tiny pink books

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Hyperion Books for Children, 2008

In this charming novel, Frankie Landau-Banks takes on the male dominated, traditionalist society that is her upper crust boarding school, Alabaster.  The book begins as Frankie returns to school for her sophomore year beautifully grown into her once awkward frame and face.  Although she is now one of the prettiest girls at Alabaster, she retains her slightly geeky hobbies (debate club) and her old friends while making new friends, including new boyfriend Matthew Livingston, the cutest and most popular of all the senior boys.  Although Frankie couldn’t be happier to be dating the school heart throb, she realizes that he and his guy friends never really take her seriously.  Frustrated with the “old boys club” attitude that she faces daily at Alabaster, which was once an all male school, Frankie decides to take things into her own hands.  Filled with secret societies, mayhem, and pranks, Frankie takes Alabaster, and the male dominated traditions, by storm.

There’s something charming and kind of wonderful about the character of Frankie.  She’s smart.  She’s pretty.  She’s confident in herself.  I love the way that Lockhart managed to create such a charismatic, feminist teen character and I give this book a lot of merit based on that alone.  The thing is, however, that in creating such an all wonderful character, Frankie seems to be lacking vulnerability and fault entirely.  This makes it hard to imagine her as a real person.  The setting and the plot are similar in a way.  Alabaster and the old boys secret society are just a little too pitch perfect to be believable or emotionally stirring.  The snarky writing style, the flowery vocabulary, and the sheer intellectualism in The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks are enjoyable and charming, but may turn readers off in the same way.

I don’t want to pan this book and certainly feel that it deserves the Printz honor that it received.  I do think that certain readers will enjoy it, but I would not recommend this book to teens seeking realistic portrayals of teenage frustration or emotion.  I did enjoy this book, but I think it belongs in a special place for “special readers,” as we sometimes call them.  Readers who want a smart book, but don’t mind checking reality out at the door will enjoy this one.  I also think readers who enjoy the structure and the social aspects of boarding school novels (such as in Prep) will find something worth reader here also.

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl

By Barry Lyga
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2006

Fanboy is fifteen, lonely, and bullied in school.  He’s into comic books in a big way and he is probably the smartest person in his high school.  Miserable and alone at school, Fanboy entertains violent fantasies about getting revenge on the jocks who bully him relentlessly.  Fanboy’s only source happiness seems to be the graphic novel that he works on alone in the late nights.  The only person who does seem to notice Fanboy is a goth girl named Kira, who IMs him one day to bear witness to the high school misery that he endures.  The two form an unlikely and tenuous friendship, changing both of them forever.

Capturing the trauma and torment of being a geek in high school, Barry Lyga has written the surprisingly dark and thoughtful The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl.  I say surprising because, given the cover and the quirky “Astonishing” and “Adventures” title words and the descriptive blurb, I wasn’t expecting the intensity of what I found inside.  The voice of Fanboy is almost too realistic at times.  I found myself disliking him and becoming frustrated with his rage, his complete lack of self esteem, and his attitude.  He harvests anger against people for no good reason and seems petty at times.  After reading on, however, I started to realize that, frustrating as Fanboy may be at times, Lyga has skillfully captured the voice of an angry and emotionally intense teenager.  I’m pretty sure that I was that irrational and irritating as a teen who raged against everyone and everything.  Fanboy isn’t perfect and he isn’t always right.  He’s realistic.

Recommended for YA readers looking for a book that deals with the intensity of a traumatic teenage experience.  Readers who enjoyed King Dork, but could handle something more emotionally intense will enjoy The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl.  Readers looking for something light and fluffy should turn elsewhere.  I listened to the audio version of this book, but would recommend it in print.

Nation by Terry Pratchett
HarperCollins, 2008

In his first book written specifically for a YA audience, Terry Pratchett delivers an interesting novel of friendship, survival and faith.  Mau finds himself to be the lone survivor of his island home after a massive wave wipes out his village.  Everyone he knows and loves is dead and Mau finds himself questioning his faith.  Meanwhile, Daphne, a girl Mau’s age, finds herself shipwrecked on the island with Mau.  Having always been a firm believer in logic and science, she finds herself surprisingly drawn into the magic of the island’s religion as she befriends Mau.  Other survivors begin to turn up as the Mau and Daphne grow closer, questioning humanity, faith and growing up.

Clearly, Pratchett, perhaps most celebrated for his wit and humor, has tackled  some weighty subject matter in Nation.  Although he still manages to interject some humor, I would not consider Nation to be a very funny or lighthearted book.  The story begins not only with the death and destruction of everything Mau has ever known, but also with some very dense description of the Gods of Mau’s religion.  It takes quite a while before the plot really gets rolling and all the while, concepts of the Gods, faith, and freewill are in the forefront of every action.  This is not to say that this book was not enjoyable, however, I would definitely not hand this book to an even slightly reluctant reader.  I also think, even with the Printz honor it has won, Nation is one of those YA novels that is really more of an “everyone” novel (like Life of Pi, which is classified as YA or adult, depending on the marketing, for example).  While it is most certainly a coming of age tale (and one of rebellion and individuality), there is not much more particularly YA about it other than the marketing.  What I will say as a positive, however, is that this is a well written book.  There is a quality to the writing and the story that, even though I was never quite emotionally taken in with Nation, was a evident.

I would recommend this book to readers, adults or YA, who are looking for a quality novel that makes them think and question.  As noted earlier, I would not recommend this to a reluctant reader.  For reluctant readers or readers seeking Prachett’s trademark wit, I would hand them Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett for a take on faith instead.

Empty World by John Christopher (pseudonym for Samuel Youd)
E.P. Dutton, 1978.

Empty World is another post-apocalyptic children’s novel by John Christopher.  Neil Miller is left orphaned as the lone survivor in a car accident that kills his entire family.  As he adjusts to his new life with his grandparents, a terrible plague sweeps the world, killing off just about the entire population.  Neil, who survives the plague, is left in an empty, silent world.  Neil deals with the everyday needs of survival as well as the loneliness of being alone in the world as he presses on, searching for other survivors.

Even before the plague sweeps through the plot, this is a bleak novel.  The orphaning of Neil, before the plague, is brutally sad.  As the plague becomes a major element in the story, the book becomes morbidly fascinating as Christopher describes, in crushing detail, the end of the world as we know it.  Everything–the plague, the decay, Neil’s emotional state, the will to survive–is described with fascinating realism throughout the book, making it a compelling and quick read.

I would recommend this book to tweens and younger teens looking for a quick read that is realistically dark and frightening.  Not for those seeking fantasy or action-based adventure, but I think readers who enjoyed books like Hatchet, or even The Giver, not to mention Christopher’s other novels, will find this book to be an enjoyable, thought-provoking read.

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
Ace Books, 2004

Sookie Stackhouse is in for another foray with the supernatural in Dead to the World, the fourth installment of Charlaine Harris’s popular Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire Chronicle books.  In this novel, Sookie, a sweet and spunky telepathic waitress, deals with vampires, warewolves, shapeshifters, witches, and even a fairy!  Eric, the head vampire in her area, is left in Sookie’s care while the entire supernatural community of Bon Temps, Louisisana gathers together to discover and fight a mysterious coven of evil witches.  Sookie’s brother is missing and Eric has lost his memories and is a little bit helpless, and therefore all the more irresistible, to our darling Sookie.

Although I have to say that this book was just as quick and addictive a read as any of the other Stackhouse novels, I was just a little bit disappointed with this installment.  The supernatural in Sookie’s world have gone from quirky to downright silly in some cases as Harris pushes more and more magical creatures and powers into the already crammed picture.  Although the book still combines the genres of mystery, romance, and fantasy/horror, it is becoming more and more rooted in the latter.  I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing, however, I think that the books are starting to lose the more widespread appeal that the earlier installments carried.  When I read the first of the Southern Vampire Chronicles, I deemed it appealing to readers looking for any kind of offbeat trashy fun book.  As I get further into the series, I think that the books are becoming more appealing to fantasy/horror readers, but possibly less appealing for people who aren’t into those genres.  I don’t know.  I still think these books are a lot of fun to read and I have trouble putting them down.  I’ll read onto the next one soon and see where it goes from here.

Club Dead by Charlaine HarrisAce Books, 2003

Club Dead is another fun vampire/mystery/romance novel from Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Chronicles.  Centered around the loveable Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress with a vampire boyfriend, and her misadventures with the supernatural beings of Bon Temps, Louisiana.

In Club Dead, Sookie must go to Alabama to rescue her vampire boyfriend Bill.  Getting tangled with Werewolves, Goblins, Shape-Shifters, and, of course, more Vampires, along the way, Sookie charms her way through another mystery, this time showing us how tough she can be.

Club Dead is very much like the previous books in the series.  It delivers just as much trashy fun as readers have come to expect from Sookie Stackhouse.  I did notice that this book pushes the role of the supernatural just a little bit further than the last two and may start to cross the line for some readers as it delves further and further into the fantasy/horror genre.  It’s still a fun read, perfect for relaxed reading on long commutes or during soaks in the tub.