#printz winner

[theteennovelist-blog]

Kleenex Not Optional

Photo Credit

By: Emily

Want a book that makes you believe in boy-kind? Are you tired of the stereotype that teen dads are uninvolved deadbeats? In a refreshing reversal The First Part Last tells the story of teen parenthood from the guy's point of view. 

Confession: I'm not necessarily a poetry lover...at least not at first. Sometimes though, even I fall for for verses,  and especially in the case of this beautiful work by Angela Johnson.  The First Part Last is free verse poetry--hurrah for no sing-songy rhymes--in which Johnson's main character, teenaged Bobby from Harlem NYC, tells his story of "Then" when he was an ambitious 16 year old with a beautiful girlfriend and "Now" where he is a single daddy of a baby girl. Bobby struggles to do the right thing for his daughter, but inexperience, exhaustion and changing priorities make this no easy job. Watching Bobby grow up and fall a little bit more in love with baby Feather everyday cannot fail pull at your heartstrings. 

So what are you waiting for? Grab your tissues and curl up for this quick, irresistible read.

[uncoveringbooks]

(On the) Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

This book came heavily recommended from numerous other book reviewers, so I picked it up. Boy was I not prepared for the depth of this book. This book is right up there with Looking for Alaska, by John Green (my review of that here). 

Summary (by me):

Abandoned by her mother on at the age of eleven, Taylor Markham grew up on the Jellicoe Road. Now seventeen and the reluctant leader of her boarding school dorm, she is finally being confronted with her past. 

But there isn't much time for introspection, as the territory war between the Jellicoe School students, the Townies, and the Cadets is occurring, and business always comes before personal feelings. 

But as Taylor's inevitable curiosity takes her closer and closer to the past, she realizes that almost everything is connected. Nothing is as it seems as Taylor tries to find out the connection between her mother dumping her, Hannah finding her and bringing her to the school, a mysterious stranger that whispered something in her ear, a boy in her dreams, five kids who lived on Jellicoe road eighteen years ago, and the infuriating and intense Jonah Griggs who seems to understand her more than anyone else.

As pieces of the past are unearthed, Taylor realizes that it might be just what she needs to change the future.  

My Thoughts: I enjoyed the descriptive and captivating writing. Taylor is a unique narrator, who is always a bit detached from life. Her story is written in vivid, dramatic sentences on the verge of being run-on, that give her voice an edge to it that just shines. 

Her character develops throughout the story, and as she becomes less detached and pessimistic in life, you feel as if you are being reborn through her eyes; finally starting to see the magic of a world you didn't want to acknowledge before for fear of losing it. (See what I mean about sentences on the verge of run-on?)

The plot is so complicated and deep that it is intoxicating. All of the pieces to the answer are out of order, and Taylor doesn't really sort out her thoughts (no time for introspection, remember?) so not only is this book a growing experience for Taylor, it is one for the reader too. As a reader you actively participate in the unearthing of secrets. Marchetta really nails the "show, don't tell" rule, writing a story so deep and engaging, that as long as you get over the constant state of confusion you're in, you start to enjoy the book. 

I feel like I should talk more about Jonah Griggs, but I think that will ruin some of the best parts of this amazing book. All I will say, is that he is intense. 

The Impact: There are so many impacts this book has on me that I wouldn't be able to list them all. I think I will just give an excerpt of the prologue:

My father took one hundred and thirty two minutes to die. 

I counted.

It happened on Jellicoe Road. The prettiest road I'd ever seen, where trees made breezy canopies like a tunnel to Shangri-la. 

***

Someone asked us later, "Didn't you wonder why no one came across you sooner?"

Did I wonder?

When you see your parents zipped up in black body bags on the Jellicoe Road like they're some kind of garbage, don't you know?

Wonder dies.

An that, my friends, is the seemingly random prologue that sets the mood for the entire story. 

Conclusion: A deep book that explores many, many of life's emotional roller-coasters. With vivid and captivating writing, this is a book that will make you laugh and cry, and maybe even change the way you view the world.

Rating: 9.7/10 

[uncoveringbooks]

Looking For Alaska By John Green

This book has recieved raving reviews from almost every YA book reviewer out there, so my expectations were kind of high going in. This book not only exceeded my expectations, it imploded them. Don't worry, my expectations recover fast (; 

Summary (rephrased from back of book):

Miles Halter—better known as Pudge—is a normal young boy. He would be entirely normal is he 1.wasn’t a skinny outcast in his public high school, and 2.didn't have an obsession with famous last words. His relatively safe and mostly boring life takes a turn when he decides to pursue the “Great Perhaps”, the last words of Fancois Rabelais, a poet. He heads off to the “sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything but boring” Culver Creek Boarding School.

There he meets the hot, clever, oh-so-sexy, messed-up, and unpredictable Alaska Young. She pulls Pudge into her labyrinth, catapults him into a Great Perhaps, and changes him forever. 

My thoughts:

Best. Book. Ever.

Right now, I wish I had a sidebar where I could feature this book as the book of the month. The characters are extremely well developed. This book made me finally realize why people would love contemperary works more than fantasy. 

Contemporary has more of an oomph! to it's characters that I've never read in any other book. Maybe it's the fact that fantasy novels have stunning plots that take the spotlight away from characters, or the characters in this book are just great because of the writing that won a Printz. One thing is for certain--you will find yourself falling head-over-heels for the characters in this book. 

The Impact:

The largest impact, of course, has something to do with an even that happens in the, uh, later chapters of the book. I won't spoil it, but if you've already read it, we can agree that the way it is written is splendid an beautiful. 

Another impact is how this book has opened my eyes to characters in books. In all my years of reading, (and there have been many), I have never read a book where the characters held so much life, emotions, and breath. The characters were so real and well developed that you could even imagine what they would do if they grew up. You got to understand them like your best friend. 

I've never read a book that had someone in them that was that realistic. Sure I could feel like best friends, but not like they were real. 

Conclusion: An amazing contemporary novel with stunning characters, exciting setting, and vivid writing worthy of a Printz. Recommended for anyone wanting a intellectual read. Not for the faint hearted. I love, love, loved this. 

Rating: 9.7/10