It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Pages: 444

Intended Audience: Mature Teens

Genre: Real Life / Mental Health

Notes for Parents: Contains mature content, some sexuality

The Back Cover

Ambitious New York City teenager Craig Gilner is determined to succeed at life—which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job. But once Craig aces his way into Manhattan’s Executive Pre-Professional High School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself.

Craig’s suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The author suffered depression and spent time in a psychiatric ward in his early 20s. In 2013, at the age of 32, he took his own life. The novel was made into a movie in 2010.

What’s good?

Using clever narration and insightful dialogue, the story follows Craig Gilner as he becomes overwhelmed by life’s demands. His struggles with the fear of failure lead to thoughts of suicide. After checking himself into a psychiatric ward in the hospital, Craig meets a diverse group of fellow patients who expose him to many of life’s obstacles, providing him with a unique perspective. Both engaging and disturbing, the simple plot, sterile setting, and somber premise are juxtaposed with self-deprecating humor and astute self-awareness. The characters are strong and well-drawn, the writing is formidable, and the subject is especially relevant.

Best Part: Craig’s metaphorical descriptions, especially of the little man who pulls the string in his stomach.

What isn’t good?

The story is slow, especially at the beginning, and very predictable considering the cover description tells us he will consider suicide and check himself into a hospital—which doesn’t happen until a third of the way through the story. However, once Craig is inside, the pace improves significantly. The rest of the novel follows the five days he spends inside the ward, where he adjusts to being back on the meds he had decided to stop before becoming suicidal. While the premise lacks drama, it still manages to convey the seriousness of mental illness.

Worst part: The make-out scene near the end was incredibly awkward.

Recommendation þþþþo

I think my expectations for this novel were too high. Most reviews hyped the humor, but I found it to be more ironic and disquieting than funny. However, the writing was superb – characterization, dialogue, and narration were all very strong. The reader witnessed the stigma of mental illness and the exhaustive effort it takes to live with depression and anxiety. I have to add that while the end was hope-filled, it was a difficult buy into knowing the author’s real-life ending.

Vizzini, Ned. It’s Kind of a Funny Story. New York: Hyperion, ©2006, 2015.

The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

Pages: 199

Intended Audience: Mature Teens

Genre: Real Life Drama

Notes for Parents: Contains coarse language and mature scenes

The Back Cover

Everyone knows Alice slept with two guys at one party.
But did you know Alice was sexting Brandon when he crashed his car?
It's true. Ask ANYBODY.

Rumor has it Alice Franklin is a slut. It’s written all over the bathroom stall at Healy High for everyone to see. And after star quarterback Brandon Fitzsimmons dies in a car accident, the rumors start to spiral out of control.

Four Healy High students—the girl who had the infamous part, the car accident survivor, the former best friend, and the boy next door—tell all they know.

But what exactly is the truth about Alice?

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the author’s first novel.

What’s good?

Using multiple points of view, the cause of the social train wreck that is Alice Franklin is revealed through former friends and acquaintances who witnessed and even participated in her downfall. This is a unique approach to a relevant topic for today’s youth. The story confronts issues like the power of gossip, the danger of lies, bullying by exclusion, the double standard of girls and guys, and how quickly rumors can spread and how damaging they can be. The plot is complex and realistic and tries to address the reasons why people engage in rumors and gossip. The characters are well-drawn, though difficult to like, and the pace is good.

Best Part: Kurt.

What isn’t good?

I found it really difficult to empathize or even sympathize with any of the four main characters. With the exception of Kurt, they were all mean and petty and although they were aware of their shortcomings, they continued to be jerks. The teens’ voices, even Kurt’s, struck me as insincere and often unrealistic. The character of Kurt was bland, though I like the relationship between him and Alice. In general, the story was predictable, but I think it’s expected the reader will assume that the gossip about Alice isn’t true.

Worst part: the ease with which the characters admit their faults.

Recommendation þþþoo

This had the potential to be a powerful story, but in the end really just confirmed that gossip is hurtful and can take on a life of its own. I never connected with any of the characters. While the situation was realistic and is completely relevant to current events, in the end the story felt like a typical teen drama with shallow, unlikeable characters. Having said that, the story was still engaging. I wanted to know the truth, and how that truth became so distorted. No real lessons are learned, but I like that the end wasn’t wrapped with a bow.

Mathieu, Jennifer. The Truth About Alice. New York: Square Fish, 2014.

Jackaby by William Ritter

Pages: 299

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre: Supernatural Mystery

Notes for Parents: Some violence and graphic details

The Back Cover

Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, in 1892 and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary—including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police—with the exeption of the hansome detective Charlie Cane—are convinced their culprit is an ordinary villain. Jackaby is certain the foul deeds are the work of an inhuman creature, the likes of which the authorities are adamant to deny.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the author’s debut novel and the first in a series.

What’s good?

A paranormal mystery set in 19^th century New England, this novel is filled with interesting characters and witty dialogue. Jackaby is an odd, intelligent, observant, but obnoxious, rude, and socially inept paranormal investigator. The story, however, is told from the point of view of Abigail Rook, an adventure-seeking but still rather proper woman newly arrived from England who finds a job with Jackaby. The premise is strong, the writing is smooth, and the macabre elements are well-balanced with the paranormal phenomena and the eccentric characters. Abigail makes a good narrator and complements Jackaby wonderfully.

Best Part: “I excused myself to go see a duck about a dress.” (pg. 150)

What isn’t good?

The story moved slowly, likely because of unnecessary descriptions and long-winded explanations, mostly perpetrated by Jackaby. I liked Abigail, but I wouldn’t characterize her as a strong female lead…yet. She does seem to be gaining confidence by the end of book one, but she felt underused considering she’s a lead character. Jackaby was harder to take, being more pretentious and obnoxious than charming.

Worst part: The pace – it was off.

Recommendation þþþoo

The book is self-described as a “Doctor Who meets Sherlock Holmes” but I found this to be a weak comparison and it only serves to describe the genre. The story lacked the science and psychology of Sherlock Holmes and the world-building of Doctor Who. However, there’s hope that many of the weaknesses can be strengthened in subsequent volumes. The writing is well done, the characters have great growth potential, and the story is entertaining.

Ritter, William. Jackaby. New York: Scholastic, 2015.

Cut the Lights by Karen Krossing

Pages: 129
Intended Audience: Reluctant readers
Genre: Real life
Notes for Parents: Nothing to worry about.

The Back Cover
Briar may have a vision for the one-act play she’s been chosen to direct at her performing arts high school, but nobody seems to share it. Not her cast, not her crew, not even her best friend, who wrote the play. As Briar struggles to motivate her cast and crew, she learns some important truths about the fine art of directing – and about herself.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The book is part of Orca Limelights, a series of performing arts novels for reluctant readers. Each book focuses on one performing art, such as music, theater, dance, circus, slam poetry, magic or stand-up comedy.

What’s good?

Set in a performing arts high school, the story centers on Briar, a likeable, albeit rigid student set to direct a play for the first time. She’s excited and ambitious, but impatient when her cast and crew don’t see things her way. This is an engaging story about the importance of good leadership skills, cooperation, compassion, and compromise. The plot is simple, but uplifting, with some nice twists. The chapters are short and easy to read. The author uses many technical terms but it’s not overpowering and most are easy to figure out. The story touches lightly on some serious issues, but doesn’t make light of them.
Best Part: the stage directions.

What isn’t good?

As with most Orca books geared to reluctant readers, the story is fairly predictable and there is not a lot of depth to the characters. Solutions come relatively easy and there is, of course, a happy ending.
Worst part:  the predictability.

Recommendation þþþþo

I enjoyed it! Orca books for reluctant readers are very easy to read, but often they’re superficial and predictable, making them difficult to truly enjoy. While Cut the Lights had several of the expected flaws of a book geared toward reluctant readers, I still found it interesting and entertaining. Recommended.

Krossing, Karen. Cut the Lights. Victoria, BC: Orca Book Publishers, 2013.