ALAN Online

Reviewed This Month:

• The Adoration of Jenna Fox Mary E. Pearson
• The Calder Game by Blue Balliett
• Chasing Normal by Lisa Papademetriou
• Forever Rose by Hilary McKay
• The Girl Who Saw Lions by Berlie Doherty
• In Mozart’s Shadow by Carolyn Meyer
• Little Audrey by Ruth White
• Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
• Skin Deep by E.M. Crane
• Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George
• Two Girls of Gettysburg by Lisa Klein
• Tunnels by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams
  

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Henry Holt and Company, 2008, 266 pp., $16.95
Science Fiction/Illness
ISBN: 978-0-8050-7668-4

Jenna Fox isn’t clear about much. Ever since she awoke from a coma, she doesn’t know who she is or why she only has brief images of fleeting memories. She knows that she lives in a house with her mother, Claire, and grandmother, Lily. She watches meticulously filmed videos of each year of her life in hopes of figuring out who Jenna Fox is. She yearns for friends and gathers a few, but at a high cost. When she finds out she was in an accident, the pieces begin falling into place, and what she finds out is not easy for her to accept.

Mary E. Pearson has truly created a riveting tale that takes place in a future world. Her characters are charming and leave the reader cheering for them. The Adoration of Jenna Fox ends with more questions than it answers. But they are well worth pondering.

Reviewed by Cynthia Mitchell, Satellite Beach, FL

The Calder Game by Blue Balliett

Scholastic, 2008, 379 pp., $17.99

Mystery/ Detective Stories

ISBN: 978-0-439-85207-4

Calder Pillay is going to England on a business trip with his father. For a twelve-year-old kid from Chicago, it is a welcomed break from the repetitiveness of Ms. Buttons’ seventh-grade class at University School. However, in the small unfamiliar confines of Woodstock, Calder finds an artifact that brings him right back home—a modernist sculpture of a Minotaur by the artist Alexander Calder, which Calder is named after; and it has been placed in the town square of the small village. The townspeople are displeased with the gift, which has been given to the village anonymously. Being a lover of Alexander Calder’s art and ready for an adventure, Calder investigates the strange happenings and secrecy of Woodstock. Then, Calder disappears, without a trace. Next, the sculpture is stolen. Everyone is a prime suspect. Could it be the young photographer who has been taking pictures around town? Could it be her tough abrasive father? Maybe the mysterious man in the black jacket, who has been wandering through Woodstock the past few days?

With the help of Calder’s best friends, Petra and Tommy, and a trusted babysitter, Calder’s father begins searching for the missing boy. Did Calder see the thief, resulting in his kidnapping? By investigating the storied grounds of a small English town, these two intellectual kids from Chicago begin to fit the puzzle together. This suspenseful and detailed novel is appealing to all junior detectives. Complex, intellectual characters, along with great attention to detail make Balliet’s novel a great show of the power of teamwork and friendship.

Reviewed by Raymond Engle, Dayton, OH

Chasing Normal by Lisa Papademetriou

Hyperion Books for Children, 2008, 193 pp., $15.99

Adolescent Relationships/Family Relations

ISBN: 978-1-4231-0340-0

Is living in a cramped Boston apartment with a father who is a starving artist normal? Is a non-Christian preteen attending an Episcopalian camp normal? Is living with relatives who can purchase name-brand clothes without devoting a moment’s thought to cost normal? Are trying to relate to a hateful grandmother and not having close contact with your own mother normal? When Meeka and her father make an extended visit to their relatives’ house in an effort to establish a relationship with Meeka’s ailing grandmother, Meeka must discern what normal means. In working through this process, Meeka realizes that what appears to be normal isn’t necessarily what is best. She also learns that sometimes flaws can enhance beauty. More importantly, however, she comes to understand the true meaning of family, love, and friendship.

Reviewed by Maria Cahill, Johnson City, TN

Forever Rose by Hilary McKay

Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2008, 291 pp., $16.99

Coming-of-age/Family Relationships

ISBN-13: 978-1-4169-5486-6

ISBN-10: 1-4169-5486-4

Adolescence is not easy. However, it is even harder when your father finds work hours away; your mother spends all her time immersed in art; your siblings are too busy with their own lives to make time for you, and your friends are always coming up with crazy, harebrained ideas. But this is normal for Rose.

Just as Rose is growing accustomed to being the only family member at home, her best friend, Molly, comes up with an adventurous and dangerous scheme. Little do the girls know that this plan will not only get them away from their horrid teacher, Mr. Spencer, but it will be the catalyst for a chain of events that none of the girls could have ever imagined, especially Rose. Who would have thought that the zoo, an arctic fox den and three daring girls could change so many lives!

Written with the sarcasm and spunk of a sixth grader, McKay’s latest novel comes to life and illuminates Rose’s memorable journey. The idea of what might happen if you spent the night in an arctic fox den, as well, resonates long after the last page has been read.

Reviewed by Holly Weber, Dallas, GA

The Girl Who Saw Lions by Berlie Doherty

Roaring Brook Press, 2007, 249 pp., $16.95

Survival/Cultural Awareness/AIDS

ISBN: 1-59643-377-9

Abela and Rosa, two girls from different backgrounds, struggle to find hope and identity in a world of unpredictable realities. Abela, a nine-year-old girl from Tanzania, suffers when her parents and younger sister die from AIDS, an illness she and the rest of those in her village do not completely understand. She then gets mixed up in her Uncle Thomas’ illegal schemes to leave the country and winds up in England alone. Rosa, a thirteen-year-old girl from Sheffield, England, tries to understand why her mother wants to adopt another girl. She feels betrayed and unloved.

This beautifully written novel brings Abela and Rosa together through a long, and often surprising, narrative. Doherty switches between the girls’ voices with ease and creativity. I was struck by how much I truly felt for these characters, whose experiences were both unique and universal at the same time. One of Doherty’s strengths is her ability to deal with very serious issues like HIV/AIDS and illegal immigration, while remaining lighthearted and often humorous. The text teaches us about Tanzania and makes us aware of both its hardships and its beauty. I wholeheartedly recommend this novel to anyone interested in learning about another culture by becoming a part of it!

Reviewed by Missie Stugart, Columbus, GA

In Mozart’s Shadow by Carolyn Meyer

Harcourt, 2008, 350 pp., $17.00

Coming-of-age/Historical Fiction/Biography

ISBN: 978-0-15-205594-3

How would you like to grow up in the shadow of your younger brother’s musical genius, with your musical talent being overlooked in favor of his? This is exactly what Nannerl Mozart experienced as the older sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a child-prodigy and performer extraordinaire. Like any average teenager, Nannerl hates the extra attention her younger brother receives. She struggles with the popularity and talent of her younger brother, who woos audiences, yet never seems to bring in enough money to support the family. Carolyn Meyer’s newest historical fiction describes Nannerl’s world in the 1700s, using letters and historical documents to shine the spotlight on Amadeus’ forgotten older sister. The “other Mozart,” as she is known, is highly talented, yet overshadowed by her younger brother. She suffers from extreme favoritism from her father toward Amadeus, yet she finds solace and comfort in her music. Early on she learns to love to perform, but as a teenager she ends up having to stay home and take on music students to support the family, while Amadeus and his father tour Europe hoping for fame and glory that is just out of reach. The book details a thirty-two year span beginning with early performances from the brother-sister duo, continuing with their adolescent and young adult years, and ending with Amadeus’ death in 1791.

Reviewed by Susan Wegmann, Okeechobee, FL

Little Audrey by Ruth White

Farrar Straus Giroux, 2008, 146 pp., $16.00

Country Life/Coal Miners

ISBN: 0-374-34580-5

Ruth White’s mostly true story, shared through the voice of her older sister Audrey, provides the reader with a moving look at the struggles of a family living in a coal mining community in Virginia in 1948. Audrey is eleven, just finishing sixth grade, and the oldest of four girls. While her mother struggles with depression caused by the death of an infant four years earlier and her father drinks, depriving the family of the everyday necessities it needs, Audrey wishes that their life together could be better.

In spite of their poverty, Audrey and her mother and father read books constantly, books borrowed from Audrey’s mother’s uncle. Audrey relies on the characters and settings from her readings to take her mind away from the realities of a grieving mother, bothersome little sisters, and a father whose behavior is unpredictable when he’s drunk. Although this memoir ends shortly after a tragedy occurs in the family, the reader possibly sees hope in the future for Audrey, her mother, and her sisters.

The vocabulary and effective language used in this book are engaging and add to the overall tone. As White describes the “scrip” used for purchasing food at the company store, the “pokes” of groceries her mother carries down the dirt road, and everyday realities like not being able to distinguish her own father from all of the other miners because of the coal dust on their faces, the reader is able to see and hear life in a coal mining community.

Reviewed by Kandy Smith, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Tor, 2008, 382 pp., $17.95

Realistic Science Fiction/Computer Hacking/Terrorism

ISBN: 0-7653-1985-3

Marcus is a teenage computer wizard who uses his techno-savvy to confound bullies’ cell phones and elude his high school’s Orwellian surveillance technology to skip class. One fateful act of truancy, however, places Marcus and his friends at the epicenter of a massive terrorist attack. The Department of Homeland Security wrongly detains Marcus and uses the attack to justify limits on everyone’s freedom. Marcus is soon in over his head once he vows to use his elite computer hacking skills to undermine the plans of the omnipresent, oppressive government agency.

With contemporary issues like terrorism, secret prisons and torture, Little Brother questions government authority on practically every page (young readers will notice many allusions if they read 1984). Alongside these controversial themes are instances of foul language, underage drinking, and sexuality. Cory Doctorow’s near-future dystopian novel isn’t exactly what some parents would prefer for their children, but Little Brother would be an entertaining and eye-opening read for any reader—reluctant or otherwise—with a deep interest in computers and technology.

Reviewed by Sonny Harding, Marietta, GA

Skin Deep by E.M. Crane

Delacorte Press, 2008, 270 pp., $16.99

Self-confidence/Death

ISBN: 978-0-385-73479-0

Sixteen-year-old Andrea Anderson is a Nobody. When Cheerleader Ashley-with-Bad-Haircut tosses off her friends’ false pity and randomly seeks Andrea’s opinion, Andrea feels as if she matters for the first time. Then her homeroom teacher commits suicide, and through the reactions of classmates around her, she begins to contemplate how both people inside and outside the social fringe act in scripts written by others. But some, like Ashley and the popular Roger Dupris, disregard the scripts and interact with “Nobodies” like Andrea.

Andrea’s mom finds her a job taking care of a dog for Honora Menapace, a woman recovering from cancer surgery. Andrea falls in love with Zena, the Saint Bernard, who makes her feel both needed and less alone. Once Honora returns, to Andrea’s relief, she keeps Andrea on, at first to help out with Zena, then as an assistant in Honora’s pottery studio. Throughout Honora’s chemotherapy, Andrea’s definition of beauty shifts. Not only does Honora’s independent, unusual beauty reveal itself to Andrea, but Andrea begins to accept her own awkward beauty as well, finally opening herself to real friendship with Ashley and Roger, despite their popularity.

Crane’s first young adult novel shows life as a celebration, where even death becomes a natural passage. Its tenderness resonates long after the last page.

Reviewed by Wendy Cope, Marietta, GA

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

Bloomsbury U.S.A., 2008, 328 pp., $16.95

Fantasy/Fairytale

ISBN-10: 1-59990-109-9

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow mixes fantasy with fairytale, allowing the reader to experience mystery and romance simultaneously. The female protagonist, Pika, or Lass as she is affectionately called by her brother, has the gift of understanding animals. When an Isbjorn (polar bear) promises her that her family will become rich if she stays with him in his castle for one year, she quickly accepts. However, the Isbjorn is not what he appears to be and is really a prince who has been cursed by a troll queen, and Lass must find a way to break the spell before he is forced to marry a troll princess.

Incorporating aspects of many different fairy tales into her story, Jessica Day George successfully constructs quite a sophisticated work of fiction. The Isbjorn is under a similar spell as the Beast from “Beauty and the Beast”; Pika looks at his forbidden face at night similar to the tale of “Cupid and Psyche”; and she encounters many enchanted beings on her journey to save her prince reminiscent of “The Snow Queen.” With all of these elements intertwined, the story is imbued with a hint of mystery. This story is filled with intriguing and descriptive settings such as Pika’s humble cottage, the grand ice palace, and the troll’s ostentatious castle. As a result, readers feel as if they are on the journey as well. Fast-paced and well written, this book pulls in the reader with its many layers and its poignant and imaginative storyline. This book appeals to all ages.

Reviewed by Joellen Maples, Knoxville, TN

Two Girls of Gettysburg by Lisa Klein

Bloomsbury, 2008, 416 pp., $16.99

Historical Fiction/Civil War

ISBN: 978-I-59990-I05-3

Two cousins, Lizzie Allbauer and Rosanna McGreevey, are growing up in the 1860s during the Civil War. Lizzie’s father is a butcher and owns a store in Gettysburg, and Rosanna has been sent to live with her sister in Gettysburg by her parents after getting in trouble in Richmond, Virginia. The story begins in 1861 with Lizzie’s father enlisting in the army to fight in the Civil War. Lizzie’s twin brother follows their father and becomes a bugler with the same regiment. Lizzie, her mother and Amos, a freed slave, are left to manage the store. Rosanna has a secret that she cannot share with Lizzie even though they are best friends. After a local boyfriend is killed in the war, Rosanna runs back to Richmond. While in Richmond, Rosanna meets a former boyfriend, John Wilcox, and marries him. He enlists in the army and is sent to war. John is wounded in a fight and sends his valet to bring Rosanna back to the battlefield to nurse him. She does so and decides to stay with the regiment as a battlefield nurse. Meanwhile, Lizzie, still in Gettysburg, is learning about running a business during a war. Lizzie has also found someone she is fond of: Martin Weigel. The girls’ experiences continue until 1863 and include the battle at Gettysburg and a visit by President Abraham Lincoln. The story is told from each girl’s perspective with Rosanna’s story written as a diary. The book is filled with historical facts as noted in the author’s note at the end. Many issues are included in the story, such as slavery, battlefield experiences, and women’s role in society. (MG/M)

Reviewed by Ann Wolf, Boca Raton, FL

Tunnels by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams

Chicken House, 2008, 470 pp., $17.99

Science Fiction/Thriller

ISBN: 0-439-87177-8

Passionate about digging up relics from the past, Will Burrows doesn’t fit in with other children his age and spends most of his time digging tunnels with his father. When his father disappears without a trace, Will begins a journey, accompanied by his only friend Chester, to find his father. The search leads them to the discovery of a hidden colony below the earth’s surface. As Will learns more about his family’s history, he struggles between the decision to stay in the colony or to continue to help Chester and Dr. Burrows escape back to the surface.

Filled with terrifying creatures and impossibly long tunnel treks, the book is suspenseful from start to finish. Gordon and Williams’ use of advanced technology and imaginative details makes the colony actually seem possible. A likeable character, Will shows the importance of being loyal to friends and of fighting for what he values most.

Despite not having a satisfying resolution—the story begs for a sequel— readers will enjoy the fast-paced story and its memorable characters.

Reviewed by Amy Lavin, West Jordan, UT

ALAN’s Picks is edited by Pam Cole, Kennesaw State University