So, if you've been following my YoRY posts, there may be one question as yet left unanswered in your mind: Why is the author of erotic m/m fiction reading young adult novels?
Am I right? ... I thought so.
The simple answer is: Because I like YA fiction. And it's true. I don't like all of it, but I don't like all of any category of books. What I have found lately, though, in returning to the realm of YA, is that a lot of it is, quite frankly, better written than "grown-up" fiction. That's not to say "adult" fiction, with all of its sundry connotations, but books written with non-children as their target audience, whether erotic or otherwise. With a few notable exceptions (::cough::twilight::cough::), we seem to expect more of young adults and children as readers than we do of adults. I'm sure there are many sides to that discussion, and I'm not going to cover them all here because no one person can sum up the whole of literature. That's just a silly idea. But in my experience over the past few years, I've found that I've tossed aside a goodly number of adult-targeted books of a variety of genres because they bored me or they irritated me. (I've tossed aside a couple of YAs for these reasons, too, just so you know.) Either the story was far too simplistic or predictable, or the characters weren't interesting or even likable. In one case (an erotic romance), the title character was, frankly, a loathsome person and I saw no reason to give a damn whether he lived or died. Another book (technically a mystery), which I unfortunately finished because it was for a book club, was utter shit. Award-winning, gods know why, because it was GARBAGE. (On the up side of finishing it, one does like to be fully knowledgeable about one's subject when eviscerating it with friends.)
The books I have continued to read and finish (or intend to finish) for my own enjoyment have a high expectation of the reader. Boneshaker and The Ark, for example, are both books that expect a certain level of attention, comprehension, and retention from their readers, and that makes me more interested and excited to actually read them. They make me think while at the same time providing me with an escape and entertainment. Maybe that's why I've been diggin' on the YA so much. It takes a lot to get a teenager to sit down and focus on something that isn't a video game, or a TV show or movie, or any one of far too many means of social media and electronic communication. We're all moving too fast these days, and it seems to me the current teen/tween generation are taking the brunt of it. So, to get one of them to sit down, slow down, and read tens of thousands of words on a single subject... Well, you'd better be damned good at what you do to make that happen.
So there it is, for what it's worth. And now if you'll excuse me, I have a stack of books awaiting my attention. :-D
Showing posts with label Year of Reading Youthfully. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Year of Reading Youthfully. Show all posts
28 March 2011
21 March 2011
Defying Definition - YoRY Part 7
Okay, so that heading's not entirely true. The last two books from my Year of Reading Youthfully aren't hard to categorize on their own, they simply don't belong in any of the previous categories, nor do they fit together in one.
First, there's Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner, which is essentially your basic contemporary YA fiction. I picked this book up at Powell's in Portland, OR, because of the title and because the staff recommendation card said it was "the raunchiest book I've read...on this floor." "This floor" being the one that houses the Children's, Middle Readers, and Young Adult books. I thought at the time that with a title like that and a recommendation like that, it must be worth checking out. So I read the back and promptly put it in my basket. Here's what the back of the book says:
"Shakespeare has always hated his name. His parents bestowed it on him as some kind of sick joke when he was born, and since then his life has been one embarrassing incident after another. But Shakespeare will have the last laugh. He is chronicling every mortifying detail in his memoir, the writing project each senior at Shakespeare's high school must complete. And he is doing it brilliantly. For as much as he hates his name, Shakespeare is a good writer. And, just maybe, a prizewinning memoir will bring him respect, admiration, and a girlfriend . . . or at least a prom date."
So, you see why I couldn't resist. And it's written in two styles, although both are the voice of the title character, Shakespeare Shapiro. (His more popular younger brother is name Gandhi, by the way.) The narrative goes back and forth between his daily life, written in first person, present tense which seems to be a popular format these days with YA books, and the assignments he is given for his senior writing project, i.e. his memoir. In both, however, he tends to cast himself as the hapless victim. Now, lest that sound too irritating for you, it is done with such good humour and honesty that I never once got fed up with his "poor me" point of view. Fact: His little brother is cooler and more popular. Fact: His parents are nut-jobs, well-meaning as they might be. But also fact: His life is put in perspective when he gets to know another student in his memoir class and discovers just how normal and lucky his life really is in comparison to some. Yes, the boy can learn!
A friend gave me Jake Wizner's second book, Castration Celebration!, for Solstice, and I'm looking forward to reading it!
Second, there is The Boneshaker by Kate Milford, which is magical realism. I picked up this book by accident. See, I went to the library to put a hold on Boneshaker by Cherie Priest (which is flipping awesome, by the way. Go read it!). I wasn't paying very close attention and I put a hold on The Boneshaker first. I was going to cancel that hold until I read the book blurb and I thought, "Well, that sounds cool!"
I was right.
Here's what Goodreads says:
"Thirteen-year-old Natalie Minks loves machines, particularly automata—self-operating mechanical devices, usually powered by clockwork. When Jake Limberleg and his traveling medicine show arrive in her small Missouri town with a mysterious vehicle under a tarp and an uncanny ability to make Natalie’s half-built automaton move, she feels in her gut that something about this caravan of healers is a bit off. Her uneasiness leads her to investigate the intricate maze of the medicine show, where she discovers a horrible truth and realizes that only she has the power to set things right."
It's set in a little town in the flat middle of the U.S. in 1914. Near a crossroads where once thriving, now ghost-, town stands. In short: mysterious illness; traveling medicine show; clockwork automata with no source of power; and a bicycle no one can ride. Oh, and you know who you're likely to meet at a crossroads, don't you? Better be sure you know what you're doing before you make a deal with him.
I love magical realism! I wouldn't be completely hooked on Jack Flanders if I didn't. The Boneshaker is about a regular 13-year-old girl dealing with extraordinary events that turn her ordinary world on its ear. Of course, it's not that simple, but I don't want to spoil things for you. Natalie is bold and brave and foolhardy and vulnerable and absolutely real. The author totally nailed the voice of the character and immediately drew me into her world and her story. (Unlike The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, which is garbage. Don't waste your time. It jumped the shark in the first paragraph.)
So there you have it. My Year of Reading Youthfully. Of course, I'm still grooving on my YA novels. I have three new ones from NZ to read, you know! Plus the new Wizner I mentioned above, and the others I've mentioned in previous posts. So it's not like I'm stopping just because a year is up (and has been for a while now), it's just that I can only keep so much information in my memory for so long. And now it's here for you to read. I hope you check out some, or indeed all, of the books I've talked about. You'll find them worth your while and you might rediscover something in yourself while you're at it.
Thanks for reading and I'll see you around again soon. After all, I have a book coming out in less than a fortnight! ;-)
First, there's Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner, which is essentially your basic contemporary YA fiction. I picked this book up at Powell's in Portland, OR, because of the title and because the staff recommendation card said it was "the raunchiest book I've read...on this floor." "This floor" being the one that houses the Children's, Middle Readers, and Young Adult books. I thought at the time that with a title like that and a recommendation like that, it must be worth checking out. So I read the back and promptly put it in my basket. Here's what the back of the book says:
"Shakespeare has always hated his name. His parents bestowed it on him as some kind of sick joke when he was born, and since then his life has been one embarrassing incident after another. But Shakespeare will have the last laugh. He is chronicling every mortifying detail in his memoir, the writing project each senior at Shakespeare's high school must complete. And he is doing it brilliantly. For as much as he hates his name, Shakespeare is a good writer. And, just maybe, a prizewinning memoir will bring him respect, admiration, and a girlfriend . . . or at least a prom date."
So, you see why I couldn't resist. And it's written in two styles, although both are the voice of the title character, Shakespeare Shapiro. (His more popular younger brother is name Gandhi, by the way.) The narrative goes back and forth between his daily life, written in first person, present tense which seems to be a popular format these days with YA books, and the assignments he is given for his senior writing project, i.e. his memoir. In both, however, he tends to cast himself as the hapless victim. Now, lest that sound too irritating for you, it is done with such good humour and honesty that I never once got fed up with his "poor me" point of view. Fact: His little brother is cooler and more popular. Fact: His parents are nut-jobs, well-meaning as they might be. But also fact: His life is put in perspective when he gets to know another student in his memoir class and discovers just how normal and lucky his life really is in comparison to some. Yes, the boy can learn!
A friend gave me Jake Wizner's second book, Castration Celebration!, for Solstice, and I'm looking forward to reading it!
Second, there is The Boneshaker by Kate Milford, which is magical realism. I picked up this book by accident. See, I went to the library to put a hold on Boneshaker by Cherie Priest (which is flipping awesome, by the way. Go read it!). I wasn't paying very close attention and I put a hold on The Boneshaker first. I was going to cancel that hold until I read the book blurb and I thought, "Well, that sounds cool!"
I was right.
Here's what Goodreads says:
"Thirteen-year-old Natalie Minks loves machines, particularly automata—self-operating mechanical devices, usually powered by clockwork. When Jake Limberleg and his traveling medicine show arrive in her small Missouri town with a mysterious vehicle under a tarp and an uncanny ability to make Natalie’s half-built automaton move, she feels in her gut that something about this caravan of healers is a bit off. Her uneasiness leads her to investigate the intricate maze of the medicine show, where she discovers a horrible truth and realizes that only she has the power to set things right."
It's set in a little town in the flat middle of the U.S. in 1914. Near a crossroads where once thriving, now ghost-, town stands. In short: mysterious illness; traveling medicine show; clockwork automata with no source of power; and a bicycle no one can ride. Oh, and you know who you're likely to meet at a crossroads, don't you? Better be sure you know what you're doing before you make a deal with him.
I love magical realism! I wouldn't be completely hooked on Jack Flanders if I didn't. The Boneshaker is about a regular 13-year-old girl dealing with extraordinary events that turn her ordinary world on its ear. Of course, it's not that simple, but I don't want to spoil things for you. Natalie is bold and brave and foolhardy and vulnerable and absolutely real. The author totally nailed the voice of the character and immediately drew me into her world and her story. (Unlike The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, which is garbage. Don't waste your time. It jumped the shark in the first paragraph.)
So there you have it. My Year of Reading Youthfully. Of course, I'm still grooving on my YA novels. I have three new ones from NZ to read, you know! Plus the new Wizner I mentioned above, and the others I've mentioned in previous posts. So it's not like I'm stopping just because a year is up (and has been for a while now), it's just that I can only keep so much information in my memory for so long. And now it's here for you to read. I hope you check out some, or indeed all, of the books I've talked about. You'll find them worth your while and you might rediscover something in yourself while you're at it.
Thanks for reading and I'll see you around again soon. After all, I have a book coming out in less than a fortnight! ;-)
11 March 2011
YA Lit of New Zealand - YoYR Part 6
Last time I mentioned that I'd read some YA books by New Zealand authors. Sadly, only two so far, but three more are on their way from Wellington to me at this very moment. Woot! Two of those books are #2 & 3 in The Blood of the Lamb Trilogy. The first book, The Crossing, is one I picked up in a Whitcoull's Bookstore on Cashel Mall in Christchurch. (OT: Please consider donating to NZ Red Cross (2011 Earthquake Appeal) or NZ SPCA (Canterbury SPCA Earthquake Appeal) or any other charitable organization you like to the help with Chch earthquake recovery efforts.)
The Crossing (Blood of the Lamb Book #1) by Mandy Hager. I'm not sure how to sum this one up for you and I don't really like the blurb behind that link there. Hmm... Ah! This one from the Whitcoull's website is better:
"The Crossing is the first book in a stunning new trilogy that follows the fate of Maryam and her unlikely companions - Joseph, Ruth, and Lazarus. This is fast, suspenseful drama underpinned by a powerful and moving story about love and loss. The people of Onewere, a small island in the Pacific, know that they are special - chosen to survive the deadly event that consumed the Earth. Now, from the rotting cruise ship Star of the Sea, the elite control the population - manipulating old texts to set themselves up as living 'gods'. But what the people of Onewere don't know is this: the leaders will stop at nothing to meet their own blood-thirsty needs. When Maryam crosses from child to woman, she must leave everything she has ever known and make a crossing of another kind. But life inside the ship is not as she had dreamed, and she is faced with the unthinkable: obey the leaders and very likely die, or turn her back on every belief she once held dear."
Even better is the cover quote from renowned NZ Children's Lit author Margaret Mahy (who I'll talk about in a minute): "Like '1984' for teenagers - direct, passionate and powerful". Just think about that for a minute and if it doesn't make you go "Whoa" you're not reading right. Read it again. ... Got it now? Yeah. That's what I'm talking about.
This book covers all sorts of issues from religious hypocrisy to forced breeding. In short, not your usual YA fare. It does it in such a skilled fashion that I had some seriously visceral reactions to some of the scenes, although no scene crossed the line, if you know what I mean. The young characters learn a lot in this first book and it's a helluva a way to grow up too fast. The world they live in is harsh and tightly controlled. Strict lines are drawn and you're damned, pretty much literally, if you dare to so much as question them. This isn't YA for the timid reader and I love that about it. When the U.S. is caught up in the pablum that is Twilight-mania (Yes, I said it and I stand behind it.), NZ is putting out truly amazing books for teens. Well-written and with powerful and empowering (Gods, I hate that word, but there you have it.) themes. The heroine, Maryam, has to reassess her entire world in the face of newly-discovered truth. She has to redefine who she is without the labels and locks that others have put on her. I can't wait for the other two books to arrive in my mailbox so I can read the rest! (The third book coming is Banquo's Son. The first in a trilogy about Fleance. You know, the only boy in Shakespeare's Macbeth who doesn't snuff it at the hands Mackers or his henchmen. I should've bought it when I was there but, damn, books are pricey in NZ, and this one was heavy, too. I didn't want to haul around it in my already stuffed luggage. So now I'm paying shipping instead of tax, and I have to wait. D'oh!)
The other book I picked up while in Chch was Kaitangata Twitch by Margaret Mahy. The clerk who helped me at the bookstore was astonished that I'd never heard of her. All I could really offer was the fact that I was an ignorant American. :-( If it's not American or English, we don't get it in our bookstores/libraries. Hell, we don't even get Canadian lit unless we go looking for it--in Canada. Anywho, I discovered this (or rather my hubby did) on our flight from Sydney, Aus, to Christchurch, NZ. They've made a TV series out of it and there were, allegedly, a few half-hour eps available in-flight. Sadly, I couldn't get any of them to work. (I got to watch Cosi instead, though, so I'm not bitter.)
This book is what I would call magical realism. Here's what the Whitcoull's site (linked above) says:
"Kaitangata is an island with a rocky fist punching skywards. Kaitangata seems to have a will of its own, and a voice, although only Meredith can hear it...'What we need is a powerful enchantress,' Meredith cried. 'Someone who could put a spell on Marriott.' As she spoke, a strange thought came into her head, running round and round inside her like a mouse on a pet-shop wheel. It was not a thought she could share, for it had a wickedness hidden in it and Meredith did not want anyone to know just how wicked she could be, even if it was only in her dreams. Can Meredith save the island from an unscrupulous developer? How could the dreamer of the family succeed where grown-ups have failed? Only Kaitangata can tell..."
They call it "a spellbinding supernatural thriller", and that's a fair categorization, too. The fantastical lives hand-in-hand with the everyday. This book is about the power of the Earth itself and one girl's connection to it. It reminds me a little of The Dark is Rising Sequence. Natural elements beyond "ordinary" reality that have a direct effect on "ordinary" and not-so-ordinary people. I love when a character is faced with something so powerful that she can't quite wrap her head around it and yet she embraces the challenge and achieves more than she thinks she can. This is an awesome lesson for anyone at any age.
Last installment coming next time. I'll talk a little more about magical realism and what happens when you don't pay attention to what you reserve at the library, and "the raunchiest book" on the Children's Books floor of Powell's in Portland.
The Crossing (Blood of the Lamb Book #1) by Mandy Hager. I'm not sure how to sum this one up for you and I don't really like the blurb behind that link there. Hmm... Ah! This one from the Whitcoull's website is better:
"The Crossing is the first book in a stunning new trilogy that follows the fate of Maryam and her unlikely companions - Joseph, Ruth, and Lazarus. This is fast, suspenseful drama underpinned by a powerful and moving story about love and loss. The people of Onewere, a small island in the Pacific, know that they are special - chosen to survive the deadly event that consumed the Earth. Now, from the rotting cruise ship Star of the Sea, the elite control the population - manipulating old texts to set themselves up as living 'gods'. But what the people of Onewere don't know is this: the leaders will stop at nothing to meet their own blood-thirsty needs. When Maryam crosses from child to woman, she must leave everything she has ever known and make a crossing of another kind. But life inside the ship is not as she had dreamed, and she is faced with the unthinkable: obey the leaders and very likely die, or turn her back on every belief she once held dear."
Even better is the cover quote from renowned NZ Children's Lit author Margaret Mahy (who I'll talk about in a minute): "Like '1984' for teenagers - direct, passionate and powerful". Just think about that for a minute and if it doesn't make you go "Whoa" you're not reading right. Read it again. ... Got it now? Yeah. That's what I'm talking about.
This book covers all sorts of issues from religious hypocrisy to forced breeding. In short, not your usual YA fare. It does it in such a skilled fashion that I had some seriously visceral reactions to some of the scenes, although no scene crossed the line, if you know what I mean. The young characters learn a lot in this first book and it's a helluva a way to grow up too fast. The world they live in is harsh and tightly controlled. Strict lines are drawn and you're damned, pretty much literally, if you dare to so much as question them. This isn't YA for the timid reader and I love that about it. When the U.S. is caught up in the pablum that is Twilight-mania (Yes, I said it and I stand behind it.), NZ is putting out truly amazing books for teens. Well-written and with powerful and empowering (Gods, I hate that word, but there you have it.) themes. The heroine, Maryam, has to reassess her entire world in the face of newly-discovered truth. She has to redefine who she is without the labels and locks that others have put on her. I can't wait for the other two books to arrive in my mailbox so I can read the rest! (The third book coming is Banquo's Son. The first in a trilogy about Fleance. You know, the only boy in Shakespeare's Macbeth who doesn't snuff it at the hands Mackers or his henchmen. I should've bought it when I was there but, damn, books are pricey in NZ, and this one was heavy, too. I didn't want to haul around it in my already stuffed luggage. So now I'm paying shipping instead of tax, and I have to wait. D'oh!)
The other book I picked up while in Chch was Kaitangata Twitch by Margaret Mahy. The clerk who helped me at the bookstore was astonished that I'd never heard of her. All I could really offer was the fact that I was an ignorant American. :-( If it's not American or English, we don't get it in our bookstores/libraries. Hell, we don't even get Canadian lit unless we go looking for it--in Canada. Anywho, I discovered this (or rather my hubby did) on our flight from Sydney, Aus, to Christchurch, NZ. They've made a TV series out of it and there were, allegedly, a few half-hour eps available in-flight. Sadly, I couldn't get any of them to work. (I got to watch Cosi instead, though, so I'm not bitter.)
This book is what I would call magical realism. Here's what the Whitcoull's site (linked above) says:
"Kaitangata is an island with a rocky fist punching skywards. Kaitangata seems to have a will of its own, and a voice, although only Meredith can hear it...'What we need is a powerful enchantress,' Meredith cried. 'Someone who could put a spell on Marriott.' As she spoke, a strange thought came into her head, running round and round inside her like a mouse on a pet-shop wheel. It was not a thought she could share, for it had a wickedness hidden in it and Meredith did not want anyone to know just how wicked she could be, even if it was only in her dreams. Can Meredith save the island from an unscrupulous developer? How could the dreamer of the family succeed where grown-ups have failed? Only Kaitangata can tell..."
They call it "a spellbinding supernatural thriller", and that's a fair categorization, too. The fantastical lives hand-in-hand with the everyday. This book is about the power of the Earth itself and one girl's connection to it. It reminds me a little of The Dark is Rising Sequence. Natural elements beyond "ordinary" reality that have a direct effect on "ordinary" and not-so-ordinary people. I love when a character is faced with something so powerful that she can't quite wrap her head around it and yet she embraces the challenge and achieves more than she thinks she can. This is an awesome lesson for anyone at any age.
Last installment coming next time. I'll talk a little more about magical realism and what happens when you don't pay attention to what you reserve at the library, and "the raunchiest book" on the Children's Books floor of Powell's in Portland.
18 February 2011
LGBTQ YA Fiction - YoRY Part 5
Last time I mentioned Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan. Here's part of what it says on Goodreads:
The story's narrator is Paul, who, like most teenagers, is preoccupied with love and its attendant feelings. However, Paul is gay. He has "always known it," and his kindergarten teacher confirmed it on Paul's report card: "Paul is definitely gay and has very good sense of self." But in high school, things are a bit more complicated. No, it's not what you're thinking. The world in which Paul lives is utterly devoid of homophobia. It's Paul's love life that's complicated. See, Paul finds himself crazy about a new boy, Noah, but is leery of letting his ex-boyfriend, Kyle, know it. Then there's Paul's best friend, Joni, who is dating Chuck, whom everyone hates -- especially Infinite Darlene, the drag queen who serves as both homecoming queen and star quarterback at Paul's high school, which gives a whole new meaning to the term "progressive."
So you see why I likened it to the fairy tales I talked about in YoRY Part 4. I would love this to be every high school (and it reminds me a little of the high school setting for the musical "Zanna Don't!") but that's not gonna happen anytime soon, sadly. Thank goodness that David Levithan imagined it and shared it!
Another queer-themed YA novel I read was Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. I actually read this one first, and it inspired me to read Leviathan's other title. (He has several, but I've only read the one, hence my use of the singular.) Again, from Goodreads:
One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.
I loved this book beyond all reasoning and for a number of different reasons: Each author took a single Will Grayson and wrote from his point of view. Each chapter alternated between the two Will Graysons, so you got each unique point of view and insight into each Will Grayson's life in entirely different voices. I love straight WG's best friend, the enormous and gay Tiny. And I less-than-love gay WG's friend, whose name I am sorry to say I do not remember. And yet, as much as I less-than-loved her, I could see why the character behaved in the way she did. But still... ::shakes head:: I don't want to spoil it for you.
It had been a long time since I'd read any LGBTQ YA--at least that I can remember. I know I read and loved Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden back in the early '90s, but I can't think of another specifically gay-themed YA novel I'd read since. Plenty of adult books I've read have queer themes and characters--and not just the erotic romance books, either--but not so much with the Young Adult. What I love about both Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Boy Meets Boy is that they are written for boys. Or at least they are about boys. Historically, women have gotten less flack for being gay than men have. (Notably, gay male sex was a crime punishable by hard labor and imprisonment in Britain far too long, while there was no law against gay female sex. Okay, it was because of the ignorant belief that women couldn't have sex (as the law defined it?) with each other, but still. It's easier for a tom-boy of a girl to fly under the radar, you know? At least in my pre-teen and teen world, this was the case.) There are loads of YA and Middle Readers books about boys, but until recently, not so many that gave a positive image of and for gay male teens. I love this trend! When I was at Powell's in Portland last November, there was an entire endcap display in the YA section devoted to LGBTQ YA books. I picked up a new one that I haven't read yet called How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, about which I know nothing beyond what you'll find behind that link and the fact that I got it from that endcap.
What about you? Do you have any LGBTQ YA recommendations to offer? I'd love to hear them!
Next, and probably the penultimate YoRY post, will be about the YA lit of New Zealand. Which reminds me, I have a book to look for. I'm crossing my fingers that it's finally available in the US, or at least in Canada. It was too much to pay for and too heavy to pack flying home from NZ last May. I've been impatiently waiting for a North American edition ever since. Wish me luck!
The story's narrator is Paul, who, like most teenagers, is preoccupied with love and its attendant feelings. However, Paul is gay. He has "always known it," and his kindergarten teacher confirmed it on Paul's report card: "Paul is definitely gay and has very good sense of self." But in high school, things are a bit more complicated. No, it's not what you're thinking. The world in which Paul lives is utterly devoid of homophobia. It's Paul's love life that's complicated. See, Paul finds himself crazy about a new boy, Noah, but is leery of letting his ex-boyfriend, Kyle, know it. Then there's Paul's best friend, Joni, who is dating Chuck, whom everyone hates -- especially Infinite Darlene, the drag queen who serves as both homecoming queen and star quarterback at Paul's high school, which gives a whole new meaning to the term "progressive."
So you see why I likened it to the fairy tales I talked about in YoRY Part 4. I would love this to be every high school (and it reminds me a little of the high school setting for the musical "Zanna Don't!") but that's not gonna happen anytime soon, sadly. Thank goodness that David Levithan imagined it and shared it!
Another queer-themed YA novel I read was Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. I actually read this one first, and it inspired me to read Leviathan's other title. (He has several, but I've only read the one, hence my use of the singular.) Again, from Goodreads:
One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.
I loved this book beyond all reasoning and for a number of different reasons: Each author took a single Will Grayson and wrote from his point of view. Each chapter alternated between the two Will Graysons, so you got each unique point of view and insight into each Will Grayson's life in entirely different voices. I love straight WG's best friend, the enormous and gay Tiny. And I less-than-love gay WG's friend, whose name I am sorry to say I do not remember. And yet, as much as I less-than-loved her, I could see why the character behaved in the way she did. But still... ::shakes head:: I don't want to spoil it for you.
It had been a long time since I'd read any LGBTQ YA--at least that I can remember. I know I read and loved Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden back in the early '90s, but I can't think of another specifically gay-themed YA novel I'd read since. Plenty of adult books I've read have queer themes and characters--and not just the erotic romance books, either--but not so much with the Young Adult. What I love about both Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Boy Meets Boy is that they are written for boys. Or at least they are about boys. Historically, women have gotten less flack for being gay than men have. (Notably, gay male sex was a crime punishable by hard labor and imprisonment in Britain far too long, while there was no law against gay female sex. Okay, it was because of the ignorant belief that women couldn't have sex (as the law defined it?) with each other, but still. It's easier for a tom-boy of a girl to fly under the radar, you know? At least in my pre-teen and teen world, this was the case.) There are loads of YA and Middle Readers books about boys, but until recently, not so many that gave a positive image of and for gay male teens. I love this trend! When I was at Powell's in Portland last November, there was an entire endcap display in the YA section devoted to LGBTQ YA books. I picked up a new one that I haven't read yet called How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, about which I know nothing beyond what you'll find behind that link and the fact that I got it from that endcap.
What about you? Do you have any LGBTQ YA recommendations to offer? I'd love to hear them!
Next, and probably the penultimate YoRY post, will be about the YA lit of New Zealand. Which reminds me, I have a book to look for. I'm crossing my fingers that it's finally available in the US, or at least in Canada. It was too much to pay for and too heavy to pack flying home from NZ last May. I've been impatiently waiting for a North American edition ever since. Wish me luck!
07 February 2011
Fairy Tales - YoRY Part 4
I my previous Year of Reading Youthfully post, I mentioned fairy tales. Specifically, I mentioned The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. (Many people may know it by the movie, which I have not seen so I won't get into.) Another fairy tale I read over the year was I, Coriander by Sally Gardner. Both were for the YA Lit book club I'm in, otherwise I don't think I would have gotten around to ...Despereaux. It just wasn't so much on my radar. (Another book with a fairy tale vibe that I read on my own was Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan. But that one falls into LGBT YA, so I'll get to it later.)
A little background on each:
The Tale of Despereaux (from Goodreads.com): The adventures of Despereaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.
I, Coriander (also from Goodreads.com - This is, in fact, the beginning of the book.): It is night, and I have lit the first of seven candles to write my story by. My name is Coriander Hobie, and I have a great many things to tell–of silver shoes that tempted me and an alligator most rare; of London, the home of my childhood, and another, stranger land, one that I thought only existed in dreams; and of an ebony box whose treasure only now am I beginning to understand. The box was once my mother’s, but its secrets were meant for me.
This being my story and a fairy tale besides, I will start once upon a time . . .
So, we know the latter is a fairy tale because it says so right one the first page, and we can assume that former is also a fairy tale because it has talking mice and princesses. Are we all agreed? Good.
There was a lot of discussion over both of these books, and some complaints about I, Coriander's portrayal of the beautiful, mistreated heroine and the handsome prince of the fairies, and the evil hag who does everything to keep them apart. Does the heroine have to be so pretty? Must the prince be handsome? Why is the evil one also physically ugly? Well, I say, because it's a fairy tale and that's the way fairy tales work. Simple answer? Yes. Valid answer? Yes. Honestly, those questions never even occurred to me while I was reading it. I was far more engaged in the story, itself: the setting (London during the Interregnum, and the land of the fairies); the characters (strong-willed heroine; steadfast, shy step-sister; father and allies to her father; mother and her mysterious past; quirky ally in fairy-land; evil queen; tormented prince); and the different sorts of magic that existed in both worlds. I was wrapped up in the tale, and thoughts of what this was telling young girls about what can and can't be, what they should and shouldn't look like or expect out of life never crossed my mind. It's a fairy tale, from "Once upon a time" to the end.
As for Despereaux, well, I enjoyed it, but it didn't touch me particularly. I think it was oversold, to be honest. I love talking animals. Princesses and dungeons and soup are all entertaining things, but to be honest the love of Despereaux for the Princess Pea, while charming and sweet, wasn't particularly meaningful to me. Roscuro's part of the tale was sad and dark, as was Miggery Sow's, but they didn't especially move me. I can appreciate the book on an academic level, but not so much on a personal one. It was a lovely story, well-written, and worthy of its awards and accolades. But yeah. I think the problem was the heightened expectations I had going in. And that's something it's very hard to overcome.
Fairy tales serve a purpose. They elaborate the human condition in a fantastical yet accessible way. They provide the opportunity to adventure, to be bigger and better than we are in real life. They can teach lessons about how one should behave, how one should treat others, about chivalry and honesty and all sorts of laudable qualities. The bad guys always lose and the good guys always win (which make them a little like Doc Savage novels, but that's another subject entirely). In the end, though, they are entertainment, to be taken for whatever value you personally place upon them. Me, I'm more inclined to dig on a fairy tale set during the Interregnum, just because that's who I am. I mean, how often do you see that, right? Crazy! And yet it worked!
Do you have any fairy tales you particularly love or hate? Tell me about them!
How about books, YA or not, set during the rule of the whack-job Cromwell (anyone who bans theatre is irredeemable, IMO) and his intolerant round-heads? Let's hear 'em!
(That reminds me, have you read Witch Child by Celia Rees? I'd talk about that, but I read it a few years ago. Starts in England (early into the Restoration, I think), but the heroine flees to America to escape being executed for witchcraft like her grandmother was. The catch? The people she travels with and goes to live with are Puritans, and she really is a witch.)
A little background on each:
The Tale of Despereaux (from Goodreads.com): The adventures of Despereaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.
I, Coriander (also from Goodreads.com - This is, in fact, the beginning of the book.): It is night, and I have lit the first of seven candles to write my story by. My name is Coriander Hobie, and I have a great many things to tell–of silver shoes that tempted me and an alligator most rare; of London, the home of my childhood, and another, stranger land, one that I thought only existed in dreams; and of an ebony box whose treasure only now am I beginning to understand. The box was once my mother’s, but its secrets were meant for me.
This being my story and a fairy tale besides, I will start once upon a time . . .
So, we know the latter is a fairy tale because it says so right one the first page, and we can assume that former is also a fairy tale because it has talking mice and princesses. Are we all agreed? Good.
There was a lot of discussion over both of these books, and some complaints about I, Coriander's portrayal of the beautiful, mistreated heroine and the handsome prince of the fairies, and the evil hag who does everything to keep them apart. Does the heroine have to be so pretty? Must the prince be handsome? Why is the evil one also physically ugly? Well, I say, because it's a fairy tale and that's the way fairy tales work. Simple answer? Yes. Valid answer? Yes. Honestly, those questions never even occurred to me while I was reading it. I was far more engaged in the story, itself: the setting (London during the Interregnum, and the land of the fairies); the characters (strong-willed heroine; steadfast, shy step-sister; father and allies to her father; mother and her mysterious past; quirky ally in fairy-land; evil queen; tormented prince); and the different sorts of magic that existed in both worlds. I was wrapped up in the tale, and thoughts of what this was telling young girls about what can and can't be, what they should and shouldn't look like or expect out of life never crossed my mind. It's a fairy tale, from "Once upon a time" to the end.
As for Despereaux, well, I enjoyed it, but it didn't touch me particularly. I think it was oversold, to be honest. I love talking animals. Princesses and dungeons and soup are all entertaining things, but to be honest the love of Despereaux for the Princess Pea, while charming and sweet, wasn't particularly meaningful to me. Roscuro's part of the tale was sad and dark, as was Miggery Sow's, but they didn't especially move me. I can appreciate the book on an academic level, but not so much on a personal one. It was a lovely story, well-written, and worthy of its awards and accolades. But yeah. I think the problem was the heightened expectations I had going in. And that's something it's very hard to overcome.
Fairy tales serve a purpose. They elaborate the human condition in a fantastical yet accessible way. They provide the opportunity to adventure, to be bigger and better than we are in real life. They can teach lessons about how one should behave, how one should treat others, about chivalry and honesty and all sorts of laudable qualities. The bad guys always lose and the good guys always win (which make them a little like Doc Savage novels, but that's another subject entirely). In the end, though, they are entertainment, to be taken for whatever value you personally place upon them. Me, I'm more inclined to dig on a fairy tale set during the Interregnum, just because that's who I am. I mean, how often do you see that, right? Crazy! And yet it worked!
Do you have any fairy tales you particularly love or hate? Tell me about them!
How about books, YA or not, set during the rule of the whack-job Cromwell (anyone who bans theatre is irredeemable, IMO) and his intolerant round-heads? Let's hear 'em!
(That reminds me, have you read Witch Child by Celia Rees? I'd talk about that, but I read it a few years ago. Starts in England (early into the Restoration, I think), but the heroine flees to America to escape being executed for witchcraft like her grandmother was. The catch? The people she travels with and goes to live with are Puritans, and she really is a witch.)
14 January 2011
Newbery Winners - YoRY Part 3
I mentioned Newbery books in my last Year of Reading Youthfully post. Two of the five in The Dark is Rising Sequence are Newbery Winners. Other winners that I read over the past year are: Whittington by Alan Armstrong; The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo; and When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, which was the 2010 Newbery Mystery winner. These are all more Middle Readers than Young Adult, IMO, but that's irrelevant. They're all excellent reads. More on ...Despereaux when I talk about fairy tales in a later post.
Here's what the Newbery Site lists as #1 on its criteria for determining awards:
"1. The Medal shall be awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children published by an American publisher in the United States in English during the preceding year. There are no limitations as to the character of the book considered except that it be original work. Honor books may be named. These shall be books that are also truly distinguished."
You might notice that they use "distinguished" twice. They're not being sloppy or redundant. Pulitzer prize-winning novels can be awful to read, wonderful to read, or anywhere in between. Newberys, in my extensive experience, are always wonderful to read. This group or committee or whoever they are know what they're doing. You pick up Newbery book and you will never be disappointed. You'll like some more than others, of course, but none of them will suck.
We had a program at my elementary school where you could read a Newbery book and then discuss it with the school librarian. He'd take notes in purple pen and you'd get a star or something for every Newbery book you read. Maybe there was some special award every ten books or something. I don't remember. Clearly that wasn't the big motivation for me. I just loved reading.
Whittington and ...Despereaux are both centered around animals, and in both cases those animals not only interact with humans, but talk to them as equally sentient beings. It surprised me a little in Whittington when the farm animals began working to help one of the children learn to read because the book didn't start out with the premise that the cross-species communication included humans. But it flowed so naturally within the story that I got over my surprise immediately. ...Despereaux, on the other hand, says straight away that it is a fairy tale, so the whole mouse-human conversations were to be expected. What I love in both of these books is that everyone has something to learn from someone else. Whether it's animals learning from other animals, humans learning from animals, animals learning from humans, or humans learning from humans. No one is infallible and no one is perfect. There are prejudices and nobility to be found whatever the species. I love that. In real life, humans can't figure that lesson out amongst themselves, and yet here are humans and animals alike all learning it.
When You Reach Me isn't a fairy tale and it doesn't have talking animals. I'm not sure that I would call it a mystery, as Newbery does. More likely I'd dub it sci-fi, although it does present a fascinating puzzle for the heroine to solve, so I suppose calling it a mystery is fair. It has it all, really. From time-travel theory to very real, non-theoretical relationships among kids stuck between being children and being young adults. Our main kid-cast are all about 13 years old, including the narrator, Miranda. (Do we all remember what a challenge that time was in our lives? I do. It didn't suck, but it sure as hell wasn't easy, either.) It was the accuracy and honesty of this book that struck me hardest. So much of the scenario is outside of my personal experience (I didn't grow up in New York with a single mom who was auditioning for $20,000 Pyramid.), but the universality of the relationships amongst the kids and between the kids and adults... That stuff I connected with immediately. It didn't hurt that Miranda frequently mentions "her book". The book she always brings to school for silent reading. That book, too, is a Newbery winner. And it has not only time travel but space travel, too. The heroine of it is also about 13 years old. Her name is Meg. Have you guessed it? It's A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Oddly enough, I didn't reread that book this past year. I may have to remedy that.
Here's what the Newbery Site lists as #1 on its criteria for determining awards:
"1. The Medal shall be awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children published by an American publisher in the United States in English during the preceding year. There are no limitations as to the character of the book considered except that it be original work. Honor books may be named. These shall be books that are also truly distinguished."
You might notice that they use "distinguished" twice. They're not being sloppy or redundant. Pulitzer prize-winning novels can be awful to read, wonderful to read, or anywhere in between. Newberys, in my extensive experience, are always wonderful to read. This group or committee or whoever they are know what they're doing. You pick up Newbery book and you will never be disappointed. You'll like some more than others, of course, but none of them will suck.
We had a program at my elementary school where you could read a Newbery book and then discuss it with the school librarian. He'd take notes in purple pen and you'd get a star or something for every Newbery book you read. Maybe there was some special award every ten books or something. I don't remember. Clearly that wasn't the big motivation for me. I just loved reading.
Whittington and ...Despereaux are both centered around animals, and in both cases those animals not only interact with humans, but talk to them as equally sentient beings. It surprised me a little in Whittington when the farm animals began working to help one of the children learn to read because the book didn't start out with the premise that the cross-species communication included humans. But it flowed so naturally within the story that I got over my surprise immediately. ...Despereaux, on the other hand, says straight away that it is a fairy tale, so the whole mouse-human conversations were to be expected. What I love in both of these books is that everyone has something to learn from someone else. Whether it's animals learning from other animals, humans learning from animals, animals learning from humans, or humans learning from humans. No one is infallible and no one is perfect. There are prejudices and nobility to be found whatever the species. I love that. In real life, humans can't figure that lesson out amongst themselves, and yet here are humans and animals alike all learning it.
When You Reach Me isn't a fairy tale and it doesn't have talking animals. I'm not sure that I would call it a mystery, as Newbery does. More likely I'd dub it sci-fi, although it does present a fascinating puzzle for the heroine to solve, so I suppose calling it a mystery is fair. It has it all, really. From time-travel theory to very real, non-theoretical relationships among kids stuck between being children and being young adults. Our main kid-cast are all about 13 years old, including the narrator, Miranda. (Do we all remember what a challenge that time was in our lives? I do. It didn't suck, but it sure as hell wasn't easy, either.) It was the accuracy and honesty of this book that struck me hardest. So much of the scenario is outside of my personal experience (I didn't grow up in New York with a single mom who was auditioning for $20,000 Pyramid.), but the universality of the relationships amongst the kids and between the kids and adults... That stuff I connected with immediately. It didn't hurt that Miranda frequently mentions "her book". The book she always brings to school for silent reading. That book, too, is a Newbery winner. And it has not only time travel but space travel, too. The heroine of it is also about 13 years old. Her name is Meg. Have you guessed it? It's A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Oddly enough, I didn't reread that book this past year. I may have to remedy that.
20 December 2010
When the Dark comes rising... YoRY Part 2
I told you how I began rereading The Dark is Rising Sequence about a year ago. Well, with Solstice (and the setting for book two) nearly upon us, I figured I'd expound a bit more. Not that I sat down and read all five books in a row; I read other stuff in between and didn't finish rereading book five, Silver on the Tree, until August or so. But let's stick to Susan Cooper for the moment. Two of the five books in the sequence are Newbery Award winners, which says a great deal about their quality. And that's not my opinion, that's fact. You don't win a Newbery without damned good reason, and The Dark is Rising (book 2) and The Grey King (book 4) have damned good reason. If you don't know what a Newbery Award is, well, I'm very sorry to hear it. Click this link to be taken to ALA's page of Newbery goodness. You might find you've read something on the list and didn't even realize it. I mean, it has been awarded since 1922, so chances are good. I read two other winners over the course of this year, including last year's mystery category winner, but I'll get to those another day.
I'm still pondering on the brilliance of Susan Cooper's YA twist on King Arthur's story. Although, that's not really accurate on my part. It's not about Arthur, per se, but about the mythology, truth, and artifacts related to Britain's greatest king. (Yes, I believe he was real. And I believe that, barring intervention from Doctor Who and his TARDIS, we'll never know how much of the story that's been passed is fact and how much fiction. Except Lancelot. He's pure French fiction.) It's the consequences of Arthur's actions in his own time, and how they affect things and, more importantly, people in the present day of the books that are the action of the story. More than even that, it's about the greatest and last battle of the Light against the Dark. Great battles have been fought over the millennia, but this one is for all the marbles, as the saying goes. There are difficult choices facing the adults and even more facing the children who are our heroes throughout the sequence. Children and adults alike are fallible and human; even those who are more than human make mistakes and must face the consequences. I think this has to have had a profound influence on me as a kid that persists to this day: I don't believe in easy wins for fictional characters. If there is no sacrifice, it cheapens the gains. You know what I mean? I'm all for a happily ever after (HEA), but I don't want it to be too easy and I don't want it to be a guarantee. And, really, I don't have to have an HEA as long as the ending is the right one for the story. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, for example, is a book with hard choices and sacrifices, and while it doesn't exactly have a happy ending, it has the right ending. I love that book. I should reread it more often. It's not like it takes very long.
Do you prefer your books to have a guaranteed HEA, or are you content with the right ending, whether it's happy or not?
I'm still pondering on the brilliance of Susan Cooper's YA twist on King Arthur's story. Although, that's not really accurate on my part. It's not about Arthur, per se, but about the mythology, truth, and artifacts related to Britain's greatest king. (Yes, I believe he was real. And I believe that, barring intervention from Doctor Who and his TARDIS, we'll never know how much of the story that's been passed is fact and how much fiction. Except Lancelot. He's pure French fiction.) It's the consequences of Arthur's actions in his own time, and how they affect things and, more importantly, people in the present day of the books that are the action of the story. More than even that, it's about the greatest and last battle of the Light against the Dark. Great battles have been fought over the millennia, but this one is for all the marbles, as the saying goes. There are difficult choices facing the adults and even more facing the children who are our heroes throughout the sequence. Children and adults alike are fallible and human; even those who are more than human make mistakes and must face the consequences. I think this has to have had a profound influence on me as a kid that persists to this day: I don't believe in easy wins for fictional characters. If there is no sacrifice, it cheapens the gains. You know what I mean? I'm all for a happily ever after (HEA), but I don't want it to be too easy and I don't want it to be a guarantee. And, really, I don't have to have an HEA as long as the ending is the right one for the story. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, for example, is a book with hard choices and sacrifices, and while it doesn't exactly have a happy ending, it has the right ending. I love that book. I should reread it more often. It's not like it takes very long.
Do you prefer your books to have a guaranteed HEA, or are you content with the right ending, whether it's happy or not?
15 December 2010
2010 - My Year of Reading Youthfully, Part 1
About this time last year, I began to reread one of my all-time favourite book series, or, more accurately in this case, my favourite book sequence. And if that doesn't give it away, I will: Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Sequence. Don't ask me why it's a "sequence" and not a "series"; I do not know. Nor do I care. The point is, these are some of the best books ever written, and the fact that they are YA books makes that all the more impressive. Okay. So. My point? My point:
I began with the first book, Over Sea, Under Stone, shortly before Winter Solstice so that when the Solstice arrived I could be on Book 2, The Dark is Rising, which takes place over about one week starting on Solstice Eve. And thus began my Year of Reading Youthfully. I was burnt out on "grown-up" books. They were too long, the print too small, too poorly written, too depressing, and basically just too damned tedious. YA, on the other hand, offered solace. They are generally quick reads (I did not reread the Harry Potter series this year.), with relatively large print, heavy but not too heavy subject matter, and always well-written (I chose well.) It helps that I'm in a book club specifically for YA literature. I don't feel I need an excuse to read kids' books, but some adults can be, shall we say, shy about their chosen reading material, and so the book club was an excuse for them to read YA books.
For those of you who haven't read The Dark is Rising Sequence... What is wrong with you!? Okay, okay. Just kidding. ... Sort of. It's a fantastical retelling of Arthurian legend that ranges across the English and Welsh countrysides. From the Holy Grail to Arthur's Seat, three ordinary kids and two quite extraordinary ones must battle the Dark, on the side of the Light, to do nothing less than save the world from eternal evil. ... Yes. These are kids' books, and they are brilliant. I first read them in elementary school, and have reread them several times over the years. They never lose anything in the retelling, and indeed, gain much as I get older and my life experience changes. These books taught me that there is always something worth fighting for, and you have to fight for it when you recognize it, even though, win or lose, that fight will come with a price.
TheLostLand.com - Official Susan Cooper Website that I discovered just this minute. (Hey, gimme a break! The first time I read any of her books, there was no internet, so why would I go looking for this until I wanted to share with you?)
I'll be posting more in the weeks to come about the other YA books I've read over the past year. Check back and see what I think about NZ kids' lit, YA GLBTQ, and old-fashioned modern-written fairy tales!
Got a favourite kids' or YA book you would recommend? Let me know!
I began with the first book, Over Sea, Under Stone, shortly before Winter Solstice so that when the Solstice arrived I could be on Book 2, The Dark is Rising, which takes place over about one week starting on Solstice Eve. And thus began my Year of Reading Youthfully. I was burnt out on "grown-up" books. They were too long, the print too small, too poorly written, too depressing, and basically just too damned tedious. YA, on the other hand, offered solace. They are generally quick reads (I did not reread the Harry Potter series this year.), with relatively large print, heavy but not too heavy subject matter, and always well-written (I chose well.) It helps that I'm in a book club specifically for YA literature. I don't feel I need an excuse to read kids' books, but some adults can be, shall we say, shy about their chosen reading material, and so the book club was an excuse for them to read YA books.
For those of you who haven't read The Dark is Rising Sequence... What is wrong with you!? Okay, okay. Just kidding. ... Sort of. It's a fantastical retelling of Arthurian legend that ranges across the English and Welsh countrysides. From the Holy Grail to Arthur's Seat, three ordinary kids and two quite extraordinary ones must battle the Dark, on the side of the Light, to do nothing less than save the world from eternal evil. ... Yes. These are kids' books, and they are brilliant. I first read them in elementary school, and have reread them several times over the years. They never lose anything in the retelling, and indeed, gain much as I get older and my life experience changes. These books taught me that there is always something worth fighting for, and you have to fight for it when you recognize it, even though, win or lose, that fight will come with a price.
TheLostLand.com - Official Susan Cooper Website that I discovered just this minute. (Hey, gimme a break! The first time I read any of her books, there was no internet, so why would I go looking for this until I wanted to share with you?)
I'll be posting more in the weeks to come about the other YA books I've read over the past year. Check back and see what I think about NZ kids' lit, YA GLBTQ, and old-fashioned modern-written fairy tales!
Got a favourite kids' or YA book you would recommend? Let me know!
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