You know you’ve discovered Adult-Books-4-Teens gold when an author takes the time to assure readers that he has not written a YA novel. Lev AC Rosen posted the following note on his website homepage:
“Note from the author: A lot of people who have approached me or emailed me about the book seem to be working from the assumption that it is a Young Adult book, and I feel I should state, for the record, that it is not intended as YA. Certainly, there is some crossover appeal, and yes, the protagonist is 17 and in college, but there’s more than a fair amount of bad language, and some sexual content as well. My publicist says that in her opinion it’s for High School and up, and I’m inclined to agree, in general. Obviously, some kids aren’t going to be mature enough for this in high school, and some might be mature enough before. And of course, I think anyone who wants to read it and feels they are mature enough should do so, but I feel it needs to be emphasized: this is not intended as YA.”
Interesting. I think the issue is likely the cover art — it does look quite young. He is probably concerned that an unsuspecting 7th or 8th grader is going to get more than he or she bargained for. He is certainly correct to say that there is crossover appeal — this is exactly the sort of adult book that teen readers enjoy. Accessible writing, imaginative plot, charming characters, a hint of conspiracy. It’s all here.
Rosen’s site offers a preview (the first two chapters), as well as a definition of steampunk for the uninitiated. His bio reveals that he has already written the sequel.
ROSEN, Lev AC. All Men of Genius. 462p. Tor. 2011. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-0-7653-2794-9. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–The Importance of Being Earnest meets Twelfth Night in this steampunk fantasy. Violet Adams obsessed with science and inventions, but in Victorian England, there aren’t many doors open to young women. Certainly not the doors to Illyria, the science college. What else is a girl genius to do? She swaps identity with her twin brother, Ashton–a fabulously gay blade who is witty and sharp as a tack–and heads off to Illyria, immersing herself in the life of a young male college student while trying to dodge the innocent advances of Cecily, the Duke of Illyria’s ward, herself a smart young inventor. The problem, of course, is that Violet is falling for the duke, who is worried that his attraction to her is not acceptable, or “inverted.” This tale of cross dressing, science, romance, and rampaging automatons, complete with a host of quirky professors who might remind readers of those in the “Harry Potter” series, will delight teens, as will the rough and tumble descriptions of college life, with the young men’s focus on sex and drinking. Rosen’s wonderfully inventive vision of Victorian-era London has just enough staples of steampunk–automatons, super-light airships, and analog computers (the inventor of the first computer, Ada Lovelace, is a wonderful character here). The romance will appeal to fans of Gail Carriger’s “Parasol Protectorate” series (Orbit). The villain, the blackmailing Malcolm Volio, is a bit underdeveloped and so his comeuppance feels a little less than satisfactory. Otherwise, a brilliantly fun novel.–Caroline Bartels, Horace Mann School, Bronx, NY
I had the chance to meet Laura Lippman briefly at ALA last summer, and she spoke about the fact that this is the first book she has set in Dickeyville, the part of Baltimore that she knows best, the corner of the city in which she grew up. As a child, she and her friends played in Leakin Park, which in the 70’s was legend for being the place where dead bodies were disposed of. During that time, it was rare that groups of kids out playing were supervised by adults.
All of this comes to play in The Most Dangerous Thing, a mystery that focuses on how the adolescent actions of five childhood friends impact their adult lives. Adolescents who spend their time in and around Dickeyville and Leakin Park.
To hear Lippman talk about this time, and her training as a journalist, (eventually as a reporter with the Baltimore Sun), tune into her interview on the Diane Reams show.
Lippman is known for her Tess Monaghan series and equally celebrated stand-alone novels (What the Dead Know, Life Sentences, I’d Know You Anywhere, etc.). Her homepage provides clear lists of which books are which. Lippman has won virtually every major U.S. crime writing award, including the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Agatha Award, Nero Wolfe Award, Shamus Award, and the Quill Award.
LIPPMAN, Laura. The Most Dangerous Thing. 342p. HarperCollins. 2011. Tr $25.99. ISBN 978-0-06-172651-6. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Secrets change lives, and Lippman’s new stand-alone novel features two secrets among different groups–childhood friends and their parents. The three Halloran brothers didn’t know how to handle pretty Gwen and tomboy Mickey when they crashed their kickball game, but soon the five of them are an exclusive group. In the days when seeing lightening bugs meant it was time to head home, the friends find themselves exploring the woods, daring each other to forge deeper. They discover a broken down cabin and a possibly deranged man they name Chicken George. For the rest of the summer they escape to the cabin whenever they can, loving the thrill of doing what their parents would surely forbid. Romantic feelings blossom among the group and jealousy simmers below the surface until one night something horrible happens. They band together to tell an altered story to their parents, and Chicken George ends up dead. Decades later the friends have split apart, but all have kept the secret, until Go-Go, the youngest, dies in a way that suggests suicide. It seems the parents kept their own secret, and now there’s no stopping the consequences. Lippman takes a common set-up–the secret pact to conceal a tragedy–and freshens it up with complex characters. The narrative flashbacks and varying points of view include significant time on middle-aged characters, and may be challenging to follow for some readers, but the sinister undertones and theme of sexual tensions keep the pages turning.–Priscille Dando, Robert E. Lee High School, Fairfax County, VA
Certainly one of the most buzzed-about books of the fall, Chad Harbach’s debut is a generous old-fashioned novel of baseball and literature at a small Wisconsin college. Diane’s review really says it all as far as teen appeal goes, so I will leave it to her.
Variety reports that The Art of Fielding has been optioned by HBO for a series.
For more, take a look at this WSJ Speakeasy interview with the author.
HARBACH, Chad. The Art of Fielding. 512p. Little, Brown. 2011. Tr $25.99. ISBN 978-0-316-12669-4. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–When Henry Skrimshander plays shortstop, it’s like watching fine ballet. His mystical ability attracts the attention of Mike Schwartz, a baseball player from tiny Westish College, who acts as the de facto recruiter for the team. So Henry arrives at Westish to begin his freshperson year, armed with his trusty baseball glove, Zero, and his battered copy of The Art of Fielding, written by Henry’s idol, Aparicio Rodriguez. Rodriguez, a legendary shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals, holds the record for consecutive errorless games, which Henry may break. If he doesn’t choke, that is. Choking is something of a theme in this wonderful novel. Westish President Affenlight is choking back his love for Henry’s roommate, Owen, a Zenlike boy who is affectionately dubbed “Buddah.” Affenlight’s daughter, Pella, is choking on the challenge of finding her own path after she flees her stifling marriage. And Henry does choke, on the field and in life, as his magical baseball abilities seem to disappear. Teens who like baseball, or any sport, will appreciate the rough camaraderie of the team and the pressure on an athlete to perform perfectly. There is plenty of romance as well. The book is filled with literary allusions, particularly to the works of Melville, but it is also funny, bittersweet, and peppered with kooky plot twists that keep readers entranced. This is a great introduction to modern writers who blend the everyday with the philosophical, such as Jonathan Franzen or Tom Perrotta.–Diane Colson, formerly of New Port Richey Library, FL
Anna Solomon has a fun story about coming across the idea for The Little Bride. She was googling herself, and found a woman named Anna Solomon Freudenthal who was a Jewish pioneer in the 19th century.
The launch party for The Little Bride was held at the Tenement Museum. Although not found on most tourist agendas for New York City, it is a fascinating place and a wonderfully appropriate venue for a book about a young woman immigrating to the United States. Next time you’re in the city, take a tour!
Twice the winner of a Pushcart Prize for her short fiction, this is Solomon’s first novel.
SOLOMON, Anna. The Little Bride. 312p. Riverhead. 2011. pap. $15. ISBN 978-1594485350. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School– In late 19th-century Russia, Minna Losk carries the stigma of family disgrace. If only she can manage a lasting marriage, she knows she can find redemption and a chance to live for herself, a luxury she was denied when she lost her parents. A 16-year-old servant, she longs to escape draining physical labor and the horrors of the pogroms. Hoping for a new life in America, Minna signs with Rosenfeld’s Bridal Service. After enduring a probing physical and psychological exam, she’s declared fit for a match and sent to the hardscrabble South Dakota Territory. Her husband-to-be falls far short of her dreams; devoutly Orthodox Max is more than twice her age. He is more suited to Talmudic study than farming, and his homesteading abilities are sorely lacking. His teenage sons look to a more skilled, Christian neighbor as a role model. Minna struggles to make house in a crude one-room dugout while submitting to her spousal obligations. Her mind races. Will Max turn her out when she fails to bear a child? Does he realize she doesn’t pray? Worst of all, does he see that she’s in love with his oldest son? First-time novelist Solomon fully fleshes out all of her characters, making them believable and sympathetic. The Little Bride explores themes of love, family, community, and the consequences of fervent belief. What will God forgive? Solomon turns her extensive research on Jewish homesteaders into fascinating, page-turning historical fiction. Rich in language and detail, this novel will appeal to teens who enjoyed Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books and are ready for more adult storytelling.–Paula J. Gallagher, Baltimore County Public Library, MD
Alice Hoffman’s new novel is, overall, a departure for the popular author which nevertheless retains her favorite elements. The Dovekeepers is weighty historical fiction that features strong women and a touch of magic. It centers on the Roman siege and tragedy at Masada 2,000 years ago, told in the voices of four women who tend the doves in the mountain fortress.
This is a special book for Hoffman, and she devoted years to its research and writing. For more on what inspired her interest in Masada, take a look at this letter to her readers or listen to her tell the story on video, including images of the dovecote ruins.
Obviously, this is not a book that will appeal to the majority of teens. But do offer it to those who enjoy history, those interested in what life was like during biblical times, mature readers who relish excellent writing, and fans excited to follow Alice Hoffman into new territory.
HOFFMAN, Alice. The Dovekeepers: A Novel. 504p. Scribner. 2011. Tr $27. ISBN 978-1-4516-1747-4. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–In 70 C.E. time is running out for the Jews holding against the superior forces of the Roman Army. Jerusalem has fallen, and now Roman attention is turned to the 900 Jewish rebels who fled to the mountain stronghold of Masada. Among the turmoil and anguish are four women assigned to be dovekeepers in this stark, fateful place. Yael is raised by a father who blames her for her mother’s death and refuses to acknowledge her; Revka arrives with her traumatized grandsons who no longer speak after the brutal death of their mother. Aziza, raised as a boy to become an accomplished soldier, walks a fine line between womanhood and her abilities as a warrior; and Shirah, born into a pagan world that celebrates women’s strength, spirit ,and magic, is now despised by priests and all who forswore pagan ways. These women struggle to accept themselves, even as desperate events force them to desperate measures. The story of the downfall at Masada is an amazing story of a people who faced down their enemies with the sheer force of their will. Hoffman succeeds in creating a cross section of characters who embody differing worldviews of the time, allowing readers to more fully understand the decisions each woman made as she found her way to the desert stronghold. This is an intense novel of history, women’s spirituality, desperation, Jewish culture, and survival. For teens who delve deeply into history or who think about religion, culture, or social customs, this is an excellent recommendation.–Connie Williams, Petaluma High School, CA
Jay Heinrichs new book follows his first, Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion (Three Rivers, 2007). Word Hero is a colorful paperback original with a sense of humor and its own website.
Heinrichs also publishes an impressive language blog, Figarospeech.com.
For teens working to become better speakers and writers, whether for debate team, forensics, mock trial, or any number of other activities, this book is an effective tool which also aims to entertain.
HEINRICHS, Jay. Word Hero: A Fiendishly Clever Guide to Crafting Line that Get Laughs, Go Viral, and Live Forever. 352p. Three Rivers. 2011. pap. $14. ISBN 978-0-307-71636-1. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Heinrichs’ book teaches students of rhetoric and English how to use onomatopoeia, alliteration, hyperbole, and just about every other trick. Filled with references from popular culture (think Glee’s Sue Sylvester, Yogi Berra, Good Night, Moon, Harry Potter, and Jon Stewart), the example-rich chapters are followed by exercises to help readers integrate the various techniques into their writing and speech making. One technique Heinrichs recommends is using the “Mad Libs” approach to writing – take a memorable sentence or phrase and plug in your own words to create a new, equally memorable sentence or phrase. The appendixes are extremely valuable, listing the various tools, when to use them, and showing how they’re used throughout the book. This will be of interest to readers on debate teams or in creative-writing classes, as well as to anyone needing a few pointers to make their speech stand out. For anyone fascinated by fun, fantastic, and frivolous words, or for those who want to give speeches where the susurration of their words causes listeners’ hearts to thud, this is the book.–Laura Pearle, Venn Consultants, Carmel, NY
“When she woke, she was red.” From the very first sentence, Hillary Jordan’s sophomore effort starts off strong and never lets up. Jordan debuted with Mudbound (Algonquin, 2008), winner of a 2009 Alex Award. When She Woke has even more teen appeal. In this case the protagonist, Hannah Payne, is barely past her teen years, and her action-packed journey precipitates a coming-of-age.
In my review, I mention parallels with The Scarlet Letter. I have to admit that I was too busy racing through the novel the first time to take serious notice. I love a good, character-driven dystopian novel. (The Handmaid’s Tale is one of my all-time favorite books.) A more leisurely, review-writing-inspired second reading was even more enjoyable, and the surface parallels easily stood out. From the heroine’s initials, to the title of Part I (“The Scaffold”), to Hannah’s affair with a man of God, to branding as punishment. I would hate to ruin all the fun, so I will leave the rest to your own discovery.
One of the things that makes this novel particularly effective is how similar Hannah’s world is to our own. It has grown out of our current problems. In When She Woke, America is recovering from the Second Great Depression, and many of the decisions made during that period are wreaking havoc with personal freedoms and privacy. (Libraries and the freedom to read play a role in Hannah’s story, too.) Even before she committed a crime, Hannah’s life was strictly controlled.
Teens will see the (many) provocative issues raised in the narrative right away. Pairing this novel with any number of books with similar themes, from racism to the separation of church and state, in an upper-level high school literature course would make for lively discussion. Choosing it for a criminal justice, social justice, or sociology course would be equally exciting. And I guarantee that young adults reading this for fun will want to talk about it.
JORDAN, Hillary. When She Woke. 352p. Algonquin. 2011. Tr $24.95. ISBN 978-1-56512-629-9. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Hannah Payne, barely out of her teens, wakes up in a white room lined with mirrors that accentuate her bright red skin. Cameras broadcast her every move. In the aftermath of the Second Great Depression, nonviolent criminals undergo melachroming. Red for murder. Yellow for a misdemeanor. Blue for child molestation. When She Woke wears its dystopian setting lightly. The focus is Hannah, whose strict evangelical, sheltered Texas upbringing fails to prevent her from falling in love with the leader of her (mega)church, Reverend Aidan Dale. Terminating her pregnancy in order to protect his reputation lands her a 16-year sentence as a Red, a nonviolent murderer. After the Great Scourge left many women sterile, Roe v. Wade was reversed and Sanctity of Life laws passed in 40 states. After 30 days of public humiliation in prison, Hannah is released back into the world and seeks refuge at the Straight Path Center, hoping to find her way back to God. Terrible treatment causes her to flee, and she is eventually taken into a kind of underground railroad that carries her north where she might pursue a more normal life. As Hannah begins making her own choices for the first time, she becomes stronger. Issues from racism to the criminal justice system, the nature of God, free will, privacy, and the death penalty come up as a natural result of Hannah’s personal awakening and harrowing journey. Even though the last 60 pages are too coincidental and forced, the ending itself is satisfying and realistic. Initially reminiscent of The Scarlet Letter (and literary teens will enjoy tracing the parallels), the story more closely resembles Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.–Angela Carstensen, Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York City
Welcome to October, the month of Halloween and horror fiction. We begin with a ghost story by Chris Bohjalian.
Justin Cronin, author of The Passage, wrote a guest review on Amazon.com. Just what is The Night Strangers? “It’s a psychological thriller. It’s a domestic drama, the story of a family coping with the aftermath of dislocation and disaster. It’s a book about a specifically American locale, in this case a small town in a remote corner of New Hampshire. It’s a classic New England ghost story.”
Bohjalian has written other books with teen appeal, including Secrets of Eden (Crown, 2010), The Double Bind (Crown, 2007), and Before You Know Kindness (Shaye Areheart, 2004). I find his unreliable narrators fascinating, and especially enjoy his use of The Great Gatsby in my personal favorite, The Double Bind.
BOHJALIAN, Chris. The Night Strangers. 400p. Crown. Oct. 2011. Tr $25. ISBN 978-0-307-39499-6. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Horror can begin on the most ordinary of days. For Chip Linton, piloting a routine flight from Philadelphia to Burlington, it began with geese. Geese that covered the plane and choked the engines, forcing an emergency landing on Lake Champlain. If Chip could have guided the plane into a clean landing, the horror would have ended there. But it was not a clean landing. Thirty-nine passengers died, including a young girl and her grief-stricken father, and a woman who had been in Philadelphia for a job interview. Chip would meet these tormented souls again, over and over, in the dark months ahead. He and his wife, along with their 10-year-old twin daughters, try to start again by moving into an old house in isolated North New Hampshire. It’s a strange house with a dark secret in its past, centered on the mysterious door in the basement secured by 39 carriage bolts. Bohjalian, a magician of a storyteller, relates the ensuing months with taut menace. There are the oddly well-meaning neighbors who are excessively interested in the twins. And Chip’s nighttime wanderings, when the ghosts of dead passengers beg him to commit a terrible crime. This is a book for teens who want something scary, something that will keep them reading long into the night. Like Jodi Picoult, Bouhjalian is an author whom readers will continue to follow past the teen years.–Diane Colson, New Port Richey Library, FL
Stacy Carlson’s debut novel is set in P.T. Barnum’s American Museum.
I can’t introduce this book without mentioning another: The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P.T. Barnum by Candace Fleming (Schwartz & Wade, 2009). Before I read it I knew next to nothing about the American Museum, and I cannot imagine a better introduction. This is one of those books that appeals to any age. Yes, it is written for a young teen, but it is so engaging and informative, and its subject matter so naturally appealing, that I hand it to older teens and adults too.
I was especially struck by the fact that Barnum kept his own office in the Museum. He was a sort of exhibit or oddity himself. His fame was such that museum goers would stop and watch him work or hope to engage him in conversation as he mingled in the exhibits.
Now, here is a novel that brings this world, its people, setting and time period, to life.
CARLSON, Stacy. Among the Wonderful. 464p. Steerforth. 2011. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-1-58642-184-7. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Many teens have heard of P.T. Barnum and his circus (and his “there’s a sucker born every minute” motto) but how many know about his American Museum? In this book, which is based on the real American Museum and told from the viewpoints of several characters, readers can step into the world of early 19th-century New York and experience it for themselves. The two main characters are Emile Galliadeu, a taxidermist “inherited” by Barnum when he purchased the existing museum from John Scudder, who established it to highlight the best in American wildlife and fauna; and Ana Swift, a professional giantess. The tensions between the old-fashioned scientific method (as espoused by Galliadeu) and the weird and wonderful (Swift) are highlighted as Barnum continues to collect items–and people–from around the world. Imagine opening a crate and seeing a stuffed animal, one foot long, with “a dense coat… round head… tail like a beavers… but rounded… [feet] fully webbed”; living on a museum floor that contains a tank for a beluga whale and houses Indians, a bearded lady, another giant; and battling and drunken Siamese twins. That’s the world of the American Museum. This book will appeal to those interested in Barnum, taxidermy, “freak” shows, and life in 1840s New York City. Readers should also go to CUNY’s American Museum webpage to visit the exhibits, at http://chnm.gmu.edu/lostmuseum/lm/163/.— Laura Pearle, Venn Consultants, Carmel, NY
For her latest mystery, the consistently excellent Lisa Unger returns to The Hollows, the small town setting of Fragile, which we reviewed here last year.
UNGER, Lisa. Darkness, My Old Friend. 368p. Crown. 2011. Tr $24. ISBN 978-0-307-46499-6. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Unger’s follow up to Fragile (Crown, 2010) takes place in the same fictional small town, and again focuses on psychiatrist Maggie and now-retired police chief Jones, while teen characters are integral to the plot. Maggie’s patient Willow has moved to The Hollows after a troubled time in New York. Her adjustment to rural life is fraught with self-doubt and depression, and her only friends are “bad girl” Jolie and potential boyfriend, Cole. Cole has his own troubles with a missing mother (who Jones has been hired to find), and a father who may actually be a sociopath. Willow runs from problems, literally, and during one such episode she discovers a man in the woods who may or may not be digging up a body. It turns out that his mother went missing years ago, and Jones was never able to solve the case. Jones and Maggie are the hub connecting several story lines. Unger allows readers to get to know the players first, and the mystery unravels as characters start to show their true selves. The shifting point of view is particularly compelling when focused on Willow, who made a devastating mistake at her previous school and is now struggling to regain her confidence. The characterization is genuine and the themes of recovering from the past and developing individual identity not only make this a more thoughtful mystery than most, but also focus on issues and emotions that teens experience in their daily lives.–Priscille Dando, Robert E. Lee High School, Fairfax County, VA
Angela Carstensen is Head Librarian and an Upper School Librarian at Convent of the Sacred Heart in New York City. Angela served on the Alex Awards committee for four years, chairing the 2008 committee, and chaired the first YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adult committee in 2009. Recently, she edited Outstanding Books for the College Bound: Titles and Programs for a New Generation (ALA Editions, 2011). Contact her via Twitter @AngeReads.
