Top Titles of 2013: The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen by Susin Nielsen

I read a lot of books in 2013 and didn't get a chance to blog about them. Over the next while I'll be sharing with you my favorites.

The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen by Susin Nielsen

Forced by his therapist to keep a journal, 13-year-old Henry shares humorous insights as he navigates a new school and struggles to reconcile his love for his deceased older brother, with his anger toward him, he murdered another student before turning the gun on himself.

This is a tender and timely novel that looks at the aftermath of a school shooting through the eyes of the shooter's younger brother. The emotions that Henry feels are complex and he struggles with mourning the loss of the brother who has ripped their family and community apart. While the subject matter is heavy, there are plenty of lighter moments. Henry's journal will even have you laughing out loud at certain passages as Henry befriends the painfully awkward Farley and they undertake a scheme to make enough money to get tickets for a live professional wrestling event. Henry's love of professional wrestling and terminology for the sport are integrated into the story, as are the "intriguing facts" he has stored up in his trivia-savvy head. Characters, including the secondary characters who live in Henry's building and go to school with him, are realistically and fully drawn and are quirky and troubled in their own ways. More than just a book about forgiveness and moving on after tragedy, this is also a story about the importance of speaking out and standing up for victims of bullying.

This is a perfect read for a younger teen audience (think 6th-8th grade) and will also find an audience with reluctant readers. Readers should be prepared to laugh and also to cry.  I've found that this book reads equally well for boys and girls and have even had several of the teachers read and pass around this book.  Not a single detractor yet!

The LibrariYAn is an Amazon Associate. If you click from links on this blog to Amazon and buy something (anything!), I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.

Top Titles of 2013: This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

I read a lot of books in 2013 and didn't get a chance to blog about them. Over the next while I'll be sharing with you my favorites.

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

It’s impossible to change who you are, but sometimes, if you just listen to the voice inside you, the song will save your life.

After a failed attempt to assimilate with the high school masses, 16-year-old Elise Dumbowski contemplates suicide. Only to have that backfire as well.  Alone and lonely, she stumbles upon an underground dance club while walking around one night to clear her head.  At the club she finds more than friendship.  Standing behind the turntables, she finds her passion, talent, and ultimately, herself.

This book had me at hello. Elise’s dry humour and pragmatic approach to life are a winning combination.  Her voice is honest, funny and rings 100% authentic. She is a character that will connect with teen readers, wherever their place in the high school hierarchy.  A thoughtfully drawn cast of secondary characters including parents and siblings who aren’t invisible,  classmates who range from cruel to well-meaning to un-noticed and dance club kids rounds out this character-driven novel.

Insightful writing that encapsulates big ideas in simple ways drives the novel forward and keeps the reader looking to Elise as a source for humor and honesty. I was struck by passages like:

 “...Sometimes when you are worn down, day after day, relentlessly, with no reprieve for years piled on years, sometimes you lose everything but the ability to cry.” (p.12) 

“Sometimes people think they know you. They know a few facts about you, and they piece you together in a way that makes sense to them. And if you don’t know yourself very well, you might even believe they’re right.” (p. 241) 

“But you know better than anyone else how the Internet sees everything and nothing, all at the same time.” (p. 262)

And the music! Not only do the songs and bands mentioned throughout the novel make you want to put together an iTunes playlist to put yourself in the club with Elise (even when you don’t know the song or the artist), but a list “Recommended Listening” is included after the acknowledgments that gives a full listing of title and artist to get interested readers started.

If I had to file one small complaint it would be "LOVE" is spelled out in pink on the cover.  It totally doesn't fit the book (I mean, it's about learning to love yourself, yes, but the pink LOVE makes it look like a cheesy romance), and may turn off some prospective readers.

There's some language and brief sexy times, making this generally a choice for teens 14+.

This Song Will Save Your Life was recognized as a 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults selection.

The LibrariYAn is an Amazon Associate. If you click from links on this blog to Amazon and buy something (anything!), I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.

YALSA's 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults

Ahhhh! I am so excited to post the link to the 2014 BFYA list.  Countless hours of reading (and re-reading), notetaking and discussion went into the creation of this list (and not just on my part either; the 15 committee members read every.single.one of these books - and one even had a baby in the midst of all the work!).

You can click the link above for the full list, but I've included our Top Ten here:

• Berry, Julie. All the Truth That’s in Me. Penguin/Viking Juvenile, 2013.
• Clark, Kristin Elizabeth. Freakboy. Macmillan/Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2013.
• Federle, Tim. Better Nate Than Ever. Simon & Schuster/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2013.
• McNeal, Tom. Far Far Away. Random House/Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2013.
• Rowell, Rainbow. Eleanor & Park. Macmillan/St. Martin’s Griffin, 2013.
• Sedgwick, Marcus. Midwinterblood. Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press, 2013.
• Sepetys, Ruta. Out of the Easy. Penguin/Philomel, 2013.
• Smith, Andrew. Winger. Illustrated by Sam Bosma. Simon & Schuster/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2013.
• Sullivan, Tara. Golden Boy. Penguin/Putnam Juvenile, 2013.
• Wein, Elizabeth. Rose Under Fire. Disney-Hyperion, 2013.

Can I get a "What? What!?!"

P.S. I'll be posting more about BFYA and the other 2014 booklists and book awards shortly, so stay tuned!

The LibrariYAn is an Amazon Associate. If you click from links on this blog to Amazon and buy something (anything!), I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.

Review: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman



Though dragons and people have been at peace since the signing of a treaty four decades ago, there remains a high level of unease and mistrust.  For their part, dragons have learned to take on human form and mannerisms - something that has allowed them to interact more closely with human - even if the particulars of polite conversation continue to elude them and relations between the two races is forbidden.  And then there is Seraphina.  Born to a dragon mother and a human father, she must keep the truth of her origins a secret.  With a member of the royal family murdered days before the impending 40th anniversary celebration of the peace, (possibly by a dragon) Seraphina finds herself assisting with the investigation and spending a lot of time with the Prince.  As she works to unravel the truth behind what happened it becomes harder and harder to protect her own dangerous truth.

I've said before, and I'll say again that I'm not really a big fantasy reader.  It takes a special story - like Kristen Cashore's Graceling - to get me aboard the fantasy train.  Rachel Hartman's Seraphina is one of those stories.  The story unfolds at a slow, but even pace, and there's a lot of ground to cover.  Not only must the reader become acquainted to a new world where dragons and people interact (including the requisite vocabulary of said world), there's also the inner-workings of Seraphina's "condition" that must be explained, including the time-consuming routines she must keep to protect her true identity and how the memories her mother imparted to her shape her understanding of the world.  It's a lot.  But it is necessary.  And it is worth it.  Happily, the background information is built into the progression of the action; the reader learns about Seraphina as she learns about herself.  In a year with few strong young adult fantasy releases, Seraphina does the genre proud.

Seraphina is the winner of the 2013 William C. Morris Award and is one of the 2013 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adult titles!

The LibrariYAn is an Amazon Associate. If you click from links on this blog to Amazon and buy something (anything!), I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.