WILDMAN by J.C. Geiger

I'm offline traveling in Wales, enjoying the final week of our UK sabbatical. The photograph above is of Carew Castle and Tidal Mill in Pembrokeshire, home county of my husband's ancestors. If you're looking for good summer reading, check out Wildman and the link below to more book reviews. Next post I'll teach you how to say bookstore in Welsh!

In Wildman by J.C. Geiger an auto breakdown strands a valedictorian in rural Washington days before graduation. Lance has a full scholarship to Oregon State University to study Business, but he still auditioned for a music school in Seattle. If he dumps his car, Lance can return home in time to party with his girlfriend, but the old Buick is all Lance has left from his deadbeat dad. In a classic teen boy dilemma, Lance must choose between his car and his girl.

What makes this young adult novel special is the strong sense of place. Inside the gorgeous cover, the story is scented with fragrant pines, motel mildew, and cheap beer. Every night a cargo train blasts through Trainsong at two in the morning. Lance is warned to get out while he still can, but waiting at a dive bar, he bonds with hard-luck young adults who jump trains for fun. A quirky young woman makes Lance question his life choices. Wildman reminded me of the TV series Northern Exposure, set in Alaska.

The setting enhanced the menacing drama:

"The road got darker, more remote. Like they weren't travelling across the wilderness so much as tunneling into it."

Although the writing was often lyrical, the voice and imagery were true to a teenage boy:

"He rifled through his stories like a deck of old baseball cards. What had he ever done?"

The unfiltered teen boy perspective was pitch perfect for its intended audience but might offend other readers. Although Lance cares the most about personality, female characters were rated by their sexual allure and a fat woman enjoying her food was observed with disgust. There was underage drinking, borderline infidelity, barroom violence, and false testimony to the police with few consequences. From the limits of Lance's point-of-view, the ending was a bit confusing, but I loved the final imagery. Wildman is a fast and fun read, which teenage boys will enjoy. After this impressive debut, I'm eager to see what J.C. Geiger writes next.

With a shift of location up the west coast, Hotel California could be Wildman's soundtrack:



Reviewer's Disclosure: the author and I share an agent, Sara Crowe. Upon my request, I received a free digital galley from the publisher, Disney Hyperion, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Wildman's North American release date is June 6th, 2017.

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@Barrie Summy

Best Contemporary YA Fiction of 2016

I usually post my best young adult fiction list in December, but this year I was moving between sabbaticals in Japan and in the UK with a brief stop at home in Maine for the holidays. I'm finally settled in Oxford with time to catch up on book reviews. Since I write contemporary YA fiction, that's primarily what I read. Although these books were all published in 2016, their themes are all the more relevant for 2017. Reading fiction is also a good escape from the dystopian real world of American politics right now.

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon was my favorite young adult novel of 2016. This emotionally resonant story of immigration, assimilation, and deportation is sadly all the more realistic today. We need books that foster empathy and compassion. The immigrant author won a Printz Honor for this perfect book.

Yoon's page-turner story hooked me immediately: On the day Natasha and her Jamaican family are due to be deported, she meets Daniel, a Korean American on his way to a Yale College interview in New York City. Daniel believes in poetry and soulmates but scientific Natasha is skeptical. Her focus is on fighting to stay in the USA. Natasha has no time for love, but what if Daniel is right?

The Loose Ends List by Carrie Firestone was my favorite debut. The premise was original and poignant: a dying grandmother takes her family on a luxurious world cruise to say goodbye. Gallow humor, a comically dysfunctional family, and a sweet romance offset the sad realism of terminal cancer. Somehow this novel about dying with dignity was one of the most life-affirming books I've ever read.

The story now resonates with me personally as my mother-in-law fights cancer with the hope of traveling on the Trans-Siberian Railway with my son this summer. My teenage daughter is finding comfort in this book too. I'll post a more in depth analysis next week for Barrie Summy's Book Review Club.

Up to this Pointe by Jennifer Longo had the best setting: Antarctica. I loved how this novel focused on failure and resilience, a theme lacking in most YA literature. American culture unrealistically claims that anyone can succeed if she/he tries hard enough. In a clever juxtaposition, the world of professional ballet is shown to be as challenging and crazy as reaching the South Pole. After failing her ballet auditions, Harper Scott follows her ancestor's snow tracks to Antarctica. Her heroes haunt her long winter hallucinations as she struggles to find a new path in life. This book is eloquent on science, climate change, and ballet. The only weakness was the ease of romance, but that element provided some light in the darkness. Also there were penguins!

Wrecked by Maria Padian was my favorite issue-driven novel. This chillingly realistic story investigates an alleged date rape on a college campus from three perspectives: the roommate of the victim, the housemate of the accused, and an omniscient narration on the night of the attack. The reader must piece together the clues and draw his/her own conclusion about what really happened. The conflicting versions of the truth becomes the central theme of this engaging book. The setting is rural New England. I'd love to see more YA set at college and with feminist themes. Note the pussy hat pink cover!
Link to my full review of Wrecked.

Although the cover of The Season of You & Me by Robin Constantine looks like a traditional romance novel, what is missing from the photo is a wheelchair. A former surfer, Bryan now cruises his island home in an adapted car. Working at a summer day camp, Bryan befriends mainland Cassie, who is recovering from a painful breakup and adjusting to her dad's new family. Romance builds slowly on this small island off the Jersey shore. The story explores prejudice toward disability and the challenges of sex as a paraplegic, but the central plot is romance. A character does not need to overcome disability to be sexually attractive. It's wonderful to see more inclusive YA romance.
On my Good Summer Books List too.

This is a Story of You by Beth Kephart is a modern parable of the horrors of climate change. When a storm cuts off an island from the Jersey Shore, 17-year-old Mira must fight for survival with only a stray cat for company. Earlier that day, her single mom had driven her disabled brother to the mainland hospital for emergency treatment. As the storm rages and the sea floods their beachside cottage, Mira must decide what to save and how to stay alive. If that weren't scary enough, a mysterious intruder is lurking outside, and without power or cellular service, Mira can't call for help. I fear we'll see more real world examples of this fictional disaster all too soon if the US reverses climate change policy. Read the rest of my review here.

Given the spike in hate crimes in the USA, we need books that show diverse characters as normal teens, not as victims. You Know Me Well is set under the rainbow of San Francisco. Authors David Levithan and Nina LaCour narrate this heartwarming friendship story in alternating chapters: Mark is a hot jock with a secret crush on his closeted best friend, and Kate is a talented artist who is scared of finally meeting the girl of her dreams. The struggles they face are universal: academic expectations, parental pressure, and shifting relationships. Many teens will relate to the feeling of knowing what you want but lacking the self confidence to claim it. A buddy who supports and encourages you makes all the difference. Review continued here.

With Malice by Eileen Cook kept me up way past my bedtime. This Amanda Knox inspired suspense-thriller had intriguing suspects, multiple red herrings, and more twists than the village roads of Tuscany. The unreliable narrator's testimony leaves the reader tossing and turning in bed, ruminating over conflicting versions of the truth. This cynical satire lampoons journalists, social media, lawyers, detectives, and the scandal-hungry public. With Malice is a fitting read for the age of "alternative facts."
My full length review with photos of Italy.

Happy Reading!


Reviewer's Disclosure: Maria Padian is a friend and Beth Kephart is a blog buddy. On my request, publishers sent me ARCs of Wrecked, This Is The Story of You, and With Malice. I purchased all other books myself without compensation. Authors Carrie Firestone and Nina LaCour are represented by my agent.

WRECKED by Maria Padian

Hello again! I'm back to blogging while my new agent is reading my revised manuscript, which will return soon for a second round of revision. For now, I'm enjoying time free to read for fun. For the book review club I've chosen a soon-to-be-released novel set at a New England college. Wrecked by Maria Padian eerily echoes the Brock Turner sexual assault case; it should be required reading for college freshman. This timely young adult novel would crossover well to adult readers too.

Wrecked investigates an alleged date rape from three perspectives: the roommate of the victim, the housemate of the accused, and an omniscient narration on the night of the attack. The reader must piece together the clues and draw his/her own conclusion about what really happened. The conflicting versions of the truth becomes the central theme of this engaging book.

Although Wrecked doesn't sugarcoat rape, this book is easier to read than others because the victim isn't the narrator. Since we hear her story second hand, there is an emotional buffer. This genius narrative structure recreates the way most of us will experience rape: one step removed. How would you respond if the victim or the suspect asked for your support? What if you didn't really know or even like them? Our two narrators are reluctant to get involved but want to do the right thing. The sweet romance that develops between the roommate and the housemate models a consensual relationship in sharp contrast to the date rape case under review by the campus administration.

Wrecked makes the reader think and ask questions. There is no obvious message, beyond a campus program on consent, which is played for laughs. The sexaul assault investigation is shown in all its murky confusion with lying witnesses, inebriated confusion, and unreliable evidence. Conviction may not always be feasible so how do you achieve justice?

Wrecked is educational, but it's entertaining too. The college campus setting is fun and true to life. There are housemates from hell, an apple picking scene, raging parties, social media mayhem, and an overwhelming number of extracurriculars on top of classwork. All the characters are well developed and humanly flawed. Both earthy feminists and boozy lax bros are satirized for balance. The mystery of what really happened makes the book a page-turner. Good writing takes a back seat to the story, never overpowering the narrative.

The author has clearly done extensive legal research and also captures the spirit of life on a New England campus with literary finesse. This book would be an excellent tool for getting students to talk about consent, boundaries, and sexual assault. Wrecked is one of the best YA novels I've read about rape. I would love to see more YA novels set at college. I strongly recommend Wrecked to teens and to adults.

My reviews of other YA novels by Maria Padian:
Out of Nowhere
Jersey Tomatoes Are the Best
Brett McCarthy: Work in Progress

Reviewer's Disclosure: author Maria Padian is a friend and we discussed this book on dog walks while she was writing it. Upon my request, Algonquin Young Readers (her publisher) sent me a galley to review. The book will be published on October 4, 2016 in hardcover and ebook. Photos are of Maine in October, where the author and I both live. Our dog walking trail crosses that bridge. Wrecked is set at a fictional college somewhere in New England.

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@Barrie Summy

Good Summer YA Books for Teens & Tweens

Can you believe that it's almost summer? I went for my first ocean swim of the season on Monday and lasted nearly ten minutes in the frigid Maine water. My husband reassembled our hammock, leaving me to compile my annual summer reading list of recently published books for teenagers. You might be tempted to read along with your kids. I've also included one adult nonfiction book that would crossover well to younger readers. Follow the links to the full reviews previously posted on my blog.

YA Short Stories

Summer Days and Summer Nights edited by Stephanie Perkins. Perkins's last YA short story anthology, My True Love Gave to Me: 12 YA Holiday Stories was one of my favorite books from 2014. Once again, she has pulled together a talented group of authors running the gamut from realistic to fantasy, this time on a summer theme. There is something for everyone. Purchased at Bull Moose.

Contemporary YA Beach Books

Summer of Sloane by Erin L. Schneider Who wouldn't love two months in Hawaii? Unfortunately, it's hard to swim or to surf with a cast. Sloane broke her hand punching her boyfriend after he got her best friend pregnant. Nonetheless, Sloane is determined to leave her angst and her ex behind in rainy Seattle. This is the ultimate beach book with a gorgeously lush setting. Native Hawaiian characters add diversity. The author attended college in Honolulu and this is her debut novel. Kindle ebook.

The Season of You and Me by Robin Constantine Although the cover looks like a traditional romance novel, what is missing from the photo is a wheelchair. A former surfer, Bryan now cruises his island home in an adapted car. Working at a summer day camp, Bryan befriends mainland Cassie, who is recovering from a painful breakup and adjusting to her dad's new family. Romance builds slowly on this small island off the Jersey shore. This engaging novel tackles the issues from prejudice toward disability to the challenges of sex as a paraplegic, and yet the tone is light and entertaining like any other YA romance. Purchased at Bull Moose.

This is the Story of You by Beth Kephart This novel is also set on an island off the Jersey Shore, but the writing style is literary and the content is way more innocent. Follow the link to my review of this environmental thriller. Galley from Chronicle Books, publisher.

Historical YA Fiction

Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee Released yesterday, this bittersweet novel about the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 features Mercy (Wong Mei-Si), the most delightfully headstrong protagonist since Anne of Green Gables. Although there is death, the content is otherwise tame enough for younger readers. Lee's first book, Under a Painted Sky, is also available in paperback and was my favorite YA book from 2015. Galley from Putnam Books, publisher.

Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse I read a Buzz Books excerpt and fell in love with the gorgeous writing and the original premise of this World War II novel. A Dutch teenager who supports her family through blackmarket deliveries joins the search for a missing Jewish girl. This book was nearly published as adult historical fiction and would crossover well to older readers. The author is also a Washington Post journalist. Purchased at Barnes & Noble in NYC.

YA Fantasy

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge. This historical fantasy is set in Darwin's time on an island off England. After the suspicious death of her father, 16-year-old Faith feeds lies to a magical plant which reveals truths in hallucinogenic dreams. Hardinge was the first YA author to win the Costa Children's Book Award in the UK since Philip Pullman. I purchased the Kindle ebook because I couldn't wait for the April hardcover release in the USA.

The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh is the sequel to The Wrath and the Dawn, one of my favorite YA books from last year. This magical retelling of 1001 Nights is set in ancient Persia. I'm saving it to read on the beach. Purchased at Harvard Book Store.

Lower YA/Upper MG (ages 11-13)

Where You'll Find Me by Natasha Friend. Although this novel was shelved in the YA section at the Harvard Coop, the naive POV sounds more upper Middle Grade. The narrator is a 13-year-old girl who has moved in with her dad's new family after her bipolar mom tried to commit suicide. This gritty book explores mental illness and doesn't use it as a plot device to allow the protagonist freedom from supervision. It's also rare to find a book that bridges the divide between MG and YA. The protagonist's sassy but sweet voice brightens the narrative. I can see why Judy Blume blurbed this literary novel with feminist themes.

The Disappearance of Emily H by Barrie Summy This magical mystery set in middle school would be a lighter choice for tween readers. Since I reviewed it last year, this upper MG novel is now available in paperback. Galley from Delacorte Press, publisher.

Narrative Nonfiction (paperbacks)

I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka & Martin Ganda with Liz Welch One of my favorite nonfiction books from last year is now available in paperback. Teenage American-Zimbabwean pen-pals form a deep friendship over seven years in this inspiring YA memoir. The accessible style would appeal to younger readers too. Purchased at Longfellow Books.

The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery The New England Aquarium was so impressed by this National Book Award finalist for adult nonfiction, they just named their latest Giant Pacific Octopus after the author. Montgomery also shares the story of a teenage girl with autism who volunteers at the aquarium, making this an excellent crossover read for teens and tweens. The only shocking part would be octopus sex. Follow the link to my full review with octopus photos. Purchased at Gulf of Maine Books.

YA Thriller coming in June: 

With Malice by Eileen Cook After reading a Buzz Books excerpt, I requested the galley. This YA suspense thriller is reminiscent of the Amanda Knox scandal in Italy. Galley on the way from HMH for Young Readers, publisher. I will post a review this summer. Update: my review of With Malice.

Reviewer's Disclosure:  I was not compensated for these reviews. I'm blog buddies with Beth Kephart and Barrie Summy and requested their galleys. I've read 6 of the listed book and am currently reading or planning to read the rest.

If you have other suggestions of good summer books, please leave a comment.

Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee

After reviewing Under a Painted Sky, my favorite young adult novel from 2015, I requested the galley of Stacey Lee's second book from her publisher. Outrun the Moon exceeded my high expectations, from the heart-pounding runaway hot air balloon opening to the bittersweet chapters about the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.

Mercy (Wong Mei-Si) is the most delightfully headstrong girl since Anne of Green Gables (1908). Mercy is neither an orphan nor a redhead, but she faces greater social stigma as a 16-year-old feminist in 1906 Chinatown. Although Mercy was born in San Francisco and speaks without an accent, white people treat her like a foreigner with racist disdain and hostile mistrust. She dreams of a better life for her sickly younger brother than toiling sixteen-hour days at their father's laundromat.

"Sometimes, when someone tells me I can't do something, it makes me want to do it more. Ma blames it on my bossy cheeks," says Mercy in Confession. 

Her fortune-teller mother supports her daughter's aspirations, "You cannot control the wind, but you can control the sails."

Present day Chinatown. Photo by my teenage daughter from our recent visit to San Francisco.

Author Stacey Lee

After reading a Book for Business-Minded Women by a Radcliffe-educated rancher, Mercy realizes that education is her ticket to success. Since the public schools in Chinatown don't go beyond elementary school, Mercy cons her way into the best boarding school in California by posing as a Chinese heiress. To her horror, she discovers that this elite Catholic school for white girls teaches Embroidery instead of Economics and discipline is extracted through the hard end of a ruler. Mercy's mock Chinese tea ceremony has to be one of the funniest scenes in YA fiction.

Mercy struggles to fit in until the big Earthquake of 1906 demolishes San Francisco and literally levels the playing field. Her pragmatic ingenuity and selfless bravery might save them all, but only if she can work with her arch nemesis, a popular Franco American girl with an agenda of her own. Like Under the Painted the Sky, there is a touch of romance, but the central relationships are friendships among girls from diverse backgrounds. Apparently, bad puns in the face of misfortune can overcome class barriers.

Photo of the Golden Gate Bridge and me by my daughter.

I read most of this 400-page novel in one day, alternating between laughter and tears. I could visualize the scenes from my recent visit to San Francisco with my daughter. The multi-cultural characters and historical details were beautifully rendered without overpowering the narrative. Although the earthquake scenes - including the deaths of loved ones - were upsetting, the content was innocent enough for all ages. My advanced-reader son, who was once obsessed with earthquakes, would have enjoyed this book in third grade. The literary style and complex themes would appeal to adults as well as to teens.

Outrun the Moon is an inspiring survival story which transcends race, gender and time.

Reviewer's Disclosure: I requested the galley from Putnam, Penguin in return for an honest review. Outrun the Moon will be released on May 24, 2016 in North America and in the UK. Author photo is Stacey's profile image on twitter. San Francisco photos are by my teenage daughter.

Mom Watch: Happy Mother's Day to my mom and to all moms reading this blog!

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@Barrie Summy

Best YA Books of 2015

Do you need gift suggestions for teens? Winter vacation is a good time to rekindle the joy of reading for fun. I've chosen a dozen of the best young adult books published in 2015. Impressively, four are debuts, including my top pick for teens, Under a Painted Sky by Stacy Lee. Follow the title links to full reviews posted earlier this year on my blog. If you have other recommendations, please leave them in the comments.

YA Historical Fiction
What made these three books special was the perfect blend of literary writing, engaging characters and parsimonious historical detail. The first novel would be a good choice for tweens and younger teens. The latter two would be better for mature teens or adults.

Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee. I don't usually like Westerns, but this historical novel reads like a racially diverse Little House on the Prairie. Following a tragic accident, a Chinese American musician and a slave girl disguise themselves as boys to run from the law in Missouri. They team up with three Texan cowboys who are heading to California to find gold. There's a touch of romance, but the most important relationship is the friendship between these resourceful girls. The writing is superb with well developed characters, a fast pace and a fine sense of place and period (1849). Despite dealing with tough issues like murder, slavery and racism, it still manages to be a feel good story, appropriate for tweens as well as teens. The girl protagonists are 15 and 16 and the boys are a bit older. This debut tops my list of best YA from 2015 that I've read to date.

Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez features a clandestine romance which dares to cross the racial divide of 1930's Texas. Inspired by the most deadly school disaster in American history, this provocative novel gives voice to those whose voices were silenced and whose histories were unjustly revised. The narration alternates among a Mexican American girl, her African American boyfriend, her biracial half-brother and her white stepfather. This gritty, dark novel would be best for mature teens or adults. It's one of the strongest and most disturbing YA novels I've ever read. Follow the title link to the full review, which includes a guest post from the author about her inspiration.

Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein, one of my favorite authors. There are plenty of war books celebrating male valor and camaraderie, but girls and women usually play only supportive or romantic roles. In Wein's novels, the girls are literally in the pilot seat, calling the shots and sometimes firing them as well, but violence is never romanticized. Black Dove, White Raven follows a family of pilots in 1930s Ethiopia. The narration alternates between Italian American Em and Teo, her African American foster brother. Their pilot moms are fun characters too.




YA Fantasy/Surreal Fiction
I'm reading more fantasy because my 14-year-old niece loves it. I thought I was buying books for her, but my brother frequently steals them from her bookshelves. We're all enjoying bonding over good books.

The Wrath & The Dawn by Renée Ahdieh is a retelling of 1001 Nights with a feminist twist: Shahrzad has volunteered for marriage to assassinate the boy-king, thus ending his chain of bridal murders. Using her skill at storytelling, 16-year-old Shahrzad entrances Khalid and survives to see another dawn. She hunts for his vulnerabilities and discovers that she is his weakness as he is hers. To her horror, she is falling in love with this handsome monster. Is it Stockholm Syndrome or is Khalid not really a monster? This first book of a new series has all the best elements of a young adult novel: a fantastic set up, complex characters, a swoon-worthy if disturbing romance, a pulse-raising pace and an exotic setting.

Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman is a strong sequel to the award winning Seraphina (2012, now paperback). In this literary fantasy, an unstable truce between humans and dragons is under siege. Seraphina, a half human/dragon music mistress, hides her secret parentage while trying to prevent war.  I loved Seraphina (my niece's favorite book) so much that I bought the sequel the day I finished reading the first book, and I don't usually like high fantasy. I bought a second copy for my niece's birthday, which she enjoyed even more. Although Seraphina is a teenager, most characters are adults so it would crossover well to an adult audience. The excellent world-building and philosophical themes reminded me of The Dragon Riders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey and the Dune saga by Frank Herbert (my brother introduced me to those series when we were teens).

I Crawl Through It by A. S. King satirizes education in the USA. Everyday is a new bomb threat with police dogs sniffing the halls. The principal is literally buried to her neck in paperwork. Teaching is geared only to standardized tests, and a naked man in the bushes is selling letter answers. Seeking to escape the chaos/boredom of school, Gustav is building an invisible helicopter to fly to a colony of geniuses. Stanzi, a biology prodigy, can only see the helicopter on Tuesdays (ha!), but she agrees to run away with her secret crush. The reader must suspend disbelief to take this book for a spin. Challenging novels like this one aren't usually written for teens, but it's wonderful to find an author who is willing to trust the intelligence and the imagination of younger readers.

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby is set in small town Illinois and in alternate worlds. The two narrators are a missing woman and her boyfriend's younger brother, Finn, who believes her abduction was his fault. There's also an omniscient horse, a goat who says "Meh!" and a magical forest. Most enchanting of all is Finn's romance with a beekeeper. This modern fairytale also contains the real world problems of bullying, abandonment, sexual harassment and college applications. I'm only halfway through, but the writing is so captivating, I'm including it on my list. Thanks to Charlotte Agell, my crit partner, for the recommendation.




YA Contemporary Fiction
I read mostly contemporary, realistic YA fiction because that is what I write. It was hard picking only four from so many good books. The ones I chose presented fresh perspectives, meaningful issues and an easy to read style designed for a wide audience of teenaged readers.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven would appeal to fans of John Green. For a book about depression, it's quite funny at times. Two troubled teens meet on the ledge of the school's bell tower. Instead of jumping to their death, they leap into an unlikely romance. The setup sounds gimmicky, but this book explores depression with brutal honesty as well as gallow humor. Popular Violet feels guilty about surviving the car accident that killed her sister. She is drawn to charming Finch who struggles with a bipolar disorder and his outcast status at school. Narration alternates between them. There is a list of resources for suicidal teens at the end and a personal note from the author that brought me to tears. This book won the Goodreads Choice Award for Realistic YA Fiction.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli: what makes this debut special is the authentic voice. The straight female author used her experience as a child psychologist to tell a typical coming out story. Simon's secret gay romance is threatened when another boy finds their flirty emails and blackmails him. Simon struggles to protect the privacy of the other closeted boy, whose identity is unknown even to him. The story is set in the suburbs of Atlanta with racially diverse secondary characters. I raced through this book in one day, laughing at Simon's witty observations and eager to uncover the identity of his mystery love. The parents were hilarious. This author knows how to laugh at herself.

None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio is being marketed as Middlesex meets Mean Girls, but this underplays the educational content of this groundbreaking young adult novel. The original premise was designed to hook teens: a homecoming queen discovers that she is intersex when sex with her boyfriend is excruciatingly painful. At her first gynecological exam, Kristin learns that her chromosomes are XY. When her secret is leaked at school, Kristin becomes a target of bullies and fears she might lose her athletic scholarship to college. The writing is strong for a debut, but None of the Above is not a literary novel nor does it try to be one. The plot is well paced and easy to follow, clearly geared for reluctant readers. By making Kristin so normal and likable, the surgeon author reinforces the message that intersex people are not freaks.

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy. From the blurb, I feared this would be yet another fat-girl-loses-weight-to-win-the-beauty-pageant-and-the-hot-guy book, but it wasn't like that at all. This heart-warming story, set in small town Texas, embraces love at any size. It makes you understand what it feels like to live inside someone else's skin and to be judged unfairly by appearances. Dolly Parton fans and feminists will love it too. Thanks to Kelly Jensen for the recommendation via Goodreads.




YA Nonfiction

I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda. This debut memoir advocates for compassion and respect for children in developing countries. For a seventh grade pen pal assignment, Caitlin chose to correspond with Martin in Zimbabwe because she'd never heard of that African country. Over the course of six years, they formed a close friendship. Their story is told in alternating chapters, dating from 1997. This book would work well as a classroom supplement to a pen pal assignment. Follow the title link for my full review. Thanks to Cathy Fiebach at Main Point Books for the recommendation.




Reviewer's Disclosure: I received free galleys of Out of Darkness, I Crawl Through It and Black Dove, White Raven from their publishers in exchange for honest reviews. I'm friends with Elizabeth Wein's current editor, but I became a fan of Wein's books years before they connected. I purchased Under a Painted Sky, Dumplin' and All the Bright Places as ebooks from Amazon. The other six books (plus a few extra copies for my niece) I bought at independent bookstores.

Out Of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez: review and blog tour

If you haven't read a book by Ashley Hope Pérez, you are missing a unique and empowering voice in young adult fiction. The author's work for Teach for America Corps inspired her debut novel, What Can't Wait. Her gritty sophomore novel, The Knife and The Butterfly, explored the consequences of gang violence.

Pérez's third novel, Out of Darkness features a clandestine romance which dares to cross the racial divide of 1930's Texas. Inspired by the most deadly school disaster in American history, this provocative novel gives voice to those whose voices were silenced and whose histories were unjustly revised. Following my review, the author explains why she chose to write this historical novel.

In Out of Darkness seventeen-year-old Naomi moves with her half siblings to her stepfather's new home in an oil drilling settlement town. When their Mexican-American mother died in childbirth seven years earlier, Naomi became the surrogate mother to the twins. Now Naomi must balance the demands of being the only Mexican-American at her high school with keeping house for her Caucasian stepfather, whom she despises.

 A sign at the town diner: "No Negroes, Mexican or dogs." 

Beautiful Naomi becomes the object of desire and of racial prejudice. She finds secret pleasure with Wash, an intelligent boy who is a senior at the all black school in a segregated town. They imagine a future together with the twins, free from persecution. The writing is as lush and as beautiful as the landscape:

"It was getting late, but time seemed to stretch like taffy. The pines stood out dark against the pinks and oranges creeping across the sky, and a breeze stirred around her. She found herself walking to their spot at the river. It was not a usual meeting time for them, but she couldn't help hoping."

The East Texas woods of the author's childhood, which feature in the narrative.

After an explosive and confusing start, the narrative down-shifts to an unrushed pace, building tension slowly and allowing for in depth character development. The chapters are told from multiple points of view: Naomi, her Born Again stepfather, her seven-year-old half brother and her boyfriend Wash. Their star-crossed romance is realistically rendered with adolescent lust and idealistic love. The pace accelerates to a page-turner ending that left me stunned and shattered. Although this tragic story was set in the 1930s, the central theme of racism vs. the power of love still feels relevant today.

Out of Darkness could have been published as literary historical fiction for adults. Since this novel includes sexual abuse, pedophilia and graphic violence, I would only recommend it to mature teens and to adults who aren't afraid to explore the dark side of human nature. Both Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal gave this soon to be released book starred reviews. Out of Darkness is Pérez's strongest young adult novel so far and shows a maturity of voice, technique and vision. I look forward to reading more of her work.

Guest Post from Ashley Hope Pérez:

Looking to the Margins of History

Author Ashley Hope Pérez

Since What Can’t Wait and The Knife and the Butterfly explore the lives of contemporary Latina/o teenagers, it may surprise readers to learn that my third novel, Out of Darkness, is set in 1937 and takes a historical event--the school explosion in New London, Texas—as a backdrop for the story. In fact, though, Out of Darkness extends my interest in untold stories by excavating experiences from the margins of history in the part of Texas where I grew up. 

Hollow Oak Tree by Gustave Le Gay:
similar to Naomi & Wash's secret meeting spot

The woods of Naomi and Wash’s secret meetings are the woods of my childhood, and the memorial to the victims of the 1937 New London school explosion was part of the landscape I saw when I rode to work with my father during the summer. Even then, I knew something terrible had happened to the schoolchildren in New London, but I didn’t understand the magnitude of the disaster. The New London school explosion killed one in four of the town’s white children for a death toll of nearly three hundred. Unsurprisingly, the impact of the school disaster on the white community has been the focus of all existing accounts. From the start of my research, though, I knew I wanted to explore what the event might have meant for others, especially people of color.

In 1937, the Depression still had most of the U.S. in a chokehold. But thanks to revenues from oil extraction, the New London school had extraordinary resources: chemistry labs, foreign language classes, band uniforms and instruments for all children, suites of sewing machines for home economics, and the first electric lights on a high school football stadium. Some newspapers called New London’s school “the richest rural school in America,” and I wondered what it would have been like to behold that bounty from the outside, to have one’s children spared from the explosion because they hadn’t been allowed into the school in the first place. This was the situation, of course, for the African American community, whose children were required to attend a grossly under-resourced “colored” school in the area.

Aftermath of the 1937 New London School Explosion

 I also wondered if there were any Mexican Americans living in East Texas at the time of the explosion. Reading oral histories in East Texas archives and doing my own interviews yielded only one mention of a gentleman from a nearby town whom the interviewees called “Tamale Joe.” Still, because the promise of oil field jobs in East Texas led to a significant influx of people from all over the state and country, it seemed plausible to me that other Mexican American families might have come to the area at least during the decade of the oil boom. And then I came across the name “Juanita Herron” among the list of the children who had died in the explosion. I looked up her records with the funeral house that handled her body, and her parents listed her race as “white.” Still, it was common for Mexican Americans in Texas to play down their heritage to escape discrimination, much as Henry (Naomi’s stepfather in Out of Darkness) encourages Naomi and her siblings to do in the novel. As I studied Juanita’s photograph, I began to imagine the combination of circumstances that might have led to a Mexican American child enrolling in the New London school. I imagined a family living in San Antonio, where segregation had a third dimension, so-called “Mexican” schools for Hispanic children. I imagined a family moving to East Texas, where there were no Mexican schools, in hopes of a better life and education for bright children. (These exceptionally smart children became Naomi’s twin brother and sister.)

While there are remarkable and redemptive aspects to life and community in New London as I portray it in my Out of Darkness, the novel also sheds a stark light on the myriad expressions of racism in segregated communities. The novel is tragic, but it also gives readers the chance to see what novelist Sharon Flake describes as “hope in hard places.” Out of Darkness lends urgency to our continued work for a better, more just future where all kinds of love can take root.

Reviewer's Disclosure: the author offered me a free digital galley via netgalley so that I could participate in the book's blog tour; I was not compensated for my review. At my request, Pérez explained why she chose to write an historical novel after two contemporary novels. Photos were supplied by the author. Carolrhoda Lab will release Out of Darkness in hardcover on September 1, 2015. For more of my reviews of Pérez's books, follow the links in the opening paragraph.