STACKED

books

In My Mailbox (25)

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Welcome to In My Mailbox, a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It’s a weekly look at the books received for review, from the library, or purchased in the last week.

This looks like a quiet week, but I did check out about 6 books from the library. I left them there, though, since I’m going to be reading them next week in preparation for a middle school book talk.

On another note: next week, come back for Guys Read Week here at STACKED. Abby will be hosting AudioSynced again so we can bring you a collection of book reviews, resources, and guest posts all about the importance of guy reading. You are in for a treat!

Without further ado.

For Review:

Miles From Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams (St Martins, available now): I think Carol Lynch Williams is on my top ten authors list, so to say I’m excited about her new book would be an understatement. Main character is 13 again and the story revolves around her mother’s mental illness. It sounded a little reminiscent of Holly Schindler’s A Blue So Dark.

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Molton (Harper Collins, available now): A fantasy. I know it’s gotten some rave reviews, but it’s not really my thing, so I’ll be passing this one off to my teens at work.

Abandon by Meg Cabot (Scholastic, April 27): Cabot’s new book is billed as way different in tone than her others — edgy and sexy. The cover reminds me a lot of her adult novel.

Blog Tour: Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors

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When you’re the daughter of the bestselling Queen of Romance, life should be pretty good. But 16-year-old Alice Amorous has been living a lie ever since her mother was secretly hospitalized for mental illness. After putting on a brave front for months, time is running out. The next book is overdue, and the Queen can’t write it. Alice needs a story for her mother—and she needs one fast.

That’s when she meets Errol, a strange boy who claims to be Cupid, who insists that Alice write about the greatest love story in history: his tragic relationship with Psyche. As Alice begins to hear Errol’s voice in her head and see things she can’t explain, she must face the truth—that she’s either inherited her mother’s madness, or Errol is for real.

Summary from Goodreads

Mad Love was a quick, enjoyable read that simultaneously managed to be light while also covering the fairly heavy topic of mental illness. While some young adult books of late have covered the subject of mental illness in a main character, the mental illness of a close family member–and the ramifications of this illness–has not been seen as often.

Alice is a well-developed, three-dimensional character. She worries about her mother’s health and about how to support her family and keep their finances on track. Even though Alice never truly interacts with her mother until the novel’s conclusion, we witness her deep love for family in her inner monologues, actions, and visits to her mother’s mental health facility. Yet at the same time as she struggles with these unique problems, we see Alice deal with the same feelings that many adolescents have: she crushes on Tony, a boy in town who skateboards past her window every morning, and constantly fights with Realm, another girl living in her building whose goth tendencies and pushy “read my manuscript and get it published” pleadings get on Alice’s last nerve. Alice also harbors deep fears that she herself will develop bipolar disorder and that this so-called Cupid who appears in front of her is irrefutable evidence of her own mental illness. Her moments of panic are realistic and vivid.

Another plus of Mad Love was the fantastic supporting cast of “family-friends,” the other people who live in the house that Alice’s mother owns, who rent out rooms and serve as a surrogate family for Alice. Mrs. Bobot and Reverend Ruttle obviously care for Alice, and it is refreshing to see such an extended family in a YA novel.

As a whole, the book was enjoyable. However, many aspects just didn’t quite work for me, most notably Errol. For a character who was supposed to be Cupid himself, the embodiment of love, Errol the boy never seemed to be fully realized. He was too quiet, too moody, too loath to reveal crucial information, both to Alice herself and to the reader. While this reticence was partially explained by the plot, Errol’s personality really got in the way of my enjoyment of his character and his character’s relationship with Alice.

The first part of Mad Love also dragged a bit, as Alice took way too long to believe Errol’s story and agree to help him with his memoirs. This “buying in” was crucial to the plot, and holding back Alice’s realization and belief for so long really slowed down the novel’s momentum.

Ultimately, however, I did enjoy Mad Love. It was a quick, slightly fluffy read that was perfect for both pre- and post- Valentine’s Day. It was also incredibly refreshing to see bipolar disease presented as something that can be conquered and that is nothing to be ashamed of.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Bone by Jeff Smith

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Thorn & Fone Bone are a little worse for wear.
Bone is such an important comic book series for kids, but I had never heard of it until I started my job a little over a year ago.  It’s immensely popular – I saw so many kids check out the volumes, we had many copies that ended up lost or missing (always a sign of popularity), and even the library-bound copies are in rough shape due to heavy use.
The covers are inviting and the raves on the inside promise a classic read.  So naturally, I put myself on the hold list for Bone Volume 1: Out From Boneville and waited patiently.  Eventually, I got my hands on a copy and was immediately drawn into the story.
Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone are three Bone cousins who have been kicked out of their hometown, Boneville, due to Phoney Bone’s con man ways (he routinely tricks the people of Boneville out of their gold and the townspeople had enough of it).  The Bone people are beings that resemble marshmallow-colored smurfs, but the three featured in the comics are easy to tell apart.  Phoney Bone is the sinister-looking trickster; Smiley Bone is the tall, goofy, good-natured one; and Fone Bone is the brave, sensible one, which also means he is our protagonist.
After being run out of Boneville, the Bone cousins find themselves in a strange valley inhabited by humans, fearsome rat creatures, dragons who may or may not exist, and a talking bug named Ted, among other beings.  They are soon taken in by a kind (and beautiful) young woman named Thorn and her ornery grandmother, Gran’ma Ben.
Fone Bone is so adorable.
Bone is a delightful mix of humor, action, and real emotion.  I appreciated the recurring gags Smith included throughout.  (Fone Bone’s favorite book is Moby Dick, and whenever he reads it aloud, the people surrounding him immediately fall asleep; the two main rat creatures are obsessed with quiche and frequently threaten to cook the Bone cousins into one; and so on).  Phoney Bone has a new plan to swindle the people of the valley each volume, and Fone Bone falls increasingly in love with the lovely Thorn.
The series isn’t just a string of misadventures caused by Phoney Bone and his cousins.  Underlying the amusing hijinks is a thread of danger and a complex mythology.  They’re living in a fantasy world, after all, so there’s plenty of magic and a good dose of mystery.  Gran’ma Ben has secrets – secrets that involve her granddaughter Thorn – and before long, the Bone cousins are caught up in it.  The fate of the entire valley depends on their actions.
Like any comic book series, some volumes are better than others.  (I felt the fifth volume in particular dragged.  Most of it centered around a mountain lion named Roque Ja who wasn’t as funny as Smith intended him to be.)  But they’re never not entertaining, and the art is consistently a treat.  Smith’s artwork is cartoony without being too exaggerated.  Each character is distinct, the colors are bold and attractive to the eye, and facial expressions are easily read (and frequently hilarious).
The rat creatures have missed out on a delicious quiche.
I finished the ninth and final volume, Crown of Horns, two nights ago and was not disappointed.  Smith wrapped up all of the plotlines believably, gave the reader a solid conclusion, and still left me wanting more.  Fortunately, there is more!  Smith and his cohorts have written two prequels and a companion novel.  I’m interested to see if the novel gets any use at the library.  (Sidenote: Would you shelve it with the graphic novels or the juvenile fiction?)
I think Bone is that rare comic book series that appeals to comics fans as well as newbies.  It’s got wide appeal: reluctant readers will be drawn in by the bright illustrations and great humor, while more sophisticated readers will appreciate the complex mythology and main plotline about Gran’ma Ben and Thorn.  Even readers who are unable to grasp the full meaning of the plot will be entertained by the antics of Phoney and Smiley Bone.
If you’ve yet to pick up this series, do yourself a favor and see what the kids love so much.  Bone is a great example of what kid lit should be: fun, funny, and meaningful.

Sad News

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So today, my regular teen volunteer came downstairs carrying a pile of books. She asked me if I’d read any of them and what I thought.

One of those books was L. K. Madigan’s Flash Burnout. I gave her an impromptu book talk about how it’s one of those stories that sticks with you. The main character is full of heart and he pursues his passion for art, even if it might get him in trouble.

My teen checked it out immediately.

It’s with that I pass on the word that L. K. Madigan has lost her battle. She died today.

You’ll remember a few of us talked about this just recently. This news is heavy and hard to take, knowing what she’d brought to the table in YA Lit so far and the potential she had to bring so much more.

But with that, I urge you to pick up her books. Go to the store. Buy them. You will be moved by Flash Burnout. Then try her Mermaid’s Mirror — a story that, despite being out of my comfort zone, I still quite enjoyed. It’s about a mermaid, but it’s a story about family and coming to terms with the fact not every family is normal. In fact, no family is. And that is precisely what makes a family what it is.

Though her time was cut short, we can keep her writing alive by continuing to talk about it, continuing to introduce her work to young (and not young!) readers alike.

What didn’t work for me

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Once in a while we read books that don’t work for us. It just doesn’t click with what we want to be reading, and we can’t get into a good groove with the story the author wants to tell (because reading is a conversation between the reader and the writer). And the thing is, that is okay. Not everything will work for us, and we don’t need to apologize for not liking something. Key, though, is understanding and appreciating who the book will work for — who will get something out of this and hit that great stride with the writer? Here are two books I’ve read recently that just didn’t connect with me and some thoughts on exactly who they will work for.

Jenna and Jonah’s Fauxmance by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin: This romantic comedy is about Charlie and Fielding, a girl and a boy, who star in a hit television show for tweens. The book follows their adventures in keeping up appearances as fools in love with one another, and it’s told through each of their voices. It’s completely light-hearted and full of humor, especially pointed at television dramas reminiscent of those you’d see on ABC Family or the Disney Channel. But for me, I didn’t see enough distinction between their voices nor did I feel the pull to care about what happened to either character to continue reading past page 100. The writing is fine, if not a bit corny, but the voices get a little lost in the story line. I feel like this book, had it been written five years ago at the height of shows like iCarly and Hannah Montana, would have been a lot more relevant than it is today. But this is me speaking as a twenty-something with little connection to television for tweens.

That said, this book will work for tween readers and younger teen readers. They will understand the humor completely, and it will be easy for them to connect the Jenna and Jonah show to their experiencing watching similar shows on tv. Readers looking for something mindless and funny will find a lot to enjoy here. GalleySmith, while she points out some of the same challenges I had, liked this book quite a bit and can offer much more insight into what really worked.


XVI by Julia Karr: I really love Kim’s review of this title and hope people pop over there to read it in entirety. She really hit up the highlights of what works in XVI and I agree with them entirely. But as a reader, I had a hard time falling into Nina’s world. In those moments I felt I was there, something new would pop up and prevent me from really understanding what was going on. But you know, this is what works for many readers; for me, it was challenging. I had more questions than answers, and though I made it most of the way through this one (250 pages), I didn’t feel connected enough to Nina to want to know if they were ever answered. This book, though, did surprise me in a good way: by the description and the cover, I really thought it would focus on the idea of becoming a sexteen, but it didn’t. It was a lot heavier in themes and ideas than that, which I appreciated. So even though I didn’t finish it, I did like this and felt it hit on some issues that are important and relevant.

As far as appeal, I direct you again to Kim’s review. This is a great read for dystopian fans, as well as those who enjoy books like Scott Westerfeld’s The Uglies or M. T. Anderson’s Feed. Part of me wonders if this is the kind of book I would adore on audio — it has all of the right elements and perhaps by hearing, rather than seeing them, I would fall more easily into this world. I will say this much, though: I might revisit this book in a few months. I’m still thinking about it, which itself says something about the content.