tiny pink books

Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Delacorte Books For Young Readers, 2009

Mary lives in an isolated village surrounded by fences that have been there for as long as anyone can remember.  On the other side of the fences, zombies, “The Unconsecrated,” as they are known in this book, walk freely.  Trapped by the hordes of zombies outside the fence, life in Mary’s village revolves around survival.  People marry, the have children, they maintain the fences, and they kill off anyone who becomes infected with the zombie plague.  The Sisterhood, a secretive sect of nuns, controls most things in the village and tells the people nothing of their history or what lies beyond the forest.  Fueled by stories of the ocean and a world before the Unconsecrated, Mary is determined to find more to the world than what lies within the fences of her small village.

There’s nothing brilliantly original about The Forest of Hands and Teeth.  It is very reminiscent, almost overly so, of the M. Night Shyamalan movie The Village in many ways.  There’s also, of course, the element of the zombies, which, aside from being called “Unconsecrated” behave very much in the way that zombies do in most zombie movies and books.  Additionally, there’s a love story in The Forest of Hands and Teeth that feels forced and a little tired.  Despite these faults, the story is gripping enough to keep a reader up late into the night and has a powerful emotional impact.  The Forest of Hands and Teeth is one of those rare blends of exciting, page turning adventure and quality, heartfelt writing.

Recommended for teens and adults who like their horror mixed with melodrama.  Yes, there are some pretty exciting zombie scenes here, but there are also quite a lot of meandering passages where Mary questions heavy topics such as faith, the world beyond the fence, and love.  Likewise, sensitive readers should beware that there are some intense scenes of gore, violence, and hair raising action.

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
2007, Little, Brown Young Readers

When Deanna was 13, her father caught her in the backseat of a car with a 17-year-old Tommy, her brothers best friend.  The story got around her small, suburban town and Deanna was labeled a slut, by both her peers at school and her father.  Two years later, Deanna is 15 and struggling with the inertia of her past.  Her father still won’t even look her in the eye and her reputation hasn’t changed (even if she has).  In this angsty teen novel, Deanna confronts her past (literally–she ends up working at a pizza place with Tommy) and begins to deal with her issues.

Although Story of a Girl presents a realistic character sketch of a troubled 15-year-old girl, I think what Zarr’s greatest achievement in this book in in the way she captures the suburban teen lifestyle.  Having been an angsty suburban teen myself, I could identify with the boredom and trapped nature of the characters.  While Deanna’s journey out of passivity is interesting and very well written, I had trouble getting into it.  The characters are well fleshed out but I felt like the story was so internal that there just wasn’t a lot happening in terms of plot.  Part of this may have been exacerbated by the fact that I listened to the audio version of the book which, like her other book Sweethearts, read by the Zarr.  Like many author read audiobooks, I found the narration just a little bit off.  I love you Sara, but please stop reading your books in the audiobooks!

So in summary:  well written, realistic, good characters, but a little bit emotionally internal and slow on plot.  Not for reluctant readers, but fans of slower paced realistic fiction will find something here.  Set in the bay area town of Pacifica, which adds bonus amusement if you, like me, live in or near the bay area.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
2007, Razorbill

High school senior Clay Jenson received a mysterious box of cassette tapes in the mail.  To his shock, dead classmate Hannah Baker’s voice addresses him and 12 other classmates on the tapes.  Using the tapes as a last chance to tell her story, Hannah describes the events (and the people who have contributed to those events) that have lead to the downfall of her life and her decision to commit suicide.

There are a lot of layers to Thirteen Reasons Why that make it, not just an appropriate and important book about a sensitive teen issue, but also an engrossing and moving story that is intriguing and interesting from beginning to end.  The thing that I liked most about Thirteen Reasons Why is that, with the clever use of the audio cassette plot device, Asher tells us two sides of the story-Hannah’s story of a girl struggling, falling further and further into a dark depression and Clay’s story of watching from afar as that girl struggles, not knowing how desperately she was in need of help until it is too late.  It carries so many perspectives-the girl perspective, the boy perspective, the suicidal perspective, the observer perspective, etc.

Thirteen Reasons Why is an engaging novel that tackles a really important issue.  It’s not just the issue of teen suicide either-it really grasps the idea of noticing when others are in trouble and reaching out.  On top of being one of those “important teen issue books,” Thirteen Reasons Why was also a really good read with a lot of appeal for teens interested in emotional struggle or just good old realistic fiction.  Readers should be aware that book does contain some very dark subject matter, though I think the treatment of everything is gentle enough for most high school age readers.

Love You Hate Your Miss You by Elizabeth Scott
2009, HarperTeen

Slightly reminiscent of Speak in tone, Love You Hate You Miss You is a dark book about grief, loss, and personal responsibility.  Not nearly as dark as Living Dead Girl, Scott gives us a very realistic story of struggle and grief.  After surviving a car accident that kills her best friend, Amy must confront her demons.  She struggles with a wealth of problems (alcoholism, her relationship with her parents, school, connecting with others, to name a few) and through that struggle, confronts her feelings about her best friend and the responsibility she feels for her death.

Obviously, this is not a cheery novel.  Filled with anger, grief, and all the ugly, hard to talk about emotions, Love You Hate You Miss You can be hard (and frustrating) to read.    Despite this, I think it covers some very relevant topics for teens who may be struggling.  Amy’s voice is harsh, bitter, and insecure to the core.  The growth Amy experiences in Love You Hate You Miss You is not easy for her to reach and happens in the most miniscule of baby steps.  In that manner, it’s a very realistic book; rather than a happily ever after, we end with a subtle ray of hope.

I found Love You Hate You Miss You to be a moving and emotional book.  I think readers who like books like Speak, Wintergirls, and Cut will find a worthwhile read here.  It is high on emotion, not plot though.  Readers seeking action or even a more traditional arc of dramatic plot movement will be a little disappointed.