STACKED

books

Non-fiction: The Great and Only Barnum

|

Welcome to the big top! One of STACKED’s goals this year is to post more and a wider variety of content (believe it or not, we have a huge, varied list of topics we want to cover in a Google Doc). To start, we’re hoping to post more non-fiction reviews and discussions. And onward.

The Great and Only Barnum by Candice Fleming was one of the first young adult non-fiction books I’ve read. Not to mention it’s a biography, which is another genre I’m pretty poor at reading in. But let me say, this title did NOT disappoint.

TGAOB follows the life of show man P. T. Barnum from his birth to his death, highlighting his younger years as a sales clerk, shuffling between Connecticut and New York City and his decision to go into show business. His circus career began, as it seems, quite accidentally, after a long stint in the museum business. I thought Fleming’s narrative was engrossing: I found myself flying through the text, eager to learn more about the man of infamy. At the beginning of the book, we meet his lineage, and throughout the text, I kept thinking back to a connection Fleming made between Barnum’s prankster grandfather and himself. The likeness was not only amusing, but it really did shed a lot of light into why Barnum chose the path he did in life and why, even though he has had so many critics, he is still a fascinating and likeable character.

Throughout the book, there are ample photographs, and there is a fascinating spread of sideshow trading cards. I thought the section about the people Barnum brought to the spotlight left him more of a good person than a bad person — if there were a bias in this book as a whole, it would be that it was quite apologetic for Barnum’s decisions to showcase people with different physical traits from the norm. But at the same time, it didn’t delve deeply enough into the criticisms he received to make these apologetics worth including in the text; it almost seemed like a preemptive band-aid for those reading the text who might be ready to be angry. From the text, it seemed to me that Barnum really and truly cared for his people, putting them to spotlight to showcase the varied nature of humanity (and while there was absolutely financial gain here for him, he also took great care of these people who may otherwise have been outcasts in society).

Some of the issues I had with the book included the facts that were brought up but not elucidated further. I wish I could learn more about the strange relationship Barnum had with his first wife (though we hear about his quick marriage overseas) and I would love to learn more about the race relations. Barnum’s museum had a policy to not allow African Americans in, except for a few hours one day a week. Knowing the museum was in New York City, I had a lot of questions about whether this was the norm and whether Barnum’s policy was groundbreaking because he let them in. Here’s perfect fodder for a future book!

I thought the use of sidebars and photos was well done, with just enough to keep me interested. I appreciated how, for the most part, the narrative ended on the page where a side bar was so I could read those without flipping pages; unfortunately, this did not last throughout the book and became a point of frustration for me. More frustrating, though, were the sidebars that jumped pages and the use of the black box with white text. It is well-known this is the hardest way to read text. But aesthetically, the book showcased a nice use of font to text to decorative elements, and it felt like a lengthy magazine article. This will definitely appeal to teen readers AND to adult readers who want to know about Barnum but don’t want to invest time into a lengthier biography. I got just enough to pique my interest.

My other criticism on this title is that there was not enough discussion of the circus. I went in believing to know about Barnum’s circus career and decisions, and though I learned these came near the end of his life, I wanted more. I wanted to know how the various circuses came to meld together and become what they are in today’s society. Again: here’s another prime book opportunity. Something of that nature would be a great readalike to this one. Authors – take note!

The Lonely Hearts Club GIVEAWAY

|

Remember our teaser to keep your eyes here on my review of The Lonely Hearts Club? Well, here’s why:

We’re giving away THREE COPIES of the book to US residents. That’s right — this is an opportunity to snag a copy of Elizabeth Eulberg’s first title.

How do you enter? Simple! Fill out the form below between today January 4) through January 18. You have the chance to get multiple entries on this contest since it’s a big giveaway, so read the form carefully to make sure you can earn those entries.

Thanks to Big Honcho Media for giving us the opportunity for such a fun giveaway to start out a new year of blogging about books. They also put together this great trailer for the book:

Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg, Part II

|

Kelly reviewed this book about a week ago, so I won’t rehash the plot too much. I will say that it was not really my cup of tea, but I do know that it will have its audience.

Pros:
The premise is cute. Most girls at some point in their lives have been fed up with boys and threatened to swear off them completely. For those girls, Lonely Hearts Club is wish fulfillment, a way for them to see what giving up boys and dating would be like without actually doing it themselves.

Teen Beatles fans may get a kick out of it, particularly out of Penny Lane’s parents, who take the word “fanatic” to new levels. (For example, Penny’s parents have become vegetarian, not because they are animal rights activists or for health reasons, but because Paul McCartney is a vegetarian.)

Learning to remain yourself, even if you’re part of a relationship, is important. This, I think, was the strongest part of the book. Diane, Penny’s former friend who ditched her when Diane started to date a boy, returns to Penny’s life after Diane is dumped by said boy. Through this, Diane learns how to have girlfriends again and decides to pursue the activities she enjoys rather than what she thinks she should do to please others. Putting your friends first isn’t an original concept for a book, but it’s still important.

Cons:
I couldn’t relate to any of the characters. High school wasn’t that long ago for me, but the characters’ high school experience in no way resembled mine. I had more things on my mind than just boys, and the boys at my school had more going on in their lives than just girls. A good deal of the book centers on how the boys don’t pay attention to these awesome girls – but it’s never clear why they should in the first place. The girls seem more interested in dating the boys than trying to establish a friendship with them, when really, a good relationship starts with friendship anyway. This, to me, was the biggest flaw. Maybe it’s because I didn’t date a whole lot in high school, or because I haven’t dated anyone truly terrible, but not one of the girls in the story seemed authentic. Sure, girls can be boy-crazy sometimes, but I really did not meet a single girl in high school who was so fixated upon boys to the exclusion of everything else.

It was so fluffy as to be almost weightless. Nothing is really at stake here. As Kelly mentioned, an eating disorder is mentioned briefly but it’s so insignificant that it really should have been edited out. At one point, the principal threatens some serious consequences for Penny and her club, but it’s resolved within a few pages. I like more substance in my books.

There was too much boy-bashing. Maybe it’s because I’ve never dated anyone completely horrible, but I just don’t think it’s a good thing for a girl to read this book and learn that it’s okay to universally categorize all the boys in her school as dirtbags. Penny Lane, our protagonist, mentions that it’s wrong of her to do that, and this is a lesson she supposedly learns, but at the end of the book where this lesson has already been learned, there are only three boys allowed to hang out with the Lonely Hearts Club. Not so great. The better lesson would have been to judge a person based on his or her own merits first and foremost. You know, getting to know a person as a person before you size them up as a piece of meat.

With a book like this, it’s important to seriously consider its potential audience. The Lonely Hearts Club is a fast, breezy read. It’s not hard-hitting or emotionally wrenching, and sometimes that’s exactly what a reader is looking for. Girls who have been seriously hurt by a boy may find something they enjoy here.

Stay tuned for more on this book very soon…

Cybils Sunday – Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern

|

Get ready for a Renaissance Faire, Dungeons & Dragons, peeing in the woods, and twenty-sided dice! Welcome to Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern.

Jessie Sloan is best friends with Char and Bizza as she begins her sophomore year of high school, and she’s been close with them forever. Jessie is a bit of an odd duck who loves wearing her own home made skirts, and her goal this year is to make enough skirts out of different fabrics so she never has to rewear a skirt.

But things between her and her friends aren’t peachy keen. Jessie is actually quite frustrated that her friends want to spend all of their time hanging out with her brother Barrett and his punk rock band friends at the local Denny’s, which is full of smoke and really boring conversation.

Bizza and Char transform into punk girls and spend the beginning of their new school year getting close with the punk boys, including Van: the guy who Jessie’s been crushing on for a long time. Bit he’s Bizza’s boy now, thanks to her transformation.

Jessie’s disappointed to find herself alone for what should have been a great school year. Rather than wallow in her own pity, though, Jessie chooses to befriend Dottie, the weird girl in her study hall. And we’re not just talking weird. We’re talking Weird — one of those kids who’s been labeled the weird one since elementary school. But once Jessie strikes up conversation, she really begins liking Dottie, who she learns has been dating a guy for quite a long time and is mega involved in the game Dungeons and Dragons with a slew of other kids at school. Will Jessie decide to give in and become a mega-nerd or will she spend her year trying to maintain her old, though beaten, friendships?

Into the Wild Nerd Yonder is a very, very funny book. Jessie encompasses the perfect high school tone: she is funny, culturally-aware (and a total book nerd who kept talking about books like Life as We Knew It and Elsewhere), sarcastic, and 100% realistic. She embraces her inner nerd prior to meeting Dottie and her D&D playing crew, as we see with her skirt obsession. But you know that obsession? It’s much more than Jessie thinks; it’s proof she has an enviable and valuable skill and knowledge that she’s actually appreciated for and which she can use to enjoy herself.

Beyond the strength of Jessie’s character is the development of a number of strong, well-executed subplots. Bizza and Van’s developing relationship leaves readers wondering what’s going on, seeing they begin getting very close immediately after Jessie herself had a tender moment with him. Is he cheating on Jessie or is he using Bizza? When Bizza is left friendless, she must turn to Jessie to escort her to a clinic …. to be tested for a possible STD. The pacing, dialog, and delicate atmosphere between Jessie and Bizza in this plot point were pitch perfect and absolutely believable. But you know what was best about it? It was not at all contrived, nor a plot aspect upon which characters dwell, nor something that makes readers roll their eyes in utter frustration. Instead, it’s quite compelling and the emotions Jessie and the other characters display are authentic. It doesn’t become all consuming.

Jessie’s relationship with her parents and her brother Barrett are fresh in the wake of terrible parents that seem to be invading YA lit. I found the relationship that developed between Jessie and Henry — one of the D&D boys — to be very sweet and their moment together at the Renaissance Faire tender and a bit drool-worthy. Oh, and also hilarious.

One of the issues that stuck in my head when I finished the book is one I am eager to discuss or hear opinions on, both those of the YA judging panel and our readers. It seemed to me in the end that Jessie becomes completely okay with who she is, and she embraces her multiple sides, her dorkiness, and her comfort with being uncomfortable. She makes it clear throughout the book she doesn’t aim to change anyone, which is precisely why her relationships with Bizza and Char stand as they do. But Jessie sure did judge Henry’s clothing choices … and in doing so, she drops many hints about him changing his style, especially since his mom did a poor job dressing him. At the very end, there is a moment when Jessie comments on him changing from sneakers to Chucks, thanks to her shopping trip. I almost felt like she took a back step here and decided to change Henry; she liked him, but she liked him more when she made his apparel choices so that he’d be less dorky and more to her acceptable standards.

Aside from that criticism and flaw in Jessie’s otherwise enviable character, I spent a long time thinking about audience. I really enjoyed this book, but I also am able to look at it from a perspective outside of high school and one in which I am widely-read and somewhat (emphasis on somewhat) culturally-aware. While Jessie will absolutely speak to teen readers who embrace themselves and who they are, I wrestled with how much broad appeal this title will have. It is a very funny book, but the humor is subtle. Good teen readers will eat this book up, though your average reader may not enjoy the subtlety. For readalikes, coming to my mind are Pete Hautman’s How to Steal a Car (the humor!), Abby McDonald’s Sophomore Switch (the fitting-in-without-friends factor), Donna Freita’s The Possibilities of Sainthood (loving and embracing who you are), and Melissa Walker’s Violet on the Runway or Lovestruck Summer (self-assured but humorous and wonderfully sarcastic leading girls). You know, that’s great company!

Thanks to the YA Fiction Cybils Panel for such a fantastic title on the short list. I hope that Halpern sees her book getting a ton of attention, as it is well-deserved. I eagerly await her next title (and I plan on going back to read her first book).

* These are entirely my opinions, not the rest of the judging committee’s.

Morris Nominees: Read and Reviewed!

|

The Shortlist for the 2010 Morris Award was announced a few weeks ago, and Kim did a great job introducing each of the titles right here. I’ve finally had the opportunity to dig into each one of them!

Ash, by Malinda Lo

This retelling of Cinderella with a lesbian twist left me less than impressed. I found Ash’s character throughout the story uninteresting, and frankly, I felt that the entire lesbian twist came about suddenly and without any real meaning. Ash didn’t seem interested in a female-female relationship throughout, so the decision to have the story take that turn left me feeling like the heft of the story wasn’t succeeding quite as it should and needed something to make the pieces wrap up at the end. As a character, Ash was disappointingly boring, and I didn’t see why any of the secondary characters cared about her. She didn’t seem to give any thought or time into developing and sustaining those relationships; she just had them and there were never any challenges to those facts.

That said, I was also disappointed in the world building. For the entirety of the book, I never felt like I was being invited into a story; instead, I felt like I was being given a third-person account of a situation, without any feeling of being enveloped in a world. The back story dragged on much longer than necessary, and because they were displayed as facts (this is how it is) rather than pushed to be a real inviting storyline (this is why it is), I felt like an outsider unable to step into the story. The setting left me wanting a lot more, as well, since none of them seemed well enough delineated to differentiate among them.

For fans of retellings, this may work, but for lovers of fantasy and lush story telling, this is a disappointment. My feeling regarding its selection as a Morris nominee is, unfortunately, the fact there’s the lesbian twist. I feel like that element may have been given more weight and attention than the writing and world building itself. Since last year’s winner was a similar retelling (and had many of the same criticisms from other readers as I give this title), I suspect this may not be this year’s ultimate winner. You may want to bear in mind with my review that I am not a heavy fantasy reader, so my expectations in such a story may be widely apart from major readers in the genre. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this title!

Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Kim wrote that this was “[a] huge doorstopper of a book advertised as a Southern gothic thriller with plenty of mystery and romance. Normally right up my alley, but I confess the length (626 pages!) is daunting.” Let me just confess: 626 were entirely unnecessary for this title!

The writing in Beautiful Creatures was gorgeous, fluid, and enveloping. The setting was wonderfully southern and gothic — something I adore in any book! Unfortunately, the overuse of elements and story lines grated on me as I struggled to understand the need for not only 626 pages but also forthcoming sequels.

The characters were uninteresting, particularly Ethan who did nothing but live for Lena, who was herself very boring. I didn’t care about their family history and I felt there was way too much happenstance. I mean, for 16 years nothing, absolutely nothing, leaked out about the history? Hard to imagine. Likewise, the library/librarian scenes were pandering to librarians and were painful to read. I’m very critical with books that dabble on too long about librarians or libraries because to me, it’s begging for those venues to then be very excited about the books. The only interesting character the entire book for me was Uncle Macon who we don’t learn enough about. Actually, Boo the dog was pretty interesting too. I wish we learned more about those two and less about Lena the Rain. With the way the story was built in its southern setting, I thought Macon and Boo deserved much more attention than they were given.

Ethan is no hunk nor droolworthy, unless you like a guy who has nothing going on except obsessing about other people. He needed to grow his own spine and interests. I’m not sure why this is being called such a great book, except perhaps because readers are excited they made it through such a long tome? It’s nothing special, and I’m kind of sad to feel that way. Definitely not worth the 626 page investment; this could have been done much more effectively (even capturing the same story!) in 1/2 of the pages.

To be entirely honest, I felt like this was trying hard to be the antithesis of Twilight: Ethan is the wirey, spineless character who lives for no one but Lena, much in the way that Bella does for her vampire. So maybe for readers of that series looking for something similar, this may fit the bill. It’s a bit more literary, but the romance plays out similarly.

The Everafter, by Amy Huntley

I listened to the audiobook version of The Everafter, and it killed me to have to stop listening when I would get to my destination. I really became involved in the story itself, and I found that the narrator, Tavia Gilbert, did a great job for the most part (though I found her portrayal of a 17-year-old a bit too old sounding and found the editing of the audiobook left a LOT to be desired in terms of sound quality….and not because of the story drifting from the afterlife to the past – that itself was quite clear).

The story line is both original and not — it reminded me a lot of the premise to both The Lovely Bones and Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin, both titles I was unable to get through. But this title I had no issues getting through. Huntley writes fluidly and fully, developing not only a compelling character in Maddy, who exists in “IS,” but I felt her development of Gabe, Tammy, Sandra, and Sandra’s family fantastic.

This book has a bit of a mystery to it, but I knew immediately how it would end. Even with that knowledge, I still wanted to know what happened and what events came to cause Maddy to die at the age of 17, before she became an aunt. I found the notion of using lost objects to return to a place magical enough to be believable. I really fell into Maddy’s “IS” and real-life worlds and believe that there was a great balance among the two worlds, the mystery, and the character development to drive the narrative forward without dragging. Janssen reviewed it, too, and made the comment I would like to emphasize: this is a quick read and should not be anything more.

But here’s my criticism (and you knew it was coming): this isn’t all that original. Before I picked it up, I knew it was going to be like the two aforementioned titles that I didn’t like. So while I liked this one, I think it was because it was similar to the other two but “done right.” That, of course, means it was done correctly for ME as a reader. For those who loved either of the other two, though, this might be just a copy cat attempt. I wish I could sit in on the Morris committee meeting just to hear the discussion from those on either side of this camp.

Flash Burnout, by LK Madigan

Like Kim, this was the title I was least excited about because the description was kind of vague. But you know what? This was, hands down, my favorite of the five.

Flash Burnout is a story about choices in life when it comes to relationships; in this particular instance, it’s a story about Blake deciding between his super hot girlfriend and a girl with whom he develops a close friendship. But it doesn’t transpire as you expect, especially given that summary and the introduction to who Blake is.

When I began the book, I absolutely hated Blake. He reminded me of a stereotypical boy who cares nothing about people but instead was dating Shannon because of her totally hot body. He obsesses with looks, and he’s not shy about being a complete jerk about it. But perhaps that was what the charm was: Blake wasn’t afraid to be himself. And as the story progresses and we watch him get stuck into a pretty tricky situation with two girls, he doesn’t stray from his real heart and desire to be a good guy. I’m ultimately thrilled with how Blake ended up in the end of the book, and I felt like his cheerleader throughout the course of the story.

Like The Everafter, I felt LK Madigan did a great job creating secondary characters. Shannon and Melissa are believable girls, who are both total opposites and quite similar. I thought that the multiple story lines hidden within the story — those of photography, loss, love, and the drive for “getting lucky,” — worked together smoothly without being trite. The dialog is really well done and definitely screams teen. There have been a lot of books lately where the dialog falls so flatly, but this one does NOT disappoint. This may be the precise reason why Blake is such a great character who you can’t help but love and hate: he speaks realistically, and not the way we just hope he’d talk. The final scenes include photography backdrop and his last photo exhibit , and they were brilliantly connected to the entire story.

Criticizing this title was a little hard, but if I had to make any, it would be that Blake doesn’t take himself seriously enough. There are a lot of missed opportunities in terms of how the story could have shaped up, but perhaps it comes back to Blake being such a great character because of his faults. And being frank here, the premise, like that of The Everafter is not entirely original or unique. Boys and girls have relationship issues like this, and there are a million books on that. Likewise, I think audience on this title will be hard to find: it’s a little crude for most “girl” readers (those who like to read girl-centric books) and it’s too invested in emotion for most “boy” readers. It’s not a mystery and it’s not a fantasy or science fiction. It’s not a problem novel nor a real coming of age story. It’s a bit of a romance, but it’s not a traditional one, either. I love books that fall into this nether land, but they are ultimately tough to sell. I would, however, LOVE to see this one take home the Morris to raise its awareness. The buzz will help it find the right audience.

Hold Still, by Nina LaCour

I’ve already read and reviewed this one, and I did so before the Morris short list. You can read that review here.

I wasn’t a huge fan of this title, but I suspect it was short listed because it’s an issue book. Although I think it never coalesced well, I know there were a lot of fans, and I do think there is teen appeal here (however unrealistic I found the entire premise and however much I absolutely did not care about Caitlin or Ingrid).

So that said, I’m a little let down in the choices overall. I felt like some of the books were chosen due to hype and marketing (Beautiful Creatures has had incredible marketing, which you best believe contributes to titles being read and considered for award nominations) and I felt others were chosen because of their clear appeal to the target audience. I’m disappointed that other knock out first-time authors didn’t get their time in the limelight….but that’s where other awards like the Cybils, BBYA, and others come in, right?

Have you read any of them now? What do you think deserves to win? Do you disagree with my thoughts? I’d love to hear them!

What do you think of the list? Had you heard of most of these books before the shortlist was announced? I’m actually quite surprised that I had – that was not the case last year.