Teen Book Review: Trafficked

Having left school to help her grandmother in the market after her parents died in a bombing, Moldovan teen Hannah, has lost all hope of pursuing ambitious dreams of becoming a doctor.  So, when offered the opportunity to become a nanny for an American Russian family, the Platonovs, Hannah jumps at the chance and makers her way to America with huge hopes. Unfortunately, what seemed like the perfect way to finally fulfill her dreams turns into the biggest shame of her life.  The Platonovs never let her outside the house, make her work 16-hour-days and never pay her.  Trapped inside her worst nightmare, Hannah will need to fight tooth and nail in order to get her life back.

Skeptical that the cover calling Trafficked a “gripping thriller” was just another case of mismarketing, I was pleasantly surprised when this book lived up the that label.  This book did an exquisite job of retaining a voice and staying true to its main character while fully developing all the other characters.  However, the most refreshing part of this book was that, despite its mature subject matter, it didn’t apologize for being realistic.  It was a page-turner until the very last page.  I would recommend this book to anyone above the age of 16, particularly those who are fans of thrillers.

Anvita, 12th grade

Teen Review: Chopsticks by Anthony & Corral

Just in case it wasn’t obvious enough from the cover, Chopsticks is a love story between piano prodigy, Glory Flemming, and the boy next door, Frank.  The book grabs the reader by starting in the present with Gloria’s disappearance and then reverts back to the events leading up to her disappearance.  Growing up, Gloria has more than a child could ever want, including loving parents and a musical talent that many would kill for.  One tragic day, Glory’s mother dies, and Glory retreats into her music.  Depressed and lonely, Glory is immediately drawn to her new neighbor Frank.  With every one of Frank’s mix CDs and their late-night IM conversations, Glory becomes more invested in their relationship and less in the sold-out shows she plays in Carnegie Hall and around the world.  Eventually, the only song she is able to play is Chopsticks.

Personally, I loved this book and would recommend it to anybody… or any girl that is (maybe a few boys).  The use of pictures to tell the story is what sets this book apart and is probably the main reason why this book really stuck with me.  the pictures are used effectively and do an excellent job of developing the plot and the characters.  LThey also offer a unique perspective, a surprising does of emotion and mystery, with lots of room for interpretation.  A phrase from the trailer of the book that aptly summarizes it is: “Is Chopsticks a dream or a nightmare? I’d say a little of both, intriguingly so.”  So, do you agree?  Read the book and decide for yourself.  Ages 13 and up.

Anvita

Teen Book Review of Tilt by Alan Cumyn

Realistic fiction novel Tilt by Alan Cumyn introduces Stan as a teenager who is solely focused on making the Junior Varsity basketball team.  But then, his life becomes more complicated.  He stumbles upon an unexpected attraction to Janine Igwash, and suddenly she is all he can think of.  Furthermore, he has to deal with the antics of his mother’s boyfriend Gary and those of his sister, Lily.  Then his father randomly shows up at their doorstep after five years of no contact with the family.  Then, Stan’s life really starts unraveling at the seams. 

Sixteen year old Stan is a loner who holds his family together while also dealing with the foreign thoughts and tendencies that come with the teenage years.  This book has a scattered tone that is effective in characterizing how lost Stanley is, but sometimes the reader gets too lost in Stanley’s mind.  Teens will especially appreciate this book because Stan is an easy character to relate to in one way or another.  Although this book has the nuances of a typical young adult realistic fiction novel, it is narrated in a very distinct way.  Unfortunately, there are moments when the book seems to drag on and goes a bit too far into Stan’s thoughts.

-Anvita

Is there a “parent problem” in teen fiction?

As a teen librarian and a parent, I often marvel at the abundance of bad parents in the young adult fiction that I read.  There are few models of what a good parent of a teen would look like.  Of course, that is one of the points of teen literature, to show teens acting in the world and coming to grips with their independence.  Reading about well adjusted kids with great parents doing all the right things  just wouldn’t be all that entertaining.  At least, it’s harder to make that entertaining.

I saw Scott Westerfeld, author of Uglies, speak last year and one of the most memorable things that he said was, “if you are a character in a teen novel, your parents messed up pretty badly somewhere.”   

Take a look at this article in the New York Times about the “parent problem” in teen lit.  Do you have a good book for teens that features good parents?  Let us know about it.

New teen fiction at Cedar Mill for March

Raven Summer by David Almond
Liam discovers an abandoned newborn and learns about how other kids experience the world.

Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
Anke struggles with her father’s neglect of her and his physical abuse of her siblings.

DupliKate by Cherry Cheva
Kate puts her mysterious doppelganger to work with tests and application deadlines looming.

Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern
Jessie decides to try a new group of nerdy friends after her best friend goes “punk” and tries to steal her boyfriend.

The Lab and Remote Control by Jack Heath
Agent Six of Hearts is a teen spy who gets his marching orders from the mysterious Deck.

Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard
Colt struggles to understand why the girl he was secretly involved with last year needed to stay with her wealthy boyfriend.

Me, Just Different & Out with the In Crowd by Stephanie Morrill
Skylar Hoyt rethinks her life with the help of new friends and youth coach from church.

Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz
Allie works at a used record store and writes about music and love on her blog.

See YA author Christine Fletcher at Cedar Mill on Feb. 28th

Young Adult Author Christine Fletcher will be visiting Cedar Mill to talk about her novel, Ten Cents a Dance.  In it, fifteen year old Ruby Jacinski supports her family in 1940′s wartime era Chicago by becoming a dance hall girl.  Ruby’s work options are bleak and desperate, yet she find her new job exciting and lucrative.  Over time, she discovers how dangerous it can be as well.

Join us at the library on February 28th at 2 PM to find out what it takes to write about teens and history from Christine Fletcher.

If you’re interested in more historical fiction about World War II from a teen’s perspective, check out our Battle Scars booklist here.

The Plain Janes

When we first meet her, Jane is a survivor of a bomb attack in Metro City.  Her parents decide to move the family from the bustling city to the safer, but boring, suburbs. This means saying goodbye to her friends and the hospitalized boy she visits whose sketchbook (titled “Art Saves”) she rescued from the debris.  She is resentful and restless. She wants to fit in at her new school but isn’t sure how. Then she befriends three other girls named Jane who create an “art girl gang” and use their energy and passion to transform the environment around them.  The Plain Janes, a graphic novel by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg, is about friendship, loss, creativity, and doing what you think is right in the face of authority. The characters have depth and intelligence. The artwork is clean yet expressive. The narrative is inspiring and thought-provoking. It may just make you wanna break out of your routine and change the world!   Note: This book is a 2010 Young Readers Choice Award nominee for 7th-9th grades. Sequel: Janes in Love.

Does My Head Look Big in This?

 

 

By Randa Abdel-Fattah

Meet Amal, a 16 year old modern Australian-Palestinian teen who watches Friends reruns, shops, listens to pop music and dishes on dreamy boys with her friends. She faces all the usual pressures of high school- grades, parents, snobby kids, and crushes. Things get more complicated when she decides to wear the hijab, the Muslim head scarf, full time to honor her faith.  Is she ready to deal with the confusion of her peers and an unsupportive prep school principal? What will happen with the boy she has a crush on? Will she stay true to herself? 

This book is a 2009 Young Readers Choice Award (YRCA) finalist and it’s easy to see why. The narrative is heartfelt and humorous, and offers a compelling dialogue about Islam from a teen perspective. It presents a wonderful portrait of diversity and confronts several stereotypes about Muslims in a non-preachy way. Readers will relate to Amal and her friends, who don’t quite fit in with the norm. You will enjoy getting to know this young woman as she goes through periods of doubt- but ultimately finds her voice. A great choice for 9th-12th graders.

See the My Sister’s Keeper movie

Those of you who are fans of Jodi Picoult’s books will want to be sure to check your calendars on June 22nd.  You are invited to an advance screening of the My Sister’s Keeper movie on June 22nd at the Lloyd Center.   Here’s how you can print passes:

1. Go to gofobo.com
2. Enter FILM3948 in the RSVP code
3. Print your tickets!

Please arrive early. Seating first come, first served.

Here is a description of the film from those involved with the movie. 
Sara and Brian Fitzgerald’s life with their young son and their two-year-old daughter, Kate, is forever altered when they learn that Kate has leukemia. The parents’ only hope is to conceive another child, specifically intended to save Kate’s life. For some, such genetic engineering would raise both moral and ethical questions; for the Fitzgeralds, Sara in particular, there is no choice but to do whatever it takes to keep Kate alive. And what it takes is Anna. Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) and Anna (Abigail Breslin) share a bond closer than most sisters: though Kate is older, she relies on her little sister—in fact, her life depends on Anna. Throughout their young lives, the sisters endure various medical procedures and hospital stays—just another part of their close-knit family’s otherwise normal life. Sara (Cameron Diaz), a loving wife and mother who left her career as an attorney to care for her daughter, is sometimes lost inside the single-minded caregiver she has become in her efforts to save Kate. Her strong, supportive husband, Brian (Jason Patric), is often rendered powerless and passive by his wife’s strength and determination. And their only son, Jesse (Evan Ellingson), drifts, at times all but forgotten as Kate and Anna take center stage. Until Anna, now 11, says no. Seeking medical emancipation, she hires her own lawyer (Alec Baldwin), initiating a court case that divides the family… and that could leave Kate’s rapidly failing body in the hands of fate. Based on the bestselling book from Jodi Picoult, “My Sister’s Keeper” reveals surprising truths that challenge one’s perceptions of family love and loyalty and give new meaning to the definition of healing.