Am I twisted and cynical because I love dystopia YA novels?

In reading the novels for this topic, I really surprised myself.  You think you know your tastes and then you read a genre that takes you by surprise, that captivates you, that makes you hunt down EVERY title in the series and stay up to all hours devouring them even though you have looming deadlines and meals to cook and kids to love and…

This semester, dystopic novels fit that bill.  I started off with Uglies by Scott Westerfeld and got pulled into their pretty world.  Can I say how much I loved this book?!!  The whole premise of striving to be a super-beautiful, homogenous plastic “pretty” after an adolescence of being an “ugly”  spoke so deeply to the fake, unrealistic role models we see in airbrushed ads and billboards.   To long for a complete plastic surgery rebuild when you turn sixteen isn’t that far off from some teens asking for a nose job or boob job in high school.  But in Tally Youngblood’s world, physical perfection isn’t the only change in a “pretty” transformation.  There is also a personality change due to brain alteration discovered by members of a rebel gang called the Smoke.  I loved the blend of social commentary, dystopic fiction and science fiction.  I’d love to see the series turned into a movie – all the hoverboards, cool hovering buildings and cities, the holes in the wall which provide all that you would ever want, and especially to see visual renditions of pretties and specials.  I got so caught up in this world that I went on to read the other 3 books in the series:  Pretties, Specials, and Extras.  While I loved the first two primarily for the voice of Tally, I did find it a bit disconcerting to see Tally so changed in Specials and even more “changed” in Extras as we see her through the eyes of Aya Fuse.  In Extras, Tally is a larger that life mythical, aloof figure and I found it hard to warm up to her in the same way I did in the other three books.  But still, can I say it again – I do love this series.  More, Scott Westerfeld, more!

But then I moved on to Life as We Knew It  by Susan Beth Pfeffer.  Am I on a dystopic bend?  I knew the second I saw the cover and read the endpapers that I had to read this book even though I had already read Uglies for my dystopic themed title.  To have an asteroid knock the moon off its orbit, which in turns throws the Earth’s magnetic field and orbit off kilter thus causing tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanoes which obliterate much of  “life as we knew it,”  well for me that was a must-read.  And Pfeffer did not fail me.  I loved the main character Miranda, an average 16 year old Pennsylvania teen focused on school and skating, who, through her diary entries, slowly lets us see the impact both physical and emotional of this horrific global catastrophe.   Miranda’s mom is truly a supermom, who is fortunately obsessed with planning for any and all kinds of shortage and catastrophe.  The description of Miranda, her mother, brother and long time family friend racing through the stores in town buying up all that they think they might need for a life without food, electricity or heat shook me to my core and made me want to live on a farm, with a wood stove, a well, a large garden and a super huge stockpile.  I may just become one of those extreme couponers/doomsday hoarders just in case!  But seriously,  this first title in Pfeffer’s trilogy is outstanding:  bleak, and hard but with just enough optimism found in the smallest of pleasures:  a discovered box of chocolates, a box of baseball cards and most importantly, family, that it is an amazing book sure to captivate teens and adult fans of YA alike.  (Footnote:  I did go on to read the other two books in the trilogy (couldn’t resist) The Dead and the Gone and This World We Live In.  They are must reads for fans of this new world but we only see Miranda again in the third book, the second book being the story of Alex, a New York City teenage boy, who loses his parents in the aftermath and is responsible for his two younger sisters.  Good books but the third especially does not have the same appeal as the first.)

I must find more…

 

These haunted me as a teen…

I found the reading on teen slasher films both insightful and haunting.  I grew up smack dab in the time of these movies and as a teen whose main source of spending money was babysitting, the Halloween series was particularly scary and disturbing.  Freddy, Jason, Michael – it seemed liked teens were preyed on left, right, and center.  Even filmmakers parodied this trend in the popular Scream series.

 

 

 

 

Our generation went from the secure, although perhaps superficial, life of Leave it to Beaver and The Brady Bunch to divorce and the start of absentee parenting.  It’s interesting to see the author link this societal trend to the family culture depicted in teen slasher films.  Personally, I rarely watched them – too chicken.  But for many of the kids at school, they were hugely popular and perfect for watching on cable during sleepovers.  For me, they just creeped me out…

Poetry – a love/hate relationship

Poetry… For most of my life, I have just never gotten the stuff.  For some strange reason, we separate Mother Goose, nursery rhymes and children’s songs from this capital P thing called Poetry.  I loved all things nursery rhymes. Love reciting them, loved looking at the illustrations in my fave Mother Goose books, love the memories I have of singing them with my mother.  And I have a wonderful collection of Mother Goose nursery rhyme books.

Perhaps it is the oral tradition of nursery rhymes which I so identify with and which I guess I need in “older” poetry.  Perhaps…  (I only really got Shakespeare when I saw it performed. Seeing Kenneth Branagh perform Hamlet in Stratford-on-Avon, IN The Globe theatre was truly transformative…).

But as Bucher noted, educators have traditionally focused on the classics when teaching poetry and did not introduce this lyrical form via poems which would appeal to teens.  Memories of “Ode to a Grecian Urn” and “Thanatopsis” stay with me even today as reasons why I just didn’t “get” poetry.  Nothing appealing there.

I think so many of us approach poetry for young adults in this way – classics or avoidance – and yet after Christine’s presentation today, it is evident we are missing a wealth of amazing anthologies, collections and verse novels to continue to develop and whet the poetic appetites of teens.  Even audio recordings for readers like me who need to hear the verse to connect with it.

There is so much to savour says I who will soon, like Mark Strand, be “eating poetry.”

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Secret:  Until my YA prof raved about this book, I had had no intention reading it.  Ever.  Maybe it was the cover – a black cover with a cowboy and an Indian on it.  Maybe it was the title – not my style.  Maybe it was even the fact that I wasn’t sure if it was truly YA or simply an adult title by Alexie marketed to teens.  Anyway, hadn’t planned on reading it until I read the first couple of chapters in class, saw the amazing drawings inside and heard Junior/Arnold’s hilarious voice.  Well, I had to read it.  And am I so glad I did!

Junior was born with a number of challenges: premature, hydrocephalic, ten extra teeth, horrible eyesight, a huge skull and, as he would put it, Native Indian.  While intensely loyal to his tribe, this brilliant kid sees quickly that he will never get beyond the life of his loving but drunken parents unless he leaves the reserve to pursue his education at the town school.    While at times tragic (how many deaths can a poor kid go through?), Junior’s determination to make a better life for himself despite having no money, at times no food or transportation and without the support of his best friend and his tribe is an inspiration to us all.   The fact that he continued to reach out to the people he loved like his friend Rowdy but who snubbed, rejected and even beat him is a testament to both his internal conviction of the necessity of his leaving but also to his love for his roots.

This book addresses many a stereotype about Native culture and admits the extreme and often tragic challenges faced by this community.  Had this book been written by a non-Native, it would have nowhere near the impact as it would be labeled as racist.  But because Alexie is from the reservation himself, we see both the tragic and the beautiful in the Native community.  And in both Junior and Alexie himself,  we can see the possible…

Verdict:  Every North American needs to read this book.  I loved it but must admit at times hated it for its tragic reality.  Highly recommended.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Zevin, Gabrielle.  Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac. 271 p. Farrar, Strauss, Giroux. 2007. h/c.  ISBN 978-0-374-34946-2.

Gr. 7 up.  Gabrielle Zevin is making a name for herself with reflective, inventive and insightful takes on age-old questions.  In her debut, award-winning novel, Elsewhere,  Zevin asks the question “What happens after I die?”  In her second novel, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, she asks “Am I living the life I really want to live?” Sixteen year old Naomi Porter wakes up after a nasty fall down the front stairs at school to find she has forgotten the past four years of her life.  She has no memory of her parents’ divorce, her new half-sister, her father’s engagement, her best friends or her boyfriend.  She doesn’t even remember how to drive.  With no memory of her recent past, Naomi starts to question the person everyone says she was as well as the decisions and choices – from haircuts to boyfriends – her former self had made.  Her amnesia, albeit temporary, proved to be a catalyst for change, exploration and ultimately healing.  While memory return could have been expanded upon, Zevin manages to capture the naïve bewilderment of a stunned 16 year old with the memories and experiences of a 12 year old.  A YALSA Best Books of the Year 2008, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac is recommended for ages 12 and up. 4Q for Better than most, marred by occasional lapses. 4P Broad general or genre YA appeal.

Just the facts…and lots of pics too

I really enjoyed Michael Cart’s take on the evolution of informational books appealing to young adults.  I so remember being in awe of the Eyewitness series by DK for how it transformed the treatment ofpreviously oh-so-boringly presented topics.  The demand for the next Eyewitness book was amazing as kids and even teens were clamouring to see what the next new topic they would treat.

Now their stunning, visual format of photos and computer generated images with snippets of informative text transformed the industry.  Children now look for and expect this format in informative texts.

It’s not perfect, however.  Details get missed which can be frustrating for a kid or teen passionate about a subject and looking for more information than what can be given in snippet form.  DK’s books can be at times disjointed, great for picking up and devouring a tidbit or two at a time, but not necessarily logically laid out or accessible when searching for a specific piece of information.  It’s also important to double check who is writing the books as it can often be a DK staff member and not necessarily an expert on the subject.

But really, these transformations have made non-fiction hip, fun, appealing and accessible to increasingly visually-oriented youth. And isn’t that what great books are all about?

Believe it or not, teens are doing it too…

 

 

I think most teens, at least pre-Internet, learned about sex in one of two or three ways:  friends, experience, and/or books.  Who hasn’t had a stash of “forbidden” books in a bedside table or under the bed?  Because at least in the age of Forever, these were not books you read in front of your parents.  Books on “the first time” or “doing it” are hugely important to teens of all ages who find books a safe way to “pre-experience” this new and often intimidating side of teen life.

 

Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky

Ok, this is not Forever.  Actually, it’s way better.  While I will never forget Ralph (who from my generation can), I am so glad that there are some amazing books for teens which give realistic details about all the mushy, messy, exciting parts of relationships and that three letter word – S.E.X.  In the 80s, we had Judy Blume, Harlequins or Danielle Steel (even V.C. Andrews, with her incestuous sibling partnership).  Once tired of Forever or even the self-loving of Deenie, there were only adult books to turn to.  While there was a level of romantic excitement to Danielle Steel, it was in no way, shape or form part of a teen experience or reality.

Thankfully, teen girls today have Snadowsky’s Dominique, a 17 year old science brain who falls for shy, inexperienced track star Wes.  We get to see the bumbling, nervous side of falling for someone – and via texting on top of it.  Does he like me?  How much do I tell him?  And ultimately,  how far do we go?  Snadowsky is unabashedly open about Dominique’s and Wes’ first times at sex and some of their loves and challenges regarding their newly-discovered pastime.  What I really loved was how Snadowsky dealt with how the relationship ended up fizzling out due to their new college lives and the details she went into describing Dominique’s guttural response to the end of her first love.  She nailed it.  How I wished I’d had a book like this when I was 17-18…  A must read and must have for any teen collection.

Finally!!! Shattering Glass book trailer

At long last, here is our book trailer!  We have now had a pretty good taste of movie making and audio editing in PowerPoint, i-movie, Audacity, and Camtasia. What a long but insightful road!

Hope you pick up a copy of Gail Giles’ dark, edge-of-your-seat, debut novel.

Orca Soundings

Snitch by Norah McClintock

Part of the Orca Soundings series,  Snitch is the story of Josh, a teenage boy required to participate in a dog training program as part of a juvenile rehabilitation program.  A very angry, defiant boy who, forced to live with his brother, sister-in-law and baby nephew in a very cramped tiny apartment, is searching to find his place and space in the world following the death of his parents.  Confrontations with bullies and former friends challenge Josh in his struggles to get through his program.  Add to that a very frustrated and judgmental sister-in-law and you have a potential recipe for failure for Josh.  McClintock navigates these challenges with realistic simplicity – perfect for the reluctant reader or teen who just likes a quick read.  I did find the last chapter jumped ahead a bit too quickly and to patly to resolve some pretty major issues.  Life is nowhere near as simple as that and I’m not sure the teens who would be interested in reading this book would appreciate the happy-ending resolution.  Perhaps, it was a matter of maximum pages for this easily accessible series geared to reluctant reader teens.  Still, Orca Soundings is an important series to have in any teen library for its breadth of themes and its easily accessible text. (And it’s Canadian!)

 

YA Award winners

While my YA class only required us to read one award winner for the upcoming week,  I couldn’t resist checking out a couple of these intriguing books…

I first savoured Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

This small book both in length and size is great in both its simplicity and complexity.  The story of Caitlin, a young girl with Asperger’s, whose brother, Devon, has just been killed in a school shooting, is at once gut-wrenching and uplifting as we see the world through Caitlin’s eyes.  Having worked with a few children with Asperger’s, Erskine’s portrayal of Caitlin really gave me, and I’m sure many others, an amazing insight into their world, where everything is black and white and very, very literal.  But it was Caitlin’s growing ability to form relationships, first with a little elementary school boy and later with her own father, that I found myself cheering for this plucky, courageous girl.  Her fight for “closure” is one that all of us can learn from.  A must read and must have for readers 8 +.

But after hearing a colleague raving about Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston, I just had to check that one out as well.  (First of all,  I LOVE the cover!)

I definitely got my faerie fix with Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston.  It reminded of O.R. Melling’s The Chronicles of Faerie series but without the Canadian content and with a bit more of an urban fantasy feel.  I have to say I was not – and to a certain extent, am not- a big Shakespeare fan so I was prepared for the Shakespeare allusions to turn me off but actually, they did the opposite.  They made the Faerie world of A Midsummer Night’s Dream a bit more real and the allusions to Arthurian legends (I love all things Arthurian especially Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon.) made this urban fantasy an interesting blend of the modern and the classic.  The main character of Kelley Winslow was a bit sketchily drawn at times.  I loved that she was so strong and independent – especially when she started to discover the power she had.  But there were times, for example when she was first given the lead Titania, when she went from a bumbling, insecure teen to overnight becoming a confident, powerful and mesmerizing force.   This shift seemed too quick, too glossed over.  Perhaps it was because the book was in the third person and alternated from covering Kelley to covering the changeling Sonny that I didn’t get much sense as to her process from teen to royal faerie.  Still,  it was a fun read, less gritty than Holly Black’s Tithe, and I look forward to reading the other two books in the trilogy.  Yay for Canadian YA fiction!

While I didn’t read it for this assignment,  I did read Half-Brother by Kenneth Oppel this summer, trying to catch up on some of the hot YA fiction for this past year.  It so deserved all the accolades and more for its unique take on family,”humanity,” and animal testing.  Check it out!