Micro Reviews: YA Edition

(Pneumonia update: no more pneumonia (hooray!) but lungs still need to recover (boo!))

On the lead-up to the holidays, nothin’ but…

YA novels, baby!
Texas Gothic (**** – liked)
Chime (***** – loved)
The Scorpio Races (**** – liked)
I am J (**** – liked)
Hush (**** – liked)
Where the Streets Had a Name (**** – liked)
Entwined (**** – liked)
Dodger (**** – liked)

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore (YA fantasy, 2011) – Born into the magical Goodnight family, Amy has no hope of a normal life, especially not when a strange ghost on the neighbouring ranch attacks farmhands and seems to be attached to Amy herself. The novel strikes a mix between Nancy Drew mystery and paranormal romance. Amy is a sympathetic main character, and I loved the Southern setting.

Chime by Franny Billingsley (YA fantasy, 2012) – In early-twentieth-century Swansea, Briony’s determined to take care of her neuro-atypical twin sister and repress her own natural witchy talents, but the draining of the nearby swamp for railway construction throws her carefully constructed life into turmoil. Even if you don’t like fantasy, read this book for the wonderful, wonderful voice. Love or hate the main character, she’s so real and vivid and unique, and the author pulls off a whole bunch of slow wait-is-this-narrator-reliable? burns.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (YA fantasy, 2011) – On an Irish island where carnivorous but fast water horses roam the shores, teenagers Sean and Puck must compete in the annual water-horse race: Sean for the ownership of his beloved mount, and Puck to save her family home. The understated growing romance between the two main characters worked well. It was unique and interesting to read a story based on the water horse myth, but although I was willing to accept it, I was never sure why anyone thought riding these homicidal horses was a good idea, let alone racing them by the sea.

I am J by Cris Beam (YA novel, 2011) – J, a transboy struggling with the betrayal of his body as he hits puberty, negotiates his identity and confronts family and friends who don’t or won’t understand his journey. At first, the opening of this book made me uncomfortable, because I really hate anticipating the point when a character who is deceitful has to face the consequences of that deceit. But the scenes where J explains to people who he is instead of allowing them to mistake him for a lesbian or to think that he’s at a friend’s house instead of a transition clinic were comfortable and positive without letting up on the conflict.

Hush by Eishes Chayil (YA novel, 2010) – Gittel, a Chassidic girl whom we follow from childhood through marriage, confronts her memories of a childhood friend’s abuse within the Chassidic community. I found this book both affecting and upsetting — although I’ve never lived in a Chassidic environment, I recognize some of the bad attitudes I’ve encountered elsewhere in the Jewish community (although not usually, thankfully in that of my own synagogue or social circle). Gittel is an engaging character, and her personal growth is compelling as she moves from accepting the letter of the law to upholding its spirit.

Where the Streets Had a Name by Randa Abdel-Fattah (YA novel, 2008) – Hayaat, a Palestinian “tween” living in Bethlehem, sneaks into Jerusalem to retrieve soil from her old family home, which she is convinced will help her dying grandmother. This novel does a great job of evoking the culture and experience of Hayaat and her family. I found the ending disappointing in its lack of overall resolution, but I can’t imagine that it could end another way when an ongoing  politically laden conflict is such a strong part of the story: having either side “win” trivializes what real people continue to live through and/or ruins the balanced, hate-free tone the author works so hard to build.

Entwined by Heather Dixon (YA fantasy, 2012) – A retelling of the Brothers Grimm tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses, this book tells the story of eldest princess Azalea, whose love for dance leads her and her sisters into a dangerous compact with dark magic. I enjoyed how this book made me believe in a character who loves all the stereotypically girly things I dislike: dancing, slippers, dresses, etc. I wasn’t too keen on how the romantic relationships played out (happiness = getting engaged to a man you love, always), but I loved the development of the main character’s relationship with her reserved father.

Dodger by Terry Pratchett (YA fantasy, 2012) – The life of teenaged tosher Dodger takes a turn for the adventurous in Dickensian London when he rescues a foreign woman from two violent men only to find that her situation is more complicated than he thought. It’s Pratchett + various early-nineteenth-century historical figures, and I liked the twist (if you will) on the Artful Dodger and Fagin. Although I can’t help but feel that there was nothing really surprising or new about this story, at least not for Pratchett fans, it was still a great read.

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