Dislikeable likeable protagonists May 9, 2008

You’ve heard us talk about dislikeable protagonists in the past. But have you ever heard of a dislikeable likeable protagonist? If this type of main character intrigues you give the author Elizabeth Scott’s books a try. I recently read Bloom and Stealing Heaven which have many similarities.

Both protagonists in Bloom and Stealing Heaven feel like their lives are not theirs to control. Danielle in Stealing Heaven only knows a life of stealing with her mother. When she meets people she tells them lies about herself because she is a thief and does not want to reveal her true identity. She creates an identity for the purposes of getting information that she needs to help her mother burglarize a prominent household in the town which they are staying. Lauren in Bloom is living a life trying NOT to be her mother. She tries to be the ideal daughter for her father, the ideal friend for her best friend and the ideal girlfriend for her boyfriend. All these ideals are not really who she is and she starts to do what she really wants covertly. Lauren cheats on both her best friend and boyfriend-she has another best friend and love interest on the side. She thinks she can conceal this but the reality is she is more transparent than she thinks. Eventually the concealment and lies that these characters build up comes crumbling down in a relieving denouement. To step into the shoes of a dislikeable likeable protagonist read Bloom and Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott.

For the most part I thought Bloom and Stealing Heaven were well written and compelling however, one of the problems that I had with these books was the lack of character development. Danielle seems to have dropped out of the sky and even when there are allusions to her past, they are unbelievable and topical. Moreover her past does not flesh out her character. Instead of creating a believable multi-faceted protagonist we get a semblance of a character who is written for the purpose of moving a story forward. Don’t get me wrong, I like that the characters are flawed, but in that same regard I would like to understand why they are flawed. Is their flaw only because they are unable to think and act on their own, or does it run deeper?

Anyway for more takes on these books and some insight from Elizabeth Scott check out her blog http://www.elizabethwrites.com/. More reviews and commentary about Bloom are available at the following blogs: bildungsroman, bookshelves of doom, and teenreads.com. There’s even an interview with Elizabeth at bildungsroman.

One last note, Stealing Heaven hits the shelves May 27, 2008.

Trisha’s April Roundup May 8, 2008

If I were better organized, I would have finished reviewing these books earlier (because I do think they all deserve long reviews), before giving the ARCs to teens or returning the books to the library. But all I did was make really brief notes about them, and it’s been a few weeks since I read some of them, so…

Airman by Eoin Colfer
When Conor Broekhart is unjustly thrown into prison, his thoughts naturally turn to escape. But his jail is Little Saltee Island. It’s a miserable place, where prisoners are forced to mine for diamonds in brutal conditions, and the only way he can escape is to construct a flying machine. Simply surviving is difficult, so how can Conor even hope to build his machine?

To compare Airman to some of Colfer’s previous books (and for the record, I am a huge Artemis Fowl fan), although it’s not as funny as the Artemis Fowl books or Half-Moon Investigations, it still has moments of humor and wit, as well as their fast pace and excellent plotting. What I loved most about Airman is the characterization of Conor. Here’s a kid who has everything going for him—a place in society, brains, ability, etc.—when the book starts, and he’s still likable. When he’s thrown into prison, Conor gets darker, realistically so, but never crosses the line that makes us stop rooting for him. A fantastic book.

Among the reviews: A Fuse #8 Production, Shelf Elf

Fancy White Trash by Marjetta Geerling
Abby Savage doesn’t want to end up like her mother and older sisters, none of whom have made it to their high school graduation without becoming pregnant, all of whom have made disastrous choices in love. So Abby created rules, the One True Love Plan (based on knowledge gleaned from soap operas), which she thinks will enable her to break free from the romantic/procreative history of the women in her family. She wants her life, and potential boyfriends, to be safe.

Abby’s thoughtful narration grounds the book, turning Fancy White Trash from what could have been a print version of The Jerry Springer Show into an examination of the family and friendships that have shaped a young woman’s life. Reminded me somehow of Carolyn Mackler, though I can’t say exactly why.

Also reviewed by: Flamingnet Book Blog, Once Upon a Bookshelf

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
I liked Wicked Lovely but was enthralled by Ink Exchange. It’s darker, more intense than Wicked Lovely, terrible in the “exciting terror, awe, or great fear” sense of the word. The age recommendation on the ARC was for ages 12 and up, but I think I’d feel more comfortable saying 14 and up.

As much as she wants a tattoo, Leslie has not found the design that was meant to be applied to her body. Then she sees a design that calls to her, but she has no way of knowing that the tattoo she gets will draw her into the faerie world. Leslie was ignorant of faeries despite being a friend of Aislinn. Just as Leslie had been keeping secrets from Aislinn, not admitting to anyone the truth about her home life or the extent to which her junkie brother would go to get a fix, Aislinn has been determined to keep Leslie from finding about the fey and Aislinn’s place with them. But the tattoo Leslie gets connects her to Irial, the ruler of the Dark Court, because he needs Leslie—or rather, the sustenance Irial has planned for the tattoo-bearer to provide—for the Dark Court to survive.

Among the reviews: Angieville, Teen Book Review, Urban Fantasy Land

Wake by Lisa McMann
Another book I would have adored as a teen.

Ever since she was a kid, Janie Hannagan has been falling into other people’s dreams. It’s turned her life practically into a nightmare. At work and at home, Janie can often isolate herself enough to lessen the effects of other people’s dreams, but that’s not the case at school. When people fall asleep and dream in school, Janie experiences the dream with them, even though the dreamer has no idea that Janie’s in their dream, observing what they see (and even though I’m not sure how exciting the dreams of students who fall asleep in school would be, since most vivid and memorable dreams occur during REM sleep, and REM sleep doesn’t occur until we’ve been asleep for about 90 minutes. Although I suppose you could make the argument that most teens are sleep deprived and hence would fall into REM a lot sooner when they fall asleep in school.).

In any case, my one question about sleep science aside (which didn’t actually occur to me until after I finished the book), Wake is a compelling book that grabs the reader from the very first page, when Janie falls into a classmate’s dream. I am definitely looking forward to the sequel, Fade.

Among the reviews: The Book Muncher, A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Ancient India by Anita Dalal (non-fiction)
Very attractively designed and includes everything librarians love to see in children’s and YA non-fiction, like a map, timeline, bibliography, further reading section, glossary, and an index. There’s even an interview with an archaeologist! But with all of that, not to mention all the photos, there wasn’t very much space for actual information. I hope this will get some readers interested in archaeology/ancient India, but anyone looking for specific info besides dates and locations, particularly past 7th grade, will probably be better off getting one of the books listed in the further reading section.

Airhead by Meg Cabot May 1, 2008

Hmm, how to talk about this book without giving anything away and saying something besides, “It’s awesome. Read it!”? Let’s see…

Emerson Watts is smart. She’s a feminist. She loves playing the computer game Journeyquest. She is definitely not an airhead.

Emerson Watts is not an airhead.

Some people oppose megastores on principle. Emerson Watts has a better reason to oppose them.

Forget it, we’ll go with the publisher’s copy:

Emerson Watts didn’t even want to go to the new SoHo Stark Megastore grand opening. But someone needed to look out for her sister, Frida, whose crush, British heartthrob Gabriel Luna, would be singing and signing autographs there—along with the newly appointed Face of Stark, teen supermodel sensation Nikki Howard.

How was Em to know that disaster would strike, changing her—and life as she’d known it—forever? One bizarre accident later, and Em Watts, always the tomboy, never the party princess, is no longer herself. Literally.

Now getting her best friend, Christopher, to notice that she’s actually a girl is the least of Em’s problems.

But what Em’s pretty sure she’ll never be able to accept might just turn out to be the one thing that’s going to make her dream come true….

And it’s awesome! Read it!

Seriously, if you’re a Meg Cabot fan, you need to read this book. If Cabot’s previous books were too light for your tastes, give this one a try. If you’re a librarian, I hope you’ve already ordered it. Airhead combines the best of Cabot’s style with one of her most mature protagonists that I can recall reading (of her YA books, at least). Em is less flighty and impulsive, more of an intellectual, while remaining just as likable as Cabot’s previous protagonists. Her narration is not as voluble but is still conversational and recognizably Cabot (Cabotian?). Plus, the plot itself is entertaining. Combined with Em, it makes for a very pleasurable book to read.

The only bad thing? I have no idea how long we have to wait for the sequel.

Airhead will be published on May 13.

Among the reviews: A True Reality (Holly, I feel your pain), Teen Book Review, Trashionista. Visit Meg Cabot’s blog for more, as she’s been linking to blog reviews.

Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle April 27, 2008

I’ve been trying to write this review for a couple of weeks, but it’s been difficult because I think what follows will make it seem like I hated Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle when, actually, I didn’t. Nor do I think it’s a bad book, just unsatisfying, a little too superficial (in an I kept waiting for the author to do more with her characters and story kind of way, not a post-Regency/pre-Victorian lemonade-at-Almack’s brand name-dropping way because the latter thankfully does not apply to this book, a point in its favor), and without the need-to-keep-reading! compulsion that elevated a book like The Luxe.

Persephone Leland is not looking forward to making her debut. She’s shy, awkward with strangers, and, she thinks, not as beautiful as her twin sister, Penelope. Sephy would rather practice magic and study instead. Even the reappearance of handsome Lochinvar Seton does not persuade Sephy that going to London for the season will be enjoyable. But when Sephy and Penelope’s governess mysteriously disappears, it seems they and their younger brother, Charles, are the only ones who can find her and stop those who are a threat to the Princess (soon to be Queen) Victoria.

So here’s what kept me from enjoying Bewitching Season. First, Sephy and Pen often call their brother Chuckles instead of Charles, which constantly made me think of the TV show Chuck, probably not the best thing to be thinking of when reading a book set in 1837. My problem, not Doyle’s, and something I would therefore overlook, except I liked Charles. I wanted more of Charles’ interactions with his sisters and less Sephy pining for Lochinvar. Because Lochinvar was a nice guy, noble and idealistic, but he also didn’t have much of a personality. I’m all for reading about nice guy, beta males*, but he was the least interesting male character in the book. Which may be nice for Sephy, but considering how essential their romance is to the story, did not make for very compelling reading. Especially when there was a secondary romance and the male character in that subplot was so much more intriguing.

Also problematic was Sephy’s use of magic. It too often seemed a convenient ploy, a vehicle merely there to advance the plot instead of providing a simple demonstration of her ability, though this was not the case with some of the other characters. However, Sephy is the main character. Her magical abilities should have been better integrated with her character and the story. Finally, the description of how Victoria became heir to the throne was confusing. It was a complicated situation but could have been explained better, especially since I don’t think most of this book’s readers will be familiar with it. (I took AP European History and I still had to go look up Victoria on, um, Wikipedia.) Otherwise, Doyle did a pretty good job with history and the setting. I’ve read better historical fantasies (like Patricia Wrede’s Mairelon the Magician and Magician’s Ward), but I’ve also read much worse novels with historical settings. Ultimately, while I don’t think too much was going on in the book, I do think Doyle didn’t explore what was going on as well as she could have.

For a completely different take on Bewitching Season, read The Book Muncher’s review.

* I don’t think Lochinvar’s role is large enough to qualify as a male protagonist and I hate referring to protagonists in romances as heroes and heroines, hence beta male.

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen April 21, 2008

It’s been a few days since Ruby was living on her own, weeks since her mother abandoned her, and ten years since she’s seen her older sister, Cora. But after being reported to Social Services, she’s forced to live with Cora and Cora’s husband, Jamie, an internet millionaire. Ruby doesn’t want to live with them or deal with all the changes her new life entails, but now it’s not so easy for Ruby to remain as isolated as she wants to be.

Lock and Key is a very satisfying read. Though not quite as good as some of Sarah Dessen’s previous books, her many fans will not be disappointed. For longtime readers of Dessen, a plethora of characters from her previous books pop up in Lock and Key, a few by name, including one in particular that surprised me, and many more by inference (e.g., “For the really obscure ones, I had to enlist this guy one of my employees knows from his Anger Management class who’s some kind of music freak.” Awesome.), adding to the pleasure of reading Lock and Key.

The hallmarks of Dessen’s books appear in this one, with some new twists I appreciated. It’s thoughtful, understated yet powerful, with a focus on character and relationships, not plot. But while Dessen’s previous novels have centered on upper middle class protagonists (as far as I can recall, the only exception is Keeping the Moon prior to the mother becoming famous, though I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong), girls facing challenges in their relationships, Ruby has spent much of her life poor and avoiding relationships. Although Ruby may be a new type of protagonist in terms of socioeconomic status and family background, her character and voice are similar to previous Dessen protagonists, which made the book even more enjoyable to me than it might have otherwise been.

Lock and Key will be published tomorrow, April 22.

Also reviewed by:
Becky’s Book Reviews
Bookshelves of Doom
Little Willow
A Patchwork of Books
A True Reality

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson April 14, 2008

Now I know why so many bloggers have been raving about this. Because The Adoration of Jenna Fox is one seriously good book.

When Jenna Fox wakes up, she has no memory of her past. She’s been in a coma for over a year and while her physical recovery seems to be progressing rapidly, her memory is slow to return. There are discs her mother gives her, hours of footage and photographs of Jenna’s life, but they don’t fill in all the blanks. What happened to Jenna? What is her family hiding from her? Why? And, most importantly, who is Jenna Fox?

In The Adoration of Jenna Fox, Mary E. Pearson has written a novel about a girl whose story seems all too believable and possible. It’s science fiction that will hook even the non-science fiction reader, like me. The story is suspenseful and the pacing excellent, particularly the way Pearson doles out information. Nothing is given away too soon, and nothing held back too long. The tension Pearson builds lasts for the duration of the book, even after Jenna discovers the truth. I could not put the book down. It also raises a lot of questions and manages to be very thought-provoking. I hesitate to say this because it’s a descriptor that sometimes makes books seem dull or boring, or worse, but it definitely applies to The Adoration of Jenna Fox and does not detract from the readability or excellence of Pearson’s writing at all. This would be a great book group selection for both teens and adults.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox will be published on April 29. In the meantime, visit http://www.adorationofjennafox.com/.

Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty by Jody Gehrman April 12, 2008

A month ago, a teen and I were talking about books we had recently read, and she said she had just finished Carrie Jones‘ excellent Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend. After I finished going on about how Jones had written a sequel which I kind of wanted to read but kind of was afraid to read because I thought Tips was a fabulous YA romance on its own, she asked if I could recommend any YA romances. Set in the summer. And not written for younger teens. (I swear, she totally asked me this on her own.) Jody Gerhman’s Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty is very different from Tips, and although there are better books out there and I’m on the fence as to whether it really is a romance or merely realistic fiction with a large romantic subplot (as well as whether a book recommended for ages 14 and up can truly be considered “not for younger teens,” because you know they’re going to read it anyway, but as it’s not for 12 and up, I’m saying yes), it is still good enough and romance-ish enough for me to recommend to my teen. And to make things even better, it takes place over the course of a summer. So on to the book.

Geena’s two best friends have never met, but she’s arranged things so that all three of them will be working together at Triple Shot Betty’s, a drive-through coffee stand, and she just knows that they’re all going to get along and have a great summer. However, upon meeting, Amber and Hero dislike each other and are not afraid to let Geena, or each other, know it. While Hero is polite enough that she probably would have been nice to Amber anyway, Amber starts insulting Hero practically from the moment they meet. Hero, understandably, is not about to back down after being stereotyped and insulted. Not helping matters is the fact that the hottest guy in Sonoma, the guy Amber hooked up with when she first moved to town, is interested in Hero, but Hero is not interested in him. Instead, Hero’s in love with the Italian guy interning at her family’s winery, but her overprotective father refuses to let her date. And Amber does want to be a tattoo artist, and Alistair Drake, former drummer/current owner of a famous tattoo parlor did just happen to buy the place next to Hero’s home. So even if they dislike each other, maybe Amber and Hero can call a truce, making a deal that will benefit both of them without letting Geena know about it, since their plans just happen to involve her and a certain smart and cute bicyclist.

Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty was inspired by Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, but as I’ve never read the play or seen the movie (or the play), I can’t compare the two. However, I can say that Confessions is an enjoyable, if not particularly memorable, read. Most of the secondary characters were on the flat side and the story didn’t stick with me the way Tips did. But it was humorous, though not laugh out loud funny, and I found both the romantic and the will-they-all-become-friends? subplots satisfying—teens looking for a summer friendship story along the lines of Peaches will also find much to like in Confessions.

Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty will be published on April 17.

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway April 7, 2008

Audrey never thought her boyfriend, Evan, and his band, The Do Gooders, would have much of a musical career. Turns out breaking up with him was just the inspiration he needed to write the song that would take the country by storm and launch The Do Gooders, and Audrey, to fame.

So how would you react if you suddenly became famous, all because your now ex-boyfriend wrote a song about how you dumped him?

Audrey tries to deal with fame by living as normally as possible, which in her case means going to school, hanging out her best friend and her best friend’s boyfriend, working at the Scooper Dooper, and generally living and breathing music. But normal is hard to do when you’re suddenly famous, even for someone as awesome as Audrey. This is her side of the story, of why she broke up with Evan and what happened to her life after Evan wrote “Audrey, Wait!” And why she didn’t wait.

Robin Benway’s Audrey, Wait! is a fun, and funny, voyeuristic peek at what life might be like for a girl who who never asked to become famous. The high concept plot alone will attract teens*, and Benway backs it up with strong writing and great characterizations. Audrey’s voice is chatty and candid, enjoyable enough that I would probably have kept reading even without the plot. Benway makes you feel how much Audrey loves music, even if Audrey isn’t a musician but only served as an unwilling muse to one. Each chapter starts with a song lyric, which made the book even more fun. And considering how central music is to the book, the musical references never feel forced or false. It’s more like the kind of taste in music you only wish you were cool enough to have.

Also great are Audrey’s parents. Unlike the YA fiction cliché of parents who are absent, neglectful, or downright abusive, Audrey’s parents, well, rock. They love their daughter and want the best for her, and if that means enforcing new rules in light of the paparazzi and random teen fans now trailing Audrey’s every move, then more rules it is. As for Audrey, she may not like the new rules, but she does like her parents, so she’s willing to go along with their rules.

Audrey, Wait! will be published on April 10. If you’re a fan of music or just plain enjoyable books (and not bothered by the swearing and references to sex, drugs, and drinking that, honestly, can only be expected in a book about rock & roll), pick this one up.

Also reviewed at:
A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Kinsmen of the Shelf
Teen Book Review
What I Blogged… (nice template! )

* I was telling my teen book group about it and all, um, four people who were there at the time (not much, I know, but it’s pretty new and I’m trying to build the group up. And considering those three months in a row when absolutely no one came, I was one happy librarian) now want to read it.

Atherton by Patrick Carman April 6, 2008

Just read The House of Power, the first book in the Atherton series by Patrick Carman. Carman is also known for his children’s series the Land of Elyon. I’ve never thought of myself as a fantasy or science fiction fan, but when I guess when you have great writing, it doesn’t matter the genre. I loved Atherton and I can’t wait for the second book in the series: Rivers of Fire.

The story in a nutshell is about a land called Atherton which is three tiered. The highest tier: the Highlands, the middle tier: the Tabletop, and the lowest tier: the Flatlands. The majority of Atherton’s residents live on the Tabletop where they raise livestock and farm fig trees. The Tabletop supplies the Highlands with food and other necessities. The Highlands are inhabited by an elite ruling group who control the world’s water supply. The residents of the Highlands do not mingle with those of the Tabletop. The Flatlands are unknown to either community. Atherton is the creation of a mad scientist, Dr. Harding, who is conducting an experiment with Atherton’s inhabitants. An adventurous orphan of the Tabletop named Edgar uncovers Dr. Harding’s experiment through an adventure of his own and makes a couple of new friends in the process. What is this mysterious experiment? And who is this Dr. Harding? To unlock the secrets, read Atherton: The House of Power and visit the series website: www.athertonseries.com.

Trisha’s March Roundup April 3, 2008

A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
As enjoyable as I find fairy tale retellings, I tend not to read them with much urgency. For me, familiarity with the source material often makes the retelling less compelling, more predictable. This was definitely not the case with A Curse Dark As Gold, which had me impatient, anxious, and racing through the pages to discover what would happen next. It’s not that there’s a lot of action, but the tension. Knowing that the story is based on Rumpelstiltskin actually made it more compelling as I wondered how Elizabeth C. Bunce would integrate the various motifs and characters of the fairy tale into her story.

Charlotte Miller is left to run her family’s financially troubled wool mill, Stirwaters, after the death of her father. Charlotte loves Stirwaters and understands how important it is to the village of Shearing. But no matter how hard she and her younger sister, Rosie, work, it seems as if they will lose the mill. Until a strange man calling himself Jack Spinner appears.

This is a fantastic book that deserves a full-length review, if only I could figure out how to write one that actually conveyed how good it is and how much appeal it has for both teens and adults. But it has been reviewed by a number of other bloggers, including Miss Erin, who also brought us this excellent interview, Bookshelves of Doom, and Teen Book Review, among others. Oh, and here’s another interview, this one with Elizabeth C. Bunce’s editor, Cheryl Klein.

The Swan Kingdom by Zoë Marriott
I have mixed feelings about the cover of this book. It does reflect the story well but there’s just waaaaay too much going on. Then again, maybe that makes it an even better match for the book itself, which is another fairy tale retelling (The Wild Swans). Not as good as A Curse Dark as Gold, partly due to the predictability factor, but also because there’s a bit too much going on, just like the cover. However, it is in some ways a more vibrant read than Curse, largely because of Marriott’s voice. And the cover is vibrant, too…

Anyway, Alexandra is devastated when her mother dies. Her father is also heartbroken, but one day he returns from a hunt with a strange woman, proclaiming his love for her and his intention to marry her. The woman, Zella, seems to have a mysterious ability to win over everyone in the kingdom except for Alexandra and her brothers. It’s a very dangerous ability since Alexandra’s father is the king and Zella’s desires have disastrous effects on the kingdom’s wealth, land, and the lives of Alexandra and her brothers.

I was probably trying to read too much into Marriott’s intentions, but in early parts of the book I did wonder if she was trying to make a statement about the environment and women’s roles in fairy tales. Then I decided that, yes, I was reading too much into it because if there was a message, it was getting very mixed.

Also reviewed at Scholar’s Blog.

Empire by James Laxer
Empire is part of the Groundwork Guides series of non-fiction. According to the publisher, “The Groundwork Guides provide an overview of key contemporary political and social issues. Engaging, concise and clearly written, these books tackle pressing and sometimes controversial topics, offering both a lively introduction to the subject and a strong point of view.”

This description definitely applies to Empire, which examines empires from the ancient world through the contemporary U.S. I found parts of it overly simplistic (especially the Red State/Blue State section in chapter 3, “The American Empire”—this was no Barack Obama 2004 Democratic convention speech—but at the same time it raised issues I hadn’t considered before), not surprising for a book so small and slim, and I don’t actually recall seeing a discussion of the French Empire in the section that was supposedly about British and French Empires. That said, it lived up to the concise, lively, and engaging billing. The author’s bias is obvious, but I thought it made the book more readable. (Although it probably didn’t hurt that I basically have the same point of view.) It’s Canadian, which gives it a slightly different perspective I appreciated, and while it’s exactly the kind of YA non-fiction I would have wanted to read as a teen, it won’t be flying of your shelves, either. Limited appeal, but solid stuff for those teens who are interested.