Tag Archives: Contemporary

March 14, 2013 · 2:59 pm

Diary of a Mall Girl by Luisa Plaja.

Long time readers of my blog will know that I’ve been a huge fan of the interactive digital books being put out by Fiction Express. They started out by publishing YA novels, I reviewed them as the chapters went live – you can see my thoughts here. Since then they’ve gone on to publish books aimed at schools, and are continuing to tell wonderful stories interactively.

New publisher Curious Fox will be publishing four of the YA novels as complete books, they started last month with Sharon Gosling’s The Diamond Thief (previously Rémy Brunel and the Ocean of Light) and still to come are Soul Shadows by Alex Woolf in April, and The Soterion Mission by Stewart Ross in May.

Today however, the focus is entirely on Luisa Plaja’s brilliant Diary of a Mall Girl as it is published today.

DOAMG

From the back of the book:
The mall is the heart of the fifteen-year-old Molly’s suburban town. Most teens hang around with friends there, get their first job there, and experience their first kiss there. And Molly? She actually lives there, in the complex’s residential wing.

But living in a massive shopping centre isn’t as much fun as it sounds. That is, until mysterious twins Jewel and Jasper move into the flat upstairs. Suddenly life is a lot more exciting – and complicated. Will Molly get what she wants, or will it all come crashing down?

Find out the whole truth in Molly’s private diary!

I really enjoyed returning to Molly’s story, and spending time in the mall again with her. This book is so much fun, I found myself laughing lots as I read. There are also some truly brilliant cringey moments, the kind that make you remember your own similar experiences as a teen. One of the things I really love about Luisa’s books are the characters she creates, they’re wonderfully vivid – you really get the feeling that you’ve spent time with them. If you’re looking for a fun YA contemporary read then I’d say you would be fully satisfied by Diary of a Mall Girl.

To celebrate the publication of Diary of a Mall Girl there are a number of exciting things happening, you can see all of the details on Luisa’s website here.

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January 29, 2013 · 9:30 am

Book Review : OMG! Is This Actually My Life? by Rae Earl.

OMGFourteen-year-old Hattie Moore doesn’t actually know who her father is – but that’s the least of her problems. How can she become a TOTAL HOTNESS GODDESS when Miss Gorgeous Knickers at school hates her and no one fancies her because she has no breast? And her family are an actual nightmare. Her unbelievably annoying brother is EVIL and on top of that, her gran is a TOTAL mental who may be texting rude jokes to just about EVERYONE in the world. Including her dentist.

Hattie’s diary of this tumultuous year is an absolutely hilarious account of the ups and downs of teenage life including a dating bogey phobia, near death from biscotti and a home-made breast-growing machine.

When I received this book for review I read the blurb and thought it was the sort of book I probably wouldn’t have automatically picked up to read but it sounded like it could be really funny. I therefore didn’t start reading the book with many expectations at all.

To begin with I wasn’t sure whether I was going to get on with the book. It’s written in a diary format which is something I really enjoy, but I was switching rapidly back and forward between finding Hattie entertaining and infuriating. Once I got to grips with her I realised there was no way I was going to stop reading the book, I did care about what happened and I wanted to find out how Hattie’s year went.

The real grit of the book is Hattie’s quest to discover who her biological father is. She has the difficult situation of not knowing who he is yet having a stepfather who has been in her life for almost all of it and who she loves dearly. She has a real sense of conflict because as wonderful as her stepfather is she can’t help wondering about her biological father – the fact her mother is so reluctant to tell her about him only adds to the intrigue and wonder.

Hattie is a lively character, throughout the book I found at times I laughed with her, at times I wanted to give her a hug and at times I wanted to shake her! She’s a 14 year old girl (for most of the book) and I think she’s a pretty accurate representation of this – she’s suitably inward looking and self-invested! Her two friends, Weird Jen and Dimple are highly entertaining, the three of them together make for a great trio.

The real strength of the book for me was in some of the supporting characters. I loved Goose, the boy next door, and Hattie’s grandmother in particular. I felt at times that Hattie’s mother got a bit of a raw deal but this was probably very realistic in the circumstances.

By the end of it I enjoyed this book and was satisfied by the ending. There were a few surprises scattered throughout the book which were pleasing to discover. I think this book will be really popular with its intended audience.

OMG! Is This Actually My Life? is published by Walker in the UK from 7th February 2013. Whilst I was provided with a review copy of the book all of the opinions expressed are my own.

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January 21, 2013 · 9:30 am

Book Review : Sean Griswold’s Head by Lindsey Leavitt.

SeanGriswoldAccording to her guidance counselor, fifteen-year-old Payton Gritas needs a focus object—an item to concentrate her emotions on. It’s supposed to be something inanimate, but Payton decides to use the thing she stares at during class: Sean Griswold’s head. They’ve been linked since third grade (Griswold-Gritas—it’s an alphabetical order thing), but she’s never really known him.

The focus object is intended to help Payton deal with her father’s newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis. And it’s working. With the help of her boy-crazy best friend Jac, Payton starts stalking—er, focusing on—Sean Griswold . . . all of him! He’s cute, he shares her Seinfeld obsession (nobody else gets it!) and he may have a secret or two of his own.

In this sweet story of first love, Lindsey Leavitt seamlessly balances heartfelt family moments, spot-on sarcastic humor, and a budding young romance.

Contemporary YA is one of my great loves and when I heard about this book it sounded right up my street. I didn’t get round to reading it though until I read Raimy’s interesting review and thought it was about time I read it.

This book is about Payton, about her discovering that her father has Multiple Sclerosis and trying to adjust to both knowing this and the feeling of betrayal she experiences when she discovers the rest of the family had been keeping the news from her. If I’m being completely honest for a good proportion of the book Payton behaves like a bit of a brat but I didn’t find this frustrating, it felt like a very genuine reaction and one that I could understand even if I couldn’t imagine behaving the same way in the same situation. The one character I didn’t really take to however was Jac, Payton’s best friend. I found a lot of her behaviour irritating – she’s definitely the kind of person I wouldn’t want around me for very long.

Sean Griswold is the boy who sits in front of Payton in the classes they share – seating is allocated alphabetically and so she’s been sitting behind him for years without ever really noticing him. She chooses his head for a focus exercise the school counsellor gets her to do, it’s something that’s part of her everyday life. This allows us to get to know Sean as Payton does, I liked him a lot as a character. I really liked the way he and Payton grew closer through developing a shared interest, some of the moments they shared were lovely.

I thought that Payton’s father’s illness was covered in the book really well. It ended up not being the main focus of the book, instead it’s more about the effect it has on the family – I think teenagers in a similar situation to Payton or those who know someone who is might find it good to read. The one thing I would have quite liked to see however was a page pointing interested readers in the direction of reliable further information about Multiple Sclerosis.

This book is funny and warm with real heart. I thoroughly enjoyed it and just wish I’d not put it off for so long.

Sean Griswold’s Head is published by Scholastic in the UK.

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January 17, 2013 · 9:30 am

Book Review : Bluefish by Pat Schmatz.

BluefishFirst day, new school, no way out.

Travis hates being in the new town with Grandpa. He hates that they left their old home without finding their dog, Rosco. Travis doesn’t see the point of trying anymore. He feels stupid, angry, alone.

Then, suddenly, there’s a girl. Velveeta is as loud as Travis is quiet, as outgoing as he is shut in. She can see that Travis has a secret. And she should know, because she’s got a few of her own.

Velveeta is on the case: it’s time for Travis to tell the truth.

I think this is a real gem of a book. It’s a wonderful story with great characters that leaves you feeling really content as you read the final page.

The story is primarily about Travis, a boy with some pretty significant anger and emotional issues. He’s deeply resentful of the fact his grandfather has made them move, and particularly hurt and angry that their dog went missing just before they moved and his grandfather didn’t find him. School’s a real battlefield for Travis, he’s never been very keen on school for very good reasons and having to integrate into a new one seems like just too much. Luckily for him he hasn’t counted on two people entering his life, Mr McQueen – one of those super-teachers everyone should have the joy of encountering during their educational experience, and Velveeta who really shares the story. She also has secrets, she’s got some lousy adults in her life too and is trying very hard to make her own way in the world, however she can manage. Over the course of the book Travis and Velveeta’s stories become increasingly entwined and they pick away at the walls each other has built to keep the world out.

The characters Schmatz has created are great, I adored Mr McQueen – it’s so good to see a teacher who really cares, I was fortunate enough to encounter a couple of teachers like this when I was in high school so I always love seeing them in the books I read. My favourite character was Travis, he absolutely jumped off the page at me. I felt so invested in his story, he’s absolutely the kind of teen that makes me want to be a youth librarian.

The bulk of the book tells Travis’ story, but at the end of each chapter there is a page or two where Velveeta gets to tell her version of events from the same day. I really liked this structure, it was nice getting to hear from both of the teens and I think Schmatz has captured their very different voices perfectly.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it takes on some pretty big issues and handles them all in a careful and sympathetic manner. This is the sort of book that could have been cheesy or mawkish, but instead it’s realistic and the sort of book the reader can really identify with. Highly recommended.

Bluefish is published by Walker in the UK from 3rd January 2013. Whilst I was provided with a review copy of the book all of the opinions expressed are my own.

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January 16, 2013 · 9:30 am

Book Review : Wonder by R. J. Palacio.

WonderI won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He’s about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you’ve ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie’s just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he’s just like them, despite appearances?

Last year it felt like the book I talked about the most was Wonder. Whether I was meeting up with a fellow book blogger, chatting about books online or with youth librarians it was the one book that everyone wanted to know “have you read it?” and “what did you think of it?”. The more I heard about it the more I felt reluctant to read it – I’m very good at avoiding things I know will make me cry, and I always get scared when something is so hyped that it just can’t possibly live up to it. When it was discussed at the Wales YLG nominations day as a potential CILIP Carnegie Medal nominee I knew I needed to give it a go and so requested it from my library, it’s clearly still very popular – I had to wait more than 2 months for it and have to take it straight back as there are people below me in the list!

The book is about Auggie, a boy with a combination of syndromes and medical conditions that have resulted in him having a severe facial deformity. He’s been home schooled up until the time the book starts, partly because of all the medical procedures and appointments he has had and partly because it has protected him from the potential horrors of school and mixing with lots of kids. The book starts with the decision being made that this year is the year he will integrate into school, and it follows him through that first year and all the ups and downs that come with it.

The book is told from a number of different perspectives, Auggie of course gets to tell a good proportion of the story but his sister Olivia and a couple of the children at Auggie’s new school are amongst the narrators who join Auggie. I thought this worked really well for the book, getting to see both Auggie and things that happened through different sets of eyes really allows the reader to get a good impression of everything. The whole book is based on the idea that appearances don’t actually tell you anything, and getting to see multiple perspectives helps to show this. It also allows the reader to really see how things aren’t black and white, some reactions the first time you read them seem downright unthinking and awful but once you get to see another perspective on them you realise how wrong that initial impression can be.

I liked Auggie a lot, he’s a warm and interesting character. I loved how knowing he was at times, he is so aware of his situation and also of how he doesn’t always do the right thing as a result of it – he acknowledges on more than one occasion that he could be behave differently but doesn’t really want to. I think he’s a well created character, he could have been irritating and whiny but instead has a good attitude without coming across as precocious. I also loved Olivia, she has a real story of her own – whilst Auggie’s starting school for the first time she is starting high school and having to navigate the difficulties of friendships and growing up along with being Auggie’s sister.

One of my favourite characters was Mr Browne, the English teacher. He reminded me a bit of my English teacher through high school, though even cooler. I loved his idea of a precept a month and of adding that deeper thinking to the children’s schooling.

There’s no doubt about it this is a moving book to read. There are moments that will leave you thinking about the book for ages after you’ve read it and there are moments that will make you stop and think about your own actions. I can certainly understand why this book was talked about do much last year and why it made the long list for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. When the short list is announced in March I wouldn’t be remotely surprised to see this book on it.

Wonder is published by Bodley Head in the UK.

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January 10, 2013 · 9:30 am

Book Review : North of Nowhere by Liz Kessler.

NorthOfNowhereWhen Mia’s grandfather disappears, Mia and her mother immediately rush down to stay with her grandmother and offer support. With no friends and no internet access in the little seaside village where her grandparents live, Mia is bored and lonely–until she makes friends with Dee, the daughter of a fisherman from a nearby island, and Peter, who is on holiday with his parents. But Mia’s grandad is still missing, and actually meeting face to face with Dee is proving surprisingly difficult. Mia becomes determined to find out what’s going on, but the truth is much more mysterious than she ever imagined…

When this book arrived in the post the first thing that grabbed my attention was the gorgeous cover. I love the silhouettes of the trees against the stormy twilight sky, straight away I wanted to get reading to find out who the two children on the boat are and what they’re doing.

This is going to be a book that’s a little tricky to review, the plot is clever and needs to be discovered by reading rather than be me trying to describe it without giving anything away. At its most basic this is a story about family and friendship, but it’s so much more than this at the same time. Two or three times as I was reading I started to think I knew what was happening and where the book was going and then was thrilled to find that I was wrong or only half right.

I liked Mia, the main character, a lot. I found that as I was reading I felt like her thoughts were my thoughts from when I was in year 8, so many years ago. I think many young readers will really identify with Mia, particularly those in that tricky stage of trying to be the person they think their peers want them to be when at the same time they don’t really want to give up on things they love just because they might be perceived as babyish.

This book is targeted at the 9+ audience so I found it to be a lovely, quick read. There’s plenty packed into it and I found that I didn’t want to do anything other than keep reading it – there was no quick checking of Twitter or anything else until I’d finished reading, this is an exciting book that complete drags you in. I was really impressed by the book, it’s definitely one that I’m going to be pushing into young relatives’ hands.

North of Nowhere is published by Orion Children’s in the UK from 24th January 2013. Whilst I was provided with a review copy of the book all of the opinions expressed are my own.

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January 9, 2013 · 9:30 am

Book Review : My Dad Is Ten Years Old by Mark O’Sullivan.

MyDadIsTenYearsOldHis name is Jimmy. They told us not to call him Dad any more. It might freak him out.

The accident changed everything. Once, my Dad was the perfect father. We were the perfect family. Now he’s got the mind of a ten-year-old.

From one crazy day to the next, we lose a little more of the man we knew and loved.

And then a shocking discovery about his past makes us question everything …

I picked this book up purely based on the title, the blurb on the back suggested that there might be more to the book than I was expecting from the title and so I borrowed it from the library and got reading. There are two main plot threads to the book, the first is the one I was expecting – the story of a family adjusting to Jimmy (the father) suffering a traumatic brain injury that has left him with the mind of a ten-year-old and no memories of any of them. The second however was more of a surprise – there is a mystery thread as the family find that Jimmy had been keeping secrets from them and they try and unravel them.

The book is narrated by Eala, she’s the middle child of three with an older brother Sean and baby brother Tom. She’s an interesting character, she’s at that tricky stage of being a teenager and then has all the added pressures of her family situation which results in her not always being the most sympathetic of characters. At times I found her to be pretty self-centred but then I think she probably had reasons to be. There were lots of characters that I liked, I would have liked to know a bit more about Sean as he interested me.

One small issue I did have with the book was with the use of Irish slang. I don’t normally mind it when colloquial language and terms are used, I find it interesting to see how language varies by location, but in this book I found at times that I was having to just guess at what words meant. This did have the effect of pulling me out of the book periodically.

I enjoyed the book but it didn’t quite live up to what I’d been expecting from it. I think it was an interesting topic to cover but I think perhaps that whilst the mystery element was added to increase the drama for me instead it took away from the plotline I was really interested to read.

My Dad Is Ten Years Old is published by Puffin in the UK.

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December 14, 2012 · 11:09 am

Book Review : Mr Stink by David Walliams.

MrStink“Mr Stink stank. He also stunk. And if it was correct English to say he stinked, then he stinked as well…”

It all starts when Chloe makes friends with Mr Stink, the local tramp. Yes, he smells a bit. But when it looks like he might be driven out of town, Chloe decides to hide him in the garden shed.

Now Chloe’s got to make sure no one finds out her secret. And speaking of secrets, there just might be more to Mr Stink than meets the eye… or the nose.

After reading and enjoying The Boy in the Dress I was really looking forward to reading Mr Stink. I got caught up in the story really quickly, and finished the book in one sitting.

The story is one big moral story about appearances being deceptive and how important it is to look more deeply at people rather than just accepting them at face value and making judgements about them. It never feels preachy or like a moral story though, this is all cleverly woven into the story. I loved the way that over the course of around 270 pages all of the key characters go on a real journey, with the exception of Raj (who should never change), they all end the book very differently to how they start it.

Chloe is a lovely main character, there were parts of her that really reminded me of me when I was 12. I loved her creativity and her focus on doing the right thing even when it was hard for her to do so. Mr Stink is a great creation though at times some of the descriptions of him or the things he did were a little on the gross side for me – I’m sure young readers will absolutely adore him. I was so pleased to see Raj featured in this book as well as The Boy in the Dress, I’m looking forward to seeing whether he appears in Walliams’ other books.

Mr Stink been adapted by the BBC and will be shown over the festive period with Hugh Bonneville playing the title role, I couldn’t quite imagine how this would work before I started reading but within the first couple of chapters I could see that the casting is perfect. The adaptation also stars Sheridan Smith and Johnny Vegas with an appearance from David Walliams. I have it highlighted ready in my festive TV guide, I can’t wait to see it.

Mr Stink is published by Harper Collins Children’s Books in the UK.

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December 11, 2012 · 9:30 am

Book Review : The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams.

TheBoyInTheDressThe sparkling debut children’s novel from David Walliams, co-creator and co-star of the multi-award-winning Little Britain.

Dennis was different.

Why was he different, you ask?

Well, a small clue might be in the title of this book…

Charming, surprising and hilarious – The Boy in the Dress is everything you would expect from the co-creator of Little Britain. David Walliams’s beautiful first novel will touch the hearts (and funny bones) of children and adults alike.

Over the course of the placement I did in the summer I learnt that David Walliams’ books are hugely popular (along with Jacqueline Wilson, Andy Stanton and Jeff Kinney his books were the most requested by the children visiting the mobile library) so I knew I had to investigate for myself and find out what all the fuss was about. The fact that the BBC adaptation of Walliams’ second book Mr Stink is due on telly in the next few weeks prompted me to get and request a couple of books from the local library, I thought I’d start with The Boy in the Dress as it was the first book he’d written.

The fact that the illustrations in the book were done by Quentin Blake made me wonder whether Walliams could be taking the place of the current generation’s Roald Dahl, but I was pleased to discover within a few pages that actually Walliams is simply this generation’s David Walliams – a skilled, humorous, thought provoking storyteller. There was a real depth to the story that I really hadn’t been expecting, whilst there are lots of funny bits there are also many bits that make you think and may well encourage discussions with young readers.

Dennis is a lovely lead character, I found I was really rooting for him from the very start of the book. His friendships with Darvesh and Lisa are so well created, I could imagine them clearly. I found Dennis’ dad and brother to be really interesting characters, I liked the way that the less positive characters were portrayed over the course of the book in a sympathetic manner rather than as pantomime style villains.

My only slight misgiving with this book came with the resolution of one part of Dennis’ problem. Without wanting to spoil the plot for anyone all I’ll say is that I felt that Dennis and Lisa’s treatment of one of the adult characters didn’t really feel to me like it fitted with the rest of the book which was a real shame. It didn’t spoil my overall experience of the book however, I’ll certainly be recommending it to other people and am looking forward to reading Mr Stink very soon.

The Boy in the Dress is published by Harper Collins Children’s Books in the UK.

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December 5, 2012 · 9:30 am

Book Review : Poison Most Vial by Benedict Carey.

Book cover for Poison Most Vial by Benedict CareyMurder in the lab! The famous forensic scientist Dr. Ramachandran is stone-cold dead, and Ruby Rose’s father is the prime suspect. It’s one more reason for Ruby to hate the Gardens, the funky urban neighborhood to which she has been transplanted. Wise but shy, artistic but an outsider, Ruby must marshal everything and everyone she can to help solve the mystery and prove her father didn’t poison his boss. Everyone? The list isn’t too long: there’s T. Rex, Ruby’s big, goofy but goodhearted friend; maybe those other two weird kids from class; and that mysterious old lady in the apartment upstairs, who seems to know a lot about chemistry . . . which could come in very handy.

I finished reading this book a few days ago, and I’m still not entirely sure what to make of it. I definitely enjoyed it, it’s a fun read that whips along nicely, but it’s also a little odd and I didn’t feel properly satisfied by the time I put the book down.

The plot is quite a traditional whodunnit, Ruby is trying to find out who committed the crime her father is currently being accused of – she knows he’s innocent and wants to clear his name. There’s a real emphasis on problem solving and deduction, I think young fans of Sherlock Holmes will enjoy this aspect of it a lot.

Ruby, and her best friend Rex are decent leading characters, their friendship is well created and feels really genuine. They get help from two of their classmates, I liked the range of investigative skills that these teens had – that the hacker was a girl pleased me a lot.

I think my main difficulty with the book was that I wanted a bit more of everything. I wanted to understand the characters more, I wanted to get my head round the slightly odd school that Ruby attends more and I wanted to understand the town that the book’s set in more. I never felt like I’d got a complete grasp of things which left the overall reading experience lacking a little. There’s definitely a lot of promise in the book, I just wish it had lived up to it.

Poison Most Vial is published by Amulet Books in the UK. Whilst I was provided with a review copy of the book all of the opinions expressed are my own.

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