Archive for April, 2011The Edgar AwardsFriday, April 29th, 2011Very excited to hear that Steve Hamilton won the 2011 Edgar Award for Best Novel last night. I reviewed The Lock Artist here last year, and it was a popular booktalk in my library this spring. The story has all kinds of teen appeal. It even won an Alex Award. Hamilton was up against some stiff competition, including Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter and Faithful Place. I wrote about the nominations when they were announced in January. The full list of winners can be found on the TheEdgars.com. Trash-to-Treasure PapermakingFriday, April 29th, 2011“Arnold Grummer has been making paper for more than 30 years, first as a faculty member of the Institute of Paper Chemistry, then as curator of the Dard Hunter Paper Museum, and currently as the President of Greg Markim Inc. He has written four books and dozens of articles on paper science and paper crafting. He teaches preschoolers, FBI forensic scientists, printers, artists, and corporate executives about the miracles of fibers and hydrogen bonding in paper.”–from his website. Such an interesting bio! Grummer’s new book releases tomorrow. For teens who enjoy the creative process, this is a high-interest title. The book is a an attractive size and shape, with a terrific variety of page layouts, bright color on every page, and plenty of clear instruction. Amazon.com mistakenly lists this as a title published for ages 9-12. It is an adult publication. (I called the publisher to confirm.) The level is not appropriate for children (as the review also makes clear). GRUMMER, Arnold E. Trash-to-Treasure Papermaking. 208p. Storey. 2011. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-60342-547-6. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Written by an expert with three prior books on papermaking (Tin Can Papermaking, 1992; Arnold Grummer’s Complete Guide to Easy Papermaking, 1999; Arnold Grummer’s Complete Guide to Paper Casting, 2002), this book promotes recycling with a variety of ideas for creating and crafting with homemade paper. In addition to creating paper, texturing, casting, embossing, and watermarking are a few of the processes detailed. A blender is required along with such materials as tin cans, sponges, various screens, and plenty of paper towels. Detailed explanations provide concrete steps to complete the projects. It is the sophisticated vocabulary, and the use of terms specific to papermaking, although defined initially, coupled with directions that are relatively complex that make this an adult book. Certainly the projects are ones that kids would enjoy with direction and supervision, but they are not ones a young person could easily understand or follow on their own. Photographs visually document the step-by-step instructions, depict the projects, or chronicle how to create materials such as a paper press or a pour hand mold. FAQs anticipate challenges and issues. Templates and pictures of numerous creations such as cards, critters and puppets, mobiles, ornaments, coasters, and more demonstrate the artistic potential of papermaking. Grummer’s enthusiasm for the craft and broad knowledge of the subject is evident throughout. A thoughtful list of resources, paper museums, and related books complete the package.–Janet Thompson, Chicago Public Library TouchThursday, April 28th, 2011You may have noticed that I am reading and reviewing the work of more than my share of debut authors this year. This is partly because I was asked to publish an interview with a debut author every other month in the SLJ Teen newsletter, in conjunction with a review on this blog. In case you missed them — so far we have published interviews with Téa Obreht (author of The Tiger’s Wife) and Conor Grennan (author of Little Princes). The next interview will appear in the June 15th newsletter. Now for Touch. I cannot lie, I completely fell under the spell of Alexi Zentner’s debut novel. It is difficult to be objective when a novel impresses to such an extent, and I won’t guarantee that Touch has wide teen appeal. But after a lot of thought and examination, I do believe it should be recommended to young adults who will enjoy it for the elements I list in the review. This book centers on a 40-year old man looking back on a mystery from his youth. Touch could have come across as a group of short stories connected by his life musings, but Zentner’s construction is much more accomplished than that. As an adult, I enjoyed everything about this novel, but teen readers may be put off by the connective musings. It helps that the opening pages start right up with the story of the narrator’s grandfather at age 16. Both its strong sense of place and its larger-than-life characters make this novel immediately engaging. And did I mention the otherworldly creatures?? Interesting to note that Zentner won the O. Henry Award in 2008, for short story writing. Also, both Alexi Zentner and Téa Obreht live in Ithaca, New York. Is there something in the water? ZENTNER, Alexi. Touch. 264p. Norton. 2011. Tr $24.95. ISBN 978-0-393-07987-6. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–Jeannot arrives in the unspoiled north Canada woods at 16, having walked clear across the continent. After a disembodied voice speaks his name, his dog refuses to move from the spot, so he stays to pan the river for gold. His mediocre success attracts enough prospectors to establish the town of Sawgamet, and Jeannot builds a successful logging business. Decades later, his grandson Stephen, the narrator of Touch, returns home to Sawgamet to take over the local parish and sit with his mother during her last days. He relates stories about his grandfather and father and the women they loved, stories of their young adult years that have been told again and again, interspersed with memories of his own childhood. Some of the stories come across as tall tales; Stephen has difficulty “separating the myth from the reality.” Some are passionate, usually tragic, love stories. All serve to illuminate the central mystery of the novel: why Jeannot left Sawgamut as a young man and why he returned 30 years later, when Stephen was a boy. Although the stories take place in the past, they are vivid and thrilling, interspersed with sudden chilling moments of horror. Otherworldly creatures lurk in the woods and in the river, though they are not to be outdone by fire, blizzards, or the dangers of floating logs down the rapid river. Zentner’s flawless, fluid execution allows central moments of life, death, and love to layer into a haunting accumulation. Teens will be attracted to the adventure, passion, tragedy, horror, mystery, and the tales of men who live life to the fullest.–Angela Carstensen, Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York City The Soul MirrorTuesday, April 26th, 2011Today we have a post by our very first guest blogger! I have invited the AB4T reviewers to write a blog post themselves, and Karyn Silverman is the first to take me up on the offer. Enjoy! from Karyn: The Soul Mirror, acclaimed and award winning author Carol Berg’s latest, does something bold and unexpected. It’s the second book in a trilogy, but instead of sticking to what worked in the first, Berg switches it up–from male to female narrator. In the wake of a recent rash of articles purporting to be reviews of A Game of Thrones but actually making outrageous claims about people who read fantasy (trust me: you can’t tell just by looking at us), this gender switch was refreshing. Because according to the Times, girls don’t read fantasy. And yet, here we have a really good story by a woman, featuring a female main character, showing that character on the cover. It’s as if the book is a battle cry: Girls do read fantasy. I’d even argue that in this day and age, everyone reads fantasy; most of my teens cut their teeth on Harry Potter. The teens I know don’t stigmatize based on genre, and yet this myth persists that fantasy is for boys. But where does this idea come from? From the adults and gatekeepers: parents, librarians, journalists, publishers. And it’s time we put this misconception to bed. So consider this your call to action: read The Soul Mirror. Or another good fantasy. Even if you don’t read fantasy. Even if you are not an adolescent boy. (Especially if you are not an adolescent boy!) And then pass it on to another reader, based not on gender but on taste. BERG, Carol. The Soul Mirror. 480p. ROC. 2011. pap. $16. ISBN 978-0-451-46374-6. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–In Berg’s Renaissance-like world, the magic being displaced by reason is quite real, although strangely changed since the wars 300 years ago. When bright, eminently reasonable Anne de Vernase is summoned to court after her sister’s mysterious death, she finds that the intrigue that left her brother imprisoned and her father a convicted traitor four years earlier in The Spirit Lens (Roc, 2010) is perhaps not concluded. The plotting is interlaced with themes of faith versus evidence and magic versus science with undercurrents of romance and quite a few murders. Astute readers will see the truth through Anne’s narration sooner than Anne herself does: she has a powerful latent ability for magic, is neither dull nor plain despite her claims, and is front and center in the mystery. Reluctantly allied with a cast of characters even less open about their true selves, Anne finds herself in peril as she fights to save the world from a mad sorcerer. Although the plot sounds a bit epic, this is mostly a complex fantasy of manners with a side of bloodshed and mystery. Anne is engaging even when she is being annoyingly obtuse, and her journey from sheltered girl to powerful woman and agent of change will resonate with teens (not just girls, despite the poor cover art) who like fantasy. Although this novel can be read alone, it assumes some awareness of the world, and readers who haven’t read the first (in which Anne is a secondary character) might be tempted to go back.–Karyn N. Silverman, LREI (Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School), New York City Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and RedemptionMonday, April 25th, 2011Perhaps posting a review of this book will be somewhat controversial, given the language and topics involve. However, if we’re talking teen appeal there are plenty of readers who will be fascinated by both the criminal and celebrity lifestyles depicted. Tracy Morrow’s path from thief to Grammy-winning rapper musician to television and movie actor is a unique one. The New York Times book review dubs Ice-T “the gangsta rapper even a parent could love.” Late last week the 2011 Street Lit Book Award Medal Winners (for 2010 publications) were announced. The winner is Decoded by Jay-Z. That same NY Times review of Ice compares the two books to say that while Decoded shares little about the artist himself, Ice is the opposite. ICE-T, & Douglas Century. Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption–from South Central to Hollywood. 288p. One World. 2011. Tr $25. ISBN 978-0-345-52328-0. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–To describe this memoir in one word would be to call it “honest.” In a conversational style, the rapper-actor holds nothing back, sharing his opinion on women, homosexuality, and the difference between gangsters, thugs, hustlers, and players. Ice-T grew up in South Central L.A., attending Crenshaw High School when the Crips and Bloods were in all out war. He describes what it took as a teenager in that time to survive. He was respected as a criminal, pulling mainly jewelry and department store robberies, and looks back with nostalgia, explaining his success and acknowledging that it’s a different game today. On the side, he started rapping about the gangster criminal life in clubs and became known on the party scene. While he sold weed, he explains why he never got involved in drugs, and how that decision, along with joining the army when his girlfriend had his baby, saved his life. Ice-T describes how he rejected the criminal life (he had even briefly considered becoming a pimp) and worked to become a pioneering rap star, then founded the band Body Count, which took him to a new level of fame with the controversial song “Cop Killer.” After some movie roles, he landed the part of Fin, playing a detective on Law & Order: SVU for 11 years. His narrative style can be disarming. As expected, the street language is authentic, and he’s not afraid to be politically incorrect–particularly when talking about women. However, fans of rap and hip-hop will be enthralled with his firsthand view of the so-called East Coast-West Coast rap war and his take on Tupac, Jay-Z, and other stars. Ice-T relays his philosophy on life throughout, providing advice on lessons learned that will speak to many teens.–Priscille Dando, Robert E. Lee High School, Fairfax County, VA Thin KimonoSaturday, April 23rd, 2011Here we are , over halfway through National Poetry Month. I look forward to posting poetry reviews here regularly in the future, once or twice a month. We’ve enjoyed a good run of once a week during the month of April, with one week to go! Enjoy this playful, fun collection, quite accessible for younger readers. CRAIG, Michael Earl. Thin Kimono. 105p. Wave. Aug. 2010. Tr $14. ISBN 978-1-933517-46-9. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Craig’s third book of poetry contains many insightful and surprising selections. Rather than being introduced to Japan, readers encounter a trip to the acupuncturist, shoeing horses, and watching an owl at night. The poet makes all of the works interesting. Some are written in paragraphs but read as poetry. Some, such as “This I Believe,” contain amusing thoughts. “I believe in tacos and mortification./I believe that all people fall/into one of two categories: Doonesbury or Far Side./Well, or Andy Capp. Andy Capp type people./They’re everywhere.” Craig works as a farrier in Montana, so it is natural that a man who earns his living shoeing horses would write about the experience. “In the Road” shows that horses even enter his sleep. “I had a dream last night. I dreamt/I was trying to shoe a horse in the road./I’d get under him and swing my hammer/and he’d move his foot, just a little.” His matter-of-fact style may inspire some to try writing about their own experiences. The straightforward poems describe small events and tell part of little stories. In “The Neighbor,” the poet explains that he is writing for himself or for someone like him. Teens who enjoy poetry will want to share Craig’s short, lively poems.–Karlan Sick, formerly at New York Public Library Kiss Me, StrangerThursday, April 21st, 2011Today for something a little different. A short, illustrated, dark-humored novel about surviving a civil war, illustrated by the author, Ron Tanner. Let’s briefly peer behind the curtain. I assign books to each reviewer, usually mailing two at a time. I try to mail one “sure thing” and one…experiment. Something that has potential but could go either way, in quality or teen appeal. A few weeks ago, I was perusing my shelves and this book stuck out. After a little research and a browse through the pages, I decided to send it along with another book that I considered a sure thing. Quite the opposite in both cases, it turned out. I love a pleasant surprise! I’m not sure how many of you have discovered Largehearted Boy’s Book Notes blog entries, in which writers are asked to create a music playlist for their work. Ron Tanner’s playlist is a good place to start. A lot of fun, and revealing of the novel itself. And finally, Ron Tanner writes a blog of his own. He is in the middle of a series of posts titled How to Sell a Book in America. This link will take you to the first, with links to others at the bottom of the page. It is interesting to read his perspective as a debut author working to bring attention to an unusual, but well-reviewed novel. TANNER, Ron. Kiss Me, Stranger: An Illustrated Novel. 171p. Ig. 2011. Tr $14.95. ISBN 978-1-935439-14-2. LC 2010048616. Adult/High School–Tanner’s debut novel opens with such a bizarre mixture of absurdity, revulsion, and humor–a mother, Penelope, feeds her 13 starving children sawdust and socks–that readers might be forgiven for believing that they have stumbled into a Roald Dahl novel (there are even sketchy line drawings reminiscent of Quentin Blake’s work). Penelope, though, is no Dahl-ian villain–she is struggling for her family’s survival through a rebellion in which her husband and eldest son are fighting on opposite sides. The author delicately balances the deadly serious nature of these events with his satirical vision of war. On the one hand, though almost half the novel comprises the stories of Penelope’s husband and son, readers are heartbreakingly aware that these stories are only Penelope’s dreams of events about which she may never learn the truth. On the other is Tanner’s biting version of dystopia–a society not much different from ours that has been slowly crushed by the excesses of a corporatized pleasure principle, recalling such works as Nancy Farmer’s The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm (Orchard, 1994) and Libba Bray’s Beauty Queens (Scholastic, 2011). This vision of society is embodied by the unnamed country’s tyrant, called only “The Man,” who idolizes trashy pop culture, his countless dogs, and Gregory Peck. Tanner’s prose is dense and sometimes challenging, but the power of his vision is undeniable, and as the comparisons to Dahl, Bray, and Farmer should make clear, this novel has plenty of potential for cynical teens everywhere.–Mark Flowers, John Kennedy Library, Solano County, CA Bent RoadWednesday, April 20th, 2011Lori Roy’s new “literary suspense” novel, noteworthy for its midwestern setting and gothic sensibility, has garnered rave reviews all around. This is probably not one that teens will find on their own, so point it out it to readers who love a good, creepy mystery. ROY, Lori. Bent Road. 358p. Dutton. 2011. Tr $25.95. ISBN 978-0-525-95183-4. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–Arthur Scott grew up in a small town in Kansas in the 1950s, but fled to the big city of Detroit after the death of one of his younger sisters, Eve. Now it’s the mid ‘60s, and Detroit has become a dangerous place to live, with race riots and black boys calling his teenage daughter, Elaine, on the telephone. So Arthur packs up his wife, Celia, and their children, Elaine, Daniel, and young Evie, and moves them back to an unexplored familial landscape of pain. No one in the Kansas community, it seems, has forgotten the petite, golden-haired sister who died so mysteriously. And now Arthur’s own daughter Evie evokes memories of the lost girl. The story is told through multiple viewpoints: Daniel, who is becoming a man in this new place of masculine bravado; Evie, fascinated by the clothing of the dead aunt who carried the same name; and Ruth, Arthur’s sister, who married Ray, the brute who loved Eve and may have killed other young blondes in her memory. From this ominous beginning, life on Bent Road becomes increasingly shrouded in long-kept family secrets and violence. Although the teenage daughter is the least-developed character in Arthur’s family, the taut, psychological tension that propels this novel will grip fans of authors such as Dean Koontz and Tana French.–Diane Colson, New Port Richey Library, FL
The Irish PrincessTuesday, April 19th, 2011The prolific Karen Harper has written the perfect historical thriller to satisfy teen fans of the genre, in which a determined young Irish heroine finds herself navigating the intrigues of Henry VIII’s court. I enjoyed the author’s historical page, especially the comparison between a possible portrait of her heroine, Elizabeth Fitzgerald, and the book’s cover image. HARPER, Karen. The Irish Princess: A Novel. 416p. NAL. 2011. pap. $15. ISBN 978-0-451-23282-3. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–The story opens with Gera, knife in hand, ready to plunge it into the swollen, corpulent body of ailing King Henry VIII. It’s sweet revenge for the years of forced exile, the unjust beheading of her uncles and step-brother, and the removal of the Fitzgeralds–the uncrowned Royal Family–from their beloved Ireland. The Irish Princess follows the story of Elizabeth Fitzgerald–Gera–through the years of her exile, arranged marriage, unrequited love for Edward Clinton, Lord High Admiral, and her growing admiration, in spite of herself, for the young Princess Elizabeth. There is nothing better than a historical novel filled with revenge, court intrigue, and a truly great love story; and this novel delivers them all. When it’s based on true history, it’s even better. What brings this Irish rebel into the darkened back room with murder in mind, and will she follow through or will she get caught? Even if one knows how King Henry died, the story is fraught with anxiety for her safety. Gera is a strong-willed, rebellious, and stubborn woman with but one goal in mind: to return to her beloved Ireland and restore the Fitzgerald family to its rightful place. One can almost hear the hue and cry of “A Geraldine! A Geraldine!” as one closes this book at its satisfying end. Perfect for teens who like romance within a historical setting.–Connie Williams, Petaluma High School, CA 13, rue ThérèseMonday, April 18th, 2011The physical creativity and puzzle-like construction of Elena Mauli Shapiro’s debut novel will pique teen interest, as will the embedded QR codes, which enhance the reading experience with online music, food (recipes), maps and 3-D images. Check out the book’s website to view selected “artifacts.” Interesting to consider what a similar book will look like in a few years (or less). In an ebook the QR codes could be replaced by the ability to click on an embedded link within the book itself, saving those extra steps. I imagine a lot of potential. The complex narrative and adult storyline of this complicated novel will not exactly invite the teen reader in. But the book’s visual features may well hold their interest long enough for the story to take hold. SHAPIRO, Elena Mauli. 13, rue Thérèse. 288p. Little, Brown. 2011. Tr $23.99. ISBN 978-0-316-08328-7. LC 2010006269. Adult/High School–Shapiro based 13, rue Therésè on the real-life experience of receiving a box of ephemera belonging to Louise Brunet, who had occupied the apartment above hers at that address. Shapiro weaves a tale of mystery and love around the objects found inside. Set in both present-day and 1920-1940s Paris, the story follows Trevor Stanton, a visiting professor “gifted” with the box by Josianne, the departmental secretary, as he uncovers the various contents and constructs the story behind them. Louise’s life, loves, and passions intrigue Trevor, and he is drawn into her world in mysterious and compulsive ways. While at first he is rather dispassionate about his discoveries, as the book progresses he is increasingly obsessed, ultimately finding snippets of musical scores and other items that were not part of the original contents. His letters to a mysterious “Sir” regarding the box and Louise’s history become more and more fevered, and by the end of the story he has entered Louise’s world… or has he? Is he truly uncovering her life, or is he imagining the story and subtext? Readers will enjoy puzzling over the objects, many of which are reproduced on the pages of the novel itself. This book will appeal to teens who enjoyed Nick Bantock’s “Griffin and Sabine” books (Chronicle), the movie Amélie, Josten Gaarder’s Sophie’s World (Farrar, 1994) or Jennifer Donnelly’s Revolution (Delacorte, 2010).–Laura Pearle, Hackley School, Tarrytown, NY
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