YA Review: If You're Out There

If You're Out There by Katy Loutzenheiser

Published: March 5th, 2019 by Balzer + Bray
Genre: YA Mystery
Binding: eARC
Page Count: Goodreads says 320
Part of a series? Standalone
Got via: Edelweiss
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): After Zan’s best friend moves to California, she is baffled and crushed when Priya suddenly ghosts. Worse, Priya’s social media has turned into a stream of ungrammatical posts chronicling a sunny, vapid new life that doesn’t sound like her at all.

Everyone tells Zan not to be an idiot: Let Priya do her reinvention thing and move on. But until Zan hears Priya say it, she won’t be able to admit that their friendship is finished.

It’s only when she meets Logan, the compelling new guy in Spanish class, that Zan begins to open up about her sadness, her insecurity, her sense of total betrayal. And he’s just as willing as she is to throw himself into the investigation when everyone else thinks her suspicions are crazy.

Then a clue hidden in Priya’s latest selfie introduces a new, deeply disturbing possibility:

Maybe Priya isn’t just not answering Zan’s emails.

Maybe she can’t.

Review: Well, this was fun. I really liked the voice in this. It's got just enough of a sense of humour to really contrast with the serious moments, and considering how angsty those things could have gotten, it's rather more enjoyable that most of it keeps the balance of not too heavy. It's also nice to see a book give such weight to how a friend break-up can affect someone. There's a romance, and it's cute, but the friendship is more important and that's not treated as weird or juvenile or anything.

Plot Talk: This has some pretty good suspense. I'm really glad that it never went the flashback route. I liked much better that it stayed in the present day with only a few times where Zan would remember something from the past, versus alternating past and present timelines, for instance. I think that would have ruined the tension. There was even a moment where I actually kind of gasped because something happened that surprised and startled me so much - in a good, suspenseful way!

However, there was something that did kind of ruin the tension for me, but since it's a little bit of a spoiler, I'll go into it in my complaints section.

Characters: Zan is cool. She's kind of floundering when the book starts, not entirely sure who she is if she isn't part of "Priya and Zan", and honestly she's wallowing a little. Understandably! I think how Zan feels is exactly how anyone who has ever had a friendship end by the other person ghosting feels, and it's very relateable. Even though the "maybe something bad is happening" isn't what most people are going to experience, it's kind of cathartic to read anyways. What happens with Priya may not be what happened to your friend, but it feels good to read anyways.

Or at least that's how I felt.

Also, props to Logan in general. He was a cool dude character. Kind of that stereotypical thing where there's rumours/a thing in his past that sounds scary or bad, but actually he's really a good guy, but also I kinda don't mind it in his case? Mostly because in his case the rumours were mostly untrue and the thing that did happen was something I could see a lot of teenagers doing. It doesn't ping my pet peeve radar so much.

I think a lot of that was a combination of two things, too. One, Zan and Logan have really good chemistry and they interact in ways that are really fun. There's a point where Logan says he's doing something "for feminism" and it felt cute and funny, not mean-spirited or insulting. Two, he respects her so much. He believes her no matter what, even when no one else does, even when she's not sure she should believe herself. How much he respects her and how well he treats her - even when she's kind of mean to him! - really makes the romance work.

This book is really great at characters. Zan is surrounded by a lot of very supportive people from her parents to her boss to her other friends. While she's not as close to her other friends as she was to Priya, they still express concern about her and she realizes she should make more of an effort to hang out with them because they're still important. I kinda adored her boss at the restaurant - he worried that she wasn't spending enough time with her friends, and just worried about her a lot in general.

Her parents are cool, too. I particularly liked that her mom has a new girlfriend, versus a new boyfriend, as that's not something you see as much in YA. It was nice that it wasn't a huge deal, just new and a little different. They were still all getting used to each other and especially getting used to living together, but it's just normal growing pains of a newly blended family. The book also handles Zan's complicated relationship with her father well.

PG-13 stuff: There's a little language I believe, and some violence/scary situations, but nothing I would say that's over the top or that would scare a younger reader. Little bit of talk about addiction/drugs.

Cons, complaints, bad stuff, etc.: I had some minor nitpicks about language that I felt was unnecessary (cracks about a doll's body being "an advertisement for bulimia" or something along those lines) and especially the whole thing about Zan's "chronic boylessness" (good god, some people just don't want to date - that's fine!) but I mainly had one big complaint.

And it's a spoiler so skip to the cover if you don't want to read it, but it bothered me - about two thirds into the book, it suddenly starts having entries from Priya's journal. It ruins the suspense of not knowing what's happening to her, and I thought it was entirely unnecessary. Very meh.

Cover comments: Not my favourite cover in the world, but it gets the job done.

Conclusion: While I had a few complaints in this, it's pretty good nonetheless and I did have a really fun time reading it. It's one of those books you can relax a little while reading and just enjoy the ride. It's not too serious of a read, and that's enjoyable sometimes. Three and a half out of four roses.



Other notes:

- How do you all feel about the only cop in the book being Black? Not my lane, but I found it interesting.

- Random, but I liked that Logan had long hair. Not everyone has to have the same style in YA.

Peace and cookies,
Laina

YA Review: The Cold Is In Her Bones

The Cold Is In Her Bones by Peternelle van Arsdale

Published: January 22nd, 2019 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genre: YA Fantasy
Binding: eARC
Page Count: Goodreads says 288 and that seems right.
Part of a series? No, I don't believe so.
Got via: Edelweiss
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Milla knows two things to be true: Demons are real, and fear will keep her safe.

Milla’s whole world is her family’s farm. She is never allowed to travel to the village and her only friend is her beloved older brother, Niklas. When a bright-eyed girl named Iris comes to stay, Milla hopes her loneliness might finally be coming to an end. But Iris has a secret she’s forbidden to share: The village is cursed by a demon who possesses girls at random, and the townspeople live in terror of who it will come for next.

Now, it seems, the demon has come for Iris. When Iris is captured and imprisoned with other possessed girls, Milla leaves home to rescue her and break the curse forever. Her only company on the journey is a terrible new secret of her own: Milla is changing, too, and may soon be a demon herself.

Review: This is my least favourite kind of review to write. This is one of the books that there's nothing really that I disliked a lot or that's wrong with it but I just have kind of underwhelming feelings about. I think people who like kind of mythology/folktale type books might like this better. It's got a very fairy tale feel, kinda like if Gail Carson Levine wrote dark books, and if that's something that appeals to you, this might be more your thing. But I've talked before about fantasy books can be a hard sell for me and this was one of those cases.

Also can we talk about the fact that this is supposed to be a Medusa retelling? Because I didn't get that at all. Like okay, I got that there was a snake thing, and at times I went, "Oh this is Medusa inspired," but I never would have called it a Medusa retelling. I don't think having one thing in common makes it a retelling.

Something I think that really made this not work as well for me is actually how long it is. It's under three hundred pages? Sometimes the plot time-skipped months at a time and yet it didn't feel like time was passing because it happened in a sentence or a paragraph. With that, the characters felt under-developed. They're fine, but they never excited me. I didn't feel like I was getting to know them or understanding them, just... observing them. And what I was observing wasn't that interesting at the beginning.

I think the thing I thought was most interesting was the idea that anyone in the village Iris came from would use the threat of demon possession against any girl who acts angry or has any sort of spine at all. Of course that would happen. It has happened, again and again, historically. But it's so under-explored that it was honestly disappointing. Most of the girls that happened to don't even get names.

Plus like, what about queer girls? How does demon possession effect them? Are they targeted by families more? There aren't any in the book, so I couldn't tell you. There's nada for diversity in this, period, and it's kind of dull to read honestly.

I will say, props to the cover designer for getting a very accurate one. The girl actually looks like Milla, and the snakes are exactly like they are in the book. I also did really enjoy that there was basically no romance in this. It's nice to read books without romance sometimes.

Overall this just wasn't my favourite book in the world.



Sorry if this is a little sparse - I'm not feeling the best today!

Peace and cookies,
Laina

YA Review: Mammoth

Okay, so. This review isn't like a "Fat Girl on a Plane" situation where I think the book is actively harmful, but the book and the review are going to be discussing some tough subjects, i.e. diet culture, fat hate, self esteem, etc. I want you to be aware of those things going in, so, warning.

Onto the review.

Mammoth by Jill Baguchinsky

Published: November 16th, 2018 by Turner Publishing
Genre: Contemporary YA
Binding: eARC
Page Count: Goodreads says 304 so I assume around that.
Part of a series? I don't think so but man I would read a sequel.
Got via: Edelweiss.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

(Summary from goodreads): The summer before her junior year, paleontology geek Natalie Page lands a coveted internship at an Ice Age dig site near Austin. Natalie, who’s also a plus-size fashion blogger, depends on the retro style she developed to shield herself from her former bullies, but vintage dresses and perfect lipstick aren’t compatible with prospecting for fossils in the Texas heat. But nothing is going to dampen Natalie’s spirit — she’s exactly where she wants to be, and she gets to work with her hero, a rock-star paleontologist who hosts the most popular paleo podcast in the world. And then there’s Chase the intern, who’s seriously cute, and Cody, a local boy who’d be even cuter if he were less of a grouch.

It’s a summer that promises to be about more than just mammoths.

Until it isn’t.

When Natalie’s hero turns out to be anything but, and steals the credit for one of her accomplishments, Nat has to unearth the confidence she needs to stand out in a field dominated by dudes. To do this, she’ll have to let her true self shine, even if that means defying all the rules for the sake of a major discovery.

Review: This is a book that I would like much more on a reread than on a first read, but that isn't the fault of the book as much as the fault of books I've read in the past. See, Mammoth is a book where for about 50% of the book, things could go two drastically different ways. And one of those ways, I would be writing a really critical review with a lot of links and also possibly being a little traumatized, and the other is how it actually went.

I liked how it went.

See, Natalie is, to paraphrase a person I follow on Twitter who's very eloquent about these things, still at an earlier point in her body acceptance journey. I mean, she is a teenager. For probably the first half of the book, there's a lot of talk about the bullying Natalie's experienced, her insecurities, her mental obsession with guessing the weight of people she meets (only people perceived as women, though, I noticed), an obsession with shapewear*, food issues. It can be hard to read at times.

(*God I hated how much shapewear was a thing in this. You're in Texas in the summer! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO YOURSELF. Bodies are allowed to be lumpy and bumpy, and people realize you're fat no matter how much you squish yourself down!)

And if it had gone in the direction of Natalie deciding that her body is wrong and there was something wrong with her/the dieting route, I wouldn't be recommending it. I am very grateful to say that isn't how it went down. As the book goes on, Natalie grows more confident in herself, her body, and especially her capabilities and abilities. It's a great journey and I think that will reflect a lot of peoples' own journey.

Plot Talk: Uh, I think between the start of the review and the summary, we've got enough of a plot summary, right? I don't want this review to be five thousand words.

However, I definitely appreciated how much of the book is actually about paleontology. Sometimes you get contemporary YA that has a really cool premise and then they never actually use that premise, and I was so happy that this wasn't one of them. There's a lot of information about it, and Natalie spends a lot of time actually working. It's nice to see a book where the premise isn't just background for drama.

And, frankly, I'm glad the plot was about more than just Natalie's body/body issues. She's allowed to be fat and also actually DO things.

Characters: I don't want to spend too much time on characters because sometimes I feel like I get repetative and this review is really long already, but the author made interesting choices with characters. Natalie is a popular fashion blogger. That puts her more in the spotlight/public eye than the average teen in her situation. Of course she'd use fashion and makeup and all that as armour to keep from getting hurt. Being fat on the internet is hard. That absolutely makes sense.

My other favourite thing was that the character who would usually be her worst enemy, the thin/blond/popular/rich girl is treated like a human being and given an arc herself, and she and Natalie become friends over time. It's so good to see that. She isn't reduced solely to a "mean girl" and the female relationships in this are strong.

PG-13 stuff: There's some underage drinking (which they get in big trouble for, lol) and some language and whatnot. One of the guys Natalie kisses also gets really handsy and she has to be rather forceful pushing him away. She's not like super upset by it, but she does decide she didn't like that all.

Content warnings for food guilt type talk (Natalie is very uncomfortable eating in front of people in the beginning of the book, and doesn't eat enough at first around the other interns, along with a bit of other food morality talk), fat hate, that weird weight guessing thing, a fair amount of self-hate at first, possibly self-harm (Natalie has a habit of snapping a hair elastic against her wrist when she's stressed, to the point of leaving welts) aaaand another character is pretty seriously injured towards the end of the book. I think that's everything. Oh, wait, Natalie's clothing sizes are very specifically said several times in the book. People disagree on how they feel about that, but yanno. Thought I'd mention it.

Cons, complaints, bad stuff, etc.: This honestly lacks diversity in many ways. Texas is not this white and Austin is not this straight. There's like no queer or brown people in this. I find it very hard to believe over the course of a summer being in Austin that Natalie never meets another fat person. She goes thrifting and manages to find stuff so there has to be other fat people in the city. She couldn't even see a fat tourist or something?

This is honestly kind of a pet peeve of mine in fat YA. Why is the MC always the only fat character? It's so isolating. And because Natalie's sizes are mentioned (rather often), it is very apparent that she's a smaller fat person and therefore has more privilege than a superfat person. She doesn't, for instance, need a seatbelt extender on an airplane and doesn't worry about having to buy a second seat or being kicked off the plane or anything like that. Though the shirt doesn't fit right due to sizing inconsistently, she can in fact find her size in the gift shop of the dig site and it seems to be the largest size they carry besides the "unisex" XL. Which is not that large of a size, let's be real.

I liked Natalie, and for the most part I liked this book, but fat rep in YA can be a very narrow experience, almost always (not always, but almost) consisting of nonqueer white girls between a US size sixteen and US twenty, usually who are into fashion... and often vintage or vintage-inspired fashion, at that. And Natalie is another of those. And it's not like we're swimming in fat rep in YA so it always sucks to criticize this, but those shouldn't be the only people who are represented.

...this went into more of a rant than a review, but. It's still true.

Cover comments: I like the cover. It's simple, but cute and Natalie is on the cover and she's rather clearly actually fat. I'm very into covers of fat positive YA where you can actually see their bodies.

Also since I don't have a section for this - there are a few illustrations of Natalie in the book. They're illustrations of some of the "outfit of the day" posts she does on her blog. Again, they show her actually visibly fat. I wish they had included one of her outfits where she wasn't wearing shapewear, but otherwise that was really neat. I liked seeing her illustrated with like thick calves and thighs and stuff.

Conclusion: Wow, this is getting long. This isn't the easiest book in the world to read. The first half especially is hard to read. And that is not a bad thing. Sometimes books make you feel things and sometimes those things don't always feel good and that's okay. And I spent a lot of the book figureatively holding my breath anxious about which direction this would take in the end.

This balances those complicated feelings really well, I'm glad to say. I think it is rewarding to read through Natalie's journey and you really root for her as she starts to believe in herself and stand up for herself. I won't lie and say I wouldn't enjoy reading about fat characters who are further along in their body acceptance journey, but anything with fat positivity in YA is a good start. I think it is well worth the read, but do go into knowing that it can be emotionally difficult to read at times. Overall, I recommend it, and I'm giving this four roses out of five. If I had quarter roses, I would probably give it 3.75 due to things mentioned in my cons section, but I don't so I'm rounding up a bit.

(Roses)

Other notes:

- My eARC was really messed up formatting-wise. I never hold that against the book, but I do wanna mention it because it's annoying. For some reason the publisher's giant logo showed up every page or two, and in general it had bad a lot of bad formatting.

- I feel like Natalie's relationship with her mother, and her mother's food/weight relationship (she's mentioned to diet a lot and stuff like that, but only briefly) was underexplored and could have been left out.

That's all I've got today!

Peace and cookies,
Laina

Review: The Missing

Here's a surprise review because I ranted about this book a lot. Is this making a dent in my review stack? No comment :P

Missing by Kelley Armstrong

Published: April 28th, 2017 by Crown Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA Thriller
Binding: Hardcover
Page Count: I returned this to the library and forgot to fill this part in, but goodreads says 384 so let's go with that.
Part of a series? Nope.
Got via: The library.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): The only thing Winter Crane likes about Reeve’s End is that soon she’ll leave it. Like her best friend did. Like her sister did. Like most of the teens born in town have done. There’s nothing for them there but abandoned mines and empty futures. They’re better off taking a chance elsewhere.

The only thing Winter will miss is the woods. Her only refuge. At least it was. Until the day she found Lennon left for dead, bleeding in a tree.

But now Lennon is gone too. And he has Winter questioning what she once thought was true. What if nobody left at all? What if they’re all missing?

Thoughts: I'm not going to lie - it kind of surprised me to realize this was published in 2017. It feels rather outdated at times. Not in like a technology way or anything - the setting having such a high rate of poverty and Winter herself being very poor makes it make a lot of sense that she wouldn't have access to a cellphone or laptop or anything, and it's very clear that it's the poverty causing the absence that kind of thing, not that they don't exist. But this is so lacking in any kind of diversity besides class diversity that I'm a little shocked. I'm pretty sure there are brown people in Kentucky.

Also, I rather suspect that a place this poor would have more disabled people just due to not being able to afford medical care, not a complete lack of them. And I don't think there was a single fat character in this. Those are both populations who are more likely to be poor. And the way Jude specifically is characterized is almost... borderline Hollywood Autism, and I was uncomfortable with that a lot of the time. It's kind of messed up combined with some of the other things stated about the character.

I think one of my biggest problems with this is that, according to the author herself, she grew up middle-class and has never really experienced this kind of poverty. Also, like myself, she's Canadian and has never been from rural Kentucky. There's nothing that specifically stands out to me, but overall I was just left with a feeling of unauthenticity. I almost wanted to be reading something by someone who had experienced this instead.

This is going to be a spoiler so skip this paragraph if you want but it's a big trigger warning as well, and I'm not going to not talk about it. This book has exactly one queer character. Winter's best friend Edie is bisexual (I assume, the book doesn't use any label for her). Edie never actually gets any screen time because, and this is the spoiler, she's been dead since before the book started. I saw it coming basically the first time she was mentioned and kept hoping it wouldn't go that direction, but then at the end it slid right into Bury Your Gays territory. And because you only find that out right before the end, it's basically brushed off. Like, thanks for creating this character just to give the MC motivation and make her sad, that's great.

While it didn't bother me as much as it'll bother other people, I will give a big mention that this has a lot of animal cruelty as well, and also a lot of misinformation about feral dogs/pit bulls, so I'm gonna link to this review from someone who knows that subject better.

I have mixed feelings about the romantic relationship in this. I'm glad it didn't go the way I thought it was going at first, absolutely. But I also think it's kind of... adult romance novel-ish, and maybe that doesn't always work so well in YA. Because frankly if you're 17 and you meet a dude who does some of the things this LI does, you shouldn't date him. You should run.

Hey also can we talk about the fact that Winter's sister is okay with their father breaking Winter's nose at one point and abusing her so badly she goes to live in the woods most of the time rather than go home because she wants to make peace? And that he probably would have kept doing that if Winter didn't have a friend who could beat him up more? Because that was messed up.

Winter at times did make me a little annoyed. She goes into very dangerous situations with no plan, no way to defend herself, and no back-up, and just doesn't think ahead very much. The book even makes fun of this a bit at one point. She should have been dead several times over. There were times where I kept thinking, "You should know better! You're supposed to be self-sufficient and wary, not reckless!"

Honestly it frustrates me looking back at this and seeing so much stuff because I do enjoy Armstrong's writing and the prose and voice really worked for me. Winter is a little bit Katniss-esque and I won't lie, some of the things that made me feel that way also made me raise an eyebrow here and there, but there's a lot in this that I liked. I literally read most of this in one sitting and barely put it down to eat even when I was starving and it was getting really late. I've enjoyed a lot of her books in the past, and I wish I had liked this one more. I loved the atmosphere and how creepy it was at times, especially when you're reading alone and every noise creeps you out, but I'm just not comfortable recommending it.

It'll be up to you if you want to read this one. I kind of can't get past the Edie thing myself. Two out of five roses.



That's all I've got!

Peace and cookies,
Laina

Things I've Read Recently (82)

If you're new around here, Things I've Read Recently is a series of posts I do that are basically mini-reviews of books that I either forgot to review, didn't have enough to say for a full review, or just didn't want to do a full post about for whatever reason.

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

Published: February 22nd, 2011 by HarperCollins
Genre: Historical MG told in verse
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 260 plus acknowledgements and author's note and such.
Part of a series? No, standalone.
Got via: I think I bought it at the thrift store? It's secondhand and I bought it, I know that.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): For all the ten years of her life, Hà has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, and the warmth of her friends close by. But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hà and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, Hà discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food . . . and the strength of her very own family.

Thoughts: Last year, I read the author's other book, and I really liked it, so when I found this wherever I found it (I really think thrift store), and saw the author's name and also how pretty the cover was (I'm weak), I snapped it up.

I didn't actually realize this was told in verse basically until I started reading it, but it's super neat. And if you're looking for those, I definitely recommend this one. It's set in 1975, and based somewhat on events from the author's own life, and something they mentioned in the author's note was something I was thinking while reading it. They mentioned realizing their neices and nephews knew where their parents came from, but didn't really understand the experience. I think a book like this could totally reflect the emotional experience of a child going through this now, and help children understand where their family came from and maybe a little more about their parents. That's an important thing, and props to this book for handling it so well.

I thought the book being told in verse also was neat, especially because that can be a little more approachable for readers. All in all, very good. This one gets to keep its spot on my shelf.

The Assassin Game by Kirsty McKay

Published: I believe this was originally published in the UK in 2015, but this edition was released August 2nd, 2016 from Soucebooks Fire.
Genre: YA Thriller
Binding: ARC
Page Count: Mine has 317 plus acknowments and a space for an about the author, but goodreads says the final copy would have 325 pages.
Part of a series? No, standalone.
Got via: I won it in a goodreads contest. This isn't a review book I've been putting off for two years, lol.
Amazon (and the paperback is only 4 dollars) / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): At Cate's isolated boarding school, Killer is more than a game—it’s an elite secret society. Members must avoid being “Killed” during a series of thrilling pranks, and only the Game Master knows who the “Killer” is. When Cate’s finally invited to join the Assassins’ Guild, she know it’s her ticket to finally feeling like she belongs.

But when the game becomes all too real, the school threatens to shut it down. Cate will do anything to keep playing and save the Guild. But can she find the real assassin before she’s the next target?

Thoughts: I'm really sick and my brain is not working very well. So, it was really nice to read something that I didn't have to think too much about. I mean I tried a little to guess where the plot was going and who the "Killer" was, but not that much, honestly. I was not up for trying to figure out twists or whatever.

This is kind of trashy but like, really fun and reasonably well-written trash. It reminded me of old horror books from the 90s and I always loved the heck out of those, so I was having a grand ole time. I also very much like books set on creepy, isolated islands. It's a trope I really enjoy. So this had a lot of stuff that I had fun with, especially once it got past the initial boarding school stuff with mostly rich teenagers being kind of obnoxious. (Not my favourite trope.)

There's a few things that I really disliked. There's quite a bit of ableism, including a number of cracks about OCD, and several instances of cissexism - Cate's jacket being described as "girl-sized" (THAT'S NOT A SIZE, GIRLS COME IN ALL SIZES), talk about every girl having a period, that kind of thing, and an aromisic line. The book also has some fatmisia, both some lines that are full of diet culture/food guilt, and a character described as a "chubster". Who then disappears for the rest of the book. Seriously, I'm not sure he has a single line in the whole book. There's also some hazing at the beginning of the book that's really graphic and gross, like feces gross, and I found that unnecessary and could totally see it throwing people off the whole book

Oh, and Cate's supposed best friend (they aren't really written that close) is Latina and it's... not written well. There's random Spanish just dropped into all her dialogue.

Those things are really a shame, because otherwise once this picked up, I liked it. I end up landing right in the middle, where I had fun reading this but I had some serious issues at the same time. I would cautiously recommend this one for some, but not all. It is fun, but it's not wonderful. I'm gonna keep it, probably, 'cause it was fun for me, and the cover's pretty.

Content warning for sexual assault in this one, also.

The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez

Published: August 22nd, 2017 by Viking Books for Young Readers
Genre: Contemporary MG
Binding: Hardcover
Page Count: It's on the floor, so I'll add this when I review it. I'm tired. Goodreads says 336, so. Close to that, I'd assume.
Part of a series? Nope
Got via: La bibliothèque.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): There are no shortcuts to surviving your first day at a new school--you can't fix it with duct tape like you would your Chuck Taylors. On Day One, twelve-year-old Malu (Maria Luisa, if you want to annoy her) inadvertently upsets Posada Middle School's queen bee, violates the school's dress code with her punk rock look, and disappoints her college-professor mom in the process. Her dad, who now lives a thousand miles away, says things will get better as long as she remembers the first rule of punk: be yourself.

The real Malu loves rock music, skateboarding, zines, and Soyrizo (hold the cilantro, please). And when she assembles a group of like-minded misfits at school and starts a band, Malu finally begins to feel at home. She'll do anything to preserve this, which includes standing up to an anti-punk school administration to fight for her right to express herself!

Thoughts: This was really cute. It reminded me a lot of  "My Year of Rock and Roll", which I also really liked, and they would work well together in a themed list with, like, Drum Roll, Please if you wanted to make a list of music-themed MG. And I'm getting off topic now because I like lists too much.

I think that's the other thing, too, is that this isn't anything super duper unique when it comes to plot, or premise, or anything. Kid moves to a new town, kid finds things they like, kid makes friends with "outcasts", big finish. It's mostly pretty standard and that is absolutely fine. Things being repetitive in kids' media is not automatically a bad thing. A lot of kids are more comfortable reading something that feels familiar.

Second, as I've said before, the additions of things like different identities make it unique, too. Which is kind of unfortunate, honestly, since those things should also be standard, but that's where we stand. Malu is biracial/Mexican is not something you see very often in MG, especially in a book that's contemporary and modern and not historical, and that increases my rating greatly, because it's great to see.

In the end, I thought this was cute and fun, but I'm not the intended audience, and that's fine. This is definitely a book that somebody out there needs, who isn't me, and I very much hope they find it and love it, because it's a real good one. It's predictable, but that's me looking at it with adult eyes, and kids aren't going to see it that way. My only real complaint is that the characterization on Malu's friends could probably have been a little better, but overall, it's solid.

Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro

Published: May 22nd, 2018 by Tor Teen
Genre: Contemporary YA
Binding: Hardcover
Page Count: 456 plus a really great author's note and acknowledgements.
Part of a series? No, I believe this is a standalone.
Got via: The library.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Six years ago, Moss Jefferies' father was murdered by an Oakland police officer. Along with losing a parent, the media's vilification of his father and lack of accountability has left Moss with near crippling panic attacks.

Now, in his sophomore year of high school, Moss and his fellow classmates find themselves increasingly treated like criminals by their own school. New rules. Random locker searches. Constant intimidation and Oakland Police Department stationed in their halls. Despite their youth, the students decide to organize and push back against the administration.

When tensions hit a fever pitch and tragedy strikes, Moss must face a difficult choice: give in to fear and hate or realize that anger can actually be a gift.

Thoughts: Honestly this was great and I've been putting off writing up my thoughts about it because I don't know what to say. I did struggle with connecting to the voice a bit, but it's told in third person and you all know I have some issues with that. I'm glad, though, that it's told in third person past tense, because if it was present tense I would have had a real problem. But it's definitely a me thing with that, I think.

I loved how many queer identities there were in this book. Moss and most of his friends are queer, and it's so great to see that, especially how casual it was, and that it included characters beyond just allo-cis-gay characters. There were trans characters, and nonbinary characters, and an ace character!!! Kaisha is ace in this and biromantic. It's very nicely handled. I also thought the parental relationships in this are really good. Not all of the parents are perfect, but a lot of them are very supportive and involved and it's great to see that, especially with families that aren't nuclear families. The book is still completely the teens' story (especially, but not exclusively, Moss') but there are a number of great adults who don't just throw them to the wolves to fend for themselves.

Ugh, this is a terrible review ("review") and there are so many better ones, lol. I'm just gonna say this was good and you should read it. (But like pay attention to the trigger warnings and take care of yourself, first.)

Speaking of, trigger warnings for misgendering (not by Moss or the narrative, by an antagonist character, but still), police brutality, racial profiling, violence, assault, homomisia, fatmisia (Moss has some internalized fatmisia/body issues that he works on in the book, but it can be hard to read), and one thing I'm going to say could be considered a spoiler but I think it's important to warn for. So skip this if you want, but it's more important to warn about it. Moss meets a boy during the first half of the book, and begins dating him, developing strong feelings. The boy is killed by police, and the plot of the rest of the book is directly dealing with the aftermath of his death.

That's it for me for now! What have you all been reading?

Peace and cookies,
Laina

YA Review: After the Fire

Dang, I missed these! With the end of QSR and getting sick, I haven't written a review in a while. I assume I still remember how to do it, so let's get going.

After the Fire by Will Hill

Published: I believe it was first released in 2017 in the UK, but its North American debut will be October 2nd, 2018 from Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Contemporary YA
Binding: E-arc
Page Count: Goodreads says 464
Part of a series? No.
Got via: I requested it on Edelweiss.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Before, she lived inside the fence. Before, she was never allowed to leave the property, never allowed to talk to Outsiders, never allowed to speak her mind. Because Father John controlled everything—and Father John liked rules. Disobeying Father John came with terrible consequences.

But there are lies behind Father John's words. Outside, there are different truths.

Then came the fire.

Review: Not gonna lie, I find cults fascinating. I know it's kind of awful to say that, but I also know I'm not alone, or there wouldn't be so many documentaries and books and TV shows and movies and what-not about them. I bet there's a fair few of you who are right there with me in reading the summary of this and being instantly intrigued, because cults.

Normally I wouldn't mention this in a review because it's not the book's problem, but in this case it's actually shows how much I liked the book - my e-arc of this was fairly messed up. The formatting is kind of a disaster, with no paragraph indents, no real indication what's a break like between scenes or whatever, sentences jumping around from where they should be. And honestly sometimes if I'm not that into the book, I'll give up on it if the formatting's really bad because it just gets annoying and I already read slower on Kindle.

I read this in a day. While that's about average for me with a hardcopy book, Kindle books usually take a couple days. This was really, really good.

Plot Talk: This is told by our main character Moonbeam after a fire has ravaged her home, a property that would be most effectively called a compound, though she hates that word being used to describe it. She's in the hospital in a closed psych ward to be treated both for the physical effects of the fire, and for the obvious trauma of having been raised in a cult. As the book goes on, it tells about her daily life and the events that lead up to the fire, with also a fair amount of focus on her recovery and the criminal investigation into the cult. It's not entirely told through flashback, which I really appreciated. I thought what was happening afterwards was just as interesting.

Characters: This has a fairly large cast and mostly manages to use them in really interesting ways. Moonbeam is a great narrator. She's observant enough and curious enough that we get really good looks at the other characters and dynamics going on, without her personality disappearing, or being one hundred percent objective. It's a lot more interesting than her being a blank narrator to see her start to think about people she's known all her life and realizing they did bad things.

Which leads me to something else I liked a lot - the way people were presented talked a lot about the idea that people that Moonbeam grew up with, people she cared about deeply, people that she considered good people - could do terrible, abusive things. And it was very interesting to see it examined how people could get into a situation like this, and how one bad person could essentially trap them. Not all of them, but a lot of them.

I also liked the people at the hospital and the agent questioning Moonbeam. It's interesting to see them contrasted with other adults who had been in her life, as they react to things that have been normalized for her. And especially as they open up a little, and relax a little. It's a very good dynamic.

Also, props for the lack of romance in this book. Moonbeam has a crush on an older dude, but nothing ever, ever happens between them, and his feelings for her are like those you'd have for a younger sister. With how messed up Moonbeam is, honestly, it's nice to see the book kind of avoid that whole area, as it probably wouldn't be very healthy for her at that time. And I honestly did like the book saying it was fine for Moonbeam to have a crush on an older person, but it was his responsibility to not return those feelings, or do anything inappropriate or anything like that. She's allowed to have those feelings, and she isn't doing anything wrong. Nice to see that in YA.

PG-13 stuff: Trigger warnings for sexual abuse, sex shaming, slurs, religious abuse, child abuse, and abuse in general, fire, guns and gunfire, ableism (from the cult), suicide (the method of which is describe bluntly, but Moonbeam does not witness it or anything), physical violence, alcohol and drug abuse mentions, and murder. There's a lot going on.

Cons, complaints, bad stuff, etc.: This is a really white, straight, abled book. Sexual orientation is mentioned once by Moonbeam's doctor, but there's not really much of anything for diversity. And I get that cults might be a little bigoted, but there's enough time outside of the cult that the author could have included a bit more. I think her psychiatrist is possibly Latino, but that's only judging by his last name. As far as I noticed, he's not physically described very much.

I also think this lacked women a lot of the time. Moonbeam's main nurse is the only real positive female character besides her, and she doesn't get a whole lot of screentime. I see no reason either the Agent or her doctor couldn't have been a woman, or her nurse could have been more developed beyond asking how she's doing and hugging her once.

There's also a running thread of fatmisia. There's like no positive fat characters. There is one large man, but he is described only that way, as large, and it's implied more he's very tall and strong. Since he's (mostly) a good character (and Moonbeam cares a lot about him), he's described positively. Meanwhile, there's a bad character who is very manipulative and abusive, and whom Moonbeam hates, and he's, of course, fat. And him being fat is mentioned every single time he shows up, and usually in terms like "hugely fat". It's clearly meant to be another reason he's meant to be seen as a bad character, including looking "rat-like" or whatever.

Cover comments: I could take it or leave it. It works for what the book is about, but it doesn't wow me. It's fine.

Conclusion: While obviously I had a few complaints, I found this fascinating and couldn't stop reading it. It's a great premise, and I think over-all it's handled really well. I do really like therapy in YA, and I think it's really important that almost everyone who treats Moonbeam is kind to her, and recognizes that she's had a very traumatic experience. With so much mental health care in media being depicted as evil or bad in general, it's important to see positive examples. All in all, I'd really recommend this one if you're into media about cults. Four out of five roses, with a half rose off for lacking diversity and the fatmisia.



Other notes:

- Whenever Luke talks, I just hear Isaac from the Children of the Corn movie.

- The book opens quoting my favourite Johnny Cash song that I used to use in playlists for school a ton. It's such a good tone-setting song.

Peace and cookies,
Laina

Things I've Read Recently (79)

If you're new around here, Things I've Read Recently is a series of posts I do that are basically mini-reviews of books that I either forgot to review, didn't have enough to say for a full review, or just didn't want to do a full post about for whatever reason.

Three Sisters by Norma Fox Mazer

Published: January 1st, 1986 by Scholastic
Genre: Contemporary YA
Binding: Paperback
Page Count:
Part of a series? Nope.
Got via: Library reject.
Amazon / AbeBooks

Summary (from goodreads): All the talents in Karen's family were taken up by her older sisters: Liz is the beautiful one; Tobi is a talented artist. And Karen - she's just the little Freed girl.

The only one who takes her seriously is Scott, Liz's almost-fiance. He helps her find a summer job. He lets her take care of him when he's sick. He understands how she thinks, who she is. And when he kisses her, Karen is sure she's found someone who thinks she's special.

Funny how wrong a little sister can be.

Thoughts: This is a weird book. The voice is strange. Maybe I'm just not that used to reading third person these days, but it was very removed. Surprisingly, despite being written in the peak of the 80s, it's not technology or fashion that dates this book the most, but the attitude. Because I am sorry, but if you are 21, and the guy you are dating, who is your age or older, comes onto your fifteen year old sister and kisses her, you do not get mad at HER. You get angry at him, and possibly murder him and bury his body in the woods where no one can ever find it.

Seriously that boggled my mind. Honestly, it's no wonder that YA started having overly-perfect and idealized male characters. Every dude in this book besides their dad is a creep! And even their dad is kind of bland. Karen's boyfriend won't spend 5 minutes without pushing her for sex she's not ready to have, or interested in having, he can't say anything nice about her but "she's okay", and he immediately starts dating her best friend after they break up. Liz's "almost-fiance" is, again, a 21 year old who thinks it's okay to kiss a 15 year old and then pretty much blames her for it. Tobi's boyfriend is a 35 year old professor (with a 14 year old daughter) dating his 18 year old student, and physically and emotionally abuses her.

The weirdest part of this is it's kind of a dull book. Not a ton happens and the plot is really slow. I dunno, it was just kind of boring. My copy is also really beat up and I actually had to tape it back together to be able to read it, so I'm just gonna pass this one along. Not one I'd reread. This was re-released as an ebook in 2015, and I can't say I'd really recommend it, even though I've enjoyed other books by the author.

Do You Want Fries With That? by Martyn Godfrey

Published: It was released in 1996 from Scholastic Canada.
Genre: Contemporary MG
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 153 plus an About the Author
Part of a series? No.
Got via: It's a library weed.
AbeBooks

Summary (from goodreads): Brittany and her best friend Laura are all ready for a great spring break. Florida, Disney World, MGM Studies - it's as if someone has taken their order for a dream vacation! And meeting the drop-dead gorgeous star of Do You Want Fries With That?, their favorite TV show, would be the perfect dessert.

Too bad the order is delivered by Brittany's overprotective father. "Talk to him," Laura advices. But he still treats her like a little girl.

Just when Brittany thinks she's had all she can take, things start happening. Before you know it, dessert arrives - complete with whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry on top!

Thoughts: A few years ago I reread a childhood favourite by this author, There's a Cow In My Swimming Pool, which actually shares a couple of traits with this one. The girls in this one have only been friends for a couple months, just like that one, it's set over a school holiday, and the character types are pretty similar. Looking at the author's goodreads profile, I think I managed to find two of the most similar books he's written, among some pretty varying premises like historicals and fantasy, which I find amusing.

Honestly I liked this one more than I expected. It's cute. Very wish fulfillment, but there's nothing wrong with that. And this kind of "child actor celebrity has a harder life than you'd think and wants to be normal sometimes" plot was actually pretty common during this time period. I think the Baby-Sitter's Club had a book with a very similar premise. For some reason, it was a thing for a while.

I still liked the dynamic of the girls only having known each other for two months and still figuring each other out, and the subplot of Britt dealing with her dad treating her like she was a very small child was good, especially because the book pointed out when they were both not acting their best, and when he was actually right about things. Also, Britt is Latina and biracial, and the author doesn't overstep in my opinion. It's mentioned at the beginning, and then the book isn't about that, which I think is probably the best choice for a white dude in the 90s, you know?

All in all, I liked this fine. Plus it's a pretty slim book, so it's not gonna take up a ton of shelf space when I keep it, which I do believe I will. Also, props to the cover artist for really nailing an actual scene in the book.

Fun trivia time: The show in this book is a comedy show set in a fast food restaurant. Where apparently a 13 year old can get a job and work the fry station so, some lax labour laws in this world. There was actually a Canadian teen sitcom called Fries With That? in 2004, although it was based on a Quebecois show, and totally unrelated to this book. I just find that amusing.

Who Let Girls in the Boys' Locker Room? by Elaine Moore

Published: This edition was released in 1994 by Rainbow Bridge, which is an imprint of Troll.
Genre: Contemporary MG
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 144
Part of a series? Yeah, there's a sequel. I'll... go into that.
Got via: I think a yard sale or something. There's no library marks or anything.
Amazon / AbeBooks

Summary (from goodreads): Smidge, Skye, and Keisha are three very different girls with one thing in common: they love to play basketball. So when budget cuts eliminate the girls' basketball team, they accept Jefferson Junior High's offer to join the boys' team!

But playing with the boys is more of a challenge than the girls expect. The boys won't accept girls on their team - or in their locker room! As the big game against Jefferson's arch-rival approaches, the girls must prove themselves to be an important part of the team. And the boys must face a tough question: Can boys and girls ever be teammates - or friends?

Thoughts: Hey, can we talk about this school's sexism? Because this school has a sexism problem, before any of the plot even starts. Budget cuts mean that the school no longer has the funds to have two separate basketball teams. The book doesn't necessarily call it "the boys' team", I will give it credit for that. The summary is off there. It's the only team. But why is automatically majority boys? There's 8 boys on the team and 3 girls. Originally 9 and 2! That's kind of messed up. Why aren't the boys trying to join the girls' team?

Anyways, this is quite dated. Like, what eleven-year-old carries a purse at school? And it's just not amazing by any mean. It's very average. I also think the premise of the second book sounds transmisic and offensive. I would not recommend searching this one out, honestly (although I liked other books by the author as a kid) and I'm gonna be passing it on. I wish I had more to say about this one, but there just isn't a lot to it. Props for the food descriptions, though. The girls have a sleepover at one point and it made me want pizza so badly.

Veronica the Show-Off by Nancy K. Robinson

Published: Goodreads says it was published in 1982, but my copy has the copyright date as 1986. Either way, it's from Apple Paperbacks, which was a Scholastic imprint.
Genre: Contemporary MG
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 128 pages
Part of a series? There are actually four book in this series. I used to own one of them as a kid, but I don't think I ever read it.
Got via: It's a book from a library, but not one I've ever been to. It's from a public school in Regina. Totally random and no idea how I ended up with it.
Amazon / AbeBooks

Summary (from goodreads): Veronica is starting a new school. She wants to make friends. She tells everyone about all the wonderful things she has... even if she doesn't really have them.

Soon everyone at school is tired of Veronica the Show-off. But then a very odd girl named Hilary and a mystery at the library teach Veronica something new: When you're busy being a friend, there's no time to worry about finding one.

Thoughts: What a strange book. I dunno, I think maybe this one is just one you'd need to have more nostalgia for to really enjoy, because for me I just found Veronica a little annoying. Maybe more than a little. And because the book is so short, it doesn't do a whole lot to grow Veronica's character or give us insight on her feelings or anything like that.

Like honestly she gets a little stalker-ish, and if her actions were seen in today's world, they'd seem very creepy indeed.

Also, there's some casual racism towards Native American people, ableism including a slur for little people, and fatmisia from Veronica's mother. So that would definitely keep me from recommending this one. All in all, I just wasn't that impressed by this one and I think I'm just going to pass it on. Short review because there's just not that much to this one. Sorry!!

This was an interesting round! Do you know any of these books? What are your thoughts?

Peace and cookies,
Laina

Things I've Read Recently (78): An Entirely Queer Post

If you're new around here, Things I've Read Recently is a series of posts I do that are basically mini-reviews of books that I either forgot to review, didn't have enough to say for a full review, or just didn't want to do a full post about for whatever reason.

The House You Pass on the Way by Jacqueline Woodson

Published: Originally released in 1997, the edition I have is from 2003, and there was a 2010 printing. I'm honestly shocked the copy I have has "2004" written in it because it's practically brand new.
Genre: Historical YA - I'll talk more about this in the review.
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 114
Part of a series? No.
Got via: The library.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Staggerlee is used to being alone. As the granddaughter of celebrities and the daughter of an interracial couple in an all-black town, she has become adept at isolating herself from curious neighbors.

But then her cousin, Trout, comes to visit. Trout is exactly like Staggerlee wishes she could be: outspoken, sure of herself, beautiful. Finally, Staggerlee has a friend, someone she can share her deepest, most private thoughts with. Someone who will teach her how to be the strong girl she longs to be. But is Trout really the girl Staggerlee thinks she is?

Thoughts: I actually saw this on lists of queer MG, but I fully consider this YA. The main character is fifteen, going into high school, and talking about becoming an adult. I think this is a case of people assuming a shorter book is obviously for a younger audience despite the subject matter or actual, you know, book. In my opinion, this is basically a hi-low book, but it is indeed a YA book. And whoever categorized the copy I have agrees, 'cause it has a YA sticker on it. So there.

And a really good YA at that. The writing is simple enough that I think selective readers would find it on their level, but still is lyrical and honestly beautiful. Hi-low books are great, but they can sometimes, due to the nature (and also kind of strict rules? Like, there are rules and stuff) of them, be a little more basic. Woodson really manages a balance of simplicity and almost poetic prose.

Oh, and I'm calling this historical because I think it's set around 1988-1990, and although it would probably be considered contemporary when it came out... I'm just gonna call it historical, lol.

Not to harp on the hi-low thing, since I don't particularly think that is what it's supposed to be, but part of the appeal of those type of books is subject matters that don't talk down to the reader just because they read at a lower level than their peers. This totally nails that, honestly. There is a lot going on this book, all very complex stuff. There are parts that feel a little under-developed, but I appreciate it nonetheless.

The only thing that really made me sad was a bit at the end. Gay and straight are very much seen as binary options, and the word bisexual or anything else is never used. However, I kind of also don't so much think that two 15-year-old girls in the South in the late 80s/early 90s would have had a lot of opportunity to hear a lot of queer terms, so I can't really complain about that too much. Maybe an author's note in updated revisions would be a good addition though!

Honestly I think kids today would find this really interesting looking at it as a historical book, and seeing the context of it being at least 30 years ago. This would be a really good book to buy for a classroom, too. And it's a short read, so if you need to pad out your goodreads reading goal... just sayin'.

The Family Fletcher Takes Rock Island

Published: May 10th, 2016 by Delacourte Books for Young Readers
Genre: Contemporary MG
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 255 plus acknowledgements and whatnot
Part of a series? This is the second book in the Family Fletcher series.
Got via: The library.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): The Fletchers are back on Rock Island, home of all their best summer memories. But from their first day on vacation, it’s clear that this year, things have changed. Their favorite lighthouse is all boarded up‘ and the Fletcher boys can’t figure out why or how to save it. Add a dose of Shakespeare, a very tippy kayak, a video camera, (maybe, possibly, or not) a swimming cat, and some new neighbors, and the recipe for a crazy vacation is complete.

Over the course of the summer, the Fletchers will learn that sometimes, even in a place where time stands still, the wildest, weirdest, and most wonderful surprises await.

Thoughts: This is a really good sequel that also would work just fine as a standalone. There's definitely some continuity, and it's cool if you read both, but this is a book where a kid can grab it and not have to seek out the one before it to understand what's going on. I think that's a strength in MG, because kids can't always control what books they have access to, or have the patience to wait for a previous book.

This series really reminds me of Judy Bloom's Fudge series, which I adored growing up. Especially the one where they went on vacation. (One of my favourite Baby-sitter's Club books was also a vacation book... perhaps I have a thing!) I also really think it's cool how the book manages a balance between being realistic about technology (Sam tries to get his phone to work a lot, despite the island's bad signal, a Go-Pro becomes a plot point) while still feeling timeless, and letting the kids just play and go to the beach and chase the ice cream truck. It feels like you could read this in twenty years and the inclusion of technology wouldn't feel dated or gimmicky, you know?

I also appreciate that the book did actually address some racism. This is a series that is aimed at slightly younger kids, even for middle grade, but I think it's very true that many of the readers of it are going to have experiences like the kids have, where someone assumes they're a criminal or a bad kid because of their skin colour, and the book saying no, that's not true, and explicitly calling it racist is a good thing. Now, I think the representation of their friends who were Latinx was a little clunky at times, especially with the handling of them being bilingual, but I can't say for sure because, you know, white, and I can't find reviews mentioning that. In all of this, obviously, take me with a grain of salt, and feel free to completely ignore me.

I also thought there was a really unfunny line at one point that was transmisic and not necessary. At one point one of the kids thinks about their (presumed male) friend having to wear a dress and thinks that's hilarious. Boys can wear dresses. It's not funny. And that was incredibly unnecessary and kind of mean.

So I did have a couple problems with this, but in general I liked it, and I thought it was a lot of fun. There's a ton of humour in it, and I think it's got big appeal. I also do appreciate the cover and back copy. I know it's kind of a bummer not to see the parents on the cover, but that also makes it a safer cover, as well as the back not mentioning their dads. A kid who needs this might be able to read it, who otherwise might not have been able to. That's something important to consider in MG, sadly.

I really do hope for more middle grade with both queer main characters and queer families. Imagine being a little kid and reading this and seeing your family, or seeing the kind of family you want to have when you grow up. That's powerful. Plus, this is just a series that's ridiculously fun.

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

Published: March 14, 2017 by Swoon Reads
Genre: Contemporary YA
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 262 plus extras like acknowledgements and an interview and stuff.
Part of a series? No, standalone.
Got via: The library.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Charlie likes to stand out. She’s a vlogger and actress promoting her first movie at SupaCon, and this is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star Reese Ryan. When internet-famous cool-girl actress Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought.

Taylor likes to blend in. Her brain is wired differently, making her fear change. And there’s one thing in her life she knows will never change: her friendship with her best guy friend Jamie—no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about a fan contest for her favorite fandom, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe.

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde, chosen by readers like you for Macmillan's young adult imprint Swoon Reads, is an empowering novel for anyone who has ever felt that fandom is family.

Thoughts: Well, this was adorable. I almost read this last year for Diverse Book Bingo, but my library didn't have it yet when I went to order it, and didn't get it until a fair while after it came out, I believe, so I grabbed a different book for that bingo space. I am super glad that I finally got around to this one!

First of all, it is really nice to see fan culture and geeky things being explored positively in YA, especially from the perspective of girls. Especially from perspectives that are queer and non-neurotypical and not-white and fat. Those are perspectives that are unique and underexplored and so important, and it's so great to see that reflected in YA.

SPEAKING OF - Why did no one tell me that Taylor is fat in this? Like, dang, "here's a fat anxious girl who's into fandom" is clearly something I'd be into. She's a small fat, but pretty obviously actually fat. I really appreciated that the book was clear about the spectrum of the type of body she has, and described it well, without naming her weight or size. Other people read her as fat, too, with people at one point body-shaming her for that, and the book takes a moment to point out that being fat isn't bad, and that her body is a good body, and it's a really great thing. It's seriously not often that surprise fat characters are such good representation!

I also really appreciated that she's not really into wearing dresses or makeup. She has an undercut! And short hair! It's nice to see fat girls who are allowed to be not hyper-feminine, because not everyone presents that way, and there's not just one way to be fat. And she's autistic, and has anxiety, and I love her so much.

Honestly, this is so good. And one of my favourite things is how it's so fluffy and cute. It handles things that are real and serious, like Charlie dealing with negative bi stereotypes, and Taylor finding a graphic novel that represents her as an autistic girl for the first time, but it does it in ways that are so natural and realistically. And it does stay fluffy and sweet, while still touching on those deeper things. I think it's almost more of an easy, relaxed read because it doesn't ignore that, yeah, these things would be happening to these characters in this situation.

Oh, gosh this is getting long. Seriously though, I only have like two complaints about this. One is there's a use of an aromisic phrase, along with some casual ableist language (by the protags, not called out), and two is the real lack of ace or aro identities, and nonbinary or trans rep, none of which are mentioned at all. It stands out a lot considering how good the book is about so many other things are represented so well.

Last couple things. One, shout out to the non-toxic masculinity rep with Jamie. He's actually a cool dude. Nice to see! And two, this cover is way brighter in real life, and more purple on my computer. Does my computer just display bright pinks badly or is this a thing with like. Digital media. Because this used to be a thing when I took pictures of my hair, which was a similar colour to the cover in real life. It never looked as bright on my camera or computer as it did in real life.

Anyways, overall, I'm really glad I read this, and I really want to read more from the author, because I loved her voice. Recommended for sure!

Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callender

Published: March 27th, 2018
Genre: MG Magical Realism
Binding: Hardcover
Page Count: 211, plus acknowledgements and an about the author that uses "they/them" pronouns for the author and made me realize I've never seen that in... basically any trad book, let alone a MG book, and was super cool to see.
Part of a series? No, standalone.
Got via: The library
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Twelve-year-old Caroline is a Hurricane Child, born on Water Island during a storm. Coming into this world during a hurricane is unlucky, and Caroline has had her share of bad luck already. She's hated by everyone in her small school, she can see things that no one else can see, and -- worst of all -- her mother left home one day and never came back.

With no friends and days filled with heartache, Caroline is determined to find her mother. When a new student, Kalinda, arrives, Caroline's luck begins to turn around. Kalinda, a solemn girl from Barbados with a special smile for everyone, seems to see the things Caroline sees, too. Joined by their common gift, Kalinda agrees to help Caroline look for her mother, starting with a mysterious lady dressed in black. Soon, they discover the healing power of a close friendship between girls.

Thoughts: The first thing I want to mention is that the goodreads summary is not the same as the one on the book jacket. The book jacket is explicit about Caroline's crush on Kalinda, which obviously is cool! But I do think it's important to point that out, so people can recommend it accordingly. It might not, for instance, be a safe book to send home with a child whose parents wouldn't approve of the main character being queer. Something to keep in mind! Not a judgement, just something to be aware of.

Second thing - trigger warnings in this book for homomisia, child abuse, and attempted suicide.

On to the review! I really liked this. I'm still not entirely sure when this is set (I suspect the late 80s or early 90s just based on the one clue given about Caroline's mother's age), and I'm not really familiar enough with the setting to guess, but it's got a real timeless feel to it. The voice is really beautiful and so incredibly mature. Caroline still sounds like a twelve year old, but the book treats being twelve as important and Caroline's emotions as so important. It feels like a book that middle graders would read and feel validated.

The fantasy elements work really well, and I like the structure of things like that existing in the book but not being the most important part of the plot or character development. That's a really cool thing, and I really enjoyed the way it was handled. I loved how importantly the book treated Caroline's romantic feelings, as well. They aren't treated as shallow or brushed off because of her age, and that's so sweet to see. It really reminded me of classics like Tuck Everlasting, you know? And I think this is one that adults should read as well, even if they're not usually middle grade readers.

Honestly, this is a terrible review. I read this in basically one sitting, took hardly any notes, and just enjoyed it so much. Trust me, just read it. Highly recommended.

Well, isn't this a surprising post! All books with queer representation, and all books I liked! That's a nice feeling.

What have you been reading?

Peace and cookies,
Laina