Finding Perfect by Elly Swartz

Pages: 287

Intended Audience: Tweens and Teens

Genre: Contemporary / OCD

Notes for Parents: Some mature content.

The Back Cover

To twelve-year-old Molly Nathans, perfect is:

-the number four

-the tip of a newly sharpened No. 2 pencil

-a pad of crisp white paper

-her neatly aligned glass animal figurines

What’s not perfect is Molly’s mother leaving the family to take a faraway job with the promise of returning in one year. What if one year turns into two years turns into forever? So Molly hatches a plan to bring her mother home: winning the Lakeville Middle School Poetry Slam Contest. The winner is honored at a fancy banquet. If Molly wins, her mother will have to come home for the celebration. Right?

But as time passes, writing and reciting slam poetry become harder for Molly. Actually, everything becomes harder as new habits appear, and counting, cleaning, and organizing no longer are enough to keep Molly’s world from spinning out of control.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the author’s first novel. It focusses on a girl dealing with the increased symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

What’s good?

Molly’s mom is supposed to be home in a month after being away for a year, but Molly is afraid she’ll change her mind and not return. As she gets more desperate to coax her mom home, Molly’s anxiety worsens. The author does a good job of showing how OCD can slowly take over a person’s life. At the same time, we see that the failure of her friends and family to recognize what’s happening isn’t neglect, but due to the fact that everyone is battling something. This story is about relationships and how we all choose different methods to cope with stressful situations. The plot is simple, and it’s a quick and easy read.

Best Part: Hannah is an awesome friend.

What isn’t good?

The market seems to be flooded with middle school books about dealing with OCD. This story isn’t anything new. It’s predictable and the plot is pretty weak. While the author does a good job of describing Molly’s chaotic mind, it’s uncomfortable to watch her spin out of control, and sometimes even annoying.

Worst part: Nothing is terrible.

Recommendation ☺☺☻☻☻ (2.5/5)

It’s a good book, even uplifting. But there are better books out there about OCD.

Swartz, Elly. Finding Perfect. New York: Scholastic, 2016.

Don't Tell the Enemy by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Pages: 178

Intended Audience: Mature Tweens and up

Genre: Historical / World War II

Notes for Parents: This is about the treatment of Jews and others by the Nazis so there is violence and mature content.

The Back Cover

With the closing of the ghetto gates, the Commandant decreed that any Jew found outside the ghetto without permission would be shot on sight. Slavs who gave |Jews food would be shot. And as if that wasn’t enough of a deterrent, the Nazis posted signs all over town claiming that contact with Jews could spread disease.

War is raging around Krystia’s town. Her uncle and cousin have already died at the hands of the Soviet and Nazi invaders. Now her Jewish friends face starvation in the ghetto, or death in the camps…unless she can find a way to help them.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The author explains in her notes that the novel was inspired by the true story of Kateryna Sikorska and her daughter Krystia. Krystia is now a senior citizen who lives in Canada. Her daughter is journalist and filmmaker Iryna Korpan, who made a documentary called She Paid the Ultimate Price about her mother’s and grandmother’s heroic actions in World War II Ukraine.

What’s good?

It’s heartbreak from beginning to end, yet a thread of hope runs through the story in a way that is completely engrossing. Told from the perspective of a young Slavic girl, Krystia, who is already dealing with the death of her father when the Russian’s move in to her small town. But there’s relief all around when the Germans push them out. However, no one expected that the Germans would be much worse. The chapters are short, and the pace is quick as Krystia and her family and neighbors must adapt to their new reality. The fear is palpable, and the desperation is strong as they all do the best they can to help each other. The tragedy of these times knows no bounds.

Best Part: Most of the story is based on true events.

What isn’t good?

I really can’t think of anything negative to say about this story. It’s not unique. It’s similar to pretty much every other fictionalized account of real events during World War II. But like every other similar story I’ve read, it’s heart-wrenching and anger-inducing. These are stories we need to hear so that we never forget what comes from hate and intolerance.

Worst part: Nothing.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☺☻ (4/5)

This poignant story is not for everyone. It’s a stark reminder of the real evils that lurk in our world. There is brutality and cruelty that some readers won’t likely understand, but it’s an important story narrated by a young girl who witnesses want can be only be equated to the fall of humanity. Recommended.

Skrypuch, Marsha Forchuk. Don’t Tell the Enemy. Toronto: Scholastic, 2018.

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater

Pages: 311

Intended Audience: Teens and mature tweens

Genre: Supernatural

Notes for Parents: Contains some mature scenes.

The Inside Cover

Here is a thing everyone wants: A miracle.

Here is a thing everyone fears: What it takes to get one.

Any visitor to Bicho Raro, Colorado, is likely to find a landscape of dark saints, forbidden love, scientific dreams, miracle-mad owls, estranged affections, one or two orphans, and a sky full of watchful desert stars.

At the hear of this place you will find the Soria family, who all have the ability to perform unusual miracles. And at the heart of this family are three cousins longing to change its future: Beatriz, the girl without feelings, who wants only to be free to examine her thoughts; Daniel, the Saint of Bicho Raro, who performs miracles for everyone but himself; and Joaquin, who spends his nights running a renegade radio station under the Diablo Diablo.

They are all looking for a miracle. But the miracles of Bicho Raro are never quite what you expect.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The novel attracted some controversy because it is about magic realism in Mexican-American culture and the author is not Mexican. Some believe this is an example of cultural appropriation. This was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction in 2017.

What’s good?

Set in 1960s Colorado, this is the story of a Mexican-American family of “saints” who have the ability to grant miracles. Bicho Raro is a bizarre and vivid place where miracles are opportunities and traditions are based on fear-filled tales. The author has a unique and lyrical writing style that sets a mood that’s dark, but hopeful. The characters are interesting, especially the quirky pilgrims, including: Marisita, who lives under a rain cloud; Jennie, who can only repeat what she hears; and Padre Jiminez, who has the head of a coyote. The story is imaginative and philosophical, exploring the ideas of love, hope, dreams, fear, tradition, family, change, and, of course, miracles. The ending was good.

Best Part: Beatriz and her dad’s secret mathematical language.

What isn’t good?

The start was especially slow, and the pace was inconsistent throughout. There was a lot of rambling, including a rather ridiculous conversation about whether miracles can be performed on a horse. The author spent more time telling, instead of showing and would have benefited from more dialogue. The plot remained vague for most of the story and the three main characters, the Sorias cousins, were aloof and difficult to connect with.

Worst part: “Tony was handsome as a cigarette.” (pg. 20)

Recommendation ☺☺☺☻☻ (3/5)

I’ve read other books by the author and usually enjoy her writing style, but this time, I did not. Her wordy, unconventional style was too heavy and ultimately took away from the whimsy that could have made this novel something special. Despite this, All the Crooked Saints would make a visually stunning movie. This was good, but not great.

Stiefvater, Maggie. All the Crooked Saints. New York: Scholastic, 2017. (Hardcover)

Anne of Green Gables: a graphic novel by Mariah Marsden and Brenna Thummler

Pages: 229

Intended Audience: Tweens and up

Genre: Graphic novel

Notes for Parents: Nothing to worry about.

The Back Cover

Schoolyard rivalries. Baking disasters. Puffed sleeves.

When Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert decide to adopt an orphan to help manage their family farm, they have no idea what delightful trouble awaits them. With flame-red hair and an unstoppable imagination, 11-year-old Anne Shirley takes Green Gables by storm.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is based on the Canadian novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

What’s good?

This is the classic story of a young orphan girl, sent by mistake (they wanted a boy) to live with siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. Despite her precocious nature, she tugs at their hearts, making it difficult for the Cuthberts to send her back. The story moves quickly and touches on the best parts of the novel. Marilla and Matthew are well drawn, and the illustrations capture the time period and beauty of the island nicely.

Best Part: Matthew.

What isn’t good?

I didn’t like a lot of the artwork. While I enjoyed the backgrounds and color palette, there were a lot of inconsistencies with people’s proportions and angles that I found a bit distracting. Anne had a strange detached nose, yet other characters’ noses were not drawn that way. And I’ve never been a fan of the empty circle for eyes. Besides that, the story was very truncated. This is typical for a novel adapted into a graphic novel, but it’s disappointing that so much—character and plot development—is lost in translation.

Worst part: Beady eyes.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☻☻ (3/5)

I love L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. The graphic novel was cute, but it lacked the character and plot development that makes the novel a classic. The graphic style makes the story move almost too fast, and the reader loses out on the depth and charm or the original. Having said that, Anne Shirley fans should enjoy this as a companion to the novel and movies. It’s sweet and fun.

Marsden, Mariah, and Brenna Thummler. Anne of Green Gables: a graphic novel. Kansas City: Andrew McMeel Pub., 2017.

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Pages: 286

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre: Contemporary

Notes for Parents: Contains some coarse language and mature scenes.

The Inside Cover

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This book was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction in 2017.

What’s good?

Aza is living with a mental illness that sees her thoughts spiral out of control at a moment’s notice. Davis is sad and lonely, and tasked with caring for his brother after their billionaire father disappears. Aza and Davis rekindle their childhood friendship when Aza’s friend Daisy insists they try to solve the disappearance of Davis’ father (so they can get the reward). The characters are interesting. The plot is simple and easy to follow. There are several moments in the story that will make you stop and think. Themes include friendship, romance, grief, mental illness, and family. The ending is satisfying.

Best Part: Tua the Tuatara.

What isn’t good?

I don’t know where to start. I didn’t hate this book, but it was really hard to like because there was just so much going on. Many things were introduced that seemed to have no bearing on the main story itself – the tuatara, the cash, finding Davis’ dad, and Daisy’s fan fiction to name a few. Aza’s narration, and her friends’ dialogue, lacked realism because it was permeated with words like “permeated,” “declarative,” “refutation,” and “decamped.” I don’t know many adults that talk like they do let alone teenagers. And they all seemed to specialize in a certain knowledge – Davis knew astronomy, Mychal knew art, Aza knew parasites and bacteria. It was all too much too take in. If the story had just been about Aza dealing with her OCD, or Davis dealing with his missing father, it would have been much more enjoyable. Nothing felt important. Everything felt like filler. I couldn’t relate to anything that was happening.

Worst part: Holmesy.

Recommendation ☺☺☻☻☻ (2/5)

This book had too much. There was a little bit about living with a mental illness, some romance, a trace of mystery, random philosophizing, and a moment of friendship woes. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough of any of those things to make a memorable story. Throw in some pretentious vocabulary, a directionless plot, and very little character development, and you have this story. John Green fans might like it, but this is not his best work.

Green, John. Turtles All the Way Down. New York: Dutton Books, 2017. (Hardcover)