The Trap: Origin or Demise

The Trap by Andrew Fukuda

Why did I read it?

Because The Hunt and The Prey were ssssoooooo good!!

What happened?

SPOILER ALERT

Just as Gene and Sissy predicted, the train was not taking them to a beautiful civilization where hepers had assembled and thrived. They were being taken to the Palace, where the Dusker Ruler makes a habit of devouring hepers on a whim. 

Barely escaping the horde of vampires that tracked them to the Mission pales in comparison to the horrible living (no, dying) conditions of the Ruler's palace. But, before Gene and Sissy's time comes, they are shocked to find two powerful entities seeking their help.

First, there is a secret group of hepers who are planning to deliver The Origin to the Metropolis. With research began by his father, The Origin is a combination of Gene and Sissy's blood (Genesis), and will change duskers to hepers.

Secondly, the Ruler himself is asking Gene and Sissy to remove a public relations nightmare in the form of a fellow hunter from Gene's past; Ashley June!!

Used as pawns in the cross-hairs of these two agendas, Gene and Sissy still strive to defend those they love, remain together, and maintain their humanity in a cold world of vampires.

What did I like or not like?

Trilogies are obviously hard to write. As a rule, first books are awesome, but then the trilogy typically goes off-track with a second book just waiting for the climax of the third, or a third book that takes us completely into left field.

But, Fukuda doesn't fall into either of those traps (pun intended). The second installment was a nice continuation with its own revelations and suspense, and then the third keeps the story advancing with a crazy reversal that I never saw coming.

Fukuda's trilogy has solid writing, solid storytelling, keeps you guessing while giving you a story that feels familiar, and is a really good dystopian series.

Wonderstruck: If Only the World was Organized

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Why did I read it?

Because The Invention of Hugo Cabret (same author and style) was awesome, and because we just talked about it at TeenBookWorms =D

What happened?

Even though they are separated by 50 years (Rose's tale starts in 1927, and Ben's starts in 1977), Ben and Rose have a lot in common. Both of their fathers aren't in their lives, they have a hard time connecting to those around them, and they are both deaf. They also have a passion for New York City, and collecting things around them.

But, their stories are also different. Rose's parents don't think it is safe for a deaf child to be unattended in a large city and Ben has just lost his Mom and is stuck living with his Aunt and Uncle. So, when Rose sees an article about her famous mother, and Ben finds a note relating to his long-lost father, they both start off on adventures to find a place to belong, and answer the questions beating inside their heads.

What did I like or not like?

Similarly to Hugo, this book does a really good job of showing the wonder and awe that a child's world has. It also shows how important it is for kids to have caring adults in their lives, and to know where they fit.

This book was also really cool because also similarily to Hugo, part of it is told in text like a novel, and the other parts are told in pictures, kind of like a flip chart.

Another unique part of the story was the many references to Deaf culture, libraries and museums. These are typical plot elements, and that made the story all the more fascinating.

Finally, even though the novel starts as two distinct stories, we find by the end that Rose's and Ben's stories are much more connected than we originally thought, and they both find a part of what they are looking for in each other.

That Name is My Name Too...

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Why did I read it?

I'm always amazed at how many books there are in the Young Adult category. From fiction to non-fiction, romance to realism, straight to gay, there are more books out there than any one person could read. However, there are a few books that many folks agree should not be missed, and Will Grayson, Will Grayson is one of them. While I must admit I probably wouldn't have picked it up unless it was for a class, I'm glad I did.

What happened?

Although there are two Will Grayson's living in the Chicago area, they have never met each other. Will Grayson has two rules: shut up and don't care. will grayson doesn't see a reason to care. Will Grayson has a best friend named Tiny Cooper (who is in all actuality the largest and gayest football player you'll ever know), and will grayson has a frenemy named maura. Finally, Will Grayson's desire to be with Jane is only matched by his desire not to be with Jane, and will grayson's desire to be with isaac is the only thing keeping him upright.

Ultimately, these two distinct characters and stories begin to blend together as their lives intersect one night in downtown Chicago, and as Tiny becomes the main character in both of their lives and his upcoming musical production of Tiny Dancer: The Tiny Cooper Story.

What did I like or not like?

The way this novel was written was really cool. Green wrote the story from one Will's perspective, and Levithan wrote the story from the other Will's perspective, and the truth we find between these two perspectives works out really nicely. another cool fact is that one will grayson perspective is written entirely in lowercase letters. Ultimately, we get an interesting look at how trying to avoid hurt by not caring might actually hurt more than pouring your life into someone else.

P.S. Obviously, this novel has several gay characters, and deals with sexual identity throughout. There is also some sexual content and discussions, and cussing. Even though its a good book regardless of these elements, I didn't want you to be surprised.

Couldn't Stop Listening

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Why did I read it?

This book has been on my radar for a little while now so I was excited when it also showed up on my required reading list for my Young Adult Literature class.

What happened?

Clay finds a package with no return address on his doorstep, and finds seven cassette tapes inside. After opening them up, he is shocked to find Hannah’s voice coming from the tapes. You see, Hannah had killed herself two weeks before, and she explained that if you were listening to the tapes, you were somehow responsible for her death!

Thinking back over the summer working at the movie theatre, and the one party where they finally spent some time together, Clay can’t remember anything that would have hurt her. Even though he knows he doesn’t belong on the tapes, Clay can’t help listening to Hannah as she slowly and painfully gives the thirteen reasons that she kills herself.

What did I like or not like?

This book was really hard to put down. I knew I needed to get it done quickly because there is going to be a lot of reading in this lit class. But, once I started it, I had to figure out what happened next.

The book also has a very interesting perspective. Hannah narrates the events leading to her death through the tapes, and Clay responds in real time because he can’t help himself.  

While Asher does a good job explaining that we can never know how our small actions will negatively or positively affect others, he also writes that Hannah ultimately chose to give up on herself.

P.S. This book has some sexual content, and some discussions that lean that direction.

Three 7th Graders from the 7th Floor

Well, back in February, I was trying to find books that dealt with Valentine’s Day. There was a new book that had just gone by my desk called Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes by Lisa Greenwald, and it was exactly what I was looking for!

But, someone checked it out just as I wanted to get it. So, I waited for the book to come back and checked it out, but for the last two weeks, I’ve been busy with my senior research project for school. I’ve been tabulating the data I collected and figuring out how I’m going to present it to the Northwest Communication Association conference tomorrow, and needless to say, I haven’t had time to sit down and read it. But, over the last few nights, I’ve set aside some time to finish it up, and so here is my Book Blurt on it.

Olivia, Georgia, and Kate have been best friends for years. They are all thirteen-year old seventh graders who live on the seventh floor of the same New York apartment building. They all have plans for Valentine’s Day, until a freak snow storm puts the breaks on any and all plans. Now, most people would think a snow day would be awesome! But, these three girls had plans for how they would connect with their crushes on the most romantic day of the year, and now their plans are crushed. But, the three girls decide to use their snow day to friendly up their apartment building by passing out Chen’s famous fortune cookies to people in their building. The people they meet and the things they experience make for an interesting look at what love and friendship really looks like.

Through their day, Olivia, Georgia, and Kate deal with what it means to have a crush, what it means to be in love, and what the true power of a fortune can be. They also wrestle with what it means to be friends, and why you should keep the friends you have. The chapters rotate between each of the three girl’s telling the story from their own perspective, which keeps the storytelling fresh and interesting as we get different takes on similar events. The writing style can be pretty simple, but the story is very sweet, and I would think a perfect read for next Valentine’s Day.

Getting at the Truth

How’s it going, everyone?

Today is Thursday, but let the record show that I did write this Book Blurt on Wednesday. The internet was down at my house, which left me know way to get it up. I hope that the saying, “better late than never,” holds true for Book Blurts. lol

This week, I read a book by Chris Crutcher, called Angry Management. I had the pleasure of hearing Chris speak at a conference I went to last year. He talked quite a bit about his book called Deadline, and it’s been on my reading list for a while. It was going to be the next book I read when Angry Management came across my desk. I figured the time had come to read a Chris Crutcher novel.

Now I say the time has come as if reading the book was an ominous thing. In some ways it is. Chris’s novels have been banned, censored, and protested all over the place. Most of the time, I’m not a big fan of novels that have a lot of objectionable content in them. The only exception is if the content is in no way gratuitous and is realistic for the story. Chris’s novels definitely fit in that category.

When Chris spoke at the conference, he talked about intellectual freedom. His main point was that intellectual freedom is about hearing a story from a point of view, even if it is objectionable and controversial. He says his job as an author is to tell the truth in a story, and sometimes that means getting into some dicey subjects and situations. I really appreciated his take on the subject, and did enjoy Angry Management.

The book deals with three stories from some pretty messed up high schoolers. All the stories deal with anger in some way or another (as the title implies), and get tied together by each of the main students being in an Angry Management class together. There are three stories told in these pages. The first deals with parents, obesity, and child abuse. The second deals with the first amendment, journalism, adopted kids, and control. The third deals with racism, homosexuality, and forgiveness.

Each story is written from a different perspective, but all get at the truth behind these stories and keep you interested and questioning what you believe and think on the topics. As mentioned earlier, Chris’s novels do have objectionable content such as language, sexuality, and mature themes, but they are necessary to the story. Including this content lets Chris deal with some tough topics while getting to the truth of the matter and pulling no punches.