Book Review: Dead Is the New Black by Marlene Perez

Nightshade, California seems like your average small, quiet town. It has its diners and its schools. But Nightshade, and its inhabitants, are anything but ordinary. Meet Daisy Giordano, a normal-seeming teenage girl in a family full of psychics. With a mother who can see the future, an older sister who can read minds, and another sister who can move things with her mind, Daisy has always felt out of place. But then things get weird, even for Nightshade. Teenage girls start to pop up dead, seeming as though they have had the life sucked out of them. And when the queen bee of Nightshade High goes from girly to goth, Daisy decides to trade her hoodies for pom poms and investigate. Can she crack this mystery?

Dead Is the New Black  is the first book in Marlene Perez's provoking series. This book gives readers a level of excitement that comes from any supernatural book, but its teenage angst element allows readers to feel sympathy for the character. With great plot twists and turns, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat. Other books in the series include Dead is a State of Mind and Dead is so Last Year.


-bookwizard

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Lost in the middle of the Canadian wilderness, a lone teenage boy, Brian, discovers what type of person he really is. In route to his father who lives in a small Canadian town, the pilot of Brian's plane has a sudden heart attack, forcing Brian to crash land. Barely alive, Brian must nurse himself back to life and survive by himself with his only possession, his hatchet. But things start to look up for him; he builds a shelter, learns what to eat and most of all, he learns how to survive. But as we all know, life never seems to let everything be fine for very long. A couple of weeks later, everything Brian created is destroyed, leaving him to rebuild once again.Through his struggles we learn more about Brian and what it will take for him to come back to civilization, alive.

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Hatchet by Gary Paulsen has been a teen favorite for many years. It is a great read for those looking for adventure, survival and the strength of human will. Paulsen creates the scenes as you are surviving along with Brian; facing the same struggles he does. Other books following the story of Brian in Hatchet include The River, Brian's Winter, Brian's Hunt and Brian's Return.

~ Jerome the Fighting Caterpillar

Don't think or judge. Just Listen.

Annabel Greene begins her Junior year of high school ostracized by her peers and hated by her friends. She is haunted by the unthinkable events of a party that took place at the beginning of the summer, which she has kept secret from friends and family. This is one secret among many that she keeps from the world. She also suffers silently from the pressure from her mother and her fear for her oldest sister's health. In a time when she needs a friend more than ever, she meets Owen Armstrong, a music-obsessed classmate with anger management issues who is as ignored by the rest of the school as she is. In a "right place, right time" situation, he instantly goes from someone she watches from a distance to her only friend, saving her from lunch hours spent in isolation and teaching her the value of speaking up and making herself heard.

Just Listen is a story which induces both laughter and tears, and is highly recommended for anyone who has ever feared voicing their own feelings. Sarah Dessen is also the author of other popular young adult books such as The Truth About Forever, This Lullaby, and Lock & Key.

-Micheala

Keep on running!

For numerous reasons (most involving weird and unfortunate injuries), I am not a jock. I am, however, in awe of people who are because it seems like an awful lot of work, usually taking place too early in the morning or in the afternoon when I'm already exhausted from the rest of the day. Then there's competition and all the work that entails. But what happens when that hard work looks like it was a waste? Or if it has to come to an end completely? In Wendelin van Draanen's book "The Running Dream," 16-year-old Jessica is a dedicated track and field star for her high school; running is her life. At least, it was until the accident. Now she is missing her right leg below the knee and has to learn how to walk again, this time with a prosthetic. If she can barely walk, how can she run? If she can't run, what's the point? Then she meets Rosa, a math genius in her algebra class who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. Rosa offers to tutor Jessica and slowly they become friends. With her help, maybe Jessica can learn to be more than a runner and more than an amputee.

~The Stacked Librarian

Tucson Festival of Books Teen Author Spotlight: Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater is a YA author who specializes in paranormal and urban fantasy. She has a gift for lyrical prose, and her books are always rich with atmosphere. Luckily for us Tucsonans, Ms. Stiefvater is going to be attending the Tucson Festival of Books! If you've never heard of her or are a die-hard fan looking for more of her work, there are a lot of good choices.

Ms. Stiefvater's first book was Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception. In it, Dierdre Monaghan is a painfully shy musical prodigy. She is also a cloverhand--a human who can see faeries. She and her best friend James are about to become embroiled in an ancient faerie war; there are two faerie assassins on their way to kill Dierdre before her music captures the Fae's attention. The story continues in the sequel, Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie, and involves Nuala, a deadly faerie muse.

The Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy is set in the icy winter of Minnesota. In Shiver, Grace has always been obsessed with the wolves that live in the forest behind her home. What she doesn't know, however, is that the wolves are actually werewolves, who turn human in the summer and wolf in the winter. One of the wolves, Sam, has loved Grace from afar for years, and a threat to the pack brings the two together. The story of Grace and Sam continues in Linger and is concluded in Forever.

Defying the Gods

Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst begins on the morning of sixteen-year-old Liyana's last day on Earth. She has been chosen to be the goddess Bayla's vessel, and come evening she will dance until the goddess has taken over her body--and she has died.

Liyana has always accepted the fate that was shown to her during her dreamwalk, but when the time comes for her to dance, Bayla does not come. Liyana is deemed unworthy and left to die in the desert. She resigns herself to her dishonorable fate--until Korbyn walks out of the desert. He is the trickster god of the Raven Clan, and he brings with him the grave news that five clans have had their deities stolen, and he needs Liyana's help to rescue them.

A Winter's Tale

When Grace was eleven, she was attacked by a pack of wolves. They dragged her into the snowy forest of Mercy Falls, Minnesota, and she would surely have died if not for the intervention of one particular wolf. For the six years since she has been obsessed with him, following every movement of his pack as they roam the woods near her home.

Sam has been a werewolf for most of his life. However, it isn't the moon that dictates his form, but the temperature--in winter he's a wolf, in summer he's a boy, and he's been in love with Grace ever since he rescued her that cold day years before. But how can he ever tell her, especially when he only has one year left before he becomes a wolf permanently?

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is a haunting, lyrical story that takes star-crossed lovers to an entirely new level--one where the lines that separate good from evil are constantly blurring, and humans can be just as cruel as the monsters they fear.

What Happened to Goodbye?

Do you ever wish you could be somebody else?  Start over with a new identity?  In What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen, McLean gets that chance when her parents go through a really messy divorce.  She chooses to live with her dad who moves around a lot.  She takes the opportunity to be someone different in each new place.  In one place she is the cheerleader, in the next place she’s the goth girl and so on.  The problem is along the way she has lost who she really is.  In this newest town, she spontaneously uses her real name when she meets her next door neighbor Dave.  She realizes that she kinda wants to figure out who McLean is now.  She will get lots of help along the way from the quirky friends she makes.  

Anna, the (Not So Friendly) Ghost

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake is not your average boy-meets-girl story—the boy, Cas, is a seventeen year old ghost hunter, and the girl, Anna, is a vicious spirit who murders anyone who enters her house. Sounds scary, right? But beneath the horror-story shell is a beautiful, sad, and moving tale about the struggle of choosing between one's obligations and desires.

 Theseus Cassio Lowood, nicknamed Cas, inherited a knife called the athame when his ghost hunter father was gruesomely murdered by a mysterious spirit. With the athame, Cas kills ghosts that are still wandering the earth, even though he isn't quite sure exactly what kind of afterlife he's sending them to.

Where Legends Are Born

In Legend by Marie Lu, the United States has split apart and the majority of it is now the Republic. Day is the Republic's most wanted criminal.  June is a military prodigy, living in the wealthiest circles. When June's brother is killed, Day becomes the prime suspect.  June wants revenge, so she puts her genius level skills to use to catch him.  What they discover is just how far the Republic is willing to go to hide its secrets.  

This was a fun read because each character starts out with very strong beliefs about their world.  As their perspectives change, they have to evaluate and adapt.  This really made the characters stand out.  As for story, there is action, betrayal, daring escapes, and a hint of romance to round it out.  This combination made for a great read.     

The Catastrophe of a Broken Heart

In The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg, sixteen-year-old Brie Eagen is told by her boyfriend that he does not love her—and literally dies of a broken heart. Now in the afterlife, Brie must go through the five stages of grief with help from Patrick, another lost soul, before she can finally rest in peace.

Teenagers Fight Communism with Magic!

Okay, technically it's alchemy, not magic.  And technically, they're trying to prevent everyone from using nuclear weapons; they're just starting with the Communists.  And technically, it's the adults who are supposed to be preventing nuclear war, but they keep getting kidnapped.  So it's up to three teens with an ancient book of alchemy recipes to outwit the bad guys and save the day in The Apothecary by Maile Melov.  Which brings me back to: teenagers fight communism with magic - er, alchemy!  In 1950s Britain, of course. 

I knew I'd like this book the moment that Janie, the narrator and main character, confessed her desire to be more like Katharine Hepburn.  If you have not seen a movie with Katharine Hepburn in it, go do so.  Her award winning classics are The Philadelphia Story and The African Queen, but the films where she co-starred with Spencer Tracy, like Adam's Rib, are a lot of fun too.  My personal favorite of her movies is Bringing Up Baby - because escaped leopard!  Anyway, the point is, if a character in a book decides that Katharine Hepburn is their role model, then I approve.  And then I recommend the book and the witty Ms. Hepburn to you.

"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun."  ~ Katharine Hepburn

Book Ninja

The Blue Pill? or the Red Pill?

What if you could change something fundamental about yourself with one little pill? People take medication for anxiety, for ADHD, for allergies, and that's just the A's. These are all pharmaceuticals that make your life easier to live. Well, what if there was a drug that could turn you straight?

In Love Drugged, by James Klise, there is. Fifteen-year-old Jamie has been trying to think himself straight, without success. Then he meets Celia. She's cool and funny and smart and beautiful, and he genuinely likes her . . . just not in that way. But he feels like he should, so when he discovers that her scientist father is developing a drug called Rehomoline, he thinks it's the answer to all his problems.

But can any pill, no matter how advanced, change something so fundamental? And even if it can, is Jamie going to like the person he becomes after taking the pill?

X-men Style Dystopia

Juliette, the main character in Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, reminded me a lot of Rogue from X-men.  She can't touch anyone because she drains the life out of them.  The local leader of the new dictatorship wants to use her abilities to dominate the world.  Juliette just craves normalcy and human contact, which she thinks she may never have.  Enter Adam, Juliette's new cellmate.  He doesn't despise her and says he wants to help her, but can she trust him? 

The writing style is unique and takes a little getting used to.  It's a little like a journal with crossed out and changed words.  Juliette is very descriptive and some of the language she uses to describe things is almost poetic, which makes for an interesting read.  And near the end of the story there are more moments that will remind you of X-men. 

The Prince of Mist

After the Carver family moves from the city to a coastal area they encounter some mysterious happenings at their new home. There are strange stones, a graveyard and a creepy clown.  An old sunken ship off shore mysteriously reappears. An old man tells Max and Alicia an old story of revenge and how he sees life in three stages.  The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon takes place during wartime and starts out a little slow but soon builds up to be more frightening than I anticipated and I wanted to get to the end quickly.   I listened to the downloaded audio version from the library catalog and it had some wonderful sound effects such as crashing storms and ghostly sounds.  This added to the eerie and creepy factor of the book.  Instead of listening to the final chapters I read them and enjoyed the ending.

Survival in the Death Shop

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi had all the elements I like in a good dystopia; survival, conspiracies, special abilities, and a hint of romance.  Aria has lived her whole life in a protected dome.  A false accusation gets her exiled outside to what is commonly called the Death Shop because there are so many ways to die.  If she can survive, she wants to prove her innocence.  Perry is an Outsider, used to surviving in the harsh climate outside of the domes.  When his nephew is kidnapped, Perry is determined to get him back.  They each have something the other needs, which makes them reluctant allies.  But to succeed, they will need to survive all that the Death Shop throws at them.

Flights of Fantasy

The best part about anthologies and short story collections is finding an author you wouldn't have encountered otherwise.  And then devouring everything else that author or artist has ever written.  So pick up a copy of Flight, any of the volumes, and dive in.  There's something for everyone in this collection of indie comics edited by Kazu Kibuishi. 

The library has several comics by artists who've contributed short stories to Flight.

Anagrams, Footnotes, and the Mathematical Theorem of Love

Colin Singleton has had nineteen (by his reckoning) relationships.  Of those 19 relationships, they all had one thing in common.  They all involved a girl named Katherine.

Having just been dumped by Katherine the Ninteenth, Colin finds himself on a road trip with his best friend, Hassan.  Ending in Gutshot, TN, the two explore the gravesite of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, meet a girl named Lindsey, and Colin spends the summer trying to find a mathematical theorem of love and relationships.

What my description isn't capturing is both the realness of the characters and the humor of the storytelling.  An Abundance of Katherines by John Green is full of weird facts and trivia, odd anagrams, and an entire appendix devoted to the mathematical functions described in the book.  It is unspeakably nerdy, in the best kind of way.  But what can I say?  I have a soft spot for footnotes in novels. 

Speed Reading

You know what I hate? Lengthy tomes that actually take the full three weeks to read. I'll admit to having the general attention span of a sugar-high chipmunk & I want books that are either 1) so interesting & awesome that I finish it in a week or 2) so short it would be impossible to NOT finish it in a week. Stickman Odyssey, an Epic Doodle: Book One, Chopsticks," & Tina's Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary all took an hour each to read. No joke. Three books in three hours. Why are they such quick reads? Cause thanks to the brilliance of creative authors these books mix multimedia, drawings, comics, poetry, and photography to tell a story rather than just words

A sci-fi Cinderella

When I first heard about Cinder by Marissa Meyer, I thought it was just a Cinderella story with cyborg elements. It is so much more that. Meyer takes the elements of Cinderella, like the prince, and the ball, and the cruel step-family and weaves them into a much bigger story. There is a new evil Queen, the ruler of the Lunar colony. She has some mysterious powers, she may or may not be responsible for a plague that is decimating Earth, and she wants the Prince's throne. Cinder gets involved because she is an excellent mechanic. Little do people realize it's because she is part cyborg. Anyway, the Prince needs a droid fixed. He says it's for sentimental value, but it's really because she was spying for him. This all makes for a very cool, science fiction style Cinderella that is well worth reading.