Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Pages: 470
Intended Audience: Mature teens
Genre: True life (Conduct of life) / Death
Notes for Parents: Lots of bad behavior – drinking, smoking, sex, drugs, drinking & driving, bullying, inappropriate behavior by an adult, many mature scenes

The Back Cover

Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12^th, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.
The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

Despite what the back cover says, the mystery is not in how or why she died, but in what she has to do to move on.

What’s good?

It’s Mean Girls meets Groundhog Day in this compelling story that forces a self-centered teen to relive the same day over and over. Sam Kingston makes the painstaking realization that popularity has a price and that the small acts of cruelty that she and her friends find amusing can have far reaching effects. The story is emotional and the characters, though difficult to like, are very realistic. Sam learns there is no quick fix as she grasps at her chance for redemption.
Best Part: The suspense. I had a hard time putting the book down for want of knowing how she was going to change things.

What isn’t good?

I found it very difficult to care about any of the main characters, especially Sam. They were shallow, petty, cruel, and indecently self-centered. It was supporting characters like Kent, Juliet, Anna, and Izzy that kept me invested in the outcome.
Worst part: Mr. Daimler

Recommendation þþþþo

This book is definitely for mature readers only. While I detested Sam and her friends (they brought back some nasty high school memories), I respect the raw emotional realism of the social environment portrayed in this very thought-provoking story. Definitely recommended.

Oliver, Lauren. Before I Fall. New York: Harper, 2010.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Pages: 288
Intended Audience: Adult
Genre: Mystery/Adventure
Notes for Parents: There’s nothing that should concern parents

The Back Cover

The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco web-design drone—and into a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But Clay learns that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. The few customers come in repeatedly to borrow impossibly obscure volumes, all according to some elaborate arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. Soon, Clay has embarked on a complex analysis of the patrons’ behavior and roped his friends into helping him figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, they discover secrets that extend far beyond the walls of the bookstore.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

An Alex Award winner (YALSA's Alex Awards honor ten books written for adults with special appeal to teens), this book was also a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for First Fiction and was named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, The Los Angeles Times, and The San Francisco Chronicle.

What’s good?

This quirky adventure is intelligent, imaginative, and easy to read. Packed with pop culture references and an old world mystery, the story is both a tribute to books and a nod to technology. Great characters – a wonderful blend of young and old, hipsters and geeks – and a clever plot make this an amusing romp for booklovers and computer nerds alike.
Best Part: Mat’s Matropolis.

What isn’t good?

The one thing the story really lacked was tension. Solutions to problems came easy to the characters thanks in part to the vastness of the internet, but also to millionaire Neel and his limitless access to cash and to Kat, whose job at Google gave them limitless access to technology. Everything they needed was always quickly and conveniently available, requiring a high dose of suspended disbelief for the reader.
Worst part: I often got lost in the computer jargon.

Recommendation þþþoo

In the end, this is a simple story about the complex relationship between old knowledge and new technology. There are no surprises, no big emotional moments or fast-paced chases, and yet it’s an enjoyable adventure with fun characters, feel good moments, and plenty of charm. Recommended.

Sloan, Robin. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. New York: HarperTeen, 2011.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Pages: 457
Intended Audience: Teens
Genre: Science fiction
Notes for Parents: mild language, gun use, dead bodies, killing

The Inside Cover

After the 1^st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2^nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3^rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4^th Wave, just one rule applies: trust no one.
Now it’s the dawn of the 5^th Wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the first in a series.

What’s good?

Good characterization and non-stop action punctuate this story set in a world made bleak after an alien invasion. Survival is the name of the game and trust is hard to come by as Cassie searches for her missing brother and Ben unravels the invaders’ plans. A hearty band of supporting characters move the twisting plot forward as the threat of discovery, and even death, looms constantly. The story is easy to read, with a strong narrative and lots of suspense.
Best Part: The nicknames: Zombie, Nugget, Teacup, etc.

What isn’t good?

The so-called romance drove me crazy. I liked Evan until Cassie started obsessing about him and his “powerful shoulders” and round butt. We’re supposed to believe that the situation is bleak. Cassie thinks she’s the last person on earth. She nearly dies of a gunshot. Then, a cute boy enters and she goes gaga? The rest of the story is serious and mature, but this romance is cornier than Edward and Bella.
Worst part: “Coming to rest upon the Cassiopeian shore…”
 

Recommendation þþþoo

This was a tough one to review because while I enjoyed it – it’s a good story and a good start to a series – every romantic moment between Cassie and Evan made me cringe. I loved reading about Ben and his gang of misfits, and I liked following Cassie when she was on her own, but…well, you get the picture. Recommended, but with a caveat – beware the corny, lust-filled romance.

Yancey, Rick. The 5^th Wave. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2013. (Hardcover)

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Pages: 327
Intended Audience: Mature teens
Genre: True life / Dying & Death
Notes for Parents: Lots of bad behavior – drinking, smoking, graphic sex, drugs, stealing – and most of it happens with no consequences.

The Back Cover

How long can I stave it off? I don’t know. All I know is that I have two choices—stay wrapped in blankets and get on with dying, or get the list back together and get on with living.
Everyone has to die. We all know it.
With only a few months of life left, sixteen-year-old Tessa knows it better that most.
She’s made a list, though—ten things she wants to do before she dies. Number one is sex. Starting tonight.
But getting what you want isn’t easy. And getting what you want doesn’t always give you what you need. And sometimes the most unexpected things become important.
Uplifting, life-affirming, joyous—this extraordinary novel celebrates what it is to be alive by confronting what it’s really like to die.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The novel was adapted into a film called Now is Good starring Dakota Fanning. It was released in 2012.

What’s good?

Teenaged Tessa is dying of leukemia and chooses to live her final days fulfilling her bucket list which includes having sex, trying drugs, and breaking the law. Her father and younger brother watch as Tessa struggles to find meaning in what little time she has left.
Best Part: The end was extremely well done.

What isn’t good?

I just couldn’t muster up any sympathy for Tessa. She was mean to her family (although her mother probably deserved it), she was petty and whiny, and her list was utterly ridiculous. Zoe was a terrible friend. She had many opportunities to be the voice of reason, but instead disregarded her dying friend’s needs. Tessa’s mother was pointless, unless she was there to illustrate why her daughter was so self-absorbed – like mother, like daughter.
Worst part: Everything but the end.

Recommendation þoooo

I was so disappointed by this portrayal of a dying girl. Being cheated out of life can make a person angry enough to do reckless things, but her motives were never made clear. The last 40 pages were absolutely beautiful, but I would have appreciated it more if I had cared at all about Tessa. Sadly, I can’t recommend this book.

Downham, Jenny. Before I Die. London: Ember, 2007.