My Life in…

If you haven’t read Suite Scarlett, you need to read that first because the strength of this book is the characters and you need the backstory to really care about the Martin family. This is a solid continuation that leaves room for more.

Stork is just an incredible writer. I loved Marcelo in the Real World and this one is just as strong. The characters are rich, flawed and believable, and even though Pancho is initially reluctant to deviate from his revenge plot and let people in, you are instantly captivated by his story. This one will make the Mock Printz lists this year.

Reviewed from ARC provided by Scholastic at ALA Midwinter

The summary makes the book sound dry and preachy but it is absolutely a character driven novel and not a problem novel or religious screed. Saving Maddie is wonderful for one reason: Madeline. The character is so lovely and so well written. You feel for her completely throughout the book. My only complaint is that Joshua is a little bit TOO good in the beginning. Even a kid trying desperately to live up to his family’s (and the Bible’s) standards is going to fail sometimes; he didn’t have to be THAT good to have his changes be shocking to his parents. Their relationship feels very authentic though and you can see why the two of them are attracted to each other despite their differences.

As soon as I finished, I thought that this book desperately needs a sequel from Maddie’s POV. I mentioned this on Twitter and Varian responded that there’s one in the works!

Reviewed from ARC provided by Random House at ALA Midwinter

Struts and Frets didn’t wow me in the beginning and I almost stopped reading it. I think I do need to stop reading books about teen music fans as the band choices the author makes always annoy me (I just saw the Pixies in concert two months ago, and at 27 I was the youngest person in the room - but they’re famous enough that I can almost be persuaded a current high school student might know them. But Jesus and Mary Chain? Teens can be hip music fans without knowing the hip music of the author’s childhood).

In spite of this, I kept reading and really enjoyed this novel in the end. The things I liked most are:

1.) The romance was well-described, resolved relatively early in the book, and was flawed in a good way.
2.) The grandfather’s storyline - I loved the relationship the grandfather has with Sammy and how it progresses throughout the story. The resolution was surprising, yet fitting. And I completely bought Sammy’s jazz knowledge as a result of his relationship with the grandfather.
3.) Jen5’s father - another surprising and unique character.
4.) The resolution of the band storyline. I liked Sammy’s choices regarding crazy, angry Joe and I thought it was appropriate how it turned out.

The resolution to the novel definitely proved my initial reaction wrong and I’m glad I stuck with this moving story.

I’m not 100% sure this sequel was necessary, but I enjoyed knowing what happened next and was glad that Pfeffer found a way to tie the two storylines together in a way that made sense (I think strangers would band together as they journey to find a place where they can live and create this fictive kinships that are hard to break even if they try to resist). There was a scene in this book that was so horrifying I had trouble sleeping after reading it. I cried my eyes out at the end of it. If you haven’t read this series, start now with book one. You won’t regret it.

Reviewed from ARC sent by the author in a blog raffle. Thanks!

I loved Criss Cross and All Alone at the end of the Universe, but this book did not work for me. Perkins is a master of the whimsical tale of chance and coincidence, which works very well in her middle grade novels. When applied to a teenage protagonist, the main character’s lack of action just becomes frustrating. I enjoyed the characters that populated the novel but the journey to get to them was too unrealistic and wearisome.

Reviewed from ARC provided by HarperCollins at ALA Midwinter

The plot description really oversimplifies this powerful book. The characterization of the three sisters is incredible and all three girls sound unique throughout the alternating narratives. There’s a lot of humor in addition to some of the more serious issues the girls face. Although the sisters have a lot of typical sibling banter, there is a real affection underneath it that is lovely to read. This book reminded me of Bras and Broomsticks for older readers in the sense that the powers these girls have affect their ordinary lives. It’s a little more serious than that series, but will appeal to realistic fiction fans. This is definitely one of my favorite books of the year.

Reviewed from ARC provided by Penguin at ALA Midwinter

The storyline strains some credibility (what parent would let their sixteen year old bike ride across the country alone?) but the story is thoughtful and interesting. The two storylines weave together nicely and create a much more powerful storyline than if they were written chronologically. I typically read a few GLBT books per year but I didn’t actually realize this was a GLBT book when I picked it up (I just thought it had a great title), so that was a nice thing to see.

Reviewed from ARC provided by Penguin at ALA Midwinter