Reviews of novels, movies and writing events.
V is for Vicissitudes. So, this will be brief. I’ve been at jury duty all day. This will also be brief because there are very few novel titles, let alone young adult novel titles, that begin with the letter V. I found one: The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides I’ll admit I haven’t read this though I have read another of this author’s works–Middlesex, which I found quite interesting. True confessions: I’m a little creeped out by the concept of…
U is for Untamed It’s day 21 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter U Day for my theme Novels for Young Adults. Sometimes teens just want to have fun and thrills. Just let their hair down and turn wild and untamed, if only vicariously through literature. Today’s two selections–one classic and one contemporary–offer untamed possibilities. Undercover Cat by Gordon and Mildred Gordon (Not a typo. The first author’s name really is Gordon Gordon.) If you’re hankering…
T is for Tested It’s day 20 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter T Day for my theme Novels for Young Adults. A key aspect of moving from child to adult is to face adversity, and, hopefully, learn from it. Sometimes if we’re lucky, we can face adversity and grow stronger through characters. Growing up can be a lot less painful if characters do some of it for us. I can’t think of a good young…
S is for Special Interest It’s day 19 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter S Day for my theme Novels for Young Adults. Sometimes teens and other readers can pick up interesting information as they follow along with characters. For instance, I learned about making honey from the coming-of-age novel The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I love acquiring new knowledge from characters, and many teens do, too. Something Like Normal by Trish…
R is for Resilient It’s day 18 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter R Day for my theme Novels for Young Adults. Young adult readers can observe resilience in action when protagonists battle and overcome physical or social obstacles. These observations can be called up later when teens face similar problems in their own lives. Room by Emma Donaghue Room is an Alex Award winner. The American Library Association confers Alex Awards on books written for…
Q is for Quick-witted It’s day 17 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter Q Day for my theme Young Adult Novels and Novels with Young Adult Narrators. Yesterday in the P is for Perseverance post, we discussed the challenging ordeals teen narrators face down. One way teens face down these obstacles is by using their brains to outwit circumstances. Today’s selections showcase two such young narrators. Q & A by Vikas Swarup You’re probably more familiar…
P is for Persevere. It’s day 16 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter P Day for my theme Novels for Young Adults. You’ve no doubt noticed that in most young adult literature (as well as most literature of any kind) the main character faces obstacles–usually both external and internal. A teen’s job is to figure out ways to overcome the obstacles of life. By following along with characters facing terrible odds, young people learn strategies to…
O is for Orphan It’s day 15 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter O Day for my theme Young Adult Novels and Novels with Young Adult Narrators. Have you ever noticed how many young adult novels feature an orphan as the main character? That’s something I’ve thought about for some time. A docent at the Mountain View cemetery in Oakland once told me that the orphan is a symbol of rebirth. (She also told me the…
N is for Never It’s day 14 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter N Day for my theme Young Adult Novels and Novels with Young Adult Narrators. N is for Never. There’s something about the word never that conjures magical feelings. Maybe it’s growing up devouring the magic of Never Never Land from 19th century writer J.M. Barrie in his memorable work Peter Pan. Other writers no doubt felt the same inspiration and even included the…
Ghost Movie Review: The Forest Happy Wednesday everyone! Today I’m excited to participate in a discussion and movie review with the fabulous Tasha Drake! We’ll be discussing the recent ghost movie The Forest, so please hop on over to Tasha’s neck of the woods and join the talk. Do you love ghost movies? Of course, you do. Let us know your favorites!
Review: The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry I was excited to get my hand on this book. I adore Barry’s other novel, The Lace Reader. The Fifth Petal opens Halloween night with a possible murder. What fun for me to snuggle in bed on a stormy Halloween night and begin this novel! Talk about synchronicity. Then the other bit of synchronicity—that same week I was helping my students analyze The Crucible by Arthur Miller, which, like The Fifth Petal, takes place…
Review: Small and Spooky Edited by M.R. Nelson You’ve heard of flights, yes? Kayleigh Kulp of Wine Enthusiast Magazine explains that flights, “which usually consist of three to eight tastes of comparable wines, are designed to encourage novices and experts alike to explore….” Borrowing from that concept, M.R. Nelson has created an interesting niche of literary Taster Flights in the publishing world. Her latest offering, Small and Spooky, is just up my dark alley. In this taster flight, M.R. Nelson…
Review: Haunted Souls by Kathryn Knight I like the double entendre of the title Haunted Souls; it’s not just a ghost who is haunted in Kathryn Knight’s novel. Emily Shea and her former lover Staff Sergeant Brett Leeds are both haunted by their pasts. Emily is raising a child alone and is tormented by the fact that she has never been able to share this news with his father, Brett. Brett is haunted by the events he witnessed in Afghanistan, events…