The Ones We're Meant to Find and The Darkness Outside Us

 

I recently read two new books that ostensibly are very different (one set in space, one set on an abandoned island) but they ended up having freakishly similar twists and themes.  Because both contained surprise elements that this reader didn't see coming, this is a hard review to write without spoilers.  So, I'll keep it vague and just say this: if you are a fan of sci fi that plumbs the depths of humanity, either or both of these books should be on your TBR list. 

I had a hard time getting into both of these books. The Darkness Outside Us is set on a spacecraft in the future and the protagonist awakes with no memory of the launch or the immediate thereafter. Ambrose quickly realizes he is not alone on the craft and thus his relationship with Kodiak begins. I've seen this book tagged as "romance" and the cover makes it looks like it's going to be a lighthearted intergalactic rom com, but do not be fooled.  This is intense. Once I got past the protagonist's original disorientation, I devoured The Darkness Outside Us.  So, if you try this one, stick with it a little longer than you otherwise might.

The Ones We're Meant to Find has a similarly disorienting opening. We meet Cee, who has been trapped on an abandoned island for three years and she has no memory of how or why she got there.  All she knows is that she must survive so that she can find her sister.  

And that's really all I can say about these two without giving anything away! If you're intrigued and read one or both of these books, I'd love to know what you think.

The New David Espinoza by Fred Aceves

 

David Espinoza is tired of getting pushed around and bullied. Despite the fact that he has a tight group of friends and a smart, beautiful girlfriend, he is tormented by boys in school who delight in harassing him, verbally and physically.  When a video of him getting slapped goes viral, David has had enough. He vows to reinvent himself physically over summer vacation.  While he initially intends to change his physique with food and weight lifting, he's sucked into the seemingly miraculous allure of anabolic steroids.  

As David's summer unfolds, his focus narrows to one thing: his muscular gain.  It seems that there is no cost too high: he spends all the money he makes, he alienates his friends and, uncharacteristically, he begins to treat his girlfriend terribly.

Aceves shows how insidiously destructive steroids can be in this powerful exploration of male body dysmorphia.  David's story is painful to read - he does a phenomenal job of imploding his own life, but the book ends on a relatively hopeful, yet realistic, note. The author's end note adds depth to the story. This is another exceptional North Star Book Award nomination.

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lin

The publisher's blurb for this book advertises it as "perfect for fans of Shadow and Bone," so I went into it expecting a dark, Bardugo-esque fantasy. Initially I was disappointed because that is not at all what Six Crimson Cranes is.  Once I reframed the story in my mind, though, I came to eagerly anticipate the twists and turns of this fairy tale fantasy.  It actually reminded me a bit of Grace Lin's beautiful Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Starry River of the Sky, albeit darker and for a more mature audience.

Shiori, the princess of Kiata, has Forbidden magic which she manages to keep hidden until the morning of her dreaded betrothal. Her magic reveal leads to tragic consequences, as her (evil?) stepmother banishes her and turns her brothers into cranes, promising to kill one brother for every word that Shiori speaks. 

Shiori sets off to reverse the curse and save not just her brothers, but her kingdom as well.  Along the way she befriends a dragon, turns a paper crane into her best friend and discovers that all is not as it seems. 

Readers who appreciate fairy tales, magic, curses and magic cranes will love this one.

In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner

 

Oh my heart. This book was starred by Booklist, Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal for good reason and I am adding my own little personal star here. 

Set in rural Tennessee and at an elite prep school in Connecticut, Zentner's prose is worth reading slowly and savoring.  Chase and Delaney have been best friends since they met in a Nar-Anon meeting. Their lives are deeply embedded in their small Appalachian town, but when Delaney discovers a mold with antibacterial properties in a nearby cave, she is offered a full ride to Middleford, a fancy prep school in New England. She agrees to go, but only on the condition that her best friend Cash goes with her.

So, it is with a jumble of fear and pride, trepidation and excitement, that Cash reluctantly leaves his beloved Mamaw and Papaw, who is extremely ill with emphysema, and takes the long Greyhound ride with Delaney to Connecticut. His culture shock is profound upon arrival and he is plagued by the feelings that he is not smart enough to compete and that he has abandoned his grandparents in Tennessee. 

Surprisingly, though, he discovers poetry, as both a reader and writer.  He makes friends, whose lives appear so different from his - Vi from Brazil and Alex, a Korean-American from Texas. All the while, he watches his beloved best friend soar; their relationship becomes more complicated and painful and yet, they understand each other in a way that nobody else can.

The rich, complex characters in this book are truly beautiful.  The way that Zentner writes about Tennessee, loneliness, loss and love is also truly beautiful. I highly recommend this one!

Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee

 

The story of the Titanic is one that we all know, but Stacey Lee gives us a new perspective on that fated voyage with Luck of the Titanic.

Valora Luck dreams of escaping London and becoming a circus performer with her brother in New York City. Although she has a ticket for the Titanic, she's turned away at the gate because she's Chinese and the US has recently passed the Chinese Exclusion Act. Thus begins her ruse - she drapes herself in a mourning veil and sneaks aboard as a widowed English aristocrat. Once onboard, she must deftly navigate her two identities - her real one, as a Chinese-British acrobat desperate to convince her brother to join her once they get to New York- and her fake identity as an imperious upperclass London socialite.  The deep striations in society are highlighted by the differences between the third class and first class experiences on the ship; Valora is charismatic and is able to move between the two worlds with relative ease, but she knows that she (and her new Chinese friends) are constantly on the brink of being found out.

And then, of course, tragedy strikes. We all know how the story ends, but I was surprised by how this story ended. Historical fiction fans will enjoy this one. 

What I Carry by Jennifer Longo

 First: the cover. This is a gorgeous cover! I'm long past the whole "don't judge a book by its cover" concept - a beautiful cover draws me in and makes me want to read the words beneath it. Sometimes it's disappointing, but in the case of What I Carry, the cover does the story justice.

Muir has been in foster care for most of her life and she's gotten old enough so that she's about to age out. She's got just one more year and one more placement, with Francine (who has been a foster parent for years and is also in her last year as such) on an island off the west coast of Washington. Muir has spent her entire life avoiding connection and attachment and she's sooooo close to aging out relatively unscathed.  But, of course, the last placement presents her with challenges; she tentatively trusts Francine, she makes a real friend, she falls in love with a dog. All that should be good news, but it's terrifying for Muir.

What I appreciated about this book is that Muir has clearly lived through some Stuff, but her experience in the foster care system hasn't crushed her and she is so wonderfully honest (with herself and others) and terrified as she carefully sets down some tiny roots. 

This one has all the feels and is perfect for when you want an emotionally cathartic read.

They Went Left by Monica Hesse

 

I have read many, many, many books set during World War II. It's rare, though, to find one set just after the war ended; They Went Left captures the chaos and complete disintegration of society that was left in the wake of World War II. 

For three years, Zofia managed to survive in the Gross-Rosen concentration camp.  She knows that her parents are dead, so when the camp is liberated in 1945, her only thought is of reuniting with her younger brother, Abek. With the help of a Russian soldier, she makes her way back to the only house she and her family ever knew. In a jarring scene, she finds that everything is the same, but completely different. Her brother, though, is not there, so she sets off on foot to find him.

Zofia is something of an unreliable narrator, but Hesse's descriptive writing gently reveals the truth of the heartbreaking realities that Zofia and other displaced persons experienced.  Although this is a painful read, it is not without hope. They Went Left provides today's readers with a look at a unique time in history and for me, it was interesting to experience Zofia's uncertainty and fear as a reader in the midst of a pandemic. Historical fiction readers will find much to appreciate in this North Star YA Award nominee. 

Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

I read an interview with Daniel Nayeri before Everything Sad is Untrue was published and I had been eager to read it ever since.  For a whole host of reasons, it took me forever, but I'm glad that it did because it meant that I read it just shortly after it won the Printz Award.

Perhaps because it had been on my radar for so long and it had just won YA's most celebrated award, I assumed that I would drop into the pages and not look up until I was done. That was not at all what happened for me as a reader.  Nayeri's fictionalized memoir is based on his own story of being an eleven year old refugee from Iran who lands, unceremoniously, in Oklahoma.  

When Khosrou (or Daniel, as he is renamed when he lands in America) arrives in Mrs. Miller's classroom, he becomes a storyteller.  In an almost stream-of-consciousness way, he weaves stories from his past with Persian mythology and the reality of his present day circumstances. At first it was difficult for me to follow this meandering path - I'm not always a big fan of stories-within-stories - but Khosrou's winsome voice won me over. Although he, his mother and his sister had a harrowing journey out of Iran, through a refugee camp in Italy, finally to Oklahoma (and an abusive new stepfather), Khosrou somehow manages to find the levity in tragic situations without subsequently denying the tragedy.  It's a masterful line to walk, but there's a reason Nayeri won the Printz.

There are a few "tricky" things about Everything Sad is Untrue in terms of readership.  There are no chapters (although there are frequent breaks in the text), the plot never once goes in a straight line, and the protagonist is younger than typical YA narrators.  All of those things eventually became part of what I appreciate about Everything Sad is Untrue, but it was not love at first sight. For some readers, it might add up to three strikes, but for those who enjoy quirky, outsider voices, they will find a soulmate in Khosrou. 

The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis

I am a little late getting to the Mindy McGinnis party, but now that I'm here, I will not be missing any of her future books and I'm excited to work my way backwards through her titles. I was utterly ravaged by her North Star YA Award nominee Heroine and I read Be Not Far From Me Now in one gulp.  Both share a gritty realism that is hard to witness, but is ultimately redemptive.

The Initial Insult takes "gritty" to a whole new level. In creating this story, McGinnis was inspired by Edgar Allen Poe and that is obvious, both in the deliberate way the plot unfolds and in the terrifying crescendo/cliffhanger ending (this is the first in a duology and yes, I eagerly await for #2).  Generally I don't do scary. I'm a wimp when it comes to horror and generally I won't even get close to gore.  I make an exception, here, though, for McGinnis.

Tress Mentor's parents disappeared into thin air seven years ago when they were driving Tress's friend Felicity home. Tress's life has been a mess ever since. She lives with her alcoholic grandfather in what the locals call "White Trash Zoo," and while she manages to get to her senior year of high school, she is tormented by the question of what happened to her parents and filled with rage towards her former best friend.  Tress, certain that Felicity remembers more than she has shared, puts a sinister and horrifying plan into place to force Felicity into telling her what happened that evening.  No spoilers here, but suffice to say Tress is a mastermind of the macabre.  

Interspersed throughout the book are poems in the voice of a panther who is a resident in the "White Trash Zoo." Tress shares a weird affinity with the panther and McGinnis' descriptions of this wild cat, caged, are haunting. 

Publication date for The Initial Insult is 2/23/21, so it's coming to a library near you soon.  

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

 
I was intrigued by the idea of this retelling/re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet but I was unprepared for the dark and vibrant world-building, the rich cultural immersion and the intense gore of These Violent Delights.  

Set in 1926 Shanghai amidst the violent blood feud between the Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers, the story centers on the two young leaders of those gangs: Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov.  The parallels to Shakespeare are directly drawn, but also altered and twisted to fit the glamour and violence of a Shanghai under the siege and sway of a horrific monster and an army of (terrifying) insects that burrow into human skin and cause people to tear out their own throats.  The images in my mind associated with said insects are truly nightmarish.  

Gong has created a fascinating, disturbing, beautiful story that certainly harkens back to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but also is, in Gong's words "my mission as an English major to take a classic that we so dearly love and revamp it: in a new culture, with queer rep, and as a brutal takedown of colonialism—without losing its core themes about love, and hate, and loyalty." 

I highly recommend this complex and dark tale for readers who want to fully immerse themselves into another world, complete with passion, horror, mystery and romance.  These Violent Delights is available via Sora. 

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

It would be easy to write off You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson as romantic fluff (and there's nothing wrong with romantic fluff), but there's more than initially meets the eye to this new book by debut author Johnson.  

Liz Lighty lives with her grandparents and brother and is one of the few Black students at her rural Indiana high school.  She has friends and a solid social life, but she lost her mom to sickle cell disease and her family is struggling financially.  She's a talented musician and dreams of going to college on a music scholarship, but when that plan falls through her friends convince her to run for prom queen because the winner receives a hefty scholarship.  Black, queer, and not at all interested in what the popular kids think of her, Liz is an unlikely prom queen candidate.  

Funny, but pointed in its critique of the status quo, You Should See Me in a Crown is a great choice when you're looking for a breezy read with a little bite.  You can access it via Sora and CloudLibrary.

Happy reading!

Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez

 

Camila Hassan is used to living in the shadow of her fútbol star brother, Pablo.  But she has a big secret: she too is a fútbol star, known as La Furia on the field. 

Set in Rosario, Argentina, this is the story of Camila's careful navigation of her dreams and desires, and the expectations that are so heavily placed on her. In her patriarchal society and family, respectable young women are not athletes.  When her fútbol team qualifies for an important South American tournament, though, Camila's secret becomes much harder to keep.  Facing pressure from her boyfriend (another fútbol star, who has left the barrio to play soccer professionally in Italy), her teammates (who depend upon her on the field) and her family, Camila is forced to make choices that will impact not just her, but her community as a whole. 

I loved the mix of on the field adrenaline with the character-driven story of one young woman meeting and defying narrow expectations.  It's also a great romance!

This book is available via Sora and CloudLibrary.  Happy reading!

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

 

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko (published 8/2020, available via CloudLibrary) is an immersive YA fantasy debut with fast action, intriguing characters and thought-provoking themes.  

Tarisai is raised by a cold and absent mother, The Lady.  When she comes of age, Tarisai is sent to the capital to compete to be a member of the Crown Prince's Council of 11.  Those who are chosen communicate with "the Ray," which is deeper than blood.  The only problem is that The Lady has set a magical prophecy in motion, which requires Tarisai to kill the Crown Prince once she has won his trust.

Inspired by West African mythology, Raybearers explores a whole host of themes - gender roles, generational trauma, loyalty and love -  to name just a few.  

This is the first in what promises to be a compelling series.  It is available to LA community members via CloudLibrary as both an audiobook and an ebook.  Happy reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading 9/28/15

Thank you to Sheila, Jen and Kellee for inspiring and hosting the #IMWAYR meme.

This past week I read Gary Schmidt's Orbiting Jupiter (publication date 10/6/15) and truthfully, I am still trying to recover.  I had read on GoodReads and in reviews that this is a book about teenage pregnancy and yet SLJ has a suggested reading age of grades 6+.  Sixth grade seemed a little young for a book about teen pregnancy, so I was interested to see how Schmidt dealt with this difficult topic.

Well, as it turns out, I wouldn't describe this as "a book about teenage pregnancy."  Yes, Joseph is a thirteen year old father, but the story is so much bigger.  So. much. bigger. Schmidt addresses the pregnancy with a surprising light hand (in terms of the actual “how she got pregnant” moment) and aside from the fact that the kids obviously had sex, there is nothing at all racy or excessively YA about it. 

Instead, it is a book about love and sorrow and about the ways that family can both wound and save us.  It is hard for me to write a review without spoilers, so I am going to keep it brief.  Suffice to say,  Orbiting Jupiter completely blindsided me - I literally couldn’t sleep after I read it.  It is haunting and stunning and I highly recommend that you read it.  

Other books I read and enjoyed this week:

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 12/15/14

Thank you to Sheila, Jen and Kellee for inspiring and hosting the #IMWAYR meme.

By accident I read several books that fall in that in-between middle grade and YA readership this week.  These are great books for kids who aren't quite ready for some of the themes and topics that appear in YA lit, but have moved a bit beyond elementary school.






When Audrey Met Alice by Rebecca Behrens is told alternately in the modern-day voice of Audrey, first daughter living in the White House, and Alice Roosevelt, former first daughter.  I found this book quite compulsively readable, even as I was mentally critiquing the lack of authenticity of Alice Roosevelt’s supposed diary. The premise is just really fun - a modern day first daughter (with very modern interests and worries) connects to a turn of the century first daughter via a primary source. Audrey’s voice was much more credible than Alice’s, but I both characters convey well the inherent challenges of being a teenager in the White House.  This is a quick fun read.






How could I not love a book entitled The Ninja Librarians?  The first book in a planned series by Jen Swann Downey, this installment introduces us to Dorrie and Marcus, siblings who accidentally fall into a passage to Petrarch's Library.  There, they discover an undercover world of "Lybririans" who are using very unconventional means to essentially save the world.  The sword-wielding, freedom fighting, time traveling librarians are a hoot!






Egg and Spoon by Gregory Maguire really defies classification.  Is it a fairy tale?  Sort of.  Is it a fantasy?  Yes, and... so much more.  Elena lives in the impoverished Russian countryside, desperately trying to keep her sick mother alive, despite a dire lack of food and warmth.  One day a train comes to town (it is definitely the year of the train in children's literature), carrying Cat, a noble girl on her way to present an important gift to the tsar.  Through a series of mishaps, the girls end up trading places and the peasant Elena is on the train hurtling towards the tsar and Cat is left hungry in the village.  From there, things get very interesting, as Baba Yaga and other fairy tale creatures and characters appear.  The magic is perfectly blended into the realism and the suspense of what might happens next kept me turning pages briskly.  This is a long book (almost 500 pages) so it requires some stamina, but it is worth it!




Finally, J. Patrick Lewis's Harlem Hellfighters is something beautiful to behold. Free verse poetry and amazing illustrations about a regiment of African American soldiers who fought in World War I alongside the French. The text is fairly minimal for such a big topic and yet it manages to convey the magnitude and music of the Harlem Hellfighters. This is a very impressive offering.

It's Monday! What are You Reading? 12/8/14

Thank you to Sheila, Jen and Kellee for inspiring and hosting the #IMWAYR meme.

I'm behind on my blogging, so here's what I've been reading of late:


The Perfect Place

Sparkers

The Map to Everywhere

Saving Lucas Biggs

Nightmares!

Boys in Blur

Seven Stories Up

Like Water on Stone

Hunt for the Bamboo Rat

Winter Bees

A Sudden Light

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 11/10/14

Thank you to Sheila, Jen and Kellee for inspiring and hosting the #IMWAYR meme.

Here are some highlights from my last week or so of reading:

Recommended for gr. 6-12

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander: 
What a wonderful voice for middle school readers!  Josh Bell plays basketball and the words on the pages of this book express the lyricism of the game.  It's not just about basketball, though.  I was impressed by how deftly Alexander wove themes of family and friendship into this poetic narrative, and all does not end happily, to my surprise.  I appreciate it when authors have the nerve to inject sorrow into the end of their books - it's rare and I know that not everyone likes it, but to me it feels true to life.  Alexander manages to do sorrow without being depressing, which is a feat!





Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T. Lamana:

Recommended for gr. 5-8

It's interesting that 2014 brought more than one exceptional Hurricane Katrina book to the world of children's literature.  I loved Rodman Philbrick's Zane and the Hurricane and I thought it was going to be hard to top it in terms of emotional impact, but Lamana's story is both brutal and realistic.  Readers who felt that Philbrick's treatment of the subject contained a few too many coincidences and and an unrealistic happy ending might appreciate Lamana's hopeful yet honest conclusion.  The characters in Upside Down and in the Middle of Nowhere will stay with readers for a very long time. 

Recommended for gr. 5-8

The Castle Behind Thorns by Merrie Haskell:
Mending magic, curses, saints and princesses - this is a rich fantasy with both fairy tale and dystopian elements.  The two main characters, children from very different backgrounds who are stuck together in a castle guarded by malevolent thorns, are both sympathetic and realistically flawed.  The world that they create behind the castle walls is lovely and magical.  Fantasy readers will delight in this beautifully written and well imagined tale.

Recommended for gr. 8-12

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion and the Fall of Imperial Russia 
by Candace Fleming:
Another winner by Fleming!  This is a very fascinating account of the end of the Romanov family rule in Russia.  While it is ostensibly a family biography, Fleming provides a vast backstory, including information about the Russian society, politics, religion, history and economy.  I was captivated and now have a few other Romanov books on my "to read" list.


 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 10/27/14

Thank you to Sheila, Jen and Kellee for inspiring and hosting the #IMWAYR meme.

The Here and Now

Prenna is a time traveler from a future devastated by climate change and a plague. When she lands in 2014, she must adapt to the rules of the leaders of the travelers, but she breaks all of them when she befriends Ethan, a “regular” boy. Creepy and romantic, this is a timely and eery read.

Operation Bunny

Operation Bunny started a little bit slowly for me, but once it got rolling it was hilarious and hard to put down. The main character befriends a giant magic cat and together they seek to save a group of fairies. Sounds wacky and it is - in all the right ways.  And finally, a cat hero to cheer on!

The Princess and the Foal

This exceeded my expectations and I think the cover and title slightly misrepresent the depth of the story (although maybe that’s a good thing because it looks fluffier than it is and some kids who wouldn’t otherwise pick it up might be drawn in by the horse and the princess).  It's based on the real life princess of Jordan, Haya, who is a very sympathetic and likable character.  Her story is pretty amazing as she defies stereotypes and inspires those around her.  

Tell Me

Anna is spending the summer with her grandmother while her parents work out their marital problems. She witnesses what appears to be a girl being held against her will and resolves to rescue this mystery girl with “baby animal eyes.”  I usually love Bauer's work, but some of the plot curves in this one were pretty far fetched; nevertheless, the author's reputation and the cover will help this book find middle grade readers.

Caminar

A beautiful poetic narrative set in Guatemala at the start of the civil war.  Carlos is in the jungle when the army sweeps into his village, massacring everyone who is there.  He decides to continue up the mountain to his grandmother’s village, befriending a group of rebels along the way. The beauty of this book is in the way the writing captures the intensity and brutality of this moment in time without overwhelming Carlos’ voice. It's an extremely heavy topic, but the poetry, somehow, remains light.

Arcady's Goal 

Set in Stalinist Russia, Arcady is in an orphanage for children of “enemies of the state” until he is adopted by a somewhat mysterious but kind man. Arcady dreams of playing soccer for the Red Army team and hopes that his adoption will help facilitate this dream. Eugene Yelchin's unique illustrations capture the mood of the time and place beautifully, adding immeasurably to an already rich story.  Now that I've read this one, I plan to go back and read Yelchin's 2012 Newbery Honor winner, Breaking Stalin's Nose.  Like Caminar, Arcady's Goal is set in a heavy and horrible time, and the author does not gloss over the horror, but instead provides a very human face for an inexplicable era.  

Happy reading!