ALAN Online

ALAN’s Picks is a monthly book review column compiled and edited by Dr. Pam B. Cole of Kennesaw State University.  Be sure to check ALAN online each month for a fresh look of  the latest and greatest in YA Lit.

Reviewed this month:

Looks by Madeleine George
A Map of the Known World by Lisa Sandell
Out of Reach by V.M. Jones
The Parliament of Blood by Justin Richards
See No Evil by Jamila Gavin
Selkie Girl by Laurie Brooks
Sword of Waters by Hilari Bell
To be Mona by Kelly Easton
Torn to Pieces by Margot McDonnell
Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff
Wild Magic by Cat Weatherill

Looks by Madeleine George
Viking, 2008, 240 pp., $16.99
Eating Disorders/Friendship
ISBN: 978-0-670-06167-9

Meghan is obese. She is the largest person at Valley Regional High and her hulking size, oddly enough, allows her to blend into the background. Most people are too uncomfortable to make eye contact, and most teachers are content to allow her to remain silent during class discussions. Meghan doesn’t have any friends, but she knows a lot about everyone at school.

Aimee is reed thin. Her list of foods that give her a “bad reaction” grows everyday. About the only things she allows herself to eat are Jello and carrot sticks. Her big, floppy hats and black, long skirts make her all but invisible in the school’s halls. She is invisible to everyone except Meghan, who feels the need to connect with her. Meghan begins to follow Aimee in order to find an excuse to talk to her, but it isn’t until Aimee is betrayed and she and Meghan share a common enemy that they team up for a little payback.

Looks deals with many issues: eating disorders, friendship, bullying, and high school dynamics are the most evident. George’s unique writing style in the first and last chapters is voyeuristic and, at times, the lyrical and figurative language tricks readers into thinking they are reading an extended poem rather than a work of prose.

Reviewed by Karin Perry, Washington, OK

A Map of the Known World by Lisa Sandell
Scholastic, 2009, 304 pp., $16.99
Coming-of-Age/Grief
ISBN: 13-978-0-545-06970-0 

Maps are Cora Bradley’s refuge.  She dreams of escape to their exotic locales, where she could start life over without the brokenness left by her older brother Nate’s tragic death.  Unfortunately, Cora must instead begin her freshman year at Lincoln Grove High, where Nate should have been starting his senior year as well.  As the year passes, Cora’s mother tries to guard her every move; her father withdraws into his own grief; and her best friend Rachel starts trying to be a part of the popular crowd, choosing clothes and boys over Cora with increasing frequency.  Eventually, Cora finds solace in two unexpected places—her passion for art, and Damian, the boy who walked away from the car crash that ended her brother’s life. 

Though tragedy and its aftermath are frequent themes in young adult fiction, Map of the Known World is refreshing in its tender, hopeful depiction.  Here grief is not the final answer to Nate’s death. It is the question.  It asks each character, “Who are you now?”  Cora and those around her respond as best they can, though the unflattering answers are often difficult to face. 

Lyrical and well-paced, A Map of the Known World flows from beginning to end with grace and a little humor, ultimately demonstrating that the redemptive power of love and the connective possibilities of art can transcend death.

Reviewed by Adrienne Kisner, Boston, MA

Out of Reach by V.M. Jones
Marshall Cavendish, 2003, 264 pp., $16.99
Adolescent Identity/Family/Sports
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5514-1 

Some parents are content to watch their children have fun participating in a sporting event; others are so focused on the competition that “fun” doesn’t matter.  In her U.S. debut, Jones introduces us to Pip, a young man whose father constantly yells at him from the sidelines of his soccer games.  Pip is forced to live in the shadow of his athletic older brother, and the overbearing nature of his father drives his confidence into the ground. 

Then he enters the Igloo, a new sports facility in town.  When he sneaks into the facility a couple of nights before it opens and gives the rock climbing wall a try, he is discovered by Rob Gale, the climbing instructor.  Rob becomes Pip’s greatest supporter, teaching Pip not only how to climb, but how to live. 

The most striking point about Out of Reach is the way Jones brings life to her characters.  Whether it’s the competition-driven parent or the inspiring mentor, the girl next door or the kid who derives joy from teasing others, we know these people in the real world.  Therefore, we experience real emotions as we join Pip in his search for his niche, the event at which he can excel, and more importantly, that which he can enjoy.  Readers will walk away uplifted.

Reviewed by Crystal Leibowitz, Moriches, NY

The Parliament of Blood by Justin Richards
Bloomsbury, 2008, 358 pp., $16.99
Vampires/Horror
ISBN: 1-59990-140-4

On a February evening in 1886 in London, the British Museum’s Department of Egyptology hosts a unique event—the unwrapping of a mummy. Professor Andrew Brinson begins delicately slicing the ancient wrappings. Sir Harrison Judd offers to assist and, as he steps onto the staging area, he stumbles and bumps into the professor’s arm.  The knife flies out of Professor Brinson’s hand and the blade neatly lands on his wrist, making a neat slice.  Blood trickles down into the mummy’s mouth.  The wrappings unravel and the once dead figure rises out of its sarcophagus and disappears into the night.  Sir William Protheroe, who previously held the mummy in his department in the museum; George Archer, his assistant; Eddie Hopkins, a street kid and product of London’s notorious workhouses; and Liz Oldfield, an aspiring actress, all witness this unbelievable event. 

Soon they are all working together to battle the evil force unleashed that night. Eddie unbelievably sees a friend of his from the workhouse who has been murdered. Sir William discovers a colleague is significantly older than his appearance suggests.  George Archer gets an unexpected invitation to join the Damnation Club, an exclusive, yet secretive, club for the wealthy and powerful.  Liz Oldfield meets Henry Malvern, a famous actor, and soon she is the understudy to the lead actress who is very ill and in a mysteriously weakened state.  In terrifying and page-turning events, each of these characters comes face-to-face with the reality that not only are vampires real and a threat to their own lives, but they are a much greater threat to the entire city of London.  Underneath the Thames is a tunnel system unlike anything imaginable and in it are the vampires waiting to take over the city and the government! Will the keen wit and determination of these heroes pull them through?  In pulse-quickening action, Justin Richards takes the reader through these tunnels.  His novel puts vampires in the horror genre where they belong!

Reviewed by Joan Jennings, Houston, TX

See No Evil by Jamila Gavin
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2009, 208 pp., $16.95
Coming-of-Age
ISNB:  978-0-374-36333-8

Nettie is desperately trying to find answers to why her beloved tutor, Miss Kovochev, left without a trace, or did she?  Nettie perseveres through her life at home and situations at school in her attempt to be a “normal child,” all the while longing for Miss Kovochev.  Her curiosity and detective skills lead her to Miss Kovochev’s hidden journal and an unlikely friend.  This piece of evidence and new companion are just what Nettie needs to find the truth; however, the truth she finds sickens this young heroine to the core.  The journal reveals Nettie’s father’s involvement in human trafficking.  Faced with a tough choice, Nettie decides to confront her father.  It is this confrontation that moves Nettie from childhood innocence to a cruel reality of the world.

Gavin’s characters are linked through a journal that creates a space where all characters can grow and learn more about their place in society.  Gavin nests a serious global concern within a naïve main character.  It is Nettie’s naivety that allows the reader to connect with this character, as many have a defining moment when they realize that their parents may not be perfect.  This contemporary realistic fiction piece is not to be overlooked as the reader is sure to be moved by Nettie’s quest for the truth, thus leading to control over her own destiny.

Reviewed by Aimee L. Morewood, Morgantown, WV

Selkie Girl by Laurie Brooks
Knopf/Random House, 2008, 262 pp., $15.99
Identity/Fantasy
ISBN: 978-0-375-85170-4

Elin Jean, or as the Orkney Island folk call her, Selkie Girl, was born different.  She tried to go to school, but others teased and heckled her so much that she never returned.  Instead, she spends her free time on her favorite rock at the beach, watching for the Selkie seals so that she can swim with them.  She hates the cull, the annual tradition of killing the baby seals in order to thin their population and earn money from the pelts.  Her sickly mother rarely leaves their Scottish croft except to walk the beach at night.  Her father is seemingly angry all the time, perhaps because Elin Jean has webbed fingers, the sight of which disgusts him.  Her grandpa is her ally, but he still refuses to tell her the information she so desperately wants to know:  Why is her family different?  When Tam McCodrun, a Gypsy traveler, begins to pay her notice, Elin Jean realizes that despite her differences, she too might find love. 

This fantasy is a mix of the folklore of the selkies and the reality of growing up.  The killing of the seal pups and seals is disturbing, but it provides the additional urgency to Elin Jean’s search for identity.  The dialect may provide an initial challenge for some readers.  The time period is never revealed, making Laurie Brooks’ novel of wonder, hope and love a universal one.  Those not familiar with the myth of the selkies will want to believe after reading Selkie Girl.

Reviewed by Wendy Edelman, Mechanicsville, VA

Sword of Waters by Hilari Bell
Simon & Schuster, 2008, 363 pp., $16.99
Adventure/Fantasy
ISBN-13: 978-1-4169-0596-7

Sword of Waters continues The Shield Sword, and Crown trilogy begun in Shield of Stars. If anything, this sequel is an even more exciting adventure than its predecessor, but it does require readers to be acquainted with the notorious female bandit the Falcon, her daughter Arisa, and Arisa’s friend Weasel, as well as the events that brought them to the court of Deorthas. Fourteen-year-old Arisa is the central character this time. She’s a lively, engaging heroine. Impulsive, resourceful, and brave, she’s scornful of the boring, fashionable life she has to endure now that her mother is lord commander of the army and navy of Deorthas. In fact, Arisa is much more comfortable sword fighting than she is on the dance floor. The Falcon tries to keep her daughter occupied—and help herself at the same time—by asking Arisa to find the legendary sword of waters and to befriend young Prince Edoran. Arisa willingly accepts the first task, but she’s not enthusiastic about spending time with Edoran, whom she regards as an arrogant coward. However, her opinions of many people are challenged as she seeks the missing sword. 

Throughout her search, Arisa encounters danger, deception, unexpected friends, sinister enemies, and ultimate betrayal. Sword of Waters moves at a brisk pace. Each chapter is introduced with one of Arisa’s cryptic Arcanara fortune-telling cards, giving a hint about the action to come and raising questions at the same time. The suspense builds as Arisa pursues the clues and gradually realizes where they are leading her. Sword of Waters will keep readers riveted. They won’t want to put the book down, and its cliffhanger ending will make them eager for the final installment of the trilogy.

Reviewed by Diana Snyder, Lakewood, OH

To be Mona by Kelly Easton
McElderry/Simon & Schuster, 2008, 213 pp., $16.99
Self-Confidence/Mental Illness/Mother & Daughter Relationships
ISBN:  1-4169-0054-3

Seventeen-year-old Sage Priestly desperately wants to reinvent herself.  To be the popular, blonde, and gorgeous Mona Simms would be perfect from Sage’s point-of-view.  Becoming Mona would help Sage find a way out of her own existence, one filled with fat, craziness, and bills waiting to be paid.  To this end, Sage throws out all of her black clothes and replaces them with bright, colorful garments from the thrift store, has blond highlights added to her hair, and starts watching what she eats.  To Sage’s best friend and next door neighbor, Vern Goldburg, all of these efforts toward transformation are antithetical to Sage’s true personality, and he struggles to understand. Suddenly, some of the popular kids in school begin to notice Sage, including Roger Willis, the jock Sage wants.  Roger and Sage begin dating, giving Sage the willpower to stick with the changes she’s made to both her appearance and her personality.  In order to keep Roger, Sage maintains the façade she has created, even going so far as to make sure Roger never meets her mother or even enters their cluttered and messy home. As Roger becomes pushier and more demanding, and Mrs. Priestly spirals out of control, Vern’s mother steps in to help.  Mrs. Goldburg and Sage discover the root of Mrs. Priestly’s crazy behaviors, Sage learns about her father’s attempts to be involved in her life, and Mrs. Priestly begins her own much-needed transformation. In To be Mona, Kelly Easton gives teenage girls a glimpse into the possibilities of being true to themselves and walking away from abusive relationships; the story also sheds light on the disturbing effects of bipolar disorder.

 Reviewed by Margaret A. Hale, Pasadena, TX

Torn to Pieces by Margot McDonnell
Delacorte/Random House, 2008, 258 pp., $15.99
Mystery/Self-Discovery/Family Relationships
ISBN:  978-0-385-73559-9

Seventeen-year-old Anne Caldwell has never quite fit in.  Her self-consciousness about her red hair and freckles, unconventional family, and frequent moves across the country have prevented her from putting down roots and making friends.  The beginning of her junior year in high school promises to be different.  She has a best friend, two boys who are interested in her, and is almost ready to allow herself to call Centerville home.  Then her mother fails to return from one of her frequent business trips, and Anne begins a journey of mystery, danger, and self-discovery that causes her to question everything about herself and her family that she thought to be true.

Margot McDonnell captures the voice and psyche of a teenage girl beautifully in this fast-paced mystery.  Although the book is written from Anne’s point-of-view, McDonnell’s two major male characters, Evan and Tal, are believable and integral to the plot.  This book should appeal to teen boys as well as girls.  All readers will be engaged as tension builds toward the plot’s conclusion.

As the mystery unfolds, Anne finds herself in grave physical danger, wondering who, if anyone, she can trust.  There are two scenes of assault, one with sexual suggestions, but they are not explicit and are not be too strong even for middle grades readers. Torn to Pieces is an enjoyable read with well-developed themes of friendship, family, and honesty.  When the pieces of the puzzle fit together, Anne realizes that although she, her mother, and her grandparents are not who she thought, the truth is better than she ever imagined.

Reviewed by Pat Scruggs, Franklin, TN

Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff
Geringer/HarperCollins, 2009, 240 pp., $15.99
Adolescent Death/Grief/Worry
ISBN: 978-0-06-143187-6

It’s been five  months since the sudden death of Annie Richards’s younger brother Jared, and Annie is still reeling. Determined to avoid her own injury or death, Annie becomes vigilant, looking out for any danger ranging from mosquito bites and poison oak to gangrene and the ebola virus. She becomes a band-aid covered, ace-bandaged young girl. She even wears her bicycle helmet on car rides—just in case. The safer Annie becomes, the more she withdraws from her friends and life.

When Mrs. Finch moves into the neighborhood, Annie discovers that she and her older neighbor have something in common; they’ve both recently lost loved ones. Eventually, Annie and Mrs. Finch are able to help one another overcome their sadness and get back to living life. Annie reconnects with her parents who have also been suffering the loss of Jared, and she even comes up with a way to honor her brother.

Graff tackles the difficult topic of death with sensitivity and sweetness. Readers may examine their own worries and learn that life cannot be lived in constant worry. Often funny and surprisingly moving, Umbrella Summer is a quick and easy read that will appeal to younger readers.

Reviewed by Deborah Richmond, Pensacola, FL

Wild Magic by Cat Weatherill                            
Walker & Company, 2007, 278 pp., $16.99                        
Fantasy/Magic/Brothers & Sisters
ISBN: 978-0-8027-9799-5

Building upon the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Weatherill creates a fast-paced fantasy set in the Middle Ages that provides the back story for the legend in much the same way Wicked fills in past events leading up to the Wizard of Oz. 

The reader soon discovers the Pied Piper was put under a spell after entering the forbidden Whispering Forest. To break the curse, which turns him into a carnivorous Beast each full moon, he must find a child who is part human, part elf. Rats will be a sign of where this child lives.

Following the legend, the Pied Piper, known as Finn in the elf world of Elvendale, rids Hamelin of its plague of rats, and when he is not paid, enchants the Hamelin children to Elvendale. Nine-year-old Jakob and his older sister, Marianna, follow the Piper, but Jakob is lame and cannot keep up and sadly watches his sister enter the Paradise without him. When Finn realizes that none of the children possess the magic he seeks, he turns them into various woodland creatures and laments his failure. The story continues with a series of adventures and narrow escapes as Jakob finds a way into Elvendale, re-unites with Marianna, joins forces with his neglectful father, learns the secret of his mysterious mother, meets Finn as the Beast, and tries to end the curse.

Middle school fantasy readers will quickly fall under the spell of this tale as it delves into the forces of good vs. evil, man against nature, and the bonds of family love and loyalty. Aside from a few trite similes, the writing is even, the chapters are short, and the action will keep even reluctant readers turning the pages to a satisfying conclusion that leaves the possibility for a sequel. 

Reviewed by Laura Nagel, Eagan, MN