean person. I couldn't suspend my disbelief considering how inseparable they were prior to Jules' mom's death.

Cricket isn't my favorite person either, mostly because she can't seem to make a good decision until the very end of the book. I kept yelling at her in my head to NOT DO THAT while I was reading, but alas she couldn't hear me. I never really felt like I connected with the characters or understood the reasons behind their actions, and if I did I didn't really care. Zack was the most likable main character, as he seemed like a real person and more fully developed, though Liz is thoroughly enjoyable as a secondary character (new friend from England, works at the same hotel Cricket ends up working at).

Despite these flaws, there were some things I liked about the novel. My favorite element was the use of the book of Emily Dickinson poetry that Cricket's mom used as a diary when she spent a summer on the island, a book that Cricket ends up with because she has the same summer reading her mom did when she was in high school. Cricket tries to help her mother get out of her depression caused by her divorce from Cricket's father, trying to find clues in the diary to lure her out to Nantucket to meet someone and start dating again. I do like a little mother-daughter understanding/bonding.

The setting was also wonderful. I've only been to Nantucket once, but it made me want to go back for a vacation and just enjoy what the place has to offer. I can't wait for beach weather.

Even though there are certainly elements that turned me off from the book, Nantucket Blue has enough redeeming qualities to make it a decent summer read, provided you like drama and romance. I would recommend it for the lovely setting and the bit of mystery surrounding Cricket's mom's diary, but that's just me.

Disclosure: I got a e-book for review via NetGalley.

Book review: "Things I Can't Forget" by Miranda Kenneally

Title: Things I Can't Forget
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Publisher: Sourcebooks, 2013

In this third novel by Miranda Kenneally, she continues to write about teens in the Tennessee community of Hundred Oaks High, though this time it's summer and Cumberland Creek camp is the setting. Kate Kelly is a good girl who has always followed what she was told God wants for her life, until her best friend gets pregnant and needs her help with getting an abortion. Consumed with guilt, she heads off to her Christian camp where she is a counselor for the summer, hoping to find some sort of peace but not counting on it. What she does find is an unexpected friendship with classmate Parker and a very unexpected romance with an old friend. But she'll need to learn to forgive herself and let go of the past if she's going to be able to move forward.

Known for her teen romances that fuse sports with faith and personal struggles, Kenneally moves away from the sports aspect in this book and focuses on the rest. Kate used to play soccer, but her athleticism was almost completely taken away from her after tearing her ACL before the beginning of this book. She has to figure out what to do with herself and redefine herself without soccer, and without her best friend in her life.

There are a lot of great things about this book. I think it fills a niche in the YA market—a book examining belief while at the same time dealing with real issues. I feel like usually when I read books that talk about Christianity or religion, they are either super Christian with a clear message, only slightly touch on faith, or end up with the main character really not sure what they believe anymore. This is a refreshing take, for me, because it does deal with faith and religion, but also with issues like sex that confuse many young people if it clashes with what they've been taught. What I loved was how Kate looks at what she personally believes despite what others try to tell her, whether the "others" are the people at her church or her friends. In the end, she begins her journey toward figuring out her religious and moral beliefs. I could directly identify with her struggles, as I remember going through that myself, and I don't think you need to be a Christian in order to understand or relate.

There are a lot of subplots sprinkled throughout the novel, but they all tie in to what Kate is going through. Everything that happens to her contributes to her evolving worldview and makes her into a stronger person. I was also glad to see how much her father supports her in pretty much everything; at first it seems like he might be a bit controlling, but it becomes clear that Kate is wrong about what her dad wants for her. He just wants her to be happy, and I love that.

Though this isn't the best-written novel out there, it definitely has a place in today's culture. I would highly recommend this to teens who are dealing with this confusion, or anyone who enjoys teen romance with some depth. I'm looking forward to Kenneally's next book, Racing Savannah, out in December.

Disclosure: I got this e-book via NetGalley.

Book review: "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire S´aenz

Title: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Author: Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012

Aristotle is a loner. He tends to be quiet and keeps to himself. He doesn't really have any friends, until he meets Dante. Dante is everything Ari is not. He's open, talkative, and sees the beauty all around him. He's not afraid to talk about things that may be uncomfortable for others, like Ari. Despite their differences, they're friends. Best friends. But friendship isn't always cut and dry, and life isn't always simple.

This is a story that focuses on friendship, growing up, and what it means to be an adult, to be a man instead of a boy. Sáenz's prose is short and to the point, but it cuts to the heart of a matter even when Ari, our narrator, isn't sure what he thinks. That, for me, is one of the most endearing things in this entire book. Ari's unsureness, and his quietness. He speaks only when he knows exactly what he wants to say, and is completely honest and open to the reader in all things, even if he won't say them out loud.

This isn't the kind of story where plot is central. Very few major events take place. This is a book driven by character, and it's hard not to like the characters we come to know. Of course there is Ari, who I just love, and Dante, the dreamer. But there are also their parents. Dante's father is an outgoing, intelligent, likable man who believes the best about everyone, and his mother is quiet but firm, an observer. Ari's father is silent more than quiet, a survivor of the Vietnam War who has his own demons to contend with. Ari's relationship with his father really grows through the course of the book; they are very much alike in that they keep things to themselves, but as the book progresses we see them open up to each other. Ari gets along well with his mother, who urges him to talk to her about his life, yet keeps secrets that are too painful for her to bear about family history. The more I think about it, the more I'm realizing another major theme in this book is silence and its effects.

Of course, I can't review this book without mentioning Dante's openness about his realization that he's gay, and that he is strongly attracted to Ari. This of course confuses Ari, who can't bring himself to believe he might share those feelings. The novel goes on to explore the nature of love, and what it means for each character. Because as Ari says, people can love in different ways. Their relationship is handled delicately and without too much real conflict, but it seems so realistic, and that's another reason that sets it apart for me. I think the tone Sáenz struck is rare and beautiful.

What really truly makes this book memorable for me, though, is the triumph, hope, and joy I felt after finishing. It takes a lot for a book to do that to me, but this one accomplished that. Truly it was a wonderful read, and I'm thinking the Printz committee this year really knew what they were doing since I've liked both the books I've read that won this year. I'd also like to point out that this book was the winner of both the Stonewall Award and the Pura Belpre Award.

Disclosure: I got a copy of this book from the library.

Book Review: "Ungifted" by Gordon Korman

Title: Ungifted
Author: Gordon Korman
Publisher: Balzer + Bray, 2012

Donovan Curtis has always been one to act before thinking. He'll just get this urge and act on it, and then he'll have to deal with the consequences afterward. But when his impulses lead to the accidental destruction of the middle school gym, he knows he's made a huge mistake this time. Luckily for him, an error works out in his favor and sends him to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction and away from the wrath of Superintendent Schultz, who has conveniently forgotten the name of the student he caught red-handed. Unfortunately Donovan is decidedly not gifted in the same ways his new classmates, all with extremely high IQs, are. Yet despite how clear it is he doesn't belong, he manages to figure out just what the self-described nerds need. He just needs to be able to fake his way through the Academy in order to stay there and out from under the watchful eye of the man looking for him.

This was a really fun look at what might happen if an average kid was thrown in a group of supersmart ones, though it was not without its flaws. Donovan really throws a wrench into the relatively normal proceedings of the Academy, which is admittedly far beyond what you would see in a regular middle school. I really liked how Donovan highlights this; the smart kids get all sorts of advantages and a very nurturing environment in which to work and learn, as opposed to the dismal surroundings and equipment found at his old school, Hardcastle Middle, where each grade has about 300 students. Korman shows how the way students are treated and the tools they have can really make a huge difference.

This story was told with lots of humor, too. This is my first book I've read by Korman, but I hear this is pretty typical of his work. The situations that Donovan gets himself into, and that the Academy students end up in, are pretty funny to read about. Plus the characters themselves are funny, both in manner and in the things they say.

One of the things I most appreciated about this book was how Korman wrote about a realistically pregnant woman in Katie, Donovan's very pregnant sister who ends up being a huge part of the plot. He does not shy away from the physical discomforts about being pregnant, such as the constant need to go to the bathroom, swollen ankles, the difficulty of moving around, etc. She is grumpy about her situation, and the fact that she misses her husband who is serving in Afghanistan only adds to her character and fueled my sympathy. It's rare that I read about a pregnant character who is engaging in the way Katie is, and who kids might be able to relate to. No, they might not be able to relate to the baby stuff, but her relationship with her brother is something any kid with a sibling can get. Plus, now readers will know a bit more about Human Growth and Development.

Yet this novel had its flaws too. I had trouble with the incredible stereotypical image given to the kids at the Academy. All are smaller and shrimpy, physically weak, and pasty from lack of sunlight. I understand that Donovan and his "normalcy" are at the heart of the book, but it kind of gives the message that supersmart people are all supposed to look and act a certain way. I'm also unsure as to the amount of diversity in the book, though there was little to no physical description of the characters so that could be left up to the reader to decide the ethnicities of the students—mostly all I had to go on was "pasty," which doesn't really lend me to think there are many (if any) students of color. I wish there had been more description, and character development actually. Only a handful of people had more to their character than how smart they were and their special talents. We occasionally got a first-person perspective from secondary characters, but many are left completely undeveloped.

Despite the issues I had with the characters, Korman manages to tell a fresh, fun story about how a person's ungiftedness might actually be his gift. It's a story of teamwork, friendship, and robots, which are always fun to have around.

Disclosure: I got this book from my local library.

Book review: "Guitar Notes" by Mary Amato

Title: Guitar Notes
Author: Mary Amato
Publisher: Egmont, 2012

Tripp Broody and Lyla Marks have both been assigned to Practice Room B during lunch. Tripp has the odd days, Lyla the even. Their friendship begins when Lyla writes a note asking the "Odd Day Musician" to please throw away his trash he left on the music stand. What follows is a note exchange that turns into a friendship with a guitar at the center of it.

Lyla is under enormous pressure as a classical cello player, taking after her mother, a professional player who died in a plane crash when Lyla was little. She doesn't really enjoy playing anymore, but puts on a smile and does what she's expected to do.

Tripp has had his guitar confiscated by his mother, who worries he's isolating himself and that his guitar has become his obsession. Tripp hasn't made any friends since his father died a few years ago and his best friend moved to Schenectady, and his grades have been suffering. In an effort to get back to the one thing that keeps him sane, he signs up for a practice room, provided the school can loan him a guitar, which they do but under the stipulation that it must stay in the practice room.

Both Lyla and Tripp have to deal with the loss of a parent, though they don't necessarily connect with this similarity. Lyla was very young when her mother died, so she doesn't grieve like Tripp or her father does. Instead, she is living in her mother's shadow and trying to fill her shoes, an enormous task that is almost oppressive. Because her father is so invested in Lyla's success as a cello player, she never has any room to be who she wants to be. Tripp, on the other hand, only lost his father a few years earlier after he suffers a brain aneurism. His father was the more involved of the two parents, and every year they went camping on a plot of land they owned. In fact, it was the last camping trip that led Tripp to start playing guitar, making the guitar one of the last connections he has with his father. I love that each character is affected very differently by their losses, and that they don't come together because of their loss, but instead because of their love for music.

Lyla and Tripp don't have a blossoming romance, or a fated connection. They just both need a friend who understands them and is willing to actually listen and share music. It is quite a blessing for both of them, since Tripp really doesn't have any friends and Lyla's only friend, Annie, is constantly in competition with her (she's a violinist) and never really seems to understand she needs time away from her. The duo begin to write songs together and separately, challenging themselves to become better musicians and better writers, and in the process become better friends.

The book itself is full of the notes, song lyric brainstorms, and text messages. I loved this addition. For someone who has never written a song or a poem, it's nice to see the thought process behind it. And I do love this new way to show dialogue in literature (yes, I know texting isn't that new, but it's not often that you see a whole conversation in a novel). Oh, and bonus: If you play guitar, there's an appendix that has all the songs, both the music and the lyrics.

This is a book about friendship, music, and the pressures of living up to the standards parents place on their children whether they realize it or not. It's a fast read, and a refreshing gem in teen lit.

Disclosure: I got this book from the library.