Ululate, ululate, ululate (and other book news) October 17, 2007

We just got It Had to Be You: The Gossip Girl Prequel at the library and I tried convincing a couple of teens to read it and tell me why Serena went to boarding school so I don’t have to read it. Anyway, via the Amazon Bookstore Blog, Cecily von Ziegesar left a comment/apology/5-star review about the copyediting of the book, which includes:

I worked really hard and spent a year writing the book and I was so excited when it finally came out, but now I just want everyone to read the book I wrote, not the tampered-with version. For instance, there’s this whole chapter where the word “ululate” which is actually a really funny word, was changed to “undulate” like six times. Now the chapter isn’t funny anymore and makes no sense.

Manga publisher VIZ now has blog.

Publishers Lunch hasn’t listed many YA deals lately, but Dear Author has some of them, along with some upcoming romance and women’s fiction novels. Among deals listed is a new Ally Carter series (”Ocean’s 11 meets Veronica Mars”? I’m there) and more.

Quirky Asian Cinema October 16, 2007

At first glance the Harunos seem like a typical Japanese family living in the countryside.  However, upon close inspection this family is a ragtag gang of eccentric characters.  The mother Yoshiko (Takahiro Sato) is an animator trying to perfect her craft, while her husband Nobuo (Tomokazu Miura) is a professional hypnotist.  Their daughter Sachiko (Maya Banno) is constantly plagued by a larger version of herself, while their son Hajime (Takahiro Sato) is infatuated with the new girl Aoi (Anna Tsuchiya from Kamikaze Girls). In addition, Yoshiko’s brother Ayano (Tadanobu Asano from Ichi the Killer) is a music producer who drops by to tell a strange childhood story involving eggs, poop, and tattooed gangsters.  Lastly, there’s Grandpa (Tatsuya Gasuyin) who is an retired animator with rather eccentric habits, like making up love haikus about inanimate objects.  Overall, Taste of Tea is an enjoyable romp through the quirky world created by writer/director Katsuhito Ishii.

Sang-Min is a total player who enjoys oogling women in any setting.  Seo Bo-eun is an average 16 year-old girl whom everyone thinks is cute.  While Seo Bo-eun’s grandfather is in the hospital he makes a dying request that she marry Sang-Min.  Even though they have known each other since childhood, Seo Bo-eun is not attracted to Sang-Min and thinks he’s a perverted womanizer. However, to appease her grandfather Seo Bo-eun and Sang-Min agree to an arranged marriage.  As soon as they are married Seo Bo-eun begins to lead a double love life.  While Sang-Min spends their honeymoon alone hitting on women.  Will this couple survive a loveless marriage? Or will it all end up in a hot mess?  To find out watch My Little Bride  a semi-unconventional romantic-comedy.

On the first day of the Robert’s Snow/Blogging for a Cure effort October 14, 2007

you can see snowflakes by these illustrators:

Grace Lin featured by Becky Bilby at In the Pages . . .
Randy Cecil, featured by Liz Dubois at ChatRabbit
Michelle Chang, featured by The Longstockings
Kevin Hawkes, featured by Cynthia Lord at cynthialord’s Journal (Here is Cynthia’s snowflake preview from yesterday!)
Barbara Lehman, featured by David Elzey at the excelsior file

The remaining schedule and links will be posted daily at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. (If you are unfamiliar with the project, learn more here and here.)

Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker October 14, 2007

My quick take on “Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker”: if you’re not a kid or a teenage girl, just read the book. Or the graphic novel adaptation. Because, really, the only reason to watch it is Alex Pettyfer. He’s the perfect Alex Rider (read: really cute!).

If you’ve read the book, you know what to expect. The movie is pretty faithful to the book. Not surprising, since Anthony Horowitz, who wrote the book, also wrote the screenplay. For those unfamiliar with the story, Alex Rider thought he was just a regular 14-year-old boy living in London. Until the day the police came to tell him his uncle was dead. Alex had lived with his uncle, Ian Rider, since he was a baby (his parents died in a plane crash). Now the authorities were saying that Ian was dead, killed in a car accident because he wasn’t wearing his seatbelt. But Alex knew his uncle, and he knew there was no way Ian Rider would have been in a car without his seatbelt fastened. But why would they lie about something like this?

That’s when Alex started noticing things, like the strange men at his uncle’s funeral, and how all the files from his uncle’s home office were being stolen, not to mention the bullet holes in his uncle’s car. Turns out, Ian Rider wasn’t a banker like Alex thought he was. He was a spy for MI-6, British Intelligence. And now MI-6 has seen Alex in action, and they want him to complete his uncle’s last mission, the one that got him killed.

*cough* Now that I’ve basically finished my booktalk… It’s not so much that “Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker” is a bad movie as much as I don’t think it lives up to its potential. There’s a lot of action and cool stunts, but not much else. Kids will like it, girls (okay, and women) will enjoy looking at Alex Pettyfer, but from an adult perspective, the rest of the movie is mediocre and unsatisfying. This is definitely no “The Bourne Identity.” And an overly tan Mickey Rourke with blue eye shadow is just wrong, even if he is the villain.

Entertainment Weekly revisits the YA ghetto! October 12, 2007

The Oct. 19 issue includes short reviews of Slam, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You, and Spud. Good grades for all of them.

And via EW’s PopWatch blog, Tom Perrotta ghost-wrote a Fear Street novel.

Revenge of the Homecoming Queen by Stephanie Hale October 12, 2007

Aspen Brooks, narrator of Stephanie Hale’s Revenge of the Homecoming Queen, is blond, beautiful, and bright. And she knows it. You could probably describe her with another word that starts with the letter B, despite what Aspen says on page 44. (And some S-words, as well: superficial, snobby, spoiled, stuck-up…)

So when Aspen’s archenemy Angel, who totally does not live up to her name, is voted homecoming queen, Aspen is horrified. She’s been going out with Lucas, the school’s hot starting quarterback for the last two months, and between dating the star quarterback and her own looks and fashion sense, how could anyone else be named homecoming queen? How did she end up a mere princess?

And her day just gets worse from there. There’s graffiti in the girl’s bathroom about her (”Aspen Brooks is a lesbo who wears knockoffs”—and Aspen is more upset about the knockoff part, and that it was written with cheap lipstick, than the allegation about her sexuality). She finds herself strangely attracted to geeky Rand Bachrach, who, thanks to Lucas’ stupid scheme, is the newly named homecoming king. Her best friend is spending way too much time with Angel’s best friend. Angel makes a move, and more, on Lucas, before mysteriously disappearing.

A lesser character would be overwhelmed by all this, but not Aspen. Supremely confident, she’s sure she knows who’s responsible for her plight and is determined to get her life back to normal. Hale says that readers will probably either love or hate Aspen. Well, I didn’t hate her, can’t say I liked her, but I sure found her entertaining. Hale does a wonderful job maintaining Aspen’s voice throughout the book. Her narration is strong—confident and ridiculous-in-a-good-way amusing (in fiction, at any rate, since I doubt I’d feel the same with a real life Aspen-type person), with some of the secondary characters getting laugh out loud funny one-liners. There were parts I couldn’t completely suspend my disbelief over, which I won’t get into here, since it verges on spoiler material. Let’s just say that even though it was over the top, I didn’t mind, because it did fit with the story and ultimately, Aspen’s narration and the above-average mystery by far outweigh the book’s flaws.

Also reviewed by Little Willow (featuring an interview with Stephanie Hale). And I agree that Revenge of the Homecoming Queen is best for high school and up.

Short manga reviews, Part 3 October 11, 2007

Catching up on Yakitate!! Japan by Takeshi Hashiguchi
Kazuma Azuma loves bread. His grandfather doesn’t understand why, because what’s wrong with good old rice? But Kazuma wants to create a national bread. Just as the French have French bread, Kazuma dreams of Ja-pan, a national bread for Japan. (Pan is the Japanese word for bread. And that pun is totally indicative of the humor in Yakitate!! Japan.) So Kazuma heads off for Tokyo where he finds a job working at the South Tokyo branch of Pantasia, Japan’s premier bakery chain, and enters the Pantasia rookie tournament along with coworker Kawachi.

I read the first three volumes of Yakitate!! Japan earlier this year, but didn’t continue the series until recently. The storyline at that point was just getting repetitive, but then I picked up vol. 4 and was hooked once again. Hashiguchi draws the best exaggerated expressions around, and anyone who can parody themselves and their work as well as he does (Takitate!! Gohan by “Dave” Hashiguchi) gets points in my book, plus the Pantasia competition gets even crazier as Kazuma faces off against a guy in a koala mask. Then came an absolutely hysterical vol. 5, so as I told Gayle, this is now my second favorite manga series. (“What do you mean?!” Sorry, couldn’t resist.) And with the rookie competition finally coming to an end in vol. 7, our bakers face a new challenge with unexpected allies.

catching up on Black Cat by Kentaro Yabuki
In case anyone was wondering, this is my favorite manga series. So, quick recap: Train Heartnet, aka the Black Cat, once worked for Chronos, a secret organization that controls one-third of the world’s economy. He was a number, an assassin, that Chronos sent to clean up problems. Now he’s a sweeper, a bounty hunter, living as carefree as a bounty hunter can, along with the more business-minded Sven and Eve, the “experimental living weapon” they rescued from a nanotech lab on a heist with the thief Rinslet Walker.

Creed Diskenth, another former Chronos Number, leads the Apostles of the Stars. His goal is to wipe out Chronos, and he wants Train to join him. Chronos wants Train to return to fight Creed, but Train is determined to remain independent. The bulk of vols. 9 and 10 are action-oriented, with lots of fighting and suspense. And Train doesn’t do much of the fighting! Shock! Members of Chronos and the Apostles of the Stars get most of the spotlight in these two volumes. Having supporting characters take center stage wouldn’t work in most other series, but Yabuki pulls it off.

catching up on Penguin Revolution by Sakura Tsukuba
I was disappointed by vol. 2, in which the only thing of note that happened was the revelation of a jaw-dropping secret. Vol. 3 was better, as Yuka’s job as Ryo’s manager is threatened, and Tsukuba ratchets up the romantic tension between them (and just wait until vol. 4). There are some annoying typos, such as an actress whose last name is Oka in several scenes, but Oda at the end of vol. 4. I also wish there was a summary of the previous books, one of those “The Story So Far…” things, and more cultural and translation notes.

Overall, this is a relatively quiet series. So if you’re looking for a series with a lot of action (go read Black Cat) or insane humor (read Yakitate!! Japan), Penguin Revolution probably isn’t the best choice. The main reason to read it is the characters and their relationship. Yuka and Ryo are so adorable, I swear I say “Oh, they are so cute!” at least once a chapter.

LOL :D October 10, 2007

Gee it seems as though I’m in an ALA plugging mood.  I’ll try to get up some original content in the future.  What’s on my mind as of recent is Teen Read Week(TRW) October 14-20th.  This year’s Teen Read Week theme is LOL (aka laugh out loud)!  The following is a compilation of some titles that actually made a librarian in Hawaii laugh out loud. 

Graphic Novels (this is an extremely abbreviated list)

Yotsuba&! by Kiyohiko Azuma

Dr. Slump by Akira Toriyama

GTO by Toru Fujisawa

Yakitate by Takashi Hashiguchi

Beauty Pop by Kiyoko Arai

My Heavenly Hockey Club by Ai Morinaga

School Rumble by Jin Kobayashi

Non-Fiction

Found: The Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items by Davy Rothbart

Darwin Awards by Wendy Northcutt

Seventeen Magazine’s Traumarama

It’s Happy Bunny: Love Bites by Jim Benton

The Stupid Crook Book by Leland Gregory

What’s That Smell? by Tucker Shaw

Joys of Engrish by Steven Caires (totally unPC but that’s what makes it funny)

Big Bento Box of Unuseless Japanese Inventions by Kenji Kawakami

Worst Case Scenario Handbook by Joshua Piven

Simpsons comics by Matt Groening

Odd Jobs by Nancy Schiff

Go Hang a Salami! I’m a Lasagna Hog! by John Agee

Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems by John Grandits

Wearing of this Garment Does Not Enable You to Fly by Jeff Koon

YA Fiction

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Poison Apples by Lily Archer

Thwonk by Joan Bauer

Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Celine by Brock Cole

Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwall

The Princess of Neptune by Quentin Dodd

How Not to Spend Your Senior Year by Cameron Dokey

Tell it to Naomi by Daniel Ehrenhaft

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Prachett

Mates, Dates series by Cathy Hopkins

Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (probably more J)

Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman

Absolutely Positively Not by David LaRochelle

Girl 15, Charming But Insane by Sue Limb

Fly on the Wall by E.Lockhart

Frogs & French Kisses by Sarah Mlynowski

30 Guys in 30 Days by Micol Ostow

The Teacher’s Funeral and A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

Whistling Toilets by Randy Powell

Angus Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber

Angelica Cookson Potts series by Cherry Whytock

Girls for Breakfast by David Yoo

Feel free to add to the list if you can vouch for a young adult/teen title that made you lol.

As far as programming for Teen Read Week I’m being a slug.  Why is it, whenever I plan a program for a Saturday, there’s some big event like the PSAT that occurs simultaneously? :( 

Violet on the Runway by Melissa Walker October 9, 2007

In her debut novel, Violet on the Runway, Melissa Walker gives readers a fun, voyeuristic peek at the modeling world while also addressing some more serious issues, like self-confidence and staying true to yourself. Walker is a former writer and editor for Elle Girl, which gives Violet on the Runway a welcome sense of authenticity.

Violet is just your typical high school senior, albeit taller and skinnier than most. It makes her stick out, and not in a good way. Yeah, I know, most of us (okay, I) would like to be tall and skinny, but for Violet, all this does is draw unwanted attention and make her self-conscious.

While Violet is working at a movie theater, a pushy, complaining lady is arguing about show times. Turns out the lady is Angela Blythe of Tryst Models, and once she gets a look at Violet, she thinks Violet could be IT. You know, IT, as in the next big (figuratively speaking) thing. Violet’s not sure how her best friends Julie and Roger will react, and she doesn’t think she’d be a good model, but for some reason, she decides to give modeling a try. She goes to New York for Fashion Week thinking she’s in over her head, but Angela Blythe was right. Violet is the darling of the shows; magazines and designers want her modeling for them. Violet may have conquered Fashion Week, but winning over others, including fellow Tryst model Veronica Trask, won’t be so easy.

Violet starts off a shy wallflower but is forced to mature quickly once she moves to New York. I didn’t fully buy Violet’s rapid shift in personality and thought her voice could have been clearer, more consistent. Still, I liked that Violet was a nice, normal girl, as was her family. And even though the secondary characters were a bit flat (not unusual in first-person narratives), several were interesting enough to make me want to read their stories, as well.

Although I liked Violet on the Runway well enough, I’m not sure I’ll read Walker’s next book, Violet By Design. I was sufficiently satisfied with where she left Violet that I don’t feel compelled to read her next adventure(s). I’d prefer reading the same events told in Violet on the Runway from the point of view of Veronica, Julie, and/or Jake instead.

Violet on the Runway was also reviewed by Jen Robinson and Teen Book Review.
An interview with Melissa Walker at YA Fresh.

Betwixt by Tara Bray Smith October 6, 2007

This is when I really wish I was in a book group, because I’m not sure how to discuss Betwixt without spoilers. It’s been almost three months since I read it and I’m not any closer to figuring it out. But the book just came out this past week and I, rather selfishly, want to encourage people to read it so I can talk about it with others, because it’s one of the best books I’ve read this year and definitely worth reading.

I took the ARC of Betwixt on the plane with me on my flight home from Washington, DC. I read the first chapter, decided I’d rather sleep instead, and didn’t pick it up for another two weeks or so. Then, when I was showing a teen movie, I brought it with me to read while the movie played. This time, I just kept turning the pages. Before I knew it, I was over a hundred pages in and totally hooked.

Anyway, here’s what the book is about (from the jacket, because it does an excellent job of setting it up without spoilers):

For three teenagers, dark mystery has always lurked at the corner of the eyes and the edge of sleep.

Beautiful Morgan D’Amici wakes in her trailerpark home with dirt and blood under her fingernails. Paintings come alive under Ondine Mason’s violet-eyed gaze. Haunted runaway Nix Saint-Michael sees halos of light around people about to die. At a secret summer rave, the three teenagers learn of their true, changeling nature and their uncertain, intertwined destinies. Riveting, unflinching, beautiful, Betwixt shows a magic as complex and challenging as any ordinary truth.

Without getting into the plot, which is layered, or the three main characters, who are imperfect and complicated and so very human in their actions and fears despite their “changeling nature,” what really kept me reading was Tara Bray Smith’s writing. Unforced is the best way I can describe it, though observant would also be a good word. It is somehow simultaneously straightforward and luminous, distant yet immediate. From pages 170-171 of the ARC:

…Ondine wondered what had happened to the girl who just a few weeks ago had to turn off her phone it rang so often. She had always been the popular girl, the one who walked into a roomful of strangers and walked out with a new posse of friends. Now when the phone rang—if it did at all—she answered it only if it was Ralph or Trish, and the idea of calling someone to grab a cup of coffee or go shopping or catch a movie didn’t even occur to her. The girl who did those kinds of things was someone else named Ondine, not her. This Ondine stayed close to home, cleaning, cooking—though she had never made anything more complicated than ramen noodles before—spending long hours maintaining Trish’s flower beds. Gardening was Trish’s passion, but not something Ondine had ever shown any real interest in. There were magazines and manuals everywhere, but she ignored them, just as she eschewed tools. She wandered into the garden and sank to her knees and worked the earth with her fingers, pinching off a leaf here, a twig there; she whispered to a cupped leaf, “Grow.” Under Ondine’s watch the Mason’s yard exploded. It was almost eerie how every plant seemed to bloom at the same time. How the flowers didn’t fade, or rust, or even close when the sun went down. Ondine knew, because she had looked. She had gone to the window late one night when Nix still wasn’t back from the store, and seen an army of roses and peonies and irises and asters all staring up at her window. When a breeze stirred them, it was as if they were bowing. Ondine felt like Evita of the flora. She would have laughed, if she hadn’t been so creeped out.

In many ways, Betwixt both is and is about liminal stages. It blurs adult and Young Adult fiction, not belonging wholly to one, but somewhere in between. In tone, I was at times reminded of adult literature (The Secret History comes to mind for some reason, despite the difference in narrators), yet the story is ultimately about three teens searching for their identity and their place in the world, without any sense of temporal distance in the narration. It is this, I think, that Cindy Eagan (Editorial Director of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) means when she writes, “Enchanting, intoxicating, sensual, and cool, Betwixt will speak to today’s older young adult audience in a way that I believe will be truly groundbreaking.”

Visit the Betwixt site.