YA fiction – Page 3 – Peaceful Reader

Top Ten-2010

I’ve checked out a few top ten lists around the blogosphere so I thought I needed to add my ten cents worth. I’ve divided them into three categories: Adult Fiction, YA Fiction and elementary fiction as these are the areas I do the most reading. I’ve grouped several series titles together as you’ll notice. For example, I loved Stieg Larsson’s Millenium series but can’t give it three spots on my list. Also they are not in any particular order as to how much I enjoyed them-too difficult to pick an absolute winner. Links added are to my own review of each book.How many of these titles have you read? Tell me your thoughts. Enjoy!

Adult Fiction

1. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series by Stieg Larsson-mystery, never reviewed it because so many others had but I’m a big fan of Lisbeth Salander, a kickin’ heroine from Sweden.

2. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford-Historical Fiction, alternating between 1942 and 1986, Asian-American, Internment Camps during WWII.
3. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusack-Historical Fiction, Nazi Germany, narrated by Death. Brilliant!
4. Serena by Ron Rash-Historical Fiction-North Carolina Mountains, environmental destruction amisdst ruthlessness.
5. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley-1950, England, 11-year-old star heroine, Flavia solves great mystery.
6. The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow-interracial story of Rachel’s family, told in alternating chapters, 1980’s.
7. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender-present day quirky family, Rose can taste her mother’s feelings through her cooking.
8. Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young-Diverse, mystery, loved the layers and interconnecting of many characters.
9. Still Alice by Lisa Genova-Harvard professor with Alzheimer’s disease, amazing in-depth story, had me in tears.
10. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver Historical Fiction-just finishing this but am amazed by the research and layered history of this tale.

YA Fiction

1. Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye-Emigration tale from America to Palestine.
2. The $66 Summer by JohnArmistead- Historical Fiction, Alabama, 1950’s.
3. Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier-Fantasy,beautiful fairy tale with shades of the 12 Dancing Princesses.
4. Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony-Dystopian world, Canada and U.S., 2031, Anthony creates a unique world of the future.
5. Shiver/Linger by Maggie Stiefvater-Fantasy, werewolves, love story, excellent writing.
6. Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson-Historical Fiction, Revolutionary War and Slavery.
7. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen-Realistic Fiction, smart girl meets beach boy=complicated romance.
8. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen-Realistic Fiction, Owen helps Annabel understand the complicated parts of her life.

9. Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan-September 9, 2001, teens deal with fall-out before, during and after the towers fall. Heavy, timely and funny.

10. Devil on my Heels by Joyce McDonald-Historical Fiction, 1950’s, racial strife in Florida, great rabble rousing.

Elementary/Middle Fiction

1. Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman-Historical fiction, Civil Rights Strife, tear-jerker.
2. Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur-Realistic Fiction involving death of sibling and parent, fantastic writing.
3. Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder-Fantasy, children in Iowa small town discover a magic wall which makes for great adventure over the summer while the rest of us are just out riding our bikes.
4. Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull-Fantasy, amazing world surrounding grandparent’s house.
5. One Crazy Summer by Rita William- Garcia-1968 Historical Fiction, Black Panthers.
6. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead-A Wrinkle in Time mixed with realistic fiction, NYC drama.

7. Clementine; Friend of the Week by Sarah Pennypacker-You can make a mess of things and your friends will stand be there for you.
8. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin-Fable/Asian tales, girl and dragon change their destiny.
9. The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz-Fantasy, night fairy battles elements in human backyard after bat chews her wings.

10. Star in the Forest by Laura Resau-Realistic Fiction, Mexican family deals with deportation, difficulties as daughter takes care of abandoned dog to ease pain.

I hope each and everyone of you had a very Happy New Year! Cheers to 2011.

Forge (2010) by Laurie Halse Anderson

Did you read Chains (2008) by Halse Anderson?
Oh, it was a good read! I liked it because it was a serious look at the Revolutionary War through the eyes of Isabel, a slave. What a perfect paradox: Americans fighting for their freedom from King George while enslaving Africans into intense labor.

Good Reads Summary:

In this compelling sequel to Chains, a National Book Award Finalist and winner of the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson shifts perspective from Isabel to Curzon and brings to the page the tale of what it takes for runaway slaves to forge their own paths in a world of obstacles—and in the midst of the American Revolution.
The Patriot Army was shaped and strengthened by the desperate circumstances of the Valley Forge winter. This is where Curzon the boy becomes Curzon the young man. In addition to the hardships of soldiering, he lives with the fear of discovery, for he is an escaped slave passing for free. And then there is Isabel, who is also at Valley Forge—against her will. She and Curzon have to sort out the tangled threads of their friendship while figuring out what stands between the two of them and true freedom.

My thoughts: I have to admit at first I was a bit disappointed with the heavy focus on Curzon and all the fighting. I missed Isabel’s character and the mystery and intrigue of the first book, but as I kept reading I enjoyed learning about the Valley Forge experience. I did not know, for example, that the soldiers had to build their own cabins in the snow. Curzon’s story follows the battles closely and they end up at Valley Forge. He is constantly tormented by some of his fellow soldiers and yet, remarkably, he manages to maintain his dignity throughout. Thankfully Isabel eventually comes back into Curzon’s life, demonstrating how tenous life is for both of them, rounding the story out nicely for me.
This is a perfect book to help young people understand the horrors of war, slavery and the importance of friendship throughout adversity. I’m now anxiously awaiting the third installment, Ashes , in Halse Anderson’s Seeds of American series.

Some books I have to really search for the perfect quote to share, not so with Halse Anderson’s work because every page has something worth sharing.

Random Quote:

The last lad was John Burns. His rude manner declared him my enemy the first time he clapped eyes on me. Burns had white skin that turned red when he was angry (a frequent condition), dirt-colored hair that never stayed tied back in a queue, and small eyes like a badger’s that were forever seeking a way to avoid work. He spat at my feet whenever I walked by. He accused me of stealing my new hat. He said the crudest kinds of things about my parents and grandparents, and he convinced the Barry brothers to join him in his foulness. (54)

Read Abby (the) Librarian”s review.
Find the author’s website and blog here-Laurie Halse Anderson
Enjoy this great article (Publishers Weekly/Shelf Talker) about a school visit

I’m an IndieBound affiliate.
Buy Forge from an IndieBound

Linger by maggie stiefvater

What a beautiful cover, holding together a breath-taking story. I read it quickly over the course of one weekend, snuggled in my bed. Now I have to wait a long time for Forever to arrive-it will seem, well, like forever!

Good Reads Synopsis:

In Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

My thoughts:

I had no idea what Stiefvater had planned for Grace and Sam in this second installment but I hoped it wasn’t just lovey stuff. It wasn’t and in fact the direction it took was so perfect because it involved Grace’s parents, who were never around much in Shiver. Her parents, in classic parental form, decide to ban Sam from her life, which doesn’t work. Never does. All of this could be quite cheesy love stuff but in Stiefvater’s hands it is brilliantly written. Extremely poetic and one chapter leads to another and another until you’ve devoured it all.
The story, like Shiver, is told in alternating point-of-view between Grace, Sam, Cole and Isabelle, changing sometimes right in the middle of a chapter and this worked really well. I despised Cole’s character and fell more in love with Isabelle, making their attraction an interesting combination. Grace and Sam weathered their storms, but not easily and I’m now quite anxious to read Forever, #3 in The Wolves of Mercy Falls. As a former Minnesotan I can relate to the setting and think she’s portrayed the cold, the seasons and the landscape so well. If you haven’t picked up this series yet-I highly recommend it, even if your not from Minnesota.

Random Quote: ” Later, I thought of the things I could have added to the list of resolutions, things I’d wanted back before I realized what being a wolf meant for my future. Things like Write a novel and Find a band and Get a degree in obscure poetry in translation and Travel the world. It felt indulgent and fanciful to be considering those things now after reminding myself for so long that they were impossible.” (27-Sam)

Other reviews:

See Michelle Read reviews it and has some good points.

Read Presenting Lenore’s review.

earthgirl

by Jennifer Cowan

(2009)

232 pages

Earth Girl, while interesting, left me unsure. When I first picked it up the inside liner intrigued me in that the main character, Sabine is on a going green personal journey but also because there was a statement about getting plastered with plum sauce from a McDonald’s to go bag. Hmmm. In the U.S. we don’t get plum sauce with Mickey D’s. Because it takes place in Toronto-perhaps they do or maybe that’s what they call Ketchup. This odd little fact stuck in my brain and for some reason this made me check the book out.

It’s written in very short snippets-good for teens but felt a little like texting, to me. Sabine shares her thoughts by blogging and we read her rants and the comments, which is an interesting twist. And unlike Hippie Chick this one gets a little preachy-even though I’m in her corner. I think it is because she is so new to the whole eco-movement, everything is so like, “OMG, did you know people who make all that cheap stuff earn next to nothing a day…” I’m not in this age-bracket but I think the book and the character, Sabine serve a very big purpose…to alert teens of these little known facts that many should pay attention to-facts that paint a bigger picture of the world. That fact alone makes this book a should-read. Maybe if it turned one teen toward a more eco-friendly existence it would be worth it.

Synopsis: Sabine, after getting pelted by before-mentioned plum sauce, has an aha-moment of what’s important in the real world. As she researches and discovers more about the environment, third-world markets, and green living she bores her two best friends, who are way more into purchasing cheap junk froom street vendors. She does gain a hunky earthy boyfriend who appears to have all the right answers. Vray, the boyfriend, is an interesting character but seemed less than real. The one character I adored was Ruby-Sabine’s co-op coworker, who has all kinds of good karma advice. If I had to play a character in this made-for-tv-movie, I’d want to be Ruby.

Favorite Quote:

“I’m pretty sure Vray is for me,” I sighed. “I think that’s what’s freaking me out.”
“That’s awesome. I love that feeling.” Ruby said, doing a little twirl in the aisle. “Better than drugs. Love’s the elixir of life. Wish we could bottle it and give it away to everyone in the world.”
“So then I’m not overreacting?”
“I hate that expression,” she answered emphatically. “You’re not overreacting. You’re feeling what you’re feeling and it’s totally fine.” (135)

I love the twirl in the aisle as much as the good advice! Go Ruby!

Read EarthGirl by Jennifer Cowan if you are remotely interested in making the earth a better place-or if you have a teenager who needs a push in that direction. The plum sauce thing still bugs me though…so if you know anything about plum sauce and McDonald’s, enlighten me.

Happy Reading, earthlings.
p.s. Library Reading Challenge
More info:

Shameless Mags interview with Jennifer Cowan-who previously wrote for the tele.
SKPL Teens review
Sabine/Earthgirl’s own blog

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Hippie Chick

On a recent trip to the public library with Tina (books are my thing) we were browsing through the new section. She oh, so casually handed me a book because the title snapped her attention to me. A book screaming out for me, she says. Hippie Chick by Joeseph Monninger(2008) is so much more than just a funky, catchy title-it may be the Julie of the Wolves for today.

Good Reads Synopsis:

15-year-old Lolly (short for Lollipop) Emmerson is a free-spirit, what others call; the hippie child of a hippie woman. Her favorite thing to do is sail her Boston Whaler in the Florida Keys. One night she runs into an underwater obstacle and the boat founders. After Lolly is knocked out and separated from the boat, she realizes that she’s done for and accepts her own fate. That’s when the manatees arrive.

Hippie Chick is the story of a girl who forges a bond with these amazing creatures that defies the facile explanations others try to impose. It is a story of survival and enlightenment.

My thoughts:

Lolly was an easy character to love and admire. She’s hippie with out being over the top or preachy. I especially enjoyed the debate she had with herself about how to stay vegan while foraging for food near a tropical inlet. She takes her cue from the beautiful manatees and dives under and eats the greens; like a giant underwater salad. Yum, Yum!

Random Quote: The Mugwump picked up speed and finally we began hissing through the water, the chop chucking us under the starboard side of the bow, the wind pushing at my hair. A tin cup rolled somewhere on the deck, and I puzzled for a second about what it could be. It didn’t sound important, so I ignored it and looked over the bay. Harry Boyd’s fishing boat, the Yoda, chugged along to the south, heading to port, and an enormous yacht, a forty-footer at least, forged ahead of me to the north. The yacht had its running lights going-red, prot; green, starboard-and I used its bow as a navigation point for a minute or two. (16-17)

Monninger’s lastest book is Eternal on the Water and he’s written several others-I plan to read more of his collection.
To purchase this book from an Independent bookstore, click on the cover below. Other reviews include Reading Junky, and the Peace Corps talks about Hippie Chick too! I’ve never had the opportunity to swim with the manatees or sail on a regular basis but I would eat greens from the bottom of the sea over bugs! Hippie Chick was a good fit for me. **fits the bill for library challenge**

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Shiver

by Maggie Stiefvater

(2009)

390 pages

This is a story about Grace, her two friends, Olivia and Rachel, and a pack of wolves living on the edge of town. The summary from the verso page: “ In all the years she has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house, Grace has been particularly drawn to an unusual yellow-eyed wolf who, in his turn, has been watching her with increaseing intensity.” Intensity, yes, it is all about the intensity! Told in two person narrative, erratically flipping between Sam and Grace, which artfully presents this well-rounded love story. Some readers don’t enjoy alternating chapters but I like the duality of it and each person can see the same event differently-it depends on who’s eyes your looking through.

Grace is a strong female character, raising herself, as her parents keep busy with their own lives. She cooks and makes lovely dinners for her family and eventually for Sam. I’m always happy when a character has a close connection to food and I just knew I wanted to share this quiche scene. It illustrates how Stiefvater pulls her characters together over a simple common theme. Grace and Sam find themselves in a tight spot, needing to talk with Isabel. They are unsure of whether they can trust her or not and so Grace decides to invite her over to help make dinner~in this way Grace and Sam can judge Isabel’s character while they all work together! It’s brilliant and I love that Grace’s character turns to cooking in a time of crisis.

Grace barely seemed to notice her [ mother] leaving. She gestured at me. ‘Isabel, eggs and cheese and milk are in the fridge. Sam, we need to make plain old piecrusts. Would you preheat the oven to four-fifty and get us some pans?

Isabel was staring inside the fridge. ‘There’s, like, eight thousand kinds of cheese in here. It all looks the same to me.’

You do the oven, let Sam get the cheese and stuff. He knows food,’ Grace said. She was standing on her tiptoes to get flour out of an overhead cupboard; it stretched her body gorgeously and made me want in the worst way to touch the bare skin exposed on her lower back. But then she heaved the flour down and I’d missed my chance, so I traded places with Isabel, grabbed some sharp cheddar and eggs and milk, and threw it all on the counter.

Grace was already involved with cutting shortening and flour in a bowl by the time I’d finished cracking eggs and whisking in some mayonaise. The kitchen was suddenly full of activity, as if we were legion.

‘What the hell is this?’ Isabel demanded, staring at a package Grace had handed her.

Grace snorted with laughter. ‘It’s a mushroom.” ….’Saute those in there for a few minutes till they’re nice and yummy.’

“How long?’

‘Till they’re yummy.’ I repeated. (262-263)

Can’t you just feel the pie crust and hear the butter sizzling, ready for the mushrooms? I can hear Sam whisking the eggs together, everything clicking and snapping into place. There is something so sexy about couples cooking together-something Stiefvater must know about in her own happy author life. I wish I wasn’t obligated to share the quote’s page number so you could be surprised when you do come upon this quiche-making moment. And what is a book, a good story made up of but wonderfully tailored moments shaped and fit perfectly together. In Shiver, she has created a harmony of words mixed with likeable characters immersed in a odd yet believable story. I anxious to read Linger, #2 in the Mercy Falls series. I can’t buy it yet (my reading from my own bookshelves challenge), our public library doesn’t have it so I’m left waiting for more about Sam and Grace.

If I cook while I wait I would whip up this delicious quiche from Kim’s Easy French Food site. I should make this for my husband as an anniversary dinner-maybe I can talk him into helping me!! He’s so cute in an apron! I also discovered this great stuffed eggplant dish-I adore eggplant. Eggplant has so much flavor when cooked just right.

Check out other tasty reviews of Shiver-someone may actually write less about the food obsession and more about the actual love story! This post is part of Weekend Cooking over at Beth Fish Reads. Pop over there and see what else is cooking…

Maggie Stiefvater’s blog.

Tarie at Into the Wardrobe.

Anne at Book End Babes.
Laura at Reading and Rooibos.

Happy eating and reading!

Hippie Chick/Teaser Tuesday

“It did not stand to reason that a shark would find you in the first quarter hour you were in the water. Statistically it would have been a fluke, a crazy ironic coincidence, like lightning burning a Z in Zorro’s shoulder blade, or a boat impaling itself on a rusty engine part.” (30)
~hippie chick by Joseph Monninger

Teaser Tuesday is a bookish weekly meme hosted by MizB. at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along. Just grab your current read and do the following:

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (don’t share too much; You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Happy Tuesday!

Shiver for Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by the amazing MizB at Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along-just grab your current read, turn to a random page and find two good “teaser”
sentences to share.

My teasers are from Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, which has been on my stack for far too long!

I know many have already read this but I’m only a few chapters into it and I love it.

The brilliant colors of the brittle leaves all around the shed mocked me then, evidence that a year had lived and died without my being aware of it. I knew with sudden, chilling certainty that this was my last year. (82)

The book fell open to this part-amazing-now I’ve got to keep reading!

What random words are teasing your today??

Devil on My Heels

Joyce McDonald

(2004)

262 pages

Young Adult

I have a blogging friend who has read so many, many books that when we go to the library she is really good about going down the stacks and pulling out random books (books you might not otherwise take one look at) and asking (telling) you to read them. I generally listen until my stack gets too high and she is always right. The last time we were at the library she told me I just had to read McDonald’s Devil on My Heels and I loved it!!

Fifteen-year-old Dove narrates this historical fiction/coming-of-age tale and her story begins like this:

Lately I have taken to reading poems to dead boys in the Benevolence Baptist Cemetary. They don’t walk away before I have finished the first sentence, like most of the live boys I know. When I read to them, their eyes don’t wander to something, or someone, more interesting. I can pretend these boys are listening. I can pretend they hear me. (1)

Dove is studying poetry with her English teacher, Ms. Delpheena Poyer and she continues:

On Friday afternoons like this one, right after seventh period. I head straight for the cemetary. I like to sit beneath the Austrian pines in the cool shade, reading lines from Tennyson or Wordsworth, listening to the trees making up their own poems. Soft words in the language of wind and pine needles. (1)

See that’s all on just page one…Dove is a great character, innocent to the ways of the world but savvy enough to know that “live boys” don’t appreciate great poetry. Her mother passed when she was a four-year-old and she lives with her father on an orange grove in Benevolence, Florida. Her days are spent hanging out with her friends, going to school and trying to feel older than she is. It hasn’t been that many years past that she was tearing around the orange grove with Gator, a young African-American grove worker and Chase Tully, a grove owner’s son. Things are beginning to change for Dove…
Both Gator and Chase are still important to her and are critical in helping Dove see how the groves provide a working environment one rocky step up from slavery. It’s a slow realization that things are not as easy going as her life has been in the past as she gets used to the idea that the local KKK group is rearing it’s ugly head again as the workers are blamed for random fires started in several groves. Delia Washburn, Dove’s housekeeper since the death of her mother, also provides answers to old mysteries involving her dead husband. Inbetween trying to figure out the meaning of all the local fires, Dove tries to put out the fire burning inside her every time Chase looks as her now. Yep, things have really changed for Dove! McDonald provides several great twists as Gator, Chase and Dove avoid the KKK and run from those they love in order to save their friendship! I recommend this book for middle and young adult as well as all adults interested in great writing. 5/5 stars

Other reviews here:

Read this
Maxson Middle School
Joyce McDonald’s website

***counts for 2010 Support Your Library Reading Challenge***

Tomorrow I’ll try to answer all burning questions about my acupuncture appointment!!

Don’t forget…enter to win this interesting tale of high school cliques, hot guys and mean girls.

Click here for a chance to win She’s So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott.