Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

This is one of the most disturbing books I've ever encountered. There have been a few of these reads here over the past year: from Jay Asher's 13 Reasons Why to Sang Pak's Wait Until Twilight. But Living Dead Girl (2008, Simon Pulse) by Elizabeth Scott literally made my stomach hurt for the full week it took for me to make it through the audio book edition -- you could say it's the perfect book for future Jodi Piccoult fans.

Like those other books, I struggled to see it through the eyes of its intended audience and not an adult and mother. Listed for ages 16 and up (most definitely not for a younger reader), Living Dead Girl is the story of 15-year-old Alice (not her real name) who has spent the past five years enslaved by her kidnapper Ray.

To say the man has issues doesn't even scrape the surface on the extent of the abuse he puts poor Alice through. And she isn't the first to experience Ray's unique brand of "love". Ray killed the first Alice because she was no longer a little girl. Now, as our narrator is nearing the same precipice of development, Ray enlists her help finding a new little girl to take her place.

Told in haunting first person present, Living Dead Girl numbly recounts the events of Alice's last five years. Her fear/hope of what is about to happen is mesmerizing. Scott does an amazing job of retaining the gritty realism of Alice's horrific experience without graphic details. Like a Hitchcock film, it's what isn't seen (or said) that horrifies. Making it all the more horrifying.

Readers (myself included) may not be thrilled with how Scott saves Alice from her living death, but will probably be forced to admit it was destined to play out that way.

As a piece of writing, it is stellar. Scott completely captures the blank numbness of emotional resolution that must accompany such a situation. As a reading selection, I can only imagine it would cause young girls to realize in great clarity the consequences of a single careless decision or misplaced trust.

Beyond that, though, is the underlying message that so many adults who had a chance to help Alice chose not to see the truth before their eyes. Even the ones who asked questions and plainly knew something was not right with this girl, didn't do what it took to save her. And in the end, Alice has to save herself in the only way she knows how.

Living Dead Girl is a powerful book that will make you think (about things you don't want to think about). 4 1/2 bookmarks.

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Okay, I'm a bit late discovering the books of delightfully snarky Maureen Johnson (but I've followed her on Twitter for some time thanks to Libba Bray and MJ's strong stance against banning books, does that count?) After reading 13 Little Blue Envelopes (2005, Harper Collins), I plan to be a fan for quite some time.

For grades 8 and up, the story of 17-year-old Ginny Blackstone is the perfect summer read: especially for those of us who would love to tour Europe but are shackled to home thanks to the big bad recession.

So, three years ago, Ginny's Aunt Peg up and left for Europe. Sure, there was the occasional postcard, but mainly, she was off being the flaky artist that Ginny had always known her to be. Then Ginny learns her runaway aunt has died of a brain tumor, leaving her favorite niece 13 little blue envelopes. The first one contains $1,000 and a set of rules that include Ginny's packing a bag and hopping a flight to London. She is only to open one envelope at a time, and never without fulfilling the instructions of its predecessor. Ginny, being the rule-follower that she is, goes along with it.

So off she goes, traveling through Europe, following the same path Aunt Peg took as she discovered herself, her art, and the illness that would eventually claim her. Ginny makes a few friends, learns a lot about both herself and her aunt, and experiences the kinds of things only a teenager backpacking through Europe with a ATM card and a passport can experience (read: boys).

Johnson's writing style is light and totally sucks you in, with descriptions of Rome, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Greece that are a vacation in themselves. (How I envy the author her research trip!!)

Other books (including Suite Scarlette, Devilish and the Bermudez Triangle) are now on my radar and will be voraciously consumed as soon as they are in my grasp. 4 bookmarks as I look forward to more.

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

I've struggled over the past week as to how I review this book. No question, 13 Reasons Why (Razorbill, 2007) is a stunningly written novel. Listed for grades 7 and up (due to mature themes and language), this debut from author Jay Asher made quite a stir when it was released, earning rave reviews. While I'm a bit late on the bandwagon, this is one of those books that I have no doubt will be around a long, long while. And for good reason.

It's important.

There are some books that, as an adult, you think: if only every teenager would read this and take it to heart, maybe things would be different. The subject of teenage suicide is a difficult one, but Asher tackles it head on with an engaging premise that not only hooks you from the first page, but drags you along through the trainwreck to follow. And by trainwreck, I mean Hannah Baker's life.

High school student Clay Jensen comes home to find a package waiting for him. Inside are a bunch of cassette tapes. He's able to listen to these antiquated recordings thanks to the old cassette player in the garage. Curious, he pops one in and hears the voice of a girl he'd crushed on for years. A girl who committed suicide a few weeks before.

Hannah Baker has left a detailed suicide note in the form of these tapes, and on them are her 13 reasons why she's decided to end her life. The people involved (each star in their own personal cassette side) are told pointedly by Hannah how they contributed to her downfall.

After listening to all the stories on the tapes, they are instructed to send them on to the next person. Hannah has even taken steps to ensure everyone hears her words by making a second set, which will be publicly released if the tapes don't continue their journey to the end.

Clay is stunned. He can't imagine what he could have done to Hannah to be included on this horrific list. But he's compelled to listen, not simply because it is required, but because he's desperate to understand why Hannah did what she did.

Asher tells the story alternating between Clay's first person POV and Hannah's voice on the tapes, and the result is captivating. The audio edition, which I listened to, was mesmerizing in the performances and that you feel as if you are listening along with Clay.

But back to the importance of this book. High school is not the easiest time in anyone's life, and even for the privileged and popular, it can be tough. Struggling with self-discovery, it's too easy to overlook the little things we do to each other that can be hurtful. If this story does anything, it points out that everyone has a chance to make another's life better, or worse. Everything affects everything.

Hannah's downward spiral is slow and painful, and listening to it is, as I said, like watching a trainwreck happen before your very eyes (or ears). Clay's anguish and helplessness are palpable and while the ending does offer some hope, most of this book is horribly depressing. But it should be. A story about someone ending their own life absolutely should be depressing, and teenagers in particular need to always remember that small kindnesses can be a glimmer of hope to someone in pain.

While that sounds preachy, Asher's book is anything but. One of the many reasons why 13 Reasons Why should be required reading for high school freshmen. This story has stuck with me for days now, I keep thinking about how high school really hasn't changed that much since I was there -- and that the human element of the way certain people are treated never seems to change. Asher captures this so well through the voices of both Hannah and Clay.

A strong 4 bookmarks.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Graceling (2008, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), Kristin Cashore's debut novel, is a popular YA fantasy romance that is definitely for an older middle school/high school reader, IMO. Fans of Stephenie Meyer (Twilight), Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely) and Cassandra Clare (City of Bones) will eat this up.

Talk about girl power. Katsa has it in spades. Thanks to her "Grace".

In Katsa's fictional medieval world (that reminded me of Eragon in a way) there are some who are "Graced". What that Grace is depends on the person, but when you come into your Grace, your eyes change -- to two different colors -- so all will know you are a Graceling.

Katsa's grace showed itself when she was 8. And since her Grace is an amazing ability to fight (and even kill), it puts her in a precarious position. She is the niece of the King, and as his strong-arm, the now-grown Katsa is forced to threaten, torture and sometimes execute in the King's name.

And then, you guessed it, she meets a guy.

But not just any guy. Po is a prince. A Graced price. She knows this because of his eyes (one silver, one gold). Apparently, he likes her one blue eye and one green eye just as much, because he's one of the few people who will look her in the eye -- and who can give her a challenge in a fight.

He becomes her sparring partner of sorts, and although the characters are well-drawn and likable, and the action is tight, I wasn't finding anything special about this book.

And then I hit the halfway point.

Po and Katsa discover that a neighboring king is Graced as well, but with a Grace to manipulate the way people think. He has used his Grace to get away with unspeakable acts, but Po, because of his own secret Grace, is immune to the mind-control. Po's aunt is the King's wife and in order to save his cousin, Princess Bitterblue, Po and Katsa must not only rescue her, but find a way to kill the King or no one will be safe.

And of course along the way, Po and Katsa fall madly in love, with a passion that rivals Bella and Edward's.

The thing I liked most about this book was Katsa. She's uber tough, like seriously you would not want to mess with her. She has every man in the book terrified of her, yet she has a femininity and, dare I say, grace that transcends the violent nature. Her struggle to control her power, to come to terms with what it means for her future, and her feelings for Po, mirrors the same kinds of things the young women of today struggle against -- about how they look, how they behave toward boys, and fighting against stereotypes.

The entire last half of the book I just raced through, I couldn't put it down. 4 bookmarks and I look forward to more from this author.

Airhead by Meg Cabot

Meg Cabot, the queen of teen books (Princess Diaries,  Allie Fink, Jinx, etc. etc. etc.) has hit on something that every teenage girl can relate to -- wishing they were a super model. Only Em Watts really is. Now.

Through tragic circumstance, which I won't reveal because half the fun of the first few chapters is figuring out what the heck is going on, Em ends up in the body of uber-popular teen super model Nikki Howard. Inside, she's still the video-game loving, computer geek she always was, but outside she's... well, she's hot! And not sure what to do about it.

Airhead (Point, 2008) is the first of a three-book series featuring Em, err, Nikki... her best friend Lulu and a cast of characters who could have stepped out of a soap opera except for the fact that Cabot paints them so real and likable (well, except for that Stark fellow) that you can't help but be drawn into this story.

Most definitely for the teenage set, this book (along with Jinx and Avalon High) join the ranks of some of my favorite "teen girl" books. Meg Cabot has such a great style and snarkiness that I just adore. And I love how Airhead explores the importance of soul vs. beauty. The sequel, Being Nikki, will hit stores May 2009.

Another 4-bookmark read! Check out more about Meg Cabot here. 

Coming up tomorrow:  an interview with Tantalize and the soon-to-be-released Eternal author Cynthia Leitich Smith. A must for Twilight fans!!!

Counting the days until "Eternal"

Only a month and a few days until Cynthia Leitich Smith's new book ETERNAL comes out and I am so "chuffed" (as my UK friends would say). If you haven't read her first YA novel TANTALIZE, and you like authors such as Libba Bray and Stephenie Meyer, you'll love CLS. She's also from Austin and as a fellow Texan I'm morally obligated to support her. Luckily, I think she's awesome, so it's easy.

The Dangerous days of Daniel X by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

James Patterson has found YA success with his Maximum Ride series, and now he (and co-author Ledwidge) delve into sci-fi with a wonderful teenage boy named Daniel. He's no ordinary boy. He's an alien hunter. After witnessing aliens kill his parents at age 3, he now has taken over the list of aliens on Earth that his father kept and is hunting them down one by one, working his way up to public enemy #1 -- the alien who killed his parents.

As I said, though, Daniel is not an ordinary boy. He has powers, extraordinary powers. He's a very creative young man, and i mean that literally. He can not only manipulate objects and animals with his mind (which is pretty funny sometimes), and recreate himself in any shape he chooses (which I don't know why he doesn't use more often to get out of tight spots), but he can also create friends for himself, and his dead family, and pretty much any other living being he chooses. He lives a solitary life, hunting down aliens, except for these created counterparts, and they help him survive, emotionally and physically.

This is a great adventure that middle school boys will enjoy -- and true to Patterson's pledge to become "king of the great page-turners, he has, in my opinion, delivered in spades on this series. I look forward to reading more about Daniel (because we really need to know exactly how he survived at 3 after his parents died....) The book is also now available in graphic novel version for those who like their novels in frames. I give this 3 1/2 bookmarks, leaning toward 4.

The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau

I am a HUGE "Books of Ember" fan. (I was a bit disappointed with the film, however, but that's another story.) City of Ember, the first in the series by Jeanne DuPrau, was in my opinion simply brilliant. A city powered by electric lights, but the generator is wheezing and the food stores are running out. Two kids find the secret of their lost city -- that hundreds of years ago, a world on the brink of destruction built Ember deep under the ground as a way to preserve human life. There was an escape plan, for 200 years in the future, but the line of secret keepers was broken and so more than 200 years went by until the City didn't even know where they were. Lina and Doon find the secret way out of the dying city, and in book two they come upon Sparks, one of the settlements above ground where the descendants of survivors live. These first two books were just great. DuPrau tells an intriguing and moving futuristic tale. I highly recommend both.

Then, in the third installment, The Prophet of Yonwood, DuPrau swerves off the storyline to backtrack and show us the time leading up to the population of Ember in the first place. This third book just didn't work for me at all; I suppose I really just wanted to know what was going to happen with Lina and Doon. Seems to me Yonwood would have been better as the fourth book, after Darkhold.

WHICH brings me to this review (finally!). The fourth book begins nine months after The People of Sparks ends. The winter is upon them, and much like the colonists or pioneers, the people of Sparks are having a tough time of it. When Doon's father cuts his hand and there is a fear of infection, Doon and Lina decide to head back to Ember to get some Anti-B. But when they get there, they discover not only has a strange family settled in the now dark and abandoned city, but they have come across yet another secret of Ember.

This book was so great -- I was totally hooked from the first chapter. We get lots of backstory to fill in the gaps and I would say it's still up in the air whether this is truly the last book of Ember or not. If you liked the other books in the series, you will enjoy this one.  4 bookmarks!

Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass

Witnessing a total solar eclipse is something that not many people can claim to do. But the three main characters in the latest book from Wendy Mass (Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life and A Mango Shaped Space) do just that... and they learn a little about themselves in the bargain. 

Told from the perspective of three kids: model wanna-be Bree, slightly overweight loner Jack and homeschooled astronomer in the making Ally, Every Soul A Star explores the wonders of space, Earth and how everybody has to find their own place on it.

Ally has grown up in the boonies, her parents built Moon Shadow campground out in the wilderness as a place for stargazers to pilgrimage to, and this particular summer, they'll be coming in droves as the camp is in the direct path of a total solar eclipse. She loves living under a blanket of stars, and has looked forward to this summer pretty much her whole life. But there's a catch. After the eclipse her family is going to be moving to the city for the first time ever. 

City girl Bree has just found out her family is moving to Moon Shadow to take over for Ally's family, and she's none too happy about being away from her cell phone and friend network. She's more concerned about her toenail polish than which constellations are which, and has no problem letting Ally know that she's getting the raw deal.

Jack finds himself in Moon Shadow as a way to make up for a failing science grade, and summer school. Not exactly one of Bree's popular crowd, Jack just wants to get through the summer and enjoy the outdoors while doing it.

Mass weaves these three stories together masterfully, all told in first person POV yet retaining unique voices for each. Even the snobby Bree comes off as sympathetic and likable.

I'm a huge fan of Jeremy Fink and Mango Shaped Space, and have looked forward to Mass's latest dip into a fascinating subject. She demonstrates why astronomy is so fascinating and young readers will enjoy the celestial tidbits of info they'll pick up along the way. 4 bookmarks -- would make a great holiday gift!!

(NOTE:

I'm hoping to have an interview with the author in the near future, so if you've read Every Soul a Star and have a question for Wendy Mass, post them in the comments section and I'll try to include them in the interview.)

Dairy Queen and Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

I read Dairy Queen a few months back and totally loved it, but hadn't had a chance to read the sequel Off Season until recently. What a great couple of books these are -- and not just because I have family in Wisconsin either! 

Dairy Queen introduces us to 15-year old DJ Schwenk who lives on a dairy farm in rural Wisconsin. She has three brothers, two who are local football stars, and a father who was recently injured and is now unable to work the farm. 

Here's a pull from the School Library Journal review:

Between milking cows, mucking out the barn, and mowing clover, this erstwhile jock takes on training Brian, the rival high school's quarterback. A monster crush and a tryout for her own school's football team ensue. DJ, a charming if slightly unreliable narrator, does a good deal of soul-searching while juggling her grinding work schedule, an uncommunicative family, and a best friend who turns out to be gay. Savvy readers will anticipate plot turns, but the fun is in seeing each twist through DJ's eyes as she struggles with whether she really is, as Brian puts it, like a cow headed unquestioningly down the cattle shoot of life. Wry narration and brisk sports scenes bolster the pacing and DJ's tongue-tied nature and self-deprecating inner monologues contribute to the novel's many belly laughs. At the end, though, it is the protagonist's heart that will win readers over.

These books are listed as for grades 7 through 10, so they're not for middle grade readers. But DJ is written wonderfully. Girls will totally relate to her struggles, even if they can't relate to living in the country, or playing football.

The follow up, Off Season, is just as enjoyable, and picks up right where Dairy Queen leaves off. Without revealing too much of the plot, which would ruin it, let me say that this book was a bit tougher emotionally with situations that arise due to her best friend's relationship with her mother, and a family tragedy.

These books would make GREAT GIFTS (i'm a big book pusher when it comes to holiday presents) for teenage girls. 4 bookmarks for the series, and I look forward to reading Murdock's most recent book, the YA fantasy "Princess Ben."

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

There was so much negative buzz about this book when it first came out, but I tried my best not to listen. I didn't want to know anything until I read it for myself, however, I couldn't help but prepare myself for disappointment.

So I don't know if it was because I wasn't expecting to love it that... well... I kinda did.

I am a big fan of this series. I think Meyers has a great deal of talent in capturing the excitement and romance and intrigue of such a relationship. I've enjoyed where she took the story, and always felt as if Bella and Edward didn't end up together somehow, I would feel cheated.

BEFORE YOU READ ON... It's really impossible for me to review this without discussing the storyline, which most people probably already know, but if you don't want to spoil the surprise, don't read on.

Okay, with that disclaimer out of the way... we already knew going into this book that a big wedding was on deck for Bella and Edward. Alice pulled out all the stops and it's a great scene. So off the happy couple goes on their honeymoon and yes, the standard honeymoon activities ensue.

LET ME PAUSE HERE TO SAY that in no way shape or form should these books be considered appropriate for anyone under, oh I'd say 14. Maybe I'm conservative, but the sexual themes/tension within the covers are way too adult for the elementary-aged girls I've seen carrying these books around. Just my opinion on that.

Okay, back to the review. So Bella ends up pregnant. I was totally surprised by this, although it explained a lot about the pro life/pro choice buzz. Like I said, I was trying not to pay attention. At first I thought, you've got to be kidding me, right? But Meyers drew me in so well that before long this arc was just as believable as the original concept. The baby grows at an accelerated rate, and no mother who has ever carried a child like this (of which there haven't been many) have survived the birth. Edward's wrenching guilt and anguish over this, and Bella's instant maternal instincts carry us through the pages of waiting and working out how to save Bella. Of course, they end up making her a vampire when the baby is born. 

Bella turns out to be an excellent vampire, although whether this is because she had so much time to mentally prepare or whether it's from sheer stubbornness, we don't know. Jacob, who had hovered at Bella's bedside, unable to leave her during the pregnancy, discovers something amazing that totally caught me off guard and I won't mention here because finding out was just so much fun.

Then, the half human, half vampire child draws the attention of The Volturi, who suddenly have reason to condemn the family. Alice sees that they are coming for them, and they immediately recruit some of their vampire friends from around the world to stand with them. They have to convince The Volturi that the child is not an immortal child (which is forbidden).

The final showdown is tense and well done and I was kept up all hours reading which is always a good sign.

I recommend this and give it 4 bookmarks, but I do want to add this caveat -- if you have preconceived notions about the book, or feel like Meyers is trying to make a political/ethical statement, you may not want to spend the 700+ pages of reading time on it. However, if you can go into it with an open mind, forget what everyone is saying, and just enjoy the story for what it is. Which is pretty darn good.

Debut of Cool Kids Book Reviews

Welcome to Cool Kids Book Reviews -- here I'll be reviewing some great middle grade and YA reads. I'll also host some guest reviewers from our readers and hope to post author interviews with some of your favorites as well.

If you'd like to recommend a title to be reviewed, or submit a review of a book that you've written, please post it in the comments section.

My first review will be on "Gods of Manhattan" by Scott Mebus. I just finished it and hope to have the review posted in the next couple of days.

And thanks for visiting Cool Kids Book Reviews! Hope you find your new favorite book here!