tiny pink books

Spud by John van de Ruit
Razorbill, 2007

Set in 1990 at a South African boarding school, Spud chronicles the first year of 13-year-old John “Spud” Milton.  Through his hilarious and insightful diary entries, Spud captures the every aspect of the madness, the humor, and the challenges that come with growing up in a school full of boys.  From hazing, to adventures with his dormmates, to first loves, to antics of his insane family, Spud’s diary captures a very specific stage of life and does so with great humor and heart.

I found myself laughing aloud (often inappropriately, in public) while reading Spud.  The boarding school antics that can arise only when so many adolescent and teen boys live together in such an isolated environment will have readers in stitches.  What surprised me about Spud though was the depth of intelligence and emotion along with humor.  Also, while I didn’t find the book to lag exactly, it was a slower than average YA read, probably because the plot centers more on character development than actual action.  That said, I would still recommend Spud to readers (adult and teen alike), especially boys, who want something funny and meaningful.  Not for those seeking suspense or action, Spud will be enjoyed by the kind of readers who like books like quirky coming of age stories, humor, and boarding school from the boy’s perspective.

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2007.

The final book of the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, The Sweet Far Thing delivers a thoughtful and satisfying conclusion.  Nearing the end of their time at the Spence Academy for Young Ladies, Gemma Doyle and her friends, Felicity and Anne, are faced with the harsh realities of their futures.  Meanwhile, the Realms are awash with conflict as Gemma holds all of the magic and must decide how to share it within the tribes there.  In this final book, Gemma’s two roles, as a strong sorceress of the Realms and as a powerless English school girl, collide and reach an exciting conclusion.
I enjoyed this whole series much more than I expected to.  I love that way Bray uses the historical setting to create a unique and feminist theme.  As Gemma and her friends struggle against the corseted boundaries that society holds them in, the only power they seem to have is that of magic.  I could go on, but basically, this trilogy was a very good blend of genres (both historical fiction and fantasy) with really well written characters.  As someone who is not particularly inclined to either genre, I am amazed at how enjoyable I found this series.  Recommended to readers, especially teen girls, who want action, realistic characters, and a bit of magic.  Also, though long, the audio versions of all of the Gemma Doyle books were excellent!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Scholastic, 2009

The much anticipated sequel to The Hunger Games, Catching Fire picks up where The Hunger Games left us.  Katniss Everdeen has returned to District 13 to a new life of luxury after winning the brutal, teenage deathmatch in the last book.  Although she has space, money, and food to spare for the first time in her life, Katniss is not at peace.  Tormented by nightmares and trapped in a fake relationship with her companion winner, Peeta, Katniss misses the woods and her best friend/potential true love, Gale.  Peace does not last long.  With the Districts growing more and more restless, inspired in part by Katniss’s move to defy The Capital and refuse to kill her partner, Peeta, in last year’s Hunger Games, Katniss knows that she and those she loves will never experience peace from the controlling Capital.

I’m not going to go too far into the plot so as not to spoil it for anyone, but let me just say this:  Catching Fire is just as full of nail biting excitement and action as The Hunger Games.  I thought that The Hungers Games was an outstanding book and Catching Fire lives up to it in every way.  Catching Fire is a little bit more mature and a little bit darker (in both violence and mood).  The characters are more developed, as is the political landscape of the world in which they live.  While the ending leaves off at a cliffhanger, I think readers will be more than satisfied.  This series is turning out to be one of the most widely appealing, fun, and thought provoking ones available.  Recommended to teens and adults who want a page turner with action and a well crafted dystopia.

Vegan Virgin Valentine
by Carolyn Mackler

Overachieving high school senior Mara Valentine’s biggest problem seems to be duking out for her school’s valedictorian.  She’s already gotten into Yale and, on paper, she appears to be the perfect teen.  Finicky and uptight, Mara’s regular routine gets completely turned around when her relative, V, comes to live with her.  V is just one year younger than Mara, but V is a free spirit–wild, compulsive, chaotic–just about everything the Mara is not.  While V drives Mara crazy with her mere presence, Mara begins to see the cracks in her perfect life.  Finding that there is more to life than high GPA and SAT scores, Mara begins to explore other sides of herself and finds that her life’s desires go far beyond accelerated university programs.

What I loved about this book where the characters.  This is only the second book by Carolyn Mackler that I’ve read, but her characters are totally believable and nuanced.  Mara could just be a stuck up, overachieving nerd (and, in part she certainly is!), but Mackler creates the right balance to make her questioning of herself and eventual transformation totally believable.  Same with V.  The everyday drama of having these two characters trying to live under one roof is not just entertaining, but readers, whether they are more like V or more like Mara, will relate.  While the conclusion is reached, perhaps with a slightly sugar coated ease, it is certainly believable.

I enjoyed this book and I think that smart teen readers will too.  While it doesn’t have the drama and excitement to grab any reader, I think the realism in the characters and the problems they face will reach readers who want realistic fiction and drama.  I listened to the audiobook, which was well read and not too long!

Dream Factory by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler
Dutton Juvenile, 2007

Ella and Luke both work as characters in Disney World.  Luke spends his days sweltering in the Florida heat in a full body chipmunk suit (a la Chip and Dale) while Ella spends her days dressed as Cinderella, marrying her Prince Charming every afternoon at three.  The two are friends among a group of other character actors, but they seem to be destined to become more than friends.  Told in alternating points of view from the two characters, this is a fun summer read with a hilarious setup.

The thing I liked about Dream Factory the most was the setup.  It’s unique and interesting to have these sarcastic, witty characters sweating their summer away in fur suits at in the Happiest Place on Earth.  The contrast between the sickeningly sweet, Disney vibe and the antics of a rowdy group of teenagers (post-high school) is too funny to put down.  However, the story does slow at parts and, although it is surprisingly heartfelt, rolls along at an uneven pace.  I think it has to do with the duel authors and voices in the book.  Despite this, I finished the book at a rapid enough pace and was satisfied by the end.  It’s not the most realistic book ever, but then again, who cares!  It’s fun, it’s cute, and I’ve never read a book like it.
Recommended to teens and tweens who enjoy romance and quirky setups.

Dramarama by E. Lockhart
Hyperion, 2007

Sarah “Sayde” Paulson is stuck in small town Ohio until she decided to audition for Wildewood Academy, an elite theater boarding school summer program.  At the auditions, she meets Demi her new gay, black, show tunes obsessed best friend.  Miraculously, they both get into Wildewood and head off for the summer of their dreams of auditions, theater productions and real life drama of romance, friendship, and, of course, jealousy.  As Demi rises to become the star of the Academy, Sayde begins to question her talent as she embarrasses herself at auditions and gets only the smallest of parts.  Dramarama is a coming of age story that is shamelessly geeked out on theater.  It’s a unique book with the right combination of fluff and real, self-doubt filled drama that keeps the pages keep turning.

I did not expect to enjoy this book too much.  While I liked Lockhart’s The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks well enough, there was a certain quality to the voice of her characters that I found almost pompously annoying.  That quality is also somewhat present in Dramarama, but this time, it struck me as, well, appropriate (I mean, they are actors!).  Part of the book’s charm is that the characters, even Sayde, are unapologetically egotistical yet still likable…in a way that actors should be.  I also found that there, although there is plenty of witty banter between characters, Dramarama actually proved to have a lot of heart in it.  Sayde and Demi’s friendship is portrayed very realistically, complete with ups, downs, and drifting apart.

Recommended for teen readers who like things that are a little smarter and sassier than your average teen chicklit.