The Infinite Moment of Us - Lauren Myracle

Wren Gray has spent her life trying to please her parents and make them proud. She didn't date, she focused on her studies, and she applied for early admission to Emory College where her mother works on a path to be a doctor just as her father wants. But high school is over, and Wren is starting to see that what she wants is not what her parents want, and maybe it's time for her to focus on herself for once.

Charlie Parker had a tough childhood, and has developed a deep need to be needed from that. But when he's alone, all he wants is to be with Wren Gray. He thinks she is everything, and if soul mates exist, she has got to be his. It isn't until just before graduation that they finally meet, but when they do, their souls touch and they are swept into a summer romance so strong, it can only be the beginning of forever.

At least, that's what Lauren Myracle would have the reader believe. I wasn't buying it. I felt like this book lacked substance. There were a few parts I enjoyed, a few quips during dialogue that were cute, but overall, I felt like the whole book read like a MarySue fan fiction. There was a lot of sexual moments, which I have not encountered in YA fiction like this. Generally there's a lot of innuendo and fade to black in the books I read. This was more graphic. I wouldn't say it was pornographic, especially since she only went halfway with her descriptions (at one point Charlie was fingering Wren and his "thumb stroked other places" - really? Lazy, Lauren).

The writing was not overly advanced, but the content is for a more mature reader, definitely. I wasn't a fan. That isn't to say I disapprove of smut (I don't - I love a good smutty romance), I just found this to fall short of my standards.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock - Matthew Quick

It's Leonard Peacock's 18th birthday, and for his present he's going to take his grandfather's Nazi P-38 and shoot Asher Beal, and then himself. But first he has some other presents to deliver to his friends and find out why Herr Silverman, his Holocaust history teacher, never rolls up his sleeves.

To be sure, that is an over simplification of the plot. Matthew Quick tells a powerful story about overcoming obstacles, and shows us how important other people can be in our lives.

I find it very difficult to write about this book, because it was such an emotional ride for me. I remember going through High School wanting to commit suicide, and while my reasons were not the same as Leonard's, I understood his pain. I found myself crying a lot while reading this. 

While this is considered YA fiction, it deals with some pretty adult content, and parents should be aware of that. 

Matthew Quick is also the author of The Silver Linings Playbook. 

Openly Straight - Bill Konigsberg

Rafe Goldberg grew up in very liberal Boulder, Colorado with his very liberal parents (they met at Oberlin), so when he told his parents that he was gay, they were fine with it. More than fine. They threw him a party, complete with paper hats that said, "Rafe is Gay, yay!" But with such a big to-do about his sexuality and his mother becoming the president of PFLAG, Rafe became labeled as The Gay Kid. And he didn't care for it. So in his junior year of High School, he moved across the country to Natick, Massachusetts to attend an all-boys boarding school where he planned not to tell anyone he was gay so that he could shed the label and just be Rafe.

The book raised a lot of questions about what it means to be yourself. If you don't tell anyone you are gay but you've already come out, are you still in the closet? If you say you accept yourself as gay, but you hide that part of yourself from others, are you really okay with it at all? Are you really lying to someone if you hide a part of yourself, or not?

Rafe has to deal with all of these questions as he joins the soccer team, makes friends with nerds and jocks alike, and falls in love.

I think this would make a really great book for group discussion with High Schoolers. The writing is witty, funny, and genuine. I felt like I was going through all the same epiphanies as Rafe as he had them near the end, which was really touching.

Letters from Skye - Jessica Brockmole

In 1912, while stuck in a hospital bed in Urbana, Illinois, David Graham read a book of poetry that he loved so much, he decided to write a letter to the author. Elspeth Dunn, who had never left her beloved Isle of Skye received the letter, and thus began a correspondence between the two; letters that shared their hopes, dreams, and eventually led to their falling in love. But as they fell in love, there were other forces at play. World War I was just beginning, and David was keen to prove himself and get involved.

Flashforward to 1940 and Elspeth's daughter, Margaret, finds herself falling in love with her best friend Paul, who has enlisted with the RAF in the second World War. Elspeth warns her daughter against falling in love during war time, but Maisie is heedless. When her mother disappears after Edinburgh is bombed, Maisie goes looking for her mother's past so that she can understand her present and look to the future.

An epistolary novel, Jessica Brockmole's debut, was a very quick read. I looked forward to each letter as if I was receiving them in the mail myself. When I read novels like this, I miss the days when people would send letters to one another. They were always so much more personal. My grandmother and I used to correspond via handwritten letter, and I remember feeling empty knowing I would never get another letter from her after she died.

The book is very sweet, and as cliche as happy endings can be, I feel fine with the cavities that I got from the ending.

Horns - Joe Hill

After a night of binge drinking and mourning the death of his girlfriend Merrin Williams, Ig Perrish woke up to find he had grown horns. At first he thought they were simply a figment of his imagination, but he quickly realizes that is not the case. And what's more, he has a new set of powers to go along with his new physical features. Powers that he plans to exploit to find Merrin's true killer.

Call me slow if you like, but since mystery/suspense isn't something I leap to read, I had no idea Joe Hill was Stephen King's son. I found this out today. It made everything make so much more sense. Hill definitely has the skill for writing suspense, and that's what this book was. His character development was pretty astounding as well. I found myself deeply disliking Lee Tourneau and easily sympathizing with the Devil.

Told in sections, the story is mostly from Ig's point of view, except for a section called "The Fixer" which gives Lee's perspective. Rather than distract from the narrative, as some POV changes can do, it filled in the missing pieces and worked really well with the story. The plot also gave a new (to me, at least) twist on who the Devil really may be. And is God really all good, and the Devil all bad?

My favorite bit, I must say, is Ig's sermon to the snakes. In it, he observes that woman is more alike God than man, in that woman is a creator. God fears woman because it is she who steers men away from Him - His competition. God says love and pray now and get salvation later, but woman offers salvation in her own way, and it's much more immediate.
"The devil and woman have been allies against God from the beginning, ever since Satan came to the first man in the form of a snake and whispered to Adam that true happiness was not to be found in prayer but in Eve's cunt."

I definitely stepped outside my usual bounds with this book, not just because it's adult fiction, but because it's suspense. Generally such stories fill me with anxiety and I don't like feeling that way when I'm reading. Reading is supposed to be my escape. BUT it was really good. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and the end left me satisfied - all the loose ends tied up nicely, and every character got what they deserved.

Admittedly, I picked up this book because there will be a film adaptation of it coming out in October, and I saw this picture:

So, I guess I do choose books by their covers sometimes... or in this case, cover films...

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

Cather lives her life in the world of the Mages. In her head, Simon Snow and Tyrannus Basilton are in love, and she's written fanfics involving their love stories a hundred different ways, her most recent story becoming a huge fan favorite.

The Simon Snow fandom is eerily similar to the Harry Potter fandom - with which, I must admit, I am more than familiar - and Cath is a character I can easily relate to. She's introverted, doesn't much care for change, has a complex about taking care of people (but that's never really touched on), and she LOVES her slash fanfiction. I don't even want to get into what that is. If you don't know, perhaps this book isn't for you. There's a lot of insider language dealing with fanfiction and the fandom scene.

A completely dorky read, but since I'm a nerd and a dork and a geek and whatever else, I really enjoyed it. It was sweet and touching at times, and also frustrating at others. I think the most frustrating part though, was looking back at 19 year old me. Granted, it also made me feel accomplished for having gotten my undergrad. Yay! I survived the drama!

Anyway, it's a niche read, definitely aimed at a particular audience. It could be read by those unfamiliar with fanfiction, but I think coming from that angle would not allow sympathy for the main character.

This book is good for grades 9-12 and up. It comes out in September 2013.

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes - Eric Litwin, Illustrated by James Dean

By far one of my favorite picture books, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes is quick read that covers all bases. There's singing, colors, and a moral to the story. Pete the Cat is the most laid back cat. And he wears Chuck Taylors. He goes walking down the street in his white chucks, singing his song, "I love my white shoes, I love my white shoes," but OH NO! He steps into messes along the way and his shoes turn different colors. But does Pete cry about it? Goodness no! He just keeps walking along and singing his song because it's all good.

This book reminds me to be adaptable. Sometimes it might seem like there's a mess in front of me, but it's really not so bad. I'll just work around it. Sing a new tune. It will be fine. I think if Pete the Cat and Jake the Dog ever got together, they'd throw a hell of a party.

Oh, and if you're too lazy to go to your local library and check this book out, here's a video of the author telling the story live. With backup guitar.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs

When Jacob was little, he loved his grandfather's stories about the orphanage on the island, the kids with special powers, and the wise old bird who looked after them all. As he grew older, his friends teased him for liking "fairy tales" and he told his grandfather he didn't want to hear them anymore. But when tragedy strikes his grandfather, Jacob finds out that maybe there is more to those stories than he previously believed. Jacob decides to look into his grandfather's history, and his discoveries lead him to a small island off of Wales where he meets some peculiar children and their wise old bird.

Haunting, compelling, and filled with vintage photographs, Ransom Riggs' book was a page turner. I really enjoyed it, and I recommend it to pretty much anyone I talk to about it. The story has stuck with me, and I find myself constantly checking up for news about a sequel. It was slated to come out at the beginning of this year, but the date was pushed back to next year. The title of the sequel has been released; it will be called Hollow City.

Ransom Riggs made a trailer for his book, that is really cool. Check it out:

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood - Marjane Satrapi

This graphic novel tells the autobiographical story of Marji Satrapi when she was a young girl growing up in war-torn Iran during the 1980s. Growing up she was well read, opinionated, and passionate. She was always very aware of what was going on around her. The book follows her life from age 6 to 14; from the Shah's regime ending, the Islamic Revolution, and the war with Iraq. It's a slice of history and a very good read.

In case you hadn't heard, this book was also recently pulled from classrooms in Chicago Public Schools. This has been an ongoing battle between CPS and anti-censorship. In March of this year, an email went out to all of CPS saying that the book was inappropriate for 7th graders and that it was to be pulled from the curriculum and taken out of all classrooms and libraries. The reason: one page in the book showed graphic images of torture (particularly one image of a prison guard urinating on a man, and another of a hot iron being placed on a man's back), and the use of obscene language (I believe the words "shit" and "fuck" were used a couple of times by characters that where shocked by the treatment the people were receiving from their government and neighbors... I'd swear too in those instances).
The censorship of the book happened quickly and quietly. There were no council meetings or discussions held to determine why this book was inappropriate. An email was sent out directing that the book be pulled from the school. A short time later, the CEO of CPS reported that Persepolis was not being banned from the school, but that it was simply being pulled from the 7th grade curriculum. That had not been what the previous command stated.
As soon as word got out, a furious debate arose. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) wrote a letter decrying the decision. The Chicago Teachers Union issued a statement saying they were surprised at the ban, that they'd only ever heard of it being banned in Iran. The American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom and the Freedom To Read Foundation have put in FOIA requests for all information regarding CPS's decisions regarding Persepolis, and wrote a letter addressing Mayor Rahm Emanuel, CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett, and the Chicago Board of Education President David Vitale.

As an institution of democracy and learning, CPS has a responsibility to actively model and practice the ideals of free speech, free thought, and access to information at the heart of our democracy - ALA's Barbara Jones

 Ironically, Lane Tech (the epicenter of this debate) has a banned books reading club. Pretty funny, that.

For anyone that knows me, I'm a vocal supporter of ALAOIF and a member of FTRF. I'm ardently anti-censorship. I read the book after hearing all of this controversy, and quite honestly, I think CPS is making a big deal out of nothing. The whole point of teaching a book, is TEACHING it. Guiding the discussion, and providing insight, historical background, and provoking dialogue that gets students thinking about the issues presented in a book. The images of torture in the book appear on a single page  out of 153. The "obscene language" is barely noticeable. CPS claims that they will still teach the book for grades 8-12, but that grade 7 is too young. What difference does one year make? Sometimes a lot, sometimes none at all. Here's something to think about, though: Marjane Satrapi experienced all the things in this book between the ages of 6 and 14 when she left Iran for Austria. She lost friends and family members to war (either from friends moving to the US, classmates becoming soldiers, or even her neighbor's house being bombed), state issued murder, and threats of detainment for dressing wrong (wearing Nikes, showing her hair under her veil, her jeans were too tight, etc.). Ages 6 to 14. And Chicago Public Schools are claiming that 11 and 12 year olds are too young to be reading this material? I call bullshit.

Interview with Marjane Satrapi regarding the Ban
Information about the Banned Books Club
CPS defends their decision
CBLDF rips CPS' defense apart
Full text of Barbara Jones's letter

The Day the Crayons Quit - Drew Daywalt, Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

When Duncan gets to class, he is all set to color. Unfortunately, when he goes to get his crayons, he finds a stack of letters instead, and all of them are address to him. From his crayons.
Red is exhausted and frustrated that he works on holidays; Beige doesn't like that Brown gets more action and all he is used for is coloring wheat ("who gets excited to color wheat?"); Pink is happy that Duncan's sister used Pink for her princess coloring book, but couldn't he color in a pink dinosaur sometime? Green is perfectly happy with Duncan's coloring career to date and congratulates him on his use of Green when coloring lizards, but he would really like it if Duncan could mediate the argument between Yellow and Orange who are no longer on speaking terms. And Peach... well, Peach is just wondering why he's been left naked in the box.

This book was absolutely adorable, and is great to read out loud to anyone (I read it to my 25 year old friend, because we're adults. That's what adults do. Right? Right.) This is a picture book, so it is aimed at kids, but everyone should read it. Because it's so darn cute.

Books I read when I was 10

This has been bugging me all night, and it's keeping me awake, so I felt I should write about it. What are 10-11-12 year olds reading these days? Most of the stuff I read is probably more appropriate for older teens, or on the opposite spectrum, picture books (The Day the Crayons Quit was particularly adorable).  I have a hard time gauging what is appropriate for that age group, mainly because what I read when I was 10-11-12 probably wasn't considered "age appropriate" for me. Then again, I was in advanced English classes from 3rd grade to graduation, and even in college I tested out of a couple English courses.

Animal Farm was a book I read in 5th grade. This is a book that is taught in upper level high school and in college political science and history courses. It's not really a book for 10 year olds. Granted 1984 would have been a worse choice, since the most gruesome thing to occur in Animal Farm is Boxer being sold for glue. But it's a very complicated book.

Number the Stars was part of the standard curriculum. Maybe I should read it again.

Amistad came out in theaters the same time I was reading the book. The movie was rated R. I went to see it with my mom.

The Borrowers also came out in theaters around the same time as Amistad and I was reading that book too. Another lighter book, more appropriate for 10 year olds.

I have a difficult time discerning what a kid will want to read and what the parent deems appropriate. At what point does classic violence (Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies, Nazis in Anne Frank and Number the Stars) seem better than modern violence (The Hunger Games, The Scorpio Races, Inhuman)? Is the difference measured in how the classics depicted strong metaphor to the times? Couldn't that be said about today's literature as well? Dystopic novels/series are all the rage right now. 20 years ago visions of the future included geodesic domes, flying cars, and hoverboards. Today visions of the future include bombed out cities, nature reclaiming the landscape after the human population has been decimated by disease, famine, and/or war.
And if violence isn't what the parent is worried about (because that totally makes sense), it's the "adult relationships" in the story. Girls and boys kissing... or worse. Why is sexuality such a bad thing in today's culture? I suppose I get why a parent wouldn't want their kid to read some books based on their delving into sexual relationships. But I gotta wonder, did that parent let their kid read ALL of the Twilight books? I'm not going to get into the relationship issues in Twilight, but my point is that there's sex in book four. For a teen novel, quite a bit, actually. Most YA books I read have some kissing, and that's usually the extent of it.
I know what to give to a kid between the ages of 3 and 8 (picture books, Magic Treehouse, American Girl, STAR WARS ANYTHING OMG STAR WARS) and I know what to suggest to 9-12th graders. But what is it that 10-13 year olds read?

A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness

"The monster showed up after midnight. As they do." 

This is the story of Connor O'Malley who has a secret. The nightmare comes to him a lot, and at 12:07am he wakes up, and it was after his nightmare that the monster showed up. But it wasn't the monster from his nightmare. This one wanted only the truth from Connor. And while reading this book, I was reminded that sometimes the truth is the biggest monster we'll ever face.

When I was nearing the end, tears started to slip down my cheeks. I read page after page squinting through my tears until I finished it, and then I simply laid there, clutching this book to my chest, crying. It wasn't necessarily the story that caused me to cry, but the emotions to which I was so closely able to relate. Besides the powerful story written in a well flowing narrative, the illustrations perfectly complimented the raw, jagged emotions within. The terror, anger, and sadness of loss, and the realization that nothing we can do can stop the inevitable; all we can do is accept it and grieve. 

It deals with complex issues, that are more suited for high schoolers, but with the right guidance this book could be read by middle schoolers. I highly recommend it for adult readers as well.

The Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer

A futuristic take on classic stories, the Lunar Chronicles follow Cinder (a cyborg Cinderella), Scarlet (a feisty red(-headed) riding hood), Cress (a programmer Rapunzel), and Winter (an evil queen's stepdaughter).

Book one - Cinder - sets the stage. Cinder is a cyborg mechanic in New Beijing, living as a second class citizen because of her mechanical parts with her her stepmother who hates her, and her two stepsisters. A plague has overtaken the planet, the Emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth has fallen ill, and Prince Kai needs a droid repaired that may have confidential government secrets stored in her memory. It's up to Cinder to fix the droid, and maybe save the country while she's at it.

In book two, we are introduced to Scarlet, who has no idea what her grandmother's past included, but that won't keep her from being the target of people who think she does know. With the help of a street-fighter named Wolf, she starts to put the puzzle pieces together, and figures out just who her grandmother was, who Cinder is, and what her role in everything will need to be.

In the latest installment - due to hit bookstores in February 2014 - we meet Cress. Like Rapunzel, she's been stuck up in a tower. Well, not so much a tower, more a satellite orbiting earth. With her aptitude for hacking, she's been watching all the world leaders for years, and crushing on a certain marauding Captain. When the opportunity to finally leave her satellite arrives, she leaps at the chance. Things don't always go according to plan however, and she winds up stuck in the Sahara desert trying to make contact with her Captain's friends.

The final book will focus on Winter, who is briefly introduced near the end of Cress, and will wrap up the revolutionary war between the Earthen people and the Lunars.

I can't wait to read the final book, but I know I've got at least a year and a half of waiting left to do. These are some of my favorite books. Suitable for middle grade and up, there's action, adventure, politics, science, and romance. Definitely, these books are geared toward girls (as female leads often seem to be). There is more violence in Scarlet, and Cress leads into war, which is never clean; but overall I'd say they are good for ages 12+.

Inhuman by Kat Falls

This was an incredible read. The story takes place in America after the Ferae Naturae virus has wiped out 40% of the population. A 700ft wall was built along the western side of the Mississippi River, and the entire eastern half of the states have been given up as lost, and is only referred to as the Feral Zone. Delaney Park McEvoy, raised on the western side of the wall, finds herself unexpectedly on a mission through the Feral Zone, testing herself and everything she thought she knew in order to protect the people she loves.

The story moves quickly, and there is plenty of action. Also mutants! One of my favorite bits, however, is that after the mass exodus to the west, people started naming their children after places they knew they'd never see again, so there are many characters with city names.

Warning for parents: this book does get pretty violent at times. Scholastic has deemed it suitable for ages 14+, grades 9 and up.

The book comes out in October 2013. Check it out.