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“ALAN’s Picks” is a monthly book review column that highlights the latest and greatest in Young Adult Literature.  Check back often learn more about the newest titles YA has to offer.

Reviewed this month:

The Blind Faith Hotel by Pamela Todd
Burn by Suzanne Phillips
Cricket Man by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Headlong by Kathe Koja
It Was September When We Ran Away For the First Time by D. James Smith
Jars of Glass by Brad Barkley & Heather Hepler
Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit by Nahoko Uehashi
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
Piggy by Mireille Geus
 

The Blind Faith Hotel by Pamela Todd
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2008, 312 pp., $16.99
Coming of Age/Relationships/Family
ISBN-13:978-1-4169-5494-1 
A quintessential story of love and loss, The Blind Faith Hotel tells of a fourteen year old named Zoe caught up in a world of extreme highs and lows. A daddy’s girl who loves the ocean, she is devastated when her mother pulls her and her siblings across the country. Separated from the two things she loves most, Zoe’s struggles increase when she learns that her mom wants to make their home into a bed and breakfast.

Fortunately, her life begins to turn around after she is caught shoplifting and is subsequently enrolled in a work program at a local nature preserve. As a result, she develops a love for the outdoors and also a troubled teen boy named Ivy. Zoe becomes interested in gardening and bird watching for the two hawks that reside in a tree in her yard. In addition to these activities, she encounters such typical “teen girl” issues as parental confrontation, sibling rivalry, and feelings of inadequacy related to her breast size.

Pamela Todd carefully and masterfully develops the relationships within her book. Zoe is sharp-witted and believable. A quick and satisfying read, The Blind Faith Hotel offers a bittersweet pill to swallow, reminding the reader that while love and loss are inextricably bound, in the end, relationships are worth the struggle. Tackling slightly mature issues, this novel is great for middle school readers and holds rewards for the adult reader as well.

Reviewed by Joellen Maples, Rochester, NY 

Burn by Suzanne Phillips
Little, Brown and Company, 2008, 279 pp., $16.99
Bullying/Emotional Problems/Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
ISBN: 978-0-316-00165-6 
What happens when the bullied becomes the bully? When life turns ugly? When the timid explode? Suzanne Phillips’ haunting new novel tells the horrific tale of one Cameron Grady, an insulated and lonely high school freshman who spends his days scheming about how he can seek revenge on tenth grader Rich Patterson, a young man determined to make Cameron’s life miserable. Taunted and tortured, Cameron lives in fear of constant reprisals until one day his anger turns deadly and suddenly, he finds his life indelibly changed.

Adults and teens looking for a frank and honest read will revel in this brisk read about a young boy whose anger and neurosis leads to life-altering consequences and ultimately, profound questions about the role of violence in our children’s lives. 

Jeffrey S. Kaplan, Orlando, FL 
 

Cricket Man by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Atheneum Books, 2008, 196 pp., $16.99
Coming of Age/Skateboarding/Family Issues
ISBN: 978-1-4169-4981-7 
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s book, Cricket Man, tells the story of Kenny Sykes, an eighth grader who is too young to be a man and too old to be a kid. Kenny is fairly new to town and does not have many friends.  He is very content spending his summer vacation floating around the family swimming pool rescuing crickets, chipmunks and other pests and varmints from certain death as they plummet into the vast waters.  In their summer boredom, Kenny and his little brother Davy develop a superhero persona that will be the savior to all the bugs and animals who dare enter the Sykes backyard.  However, as the school year begins and Kenny befriends a neighboring girl, Jodie, and a few skateboarding guys, the persona takes on a life of its own.  Cricket Man becomes a fighter of injustice in middle-school hallways and neighboring homes. 

Naylor does a fine job of simply creating the tough part of growing up in present-day America without being preachy and melodramatic.  She forms a character who is compassionate and emotional as well as real and sensible.  Naylor’s book includes many important thematic elements for teenage readers, such as growing interest in the opposite sex, the increasing need for independence and the adult issues facing a developing adolescent boy.  Naylor uses wit and calamity to paint an authentic and less poetic light on such subjects as depression, neglect and the power of friendship. 

Ray Engle, Dayton, OH 

Headlong by Kathe Koja
Douglas &McIntyre Ltd., 2008, 195 pp., $16.95
Friendship/Boarding Schools
ISBN: 0-374-32912-5 
Lily is a character that every girl will understand. She is confused, unsure of herself, and she wonders if she really fits in at the boarding school she’s grown up attending—The Vaughn School. It is Lily’s relationship with Hazel that truly cements her reality for the reader. Every teen has had a troubled friend whom they’ve watched tirelessly with somewhat envious and adoring eyes. Koja does a brilliant job of building the friendship between these two girls into one that seems unbreakable, but like any realistic relationship, simply is. This novel is a jewel for any female who struggles, or remembers the struggle, of adolescence.  The entire book is setup like flashbacks interspersed with the present. So sit back, relax, and relate to young Lily—the once Vaughn Virgin—and her journey, as Koja takes you from the end of Lily’s story back to the beginning.    

Reviewed by Jaime Williams, Acworth, GA 

It Was September When We Ran Away For the First Time by D. James Smith
Atheneum Books, 2008, 230 pp., $16.99
Race Relations/California History
ISBN -13: 978-1-4169-3809-5 
When the new school year begins in Orange Grove, California in 1951, young Paolo has a lot on his mind. His concerns involve his family, as well as his circle of friends, which includes a variety of characters of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds.  Paolo can tell that his life is about to get complicated as he starts to notice people in his community making judgments regarding an intercultural dating relationship involving one of his friends. Until now, Paolo and his buddies engaged in “running away” as a recreational activity that was only temporary.  But when emotions continue to run high in the community over bigotry, ignorance, and the localization of national fears about the spread of communism, plans are made to run away and stay gone.  With a voice reminiscent of Richard Peck, author D. James Smith tells his tale about a group of adolescents trying to examine a very complex social issue through their young, innocent, even accepting eyes.  The characters reveal themselves through their distinct voices and unique perspectives, and the historical details contextualize the novel’s themes.  It Was September When We Ran Away the First Time is the kind of book that opens up conversations for young readers about unnecessary distractions caused by superficial differences and the ways in which friendship is shaped and re-shaped during adolescence. 

Reviewed by Mary Rice, Springville, UT 
 
Jars of Glass by Brad Barkley & Heather Hepler
Dutton Books, 2008, 246 pps., $ 16.99
Adolescence/Family Problems 
ISBN: 978-0-525-47911-6
Chloe and Shana have always had it hard.  But since their artist mother had to be admitted to the mental institution, their family has gone downhill.  Chloe has focused her energy on caring for her adopted brother, Micah, a Russian boy with his share of issues.  Shana has turned to dressing as a goth and hanging out with people who don’t ask her any of the questions she doesn’t want to answer.  And, their father has driven his funeral business into the ground, preferring to spend his time on the roof drinking and chain smoking.  When Chloe makes friends with Raven at the Starbuck’s down the street, things start to look up.  But, Raven has a secret of her own. 

This heart wrenching novel is told from the point of view of the protagonists Chloe and Shana in alternating chapters.  Their voices are strong, sarcastic, and so very sad.  Yet, like any good tragedy, the story ends with just the right amount of hope. 

Reviewed by Cynthia Mitchell, Satellite Beach, FL 

Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia
HarperTeen/HarperCollins, 2009, 170 pp., $16.99
Girls/Relationships
ISBN: 978-0-06-076091-5 

Three teenage girls in three very different worlds have only two commonalities: the same high school and a need for respect.  Dominique does whatever she needs to in order to uphold her tough, “don’t mess with Nique on or off the court” reputation, even if it means putting someone in the hospital.  Leticia sweet talks her way into and out of any situation she desires, as long as her neck is not on the line.  Trina has a gift for art and style, but uses her “shakey-shake” to make the boys want her and to make the girls want to be her.  As long as these girls stay on their own territory and out of each other’s way, there is no problem at school.  However, one day boundaries are crossed, decisions are made, and lives are changed forever.  

Jumped follows Dominique, Trina, and Leticia through the ups and downs of their school day, which ends at 2:45.  Knowing all three sides of the story and the potential fate of one of the characters, only the reader knows what could happen at 2:45 and feels suspense and frustration from knowing that one of the characters is holding the life of an innocent girl in the palm of her hands.  Time doesn’t stop, however, and as 2:45 approaches, morals are weighed, and no one leaves the school grounds unaffected by the actions of these three students.

Through three young women, Williams-Garcia shows the raw intensity of how valuable respect is in high school and the realness of the lives involved.  Amidst the high school drama and sarcasm, though, there is an underlying sadness, a frightening truth of how some high school students, especially young women, see no other way to maintain respect but to beat it out of someone. 

Reviewed by Holly Weber, Dallas, GA 

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit by Nahoko Uehashi (translated by Cathy Hirano)
Arthur A. Levine Books, 2008, 248 pp., $17.99
Adolescent/Fantasy/Adventure/Coming of Age/Tolerance
ISBN: 978-0-545-00542-6 
Chagum, the eleven-year-old Second Prince of New Yogo, thrashes in the freezing waters of the Aoyumi River after being thrown from the royal carriage. Although his guards try to save him, it is Balsa, warrior woman and fearless protector of those in need, who braves the rushing current to save the boy. Balsa discovers that this “accident” is the second attempt to kill the prince. Chagum’s mother, the Second Queen, insists that Balsa protect her son from his own father, the Mikado. The Star Readers, prophets who have guided the Yogonese people since the founding of the country, have told the king that his second son is carrying a dangerous water spirit whose birth will destroy the Mikado’s claim that he is descended from the gods. Using a fire as a diversion, Balsa escapes with her charge and the two begin their quest to bring the egg of the water spirit safely to the sea.

The spoiled, pampered prince experiences the joy of living in the real world as he learns how to survive from Balsa and Tanda, Balsa’s childhood friend. Torogai, a great magic weaver, helps the group battle the Mikado’s soldiers and the monster Rarunga the Egg Eater. Along the way, Chagum finds that he is willing to sacrifice himself to give back to the land and Balsa discovers the reason for her warring spirit. Finally, an alliance between the world of the magic weaver and the Star Readers brings Chagum to his rightful place, while restoring life-giving water to the land.

Uehashi sets her story in an imaginary world similar to that of medieval Japan. She creates a heroine who transcends time and an ending that tempts readers with the promise of more adventures.

Reviewed by Kathy Nichols, Marietta, GA 

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
Little, Brown, 2008, 384 pp., $16.99
Girls & Women/Self-Esteem/Verbal Abuse
ISBN: 0-316-025054 
Terra Cooper is directionally challenged. She knew exactly where she was headed in life…early graduation and off to a college as far from home and her tyrannical father as she could get. To a place where no one knew her or her biggest flaw…the port-wine stain that mars half her face and is carefully concealed with layer after layer of make up.

Now that her father has nixed her college of choice, she has to change courses. This task is made even more difficult when she meets Jacob, a sullen goth kid with a blemish of his own. Next to Terra’s perfect dream boyfriend, Jacob doesn’t measure up to the high standards her friends set for her, but Terra’s life is already in a tailspin, and something about Jacob has her compass spinning as she tries desperately to find true north. 

This book is riveting. The relationships between Terra and her parents and brothers are heartbreakingly believable. As this main character struggled to find out who she really was, I found myself cheering her on, despite her failings and mistakes. Talk about sympathetic! This author created a space in the world for one girl to spread her wings, despite the fact that she’d spent her entire life trying to shrink until she disappeared. I held my breath as I waited for Terra Cooper to fly…hoping desperately that she didn’t crash before my eyes.

Breathtaking. That’s the word I’d use to describe this brilliant contemporary, coming-of-age novel. North of Beautiful, indeed.

Julie M. Prince, Tucson, AZ  

Piggy by Mireille Geus (Translated by Nancy Forest-Flier)
Front Steet, 2008, 110 pp., $14.95
Adolescent Autism/Emotional Problems/Friendship/Criminal Investigation/Bullying                                                                        
ISBN: 978-1-59078-636-9
Piggy opens with Dizzy reading from Piggy’s letter “The people here wanted me to leave you alone for at least one year. So I did.” Dizzy must decide if she will renew their friendship and as she says to her mother, “I don’t know.”

Until Dizzy meets Piggy, she spends her idle moments leaning against a lamp post watching the world.   In her story she informs us she attends a special school but does not reveal why. Through fear of the unknown, obsessive behavior, and dislike of touching, symptoms of Autism are suggested.  During a sleepover she reveals to Piggy, “If they touch my head, they will know my secrets.” Dizzy wants to be accepted and not a special person.

Piggy gives Dizzy the opportunity to belong, to have a friend, to be a participant and not a watcher. She is reluctantly drawn to Piggy whose kindness the reader will suspect as deceitful and dangerous. Yet Dizzy’s need for friendship blinds her to the socio-pathology of their relationship.  Piggy uses Dizzy as her means for her violent retribution against teasing cruel boys.

Piggy may be read a simple tale but the questions Gues triggers lead to consideration of its great depth which, despite its minimalistic telling, is ideal for literature circles and book club discussions.  Adults working with preadolescents and adolescents will want them to explore the treatment and obligations we as a society have for those like Dizzy.  Piggy is as well a great read for adults.

Reviewed by Wm. George Hess, Kennesaw, GA