Tag Archives: young adult

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Posted by melydia on May 10, 2009 None comments

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier: A blunt look at the sometimes dark and brutal nature of teenagers. Jerry Renalt is a freshman at Trinity Catholic High, a school run by monks and The Vigils, a gang of upperclassmen whose main function is to pull pranks and assert their superiority. I must say, this had one of the most unexpected plots I’ve come across in a long time. I didn’t see the various twists and turns coming, least of all the ending. I can kind of see why this is controversial, though no more so than, say, Lord of the Flies. Both reveal the animalistic natures of children, a trait we don’t often like to admit even to ourselves.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Posted by melydia on April 30, 2009 1 comments

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: I heard about this from numerous friends and BookCrossers who loved it. I was not disappointed. Death narrates this tale of WWII Germany about a young girl, her foster parents, neighors, stolen books, and a certain Jew. The characters are all quite memorable (my favorite was Rudy) and the unique narrator choice lends an interesting twist to the storytelling. The metaphors in particular are fantastic. There were times when I laughed and times when I cried, but ultimately the ending is quite satisfying. I’ll definitely have to pick up Zusak’s other works.

Ambercore by Troy Williams

Posted by melydia on June 1, 2007 None comments

Ambercore by Troy Williams: Like most self-published books, the main problem here is one of mechanics. The often awkwardly constructed sentences are littered with errors both typographic and grammatical. Underneath all that, however, is a germ of a promising story. The land of Ambercore is at once beautiful and dangerous, and full of surprises. Its varied inhabitants have richly detailed histories and relations. I won’t lie to you: Ambercore is an extremely poorly written book and I would definitely not recommend it. However, given enough time and a good editor, Williams has the potential to churn out some decent fantasy. I’ll be on the lookout for his next work.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Posted by melydia on May 31, 2007 None comments

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (unabridged audiobook read by Paul Hecht): Honestly? Meh. I like Bradbury but this one was a bit boring. The language was flowery to the point of distraction and employed far too many overwrought metaphors. As a woman, I also grew tired of the frequent “just us boys” mentality and references to women not understanding these sorts of things and “living on gossip.” The concept – that of an evil carnival and the method by which they keep their freaks – was pretty cool, but the surrounding story was rather lacking.

Nevernever by Will Shetterly

Posted by melydia on September 25, 2006 None comments

Nevernever by Will Shetterly: Ron is Wolfboy now, trying to get by in Bordertown while covered in fur and without the ability to speak. This is the sequel to Elsewhere, and is definitely the superior of the two. The story is much more cohesive and feels less dependent on the source material (that is, Terri Windling’s Bordertown story collections). Unfortunately, both books employ the character-endangerment-in-lieu-of-actual-plot technique of storytelling. This only works if the reader is attached to the characters, which is why it feels more believable in the second book than the first. In short, if you liked Elsewhere, you’ll like Nevernever. As for me, while I probably won’t go out of my way to find the other Bordertown books, this was a lovely trip down memory lane in the form of two very quick reads. I can see these books appealing to other adolescents as much as they did to me, but I doubt most adults would get much out of them.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Infernal Devices by Philip Reeve

Posted by melydia on May 24, 2006 None comments

Infernal Devices by Philip Reeve: This is the third installment in a science fiction series (The Hungry City Chronicles) of which I have read no other books. It felt very sequelish: the heroes of the previous books have settled down and had a daughter who grows up with tales of their adventures back in the day. Said daughter then runs away and revisits old villains from said adventures. Despite the rather cliche set-up, it’s a reasonably fast-paced book with fairly interesting characters. If I sound a little tepid, there’s a reason. I couldn’t really get into this book. But it may be due to my ignorance of the setting. I don’t know what anti-tractionists believe, or what the Green Storm is trying to accomplish, or the significance of Stalker Grike. I also don’t have any context for Hester Shaw’s past sins, so such revelations meant nothing to me. The only real lasting impression I got of this book was how violent it is. People – even children – die graphically left and right. It was a little shocking to find in a book aimed at young adults. One thing I’ll say for this book, however: the author knows how to keep his audience. While the main plot issue is resolved at the end, all kinds of loose ends and vague cliffhangers remain. I am curious what happens to Hester and Tom and Wren and Fishcake. However, I am not a very patient reader; I’ll wait until the entire series is released before revisiting it, this time from the beginning.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Me, Dead Dad, and Alcatraz by Elvin Bishop

Posted by melydia on August 21, 2005 None comments

Me, Dead Dad, & Alcatraz by Chris Lynch: First of all, I have absolutely no idea why Alcatraz is mentioned in the title, as it is not so much as even referenced in the text, but the title is so catchy I can overlook it. Elvin Bishop is a 14-year-old, self-conscious, fat kid who lives alone with his mother. He comes downstairs one morning to find his uncle Alex, whom Elvin had always been told died in a plane crash years before, very much alive and lying on his livingroom couch. Alex has come out of hiding, seeking redemption from those he hurt. He’s done a lot of terrible things but he wants to do right by his nephew. He does this by completely disrupting Elvin’s life for a few days through gym membership, casting doubt on the intentions of his two best friends, and exposing him to spicy food. The narration in this book, which is from Elvin’s point of view, is quite clever and often gave me an out-loud chuckle. There was a bit of white room syndrome (where you can’t tell where the characters are because there’s no description), but I’ve come to expect that from YA fiction. (As this was an advanced reader copy I can also forgive the constant misspelling of “yeah” as “ya.”) The plot was interesting but didn’t seem to be heading anywhere specific. I enjoyed the little episodic adventures but the ending was abrupt and unexpectedly preachy. I like Elvin as a character but he would do better in wacky comedies than the coming-of-age drama this book tries to be.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Posted by melydia on September 6, 2004 None comments

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer: I read this out of an interest in popular children’s fantasy. The Artemis Fowl books had gained enough popularity to show up on my radar (and I am around children basically none of the time), so I figured I might as well check it out. Artemis is a 12-year-old criminal mastermind with a faithful bodyguard named Butler, a missing father, and a mother who has completely lost touch with reality. Despite this, there remains a good deal of humor in Artemis’s kidnapping of a fairy and her people’s attempts to retrieve her. Artemis, while believable as a criminal genius, is not very convincing as a 12-year-old boy. Holly the fairy is pretty one-dimensional, but her comrads Root and the centaur Foaly are entertaining enough to keep the plot moving forward. In short, this is a decent story for children but not engaging enough to convince this adult reader to check out the sequels.

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