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The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan

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I’ve been reading more adult books to temper some of the less-than-amazing YA books I’ve read lately. It’s not that there’s anything horrible, per se, but nothing has been that spectacular for me in a while. Perhaps it’s a case of needing a little reading change.

I picked up a copy of David Levithan’s first adult novel The Lover’s Dictionary at ALA Midwinter, a little reluctantly. I am familiar with Levithan’s YA offerings, and I’m a fan of the books he edits at Scholastic. I gave this one a whirl.

I can’t give a real plot description for this book, since it’s not a plot-driven book. It’s not really a character-driven book, either. This is an extended letter from one person in a relationship to another, and the set up is really the point of the story: it’s a dictionary.

Each page begins with a word that we’re familiar with — bolster, elegy, only, and yesterday being a few examples — and then there is a short description for the word, told through an episode in the relationship. Perfunctory, for example, is a short one that reads “I get to sign some of your Christmas cards, but others I don’t.” Other words have longer explanations, some spanning a few pages. But the entries are short, much like these moments in any romantic relationship are, and the book reads quite fast. Because I wanted to savor it, I read this one in many sittings, over the course of a few days. Since there aren’t any character or story arcs in Levithan’s book, this is a great book to read at any pace, fast or slow.

This is a sweet book, and I think it really captures both the ups and downs of a relationship. It’s at times a little over-the-top for my romantic reading inklings, but these moments are countered with tension in the relationship, too.

Although I liked the book, the story didn’t do much for me. I think I liked the execution and style, the exercise in trying a dictionaryesque approach to story telling, much more than what was contained within. I found it kind of thin otherwise, something fairly forgettable. There are some excellent lines in the book, and some things worth quoting reading aloud, but don’t go in expecting much in terms of substance. This is the kind of book I’ll reread passages from when I’m looking for a little writing inspiration.

While Levithan is a well-known YA author, this is not a book for teens. There’s an interesting discussion on one of the YALSA blogs about this book, and how there’s question of why this wouldn’t be one worth cross-shelving (that is, having a copy in adult fiction and one in teen fiction). But for me, there’s no reason for this. Sure, the characters in The Lover’s Dictionary are adults; however, the reason this isn’t a book for teens is that this is a story about an adult relationship. It’s a love letter, sure, and there are teens who will read this and love this. But the fact of the matter is, it’s a very limited appeal to teens who simply do not have this sort of understanding yet. They’re not mature enough to appreciate what this is, and frankly, there are many better books for teens that are love letters between romantic partners. It’s less an issue of sexuality (there’s not much) or of language (again, not much) but more an issue of development and understanding of the adult side of life. Teens will get there on their own; we don’t need to push them there. Those who are ready will find their way to the adult fiction area themselves and discover this.

Pass this off to your fans of romantic reads or books that are simply a little different. It’s not standard Levithan, but I think it might drive adult readers to check out his other works.

Guest Post: Sarah of Green Bean Teen Queen

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Today you’re in for a special treat — Sarah of Green Bean Teen Queen has stopped by to talk about her favorite Printz books and why they’re her favorites. In case you didn’t know, she is on the ballot for the 2013 American Library Association’s Printz committee and voting is open now. If you haven’t cast your ballot yet, here’s your opportunity to see why Sarah deserves to be nominated to the committee.

Asking a librarian about her favorite book is like asking a parent to choose a favorite child-it just can’t be done! Especially when those books are limited to Printz Winners and Honor Books-there are so many great books to choose from! Do I go with the funny and pick Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging? Do I go for the book that packed an emotional punch with The First Part Last? Do I pick the book that surprised me the most and blew me away when I wasn’t expecting it with How I Live Now?

After really looking at the Printz books, I have to say that Jennifer Donnelly’s A Northern Light is my all time favorite Printz book. Why? Because it combines mystery, history, and coming of age, as well as facts and fiction. You care about the characters. Mattie Gokey is a fantastic character and her journey is one you can’t soon forget. She’s faced with various options in life and is at a crossroads. Even though it’s a historical novel, the decisions Mattie has to face about growing up are something that teens of any time period can relate to. There’s also a bit of mystery that goes along with Mattie’s story. The author takes a real life story and creates a fictional story around it and brings the entire thing to life. I’ve recommended this book to so many people and it’s one of my favorite YA reads as well as Printz reads!

OK, so after picking my all time favorite Printz book, what do I think makes a good Printz book? I think the book has to be a book that really and truly reflects the amazingness that is young adult fiction (or non-fiction). YA is an area that is often looked down on and snubbed by readers and I think part of the job of the Printz is to highlight the books that show how wonderful and powerful YA can be. The books should be books that teens and librarians read and discuss. While not everyone will love the books that picked, they should encourage discussion and get people thinking and talking. They also need to be books that librarians can pick up and say “this is why I do what I do-because YA is an incredible field that offers some of the best books out there.” Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to help choose those books!

What I’m Reading Now

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Hunger Games Trilogy, Books 1-3 on audio
My job is awesome enough that I can usually listen to audiobooks while I work (provided I only put an earbud in one ear), and I tend to prefer listening to books I’ve already read so I don’t have to give the audio my full attention. I bought all three of the Hunger Games audios for my library, and they circulate amazingly well, so I’m surprised I was able to get my hands on all three in quick succession. The story is terrific, as I already knew, but I had major problems with the narrator. She sounds too old to be Katniss and her inflection of certain passages sounded off to me – not how I heard Katniss in my mind when I read the books. As a result, Katniss came across as WAY more annoying this go-round than when I read the books the first time. I mean, I know she’s going through a lot of bad shiz, but MUST she be so emo? That said, the narrator’s voicing of other characters, particularly the male characters, was more convincing. It helps that she has a rather deep voice for a female.
Graceling by Kristin Cashore, on audio
Oh Full Cast Audio, how I love you. I’m only a few tracks in on the very first CD, but this audio is already miles ahead of the Hunger Games audios. Katsa’s voice sounds like her, and Po’s voice is more than a little dreamy. I look forward to seeing how this book fares on re-read (or rather, re-listen). There were elements I loved so much, in particular the relationship between Katsa and Po, and other elements I thought dragged. Hopefully I won’t find Katsa as annoying as I found Katniss on audio. So far, so good.
The Hidden Reality by Brian Greene
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned my fascination with alternate/parallel universes before. I’m a little (a lot) obsessed with them. It goes back mostly to my intense and unending love of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials Trilogy, aka The Best Books Ever Written, but it’s also reflected in my love for Stargate SG-1 and the Narnia books and my fascination with the idea of time travel . And here is Brian Greene, writing about the possibility of parallel universes in sciencespeak that I can understand. Awesome.
The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge
I’ve heard a lot of great things about this book, but I’m still not entirely sure what it’s about. From what I can gather, it’s set in a steampunk world where a necrovirus drives almost everyone in the city of Lovecraft mad. Our protagonist, Aiofe, is a ward of the state since all of her family members went mad at age 16. The worldbuilding is supposed to be excellent, and at over 500 pages, it had better be. I’m also promised complex characters and a surprising plot. I can’t wait to dig into this one. (Although I have to admit, the blurb isn’t encouraging, and neither is the fact that the cover girl looks like she’s about to have an accidental Mardi Gras moment.)

Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler

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Chelsea always wanted to play basketball in college — it was her ticket to a big scholarship and it was a game she loved. She was passionate about it. But then an accident on the court her junior year leaves her wounded
and unable to pursue this dream.

She aches.

Clint is a former hockey player who works at a lake resort in Minnesota. Something terrible has happened to him — something so awful he’s quit playing hockey and vows never to play again. When Chelsea’s family takes a trip there for three weeks during the summer, her father hires Clint to help Chelsea regain some of the physical strength she’s lost during her recuperation.

Even though Chelsea’s in a relationship and Clint’s not a believer in the summer fling, their shared struggles to overcome the loss of their dreams may bring them together in surprising ways.

Playing Hurt is Schindler’s second novel, and it is a completely different story than her first, A Blue So Dark (reviewed here). Although both stories deal with loss and grief to some degree, this one focuses on what it feels like to lose the thing you love the most. For Chelsea, this is basketball. It’s ripped from her prematurely, and it’s done in a manner that is completely out of her control. It was a real accident, and it’s a moment she lives over and over, both in her mind and in person: she has a video of it. She continues watching it, hoping for some sort of solace in it. It’s aching because as readers, we know how it feels to have a dream like that and have it torn from you.

For Clint, we’re left a little more in the dark about what happened to him. We know he’s experienced pain and loss, and frankly, he’ll never tell. He’ll admit when confronted, but he won’t be the one to tell Chelsea or the readers. Since I don’t want to ruin it, I’ll say it goes back to his beliefs about love and relationships.

The book is written in dual voices, beginning with Chelsea’s and then going to Clint’s. Their voices are distinct, though I wasn’t entirely convinced of Clint’s voice nearer the end of the story. Chelsea’s is pitch perfect, though, and Schindler really grasps her pain and her need to recover. The story is well paced, and like in A Blue So Dark, it is quite literary in execution. There are moments when the language really begs to be read aloud.

One of the issues I had with this book was Chelsea’s preoccupation with losing her virginity. Although that in and of itself wasn’t problematic, it doesn’t really present itself early on. We know she has a boyfriend at home, and we know he’s gone to great lengths to arrange a date for them to have sex for the first time together after she returns from her trip. Well, because she and Clint become an item, his work will be for naught. Chelsea gives it up to Clint. The bigger issue, though, is the writing in these intimate scenes — and there are quite a few of them. I found it clunky and unbelievable, especially from Clint’s voice. It came off more Harlequin than teen, more of a voice of experience and sensuality than of two clumsy teenagers in the backwoods of Minnesota. As much as I didn’t want it to, it did mar some of the great aspects of Chelsea and Clint’s characters.

Moreover, there is nearly no remorse in Chelsea for cheating on her long time boyfriend. She’d been with Gabe for two years, but she spent no time really thinking about him while engaging with Clint. Sure, she sent him letters and checked her email from him, but in those intimate moments, it never crossed her mind. This made me really dislike her as a character, despite the point of the story being to care about her and want her to overcome the loss she’s experienced with her injury. And trust me when I say it didn’t make me like Clint anymore, either, since he knew full well she was in a relationship.

That said, this is a story focused more on character than on sport, but your maturer sports readers who appreciate stories like Catherine Gilbert Murdock’s Dairy Queen will enjoy this one. Chelsea and Clint are relatable characters and what they go through in terms of mourning loss and accepting change will resonate with readers who’ve done the same.

Aging Middle Grade Covers

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Last week, I talked about covers changing from their hardcover debut to their paperback. This week, I thought I’d talk about another trend that I’m still wrestling with, and that is the aging up of middle grade covers. Middle grade for me has always been about cover art: there’s been less reliance on stock photos — particularly of people — and more use of actual art. There’s also been a lot of straight forward stock image use with a striking color background.

However, I’ve noticed this is also changing, as more and more middle grade covers are growing up. They’re getting covers with models on them — people — and they look more teen than tween appropriate. I think this is both a good and a bad thing; for many readers this age, it’s a good thing. It makes them feel older and makes them feel like they’re reading an older book. But the reverse is true: it could be what makes many unready readers feel they can tackle a tougher teen book.

Let’s look through some recent examples:


This is one of the common covers for Zia by Scott O’Dell. I like it: I really think the colors and the artistically rendered (note: not stock photo) person really give this cover its feeling. But there’s been a change for this one, and it’s one I quite like.

Isn’t it gorgeous? I think this cover has mega appeal and has a real contemporary feel to it. The only qualm I have with it is that it’s definitely not a middle school girl on the cover. She’s certainly older. But for this particular book, I’m not sure that’s problematic. I think the appeal is still to the right audience.

Here’s another one from Scott O’Dell, and this one’s going to be a rerelease. The original cover (dated, obviously):


They did update this one a few years later to this cover, which I quite like (it has a very Face On the Milkcarton feel to it).


They’re re-releasing this title in April this year with another new cover. You can guess what made me want to talk about this one a little.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one. The girl doesn’t work for me in this cover — too much attitude. I don’t know whether she’s appealing to readers; she’s a bit off putting. I do like what they’ve done with the newspaper ad as the background for the title and author, as it plays off the last cover.

Now, let’s take another well-known middle grade author and look at some of the cover make overs she’s had.

This is one of Bauer’s titles that leans a little more teen than middle grade, to be fair. But the cover is an artistic one. And it’s been remade.


There’s a couple other of her titles that have had such a makeover, too.

I don’t care much for this cover. It’s a little too technicolor for my tastes. I do like the makeover this one’s gotten, and I think it ups appeal too (but maybe for older readers more than middle grade readers):


Let’s look at another of Bauer’s cover make overs before talking about the last two books that have come out.

A little too much red for my taste. This one has gotten a mighty makeover, though:


This cover reminds me of a million others. I’m actually a little torn, though, since I think it increases appeal to the middle grade audience more than the prior cover. Part of that is, of course, simply because of the dating issue. But let’s look at the last two books released by Bauer. They’ve been released with stock photos first, and I think both make a real statement.


I love this cover. This is a book I’ve read, and I think it’s perfectly fitting. The story takes place in an area where apples are a big deal for the economy and tourism, and there’s also a big aspect of the story involving newspaper reporting. Definite middle school appeal on this one.


This is her latest book, and again, I consider it middle grade, but this cover reads older to me. I think that it will appeal to both the middle and high school readers. I’m also noticing a food trend on these books. Hmm…

Here’s another original release, and this one is quite recent.


I don’t think I care a lot for this cover. The girl definitely looks older than the target audience. And actually, the thing probably bothering me the most is the dumbest, and it’s the unbuttoned side of the overalls. I get what it’s trying to do but it doesn’t work for me. I’m curious about the appeal of this one — I think it will work for middle grade. I think the font and off-centeredness of the title and the girl are appealing and give this cover just enough difference to stand out on a shelf. But man, I wish she’d button the side of her pants!

A cover make over I really like this is one, and I think it will give this book an entirely new, fresh middle grade audience.


Dated, no? But original art, if nothing else. Fortunately, they’ve updated it. Sure, it’s a stock photo, but they’ve done enough manipulating to it to really jazz it up.


It’s got just enough creepiness to it, too. I think this is a fantastic middle grade cover, as it has loads of appeal to the target readership and it doesn’t try too hard to mimic covers of books meant for older readers.

One last one that stuck out to me for a while is this one:


This is the original cover of Erskine’s Mockingbird. It’s not bad and it’s not great. It’s quiet, which is what I understand of the book itself. This is the kind of cover that will let the reader find it; the right reader will know. I like it, since it doesn’t really age the book at all. It gives it a classicness but it does feel middle grade — I think that’s in the font use.

Naturally, the paperback gets a makeover, though.


Notice a few things with me. First, most middle grade novels do not have a blurb. They will include book subtitles or notes about the author’s prior works and awards. But this one? It gets the Publisher’s Weekly review blurbed on the front. Middle grade readers probably don’t care it’s “a moving and insightful masterpiece.” They want a good story.

They’ve kept the font for the cover, which I like, but they’ve ramped up the color a bit. I will say, though, I think the girl on the cover is the right age. But what’s she saying to the middle grade reader here? The cover is, no doubt, attractive and appealing, but this is where I want to talk a bit — for me, middle grade readers are less about the feelings conveyed by the cover than teen readers are. They want to know the story more. For me, this cover is almost off putting, since there is so much feeling conveyed in the way the girl is positioned, in how her back is to readers. She’s not inviting. It’s here where I begin questioning why books aimed at middle grade readers are looking more and more like teen books and almost more like they’re targeted at adults than the kids themselves.

For me, the clincher on this is the PW quote. There is nothing about the story in that comment, as it’s written to adults for adults. Why is it there?

I’m not sure this is a trend I like or dislike, as I’ve seen both sides. I know there are plenty of other covers that are doing this, so if you know of any particularly good ones, share them in the comments. I’m also interested in your take on this trend. Do you like it? Do you find it as a way to turn off readers or perhaps lead them into other books that they’re not ready for?