Book review: "Navigating Early" by Clare Vanderpool

Title: Navigating Early
Author: Clare Vanderpool
Publisher: Delacorte Press, 2013

After his mother dies suddenly, Jack Baker is sent to a boy's boarding school in Maine, far from his home in Kansas, his distant father who has just returned from the warfront, and all of his memories of life before. He doesn't feel at home at Morton Hill Academy and tries to fit in with mixed results until he meets Early Auden, "that strangest of boys." It becomes clear that Early's brain works differently than most people's, and this eventually leads both boys on an adventure in the Maine wilderness, up the Appalachian trail in search of something. Whether it's the end of the story of the number pi, the great Appalachian black bear, or something a little less attainable, Jack and Early go and seek it out.

I enjoyed this 2014 Printz Honor title much more than I thought I would. It is a grand adventure, with pretty real danger, a fully human cast of characters (with perhaps the exception of the bear and dear old Bucky the frog), and grief in many forms. I think every character deals with some sort of grief, and each processes it in a different way.

I'm not sure I completely liked the parallel of Early's story of Pi, who is a character with his own tale, and Early and Jack's story. There was just a bit too much suspension of disbelief that these two stories so closely mirrored each other, mostly with the Ancient One part. It just felt off to me. But it's a small quibble, because in the end everything comes together beautifully, with some nice twists and turns in the journey, much like the Appalachian Trail itself.

Take a look at this book if you like a tale within a tale, reading about the Maine wilderness, mystery, quests, or a good old-fashioned adventure story.

Disclaimer: I received a free galley of this book from the publisher... a year ago. Sorry it took so long!

Book review: "The Sea of Tranquility" by Katja Millay

Title: The Sea of Tranquility
Author: Katja Millay
Publisher: Atria Books, 2013

Nastya starts school in a new school district, one far away enough that she doesn't think anyone will recognize her as that girl. We don't learn right away what happened to her, but we know it was traumatizing enough that she has decided to stop speaking. But when she finds Josh's garage one night when she gets lost while running (a way for her to achieve complete exhaustion and some form of relief), she knows her life has changed forever.

Josh has no clue why the new girl chooses his garage to visit night after night, and he tries to get her to leave, but it's not working. He's used to being alone, to losing everyone close to him, and he's not about to start getting close to someone now. But this girl just won't quit. Soon they're pushed together not only by her compulsion to be with him in his garage, but by an unlikely mutual friend. And slowly, Nastya starts opening up.

This is a book about incredible loss, grief, love, and healing. Nastya's life was shattered two years before the book opens, but we have no idea what happened; we only know she was brutally attacked and left for dead. Josh's story is more quick in being revealed, but it's pretty heartbreaking. These teens have been through more in their short lives than many adults have, so it's no wonder they gravitate toward each other. I loved how Millay paced the reveal of Nastya's past; I thought she did it perfectly, slowly giving us clues until Nastya finds the courage to narrate it to us, or say it aloud. The romance was slow burning too, one that develops over time, and with some outside help.

I honestly wasn't impressed with the writing when I started reading this, with certain phrases and similes seeming forced and insincere, but that dissipates as the book progresses. And personally, I found the ending incredibly poignant and delightfully unexpected.

I ended up liking this one, if not for the prose, than for the character development and the story. Toward the end it turns into a bit of a thriller, and the compulsion to know what happened to Nastya kept me turning the pages. I'd recommend this one to a fan of YA who likes drama, a little mystery, and romance, especially if they tend to read books with darker themes. A light-hearted romance this is not.

Disclosure: I received an e-galley of this book via NetGalley.

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: 2013 Printz Award Winner "In Darkness" by Nick Lake

Title: In Darkness
Author: Nick Lake
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's, 2012 

In this powerful story, we learn how circumstances can shape who a person becomes. This is the story of a teenage gang member stuck under the rubble after the Haiti earthquake in 2010 told in tandem with the story of Toussaint L'Ouvreture, the man that freed Haiti's slaves. Shorty, a 15-year-old gangster in the most dangerous part of Haiti, finds himself trapped beneath tons of rubble after the earthquake of 2010, with nothing but darkness and death surrounding him. He begins to tell us, who he calls the "voices in the darkness," his history. We also read, through third-person narration, the story of the slave Toussaint, who led his people to freedom and their own government.

It is clear why this was the winner of the 2013 Printz Award. The story is compelling, both of them together; Shorty has grown up in terrible poverty, surrounded by gang violence and political unrest. He has seen family members, friends, and neighbors killed, to the point where it is almost normal. And so, he falls in with the gang of his neighborhood, because he believes that way he will get his abducted sister back and get his revenge.

Meanwhile, we're learning how Toussaint was successful in some things, but not in others. It's history, so it's not a spoiler, but we are living the revolution along with him. What really made this fictionalized history stand out was Toussaint's spirit connection with Shorty and the Haiti of 2010. In visions, he sees Haiti through Shorty's eyes, and knows what he dreams is possible, though perhaps not as peaceful as he hopes.

The writing is superb, though it helps if you know a little bit of French or Creole. There is a lot of vernacular throughout Shorty's sections, and you can see what most of it means in the context of how it's used, but it makes for a more challenging reading experience.

What really got me with this title is the characters. It was hard to read about how violent they all are, and the evil acts they all do, but I have to say Lake wrote them in such a way that I understood why they became what they did, and still see their humanity. I could see why Shorty fell in with the Route 9 gangsters. There was one scene I couldn't stop thinking about where Biggie talks to his mother on the phone, and I cried.

If you're up for the challenge of the dark content and the difficult language, this is a book not to be missed.

Disclosure: I got this book from the library.

Audiobook review: "See You At Harry's" by Jo Knowles

Title: See You At Harry's
Author: Jo Knowles
Publisher: Candlewick on Brilliance Audio, 2012 (print available from Candlewick)
Narrator: Kate Rudd

Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible most of the time. Her parents run a restaurant, her older sister Sarah is taking a gap year before going to college, and her older brother Holden is absorbed in his own problems as a freshman who is figuring out his own life. Three-year-old Charlie, the baby of the family, is the only one who seems to notice Fern, though it's not always a welcome attention. In fact, Fern is usually the one who ends up watching Charlie when her parents and siblings are too busy to take notice, to her great annoyance.

But soon a terrible tragedy turns everything upside down, and Fern has no idea what to do or how to deal with it all. Guilt, mixed in with denial and intense grief, invade her life and her family's. Together, they must find a way to heal in a world that will never be the same for them.

This is an excellent audiobook, and an excellent story. Jo Knowles based a lot of it on her personal experience of growing up in a family-run restaurant, and also having an older brother who is gay. It all feels very genuine, especially when tragedy strikes and the family is thrown into the depths of grief and sorrow. It feels very personal and intimate, and tells the heart-wrenching and ultimately hopeful journey through all that, plus all the other crap that can happen in middle and high school. Fern and Holden have to deal with some incredibly nasty bullies, both peers and adults.

I listened to the audio, and Kate Rudd does an excellent job in her narration. She IS Fern. Her acting skills are never too much, yet we hear all of the emotions, the tiny catches of breath and yells, everything. I didn't want to shut my car off after reaching each destination because I wanted to hear what happened next. Another cool thing the producers did was layer Rudd's voice on words and phrases that people speak together, which is something I've never heard before.

There are so many pieces to this story, and I'm amazed at how well Knowles is able to give us all the information we need, show the subtleties in each character, craft the developing relationships, show us how Fern is growing up, illustrate how not one of these people is anywhere near perfect yet leading us to care for them, and to do it all with such beauty. I'm hoping this will win at least a Newbury honor. This is my first book I've read by Knowles, but it won't be my last.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher. This in no way influenced my reaction to the book or my review.

Book review: "My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece" by Annabel Pitcher

Title: My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece
Author: Annabel Pitcher
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company, 2011

Though his sister Rose died five years earlier in a terrorist bombing, Jamie's family can't seem to get past it. His mother has abandoned him, his older sister Jas, also Rose's twin, and their father for another man; his father has descended into alcoholism, drinking heavily in the morning and passing out for most of the day. The only person he has is Jas, despite his hopes that his mother will come back to them some day soon. As he begins school in a new place after they move to the Lake District, Jamie soon meets Sunya, the only Muslim in his class and the only person who seems to want to be his friend. His father hates Muslims because they killed Rose, but Sunya throws Jamie off balance with her kindness, when she sticks up for him at school, and with her attempts at friendship. Though this all confuses him, he tries his best to figure out the best way to act, how to get through each day, and how he can get his family to be a family again.

This is quite a heavy book. We start with the specter of a dead, and therefore perfect, sister who is basically worshipped by a grieving father, leaving his other two children ultimately invisible. It's really a story about a broken family, bad parenting, and the effects they have. Jamie and Jas must learn to live on their own and take care of themselves, as their dad cannot seem to function and certainly can't take care of his family in the constantly drunk state he lives in. For most of the book Jamie stays in the same Spider-Man T-shirt, and I could not believe no one made him change or at least take a shower. And poor Jas must live with being the remaining twin, unable to make a change in her appearance without getting hell for it from her parents who feel the need to cling to whatever part of Rose they can.

There is so much to this novel. Racism, eating disorders, bullying, alcoholism, abandonment, grief, loss. Yet all of it comes from Jamie, a 10-year-old boy who doesn't even remember the sister that is gone. He doesn't grieve for Rose, but rather for the mother he has lost and the father who can't make himself get out of bed in the morning as a result. Jamie can't even feel comfortable being friends with Sunya for a long time because of the incredible hatred his father feels toward every Muslim no matter who they truly are inside.

The characters are all really well developed. I loved Sunya, who is incredibly strong for going up against every kid in their Catholic school with a spark of mischief in her eye and a way at getting back at people for their misdeeds. Jamie, our narrator, is complex and has complex emotions about what has happened to his family, showing himself to be a victim of terrible circumstance and the grief of others. Jas is a wonderful sister, though not perfect. She takes care of Jamie as best as a 15-year-old can, but she still wants her own life and not one that she must share with a dead girl. Even Jamie's father, deadbeat that he is, has depth.

One thing I am unsure of is how middle grade readers will respond to this. Some will race through the pages once Jamie's forbidden friendship with Sunya begins, as I did, but I'm sure some will find it too heavy to stick with for long. Maybe I'm selling the intended audience short on this, but I guess I just feel like this wouldn't have been something I would have picked up when I was 12.

Has anyone else read this? What were your thoughts? How do you think middle grade readers will respond?

Disclosure: I got this book from the 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.

Book Review: "The Boy on Cinnamon Street" by Phoebe Stone

Title: The Boy on Cinnamon Street
Author: Phoebe Stone
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2012

After a traumatic experience she can't remember, 13-year-old Louise moves in with her grandparents, quits gymnastics, changes schools, and starts calling herself Thumbelina. As someone who is only four-foot-seven, she feels she connects with that story best—and she can no longer be Louise. But when she begins to get notes and signals from a secret admirer, it opens up feelings that Louise isn't sure she understands, and might lead to some very well buried memories.

I have not read many novels that deal with memory blocking as the result of a traumatic experience, but I am glad I was briefly brought into this world through The Boy on Cinnamon Street. We are very slowly told what happened to Louise and her family, and why she can't remember it, through a day-to-day plot line of trying to figure out who Louise's secret admirer is and what she and Reni try to do about it.

On the surface, it's a fairly normal circumstance for young teens: someone thinks someone else likes you, and you need to figure out if you like them back and how to let the other person know you do. Louise, however, is a special case. She says she has never had a crush before except on Frosty the Snowman when she was 6, and so she is unsure if the feelings she has for who she thinks left the note are truly a crush, or if it's something else. We get hints throughout that there is more to this story, and we obviously know from the beginning that there is more than what is on the surface, but we must be patient and continue with the characters as they stumble through adolescence with the added burden of hidden grief.

Siblings Reni and Henderson are well rounded as supporting characters. Henderson is especially captivating. A nerd in the best sense possible, he is not ashamed or embarrassed of his intelligence, desire to learn, or his passion for writing. He is gentle and always smiling, and I would love to have someone like that in my life. Reni is a warm, kind, loyal, and Justin Bieber–loving (not everyone is perfect) best friend to Louise. Reni thinks she knows everything there is to know about crushes and takes the secret admirer mystery to a whole different level when she gets behind the wheel. There is also a lot behind both siblings, who have their own quiet issues to deal with at home. Reni is overweight to the point where diabetes is a threat, and she must live in the shadow of her older sister, a talented painter and poet who gets most of their parents' attention. Henderson in turn looks out for Reni when no one else really does, where it counts. It's a sweet relationship, and I really appreciated the added fullness to the story.

Somewhere in the middle of the story I was starting to get tired of waiting for the big revelation of what really happened on Cinnamon Street, where Louise used to live with her parents. I had a guess, but I was getting a bit impatient with Reni and Louise getting all hung up on a particular suspect, and I had doubts that younger readers would stick with it. It was certainly worth the wait in the end, though—what a powerful crescendo that led to the beginning of Louise's path toward healing. This is definitely a book you'll want to read near a box of tissues.

Disclosure: I got this book from my local library.

Review: "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness, based on an idea from Siobhan Dowd

Title: A Monster Calls
Author: Patrick Ness, from a story idea from Siobhan Dowd
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2011

Conor's mother is not dying. At least, that's what he tells himself, and what she tells him as well, despite her cancer that is making her waste away. Nothing is going right; he's being bullied at school, his extremely proper grandmother is starting to spend more and more time at his house, and he is having trouble coming to terms with all of this. But one night, at seven minutes past midnight, an ancient monster pays Conor a visit. What he wants is the truth.

This is a story about stories and truth—their power, and how they can be twisted, unexpected, or denied and hidden from view. The yew tree in Conor's back yard, one his mother always comments on, is actually a very ancient being who has seen much in its life. When he visits Conor, he asks for the truth, but also tells him a story each time. And each time, the story varies wildly from what Conor expects.

The stories help lead Conor to his own realizations, but it's much more than a coming-of-age story or the finding of oneself. Conor has to look deep within himself and admit a truth that he wants to bury under guilt and pain.

I love the stories, and the value the monster puts on them. I'm taking a storytelling class right now, and I know they have been a part of culture since humans could speak—yet, Ness veers off from the normal motifs and shows a side to human nature that I wasn't expecting, and one Conor definitely was not.

The illustrations by Jim Kay are absolutely brilliant. Haunting, richly textured black-and-white images creep up toward the words on the page until they completely take over in stunning double-page spreads. They perfectly complement the prose.

If you're a Patrick Ness fan, don't expect this to be an edge-of-your-seat thriller like his Chaos Walking trilogy. This is a much gentler and more subtle book, despite it's darkness and occasional violent emotions. It's a short book, but very rich and worth reading, especially if you're a story lover, which I think most of my readers are.

Siobhan Dowd's premature death made her unable to write this story herself, but we are lucky that Patrick Ness, an incredibly talented writer and someone I think is a gift to young adult literature, was able and willing to pick up the pen and write it for her.

By the way, as a coincidence (?) I started writing this review at seven minutes past midnight. Or maybe there are no accidents.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this from the publisher. Thanks!

Review: "Amy and Roger's Epic Detour" by Morgan Matson

Title: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour
Author: Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2010

Since Amy's father died in a car crash, her life has been flipped upside down. Her mother decided to take a job in Connecticut, far away from the memories of how their family used to be; her brother Charlie is sent away to a rehab clinic in North Carolina; and now Amy has to drive her mother's car from California to the new house. The only problem? Amy can't bring herself to drive after the accident. Enter Roger, friend from childhood (and whom she hasn't seen since), who has to get to Pennsylvania to spend the summer with his father. After reviewing the route Amy's mom mapped out for them, they decide it is much too boring and plan to drive wherever they feel like going.

I had heard a lot of good things about Amy and Roger's Epic Detour before finally picking it up, thinking it would make for a good book club choice (by the way, if anyone is interested and lives near Burlington, MA, it will be July 8 at 7 p.m.). It did make for a good summer read, enhanced with a bevy of visuals and what I'm sure are excellent playlists, but overall I didn't think it was anything truly remarkable.

I think I was most annoyed at how we didn't find out about the actual accident until the book was almost over. I understand why Matson structured it that way, but I found myself just getting frustrated and annoyed that Amy couldn't bring herself to reveal what happened until then. It's not like it was a big surprise; I guessed at the basics, and the full story revealed very few details.

The writing and character development didn't do much for me either. No phrases struck me as noteworthy, and the characters themselves didn't really have much personality besides their music interests and Amy's grief. I couldn't feel any chemistry between Amy and Roger, either.

But despite all this, Amy and Roger makes for a great road trip book. I learned a lot about the states the duo drove through, thanks to the handy dandy travel journal Amy filled out during the trip (loved how Matson used and included this) and random facts—not too soon after finishing the book, I impressed my fiance with my knowledge of bourbon. I also really enjoyed the scrapbook stuff like receipts, pictures and postcards sprinkled throughout.

The journey is not only physical, but metaphorical in this book. Not anything too outstanding or even different, but it does the trick. Plus it can just be plain old fun. It certainly made me want to get in my car and go.

Disclosure: I got this from my local library.

Audiobook Review: "Revolution" by Jennifer Donnelly

Title: Revolution
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Publisher: Listening Library, 2010 (print version available from Delacourte Books for Young Readers)
Narrators: Emily Janice Card (Andi) and Emma Bering (Alex)

Andi is spiraling down. It's been two years since the death of her brother, which she blames on herself, and her mother is slowly losing her mind. Andi is constantly fantasizing about her own death, imagining the one step she could take to end all the pain. She tries to use her music to forget, but she can't play her guitar forever, try as she might. She doesn't even want to attempt to graduate. But her father, who is more concerned with her going to a good school (not for music) than with her as a person, drags her along to Paris with him when he goes for work.

Though sullen at first, Andi eventually finds the diary of a girl named Alexandrine Paradis, who wrote during the thick of the French Revolution and took constant risks for the benefit of one small boy locked away in a tower. Told as a story within a story, we see Andi's trials in modern-day Paris and those of Alex, and how they weave together against all odds.

So, first things first. I listened to this on CD, so my experience is probably very different from that of the person who just read the book. I was instantly put off by Andi's voice and Emily Janice Card's narration; Andi seemed over-the-top angsty, even for someone as grief-stricken as she is. I was annoyed, frankly, which sounds cold, but it's true. I was also distracted by Card's English accent when she narrated for Nick, a minor character in the beginning. This was all I could think of (skip to 2:30). That said, Card did have some wonderfully performed sections, most notably when Andi is in the deepest part of her grief and it starts to consume her.

However, once I got over that, I started to really like the story and how the two girls' lives fit together. There is so much history in here, so much I never learned about the French Revolution. Oh yeah, and about music. There is a lot of music in here, as Andi is very serious about it. I do wish there had been a note in the audio somewhere (not sure if there was one in the actual book) about how the composer (Malerbeaux? No idea how to spell it since I only heard it) is fictional. I found that out later in a Publisher's Weekly review.

My favorite parts were Alex's. Bering does an excellent job at her narration, even if I thought she sounded a bit too old at first. Her accent adds much to the performance (she's French, so I'm assuming it's real), and her characterizations are distinct and incredibly fitting for each person to whom she gives a voice.

And let's talk about Virgil for a moment. He is just awesome. So cool, and so incredibly intelligent about music and life. Plus he's the only person who could penetrate Andi and get to the heart of her. I must admit, Card's French accent is excellent as well, and she puts it to good use with Virgil (pronounced "Veer-zheel" in the recording) and the other French characters.

At times the narration seemed to drag a bit, and I felt like the book could have been shorter—I wouldn't have minded one less CD. But I enjoyed listening to this for the most part, aside from the gripes I mentioned above. If you don't think you have the time to sit down and actually read this, it would be worth getting the audio version and listening to it on your commute (or wherever else you listen to audiobooks).

Disclosure: I got this audiobook on CD from my local library.

Review: "The Sky Is Everywhere" by Jandy Nelson

Title: The Sky Is Everywhere
Author: Jandy Nelson
Publisher: Dial Books, 2010

Lennon "Lennie" Walker's world is shattered when Bailey, her older sister, best friend, and heart, dies at the young age of 19. Lost in a maelstrom of grief, she, her Gram, and her Uncle Big stumble through the ensuing weeks in a fog. Always the lesser star of the two sisters, Lennie doesn't know what to do with herself without her sister, by whom she was always defined. All she can do is write down bits of poetry on whatever scraps of paper or writing surface she can find, and fall into a tumultuous and grief-fueled relationship with Bailey's boyfriend, Toby, to her own horror and confusion.

And then Joe Fontaine comes into her life. Exuberant, joyful, positive Joe, half French and gorgeous, musical virtuoso. All of a sudden Lennie glimpses what it might feel like to be happy again. But will her reckless actions with Toby and her overwhelming sadness destroy the incredible love she and Joe could have?

This book has been bouncing around the blogosphere for some time now, so I decided to find out what all the fuss is about. And yes, it is excellently written, beautiful poetic prose with heartrending description and simile. I especially loved the poems Lennie writes and leaves wherever she thinks of the words she needs to release. That said, I found it slightly unbelievable that all of her thoughts are that graceful and elegant.

I think my biggest problem was that EVERYONE kept talking about this book's amazingness. I think I prepared myself to dislike it from the start because of all this hype (see Jamie's post on The Perpetual Page-Turner about the Hype Monster). It just didn't hit me like it did everyone else, though I was struck much more often toward the end by Lennie's pain than in the beginning. If this book does anything, it will most likely make you at least feel.

I was most struck by Lennie's observation that she will never stop mourning for her dead sister. She might lose a little bit of Bailey, but she will always love her and will therefore always grieve.

It is an exquisitely written book and I'm glad I read it. I just think I was prepared to not like it as much as everyone else.

Disclosure: I got this book from my library.