You Against Me by Jenny Downham

Mikey's sister Karyn won't leave the house after a boy assaults her.  Ellie knows her brother would never intentionally hurt anyone.  All Mikey wants to do is hurt Tom for hurting his sister.  All Ellie wants to do is protect Tom like Tom always protected her.  Tom pleads not guilty for assault and is out on bail while Karyn refuses to go back to school or speak to her friends.  Mikey's plan was to use Ellie to get information on Tom, but as the two start to know each other better, Ellie begins to doubt that what she's doing is right.

This book clearly deals with a very serious issue, date rape, but it went about it from an unusual angle.  Rather than focusing exclusively on the victim or the perpetrator, it looks at how such an act effects their families.  Mikey struggles with the powerlessness he feels, while Ellie struggles with the conflicting feelings of protecting her brother or telling the whole truth.

Gear School by Adam Gallardo, Nuria Peris, and Sergio Sandoval

Thirteen year old Teresa has entered an elite military school. It is here where the best gather to learn and train to defend Earth against alien invaders in Gears, small air crafts. It is only when there is an actual attack on the school that Teresa can show her quality.

So this was a short book, as in it took me fifteen minutes to read. FIFTEEN MINUTES! Ridiculous short. There was still a lot going on: introduction of the futuristic world, people, current events, you know the usual. It flew by so quickly that I didn't really quite grasp it the first go around. But lets be honest there's not much to pick up on. Private school, young girl must prove she's different from others, save world.

It seems that this was a pretty solid take on the whole private school genre that has been sweeping young adult lit.

Sidenote: have you noticed how almost all the books coming out right now in young adult literature is either set in a small town or a private school? Some diversity would be appreciated.

Again, solid approach. Could be expounded upon, but it's a series so what can we expect? It's not Fables. Here's on little critique. I had a hard time figuring out how old everyone is. Are they all under the age of 18? Teresa does not have the body of any thirteen year olds that I know of, which is exacerbated by the cat suit. Which all the students wear. Not a good look for some of those guys. It's a bit clingy where I would rather it not be. Anyways, I wouldn't call this great but I am intrigued enough to check out the second volume which comes out Sept. 29. So we'll see.

Bookperk

Do people already know about Bookperk?  I have only just learned about it, and it has some pretty good book deals so I thought I'd pass it on.  They offer book sales with fun little extras, like buying a copy of Harry Potter Film Wizardry and then getting to free tickets to the Harry Potter exhibition in New York, or great deals on sets of books.  The one I was most interested in was the Septimus Heap bundle, where you can get the first three books (Magyk, Flyte, Physik) for less than $20.  And free shipping!  Huzzah!  Check it out!

Waiting on Wednesday: Hooked by Catherine Greenman

 

 "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine to spotlight an upcoming release that we're excited about. This week I'm waiting on Hooked by Catherine Greenman.

Thea Galehouse has always known how to take care of herself. With a flighty club-owner mom and a standoffish, recovering-alcoholic dad, Thea has made her own way in her hometown of New York, attending the prestigious and competitive Stuyvesant High School. But one chat with Will, a handsome and witty senior, and she's a goner—completely hooked on him and unable to concentrate on anything else.

Always worried that she loves Will more than he loves her, Thea is pleasantly surprised when their romance weathers his move to college and Will goes out of his way to involve her in his life. But then, Thea misses a period. And that starts Thea and Will on a wild ride that neither of them could have possibly prepared for. When they decide to keep the baby, their concerned parents chip in what they can to keep Will in school and give both teenagers a comfortable place to raise their child. But when a freak accident leaves Thea shaken and threatens to upend their little family altogether, Thea is forced to turn to the last place she would have chosen for comfort: her stiff, uncompromising father.


This smart, touching first novel brims with realistic, beautifully drawn characters, and reminds us that love is never as easy or predictable as we might like it to be. 

It seems like there a lot of YA books coming out right now that are about teen pregnancy.  I am interested in doing some comparison.

Hooked came out August 9. 

The Way We Fall Giveaway

For our next giveaway we have an ARC of The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe, which comes out January 24.  This giveaway will close on August 17.

When a deadly virus begins to sweep through sixteen-year-old Kaelyn's community, the government quarantines her island-no one can leave, and no one can come back.

Those still healthy must fight for dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.  

Because how will she go on if there isn't?

Megan Crewe crafts a powerful and gripping exploration of self-preservation, first love, and hope.  Poignant and dizzying, this heart-wrenching story of one girl's bravery and unbeatable spirit will leave readers fervently awaiting the next book in this standout new series.

This giveaway is now closed.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Le Cirque des Reves, the Circus of Dreams, is like no other.  A truly magical experience awaits all who enter.  But it's no ordinary circus.  The circus is in fact the arena for two magicians, Celia and Marco.  Celia and Marco have been trained since childhood, learning magic in two very different ways.  Now they compete against each other.  Neither player is aware that in order for someone to win, the other player must die.

I enjoyed this very much, even though at some points I had trouble following it.  The magical world was incredibly complex.  I'd probably have to read it more than once to really catch everything.  Celia and Marco have learned magic in completely different ways, and I'm not sure I fully understood either of them.  Marco's style seemed carefully planned, and Celia's was much more intuitive.  They were both way more complex and nuanced than that, but I don't really know how to explain it because I don't think I really understood it!  I wanted to understand though, and it certainly kept me engaged as I tried to work everything out.

The book also doesn't go completely in sequence.  It goes back and forth between Celia and Marco's story, which goes from 1873-1902, and is interspersed with the story of Bailey, which begins in 1897.  It isn't clear at first why we're learning about Bailey.  He's just a kid who goes to the circus when it comes to town and really loves it.  It isn't revealed until much, much later how he's connected to everything.  The out-of-sequence telling of the story adds to the confusion, but also to the mystery of the story and to the circus itself.  There were lots of "Ohhh, now I get it" moments as another piece of information was given that cleared up something I'd read five chapters ago.

While this is not YA, it's definitely in the adult genre, I can see it appealing to a young adult audience as well.  The descriptions of the circus are magical and exciting, there's a great fantasy aspect, and the appeal of doomed love.


The Night Circus comes out September 13.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine to spotlight an upcoming release that we're excited about. This week I'm waiting on Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King.

Lucky Linderman didn't ask for his life. He didn't ask his grandfather not to come home from the Vietnam War. He didn't ask for a father who never got over it. He didn't ask for a mother who keeps pretending their dysfunctional family is fine. And he didn't ask to be the target of Nader McMillan's relentless bullying, which has finally gone too far.

But Lucky has a secret--one that helps him wade through the daily mundane torture of his life. In his dreams, Lucky escapes to the war-ridden jungles of Laos--the prison his grandfather couldn't escape--where Lucky can be a real man, an adventurer, and a hero. It's dangerous and wild, and it's a place where his life just might be worth living. But how long can Lucky keep hiding in his dreams before reality forces its way inside?

Michael L. Printz Honor recipient A.S. King's smart, funny and boldly original writing shines in this powerful novel about learning to cope with the shrapnel life throws at you and taking a stand against it. (Summary from Amazon)

I met A.S. King at the YALSA Coffee Klatch during the ALA Conference. She was so funny and delightful. I haven't read her other books, but I intend to rectify that after having met her. And let's be honest, this looks awesome. It sounds emotionally deep without the preachy tropes that can put you off of a book.

Everybody Sees the Ants comes out Oct. 3.