Shine by Lauren Myracle

Pages: 359
Intended Audience: Mature Teens
Genre: Real life
Notes for Parents: Contains scenes of violence, coarse language, and scenes of sexuality. Recommended for mature readers only.

The Back Cover

When Patrick Truman is found beaten, bound, and left for dead, sixteen-year-old loner Cat is determined to discover the truth of what happened to her former best friend. The local sheriff blames out-of-towners, but Cat is sure someone in their small, tightly knit Southern community is guilty of the crime.

Patrick is gay, and for years he has been teased and bullied by people claiming to be his friends, people Cat calls “the redneck posse.” She plans to start her hunt for the culprit with them. But there are two problems. Cat’s brother is a member of the posse, and so is the boy who assaulted Cat years ago, forcing her into the self-imposed exile from which she must now emerge…for Patrick and for herself.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book benefits the Matthew Shepard Foundation, an organization founded in memory of a 21-year-old man who was murdered in October 1998 because he was gay.

What’s good?

This is a powerful story about a young girl moved to action when her estranged friend is beaten and left for dead because he is gay. The mystery of who and why unfolds slowly as Cat wrestles with her own issues and struggles against the apathy of her small town. The story is full of well-drawn characters both colorful and dark, ones that offer hope and others that epitomize the worst of small town life. The town of Black Creek itself is a vivid character, a beautiful portrait of a tightly-knit, church-going community that hides poverty, drug use, and ignorance.
Best Part: “…I spent a lot of time comparing my insides to other people’s outsides, which made me feel broken and didn’t get me anywhere.” (Cat’s revelation on page 346)

What isn’t good?

No one benefited from the truth because the truth was never told. There were no consequences for Cat’s abuser and the truth of Patrick’s attack is simply buried. No one talks about the whys and what fors and so the town and its people continue on as they always have.
Worst part: The end.

Recommendation þþþþo

This is a heavy subject but a fairly easy read. The language is strong at times, and some of the scenes are graphic and disturbing. But the story is good, the mystery is compelling, and the overall message is important. While I’m definitely not keen on how it ended, I do think it’s well worth the read. Recommended.

 

Myracle, Lauren. Shine. New York: Amulet Books, 2011.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Pages: 205
Intended Audience: Teens and tweens
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Fantasy
Notes for Parents: Includes discussions about terminal illness and death

The Back Cover

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting, the one from the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…
This monster is something different, something ancient, something wild. And it wants the truth.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The story was inspired by an idea from the late author Siobhan Dowd who had already developed the characters, written a detailed premise and the beginning. Unfortunately she died of breast cancer before the book was finished. Ness was asked by their mutual publisher to write the story.

What’s good?

This is a wonderfully crafted story about fear, anger, and grief made palpable by hauntingly beautiful illustrations. The plot is simple and is powered by the raw emotions of a young boy with a dying mother who is haunted by a creature that seems to have stepped out of his nightmares. Although we don’t get to know a lot about each of the characters, we learn enough to feel their pain and experience their loss.
Best Part: The yew tree.

What isn’t good?

The story is short, so there’s not a lot of background or character development. However, in this instance, the lack of information allows the reader to fill in the blanks and imagine what it would be like to walk in the shoes of these people who are experiencing the worst moments of their life.
Worst part:  There’s nothing I didn’t like.

Recommendation þþþþo

Told like a fable, it’s the kind of story that makes you want to wrap up the young protagonist in your arms and never let him go. This heart-wrench tale about letting go is a work of art. Highly recommended.

Ness, Patrick. A Monster Calls. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2011.

Explorer: The Mystery Boxes edited by Kazu Kibuishi

Pages: 127
Intended Audience: Tweens and Teens
Genre: Graphic Novel – Short Stories
Notes for Parents: Some mildly scary scenes.

The Back Cover

What’s in the box?
Funny, fantastic, spooky, and suspenseful, each of these seven unique graphic stories revolves around a central theme: a mysterious box and the marvels – or mayhem – inside.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is a collection of seven short stories in graphic novel style by a variety of writers and illustrators.

What’s good?

Ranging from clever and creepy to bold and colourful, these easy-to-read short stories are a sampling of some of the industries best graphic novelists. Each story is centered around the idea of a box and its contents. While some stories are dark, like Under the Floorboards and The Soldier’s Daughter, others are light and funny, like Spring Cleaning and Whatzit.
Best Part: Whatzit.

What isn’t good?

While not all of the stories were to my liking, it was still fun to experience the different storytelling and illustrating styles.
Worst part:  The Soldier’s Daughter was a bit too melodramatic.

Recommendation þþþþo

This is a fantastic introduction to eight graphic novels written and illustrated in eight different ways about one common idea – a box. If you’ve never read a graphic novel before, or you’re looking for new graphic novelists to read, this is a book for you. It was a super quick read and thoroughly enjoyable. Recommended.

Kibuishi, Kazu, ed. Explorer: The Mystery Boxes. New York: Amulet, 2012.

Who Could That Be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket

Pages: 258

Intended Audience: Tweens

Genre: Mystery

Notes for Parents: There is nothing of note that parents need to worry about.

The Back Cover

Before you consider reading “Who Could That Be at This Hour?” ask yourself these questions:

1. Are you curious about what is happening in a seaside town that is no longer by the sea?
2. Do you want to know more about a stolen item that wasn’t stolen at all?
3. Do you really think that’s any of your business? Why? What kind of person are you? Are you sure?
4. Who is that standing behind you?

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The cover certainly doesn’t tell you very much! This is the first book in a series called All the Wrong Questions. It’s said to be a prequel to the Series of Unfortunately Events series and follows a young Lemony Snicket after he’s recruited into an unnamed organization and sent on his first mission.

What’s good?

It’s short, easy to read, and even has pictures! The setting, a seaside town that’s no longer by the sea, is charmingly quaint. The characters, most with eccentric names like Moxie Mallahan and Ellington Feint, are quirky and likeable. The story itself is clearly a parody of an old detective novel and reads with a sense of doom and peculiarity that made the author’s other series such a success.

Best Part: Pip & Squeak

What isn’t good?

The amount of repetitive phrasing annoyed me to the point that I didn’t care what the S. stood for in S. Theodora Markson, or what a particular word meant in a particular situation. While I was amused with the taxi driving Pip & Squeak, and the abandoned coffee shop that still served coffee and bread, the story as a whole was a stream of nonsense that culminated in an ending that resolved absolutely nothing.

Worst part:  The end.

Recommendation þoooo

This was my first Lemony Snicket book and I was not impressed. What should have felt mysterious just felt vague and what was supposed to be clever was more often confusing or silly. I can only imagine that the successful Series of Unfortunate Events must have had more depth. Fans of his other books may be more tolerable of his style and enjoy this more than I did.

Snicket, Lemony. Who Could That Be at This Hour? Toronto: HarperCollins, 2012.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Pages: 418
Intended Audience: Mature Teens
Genre: Supernatural fantasy romance
Notes for parents: This book has mature content, dark themes, and some disturbing scenes.

The Back Cover

She had been innocent once, a little girl playing with feathers on the floor of a devil’s lair. She wasn’t innocent now…
Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.

What the Back Cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the first book in a series.

What’s good?
Set in the beautiful and historic city of Prague in the Czech Republic, this is an imaginative and haunting story full of mystery, suspense, and romance. Emotive writing draws the evocative plot back and forth through time as we meet angels and monsters and are introduced to the intricate mythology surrounding them. There is tension and action, mystery and foreboding, and a healthy dose of the macabre that makes this story capriciously original. I especially like the author’s use of challenging vocabulary and complex ideas, contrary to the patronizing tenor of many young adult novels.
Best part: The characters are wonderful, including: Karou, the strong female lead; Brimstone, the imposing father figure; Akiva, the powerful angel; and Zuzana, the patient friend.

What’s not so good?

I was riveted for the first half of the book, convinced that this story was getting my five checkmarks rating. However, once Karou is cut off from Brimstone and the mysteries behind her existence begin revealing themselves, the tone of the story takes a turn. The pacing changes, slowing the momentum considerably. The story still kept my interest, but the shift was distracting and took away from the story.
Worst part: Kaz the ex. I didn't see the point of him.

Recommendations þþþþo

This was by far the best book I’ve read this summer. I loved the darkness that lurked behind the mythology, challenging conventional ideas of good and evil. My favourite line was, “It is the condition of monsters that they do not perceive themselves as such.” Strongly recommended.

Taylor, Laini. Daughter of Smoke and Bone. New York: Little, Brown & Co., 2011.