This is the second adult novel by Sara Shepard, popular YA author of the Pretty Little Liars series. First was The Visibles (Free Press, 2010), a coming-of-age that received fine reviews and seems tailor-made for teen readers. Everything We Ever Wanted revolves around a bullying scandal; Shepard’s many fans are sure to be interested.
SHEPARD, Sara. Everything We Ever Wanted. 352p. HarperCollins/Morrow. Nov. 2011. pap. $14.99. ISBN 978-0-06-208006-6. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Spock of Star Trek fame put it best: “…having is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as wanting.” Best known for her teen series of “Pretty Little Liars” books (HarperTeen), Shepard uses sophisticated prose and the aura of old money to illustrate a family’s angst, ennui, and the belief that appearances are everything. Issues of race and class are the underpinnings in this story of a family floundering, trying to be happy and failing miserably, each person absorbed by loneliness and their perceived alienation from the others. The matriarch, Sylvie Bates-McAllister, becomes unanchored after her husband’s sudden death. Their grown sons are drifting; Scott, who was adopted, is coaching wrestling at the private school that is their family’s legacy, and Charlie is unhappily writing advertising copy he doesn’t believe in. Secrets, including the possibilities of an illicit affair and school hazing, splinter the extended family’s oh-so-proper façade. The stifling weight of history and privilege implicit in Roderick, the ancestral home that is their heritage, contrasts sharply with the contemporary suburban Philadelphia setting. Alternating points-of-view from each character slowly fill in the catalysts of their shifting loyalties, exposing their self-deception. Charlie’s wife comes to the realization that, “When we’re alone, it’s almost as if we don’t exist. We have no identity.” Teens who enjoy layered, realistic stories will find much to like here and be able relate to the isolation and longing for connection the characters share.–Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI
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
One of the BookExpo experiences I haven’t written about yet was a program titled YA-to-Adult: An Author Perspective, featuring authors Melissa de la Cruz, Ellen Hopkins and Melissa Marr, moderated by Cathy Berner of Blue Willow Bookshop.
All three popular YA authors have an adult book coming out this year. Graveminder by Melissa Marr was released on May 17th and is the subject of today’s review. Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz (Hyperion) comes out on June 21st, and Triangles by Ellen Hopkins (Atria) on October 18th. I will post reviews of both closer to their publication dates.
The discussion was launched with the inevitable question: Why write an adult novel?
Melissa Marr made it clear that she didn’t make a decision to write an adult novel. She simply wrote the story that came to her. As for what made this one adult, it definitely wasn’t sex or language – staying true to the characters, she found that her adults swore less than her teens. It’s all in the nature of the protagonist’s journey. In this case, it wasn’t a coming of age or about finding oneself.
Marr has noticed how many adults cross over and read her YA books, especially romance readers. She is hoping that her youngest YA readers don’t pick up Graveminder, but otherwise is sure that teens will want to read it. (I’m sure she’s right!) She also revealed that her writing process was very different for this book. This was the first time she wrote from beginning to end in a linear fashion – because it is a mystery, and she wanted to maintain the suspense.
I will save my notes about the other two authors for posts about their novels. Something to look forward to!
By the way, Melissa Marr fans have a lot to look forward to as well. She has a few books in the works, including a middle grade series.
Adult/High School–Three elements drive Marr’s narrative: a small town that isn’t quite normal, a tangled romance, and a dead girl roaming the streets. The novel begins with Byron finding the body of Bek’s grandmother, Maylene, in a pool of blood. This murder brings Bek back to Claysville where Byron and Bek unravel family and town secrets and rekindle their intense relationship. As they try to get the roaming dead girl where she belongs, they find they have inherited a world of the dead that defines the town. Bek is the next in line for the job of Graveminder: the person who keeps the dead in their graves and takes those that haven’t been properly minded to the underworld; and Byron is the Undertaker, the only one who can open the door to the land underneath. While the underworld is expertly imagined, and there is wonderful tension between Byron and Bek, ultimately there’s not much here that’s new and completely engaging. In the underworld, Bek’s senses are heightened dramatically; it’s vibrant and alluring. Even so, when Mr. D, their main contact in the underworld, tries to seduce Bek, it’s unclear why he’d be competition for Byron’s steadfast love and protection. Twilight has more gasps, bites, and smoldering tension. Teen fans of the “Wicked Lovely” series (HarperCollins) will enjoy the creepy gothic vibe yet may be disappointed. There’s little for them to sink their teeth into, and there’s not enough drama to draw uninitiated teen readers to this author.–Amy Cheney, Alameda County Library, CA
Today a review of Jennifer McMahon’s new paperback original.
I quite enjoyed her 2007 coming-of-age novel, Promise Not to Tell (Harper), so I was happy to see that this one also has teen potential. Both novels will appeal to teens who enjoy a good, creepy mystery.
MCMAHON, Jennifer. Don’t Breathe a Word. 464p. Harper. 2011. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-06-168937-6. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Twelve-year-old Lisa wants to meet the King of the Fairies and has been exchanging gifts with him in the woods near her Vermont home. Her subsequent disappearance rocks her small town. Did she cross over to the land of the fairies and become Queen as she wished, or did she meet a more realistic, horrible fate? Fifteen years later, Sam, Lisa’s brother, a dedicated realist, thinks she is dead. Phoebe, his girlfriend, isn’t as sure. When they get a message from someone purporting to be Lisa, they embark on a crazy journey that turns their worlds upside down. Dual first-person points-of-view from both Lisa (15 years ago) and Phoebe (in the present day) draw together complex, parallel stories that seem to come to a conclusion only to open the possibility, once again, that things are not what they seem; that there’s something quite off-kilter in the world. This dark, psychological thriller has a conspiracy theme reminiscent of Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby (Random, 1967) and layers of red herrings, each one spiraling back on itself. Recommended for teens who enjoy dark fantasy and mysteries.–Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI
“On May 13, 1945, twenty-four officers and enlisted men and women stationed on what was then Dutch New Guinea boarded a transport plane for a sightseeing trip over “Shangri-La,” a beautiful and mysterious valley surrounded by steep, jagged mountain peaks deep within the island’s uncharted jungle. But the pleasure tour became an unforgettable battle for survival when the plane crashed.” This excerpt from the publisher description provides a mere introduction to the fascinating nonfiction title being reviewed today.
Michael Zuckoff’s adventure story has been garnering raves and tons of press, including a segment on NPR’s All Things Considered.
The author’s website includes a video full of old photographs and the reproduction of a comic that was created in 1945 to describe the experience.
Give this to young readers who enjoyed Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand or Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson.
ZUCKOFF, Mitchell. Lost in Shangri-La: The Epic True Story of a Plane Crash into the Stone Age. 400p. Harper. 2011. Tr $26.99. ISBN 978-0-06-198834-9. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–This gripping book, dubbed “the last untold story of World War II,” tells of three people who survived a plane crash in New Guinea. In a remote jungle, they discovered cannibalistic natives as well as their own survival skills. Margaret Hastings, 30, volunteered for military service because she longed for adventure. She got more than she bargained for. After surviving the plane wreck, and watching friends die, she suffered gangrene and lived without food and medicine for weeks. Luckily, the natives became less threatening when Hastings and her friends learned to communicate with them, and the friends were successful at protecting each other. Although there are no teenagers in this story, Hastings–resilient, courageous, funny–will appeal to teen readers. The story of her struggle for survival is intense and raw, with many stomach-churning scenes. Many teens enjoy graphic scenes, so it is easy to imagine this book, with all of its mentions of rotting flesh and amputation, as being admired by this readership. Unfortunately, the second half of the book is much slower than the first. Once the plane crash survivors have made contact with a rescue team, the tension fizzles. Only students with a deep curiosity in aviation or the military will be interested in the long, drawn-out chapters that focus on the rescue team and the logistics of their mission. Despite this criticism, the book deserves a place in libraries that want to showcase dramatic historical moments and the achievements of women in the military.–Jess deCourcy Hinds, Bard H.S. Early College, Queens, NY
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.
