The Red Umbrella by Christina Gonzalez : A

Title: The Red Umbrella
Author: Christina Gonzalez
Genre: Historical Fiction (MG/YA)
Publication: 2010 by Alfred A. Knopf
Pages: 275
Ages: 10-12+
Grade: A

The Red Umbrella is the moving tale of a 14-year-old girl's journey from Cuba to America as part of Operation Pedro Pan—an organized exodus of more than 14,000 unaccompanied children, whose parents sent them away to escape Fidel Castro's revolution.

In 1961, two years after the Communist revolution, Lucía Álvarez still leads a carefree life, dreaming of parties and her first crush. But when the soldiers come to her sleepy Cuban town, everything begins to change. Freedoms are stripped away. Neighbors disappear. Her friends feel like strangers. And her family is being watched.

As the revolution's impact becomes more oppressive, Lucía's parents make the heart-wrenching decision to send her and her little brother to the United States—on their own.

Suddenly plunked down in Nebraska with well-meaning strangers, Lucía struggles to adapt to a new country, a new language, a new way of life. But what of her old life? Will she ever see her home or her parents again? And if she does, will she still be the same girl?

The Red Umbrella is a moving story of country, culture, family, and the true meaning of home. 

General: I was absolutely thrilled to be reading this book for the 2010 Debut Author Challenge. It looked (and the reviews showed) to be a moving tale of a Cuban girl and life's changes. When I got the book and started reading it, I was afraid it was going to be just terrible. Because there's none of the thrilling action of the Cuban revolution the summary seems to promise. Of course, the book totally picked up and I enjoyed every second of it. It's a quick and easy read; the print is rather large and it doesn't have an enormous amount of pages. But in the short amount of time it took to read, the story had a huge impact on me and left me teary-eyed more than once.

Plot: The story revolves mainly around a 14-year-old girl named Lucia. She's living a carefree life in Cuba, all the while totally uninterested in the horrors of the Cuban revolution going on around her. She is more interested by the new American fashion magazines and cute guys from school. Suddenly, she is jerked into reality when her own family is directly put in danger because of the revolution. No longer does it seem a far-off problem left to the adults to mull over in hushed whispers after the children are in bed. As the plot unfolds, it reveals a beautiful and fascinatingly thought-provoking storyline one is not sure to ever forget.

Characters: The characters are extremely likable, and very skillfully written and developed. Every character seems to just be calling for you to fall in love with them and get involved in their fictional lives. It's a beautiful reading experience each and every American unaware of the privileges we have in living in the United States. Historical Fiction isn't really my forte, and it's not necessarily my favorite; I find it hard to relate to, and thus difficult to get INTO the book. But for this book, not so. The writing and the characters just invite you in, to immerse yourself in all its beauty.


This book defied my every expectation, when I was THIS close to putting it down because I felt it wouldn't rise to them. It's a heartwarming storyline free of sugar-coating; an emotionally charged plot filled with deep feeling. It's not a glorified war novel or a dramatic story of survival. It's a story of hope and never letting go of what you hold inside your heart.The title, The Red Umbrella has powerful significance, and when that significance was revealed, it left tears in my eyes and a tug on my heartstrings. Christina Gonzalez's novel is a story of living a life of love despite the suffering in the world. It's the treasure of family, the value of freedom, and the true meaning of home.

Scores

Plot: 19/20
Characters: 19/20
Ending: 20/20
Style: 16/20
Title: 20/20
Overall: 94/100

Grade: A
Cover Grade: A

Candy by Kevin Brooks : A

Title: Candy

Author: Kevin Brooks

Genre: Realistic Fiction (YA)

Publication: 2005 by The Chicken House

Pages: 384

Ages: 14+

Grade: A

When Joe Beck, a fifteen-year-old suburban kid, gets lost in a disreputable neighborhood on his way to an appointment in London, he is struck dumb by his first sight of beautiful and seemingly innocent Candy. She talks with him, teases him, but reveals nothing about herself except her phone number. Later they have a perfect day at the London Zoo, and soon Joe is as addicted to Candy as she is to heroin, in spite of the threats of her menacing pimp Iggy. Almost nothing matters except his desire to free her from her terrible life-- not his band's chance for a recording contract, not the song he has written for her that has become a hit without him.

But there is something that still matters to him, and when he rescues the young prostitute from her sordid rooming house and takes her into hiding to sweat out her addiction, Iggy finds and uses that one thing that is stronger than Joe's passion for Candy, in a heart-thumping, breathless conclusion.

General: I'll be honest. When I picked this book out at the library, I didn't read the summary too well. When I got home and picked it up to start reading it, well, let's say I was in for a little surprise. Being a high schooler, my parents are pretty strict about what I read. So when I realized what this book was REALLY about--heroin and prostitution...well, let's say I nearly put it down. But I decided to read it instead, and promised myself I would put it down if it got too bad. But I'm happy to say, it didn't. The author, Kevin Brooks, tackled this tough subject with skill. He didn't take advantage of the opportunity to throw in terribly foul language or a random sex scene, and I greatly admire and respect that. I mean seriously. Prostitution? But Brooks skillfully and masterfully opened my eyes to the horrors of that world--without horrifying my own parents.

Plot: So I began reading this and...I was immediately writing off this book as just a weird book. Because believe me, the beginning is really weird. At least, I found it to be so. The main character, Joe, meets the alternate main character, Candy, and he immediately becomes obsessed (to an unhealthy level) with this girl. All the while unaware that Candy is, in actuality, selling her body in exchange for drugs from her "pimp", Iggy, a controlling and violent man. Candy's history with this shocking "profession" is one of bullying and pain in her childhood. She met Iggy and he made her feel special and loved, telling her what she needed to hear. All too soon, he had her hooked on some pretty powerful drugs. But when Iggy ran out of money to purchase the drugs, he pressured Candy (real name, Candice) into selling the one thing she could for drugs--her body. She's ashamed and hurting...but Iggy turned out not to be the loving and kind guy she thought he was, and now she's trapped in this downward spiral she regrets to call her life.

After a few chapters the book certainly was looking much better, and less...um...odd. And then, in one chapter, with astonishing speed, the book picked up faster than I had time to think about it. And from then on, I was hooked on this book. Once it got, well, EXTRA INTENSE, I could NOT put it down.

Characters: I have to tell the truth. When we first learned about Candy and her secret life, I immediately decided I didn't like this girl, and that Joe needed to get himself away from her, quickly as possible, and as soon as possible. But then, when she tells her story, I realized. She's just a girl. She's a girl who made a few wrong decisions for a guy who manipulated her into feeling loved and special so he could get himself some cash, and some drugs. And she wants out. And you could feel it. I could feel the ache in Candy's heart to be free. I could feel her pangs of regret for getting with Iggy in the first place. And that was utterly heartbreaking and tremendously wonderful to be a part of, considering the skill Kevin Brooks has in his writing.

Joe is a harder character to figure out. He's complicated. Once he meets Candy, he loses his sense of loyalty. No longer does he sees things in black and white. He was kind of a naive boy before he met Candy. Now, his knowledge is more than he seems to know what to do with. But Candy means everything to him. He's willing to do anything to get her free. Free from Iggy, free from prostitution, and free from the grip heroin has on her. It's beautiful, honestly.

All in all, I can't even think of the right words to sum up this book. It's powerful, it's gripping, it's beautiful, it's thrilling. It's the promise of "forever". It's unstoppable love. It's danger. It's mistakes and plans, hopes and heartbreak. It's disturbing, it's provocative, it's enthralling, and it's awe-inspiring. This novel isn't an easy one to forget.

Scores

Plot: 18/20

Characters: 19/20

Ending: 18/20

Cover: 17/20

Style: 19/20

Overall: 91/100

Grade: A

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson : A

Title: Twisted
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Genre: Realistic Fiction (YA)

Publication: 2007 by Viking Juvenile

Pages: 256
Ages: 13+
Grade: A





(From goodreads.com)

High school senior Tyler Miller used to be the kind of guy who faded into the background - average student, average looks, average dysfunctional family. But since he got busted for doing graffiti on the school, and spent the summer doing outdoor work to pay for it, he stands out like you wouldn't believe. His new physique attracts the attention of queen bee Bethany Milbury, who just so happens to be his fathers boss's daughter, the sister of his biggest enemy and Tyler's secret crush. And that sets off a string of events and changes that have Tyler questioning his place in the school, in his family, and in the world.

In Twisted, the acclaimed Laurie Halse Anderson tackles a very controversial subject: what it means to be a man today. Fans and new readers alike will be captured by Tyler's pitch perfect, funny voice, the surprising narrative arc, and the thoughtful moral dilemmas that are at the heart of all of the authors award-winning, widely read work.

General: I've already said that Laurie Halse Anderson is one of my very most favorite authors. And I must say, I absolutely love this book. It has to be one of my favorites by her, certainly tied with Speak in my mind. To me, this novel is one of her best novels, and her most overlooked novel. So although I read it a little while ago, I'm picking it up again so I can write a review and bring people's attention to this astounding book.

Twisted is a book about a boy forced all too quickly to become a man. This is the first book that Laurie Halse Anderson has done with a male main character. All the LHA books I've read have been in the first person, and to me, they have all been a truly realistic and powerfully accurate voice. This has not changed with Twisted, surprisingly enough. Although LHA, obviously a female, was daring enough to take on a male main character, not an ounce has been sacrificed of her true voice. And I'm glad.

Like many of her books, Twisted is not an effortless easy read. It's painful and it's raw. The main character, Tyler, was recently busted for graffiti at his high school. He's been forced to do community service during the summer. Suddenly, his reputation has changed drastically. Some are horrified by what he's done, and they certainly let him know that, such as his parents. Some, however, think he's just about the coolest dude in school, including Bethany, the hottest chick at school, also the daughter of Tyler's father's boss. All too soon, Tyler finds himself in a bind. And it gets tighter and tighter until he has no way of knowing what to do anymore.

Like I said...I'm a little bit in love with this book. It really spoke to me and I loved every second of it. It's powerful. I took it out of the library and when I finished it, I instantly decided I wanted my own copy. So now I'm the proud owner of one of the best books I've read in a long time.

Plot: I feel like I'm rambling. But I love this book. I have no complaints about the plot of this book. I loved the way you could watch and feel Tyler's hope build up about his relationship with Bethany, and could glimpse his hope spiraling downward faster and faster. I could feel his pain as his home life fell apart, and his relationship with his parents, particularly his father, shattered. As the reader, you have the opportunity to sit there with the book in your hands and feel yourself becoming one of Tyler's best friends. You just have to wonder while you watch him struggle...will he make it in the end? Will he fight? Or give in?

Characters: Tyler is a very likeable character. He's likeable, and easy to get to know. He's a well-rounded, well-written character. It's impressive.

Other characters in the novel are not quite as likeable. But good characters or not, all of the members of the story are full and real and there's not much else I can say about that.

Like I said, the relationships are easy to follow, and very delicate. Relationships are built, are broken, are shattered beyond repair. And it just makes me love Laurie Halse Anderson all the more. She's so great.


Overall, this book is amazing. It's real. It's raw. It's painful. It's powerful. And for some, it may even be life-changing. I do truly feel like this book is overlooked, as it rests in the shadow of Speak, Wintergirls, and other more popular books by Laurie Halse Anderson. I hope this review can bring it to others' attention so some people can grow to love it like I do.

Scores

Plot: 20/20
Characters: 18/20
Ending: 18/20
Cover: 18/20
Style: 20/20
Overall: 94/10

Grade: A

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray : A

Title: A Great and Terrible Beauty

Author: Libba Bray

Genre: Fantasy (YA)

Publication: 2003 by Random House

Pages: 416

Ages: 13+

Grade: A





(From bn.com)

"It’s 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma’s reception there is a chilly one. To make things worse, she’s been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? And what will her entanglement with Spence’s most powerful girls—and their foray into the spiritual world—lead to?"

General: This book is sorta a new kind of book for this blog. So far, all the books have been YA realistic fiction. A Great and Terrible Beauty is a fantasy book. A fabulous, “curl-up-under-the-covers kind of book”. I used to be the kind of person who was obsessed with fantasy because of the places they can take you, and the way they have of making you feel like you can just about fly. But I guess my tastes changed and I began to read more of the conventional, realistic fiction books that stayed closer to home.

But talk about a book that can take you places. This book is absolutely unforgettable. While reading it, I visited places I only dreamed of. I met people I never thought I’d get to meet in a novel. I thought about things I’ve never had in my mind before. And I’m NOT being dramatic.

Plot: This is a definitely not a book I have to drone about having started slow. No, the action picked up pretty much right away. And it KEPT GOING. As soon as the initial tragedy occurs with the main character, Gemma’s, mother, the plot hastens along at an astonishing speed. I can hardly even begin to describe the plot. One thing came right after the other. As one mystery began to unfold, a whole new level was introduced; one you could never imagine, and certainly didn’t see coming. For me, just when I thought I finally knew what was going to happen, the plot took another sharp turn into the realm of the unknown.

Unique? Please. Don’t even make me answer that. I opened up this book and thought to myself, “Oh, girl’s mother dies, said girl goes to boarding school, blahblahblah boringboring.” And…now I laugh to think I thought such a thing about this book. ‘Nuff said.

Characters: Amazing characters. That’s all there is to it. Gemma is as real a character as any tangible person in real life. She feels like a living, breathing human. Her friends and those who aren’t so friendly, all of whom go to the same boarding school as she does, are just as real, and perhaps even more entertaining. Gemma’s relationship with the group of the most popular girls in school is a roller coaster. Up and down, up and down. To watch their friendship blossom was…awesome. It was so cute, and joyful and just…aahh.

Really, I had no problems with what Libba Bray did with her characters. There were a ton of surprises she introduced with her characters, and many turned out not to be who we thought they were. But I was totally okay with it; it seemed to roll real well. Overall, the characters were presented very well. Very real, easy to picture in my mind, not the least bit predictable or cliché. Fabulous.


Overall, I loved A Great and Terrible Beauty. The book was mysterious, sad, joyful, dark, suspenseful, and anything else you can think of. Amazingly enough, the novel was shockingly deep. It totally made me think. Each character was going through their own crisis, experiencing very real pain. Some lessons they learned and things they thought and said really provoked some thought on a deeper level. And I truly admire a book and its author when it can make me do that. All in all, the novel kept me absolutely sucked in. I remember tons of times when I had to work with a time limit on my reading and I was beyond frustrated when I had to close the book because I wanted to read just one more chapter to find out what would happen. I just wanted to read and read and read. After this book comes another one, Rebel Angels. I can’t wait to hurry up and get that one so I can find out the rest of the story!


Scores

Plot: 20/20
Characters: 18/20
Ending: 18/20
Cover: 18/20
Style: 18/20
Overall: 92/100

Grade: A

The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti: A

Title: The Nature of Jade
Author: Deb Caletti
Genre: Realisitc Fiction (YA)
Publication: 2007 by Simon and Schuster
Pages: 288
Ages: 13+
Grade: A

Jade DeLuna is too young to die. She knows this, and yet she can't quite believe it, especially when the terrifying thoughts, loss of breath, and dizzy feelings come. Since being diagnosed with Panic Disorder, she's trying her best to stay calm, and visiting the elephants at the nearby zoo seems to help. That's why Jade keeps the live zoo webcam on in her room, and that's where she first sees the boy in the red jacket. A boy who stops to watch the elephants. A boy carrying a baby.


His name is Sebastian, and he is raising his son alone. Jade is drawn into Sebastian's cozy life with his son and his activist grandmother on their Seattle houseboat, and before she knows it, she's in love. With this boy who has lived through harder times than anyone she knows. This boy with a past.


Jade knows the situation is beyond complicated, but she hasn't felt this safe in a long time. She owes it all to Sebastian, her boy with the great heart. Her boy who is hiding a terrible secret. A secret that will force Jade to decide between what is right, and what feels right.


Master storyteller Deb Caletti has once again created characters so real, you will be breathless with anticipation as their riveting story unfolds.

General: This book is going to get a rave review. I know for sure this book will receive a great review from me. I actually picked this book off the shelf because of the color. The greenish color of the cover caught my eye because it’s my favorite color. When I started reading it, I realized that it was moving pretty slowly. The beginning was uneventful in the area of the plot, but it kept me totally pulled in because the characters were so real. They were practically living and breathing. Things definitely picked up pretty fast, though. One of the things I absolutely loved was that although the plot became exciting and eventful, the characters never lost an ounce of their real-ness. If anything, they became even more tangible.

The Nature of Jade is a DEEP book. It’s really, really deep. The whole book is kind of your typical YA romance novel. The main character, a girl named Jade, meets a cute guy, named Sebastian. Said characters fall in love. But this book… It’s so much more than that. It’s a traditional YA romance with a twist. A lot of twists, actually. Jade has a panic disorder, which immediately adds a lot of depth to the story. Sebastian has a son and a troubled past. And…the rest I can’t say without spoilers ;) The whole thing is an adorable, touching romance that blossoms between two spectacular characters with a sprinkling of tasteful humor and a dash of educational information. But the whole book is extremely deep and thought-provoking. I’m amazed at Deb Caletti for what she’s done with this novel. Her utter creativity is phenomenal.

I’m almost sad to say that I finished this book. I wish it never had to end. The interaction between Jade and Sebastian touched me in a special way and it gave me happy goosebumps and those girly little giggles, the giddy kind you get when you witness a young romance. I cried hard whenever Jade’s heart is torn or broken, and when Sebastian felt lost and hopeless. I cried, too, when the two couldn’t contain their joy with each other, and when their love withstood all. At times, I cracked up because Deb Caletti is just…hysterical. This book just left me awestruck and wishing it didn’t have to end so soon.

Plot: The plot is pretty general, but SO not cliché. It’s not completely out of the blue, and out of the ordinary, but it has a uniqueness that’s astounding. The whole plot moved really well. It went at precisely the perfect speed, with precisely the right words, feelings, and descriptions.

The blossoming love relationship between Jade and Sebastian was simply beautiful. The breaking and healing of family relationships within the book was raw and painful. And Deb Caletti let you feel that to the max.

Like I mentioned, the beginning was uneventful, but not boring. It was the setting up of the main characters, particularly Jade. The author let us into her brain in a deep way from the very beginning. Honestly, close to the ending of the book, I was afraid it was all going to end horribly and it was going to be one of THOSE books. But I can’t describe to you my happiness when that proved to be untrue. Without giving away anything, don’t give up hope on the book in the last 20 pages. I was scared…but my fears were soothed (with tears running down my cheeks) by the last page.

Characters: Like I already mentioned, the characters were utterly and honestly true and real. While reading it, I actually began to feel like I was getting to know them. I learned to love and sympathize with each of them in one way or another. One of the things I loved was Jade’s name and how she comes to fit it through the book. Jade is one of the strongest materials in nature, and this is mentioned in the book. As the story progresses, Jade slowly begins to “fit into” her name in the most unlikely ways (considering the difficult disorder she lives with).

Watching the relationship between Jade and Sebastian blossom was one of the best elements of the book. It was very realistic; the relationship didn’t seem to move too fast. Both had reasons to be cautious about getting into new relationships and that was well-portrayed. First you got to watch Jade slowly fall for Sebastian, even without knowing him well. Then we watched her work in reverse to get to know him after she has already begun to like him. We slowly unraveled the mystery of Sebastian’s past and of Jade’s complicated parents and her panic disorder.

I could easily picture each of the characters and all of the settings in the novel. That’s a big deal for me; I can sometimes tend to be a little picky about that. I like detailed descriptions, but not repetitive ones. I like them to be placed just so throughout the text, not obnoxiously found in the middle of a sentence. And for me, Deb Caletti hit the nail on the head. Right smack on the head. She placed the descriptions expertly throughout the text, and displayed them skillfully. I like making a movie in my head of what I’m reading, and this was probably one of the best books for this.

So I feel a little silly writing this review because I’m just rambling on and on about how spectacular this book was…but it’s true!! The plot was fabulous, the characters were practically breathing in your face through the pages of the book, I felt every single feeling described. I cried. I laughed. I gasped. And I got mad when my favorite character did something stupid, or when someone did something I didn’t like. I thought. I thought about everything this book said. About fear, about love, about right and wrong, about good and bad, about faith in yourself, others, and a greater power. I was just…oh my gosh. This book has me hooked! Thank you, Deb Caletti!

Scores

Plot: 20/20
Characters: 20/20
Ending: 18/20
Cover: 15/20
Style: 20/20
Overall: 93/100

Grade: A

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson : A-

Title: Wintergirls

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Genre: Realistic Fiction (YA)

Publication: 2009 by Speak Publications

Pages: 278

Ages: 13+

Grade: A-

Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in fragile bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the thinnest. But then Cassie suffers the ultimate loss--her life--and Lia is left behind, haunted by her friend's memory and feeling guilty for not being able to help save her.

     In her most powerfully moving novel since Speak, award-winning author Laurie Halse Anderson explored Lia's struggle, her painful path to recovery, and her desperate attempts to hold on to the most important thing of all--hope.

General: First of all, let me start off by saying that the author of this novel, Laurie Halse Anderson, is one of my most favorite authors of all time. She has such a talent for writing YA books. I read this book (and re-read it) about a month or two ago. Then I re-read it in order to write a review for it.

That being said, my overall opinion of this book is that it's just plain amazing. Like Laurie Halse Anderson's many other books, the voice of the main character is resounding and it stays with you for a long time. The story is tragic and heartbreaking. It's not necessarily an easy book to read. Some might say it's depressing, and I can't quite argue that. It's...not a "happy" book. It's painful. It comes through the first person with the voice of an anorexic girl, Lia, who's just lost her ex-best friend, Cassie, to bulimia. In Lia's eyes, empty is strong. As long as she has kept the presence of all food out of her system, she is strong. As Cassie's ghost haunts her after Cassie's death, Lia's struggle gets more and more intense as she fights her family, Cassie's ghost, and the urge to eat. Slowly she begins to deteriorate in health until she gets to a point where her entire fate rests on one moment, one choice.

One thing that I didn't absolutely love was the writing style. Generally, LHA has a very unique, crisp, just plain awesome writing style. But for whatever reason, in this novel, it seemed a litte over the top at times. Perhaps this is just personal preference, but I want to be honest. During much of the book, the abstract descriptions truly do add so much to the book; however, at parts, it was almot overkill. It took away from the scene in my opinion. Only at certain parts, though. At times I found it even confusing and difficult to understand. That may or may not bother anyone else; it IS extremely creative and people may actually love what I found confusing.

In this book, Laurie Halse Anderson doesn't sugar coat a thing. The entire story stands on its own, a heartbreakingly realistic novel.

Plot: The plot certainly lives up to the standards Laurie Halse Anderson has set with Speak and all her other previos books. It keeps rolling right along. I didn't feel that there were any particular slow spots where it got boring, nor were there any times where I found myself lost or that the plot had rushed. The events that occured were rarely predictable in any way, and it kept you turning pages, never wanting to put it down.

Characters: Descriptions of the characters themselves were sparse, if they existed at all. It hardly seems to matter, though, because of the amazing descriptions of everything else in the scene. It made picturing the characters very difficult, but seriously, who cares?! The book rocks.

The characters were all very real and relatable. Each had their own detailed personality, even the smallest characters. The dialogue that went on was realistic as well. None of it seemed awkward or unreal, and it all seemed to fit the speaker's age. Overall, awesome.

Scores

Plot: 18/20
Characters: 18/20
Style: 16/20
Ending: 20/20
Cover: 20/20
Overall: 92/100

Grade: A-