Getting the Juby

I'll confess. I haven't read any of Susan Juby's other books. I started Another Kind of Cowboy, but after a few pages I realized I was still scarred from Freak Show and couldn't go on. I avoided her Alice series (Alice, I Think, Miss Smithers, Alice MacLeod: Realist at Last) despite good reviews, because I was having a difficult time separating it from the Phyllis Reynolds Naylor books; a syndrome I have about similarly names books; see Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies) by Headley and the book by Avi I read in junior high that shares the first half of that title. I don't like to read two same-ish titled books out of an, I don't know, twisted loyalty to the first book, or more likely, the idea that there would be some Back to the Future-like conundrum where the world would cease if I held both plots of same-titled books in my head at once.

Anywhoo.

I was wrong then and now; not reading Juby's other books?* "Big mistake. Big. HUGE." Getting the Girl is a laugh-out-loud mystery. A funny book? A mystery? Aimed at teens? Omg. I'm happy to encounter ONE of those qualities in YA books. Add in a side detail of food and cooking? I think Juby wrote this book just for me. And all the teens I'm going to make read it. Will this make it into my summer booktalks? Yep. And to make it even more awesome, I can talk this one up in both the middle schools and the high schools. Making MY life just a little bit more easy.

Shall I stop gushing and tell you why I like it? Hell, why not.

Sherman Mack is really into Dini Trioli. She's the perfect girl - cool, aloof, older. Sherm is sure an older girl will appreciate his sensitive ways, despite her dating the popular jock. But when he figures out that Dini is in serious danger of getting D-listed and ostracized by a cruel school ritual, he decides that if he can uncover the D-listers and make the school safe for all girls, Dini will have to fall in love with him. What he doesn't know is that there's physical danger, a pink bike, some crossdressing, and a burnt omelet in his future.

Short chapters help with a snappy pacing that's in tune with the book's sharp and witty dialogue. There's certainly a level of predictability with the plot and romance, but it's with the B-level lines, so it provides more a level of comfort than an annoyance; Juby maintains a balance between predictability and surprise (humor helps a ton with this) that will please readers coming from different interest points (mystery, romance, humor, etc).

It's been so long since I've read something I've truly fell in love with. Not since Ellen Emerson White, and I've been making the EEW love last a long time by reading the out of print stuff at the rate of about one a month. The added bonus with Juby is that it's going to be so much easier to sell than EEW due to the better covers and the more plot-driven story (rather than EEW's entirely character-driven ones - although I was able to sell THE ENTIRE President's Daughter series to an aspiring writer-teen last week. Which made my day.).

Anyway, Getting the Girl should be a sure bet across the board. Well, maybe not for the emo kids. It would cheer them up and ruin their demeanor. We wouldn't want that.

*And let us not forget that there is another teen book called Getting the Girl. One by Marcus Zusak. But as I'm not convinced by Zusak; i.e. yes I, too, believe Book Thief is brilliant, but as I Am the Messenger made me want to die slowly, I don't care a whit. Therefore, my opinion is still out on the man. Also, I haven't read Zusak's version and have little to no intention to do so. Especially not with a subject heading of "self-actualization (psychology). Fiction." ugh.

And there's my completely cheesy answer...

to the rgz monthly theme.

Really. I should have spent more than those 10 minutes on it.

At readergirlz. At Buildungsroman (it's the same both times).

All the same. If you're reading this, you are probably part of the family I speak of. Unless you are reading this with malice. Then you aren't.

Also, while my blog promises tend to be hollow, I think you'll get a book review sometime this week. If you like that kind of thing. If not, well, stop being so malicious.

Rgz gets an Innovations in Reading Prize!

This just makes me so happy. Partially, because they asked me to write a letter of recommendation for them, also because they honestly needed the money to continue making it all happen, but mostly because they deserve it.

So I thought I'd share.

Here's the list o' winners. Read more about it at the rgz blog.

While we're talking about readergirlz, this month their theme is family, and we're focusing on RED GLASS by Laura Resau. I read Resau's book back in 2007 when I was a Cybils nominating panelist. Since it became a finalist, it would be safe to assume Red Glass is a good'un.

If you haven't noticed, rgz has recently separated from the refresh-madness of the MySpace forum, opting for a more live-action chat with CoverItLive on their blog. The chat with Laura Resau will occur there on Wednesday, May 20th at 6 PM PST/9 PM EST.

IF you have something to say about what family means to you, get ahold of Little Willow. She'll be posting answers to that question all month long at Bildungsroman and the rgz blog. My answer should be going up tomorrow-ish.

Bridget Zinn

I don't remember whether or not I met author and librarian Bridget Zinn at the Kidlitosphere conference in Portland last fall. But she was there.

Currently Bridget is battling cancer. A rather severe and expensive cancer. Jone MacCulloch, the woman who spearheaded the Portland conference is now taking on an auction to help Bridget out with all the bills that this disease is racking up. Read about Bridget here. Email Jone (macrush53 [at] yahoo.com) if you think you can help. Otherwise, take a look at the online auction and bid on something.

If biding in an auction just won't fit in your budget, and even if it does, I encourage you to check out Bridget's blog and lend her your support that way.

Thanks.

Race, My Library, and More!

Inspired by the SLJ article by Mitali Perkins, my own review of A la Carte by Tanita Davis, and my experiences at my library that relate to race, I started to tell you about some experiences I've had at my library in a footnote in the last post. It turned out to be a bit long... and warranted it's own post. So, here we go:

The other day I had a gaming program at the library. We had some time to kill before the program started, and I had three boys just hanging out with me, setting stuff up and chatting. All three are multi-cultural, two half black, half white (I've met both parents), the third at least half white (I've met mom), but clearly has something else going on there (1/2 or 1/4 black, I suspect - but do not know). Great boys, I heart them dearly, and I haven't at all talked about race with them. To fill up time, and because they are regulars, I had them make their own Mii's on our shiny new branch Wii. It was FASCINATING to watch them choose the skin color on their avatars. The lightest skinned (and youngest) of them chose the darkest coloring - far darker than he actually is. One paged through all the options and stuck with Caucasian coloring - far lighter than he is. The third (and oldest) seemed pretty unhappy with the Nintendo-offered shades (as well he should have been - they suck) and kept going back and forth between the options.

I'm not raising this to talk about my interpretation of the psychology of their choices (so not qualified for that), or even suggest that there is some interpretation beyond my neophyte observations, but nevertheless, it was truly interesting. I know it's just a video game, but in light of the discussion I had with Mitali & the Seattle-based readergirlz when Mitali was in Seattle and writing the article appearing in this month's SLJ, as well as the study she referenced within it, I can't help but think of the entire event in a different light. Not that it wouldn't have been fascinating without that conversation.

When all the kids showed up for that epic Mario Kart tournament? I was the only white person. Fifteen kids, and not one of them solely Caucasian. Most of those kids? Not readers. "Reading is boring." "I don't read." "Reading is for school." Why is that? I would say, and this is a gross estimation, most, though not all, of the teens who come to my programs don't read. It's like there are two different clans - the kids who come to the library for programs, and the kids who come to the library to get books recommendations from me. Guess where more of the white kids are? And rarely shall the twain meet.

In a completely separate instance of race and teen literature, I was working with Lorie Ann Grover to find compelling teen novels featuring Native American girls. I will never be able to convey in words what an incredibly frustrating experience that was. Readergirlz is committed to featuring non-white heroines. Being in the world I am, and doing what I do, I'm quite aware of how critical the Native American community is of books depicting them. Who wouldn't want their culture to be portrayed accurately? At the same time, it was incredibly disheartening to think I've found a good, compelling book, then research it more, only to find an essay eviscerating it for inaccurate portrayals. How much of that is no different than the standard inaccuracies of historical fiction? Why aren't there more teen books that have the Native American seal of approval? I sincerely hope that those who are most critical of these books are writing their own. Otherwise, I'm not sure how it will get better.

It may have nothing whatsoever to do with reading habits or the relative availability of books featuring kids that look like them, it may simply be how comfortable they are looking to me for advice. I don't know. But either way, the fact that I find a solid, well-written book like Tanita's more remarkable because it features middle class black people, coupled with scarce YA novels accurately portraying Native Americans... Well, whatever the connection there, I'd like to see more books like Tanita's, for all races. I actually hate to think that whether they read or not has anything to do with race. Kyle wants to believe that it's more class than race (and that very well could be true - there aren't that many books featuring poor happy people either in YA lit).

I'm not writing this in an attempt to solve anything, or come up with some pat answer, I'm more interested in sharing and hearing your experiences along this vein. I'm truly interested in what you have to say, so please comment or email me!

(and I'm cool if you also want to suggest more books like Tanita's or, actually, especially, if you have some accurate Native American YA lit)

A la Carte? I'd like Ice Cream, then, with everything.

Now that I've explained myself, we can get down to business. I like A la Carte, and I have something to say about it, so forget the author and our tenuous claim on friendship, I'm going to freakin' have my say. Finally. So there. *harrumph*

Lainey has been (not-so) secretly in love with her (male) best friend Simeon for, well, ever. Sim's always been the one friend Lainey could always be herself with. They've recently grown apart, or, rather, Sim seems to have grown away from her. Now Sim has come back into her life. But is he there for friendship or something else? Is he needing her, or using her? When he disappears, Lainey's not sure she's ready for the answer, so she hides behind lies and what might just be the real love of her life - the kitchen and her budding talent as a chef.

There are books out there for all of us that speak to our individual souls. In these books, often unexpectedly, we find some plot point, characteristic, phrasing, or some quality that hits us, sparking memory or topic or something else that communicates on a deeper level than the simple words on the page belie. For me, in A la Carte, it is Lainey's attachment to a friendship that is no longer healthy for her, that speaks to me. How does one cut ties to a person who once meant so much? How do you override what your heart wants for what your head knows? How do you sever the hopes for a fantasy when reality gives you every indication that it will never happen. Hope is powerful. It is, in my opinion, the most powerful element in our overcoming hardship. If you can believe in your dreams, they can happen. Hope is also what helps delude us and lead us into less than wise situations. For Lainey, it is ultimately about choosing a dream that might be different from the dream she has a habit of dreaming. If we are able to take stock of the reality, severing it from the old hopes, we might just find that what we really want is a little different. We might even discover ourselves in the process. That's what Lainey does in this book. And THAT is why I recommend this book. And why, when I find it on the shelf in my library, I pull it face front. Not because I want to hug the author. Or, well, not just because.

I'm alarmingly prone to psychobabble these days, aren't I? Jeeze. I so apologize.

What I think is remarkable above all else in this book, is that whilst the main characters are largely minorities, they just happen to be black. The race is interchangeable. She's dealing with the everyday issues and heartache of growing up - something not contingent upon race. Perhaps I am naive (I'd believe it), or, at best, simply unaware of many teen titles that *don't* deal with some sort of race issue when the main character is anything other than white, but I think it's noteworthy and wonderful. Because, you know what? There are teen readers of color, and something tells me they'd like to occasionally read about someone who looks like them AND just has a normal, middle-class, financially stable, stereotype-free life. (On that topic, if you haven't already read the SLJ article by Mitali Perkins, you should. Right now. It's more important, and better written, than this review. No offense, my dear Tanita.). All of this said, I'm a white girl who really doesn't know what I'm talking about.*

And, speaking of surface topics, I think that, while the cover of A la Carte is an unusual choice of art for a teen book, it is beautiful. Frame-and-put-on-my-wall beautiful. Not sure how compelling it is to teens, though. The beauty is continued throughout the book, with the caring details in the recipes sprinkled within. They appear on battered recipe cards, and it's a fantastic choice. All art direction does successfully convey how hungry you'll get reading the book. And, speaking of food, while Lainey is concerned about healthy food and reducing calories and fat in the food she makes, she has a healthy relationship with food and eating. With so many books portraying teens with eating disorders, this pleasant to read.

I am SO looking forward to her WWII novel, Mare's War, out in June. The day before my birthday. *nods* I'm also going to try and leverage my relationship with this author for an interview. What do you think T?

* Ok, this was going to be a long comment about race in my library, but it's turned into a post of itself. Come back later (tomorrow?) for the thoughts.

More Angst-Ridden Babble

There's something weird about being a book blogger, especially one in the kidlitosphere. There's a weird symbiosis about writing about books and interacting with their creators. Others have oft noted it and bloggers have been accused of being unable, as non-professional reviewers (a whole different beef), to be objective about the task. I think it's bullshit, at least as it pertains to me (the only case I'm qualified to talk about). Because, trust me, I can like you and not think your book is anything special - I'll try to be nice about it, though. But even basing my argument on "trust me" opens me up to valid accusations of self-referential, fact-free, unprofessional writing (cue eye roll).

What does this mean to you, my reader? Well, it means that you may well find from time to time that I'm talking about a book by an author I've somehow become friends with. So how does a blogger review a book written by a friend without appearing biased or unreliable? This is a growing concern for me as I immerse myself deeper into this kidlit world and start creating friendships with the people whose creative work I may well criticize in this space. Most of the time, I've simply chosen to either not read or review books of authors I consider friends. But that's not really fair, either - to me, or them.

For instance, in this very case - I really, truly, like A la Carte, I want it to do well, and I want readers who maybe haven't seen this title to be aware of it - or better yet - pick it up. And not because the author is my friend - but because I liked that book. I've had a hard time with this. It doesn't have anything to do with the book - it's the all about the author. See, Tanita S. Davis? I've never met her, but I would absolutely not hesitate to call her my friend. If I were in Scotland, I'd absolutely stop by and have a cup of tea. Or force them to feed me something more substantial than that (b/c she and her husband have a food blog. A food blog that always makes me hungry.) Or even, if I suck up really well, stay with them. Three years ago, Tanita and I served as nominating panelists during the very first year of the Cybils. During that process received she her contract for A la Carte. We were a tight group. We bonded. I'm still very attached to the members of that group. They are amazing women whom I watch to this day with interest and love (me = total sap). Can I judge the products of Tanita's imagination without bias or predisposition?

Ultimately, it's up to you to decide if you find my content unbiased and of quality. I suspect you will, and that I'm far more likely to lose (and have lost) readers due to my irregular posting. A point I'm not willing to adjust, since I'd rather have a life than be a star blogger (of course, if someone wanted to PAY me, the whole equation is null). If you don't like what I review, the way I review, or how I review, well, I'm not quite sure why you are even still here, so I'm not terribly concerned about that.

Like I've said, I've struggled a great deal with this decision, but ultimately, I've decided that, to over simplify the whole damn thing, it's my blog and I'll blog about what I want to, regardless of who wrote it and how much I like that person. Since really, as we all know, liking a particular book isn't what makes me talk about them here. And *that* more than anything, should tell you whether to give credence to what I say, as I think I've proved with the content of this blog that I can like something just fine, and still have negative things to say, and dislike something and still have good things to say. So, as I said in my last angst-ridden post, I'll speak up when I have something to say. 'Cause I'm not reviewing the author, I'm reviewing the book. I hope you'll stick around.

Why I don't blog more.

So I've gotten some grief for not posting in a month. I understand that. I suck. Ultimately, it takes me a hell of a long time to write up my thoughts on books - far more time than it did when I began this blog, and that is time I'm not spending reading or living. As I become a more critical reader, I become more exacting in what I expect of myself in my reviews here. I also must acknowledge that since I've gotten the new job (which happened in March '08) as a teen librarian, I've needed this outlet less. Not to mention that I blog and tweet for work and do teen stuff all day. Which, to be honest, burns my enthusiasm out a little.

This said, I am not abandoning the kidlitosphere (meaning the kid lit-centered blog world, for those of you who don't know the term). I'm just planning on staying unreliable. If I lose (or, um, have already lost) readers, well, so be it. I'll pop up when I have something to say.

I'd just rather live (away from the computer screen) than feel obligated to do something that used to be fun. I don't want blogging -or reading- to become an onerous duty - which is the way its been feeling in the last six months or so.

However, your comments are always so welcome. If I didn't receive any comments (or emails asking why I haven't posted in so long) I probably would have given up ages ago. I am continuing my role (actually, increasing a bit) with readergirlz and still plan to do the bi-yearly author interview event.

Also, if you are really wanting to hear more from me, get thyself on Twitter and follow me there. It's such a small little time committment, I find myself addicted. Probably because I can tweet from my phone.

Me, the Missing, and the Dead

Seems an apt title for the first review after a long absence, doesn't it? It's also the title to the Morris Finalist by Jenny Valentine. I read it quite some time ago (last Spring? Summer?), but it just shouted out at me from the bookshelf and, finding I had taken copious notes, I agreed to review.

Of course, that all is probably the vicodin talking. But nevertheless.

Me, the Missing, and the Dead (hmm. That's a long title, isn't it. Let's be more familiar and call it MMD. We'll pretend that doesn't sound like a vaccine) is a quiet, unassuming novel with a clever, but equally unassuming cover. It is also obviously British from the very first sentence - instantly evoking place within a few words.

Lucas is a drifting, introspective young man who idealizes his father - his father who's been missing for most of his life. He's always hoped to find him, but it isn't until one day, when he walks into the office of a taxi business that he starts his true search. Why there? Because it is there he meets Violet - or, we should say, the urn containing Violet's ashes. She knows something about his father. And weirdly, Violet is talking to him.

There are a few oddities about this book - one of which is that as a reader you go back and forth between wondering if Violet is really talking to him or not. Another is its sorta odd ending. But that, you should discover on your own, and here's why:

While the plot starts off slow, momentum is gained when the grandparents (of all characters. Is it just me, or is there a prevalence of spunky/cool grandparents in kid lit these days?) enter the scene. They are quirky and full of amusing thoughts, like:

"Pansy [the grandmother] hated it in the hospital. She said an airless room full of ill people was like dying in Tupperware" p 95.

Valentine does something fairly restrictive in her storytelling technique - she shies away from actual dialog in most instances. Rather than have a scene of he said she said, we get something like p 144:

"Martha said maybe I was clinging on to all Dad's stuff because I didn't have enough good memories of him to fill the spaces."

Let's forget that the obvious choice would to actually have a scene where that's revealed between Lucas and his love interest; instead, we are forced to deal with one perspective beyond the normal level for a first person perspective novel. There is certainly still dialog, but the tactic lends a general tightness to the writing that fits the introspection of the character and the plot, as what was said doesn't matter so much as how Lucas interpreted it. Actual dialog scenes are then left for truly important or comic bits. By large.

MMD is a novel very much about identity and memory. And, of course, it is a bildungsroman, but then, most of YA is. Lucas is going in search for his father, and on the way has to challenge how he sees him, how everyone around him sees him and try, maybe, to see him without any bias or expectations.

"And come to think of it, how well does anyone know their own mum and dad? I'm only just beginning to learn. You start off thinking they own the world, and everything is downhill from there. Parents do so many things to wake you up to the idea that they are less than perfect" p 89.

"How many versions of Dad are we all missing, me and Mercy and Bob and Norman and Mum and Pansy? A different one for each of us and not one of them is real" p 94.

It occurs to me that there are loads of stories with this basic plot: kid figures out that X person is not who s/he thought X was, and in the process finds his/herself. Paper Towns. White Darkness. Ok, naming two doesn't amount to loads, but I'm on vicodin. I'm sure you can come up with a few more. You're clever. Either way, it's interesting (to me) that I keep seeing this plot pop up, and yet I'm not tired of it. I wonder if it's just our general anticipation that people, someone, will inevitably let us down.

Ok, that's waaay too much crazy introspection from me.

There's also a lovely romance. With Martha. Who's got her own problems.

To sum up: Good book. Well written. Somber, but surprisingly funny. Quietly lingers in your mind without you realizing it had surreptitiously crept in. Give to teens who like to think.

I have to say, I'm surprised at myself that of all the books I could have reviewed, this is the one that caught my eye and made me sit down to write.

*Phew*

*wipes forehead*

We have a Cybils YA Fiction Winner!

Nope, I'm not going to tell you which book it is!

You can find out on Saturday on the Cybils Blog!

IF you can, and are planning on buying something from Amazon anyway, please think of getting there through the links on the Cybils site. The proceeds go directly into promoting the Cybils and prizes for our winning authors. Or just use the JacketFlap Cybils widget in the right column - that goes toward the Cybils, too.

But I can read something *new* now! Yay!

What should I read AFTER I read my two Ellen Emerson White ILLs (Friends for Life & Welcome to Vietnam) and Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson?

Let me know in the comments which looks most interesting to you:

Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater


The Humming of Numbers by (Seattleite!) Joni Sensel


Wings by Aprilynne Pike


Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman


Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

My meager predictions for the ALA Awards.

Though by the time 99% of you read this, you'll already know the answer. I'm not going into deep analysis with this, and I'm only covering the really high profile ones (I really sucked at reading this year, I feel very disconnected).

Printz:

I'm going to keep mum on the Printz, just because I wouldn't be even a little surprised to see titles from my Cybils list show up there - and I'm pledged to total secrecy on what I think about Cybils titles. But, if Audrey, Wait!, Frankie, I Know It's Over, Jellicoe Road, Sweethearts, Ten Cents a Dance and/or Thaw makes it, I'm counting it as though I called it. Are you cool with that?

However, if we were to branch out into non-Cybils YA finalists, for which I have no Cybils secrecy obligations, I wouldn't be surprised to see Nation. I don't think we'll see Octavian Nothing, Volume II, as I don't think it stands alone well enough. I would love to see The Adoration of Jenna Fox, but I'm not holding my breath. I don't think there's a chance in hell The Hunger Games will make it, despite all the buzz (but really, what do I know?). I would be happy with Graceling, but find that event unlikely. I wouldn't blink at What I Saw And How I Lied. Mostly because my mother assures me it is excellent - and I listen to my mother. Most of the time. I think Impossible has an outside chance, although I'm not as enchanted with it as many are. I feel the same way about Chains, though it's got more than an outside chance. With the Newbery, too, methinks.

While I think that John Green's Paper Towns is actually better than An Abundance of Katherines (I have a review of PT I started back in July that touches this topic - a review I still haven't posted. I'm weird.) I think that there would be open rebellion if John Green got up there again. But you never know. Which is why all this speculation by me is something I'm not getting worked up about. I'm just spouting off. I love this stuff.

Hmm. I didn't keep very mum, did I?

Newbery:

Shooting the Moon. God I loved this book. Seriously one of my favorites this year. So touching, so well balanced.

The Underneath. Everyone I know who's read this one won't shut up about it. Srsly. They have me convinced, but I haven't read it yet. I will.

The Graveyard Book. Can't decide if it should be teen or not. Might be a tad controversial. Don't really care, as I haven't read it, even though I think I have two copies floating about my house. Probably will, eventually, but who knows.

And, as we all know, The Ever Prestigious Newbery Award will do whatever it wishes.

Caldecott:

What To Do About Alice? Ok, this might just be my picture book biography bias (did you know I had one?), but it's also deliciously illustrated by Seattleite (whom I've not yet met, but keep meaning to track down & interview) Edwin Fotheringham.

Wabi Sabi. 'Cause it's pretty. And already feels like a classic. I love the texture and depth of the pictures as well as the integration of the words.

I'm setting my alarm tomorrow for 6:45am even though I have the day off. I'm gluing myself to the awards Twitter account. Actually, I think I'll set Twitter up to txt me the ALA tweets, so I don't have to get out of bed. Yes, that sounds like the PERFECT solution! Awesome! I'm excited! And, now that I think about it, the fact that I'm excited makes me feel like a total dork. But whatever. Still excited.

I wonder if I'd get lynched

if I wore this to a teen program:



Which you can find here.

Via QuotableBuffy!

Veronica Mars Movie!

No, really! I'm so there.

Rob Thomas says a Veronica Mars movie his next project (which means it's a long ways off) and that it'll probably take place a few days before her college graduation.

Thomas: '"I've talked to Jason Dohring, I've talked to Enrico Colantoni and I've talked to Kristen, obviously. I know that Kristen wants to do it. I want to do it."

As for funding, Thomas reveals: 'Joel Silver does have a certain pile of money that he can decide on, and he called me asking, ‘Can we do this now?' "

This is the best week Ever!


via Mom. Thanks, Mom!

This gives me chills:

In a good way.

via RGZ blog:



Learn more about The Girl Effect here.