LSSL 5385 book blogging WHEN WE COLLIDED

Lord, E. (2016). When we collided. New York: Bloomsbury.

Set in Verona Cove, California, Vivi and Jonah collide in the best way- and they truly fall in love despite the brokenness that they both experience. When they meet at a local pottery shop, it's only the beginning of a love that will move you as you read their story. 

Jonah is broken by the the sudden death of his father, a restaurant owner. His mother is grief-stricken at this loss, and that has left him and his siblings to keep up with the restaurant. As Jonah deeply mourns the passing of his father, he begins to express his emotions through cooking. Vivi is the new girl in town, and she has a zest for life that is contagious and likable, but she is also fighting some demons of her own. 

I love that this story explores what makes us human, and digs into the depths of living with mental illness. Vivi's character is attempting to live with bipolar disorder, and despite her efforts, we see the struggles that her mental illness presents in every situation. Meanwhile, Lord tenderly addresses Jonah’s grief and his mother’s depression. Vivi and Jonah's story is a uncommon one that begs the question, is love enough? What happens when it's not?

The strength of this story was the unconventional love story between Vivi and Jonah, and the tender way that Lord addresses living with mental illness. It is an excellent book to help readers understand mental illness, and build empathy for those around them that deal with it. It's not a typical love story, and truthfully, it's not very romantic. It's real and raw and unique and sad... and that's what pulled me in.

If you enjoyed this book, you may enjoy checking out Emery Lord's website, https://www.emerylord.com/, or following her on twitter @emerylord.

LSSL 5385 book bloggig THE V-WORD

Keyser, A. (2016). The V-word: true stories about first-time sex. New York: Beyond Words.

The V-Word is a non-fiction book of several true accounts of first-time sex, written by Amber J. Keyser. The memoirs are honest and diverse- stretching from planned sex of those in long term relationships, sexual first-time encounters that reflect experiences in LGBT relationships, and the unplanned one-night-stands. The book also encourages safe sex and provides information on how to practice it. The strength of this book is its honesty and truthful accounts that are provided to its readers. 

I searched repeatedly to see if this fit in YA literature, and in fact, it seems that it does. I 100% understand that teens need sources of information... they need truth, accuracy, and open conversation when it comes to sex. I get that. But, to have actual memoirs in written accounts... I'm not sure that I think this is for "young adults." Then again, I have to remember what a wide range of ages YA covers, and how many poor sources of "sex ed" these young adults have, and it does make more sense to me. Young adults are nearly bombarded with unrealistic sex, in the media, school hallways, TV, parties, and simply because they are going through puberty and experiencing new things, so I can see how a source of accurate information is important. I still don't know that I would feel comfortable recommending this to a young adult, but I see the importance of having it in your library. I would NOT recommend this for anyone younger than 16, as there are better sources of information out there for younger ages. This book seems important to share with a female who is considering experiencing her first sexual encounter.

LSSL 5385 book blogging THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO

Ness, P. (2014). The knife of never letting go (#1). London: Walker.

The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1) is a sci-fi novel written by Patrick Ness. The content was heavy, but oh-so-good, and I feel like I need to read it again one day... but not today because I'm still a little heartbroken over some of it! 

It's about a boy named Todd Hewitt, who is the youngest boy in Prentisstown, a town of only men. The settlers in Prentisstown were infected with the a germ called Noise, a germ that killed all the females in their town and also allows everyone to hear each other's thoughts.  This germ was sent by Spackle, their enemy who they took over the land from. Todd is on the brink of becoming a man in Prentisstown. Soon, though, Todd only hears silence- there's a hole in the noise, and he is forced by his guardians to flee with only his dog, Manchee. The two stumble upon the source of the silence: a girl named Viola. Who is this creature, and why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the other females in Prentisstown? We find out that Viola has crashed on her journey from another world and she is the lone survivor. 

Together, Viola, Todd, and Manchee run from the enemy army, and particularly Aaron, a man from Prentisstown who is chasing Todd, trying to kill him. The three of them are searching for refuge in a town called Haven which they are told is safe. When Todd finally reaches his destination, after a torturous journey and lives lost, the only person in Haven is the Mayor of Prentisstown, and he is ready to capture Todd.

This book kind of broke my heart, but it was gut-wrenching-ly (is that a word?) good. I cried a lot, and I can't quite forgive Ness for allowing one of these characters to die (I won't spoil it and say who). 

The strength of this book was that it was a science-fiction novel that I really enjoyed. It gives me a great book to recommend for kids ages 14+ who enjoy science fiction, adventure, cliffhangers, and twists. It was pretty mature, and like I said, heart-breaking at times. If you enjoyed this book, then check out the rest of the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness.

LSSL book blogging 5385 THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS

Nijkamp, M. (2016). This is where it ends:. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Fire.

This Is Where It Ends is the story of a school shooting, and it's told from four different points of view during the tragedy that ensues at Opportunity High School. After the principal welcomes the student body to a new semester, the students begin to exit the auditorium and continue on with their normal day. But the doors won't open, and someone starts to shoot, and for the next 54 minutes, gripping, tragic horror ensues. It's our worst nightmare- that one of our own could turn on us the way this shooter has.

The four different viewpoints are told both from the present and the past, flashing back to possible motives and linking each character to the shooter. As you would expect, it's terrifying and horrific to read about. Some of the deaths are very graphically told, and the violence is pretty non-stop from beginning to end.

I'm not sure how I feel about this novel. It was hard at first to keep track of the viewpoints and I never had time to get attached to the characters. That didn't make the death or subject matter any less heartbreaking, it just left me less invested in the "meat" of the story. I think that a story about a school shooting has so much potential for impact, and such an opportunity to honor victims of school shootings by telling a story that mirrors their emotions, heartache, and gives light to the twisted psychosis of someone who turns a gun on innocent people. For me, I couldn't help but feel that this book took a very serious and tragic subject matter and turned it into a best selling book without really honoring the authenticity of those who have been through this. I don't know how to verbalize what I was feeling as I read this, but it was a hard read and I'm not sure if it did what I was hoping it would do. It just... didn't sit well with me. It didn't seem authentic, it seemed forced. This was a heavy read for young adults, and probably not the best classroom read, in my opinion.

I would recommend 19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult if the deep, emotional subject of school shootings intrigues you, but perhaps you would like a more well-developed story and characters.

LSSL 5385 book blogging WHEN YOU REACH ME

Stead, R. (2009). When you reach me. Wendy Lamb Books.

When You Reach Me is a well written book with a mysteriously twisted plot that kept me guessing the whole time. Miranda, the protagonist who gives us her first-person account, is a 6th grade girl who lives in New York City, and she has a best friend, Sal. Overall her life seems fairly normal, but that all changes when Miranda begins to find ominous notes, and Sal abandons their friendship. Whoever is writing the notes, he seems to know what is going to happen before it actually happens, and Miranda just can't figure out how, why her, and what it all means. Suspense builds as Miranda begins to believe that only she can prevent a grave ending.

Speaking back to our recent textbook chapter, this certainly has an element of sci-fi as it is largely based on the idea of time travel. I think this is on the young side of YA novels, but I genuinely loved it, so to me it would certainly appeal to young teenagers. It's amazing to me how novels like this can really have so much impact even for a target age group of 11-13. What a talent it takes to pack a punch like that into 200 pages. 

The strength of this book was just how heartwarming and heartbreaking it was at the same time. I loved how real life it was- the characters just seemed real and Miranda's point of view was expressed really well. It's just... loveable.

When You Reach Me was the 2010 Newbery Medal Winner and a great book to add to the list for your youngest YA/middle school readers.

LSSL 5385 book blogging SISTERS

Telgemeier, R. (2014). Sisters. New York: Graphix.

This is a fun, light graphic novel that would really appeal to middle school kids, I think. Sisters is about, you guessed it, two sisters, Raina and Amara, and their inability to get along. When Raina's (yes, it's based on the author's experiences!) little sister Amara is born, Raina is so excited to have a new sibling to play with. She quickly finds that she is awfully cute, but equally cranky! It's a sweet and funny story about 2 sisters, their mother, and their younger brother, who road trip from San Francisco to Colorado Springs for a family reunion. Just like any good ol' family road trip, many adventures and funny situations ensue.

Why did I love this book so much?! Maybe it's because I read it in the middle of some pretty heavy novels, but it was just funny, sweet, and relatable. I really loved the style of the illustrations, and the writing. I think middle school kids would really love it because of the subject matter- it's something they would likely be highly familiar with. It's funny because it's TRUE!

If you enjoyed this graphic novel, check out the rest of the series. I have a 12 year old niece I want to buy this entire series for. She would adore it. Great summer reading for her! Looking back, this is on the young side of YA, but still applicable, I think.

LSSL 5385 book blogging THE HANGED MAN

Block, F. L. (1999). The Hanged Man. New York: HarperTrophy.

The Hanged Man opens with the unexpected death of the Laurel's father. Laurel, an artsy and unique teenager, lives in a Hollywood with her parents and a pet parrot, Zach, and when her father dies, she doesn't know how to cope. Her mother is weak, and honestly, I pitied her; I wanted so badly for her to protect Laurel on so many levels, but she just didn't. Nonetheless, they are both grief stricken and dealing with his death in different ways. Unfortunately, Laurel beings to battle with anorexia, and it's unclear if this is an eating disorder that is resurfacing from the past or not. Her dreams and ambitions start to dwindle away as her grief, depression, and illness take over her life. Instead, she turns to parties and substance abuse, and she suffers from her eating disorder. 

Eventually, Laurel meets Jack, an older man who she builds and intimate relationship with. Jack comforts her, and tries to make her come to terms with her father’s death, her anorexia, and the traumas of her past. In large part because of Jack, we find out that Laurel was abused, raped, and impregnated by her late father, a man she grieves nonetheless. In the end, we have renewed hope for Laurel's recovery as she mends the relationship with her mother and copes with all of the hurt she has suffered.

The strength of this book is that it's written in a poetic, lyrical way that tenderly presents such a dark subject matter. Block touches on some extremely dark and taboo topics, and I think the writing style lended itself to the tone of the book- sometimes her words seemed as if she was in a bit of a haze, which may have been symbolic of Laurel's life in those moments. There is also a wealth of imagery presented through her tarot card hobby, and while I wasn't familiar with that, I was intrigued by it.

This is a quick read, but it's heavy. It's definitely worth noting its many "trigger-worthy" subjects- death, rape, incest, eating disorder. I think a young adult would love this book, and I would recommend it to ages 16+.