tiny pink books

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
Random House, 2010

I’ve only read Aimee Bender’s short stories in the past, but they have always been a delight.  I picked up an ARC of this at a conference and was immediately attracted to the title.  Her newest novel, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, took a while to get into, but once I did, it was reading treat.  Whimsical and strange, this is a unique treat of a read for fans of magical realism and Bender’s previous work.

Set in modern (yet wonderfully timeless) Los Angeles, Lemon Cake is about Rose Edelstein, a girl who discovers that she can taste the in food.  She discovers her ability as a very young age, when she tastes her mother’s depression in a slice of home baked lemon cake.  Growing up with this inexplicable and often disturbing ability is difficult for Rose, who faces family drama, childhood friendships and, of course, her struggle with overly emotional food.

It took me a while to get into this book (I think mostly because Rose’s childhood voice is not very childlike), but once Rose grows up a little, I found myself charmed by the characters and the general oddness to the story.  Rose’s ability is not the only piece of magic in here-there’s a whole heap of weirdness in these pages for the willing reader.  This is a book that takes place more in your head than on the pages-not recommended for the realists who want plot twists and dramatic cliffhangers.  For those who like fairytales, whimsy and emotional drama, Bender’s writing is right on key-delivering heartbreak and strangeness with a tender lightness that is captivating and completely engrossing.

The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Houghton Mifflin, 2007

Following up the charming Dairy Queen, The Off Season follows Wisconsin milk farmer and football linebacker D.J. Schwank in her junior year of high school.  The book begins where Dairy Queen left off–D.J. is kicking butt for the varsity football team, her flirty friendship with rival quarterback Brian Nelson continues on its upswing and her family life on the farm seems to be going well.  But when things get tough (and they do, they really go) D.J. has to reevaluate everything and struggle to once again prove herself to be one of the realistically strong and charismatic characters around.

I flew through this book in a day or two and thoroughly enjoyed every page.  The thing that I loved about The Off Season (and Dairy Queen) is that the characters are so well written and flawed.  I recommend this (and Dairy Queen) to YA and adult readers open to YA who want a heartfelt slice of realistic fiction that is guaranteed to induce a few tears.

King of the Screwups by K.L. Going
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.

After getting in trouble yet again, high school senior Liam is kicked out of his home with his retired model mother and CEO father to live in a trailer park with his gay glam rocker uncle, Pete.  Trying to win the acceptance of his constantly disapproving father, Liam attempts to stop screwing up and change into the kind of person his father will value.  Of course, this doesn’t go smoothly, resulting in, you guessed it…more screwups!

This was a fun, light read with a sweetly positive message.  Though the premise and the characters are exaggerated and therefore less than realistic, they are enjoyable and, in their hearts, easy to relate to.  I was in a bit of a reading slump when I picked this up and this was the perfect book to pull me out of it-fluffy at first glance, but with an important, warm fuzzy self esteem message.

Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee
Arthur A. Levine Books, 2009

Maybelline “Maybe” Chesnut is nothing like her former beauty pageant queen mother, Chessy, who constantly brings in a stream of new husbands.  Hiding in her baggy clothes and rainbow colored hair, Maybe doesn’t really fit in at school or at home.  After Chessy’s latest fiancé attacks Maybe, she sets off, running away to Los Angeles to find her biological father with her two best friends, Ted and Hollywood (aka Daniel).  As her friends find their places in the glitzy world of Hollywood, Maybe struggles to find her own place and discover who she really is.

This was a decent book.  It’s one of those books that was fun to read-the characters, including Maybe, are all larger than life, charming, and lovable.  Although the plot (and, to a degree, the characters) are somewhat unrealistic, the sweet charm and light heartedness of everything here will win over the non-cynical reader.  This was an okay, fluffy read for people who just want something a little bit quirky, a little bit sugary and a lot happy ending.  Reader seeking anything deep or twisty, go elsewhere!

Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
Penguin Books Australia, 1992

Josephine Alibrandi is a smart, sassy seventeen year old, living in Sydney during her last year of high school.  She’s got a lot to think about this year, as she struggles with her identity as an Australian-Italian, her first boyfriend, her relationships with her mother and grandmother, and meeting her absentee father for the first time in her life.  There’s a lot of heavy issues in this coming of age novel, but if I had to put my finger on the biggest one to Josephine is the idea of balancing two cultural identities.

While the characters in this book are universally appealing, especially headstrong Josephine, I think it may be more enjoyable to adults than teens at this point.  It’s very much dated in the early 90’s and, perhaps at least here in America, the concept of an Italian struggling to fit in, culturally, seems a ghost of the past.  Still, this was a satisfying read that was hard to put down in the end.  I’m not sure who I’d recommend this one to, other than librarians and readers who liked Marchetta’s other novels.

Along For the Ride by Sarah Dessen
Viking Juvenile, 2009
Along for the Ride is a typical Sarah Dessen coming of age novel.  By typical, I mean that there’s nothing all that new here–realistic characters, the well paced story, and a well crafted emotional landscape of being confused and at that age where you’re deciding who you want to be in life.

Auden, an overachieving, a-type girl with problems (this time it’s her parents’ divorce) is thrown out of her element and winds up meeting a quirky cute boy with problems as well (dead best friend).  She helps him, he helps her, both of them grow.  If you’ve read the fabulous The Truth About Forever, you have practically read this one, but even so, I’d recommend both!  Sarah Dessen does what she does so well that the repetition doesn’t both me.  Recommended for Sarah Dessen fans and/or readers seeking a realistic coming of age story (complete with a few tear jerker moments and that general sweet/warm hearted feeling that you get at the end of every good coming of age story).

The Indigo Notebook by Lauren Resau
Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2009.

From Thailand to Guatemala to Morocco, Zeeta has grown up traveling the world with her jet-setting mother.  When Zeeta moves to Ecuador, she is determined to find a man for her mother and make her settle down into a normal, stable life.  But new friends, a new boy, and a dangerously intriguing mystery send Zeeta on a journey that changes everything.

Although the mystery becomes a little too neatly wrapped up in the end, the likable characters, especially the smart and sassy Zeeta, and the exotic Central American locales will captivate readers, even reluctant ones.  It is clear, that Resau has traveled a fair bit, and the travel elements of the book are delightful and wanderlust inspiring.

So in short:  Good book.  Exciting and fun travel elements…  Strong female character with good wits and a winning personality.  Girls will love it.  This one did!

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!

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!