Touch

The title and cover art on this book pretty much indicate what it's all about--realistic fiction, some sort of sexual misconduct. Indeed, that's what it's all about. But to be more specific: ninth grader, Maisie, suddenly can't fit in with the three guys who have been her best friends all her life. The enormous breasts she's suddenly grown are, literally, coming between them. Things were much simpler before everyone went through puberty. Back in the day it was okay for a girl to be friends with three guys. But when Maisie spends a year away at her mother's house in Wisconsin (a big mistake) and then returns at the start of ninth grade, the friendship is forever altered. In her absence, the boys have become guys and Maisie, though she feels the same inside, is so changed on the outside that she is no longer accepted. Since she has always had guys as friends she doesn't know how to make girl friends either. Then there are the confusing more-than-a-friend feelings she has for "Shakes," the guy she's always felt closest too. Suddenly they're making out on the bus everyday before everyone else gets on. It's their little secret until one morning the other two guys ask Maisie if they can get a little action too.

What happens next is the crux of the book. The guys say one thing and Maisie says another. Was she forcibly touched or did she, as the boys say, offer to let guys touch her for money? When Maisie's narcissistic step-mother brings a lawsuit against the school, the situation worsens. What really happened, and can Maisie herself even face the truth?

I read Francine Prose's novel for adults, Goldengrove, so I was curious to see what her teen novel would be like. It's good, though I couldn't help but feel it was also ever so slightly pedantic. Much of the same information seems to be repeated, and my mind began to wander to such random thoughts as, Exactly how many times does the word "breasts" appear in this manuscript? I like the issues Prose raises about the confusion of puberty, the loss of friendship, and the nature of truth. Somehow it wasn't as satisfying a read as Goldengrove though, and I think teens would also enjoy that book which is from a teen girl's point of view as she tries to manage her grief over her sister's drowning death. The strongest part of Touch is Maisie's conflicted relationship with her step-parents and her voice when speaking of them. Also strong is her conflict about her new feelings for Shakes and the secrecy involved in it, followed by betrayal.

Broken Soup

Oh, dear. There has been little to no time to blog this summer, but seeing that there hasn’t been an update in over a month I feel compelled to post. Also, I just got back from the ALA convention in Chicago with an armload of advanced reading copies, most of them teen books. So stayed tuned for new posts coming soon.

The last teen book I read was Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine. The title is explained about midway through the novel when the protagonist’s little sister tries to make a meal. She drops the tray and cries out, “I tried to make things all nice and now look at this broken soup.” This is a metaphor for how life in general is going for the family in the aftermath of the drowning death of their brother/son. Rowan (the teen protagonist) is trying to keep things together after her brother dies, her father leaves, and her mother breaks down into depression. Suddenly Rowan is responsible for her little sister and for hiding the truth of their increasingly desperate home situation. In the meantime, a handsome boy comes into Rowan’s life after he hands her a photo negative he claims she dropped. Rowan knows the negative isn’t hers, but he insists it is so she takes it. A new friend helps her develop the photo and Rowan is shocked to find that it’s a candid shot of her dead brother. Where did this photo come from? Who took it and how is the handsome boy involved? What kind of secret life did her brother live?

I liked this though I found that some parts dragged ever so slightly. Rowan's story is less compelling than the story of the other characters she tells, which might explain the slow bits. Still, Rowan is likable as are all the characters. I saw some of the plot twists coming but it didn’t spoil the story. This is a well-written, realistic novel about how difficult it is for life to go on after the loss of a loved one.

Wings

Basic plot synopsis: Preternaturally lovely teenage girl discovers she is something other than human—the big tip-off is when she starts growing wing-like flowers out of her spine--and that she is to play a key role in securing the future of her supernatural kin. Insert love triangle between girl, human boy, and supernatural boy. Add villains for conflict. Mix and enjoy.

It took me about 50-60 pages to get into this book. Honestly I almost gave up on it, but I hung in there and did end up enjoying the read. I only wish the first several chapters weren’t full of awkward dialogue, flat character development, and way-too-obvious clue dropping. Things steadily improve once the plot gets going. I wish the author had truncated the whole discovery-of-supernatural-self portion since the reader knows from the book cover that this discovery is coming. Once the character, Tamani, (the more alluring of the two guys in the love triangle) appears, the book gets infinitely better. The author slips back into cliché dialogue when the Big Conflict with the Bad Guy scene unfolds—for instance: “You’re not going to get away with this,” and “You can scream all you want now. No one’ll hear you.”--but happily this sort of dialogue passes quickly, and the interesting elements of the story resume.

There are quite a few people on hold for this book and it’s the kind of story that will appeal to Twilight fans. Many readers won’t mind or notice the things that gave me pause. One thing I did like is that the main character is a very strong girl who takes action. The end is set up for a sequel or a series, and I would certainly read more. Hopefully the second book will be a little more subtle than the first with less canned dialogue and even more emphasis on the love triangle.

Jack Tumor

Aren't brain tumors just hilarious? Okay, you might not think so now but you will after reading Jack Tumor, a British novel for teens in which our hero, Hector, a firm member of the nerd tribe, experiences a huge turnaround when he develops a brain tumor that begins speaking to him. Jack Tumor, as the brain tumor is known, realizes his days are numbered and he wants to enjoy his symbiotic life experience with Hector to the fullest. He gives Hector direction, sometimes even taking over Hector's body when Hector shows reluctance. Soon Hector finds himself standing up to bullies and catching the attention of Uma Upshaw, a girl way out of his league. Yet he's also drawn to a "freak" girl whom Jack Tumor assures him isn't worth his time. Likewise, Jack finds Hector's circle of nerd friends less than satisfactory and makes several attempts to sabotage the friendships. Either Jack Tumor is going to fix Hector's whole life or ruin it. . . not to mention that the tumor threatens Hector's mortality entirely.

It's odd to find yourself admiring the character of an animate tumor. But Jack is a wonderful voice and has such charisma you can't help but like him. The humor in this book is ongoing and often of the bawdy sort. Much of Hector's ruminations are on snogging (British term for kissing), bosoms, bodily humor, and the gross things that teenage boys find endlessly appealing, yet it's done with such flair and aplomb that Hector's adolescence seems somehow sophisictaed. Maybe it's the British thing. Speaking of, some readers might be thrown by the British slang---"taking the piss" means making fun of someone, not anything relating to the bathroom, for instance--but many more will suddenly find words like "gormless" peppering their vocabulary.

Jack Tumor was great fun. Funny and satisfying.

Creature of the Night

The story is set in Ireland and it certainly sounds like a vampire or werewolf tale, but it isn't. How about a story involving the sidhe? The wee people or perhaps, wee person, play a role in this slightly creepy tale.

Bobby gets himself in one too many scrapes. He and his cousin are part of gang of thieves in Dublin. Bobby's mother decides the best way to keep Bobby out of trouble and to avoid the moneylenders she owes money to, is to move to the country. Bobby does not like the idea and once he gets a look at where they wind up, he tells his mother he's going back to Dublin.

The previous tenant of the cottage they are renting, simply left. No one knows where he went. Since on identification or money was found, it was assumed he just left. No one seems overly concerned. However, as Bobby's curiosity gets the better of him, he finds evidence to suggest that Lars never left. There are also some strange drawings and writings of Lars' that sound somewhat like the superstitious tales of fairies.

None of the main characters are likable. Bobby is a troubled teen who has no respect for his mother and shows it. His mother leaves much to be desired as a mother, but she was very young when she got pregnant and her family more or less deserted her. Dennis, Bobby's younger brother is to be pitied since both his mother and brother treat somewhat cruelly.

Creature of the Night is more a study in how Bobby begins to see the world in a different light and how he has to change in order to relate to this new world. The old tales and the gruesome discovery of Lars also make him wonder about the reality of the Tuatha de Danaan. It is interesting and the ending is not neatly tied up, but I see a more mature man with perhaps a chance at a future.

Welcome to Lovecraft

Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft is a compilation of a creepy six-issue comic book story arc by horror master Joe Hill (son of Stephen King---I almost didn’t mention this because I’m sure Joe would like to make a name for himself that doesn’t also include the name of his legendary father…However, I did mention it, so…Best of luck with that Joe!) and Chilean artist Gabriel Rodriquez. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Joe Hill’s New York Times Bestseller Heart-Shaped Box, the story of an aging rock star who gets much more than he bargains for when he buys a man’s ghost online through an ebay-like website. So, when I discovered that Joe had co-created a graphic novel, I checked it out at the library as soon as I was able to get my hands on it.

Not much time is wasted before things start getting gooey (an amusing term that one of my co-workers uses to describe books or movies that are gory or gruesome). By page three, the body count begins. As the story unfolds, the reader witnesses the brutal murder of Rendell Locke by a mentally disturbed teen (Sam Lesser) who attends the school where Rendell works as a guidance counselor in San Francisco. After the funeral, Rendell’s widow and their three children (teens Tyler and Kinsey, and six-year-old Bode) move across the country to live with Rendell’s brother in the Locke family home. There, they attempt to get past the trauma and carry on with their lives. However, weirdness abounds in this spooky New England mansion…A mysterious doorway enables the spirit of anyone who passes through to leave its body, and an insidious creature beckons to Bode from inside an old forbidden well-house.

Welcome to Lovecraft is packed with surprises, including a “what the heck” ending that had me backtracking through pages to insure that I wasn’t missing something. Although the violence is intense, Hill and Rodriguez have done an amazing job of infusing a real sense of humanity into their characters…At one point, I even found myself feeling a bit sorry for Sam the psycho killer. A second compilation in the series, Head Games, is due to be released in September of this year.

Because I Am Furniture

Odd title, good read. This novel in verse should appeal to fans of Ellen Hopkins. High school freshman, Anke, lives in an abusive home. Her father beats her brother and molests her sister. But Anke is ingored. Sometimes this is a relief and other times Anke wishes for negative attention, just so she knows she's not as easily overlooked as a piece of furniture (hence the title.) When she starts high school, Anke finds her own ground as she joins the high school volleyball team and becomes a valued member of a group. Soon though, things at home can no longer be ignored. As the family dynamic worsens, Anke must find the power to become visible if she ever hopes to change her family's situation.