Albany YA Fic Examiner

FYI-- I'm writing about YA fiction over here: http://www.examiner.com/x-36817-Albany-Young-Adult-Fiction-Examiner

You should subscribe. I'm still blogging about YA fiction here because I like using the word "I"...

Along for the Ride--Sarah Dessen

The daughter of divorced parents, 18 year old Auden has always been an adult. As a young child she taught herself to stay awake at night to try to prevent her parents from fighting. She threw herself into her schoolwork and studied instead of slept. She had acquaintances but no real friends, choosing to focus on her future academic career instead of having fun with kids her own age. After she graduates high school Auden makes her first spontaneous decision and decides to spend the summer with her father and his new wife and baby. While there she meets the mysterious Eli and learns how to connect with her family and make real friendships.

I've liked Sarah Dessen since the first book I ever read of hers--Keeping the Moon. Her previous stories were good and Along for the Ride is no exception. Dessen has grown as an author and it's easy to see how her new role as mom is influencing her stories. Auden may be her oldest protagonist yet (but don't quote me on that) but she still has a lot in common with Dessen's earlier characters. She's lonely, confused and in need of real relationships, but not just romantic. There's also a level of romance in Dessen's books, but what really draws me to her is her focus on female friendships and how important they really are to teen girls and young adults. It's not surprising that Dessen has written a complex female protagonist, but it is surprising how equally complex and interesting Auden's parents were as well. Dessen's depiction of Auden's stressed out step-mom learning how to take care of a newborn was spot-on; her portrayal of Auden's dad as a selfish clueless but ultimately nice guy was also realistic.

There's a lot of substance in this book. Dessen's fans will not be disappointed. She may win over some new older readers--I've convinced my mom's book group to read it!

Fire--Kristen Cashore

This is the companion book to Graceling. It's not a sequel or even really a prequel but is set in the same universe. There is one overlapping character but it's not necessary to have read Graceling first. If you haven't read Graceling, you're missing out! Get on that.

Fire is a monster. The only thing that makes her a monster is that she has colorful hair and can read people's thoughts and control their minds. Her father was the same way and was power-hungry and cruel and ultimately perished. Determined to be different than her father, Fire, the last human monster, sacrifices everything she can to fix her father's wrongs and to be her own person.

Cashore has once again written a really strong female character. While this book was a little heavier on the romance than the action, it was still a great story. I would love to read a third book tying Fire and Graceling together.

Blog-note: I have 3 kids now (including a 5 month old baby). I'm no longer working as librarian at all. I still read but it's hard for me to find the time to blog about them. And when I do it's often well after I've read the books and when I am wicked tired and incoherent. Therefore this blog is just a pale version of what it once was. Sorry. But cut me some slack.

Punkzilla--Adam Rapp

Punkzilla
Adam Rapp

I read this book ages ago. The details are fuzzy.

14 year old Jamie, aka Punkzilla, is AWOL from military school and on the road heading for his dying big brother. Told through a series of letters to his brother and other members of his family, the book shows Punkzilla's journey on the road, as well as his inner journey away from being a screw-up.

As is common in Rapp's other books (33 Snowfish), the subject matter and the language are raw and edgy. Punkzilla's trip is not an easy happy one--it is disturbing and gritty and nothing that a 14 year old should ever go through. The end of the book is not a nice sitcom ending, but it is somewhat hopeful that Jamie might actually have found a place he can belong.

I would definitely recommend it for older teen readers and not the younger tweens.