YA Authors You Need to Read

FYI-- Over at the examiner, you know, that other place that I write about YA fiction?, I've been doing a series of articles of "YA Authors You Need to Read." Not the classic YA authors like Paula Danziger or Norma Fox Mayer, or even Francesca Lia Block. These are the newer YA Authors that are writing good stuff and getting YA literature a lot of well deserved attention.

If you're interested, this link should work to get to the listing of all of them: http://www.examiner.com/x-36817-Albany-Young-Adult-Fiction-Examiner~topic927085-YA-authors-you-need-to-read?selstate=topcat#breadcrumb

If it doesn't work you can just go here, http://www.examiner.com/x-36817-Albany-Young-Adult-Fiction-Examiner and click on the category "YA Authors You Need to Read"

If you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to comment over there.

The Hunger Games--Suzanne Collins

“The Hunger Games”
Suzanne Collins
Scholastic Press, NY 2008
374 p.

When “The Hunger Games” begins it is easy to think that it takes place in a long ago primitive time when people had to live off the land and were brutal and cruel just to survive. Although Katniss is just a young teen she is the hunter of the family, bringing home rabbits and squirrels to feed her starving mother and younger sister. Food is scarce in her district and the hunting is illegal but mostly overlooked. As Katniss tells her story we learn that it does not take place long ago, but rather is in the future. War has obliterated the United States as we know it and has been replaced by 13 districts called Panem. Like the 13 colonies that created the United States, they rebelled against an oppressive government. Unlike those 13 colonies, they lost. In retaliation the government of Panem destroyed the 13th district and rule the other isolated 12 districts with an iron fist.

One of the methods the government uses to control its people is with an extreme reality show called “The Hunger Games.” Each district sends one boy and one girl tribute to the games every year. The tributes must survive in the wild on their own, much like today’s “Survivor”-type reality shows, while cameras show their every move to the audience at home. The winner of the games is the last tribute standing—after killing all of the tributes. The games are violent and sadistic. Tributes have no choice but to participate—it’s either kill or be killed. The gamemakers manipulate the weather and cause natural disasters to force the tributes to come together in one location and fight to the death.

“The Hunger Games” brings together the horrific entertainment of our past—the Gladiator games—with the voyeuristic sadism of our present—reality shows—and gives us a future with human nature at its worst. The dystopian story continues in “Catching Fire” and concludes in the upcoming “Mockingjay.”

Lord Sunday--Garth Nix

I read this in April. I know this, because I wrote my review for the examiner in April. The review that I am going to copy and paste and put right here:

Title: "Lord Sunday"
Keys to the Kingdom series
Author: Garth Nix
Publisher: Scholastic Press, NY 2010
320 Pages

Garth Nix has finished his seven book Keys to the Kingdom series with the shocking conclusion "Lord Sunday."

"Lord Sunday" picks up where the cliff-hanging "Superior Saturday" leaves off with Arthur battling Saturday, Sunday, the Piper, and the Nothing that is destroying the House all while trying to hold on to the final speck of his humanity. As in the previous books Arthur’s main task is to find the lost Will and the special Key, but this task is more daunting since it is the last part of the Will and the most powerful Key that he must find in order to claim his place as Rightful Heir to the Architect and restore the Kingdom. Arthur is more powerful than ever and is no longer a mortal human, but even he needs help to accomplish this task.

Nix’s fans will not be disappointed in his final installment to the epic series. There are no loose threads—the fates of Suzy Turquoise Blue, Leaf, and the rest of Arthur’s friends and family are nicely wrapped up. The last chapters are mind-blowing and heart wrenching. Arthur must sacrifice everything if he chooses to save the Kingdom—and the people he loves—from oblivion. Readers waiting for answers to the big questions of the series will find them in "Lord Sunday. "

The Vast Fields of Ordinary--Nick Burd

The Vast Fields of Ordinary seems like your typical romance story. The main character is obsessed with a boy who is mean and verbally abusive but doesn't realize it until a nice sympathetic boy enters the picture. But this story is far from typical or ordinary.

Dade Hamilton is 18 years old and struggling with his homosexuality, his parents' crumbling marriage, and the disappearance of a young girl that deeply affects him. For most of his formative years he has been in "love" with Pablo--a boy who uses him sexually but hides their relationship from his girlfriend, friends and family. Pablo can't deal with his own feelings and lashes out at Dade all while demanding that Dade be willing and able to satisfy his needs. Dade finally decides he's had enough when he meets Alex Kincaid. Alex is slightly older and is also troubled--he sells marijuana--but is nonetheless the nice boy that Dade needs. Alex is caring and loving and shows Dade that he deserves to be treated with respect.

At the same time that Dade is finding himself, his parents are losing themselves. His father admits his infidelity, his mother copes with alcohol and pills, and neither one of them is truly there for Dade. But when he needs them the most, they come through for him. Their reaction to his homosexuality is both believable and genuine. They are surprised but not shocked. Disappointed but not devastated.

Nick Burd treats the homosexual aspect of the story realistically and with respect. Dade, Pablo and Alex are not stereotypes. They are real characters coming of age in a difficult situation.

The Vast Fields of Ordinary is a touching story of a boy's first real romance. This story could easily be boy-girl-boy. The fact that all characters are the same gender is not a HUGE deal. And that's kind of nice.