TeenRead

Marcelo's Voice

Marcelo's voice in Marcelo in the Real World is one that stays with me long after I've read this novel.  It's written in first person, yet Marcelo's habit of referring to himself in the third person as "Marcelo" distances me, as a reader, from this complex character. How do you feel about this choice of voice?  How do you react to it as you read this intriguing novel?

The book I hated to love -- The Monstrumologist

I hate horror movies.  I'll watch one with my husband once in a while to just to even out all of the times he watches musicals and romantic comedies with me.  I feel the same way about horror books.  No Stephen King for me!!

So the only reason I picked up the book "The Monstrumologist" was because it was a Printz Honor book.  I want to keep up-to-date on any award winners in teen literature.  I planned on just quickly scanning the 450 pages so I could say I had read it.

Well, before I even completed the first chapter I was hooked! I loved the 19th-century style of writing Will Henry uses to describe his life as the orphaned apprentice to a man who studies blood-curdling monsters. I was drawn into the suspense and excitement of the story.  Needless to say, I hardly put the book down until I reached the last sentence.  And then I was pleased to realize this is the first of a series.  There will be more monstrous adventures to share with Will and Professor Warthrop.

Have you read this book?  What did you think? Or are you like me -- unsure about your taste for monster stories.  "The Monstrumologist" is unlike any other book I've ever read. I invite you to spend the summer with me discussing it.

Just me and my yard gnome -- Going Bovine

I love traveling!  I think the world is filled with so many new adventures just waiting to be discovered!  I sometimes fear I am way too wrapped up in the mundane things of life, when I really should be out seeking new experiences with the local yard gnome.  (And, yes, after reading this book I am seriously considering getting myself a gnome....)

Interestingly, I read "Going Bovine" while on a Caribbean cruise.  Talk about seeking new adventures!  I rejoiced as Cameron broke free from his slacker life and stretched his horizons.

You know, it's really hard to describe "Going Bovine."  Is it fantasy, science fiction, teen-angst reality fiction?  I found a great video created by the author Libba Bray.  Maybe she can describe this book better than I can---

Libba Bray video

I'm looking forward to discussing this book with all of you this summer.  And tell us about your next adventure!!

Enchanted Glass

Welcome to Teen Read!  Here's where we'll blog about the book Enchanted Glass, by British fantasy author Diana Wynne Jones, published in 2010.

Sorcerers, good and bad...fields of care...ominous Stalkers...a veggie-loving giant...magical creatures with human counterparts...and the threat of Chaos...all can be found in Jones' latest book.  The story takes place in both London and the country village of Melstone.  Aidan, an orphan with a mysterious connection to magic (he wears glasses to avoid seeing what other people can't), suddenly loses the grandmother who raised him, and finds himself hunted by terrifying Stalkers.  Andrew, the grandson of a powerful magician, unexpectedly inherits his grandfather's estate and gladly leaves his university job to live in the country -- only to find he's got a magical destiny of his own.  Aidan's and Andrew's paths intersect at Melstone House, and working together, they struggle to discover what is happening throughout Melstone, who the mysterious and threatening Mr. Brown really is, and how to harness the powerful magic of enchanted glass.

SPOILER ALERT!  Here are a few questions to get our conversation going...

Did you like the fact that there are two distinct protagonists, a boy and an adult?  Which story line did you find more interesting?

Who was your favorite magical character: Groil, Rolf, Puck, or ____?

Jones reveals the role of Fairie very gradually.  Were you surprised by the true identity of Mr. Brown?

Much of the story revolves around the idea of Andrew's magical "field of care."  What did you think of this concept?  (I'd not heard of it before reading this book, so it seemed pretty unique to me!)

How did you like the balance between danger, comic relief, and yes, even romance?

Would reading this book induce you to try other titles by this author?  After 30 years of writing, she's got quite a list, including Howl's Moving Castle; its sequel House of Many Ways; The Dalemark Quartet; The Chronicles of Chrestomanci; Dogsbody; and Castle in the Sky. (Two of them were adapted into popular anime films by award-winning Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki.)

No Maybes about it...

 

Maybelline may have been named after her mother's favorite cosmetic line, but she's definitely not a glamour girl.  With her oversize black t-shirts and Kool-Aid dyed hair, Maybe wants nothing to do with her mother's beauty school antics.  When things at her mother's house get out of control, Maybe convinces her 2 best friends to road trip to L.A. to see if they can find her father.  They don't have much to go on & living out of a car is not easy, but Maybe's friends almost make up for her awful home life. 

Was this story believable to you?  Do you think Maybe did the right thing by running away?  If you had a parent like Maybe's mother, how would you deal with it?  I loved Maybe's Kool-Aid dyed hair--do you have any fun fashion things you do to stand out?  Did anyone else get hungry for tacos while reading this?

Maybelline may have been named after her mother's favorite cosmetic line, but she's definitely not a glamour girl.  With her oversize black t-shirts and Kool-Aid dyed hair, Maybe wants nothing to do with her mother's beauty school antics.  When things at her mother's house get out of control, Maybe convinces her 2 best friends to road trip to L.A. to see if they can find her father.  They don't have much to go on & living out of a car is not easy, but Maybe's friends almost make up for her awful home life. 

Was this story believable to you?  Do you think Maybe did the right thing by running away?  If you had a parent like Maybe's mother, how would you deal with it?  I loved Maybe's Kool-Aid dyed hair--do you have any fun fashion things you do to stand out?  Did anyone else get hungry for tacos while reading this?

Time Travel: Between Two Books

Miranda is comfortable in her urban slightly run down neighborhood with her best (and only) friend Sal, her trivia obsessed mother and even the crazy guy who sticks his head under the mailbox on the corner. She only wants to read and reread A Wrinkle in Time. But then things start coming apart: Sal starts avoiding her, things go missing, and other things turn up, like notes telling her what's going to happen in the future. ...and they do. Trying to uncover these mysteries leads to new events and connections in Miranda's life, but none seem related to each other.....and then suddenly they are.

The author, Rebecca Stead, notes that she thought a lot about time as she was growing up, especially about the passing of time, and about remembering the "person" she is now at some later date. She writes that one of the reasons for writing this book was: "... thinking about how we leave ourselves behind in a way, which I think we do, throughout our lives." Do you agree with her?

Would you choose to time travel if you could? If so, would you choose your own life at an earlier time...or a future time?

Did you figure out Miranda's mystery before she did?

Bad Boy

Nora Grey, a high school sophomore, gets paired up with new guy Patch in biology class. She's attracted to him, yet becomes disturbed by how he seems to get into her head. It turns out he's more than he appears - a fallen angel who wants to become human at any cost, and now she's caught in the middle of a dangerous battle.

What did you like about this book? How is it similar to the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer?

Steampunk, Westerfeld style

Scott Westerfeld knows how to spin a good series as demonstrated in Uglies. Leviathan is the start of another one, though this new series is anchored firmly in the world of steampunk, which, in a short definition, combines Victorian era surroundings and ethics (with the era's prejudices about women and minorities) with an alternate history, particularly involving the development of technology. Examples of this are The Golden Compass, Airborn, and Mortal Engines.

This series opens on the eve of World War 1, which pits two world powers and technologies against each other. On one side is the British who have taken Darwinist experiments to a new level. "Leviathan" is the name of the massive British "Huxley" jellyfish-derived airship, which has been bioengineered from diverse animal materials into an organic war creature. This stands in sharp contrast to the Austro-Hungarian "Clankers," which take walking robotic, mechanical tanks to new levels of sophistication and violent efficiency.

The tales of Alek, deposed heir to the Austro Hungarian empire, becomes intertwined with Deryn, a girl in disguise, living out her dream of become a member of the males only British Air Service. They both face strange and possibly untrustworthy characters and so called "allies" on both sides of the conflict. Everyone appears to have a secret and a secret agenda. While war seems inevitable, the outcome, this time around is uncertain.

Would you rather pilot a Huxley (living animal genetically-combined flying creature) or a Stormwalker (immense walking/running tank)?

Can Count Volger or Master Klopp be trusted? What about the strange female Darwinist scientist, Dr Barlow?

What are your guesses about the next part of this story? Will you keep reading?

A prison like no other

Incarceron was supposed to be a utopia. Instead, the prison has become a violent sealed world of no escape, though legend says one man once made it to the Outside. Finn, 17, doesn't remember his birth in Incarceron, but he believes in the possibility of escape and that he is somehow different from the other prisoners. Meanwhile, the daughter of Incarceron's Warden, Claudia, is about to be married to a simple-minded heir to the throne. She's on the Outside, living in a society forced to adhere to Medieval living, when she finds a crystal key.

Dystopian, steam punk, epic fantasy...challenge yourself to follow the labyrinth of Catherine Fisher's Incarceron.

The Edge

Talented high school cellist Mia has unconventional (former punk rockers) but loving parents, a funny and only marginally annoying younger brother, a rising star indie rock musician boyfriend, and a future of difficult choices and possibilities. She's pretty sure she's been admitted to one of the most prestigious schools of music, Juilliard, miles away in New York, which would take her away from everything she loves. But in a few seconds all of that changes and she is faced with an entirely different kind of decision making.

What would you do? Do you think we can control our fate in certain situations?

Did this book's style (flashbacks and real time) work for you?