All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Pages: 378

Intended Audience: Mature teens

Genre: Real life / suicide

Notes for Parents: Contains mature content, risky behavior, smoking, drinking, and centers on a character contemplating suicide.

The Back Cover

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death. Every day he thinks of ways he might die, but every day he also searches for—and manages to find—something to keep him here, and alive, and awake.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her small Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school—six stories above the ground—it’s unclear who saves whom. Soon it’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself. And it’s only with Finch that Violet forgets to count away the days and starts living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink…

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is being made into a major motion picture, set to be released sometime in 2018.

What’s good?

Suicide is a complex issue, but the author presents it in a straight-forward, easy-to-follow story about two teens going through tough times. Making it clear that mental illness is never a singular event, the characters experience a barrage of issues, like abuse, grief, bullying, and participation in risky behavior. Theirs is a multifaceted relationship, revealed in short chapters and small adventures that both heal and exacerbate life’s wounds. The end is both heart-breaking and hopeful.

Best Part: Quoting Russian poets

What isn’t good?

While it always felt the story was moving forward, nothing really happens until the end. Finch is obnoxious and difficult to like, despite the compassion he so desperately deserves. Violet’s tolerance of Finch’s strange behavior is incomprehensible, and it’s unclear how, or even if, he’s responsible for her transformation.

Worst part: Ultraviolent Remarkey-able.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☻☻ (3/5)

In the end, I’m not sure what I think. Was Finch romanticized? Was suicide glorified? Or is this a stark look at the reality of mental illness and its aftermath? This is not a ground-breaking novel – it’s been done before and probably a little better. However, there’s a uniqueness that I enjoyed as the two teens, brought together in a moment of despair, move together for a while before they diverge in two very different directions.

Niven, Jennifer. All the Bright Places. New York: Ember, 2015.

Popular: A Memoir by Maya Van Wagenen

Pages: 255

Intended Audience: Tweens and up

Genre: Memoir

Notes for Parents: There are a few mature scenes that may be sensitive for young readers

The Back Cover

Stuck near the bottom of the social ladder at “pretty much the lowest level of people at school who aren’t paid to be here,” Maya has never been popular. But before starting eighth grade, she decides to begin a unique social experiment: spend the school year following a 1950s popularity guide, written by former teen model Betty Cornell. The real-life results are hilarious, painful, and filled with unexpected surprises—but through it all, Maya’s positive approach helps her to reveal a new understanding of self-confidence, kindness, and acceptance.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This book was the 2015 winner of the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction.

What’s good?

Maya is one courageous girl! She puts aside fear, embarrassment, and pride to blaze a trail toward popularity – 1950s style. It’s fun and funny, but Maya also deals with some serious issues along the way, like bullying, death, grief, stigma, school violence, and a drug war raging just across the border. The diary format is easy to read and well laid out. It includes photos, lists, and quotes for the 1950s book. Maya’s story unfolds at a good pace, and her adventures are believable. The ending provides a beautiful lesson about what it means to be popular.

Best Part: Her pearls, girdle, rag curls, and clutch purse.

What isn’t good?

It feels a little bit contrived. Maybe contrived isn’t the right word. Over-edited, maybe. Either way, the story is a bit too clean at times and often lacks emotional depth.

Worst part: Nothing.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☺☻ (4/5)

I loved it! It was very entertaining. In fact, when I was about a quarter of the way in, I thought, “This would make a great movie.” It turns out that it was optioned by Dreamworks before it was even published! Maya is positive role model with a valuable message, and her memoir is a breath of fresh air. Highly recommended!!!

Van Wagenen, Maya. Popular: A Memoir. New York: Penguin, 2014.

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston

Pages: 243

Intended Audience: Mature teens

Genre: Real life / Sexual assault

Notes for Parents: This deals with sexual assault and should be for mature teens only

The Back Cover

Hermione Winters is captain of her cheerleading team, and in tiny Palermo Heights, the cheerleaders don’t cheer for the sports teams; they are the sports team. This year’s summer training camp is Hermione’s last, and she knows this season could make her a legend. But during a camp party, someone slips something into her drink. And it all goes black.

In every class, there’s a star cheerleader and a pariah pregnant girl. They’re never supposed to be the same person. As Hermione struggles to regain the control she’s always had, she faces the wrenching decision of how to move on. The assault wasn’t the beginning of Hermione Winters’s story, and she’s not going to let it be the end.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The title Exit, Pursued by a Bear is a famous line of stage direction from Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale.

Note: this review contains spoilers!

What’s good?

It has short chapters, is easy to read, and has a great cover. The story moves at a good pace, and the plot is straight forward. Hermione is a strong, confident high school cheerleader surrounded by a fiercely loyal best friend, trusting parents, an excellent school counselor, understanding teachers, and supportive classmates and community members. The hospital workers and police officers she deals with are highly professional. And her very funny therapist makes house calls and helps her with math homework. Hermione is one lucky girl.

Best Part: Dr. Hutt is hilarious.

What isn’t good?

You may have noted some sarcasm in my response above because everything is perfect. The few negative things are easily dealt with. The reporter is put in her place. Leo eventually changes his mind. Hermione deals with everything perfectly. But we all know there’s no such thing as perfect, so this story just doesn’t ring true. It’s dry and safe, and lacks any real emotion. Hermione worries about things, but none of those things happen. Everyone is supportive and understanding. It isn’t until her friend reveals a secret that she has a visceral reaction to anything.

Worst part: The way she identifies her attacker is ridiculous.

Recommendation ☺☺☻☻☻ (2/5)

The author presents an important story about a teen who is drugged and raped. However, it hits all the “things you might experience if you’re drugged and raped” without the character actually experiencing any of them. She thinks about them, fears them even, but manages to walk through the whole experience unscathed. Oh wait, she does experience one very important side effect of the rape, but she easily takes care of that with a quick trip to the city with her friend. Easy-peasy. Sorry but, I don’t recommend this novel. If you’re going to write about the hard stuff, you have to let your character be vulnerable to it.

Johnston, E.K. Exit, Pursued by a Bear. New York: Speak, 2016.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Pages: 306

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre: Romance / Adventure

Notes for Parents: Contains sexuality, abuse, and other mature content.

The Back Cover

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window and I see him. He’s tall, lean, and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I, Maddy, am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The book was made into a movie in 2017. My version of the paperback included photographs from the movie.

What’s good?

The unfortunately circumstances in the lives of Maddy and Ollie make them perfect for each other. This is a love story between an overprotected girl and her abused next-door neighbor, both of whom are being denied the simple pleasures of being an average teen. The premise is simple, the chapters are short, and the pace is quick thanks to drawings, lists, and instant messages. The characters are well-drawn and very likeable.

Best Part: Carla and Rosa.

What isn’t good?

It was predictable. I guessed the ending about a quarter of the way in. I was disappointed with how underwhelmed Maddy is by all the new things that she experiences. For someone who’s been shut away her entire life, I would have expected much more emotion from her.

Worst part: Nothing is terrible.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☻☻ (3/5)

I liked the story, and I enjoyed the format even more. The messages, lists, notes, and drawings, made Ollie and Maddy’s romance even sweeter and more entertaining. Despite its predictability, the story unfolded quickly, with humor and charm, and an engaging, albeit small, cast of characters. Recommended.

Yoon, Nicola. Everything, Everything. New York: Penguin, 2015.

Disney Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly

Pages: 341

Intended Audience: Tweens and up

Genre: Fantasy / Adventure

Notes for Parents: There are a few scary parts that may upset sensitive readers.

The Inside Cover

Smart, bookish Belle, a captive in the Beast’s castle, has become accustomed to her new home and has befriended its inhabitants. When she comes upon Nevermore, an enchanted book unlike anything else she has seen in the castle, Belle finds herself pulled into its pages and transported to a world of glamour and intrigue. The adventures Belle has always imagined, the dreams she was forced to give up when she became a prisoner, seem within reach again.

The charming and mysterious characters Belle meets within the pages of Nevermore offer her glamorous conversation, a life of dazzling Parisian luxury, and even a reunion she never thought possible. Here Belle can have everything she has ever wished for. But what about her friends in the Beast’s castle? Can Belle trust her new companions inside the pages of Nevermore? Is Nevermore’s world even real? Belle must uncover the truth about the book, before she loses herself in it forever.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The author’s next book is another fairy tale original story. It begins where Cinderella ends, but it follows the story of Isabelle and Octavia, Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters. The author says, “It hews to the old-school, very Grimm version of the tale, in which toes are cut off in a vain attempt to make the slipper fit.”

What’s good?

Every bit of this story feels like a Disney movie! The characters are all familiar and the premise is the same. Lost in a Book actually starts in the middle of the Disney version of the story. Belle is already living in the castle when she finds the enchanted book that threatens to derail the well-known ending. Belle is a strong, smart, and curious young woman. The chapters are short and the plot, although a bit complex, is still easy to understand. Themes include friendship, determination, love, trust, and believing in yourself.

Best Part: “Love is not for cowards.”

What isn’t good?

Despite the interesting battle between love and death, the format is very simplistic. There’s not a lot of action, at least not until the end, and most of the story is what we already know. Perhaps most bothersome is that the end of this story is not the end of the story.

Worst part: The end.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☺☻ (4/5)

This novel was very entertaining. Despite my complaints, it really was a beautiful little story of friendship and love, with some adventure and danger thrown in at the end. Recommended.

Donnelly, Jennifer. Disney Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book. Los Angeles: Disney Press, 2017. (Hardcover)