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The True Meaning of Smekday, by Adam Rex

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While I was disappointed with Fat Vampire, Adam Rex’s sophomore novel for teens, I liked his writing style enough for me to pick up his much-lauded first novel for teens/tweens, The True Meaning of Smekday.  It was a good thing I did – the book made me laugh out loud the whole way through.
Sometime in the future, aliens called Boov invade the Earth.  After the occupation, Earth is renamed “Smekland” in honor of the great Boov leader who led the invasion.  Christmas is renamed “Smekday,” hence the title of the book.  Twelve year old Gratuity “Tip” Tucci is assigned a paper in her class: she must write a five page essay on the true meaning of Smekday.
The rest of the book consists of Tip’s essay, which is basically one long flashback.  Tip’s story, naturally, takes up much more than five pages.  
In her essay, all humans are being relocated via rocketpod to Florida, and since Tip’s mom has been abducted by the Boov, she has to get there on her own (accompanied by her cat, Pig).  She decides to forgo the rocketpod and instead elects to drive.  Along the way, she meets a Boov named J.Lo who transforms her car into a hovercraft, and the relationship between the two characters is both touching and hilarious.  The journey isn’t smooth – the group ends up having to fend off a second alien invasion (the Gorg) before the end of the book, and it turns out J.Lo is a bit of a renegade Boov, meaning he’s being hunted by his own kind as well. 
Like in Fat Vampire, Adam Rex has thrown a lot into this book, but here it all works.  It’s a road trip book crossed with a buddy book set against the backdrop of an alien invasion.  Not only is Tip trying to make it to Florida safely, she’s also trying to find her mother.  When she and J.Lo make it to Florida, she discovers the Boov have changed their minds – all humans are now being relocated to Arizona.  Tip and her crew also run into two ineffective human rebel groups (both came up with the acronym BOOB to describe their organizations entirely independently of each other), a theme park that flips upside down at night, and a replicator which they use on Pig to create a room full of cats (why not?).
Plus, there’s pictures – photographs, comic strips, doodles…and they’re all funny.  J.Lo’s comic depiction of the history of the Boovish race is particularly amusing.  The True Meaning of Smekday is a great book for reluctant readers (if they aren’t put off by the length – 423 pages), and Tip’s voice is the perfect mix of snarky and sympathetic without ever getting annoying.
Despite Tip’s terrific narration, J.Lo is really what makes this book awesome. His alien speech patterns as he attempts to learn and speak English are hilarious, in particular his references to American idioms and habits that we don’t even give a second thought to.  J.Lo’s dialogue just begs to be read aloud. Here’s an example:
“If you are tolooking for the pink squishable gapputty, it is smooshed in the gloves box.  You will have to use brown.”
It makes sense in the context of the book, I promise.  Here’s an exchange between Tip and J.Lo as Tip tries to explain the concept of human families:
“So…the humansmom and the humansdad make the baby all by themself,” J.Lo said slowly.  “Aaand…afters they make the baby they…keep it?”
“Yes.”
“As like a pet.”
“No.”
“[With the Boov] nobody knows their offspring, and nobody knows their parents.”
“Nobody?  Well, that’s one thing we humans do better than you Boov.  Families are better.”
J.Lo shook his head as much as an alien with no neck can do that.  “I haveto seen human families.  Some of them, the peoples, they stay in family they do not like.  Some humans do not have an easy living with their family-mates.  The brothers and sisterns, especiably.”

I could quote passages forever, but I wanted to give you an idea of the tone of the book and why I enjoyed it so much.  This is easily one of my favorite reads of the year.  The thing I’d like to stress most is that it is really, really funny.  My review can’t do it justice, and neither can little snippets from the novel.  You don’t have to be a science fiction fan or even someone who reads a lot of YA or middle grade to like it.  You’ve just got to enjoy a good story and not mind getting weird looks from strangers since you’ll be chuckling to yourself every few seconds.  I loved this book and it’s one of the few I can see myself re-reading later on.

Plain Kate by Erin Bow

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Plain Kate lives in a world of superstitions and curses, where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic. As the wood-carver’s daughter, Kate held a carving knife before a spoon, and her wooden talismans are so fine that some even call her “witch-blade”: a dangerous nickname in a country where witches are hunted and burned in the square.

For Kate and her village have fallen on hard times. Kate’s father has died, leaving her alone in the world. And a mysterious fog now covers the countryside, ruining crops and spreading fear of hunger and sickness. The townspeople are looking for someone to blame, and their eyes have fallen on Kate.

Enter Linay, a stranger with a proposition: In exchange for her shadow, he’ll give Kate the means to escape the angry town, and what’s more, he’ll grant her heart’s wish. It’s a chance for her to start over, to find a home, a family, a place to belong. But Kate soon realizes she can’t live shadowless forever — and that Linay’s designs are darker than she ever dreamed
(Summary from Amazon.com)

Plain Kate is one of the most beautiful books that I have read in ages. ‘Beautiful’ is honestly the first word that comes to mind to describe Erin Bow’s prose, which is as lovingly shaped and whittled as the figures and objarka, or talismans, that Kate so artfully carves to protect others from the curses and mysterious sicknesses that threaten the land. The writing is so simple and straightforward, much in the vein of the classic fairytale, but at the same time manages to infuse worlds of emotion and description into each paragraph and every sentence.

Bow creates a well-developed, three-dimensional heroine in Kate, whose plucky, adventurous, and stubborn nature does not allow her to languish in misery or self-pity after her father dies. Although she is persecuted by her fellow townspeople and encounters suspicion once she joins up with a band of Roamers, she still stays strong in her desire to find acceptance and a home. Throughout Kate’s struggles: to not get thrown out of her village, to find belonging with the Roamers, to escape Linay, and to ultimately save the village of Lov from destruction, she never loses hope. Perhaps it is this idea of hope that is so central to fairy tales and that is key to why I adore fantasies so much. Plain Kate embodies this idea.

The supporting characters in Plain Kate are amazing. Linay, the villain, is creepy and compelling, bargaining for Kate’s shadow and then stealing her away for further sacrifices. Without giving spoilers, I will say that his ultimate scheme is incredibly eerie, and one of the most original motives I have seen in ages. Drina, the Roamer girl who befriends Kate and is ultimately and inextricably linked to Linay’s devious plan, is a welcome companion, providing a wonderful look at a best-friendship that is nurtured and developed throughout the course of the book. Scenes with Drina and Kate plotting, sacrificing for each other, and huddling together in the dark hours talking made me yearn for the sleepovers of my youth.

And who could leave out Taggle, one of the most adorable talking cats I have ever had the pleasure of being introduced to. In the depths of her loneliness after her father’s death, Kate only desires friendship and companionship. When this, her heart’s desire, is granted to her, it is embodied in the talking form of her cat, Taggle. Taggle’s humorous lines (“Look, I’m still damp. Fuss over me.”), preening arrogance, and deep love for Kate are the heart of this novel.

Full of mystery, superstition, heart, and pure emotion (I dare you not to cry–you’ll know when I mean), Plain Kate is one of my favorite books read so far this year.

(Also of note for Harry Potter fans: the table of contents of this book is done in the exact format and font as the Harry Potter books (both are Arthur A. Levine books)—that, more than anything, will tell you how good this is!)

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

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When I was in 5th grade, I had my first trip to the orthodontist, and it would not be the last. From then through my sophomore year of high school, I saddled up into the orthodontist’s chair for the works: I had an expander on the top of my mouth to make the roof of my mouth wider; I needed braces to straighten my teeth; and I had to have the bottom row of my teeth pulled together to create 2 “front teeth,” since I had ever only gotten one. It was, in a word, miserable.

While reading Raina Telgemeier’s Smile, I was momentarily transported back to those times. This graphic novel follows Raina as she prepares to go to her first trip to the orthodontist. But it won’t be that simple: just days beforehand, she and a friend were racing in her yard, and she fell, knocking out her two front teeth. From there, Raina will need false front teeth, then braces, then headgear, then periodontic work, and finally, like me, will have a much-desired result at the end.

This graphic novel, besides being utterly relatable to anyone who has been through the braces experience, also delves into the issues of fitting in and being “cool” at school. Raina was very afraid to be who she truly was throughout the story, but when she finally hits high school, she throws herself into her passion of art, and she finds that she can make real friends. She doesn’t need to pretend to be someone she isn’t in order to fit in.

The art in Smile is sweet and has huge appeal for middle schoolers, particularly those who may never have tried a graphic novel before. Telgemeier is the artist behind the graphic novel adaptations of Ann M. Martin’s The Babysitter’s Club, and her fun, colorful, and somewhat fluffy style is highly appealing. This story translates very well to the graphic form, much more than I think it could have in a traditional novel format.

I would hand this book off to middle schoolers who are looking for someone to relate to, especially those who will begin the milestone years known as the brace-face years. Likewise, this is the sort of book I would hand to older readers, too, who can relive those years and be able to remember those days (fondly or not). There’s just enough lesson in here to make a point, and I never felt it came off as didactic. Rather, this was a candid and humorous look at one of the sweet little deals that come with growing up. This quick read left me eager to dig into more of Telgemeier’s books.

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

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What would you do if you woke up the morning after your birthday — let’s say your 16th birthday — and outside your window was a giant pink My Little Pony? Or what if the next day your former favorite toy, Raggedy Ann, suddenly was life size and became your constant companion? If gumballs took over your room?

Or maybe the worst: what if you thought you would be the reason you lost your best friend?

You Wish begins just before Kayla’s 16th birthday, which her mother — party planner extraordinaire — will inevitably mess up. When Kayla blows the candles out of her big pink cake, she is disappointed: this wasn’t the party she wanted, and her best friend Nicole is too busy with her new boyfriend (and Kayla’s long-time crush) Ben. That is when things get crazy in her life. Literally. We’ll watch as each of her former birthday wishes come true, leaving her more and more worried about what will happen when her biggest secret wish, kissing Ben, comes true.

Mandy Hubbard’s new title will please younger teen readers: it is sweet, a little sassy, and full of mortifying (…and hilarious) moments. The book is squeaky clean and would be an excellent book to recommend to fans of Lisa Greenwald’s My Life in Pink and Green, a title that my patrons adore. Kayla is a typical teenager who wants to fit in, keep her best friend, become girlfriend of her biggest crush since elementary school, avoid her crazy mother, and to have the most memorable 16th birthday. Fortunately, she’ll achieve many of those things, despite the presence of an overly doting Ken, the magical dirt bike, and spotlight stealing Ann.

I must admit, though, this wasn’t my favorite book. I never was quite convinced of Kayla’s persona: she was a little too scattered for me, and a lot of the things she comes to realize about who she is never quite made sense to me. That is, I never felt she was rebellious at school, which is something that will be rectified at the end of the story. I struggled, too, with Kayla’s maturity: for a 16-year-old, she acted much more like a 12-year-old, making me believe that had she been written younger, this book would have a readership MADE for middle schoolers. I think her being 16, though, might turn off some librarians, parents, and younger readers from picking up this title and enjoying it. Additionally, Kayla’s relationship with her mother never came together at the end for me; I felt there was some missed potential to give us a stronger mom figure or a stronger reason to dislike mom, but instead, she was more of a tool than a fully fleshed character. And finally, I never got resolution of or understanding why things ever happened. We know it has to do with a birthday cake, but the time frames, the events, and the ingredients never coalesced for me. But perhaps that’s all a part of the suspension of belief.

What I loved about this book, aside from its total clean factor, was its magical realism. I don’t think there are enough books for this age group that are willing to be a little silly. We have an overwhelming number of issues books, covering everything from suicide, to hoarding, to eating disorders, to abusive parents. While we have genre fiction (besides vampires), but there really is little that spans a little of both the real world and the magical world. I’m glad Hubbard tackled this sort of story, and I think that alone will give it some staying power.

This is a quick moving story once you pass the first couple of chapters. I anticipated the strange to happen, and making it through the first few chapters was challenging, since it was primarily setting up our characters. But for most readers, this won’t be difficult because as soon as the action begins rolling, the story flies.

You Wish will work for fans of Greenwald’s previously mentioned book, but I think it’ll also be a nice title for fans of Raina Telgemeier’s Smile, Wendy Mass’s 11 Birthdays and Finally, and even Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls series.

You Wish will be available August 5 from Razorbill.

*Review copy provided by publisher

Finally by Wendy Mass

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Every time I read a Wendy Mass title, I fall more and more in love with her style and her ability to get into the minds of middle schoolers so perfectly. Finally, her latest release, is no exception: Mass depicts a funny and adorable 11-year-old-turning-the-big-12 in Rory.

“When you’re 12, you can,” is a common phrase Rory’s learned to live with. But she doesn’t just live with it, she takes stock in it. You see, Rory has been keeping a list of all the things she will be able to do when she turns 12, including getting her ears pierced, getting a cell phone, riding a roller coaster, getting an instant messenger screen name, and more.

But things won’t be as easy as she thinks, when she first has to leaf through stacks of pamphlets on different cell phones and cellular plans in order to pick one out. Nor will it be easy when she finds out that the number she gets for her phone actually belongs to an out-of-business pizza place and she begins receiving phone calls for extra large sausage and pepperoni pizzas while she’s sleeping and garlic-topped pizzas in the middle of class. And let’s not get started on what happens when she gets her ears pierced.

There’s good news though! Rory’s school is the site of a movie screening, and the lead actor in the movie is the oh-so-swoon-worthy Jake Harrison. When she and her friends hear the film crew will be casting for scene extras, you better believe she’ll be there…it just might be with some interesting physical issues that have come up as a result of her birthday list.

Finally is a fast-paced, hilarious novel that will take readers back to one of the most exciting ages in their lives, and it will resonate with middle schoolers who are themselves struggling with the challenges of never being old enough or mature enough to do some of the things that their friends do. Mass captures an authentic 12-year-old here that never once feels forced, too old, or too young. This is a page turner in the sense that as a reader, you want to see Rory succeed, but you also get a kick out of the terrible things that happen to her (don’t worry — none are terrible in the sense of bad, but rather in a funny sense).

Here’s a bonus for readers: if you’ve read 11 Birthdays, Leo and Amanda make an appearance in this book, too. In fact, the line when they are introduced is something to the effect of “Something weird happened on their birthdays last year, and it brought them together but they won’t tell anyone what happened.” I was laughing quite hard at this point, and I think that other readers will get a kick out of their reappearance in Finally.

This book would be an ideal readalike to Lisa Greenwald’s My Life in Pink and Green, a title that I’ve talked to middle schoolers a few times and which they report back to me they adore. The main characters in both are driven individuals with a lot of spunk and creativity, but they both have faults. There is a good family surrounding each, which is refreshing to see.

After reading this one, I’m so eager to dive into Mass’s forthcoming The Candymakers and to go back and read through some of her titles I’ve missed. If you haven’t been reading Mass, Finally may be a great place to begin, since it is a quick read and introduces you to her humor and character style quite well. This book is appropriate for middle schoolers and older, and it is a completely clean read.