Who Says Teens Today Don’t Read?! YA Book Reviews

Library Page Cameron Bridge displays

some new and notable young adult titles

     Who says teens today don’t read?! According to Publisher’s Weekly, young adult fiction is the fastest growing publication category right now. Buoyed by successful trilogies such as The Hunger Games and Divergent, books for young adults continue to gain in popularity thanks to media tie-ins. This summer’s blockbuster movie, The Fault in our Stars, for example, was based on John Green’s book of the same title; there’s the upcoming If I Stay film, based on Gayle Forman’s book as well as the much anticipated The Giver based on Lois Lowry’s classic title. Not surprisingly, young adult fiction is popular not only with teens but with adults too. The biggest demographic group buying YA titles are those ages 18 to 29. Here are a few other notable YA books to check out this summer:

Cabin Girl (Orca Currents) by Kristin Butcher
When 16-year old Bailey takes on a summer job at a fly-in fishing lodge, she gets more than she bargained for. Written by award-winning Canadian author Kristin Butcher, this Orca title, like all of those in the series, is a fast-paced read that will appeal not only to older, reluctant or struggling teen readers but also to stronger readers looking for a quick, engaging story.

Ungifted by Gordon Korman (ages 10-14)
After pulling a major prank at middle school, troublemaker Donovan Curtis is mistakenly sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for gifted and talented students. In typical Korman style, situations are presented hilariously, and the underlying message that we all have different gifts to bring is subtle yet insightful.

Threatened by Eliot Schrefer (ages 12-16)
An African boy living on the streets of Gabon escapes his jailer by heading into the forest with a scientist who is not entirely what he seems. They've come to study chimpanzees, but when the scientist disappears, the boy must fend for himself — and then join forces with the chimps to save their habitat from unwelcome intruders.  This action/adventure/survival story has received a lot of critical acclaim.

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (recommended for older teens due to subject matter)
This graphic novel by Canadian cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki is a coming of age story that would appeal to older teens, particularly reluctant readers since there is not a lot of text. Rose and her parents have been going to Awago Beach since she was a little girl. It’s her summer getaway, her refuge. Her friend Windy is always there too, like the younger sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose’s mom and dad won’t stop fighting, and Rose and Windy find themselves tangled up in a tragedy in the small town. It’s a summer of secrets and heartache…and ultimately hope.

By Elena Doeble, Head Librarian at the Westbank Branch

Science Fiction Book Talk!

     The genesis of science fiction can be traced directly to the publication of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley more than two centuries ago. It grew so popular in the decades that followed to where today the genre  greatly influences modern popular culture through movies, television, books and a myriad of computer games.
     It is not every reader’s cup of tea but some science fiction authors are terrific storytellers and their work is easily accessible to readers of other genres, especially when time travel is used as a device to drive the story. Everyone can identify with the thought of travelling time.
      Blackout and All Clear (2010), a stunning two-volume work, clearly illustrates multiple prize-winning author Connie Willis well deserves the critical acclaim she’s earned as an incomparable storyteller. The first novel in the series is an enormously entertaining tale of time travel, war and the deeds—great and small—of the ordinary people who shape history.
     Oxford in 2060 is a chaotic place, with scores of time-travelling historians being sent into the past. Michael Davies is preparing to go to Pearl Harbor, Merope Ward is struggling with a group of bratty 1940s evacuees and Polly Churchill’s next assignment will be as a shopgirl in the middle of London’s Blitz. But the time-travel lab is now cancelling assignments for no apparent reason and switching everyone’s schedules.
     When Michael, Merope and Polly finally travel to World War II it only grows worse. They face blackouts, unexploded bombs, dive-bombing Stukas, rationing, shrapnel, V-1s and two of the most incorrigible children in all of history, to say nothing of a growing unease that not only are their assignments but the war and history itself are spinning out of control. The once-reliable mechanisms of time travel are showing significant glitches and the three heroes begin to question their most firmly held belief that no historian can possibly change the past.
     Blackout and All Clear reveal a side of World War II seldom seen before: a dangerous desperate world where there are no civilians and everybody, from the Queen to the lowliest barmaid, is determined to do what they can to help a beleaguered nation survive.
     The Map of Time (2011) by renowned Spanish author Felix Palma is a riveting thriller that explores the impact of time travel in three intersecting narratives. The opening chapter of the story, set in 1896 England, starts out like a tragic Victorian romance. Andrew Harrington plans to take his own life, despondent over the death years earlier of his lover, the last victim of Jack the Ripper. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Claire Haggerty plots to escape her restrictive role by escaping to the future via Murray’s Time Travel, a new commercial concern that offers such a trip for a hefty fee.
     Finally, Colin Garrett of Scotland Yard believes a weapon from the future could only have caused a fatal wound on a murder victim. H.G. Wells, the author of The Time Machine, becomes involved and serves to link all three stories. The Map of Time is a wonderful blend of genres, including science fiction, steampunk, mystery and romance, and will appeal to a wide range of readers even if they seldom read science fiction.
    The Accidental Time Machine (2007) by Joe W. Haldeman is an unusually insightful and evocative tale that shines. Matt Fuller, a likeable underachiever stuck in a rut as a lab research assistant at MIT in the near future, is startled when a calibrator he has built begins to disappear and reappear, apparently springing forward in time for progressively longer intervals. The young research assistant eventually develops a time machine but when he claims to have done so it costs him his job, girlfriend and possibly his freedom.
     A keen curiosity and a series of unfortunate accidents hurtles Matt through different futures and he gradually becomes more adaptable and resourceful as the experiences hone his character. The young woman he rescues from a techno-religious dictatorship offers him a chance to develop a mature relationship. He also teams up with an AI that intends to press on to the end of time and this forces Matt to decide what he truly wants from life.
     The Accidental Time Machine is a brisk cautionary fable that ultimately spins a humorous, provocative tale that in tone is reminiscent of Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys, another bewitching tale. It is also easily accessible and well worth the effort.

Reviews by Peter Critchley from the Vernon Branch

Amazing True Stories!

At the Library

This month’s Westbank Branch book recommendations come from Assistant Community Librarian Catherine Mamo.

Catherine has worked for the Okanagan Regional Library for over seven years. She works in several branches, but calls the Westbank branch home. Catherine enjoys delivering storytimes and other children’s programs.

Many of you may not know that Catherine is a published author! Look for her book of poetry, Paperwhite, in our collection. She has also taught Creative Writing courses.

Catherine reads “everything” (fiction, nonfiction and poetry) except genre fiction. She enjoys memoirs and stories that are based on true events.

Catherine lives in Peachland with her family and a menagerie of animals!

 

SOME AMAZING TRUE STORIES:

 

The Girl with No Name: The True Story of a Girl Who Lived With Monkeys
By  Marina Chapman

A girl of three, kidnapped then abandoned in the rainforest, survives for five years by following, watching and finally joining a troop of Capuchin monkeys. Once “rescued” she ends up enslaved and beaten by the owner of a brothel. She escapes only to begin a life as one of many homeless children on the mean streets of Colombia. The monkeys definitely come off better than the humans in this amazing memoir. Could it really be true?

 

 

 

The Spark: A Mother's Story of Nurturing Genius
By Kristine Barnett

Faced with her son Jake’s diagnosis of severe autism, Kristine refuses to give up on her child. In the process of helping Jake grow and flourish, she discovers new ways of encouraging autistic children to develop by igniting their “spark.” Turns out Jake is a genius with an IQ higher than Einstein who is now doing advanced research into quantum physics.

 

 

 

Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia
By Marya Hornbacher

This devastating memoir documents Hornbacher’s struggles with anorexia and bulimia from a very young age. Eating disorders plague her into young adulthood and she barely survives. For anyone trying to understand these complex mental illnesses, Wasted is a gripping and terrifying account by an intelligent young woman. Not for the faint of heart.

 

 

 

 

The Great Pearl Heist: London's Greatest Thief and Scotland Yard's Hunt for the World's Most Valuable Necklace
By  Molly Caldwell Crosby

Here’s one for history fans. The Great Pearl Heist is a romp through Edwardian London on the trail of some very smart jewel thieves. Joseph Grizzard and his gang have just stolen the most valuable string of pearls ever known. But will they get away with it? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

 

Wave: A Memoir
By Sonali Deraniyagala

The tsunami of 2004 took Deraniyagala’s entire family—children, husband and both parents-- while they were holidaying on the Sri Lankan coast. How does a person bear such grief? This is not a happy memoir but it is moving and skillfully written.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss
By Edmund De Waal

This book tells the story of the wealthy and cultured Ephrussi family. De Waal inherits a collection of small Japanese carvings known as Netsuke from his uncle in Tokyo. In trying to learn more about the carvings he uncovers a compelling family history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: The Religion - A Swashbuckling Epic Set Adventure!

The Religion (2007) by Tim Willocks is a swashbuckling epic set adventure that plunges readers into another world and time, a compelling tale of romance, courage and religious conflict on the island of Malta during the 16^th century. The epic story details the medieval exploits of Capt. Matthias Tannhauser, a Saxon soldier of fortune with carnal appetite and a droll irreverence, and his unlikely journey to help French countess Carla La Penautier rescue her illegitimate son now trapped in a fundamentalist bloodbath between Christian and Muslim on Malta, an island under one of the most bloody and spectacular sieges in military history.

 Mattias, Carla and their companions must not only confront the invading Ottoman empire but a rogue Roman Inquisitor who happens to be the father of Carla’s lost child. Mattias and Carla do not even know the name of the boy, taken from her at his birth twelve years ago.

 The Religion is an epic novel and the first book in an epic trilogy. It is like a panel in a Renaissance triptych and is a vivid depiction of a world on the cusp of modernity. But like all great tales the characters are richly drawn, even flawed, and this imparts a gripping quality to the epic that even transcends the plot.

by Peter Chritchley, Reference Librarian at the Vernon Branch