Fever 1793

Published- New York : Aladdin, 2002. 251 pages.

When the yellow fever epidemic hits Philadelphia, Mattie’s mother does not believe it at first.  Despite the fact that their coffee house serving girl Polly has suddenly died, the epidemic is written off as gossip.  Then Mattie’s mother falls ill.  Mattie and her grandfather are sent off to stay at a farm in the country.  They are sent back to Philadelphia and Mattie herself falls ill with the fever.  She remarkably survives and Mattie and her grandfather return to their coffee shop only to find that her mother is gone.  After trying to reestablish a normal routine in the deserted plague ridden city, thieves break into the coffee house and her grandfather is killed.  Alone, Mattie has to grow up and do everything she can to survive.

The historical details of Fever 1793 were well researched.  The description of the city during and through the after math of the plague were vivid.  The inclusion of the Free African Society and Eliza’s inclusion as a partner in the coffee house were fascinating aspects of history that many teen readers might not know about.  Mattie’s humor and strength, along with the fascinating historical setting make this book a pleasure to read.

Cover art: The cover of the book had a mysterious tone to it.  The illustration is a black and grey toned pencil sketch close up of a girls eye.  The only color was the yellow of the girl’s eye and the word “fever” and Laurie Halse Anderson’s name.

4Q, 3A

Mid, Jr, Sr

Nana: Volume 1

Published- San Francisco: Viz Media, 2005. 179 pages.

Nana Komatsu suffers from a long line of bad relationships.  After her latest boyfriend (a married, older man) leaves her when he is transferred to Tokyo, Nana is devastated.  Her best friend Junko informs her that sometimes relationships are easier if you see men as people first, and men second.  Nana decides to give this a try with Shoji, the first nice guy she has met.  Unfortunately, Shoji is attracted to her and would like to be more than friends.

Nana Osaki is a punk rock princess.  Her life has not been easy.  She was raised by her cold grandmother and kicked out of high school, accused of prostitution.  Nana’s life finally seems to be going well.  Her band is just starting to make a name for itself.  She and Ren the bassist are in love.  Then Ren is offered a record contract in Tokyo, playing for another band.  Nana decides to stay home to be her own person.

This was my first manga.  It took me about 10 pages to get the hang of how to read the dialogue and pictures.  After I got used to the format I began to enjoy the story line (since I could actually follow it).  The illustrations were light, detailed, and add to the character’s emotional responses.  Nana is definitely shojo, chick lit all the way.  Nana Komatsu’s story line was more soap opera like, while Nana Osaki seemed to be too self reliant and self confident to live a soap opera.  I am interested to continue the series to see how exactly the two women’s lives come together.

Cover art: The cover art uses similar illustrations to the pictures in the story, but contain more shadowing and detail.  The woman on the cover seems to be Nana Osaki a punky outfit reading a newspaper at a solitary table.

3Q, 3A

Sr

Monster

Published- New York : HarperTempest/Amistad, 2004. 281 pages.

Steve Harmon is 16 years old and is on trial for murder.  They say that he served as a lookout for a crew robbing a drug store in Harlem.  A robbery that resulted in the store owner being shot and killed.  While Steve is in prison he writes what he sees and thinks.  He is an amateur student film maker and decides to cope with the trial by imagining himself making it into a movie.  Readers see the many sides of Steve through the testimony and his own reflections.  The boy has to look within himself to answer the question “is he truly a monster?”

The formats used in this novel presents an old subject in a new and unique light.  The journal entries present a horrifying view of prison.  The screen play of the proceedings within the court room develops scenes full of vivid imagery.  Readers are familiar with crime drama on TV will have no trouble envisioning each scene in the text.  Myers presents a character that manages to be in the wrong and sympathetic at the same time.   The quick read and the relevant topic subject will grab even the most reluctant reader’s attention.

Cover art: The cover art uses a color version of the black and white head shot of Steve shown in the book and is set against an orange background.  The title combined with the picture gives a clear picture that the subject of the story is not going to be light.

4Q, 4A

Mid, Jr, Sr

Published- New York: Viking, 2005. 215 pages.

Who doesn’t want to go to prom?! Ashley Hannigan’s friends are obsessed with prom.  Her best friend Nat is the head of Prom Committee.  But Ashley, a normal high school student, has zero interest in the event.  Ash is just waiting to be free from high school.  She just isn’t a “school person.”  Ash isn’t dumb, she is not good at school.  She isn’t a trouble maker, she just seems to constantly be getting dententions.  Her boyfriend, TJ,  is a high school drop out and Ashley has no plans after high school other than to move into an apartment with him.    When the math teacher steals the money for prom, her friends are sent into a tizzy trying to pull together a magical night in just 11 days for next to no money.  As Ashley is dragged into the planning frenzy, she discovers that she can do more than she ever thought she could.

The voices of each character was distinct and real.  Ashley is a completely realistic teenager.  Especially her reaction to the apartment that she and TJ  would be able to afford.  As she looked around the tiny apartment with toilet behind a curtain, she explained how she had envisioned her apratment as being in a building with a doorman and maybe even a gym.  Her unrealistic hopes of what she could afford and accomplish with only a high school education was similar to the many high school students that I have worked with.

Cover art: The white limo with a pink dress caught in the door was a cute cover for this novel.  The dress was a nice detail that gave readers a hint that not everything was fairy tale perfect in the book’s prom.

4Q, 4A

Mid, Jr, Sr

American B

Published- New York : First Second, 2006. 233 pages.

Three stories are entwined to form a surprising conclusion in American Born Chinese.  The first story based on the story of the the Monkey King.  The second is about Jin Wang, the only Chinese kid in his school. The third follows the antics of Chin-Kee, the embodiment of every negative Chinese stereotype that has ever existed.  These three seemingly unrelated stories combine to create an ending that shows the true value of being true to yourself.  Jin Wang is an automatic outcast, until he befriends a new “fresh off the boat” student Wei-Chen and finds friends with Wei-Chen and his girlfriend.  Things become difficult when Jin develops a crush on a blond girl from his class.  When he begins to doubt his own worth he changes his hair and insults his friend Wei-Chen.  He wakes up the next day as Danny, a curly haired Caucasian.  But life as Danny is anything but perfect since cousin Chin-Kee visits and embarrasses him to the point of transferring schools.  At last Danny breaks and begins to fight Chin-Kee, who then transforms into the mythical Monkey King.

I love that a graphic novel won the Printz Award!  The illustrations are colorful and expressive.  The connection between the three stories well done.  I never would have guessed that the characters would ever interact.  Somehow Gene Luen Yang manages to present heavy topics like race, racism, fitting in, and being true to yourself in a humorous manner.  American Born Chinese proves that graphic novels can be quality literature.

Cover art: The front of the book has a sketch of the scene where the monkey kind is trapped underneath the rocks.  A close up of a young Jin holding his transformer is in the front corner.  The bright yellow and orange of the cover are very eye catching.

4Q, 4A

Mid, Jr, Sr

Inside Out: Portrait of an Eating Disorder

Published- New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2005.

Nadia Shivack tells of her life long struggle with an eating disorder through brief text, drawings, and facts.  Her mother, a Holocaust survivor, only ate one meal a day, and then it was only enough to keep her going.  Yet she insisted that her daughters eat every bite off of their plates.  Her father, overly critical, added to the stress at home.  Nadia’s self image and concern with her weight were increased when her mother made the comment that Nadia was getting chunky.  Joining the high school swim team was pleasurable until the coach began to berate the girls that might need to lose a little weight.  At that point Nadia began a dangerous cycle of not eating, binging, then purging.  Her eating disorder stayed with her her entire life.  The drawings from Inside Out were done on napkins and scrap paper while in treatment at an inpatient hospital.

The dark cartoonish images present this serious topic in a unique light.  Eating disorders are presented no less seriously despite the illustrations and graphic novel format.  Nadia’s voice is honest and up front about the realities of living with an eating disorder.  The statistics and factual information thrown in add strength to the personal story.  This isn’t really a book that could be used in a report, but the first hand testimony to the struggles of an eating disorder can be used to enhance a school assignment.  I mainly see this book as being something that can give someone without the disease an idea of what it is like to live with one, or can give strength and hope for those struggling with their own eating disorder.

3Q, 3A

Mid, Jr, Sr

Lock and Key

Published- New York : Penguin Audio, 2008.

Ruby’s life hasn’t been easy.  It is no wonder that she has trouble letting people in, when everyone in her family has left her.  First it was her father when she was young, then her protective big sister Cora went off to college and never looked back.  Then, a few months before her 18th birthday, Ruby returns to the little house they are renting to find  her alcoholic mother is gone.  Since Ruby had been taking care of her mother for so long, she figured that she could just wait it out until she was 18.  If only it weren’t for her nosy landlords.  They get involved in her business and call social services.  When social services stops by and sees the state of mess and abandonment Ruby is living in, they call in her older sister Cora, who Ruby has not seen in 10 years.  Cora and her new husband Jamie live in big house in a gated community.  They send Ruby off to a snooty private school where she doesn’t know anyone and can’t even begin to relate to them.  As she tries to adjust to her temporary new life, Ruby discovers that sometimes its ok to let people in and that getting involved is the best way to show you care.

While the story did not really appeal to me, I can see how the audiobook made it to the amazing audio list.  Rebecca Soler did an excellent job portraying a wounded teenager.  Her  voice was able to display the distant and hard aspects of Rudy’s personality, her transition to unsure and cautious, to someone that actually cares.  My biggest complaint about the book was that the secondary characters had little depth or were unrealistic.  The actress did her best to bring something to those characters, which helped a little.  Listening to the story made those slight annoyances about the characters lessen when I realized that if i had been reading the text, the 2-dimensional characters would be even more flat.

Cover art: I really liked the cover consisted of a plain background that resembled wall paper with a key hole cut out of it.  The silver lock and key pictured through the key hole fit the title perfectly. 

2Q, 3A

 Jr, Sr

Castle Waiting

Published- Seattle : Fantagraphics Books, 2006. 457 pages.

Castle Waiting begins with an adaptation of Sleeping Beauty.  The story then continues on to tell what happens to the castle after the Princess and her new Prince Charming leave.  Ladies in waiting  Patience, Prudence, and Plenty stay with the castle and turn it into a safe haven for a multitude of odd characters seeking refuge from the outside world.  A pregnant woman fleeing her abusive husband, gives birth to an odd green child.  A bearded nun, a horse faced knight, a beaked merchant, a handyman with a heart turned to stone,  a kindly housekeeper, and her slow son also inhabit Brambly Hedge.

The artwork and uniqe story make this graphic novel a real treat.  The adventure and fairy tale quality were enhanced with beautiful black and white drawings.  The detailing in the illustrations showed character emotions and reactions perfectly.  I had never realized that a man whose face consisted of a beak and eyes would be able to be so visually expressive.  My only gripe is that some of the stories did not go anywhere.  We learn all about the odd Sister Peace and her time as a bearded lady in a traveling circus.  But there are multiple story lines that begin, then proceed to end abruptly.  Did Linda Medley just forget that she had started to tell about Lady Jain’s past?  Or was it intentional that there was only a short installment about her childhood, some allusions to her husband, and an unexplained green son? Despite the mysterious holes in the stories of many of the characters, the portrayal of day to day life of the castle made each and every character vivid in the reader’s mind.

Cover art: The hardback edition looks like a traditional fairy tale, with an olive green spine, a matching ribbon, and a beautifully colored image of the Castle inhabitants peering out of a row of windows.  It’s design might not pull in all readers, but lovers of fantasy and fairy tales will be drawn to the book.

3Q 3A

Mid, Jr, Sr, Adult

Sloppy Firsts

Published- New York : Three Rivers Press, 2001. 298 pages.

Jessica Darling.  What a sweet name!  Too bad that Jessica’s attitude is anything but sweet.  Her intelligent, snarky observations about the world prevent her from coming anywhere close to resembling her name.  Jessica has trouble relating to her perky popular blond mother and older sister.  She doesn’t even like her group of friends (the “Clueless Crew”) though she would never actually tell them that.  Ever since her best friend Hope moved away, Jessica has been going through the motions of high school existence.  She is bored out of her mind.  Without Hope to mock the world with, Jessica turns to her journal.  Her existence as a good brainiac and track star is thrown into upheaval when stoner Marcus Flutie begins tormenting/paying attention to her.  Despite their outward differences, Marcus might become exactly what Jessica needs.

I loved Sloppy Firsts.  As soon as I can, I will be reading the second book Second Helpings.  Jessica “NotSo” Darling has become one of my favorite YA characters.  She is perfectly imperfect.  She is a real teenager: angsty, funny, intelligent, unsatisfied, and insecure.  The combinations of her emotional reactions and rationalizations reminded me of my own thought processes as a teen.  Except I can guarantee I was not as witty.  I found myself laughing out loud at Jessica’s descriptions of her friends, her family, and life.

Cover art: The bright colors and folded origami note really make the book stand out.  The picture of an unseen girl sitting on the couch, reading a magazine, talking on the phone is something that most teens can relate to.  The appealing cover, combined with the suggestive title should defiantly grab the attention of teens.

4Q 4A

Jr, Sr

A Step From Heaven

Published- Asheville, N.C. : Front Street, 2001. 156 pages

Young Ju Park moves from a small fishing village in Korea to America (Mi Gook)  when she is four years old.  Her young mind reasons that: since Heaven is in the sky, and she had to fly in the sky to get to American, America must be Heaven!  Not soon after arriving, reality hits and Young Ju realizes that America is definitely not Heaven.  The new culture and language are very different than what Young Ju was used to in Korea.  Her parents both work two jobs to support her and her little brother, yet they can only afford to rent the bottom apartment in a worn down house.  The American Dream seems out of reach, especially when her father begins to drink again.  By the time Young Ju is a teen, her life has become a delicate balancing act.  She must act American, yet retain her Korean identity.  She must avoid the wrath of her increasingly violent father, yet protect her younger brother and her mother.

A Step from Heaven takes the reader through Young Ju’s life from age 4 to her college years.  The narrator’s voice is believable from her innocent view of the world as a child to her intelligent, wry observations as a teen.  An Na’s writing is simply lyrical.  The novel manages to depict heavy topics like culture, nationalization, domestic violence, and the courage to be independent in a manner that is honest yet is not heavy handed.  The beauty of the words combined with that honesty creates a family that is complex and unforgettable.

Cover art: The young Asian girl standing behind a curtain looking out a window works well with the plot of the book but might not immediately grab the attention of the teen audience.

5Q 3P

Mid, Jr, Sr