Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Pages: 433

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre: contemporary; romance; coming-of-age

Notes for Parents: Contains some language and mature scenes

The Inside Cover

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan…

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fanfiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend; a fiction-writing professor who thinks fanfiction is the end of the civilized world; a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words…and she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This story has a companion novel called Carry On.

What’s good?

Complex relationships between well-developed characters highlight this story about a girl out on her own for the first time. Cath spends most of her time writing fan-fiction (her stories are very popular online), but she’s forced to open her eyes to the world in front of her when her twin sister decides they should live in separate dorms in university. This is a character-driven story that sees Cath forced to make friends, explore romance, and reconsider the dynamics of the relationships she has with her mentally ill father and absent mother. The dialogue is superb, full of wit and humor. The romance is a bit flimsy, but still sweet. And the pace is good.

Best Part: The dialogue.

What isn’t good?

The dialogue is awesome, but the descriptions are not. In fact, some lines were down right cheesy. The plot is weak and predictable. Nothing unexpected happens. While the romance was cute, she was all basket case and he was all perfection (despite having been caught kissing another girl!).  

Worst part: Nothing was terrible.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☻☻ (3/5)

In the end, this is a strong coming-of-age story. Cath becomes more determined to live outside of her fanfiction world, and sees the benefit of strengthening her relationships and her writing. The fandom is an interesting thread that weaves through the story, sometimes acting as a third wheel, but often being the catalyst for change. I enjoyed the story.

Rowell, Rainbow. Fangirl. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2013.

Hidden Figures: Young Readers' Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly

Pages: 198

Intended Audience: Mature tweens and up

Genre: Non-fiction; historical

Notes for Parents: Contains some mature content

The Back Cover

From World War II through NASA’s golden age, four African-American women confidently and courageously stepped into the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (now known as NASA).

Their job? To provide the mathematical calculations that would help increase airplane production during wartime and eventually send the United States into space for the very first time. Hidden Figures follows the stories of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden, who participated in some of the United States’ greatest aeronautic successes. These women lived through and persevered against the backdrop of some of the biggest movements ever to shape our nation’s history: the Civil Rights era, the Space Race, and the fight for gender equality.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

I read the Young Readers’ Edition. Hidden Figures inspired the movie of the same name.

What’s good?

America’s aeronautics program became an important field during the war and it needed a large number of mathematicians to do the calculations needed to improve airplane design. Women with math degrees usually became high school teachers, but when World War II broke out, many men went to war, leaving important job opportunities open to women for the first time. This is the story of four of these women, black women, who worked at NACA (which would eventually become NASA) as “computers” – mathematicians who calculated complex problems. These women, despite the importance of their jobs, struggled constantly against sexism and racism in the workplace. The Young Readers’ Edition is easy to read, has small chapters, and includes pictures.

Best Part: The personal stories.

What isn’t good?

It’s dry. There is a lack of storytelling that leaves the reader disengaged despite the fascinating subject matter. Facts, technical terms, and process descriptions make up most of the chapters, leaving only a little room for the personal struggles of the courageous women who broke race barriers (as well as sound barriers!) in their pursuit of the American dream.

Worst part: I hear the movie is better than the book.

Recommendation ☺☺☻☻☻(2/5)

This is a mesmerizing story that unfortunately became bogged down in too much technical jargon. We learn about the personal lives of the women at NACA, but not enough to offset the tremendous amount of facts that get dumped into every chapter. I would have liked to know more about the fear, the frustration, and the strong will it must have taken to go to work each day in a place that treated the women as lesser than for being women, and even lower for being black, despite the incredible contributions they were making to the field.

Shetterly, Margot Lee. Hidden Figures: Young Readers’ Edition. New York: Scholastic, 2016.

Red Wolf by Jennifer Dance

Pages: 240

Intended Audience: Mature tweens and up

Genre: Historical / Indigenous issues

Notes for Parents: Contains some mature content

The Back Cover

In the late 1800s, both Native people and wolves are being forced from the land. Starving and lonely, an orphaned timber wolf is befriended by a boy named Red Wolf. But under the Indian Act, Red Wolf is forced to attend a residential school far from the life he knows, and the wolf is alone once more. Courage, love, and fate reunite the pair, and they embark on a perilous journey home. But with winter closing in, will Red Wolf and Crooked Ear survive? And if they do, what will they find?

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The back cover description is a little deceiving. The story is mostly about Red Wolf growing up in the residential school system and how that affects his relationship with his family. Crooked Ear is a thread that follows Red Wolf throughout his journey.

What’s good?

While this is a middle school-level book, the nature of the content means some younger readers may not fully understand the gravity of what’s happening. This is an excellent introduction to the residential school experience and an important part of our history that every Canadian needs to know. It’s easy to read and takes a simple approach to the heart-breaking truth about the Canada’s attempt to wipe out its indigenous culture. The story of the wolf, Crooked Ear, parallels the story of the boy in that wolves were also seen as dirty and savage and white settlers set out to slaughter them, not recognizing the importance of wolves to the land’s ecosystem.

Best Part: The grandfather’s stories.

What isn’t good?

The pace is slow and the writing is choppy. The constant brutality at the residential school is difficult to read, especially since Red Wolf’s feelings about it are never fully explored. This could be because he was so young at first, but a deeper understanding of how the abuse and neglect affected him personally would have strengthened the character and the plot.

Worst part: The pace.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☻☻ (3/5)

Wolves and natives were seen as dangerous and savage by European settlers. The goal became to “tame” the natives and kill the wolves in order for the settlers to feel safe. Red Wolf’s story is a glimpse into what would eventually amount to a culture genocide that stripped the native peoples of their land, their language, and their traditions. It’s an important story, and this novel is a good introduction to that history.

Dance, Jennifer. Red Wolf. Toronto: Dundurn 2014.

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood.

Pages: 552

Intended Audience: Adult

Genre: Historical / Murder Mystery

Notes for Parents: Contains some mature content. Recommended for older teens only.

The Back Cover

Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer, the wealthy Thomas Kinnear, and his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery. Years later, Dr. Simon Jordan—an up-and-coming expert in the burgeoning field of mental illness—listens to Grace’s story, from her family’s difficult passage from Ireland to Canada, to her time as a maid in Thomas Kinnear’s household. As Grace relives her past, Jordan draws her closer to a dark maze of relationships and her lost memories of the day her life was shattered.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

From the Author’s Afterword: Alias Grace is a work of fiction, although it is based on reality. Its central figure, Grace Marks, was one of the most notorious Canadian women of the 1840s, having been convicted of murder at the age of sixteen. The Kinnear-Montgomery murders took place on July 23, 1843 and were extensively reported not only in Canadian newspapers but in those of the United States and Britain.

What’s good?

The author’s re-imagining of this true story was dark and fascinating. Grace Marks, the main character, was elusive. She seemed cold yet sincere. Her questionable credibility deepens the mystery of her story. The side story with the doctor and his landlady added a little humor and drama. Supporting characters were rich and interesting, especially Mary Whitney and Jeremiah the peddler. Excerpts at the beginning of every chapter were from actual documents, or quotes and poems from real people commenting on the real events. This added to the drama.

Best Part: Mary Whitney.

What isn’t good?

The author is wordy. She included descriptions of people and things that I felt were unnecessary, and sometimes even cruel. It took her over 550 pages to tell a story that could probably have been told just as well in about 350. Also, there was a paranormal element to the story that the author never really committed to. Is possession real? Does hypnosis really work?

Worst part: Nothing terrible.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☻☻ (3/5)

It’s difficult to deny Atwood’s ability to craft a story. She’s a lyrical writer with a gift for layering her stories, and mixing surface emotions with dark undertones in a way that creates a satisfying tension. Alias Grace, however, was a bit lackluster. The character of Grace was brilliantly drawn, but I found the story itself to be monotone. Having said that, I still enjoyed it and would probably recommend it to a select few that I know would appreciate the sophisticated vocabulary, creative metaphors, and meticulous detail. 

Atwood, Margaret. Alias Grace. Toronto: Seal Books, 1996.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Pages: 338

Intended Audience: Mature teens

Genre: Historical

Notes for Parents: Contains some very mature content about the mistreatment of human beings during World War II. Reader discretion is advised.

The Back Cover

In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina is preparing for art school, first dates, and all that summer has to offer. But one night, the Soviet secret police barge violently into her home, deporting her along with her mother and younger brother. They are being sent to Siberia. Her father is sentence to death in a prison camp.

Lina must fight for her life, fearless, vowing that is she survives she will honor her family, and the thousands like hers, by documenting their experience in her art and writing. Only incredible strength, love, and hope can pull Lina and her family though each day.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

From the author’s notes: In 1939, the Soviet Union occupied the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Shortly thereafter, the Kremlin drafted lists of people considered anti-Soviet who would be murdered, sent to prison, or deported into slavery in Siberia. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, military servicemen, writers, business owners, musicians, artists, and even librarians were all considered anti-Soviet and were added to the growing list slated for wholesale extermination. The first deportations too place on June 14, 1941.

What’s good?
This is a well-paced and emotionally tense story that centers around a teen who is caught up in one of the inhumane events of World War II. The circumstances are dire, details disturbing, and the breadth of the horror is heartbreaking. Fifteen-year-old Lina is a relatable narrator – her fear, impatience, desperation, and shock, are palpable. Lina’s mother is a strong, remarkable character that embodies love and sacrifice. The supporting characters give meaning to the title “shades of grey” as we see good people do bad and bad people do good. Nothing is ever black and white.

Best Part: When the men sing the national anthem (pg. 61).

What isn’t good?

·        The flashbacks are distracting. While some of the vignettes about life before the deportation were helpful, some were unnecessarily sentimental and took away from the depth of the present tense. I was also very annoyed with Lina for not using people’s names even when she knew them – “man who wound his watch,” “bald man,” “repeater.” It made Lina seem distant and naïve.

Worst part: Nothing was terrible.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☺☻ (4/5)

Between Shades of Gray reveals a little-known tragedy that affected entire nationalities. This story provides a small glimpse into what that experience might have looked like for one teenage girl. Many parts are disturbing, some are heartbreaking, and a few moments are downright shocking. However, the author’s writing and narrative style makes this hidden history accessible to teen audiences. It’s well-written and very interesting. Recommended.

Sepetys, Ruta. Between Shades of Gray. New York: Scholastic, 2011.