Audacious by Gabrielle Prendergast

Pages: 327
Intended Audience: Mature Teens
Genre: Book in Verse / Social Issues
Notes for Parents: Contains coarse language and mature content.

The Back Cover

Wrong hair.
Wrong body.
Wrong clothes.
Wrong attitude.
Nothing is simple for Ella. Not family. Not friends. Not school. And especially not romance. Ella can’t do anything right, except draw. But even her art is wrong—and more dangerous than she could have imagined.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This novel is written in verse. There’s a sequel called Capricious.

What’s good?

This novel, written in verse, in an engaging story about a girl who tries to reinvent herself when she starts at a new school. Beautifully written, the lyrical prose wends the story around a multitude of themes, including love, religion, self-esteem, artistic expression, censorship, eating disorders, and prejudice. The verse style makes this a fast read, but it never feels rushed. Ella is a provocative main character who searches for her identity by pushing limits and challenging norms.
Best Part: The ink of night fades into pink lemonade / A line of orange slices the horizon (p.21). The writing is absolutely stunning.

What isn’t good?

Like graphic novels, the verse format doesn’t allow for a lot of depth or backstory. I’m not sure how much it matters with this story, but I did find many supporting characters bled together, especially the school friends, and many heavy topics in the background are only touched on lightly in favor of Ella’s storyline.
Worst part: The end was a bit…odd, but I suppose that leads us into book two.

Recommendation þþþþo

I can almost give this one five checkmarks. I may not agree with several of the decisions the main character makes, but her search for self is engagingly raw and dark. Her behavior is not gratuitous, but rather the cost of getting to know herself and what she’s willing to do to be genuine. Definitely recommended.  

Prendergast, Gabrielle. Audacious. Victoria: Orca Book Publishers, 2013.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Pages: 419
Intended Audience: Teens
Genre: Paranormal / Romance / Thriller
Notes for Parents: Has graphic violence, and some drinking, drug use, and coarse language. Also, dying and becoming a vampire is strongly romanticized.

The Back Cover

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. And once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.
One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicket, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This was an Amazon Best Teen Book of the Year, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, and included in Kirkus Best YA Books and YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults, and was one of the YALSA Top Ten Amazing Audio Books.

What’s good?

While this tale has plenty of the traits of a classic vampire story, there are also many new and imaginative ideas of vampirism. The plot is straight forward but the mythology is complex as the main character tries to avoid giving in to the bloodlust while falling for an ancient vampire. There are several great characters, especially supporting ones. The writing is strong and expressive, the pace is fast, and the action is intense and quite bloody.
Best Part: “If you’re proposing a duel, I believe she gets to pick the weapon. I hope she picks me.”

What isn’t good?

The idea that the world would accept and glorify vampires is inconceivable to me. I understand the appeal of “a bad boy,” but romanticizing vampires—creatures who kill violently and with little conscience—to the point where the average person is dying to be one, didn’t sit well with me at all. Likewise, the romance part of the story fell flat because I couldn’t relate to the character’s attraction.
Worst part: The romance.

Recommendation þþþoo

This was definitely more “True Blood” than “Twilight,” with lots of blood and violence. This story will appeal to readers who like their vampires broody and their stories dark.

Black, Holly. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. New York: Little, Brown, & Co., 2013.

Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson & Grace Ellis

Pages: 128
Intended Audience: Tweens
Genre: Graphic novel / Adventure
Notes for Parents: A few scenes may be too scary for sensitive readers.

The Back Cover

At Miss Quinzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for hardcore lady-types, things are not what they seem. Three-eyed foxes. Secret caves. Anagrams. Luckily, Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley are five rad, butt-kicking best pals determined to have an awesome summer together…and they’re not gonna let a magical quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! The mystery keeps getting bigger, and it all begins here.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This volume one is a compilation of the first five Lumberjane comics.

What’s good?

Bold art and witty dialogue make this a fun read. The five main characters are brave, mischievous, strong, smart, and capable young women representing diverse backgrounds, with realistic body types, and each with her own unique style. The plot is simple and the girls’ adventures are filled with silly encounters with strange creatures like three-eyed foxes and giant yetis.
Best Part: “Where the Phillis Wheatley were you?”

What isn’t good?

The drawing style has lots of sharp lines and simple features. I love the bold color, but all of the main characters have small beady eyes except April, who has big doe eyes. There’s a picture at the back that has all of the main characters with more realistic eyes, which I personally like much better.
Worst part: “Then there’s a line about God, or whatever.”

Recommendation þþþþo

Charmingly feminist and delightfully diverse, this was a fun and funny introduction to the Lumberjanes series. As with most comic-style stories, there’s not a lot of depth or complexity, but it certainly accomplishes the goal of being entertaining and imaginative. For a good time, read this!

Stevenson, Noelle & Grace Ellis. Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy. Los Angeles: Boom!, 2015.

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

Pages: 387
Intended Audience: Teens
Genre: Mystery / Suspense / Supernatural
Notes for Parents: There is some coarse language, mild sexual content, and some graphic descriptions of injury and illness.

The Back Cover

In the middle of the 1918 influenza epidemic, Mary Shelley Black arrives in San Diego, where she hopes to be reunited with her childhood best friend—and first love—Stephen Embers. Stephen went abroad to fight in World War I, and his brother is now profiting from the grief-stricken citizens by claiming to commune with the dead through spirit photography—a practice that scientific-minded Mary Shelley believes is fraud. But the connection to the other side may be more real than Mary Shelley thinks possible…and it might be the only way to learn the truth of what happened to Stephen.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the author’s first novel. It was a finalist for the William C. Morris Debut Award.

What’s good?

Antique photos bring an eerie realism to this ghost story set during World War I and the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak. Skillful research and a well-drawn setting encapsulates everyday life while purposeful writing and vivid images capture the fear, grief, and desperation of those troubling times. Mary Shelley is a relatable and likable character and the supporting characters are strong and interesting. The pacing is fairly steady and the plot is easy to understand with a few twists and turns.
Best Part: I can almost smell the onions!

What isn’t good?

There was so much, that there wasn’t quite enough of anything. This was a good ghost story, but you only really get a little of everything else – romance, mystery, suspense, history. We only learn a little about Mary Shelley’s dad. We learn a little about shell shock and the war. We learn a little about spirit photography. And we learn a little about the flu epidemic and the panic it caused. But it all left me wanting more at the end.
Worst part: The bird.

Recommendation þþþþo

The cover is what first attracted me to the book. It promised an eerie tale, and it delivered an authentic ghost story. It was easy to be absorbed into the bleakness of the era, to feel Mary Shelley’s grief and her aunt’s fear. It was fascinating to read about how they thought onions would ward off the virus, how coffins were stacked in front yards, and how the ambulances couldn’t respond for days because they were so busy. I found many elements of the story remarkable. The plot lacked a bit of shine, but I still recommend it.

Winters, Cat. The Shadow of Blackbirds. New York: Amulet, 2013.

Ms. Marvel: No Normal by Willow G. Wilson & Adrian Alphona

Pages: 120
Intended Audience: Teens and up
Genre: Graphic novel; superheroes
Notes for Parents: The main character disobeys her parents to go to a party where there is drinking, but she doesn’t drink herself.

The Back Cover

Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City—until she’s suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman? Find out as she takes the Marvel Universe by storm! When Kamala discovers the dangers of her newfound powers, she also unlocks a secret behind them. Is Kamala ready to wield these immense gifts? Or will the weight of the legacy before her prove too much to bear? Kamala has no idea, either. But she’s comin’ for you, Jersey!

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This story is part of the Marvel universe which also includes The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, The X-men, and Spiderman. Kamala Khan, this incarnation of Ms. Marvel, is Marvel’s first Muslim character to headline her own comic book.

What’s good?

Kamala Khan feels different, like an outsider, probably in part because of her religion and ethnicity, but mostly because she’s just a typical, geeky, awkward girl with strict parents and a good moral code. This graphic novel is a collection of the first five comic books in the series. It has bold, expressive art with fun details and there’s plenty of action, humor, and strong, positive messages about self-acceptance. The robust supporting characters include: Nakia, a young Muslim woman who wears a hijab by choice; Bruno, the friend who wishes he was the boyfriend; and Kamala’s strict but loving parents. Kamala’s religion and ethnicity are an integral part of who she is, but it isn’t the basis of the story. Rather, it brings a good sense of diversity to an otherwise typical hero origin story.
Best Part: The winged sloth, the burkini with a fanny pack, and weaponized garbage.

What isn’t good?
Not surprisingly, there’s some stereotyping when it comes to Kamala’s Pakistani, Muslim family. Since this is an origin story, the plot was very straight forward and the story was simple. At times the story felt rushed, probably because many things weren’t explained—like the mist—because readers of the Marvel universe already know what’s going on. (Apparently the smoke is “Terrigen Mist” that has an “alien” ability to give humans superpowers).
Worst part: Having to use google to find out how Ms. Marvel gets her powers from the mist.

Recommendation þþþþo

This was a fun read. I loved Kamala. She was realistic, very relatable, and the diversity of her character was refreshing and interesting. Several things went over my head because I’m not a comic reader, but it certainly wasn’t complicated to fill in the blanks. I really liked Kamala’s parents and how they were stern but supportive, reminding her that she’s perfect just the way she is. There were great messages throughout. Definitely recommended.

Wilson, G. Willow & Adrian Alphona. Ms. Marvel: No Normal. New York: Marvel Now, 2015.