Will Grayson, Will Grayson

by John Green & David Levithan

Published by Penguin/Dutton

Release Date: April 6, 2010

Annotation: Two teenage boys, both named Will Grayson, meet under unlikely circumstances and watch as their lives intersect.

Thoughts & Observations:

Alternating points of view. Easy to tell which chapters were written by which author.

No capitalization in what I assume are David Levithan’s chapters. This made sense, but was kind of annoying.

I got the reference for Tiny Dancer, but that’s an age thing I think.

Had a “David Levithan Ending” where all the characters have revelations about the meaning of life.

Had gay characters.

Cover is amazing. And shiny.

John Green and David Levithan. So much awesome.

I first stopped at Borders. I told the saleslady that I was looking for a book that  hadn’t hit street date yet, but that some stores have it already. She looked it up on the computer, and she turns to me and says, “It’s not out until December 4th.” I stare at her, since I know that I already told her that. I ask if she can check if it might be in the back, and she says something about getting sued for putting a book out early, that they don’t have it in the back, yadda yadda yadda. Well, Borders, I consistently find rude and/or stupid associates at your store, so no wonder you’re almost going bankrupt.

Next I hit Barnes and Noble, and much to my glee, there were three shiny copies on the “featured” young adult shelf! I snapped a copy up, and gushed about it to the teen girl and her mother there (as well as some other books), and they picked it up to buy. That left only one copy left on the shelf, so I really hope they have more on order!

Overall, my mission was a success!

by Pam Bachorz

Published September 2009 by Egmont USA

256 pages, hardcover

ISBN: 978-1606840122

Egmont is a well-known publisher of children’s books in the UK, but when they decided to roll out a USA branch this year, they were gambling. The economy of the book world is suffering, and there are so many great children’s publishers here in the USA. Luckily, Egmont acquired some fabulous titles by authors both new and old for their fall catalog, among them Candor, by first time author Pam Bachorz.

Candor, Florida, is actually the opposite. The whole town is a lie, built upon subliminal messages fed to the population through constant elevator music. Children do what their parents tell them to, put academics first, and are mindful of respectful space in every place. Except for one. Oscar Banks is the son of the founder of Candor, and he’s trained himself to resist the messages when he wants to; most of the time, though, he pretends to be the good teenager he is supposed to be. Until Nia Silva skateboards into town with a can of spray paint and black nail polish, and Oscar can’t stand to see her brainwashed. Will he risk everything for love and freedom?

The idea of people being brainwashed isn’t really new, but I can’t think of any YA fiction that deals with it. I also can’t think of scenarios where people from the inside are doing the rescuing, rather than someone from the outside. There are a lot of very interesting plot elements that made Candor very easy to read. Foremost in my mind is the ending. As I was barreling towards it, I was biting my lip hoping and praying for a certain ending, and Ms. Bachorz gave it to me. I think that the ending (which I will not be revealing) is absolutely perfect and that other authors should take note.

Oscar is a great narrator. I loved seeing the internal struggle against the Messages, and found the whole thing very eery but fascinating. Seeing when he would go along, when he would fight, et cetera. Campbell Banks, Oscar’s Father, was another good one, reminding me of the father from The Compound, although I would have liked a little more of him. Nia was fairly standard, but I enjoyed her more in the second half of the novel. Then, of course, there are Sherman and Mandi, the two that I loved to hate.

With its page-turning suspense and tight plot, Candor was easy to read and very enjoyable. I recommend it for fans of dystopian science fiction and psychological horror especially.

There are also a few reviews that I withheld for months, like Beautiful Creatures and I wonder if I couldn’t have written a better review earlier. ‘Course, I could have written it after reading and scheduled it I suppose.

Opinions? Thoughts? Etc. I especially want thoughts from readers, other bloggers, authors, publishers, editors, and agents. I need as many different views as possible here! Thank you.

by Simmone Howell

Bloomsbury USA, 2008

292 Pages Hardcover

I was mildly intrigued by the cover and flap for this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. Everything Beautiful ended up being a humorous, fresh, and intelligent coming-of-age story.

Riley Rose has been exiled to The Palace of Suckdom, more commonly known as Spirit Ranch. Located in the middle of the Australian wilderness, Spirit Ranch is basically a “Jesus Camp”, and Riley is firmly agnostic, not to mention that she’s going to miss Ben Sebatini’s party. However, Riley is surprised to find not only people at Spirit Ranch who she can call friends, but also Dylan. Dylan is returning to Spirit Ranch this year with a new twist; his legs are paralyzed and he is confined to a wheelchair. Riley finds a kindred spirit in Dylan, and maybe the Palace of Suckdom doesn’t have to suck…

I have to start off by mentioning the cover. Whoever designed it has obviously not read the book. First, the main character is described as being significantly voluptuous; second, at the beginning of the novel Riley cuts off all her hair and dyes it purple. The cover model (which is from stock photography like many YA covers) is not heavy and has shoulder-length brown hair.

Anyway, getting past that. The style and voice of Everything Beautiful are what carries the otherwise simple plot to make the book excellent. While some of the vocabulary was a bit magniloquent, the overall tone is acerbic and witty. Oftentimes simple observations can be very amusing, and such was the case here.

Riley is an interesting character. Many times, a good girl finds a bad boy, but in this case a bad girl finds a bad boy and the combination is fresh and interesting. Despite Dylan’s paraplegia, this book isn’t overly preachy, so that was a nice bonus. Several supporting characters are at first stereotypes, but every single one of them is fleshed out until that is no longer the case. Even the camp counselors have added depth and dimensions so that they are multi-dimensional characters, distinct creations that will stay in your head.

I was not fond of the ending, I must say, but on further consideration I realize that the ending is probably significantly more realistic than the one I would have preferred. Certainly, Riley has grown as a character and discovered who she is and how she fits into the world around her, which is kind of the point of a coming-of-age novel. The ending isn’t sad or happy, because it’s not really and end so much as a beginning.

Overall, Everything Beautiful was an effective narrative combining a vivacious narrator and great characters. Definitely recommended for those that enjoy “issues” novels.

by Amy Goldman Koss

Roaring Brook, October 2006

144 pages, hardcover

ISBN: 978-1596432949

My original review from 2006:

Isabelle wakes up one morning with swollen throat glands. After a doctor’s visit, it is discovered that she has stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a kind of cancer. SIDE EFFECTS is about Izzy’s struggle to survive amidst a crumbling life.

So, a cancer story. She dies, and before that there’s lots of angst and woe, right? WRONG! SIDE EFFECTS, which is based off the author’s experieince with a loved one’s battle, is different. Izzy does not die from the lymphoma (you find that out from the very beginning), for one. Moreover, Izzy is a defiant spirit, and for much of the book she is vibrant and alaive [sic] and just plain FUNNY! She has a quirky attitude and a devil-may-care outlook on life that nis [sic] very refreshing.

The book is paced quite well. At about 140 pages, you won’t get bored. Even if it were three times as long, I doubt I would have cared, as it’s just such a fresh new look and so entertaining. This is a book that you won’t want to put down. And I can’t say I blame you. 5Q, 5P

Three years later, Side Effects is just as funny, moving, and well-told as ever. I enjoyed laughing with Izzie at ridiculous things (peeing into a bowl), I felt miserable when she did (chemo. ew.), and I was amused at some of the antic that she got into (medical marijuana causes the munchies, after all).

I think that the volume’s slim size is just right. While the later parts of the book are actually quite brief, Izzie is so miserably sick that they seem prolonged, and it’s just a relief when it’s all finally over. It’s probably more realistic this way, as well, since the more sick Izzie gets the less will to fight she retains, much like actual cancer patients.

Definitely recommended for fans of books like Tuesdays with Morrie, anyone who likes “issues” books, or anyone who has ever known anyone with cancer.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (#4)

by Jeff Kinney

hardcover, 224 pages

Amulet Books, October 2009

ISBN: 978-0810983915

The latest installment in Jeff Kinney’s inventive bestsellers, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, follows Greg Heffley as he navigates his summer vacation. What starts as a plan to stay inside playing video games may not pan out when Mom and her plans for “family bonding” come along, and a trip to the beach may leave Greg a little shaken from the Cranium Shaker.

Overall, this installment is stronger than the last (Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw) thanks to an overarching theme, but it lacks the punch of the first two. While amusing, I didn’t laugh out loud as many times. Still, the mix of inventive real-life-inspired narrative and amusing caricatures proves as always to be a winning combination. And really, we’ve all been traumatized by those people in the changing room.