Every year Zeeta and her mother, Layla, move to a different country.  Zeeta gets settled in, makes new friends, and Layla gets the itch.  This year Layla has chosen Ecuador.  Besides her one year itch, another of Layla’s other many flaws, according to Zeeta, is her taste in men.  Layla goes for clowns, more specifically wayward philosophers who are balloon-making clowns by day — highly unreliable and highly inappropriate for someone Layla’s age.  Zeeta longs for Layla to put down some roots.  She wants Layla to find a steady man with a steady job and a retirement plan.  She wants Layla to stay in one place for more than a year.  She wants a home in the suburbs not a hut by the beach or a tiny apartment with questionable bathroom facilities.  In Ecuador, Zeeta meets a boy named Wendell who comes from a family that has all that she is longing for but it’s not enough for him.  Wendell is American and only speaks English but he was adopted from Ecuador and looks like the indigenous people from the area of Ecuador where Zeeta is staying.  Wendell loves his adopted parents but longs to find the birth parents who gave him up.  Zeeta agrees to help him as translator and savvy traveler tour guide.  While Zeeta is helping Wendell, Layla has made some changes, including finding a man who fits all of Zeeta’s criteria.  Both Zeeta and Wendell are longing and searching something — the ideal life, the ideal family — but will either of them be happy with what they find?

Reaction: Laura Resau is an amazing writer and really deserves way more recognition than she gets.  I don’t read a ton of realistic fiction and I’m really bad about reading books that take place outside of the Western world but Resau writes both together and I will always read what she has written.  What to say specifically about the book?  It’s great!  Read it!

Ok, more detail…Zeeta is a fairly compelling character.  While she leads a life of which many would be envious, she longs for some normalcy and routine.  Zeeta has had to be the “adult” in the relationship — making sure her mom’s paperwork is filed in each country, dealing with household bills, helping the food stretch when there isn’t any money to buy more — so it isn’t any wonder that she would long for an environment where she can just be a teenager and not have to worry about such things.  I would have to say my major criticisms of the book would be that Zeeta too quickly realizes that normal is not for her and that Layla’s transformation was just a bit too dramatic.  The story kind of shifted focus to Wendell and didn’t leave time to truly develop the “maturing” Layla and Zeeta reactions to her mother’s changes.

On to Wendell.  Trusting Wendell.  Wendell wants his birth parents to be good, kind, caring people so badly that he is willing to overlook almost anything to have it be so.  I loved reading Wendell’s letters to his birth parents that he wrote while growing up.  They show his changing feelings regarding his birth parents as he matured.  He began with not really wanting to have anything to do with them, wanting to be completely American, but as he grew he also grew more curious about his ancestry.  His curiosity grew even stronger when he developed a strange, inherited (he believes) ability that he doesn’t feel he can discuss with anyone.  Zeeta helps support Wendell as he searches for a family that may or may not exist, or may not exist in the way Wendell wants it to exist, but there are some things, some mistakes Wendell needs to make on his own.

Much more than a story about two teenagers, it is a story about the country, its people, traditions, and flaws.  Many secondary characters help add wonderful flavor to the story and to the surroundings.  I am definitely interested to see where Zeeta, Wendell, and Layla will end up next.

Fire lives in a land where monsters roam.  They are as deadly as they are beautiful, luring their prey with their looks then happily devouring them.  Fire, herself, is a monster, more beautiful than any could imagine with hair the color of flames.  She is the last of her kind, the only remaining human monster.  Fire’s father was also a monster and he was evil, enjoying the pain he could inflict and the power he reaped from his ability to compel others.  Fire is afraid of becoming like her father and chooses to hide away in the country side, far away from the capital city where memories of her father’s viciousness still linger.  After the treacherous reign of the past king, whose close adviser was Fire’s father, Fire’s country is unstable.  As civil war threatens, the new rulers of the country need Fire’s help if they are ever going to be able to bring peace to the kingdom, but is Fire willing to allow herself to use her monster powers, even for good, if she risks becoming a true monster like her father?

Reaction: I LOVED Fire.  I will go as far as to say that I liked it more than Graceling.  With Graceling, I had read so much hype about the book it couldn’t possibly live up.  This time, I refused to read any reviews of Fire until I read it myself, which turned out to be a good move.  No one else’s opinion colored my reading and I fell into the story, completely hooked.  I loved Fire as a character.  I found that I could really empathize with what she was feeling.  She is so beautiful that it is hard for to make friends — some hate her for her beauty and others love her too much because of it — and so she keeps herself closed off from others.  Her small world in the northern part of the country keeps her safe but also extremely sheltered.  Fire also fears herself and her own abilities.  It is almost as if every time she uses her ability to enter someone’s mind and compel them, even if it is for a good cause such as keeping a person from harming her or others, she fears she will become her father.  As the story progresses and Fire’s world begins to open, it is great to see how new friends and an ever broadening view of the world help reshape how Fire sees herself and her abilities.  I loved many of the supporting characters, like Brigan, Archer, and Nash among others, and their different reactions to Fire.  I also really enjoyed how good and evil was not black and white.  Fire’s father was evil but he loved her and she couldn’t help but love him, so did that make him not completely evil?  In war, good people are forced to do horrible things, like kill other humans, does that make them not entirely good?  Good people make bad choices; bad people do good things.  I was impressed with how completely Cashore covered this point.

The one part of the book that I did not enjoy was the sections involving Lech, the evil graceling that causes so much trouble in the first book.  Fire begins with a prologue about Lech’s beginnings, his father and how he came to be in a different world from the one of Graceling.  The prologue lead me to believe that Lech was going to play a major part in the book’s main conflict.  Not so.  Lech makes an appearance but it has nothing to do with the civil war and is really just one more, I would say unnecessary, obstacle for Fire to go through.  Fire’s dealings with Lech seem tangential and could easily have been removed.

One final thought: sex.  It happens.  A lot.  Freely and casually and between many different characters.  It was never explicit, only implied, and it worked for me in the fabric of the story but be careful to whom you recommend this book.

When Tamsin was born, her grandmother predicted that she would be one of the most powerful Talents in her family’s history, but Tamsin’s Talent never appeared.  Now Tamsin is the only “normal” person in her family, living under the shadow of her supremely Talented and beautiful older sister, Rowena.  When a man comes into her grandmother’s bookstore looking for special help finding a missing item and mistakes Tamsin for Rowena, Tamsin can’t help but pretend, just for a moment, that she is her Talented older sister.  Tamsin always intends to set the record straight but one thing leads to another and Tamsin finds herself embroiled in a mystery that has her in way over her head.  With the help of an old friend, Tamsin is determined to solve the mystery, but she may not be prepared for what she is about to find.

Reaction: This book was a pleasant surprise.  I really hesitated over the premise — Tamsin posing as her sister, which usually is a plot device that just creates way too much tension for me to handle — but I am very glad that I gave it a chance.  Tamsin posing as Rowena turned out to be a fairly small part of the story, the catalyst to get the ball rolling, but the real meat of the story is Tamsin learning about her family’s history and learning who she is and how she fits into the mix of Talented people from whom she’s always felt isolated.  The back story of Tamsin’s family and the family history along with the idea of Talents with a capital “T” added interest to what could have been just another witch story.  The ending has closure but leaves enough open for another book.  While I think it works as a standalone, I certainly wouldn’t mind more time developing the Tamsin/Gabriel relationship. :)

Here’s what I checked out this week:

• Pastworld by Ian Beck
• Beautiful: Truth’s Found When Beauty’s Lost by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma
• Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier
• Lady Macbeth’s Daughter by Lisa Klein
• The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
• Immortal: Love Stories with Bite
• The Boyfriend Game by Stephanie Davis
• Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins (audiobook)
• I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous and Obscure
• Ouran High School Host Club, v. 7 by Bisco Hatori

Currently Reading: Possessed by Kate Cann
Current checkouts: 48

I’m back to blogging, I hope.  I have survived a month of too much programming at the library and levy campaigning.  I’m happy to report that our levy passed, soundly — 70% for and 30% against.  Hopefully we’ll be able to convert some of that 30% before the renewal in five years…but I’m not going to think about that for now. :)  Here is what I checked out during those crazy weeks:

• Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins (audio)
• Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
• Hatter M: The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor (graphic)
• Truancy by Isamu Fukui
• After Gandhi: One Hundred Years of Nonviolent Resistance by Anne O’Brien
• Malice by Chris Wooding
• Legacy by Tom Sniegoski
• The Indigo Notebook by Laura Resau
• King Lear by Gareth Hines (graphic)
• Elly: My True Story of the Holocaust by Elly Gross
• The Everafter by Amy Huntley
• Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice by Phillip Hoose
• Pale Assassin by Patricia Elliott

Currently Reading: The Indigo Notebook by Laura Resau
Current Checkouts: 42
Current Holds: 8

The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

Nick and his brother, Alan, have been on the run from magicians and the demons magicians use for power for as long as they can remember. Magicians killed their father and drove their mother mad, and now the magicians are after their mother’s special charm, the only thing keeping her alive. Having dealt with magicians and demons for so long, the brothers are known as something of experts on the subject, and brother and sister, Jamie and Mae, seek the brothers out for help when Jamie is triple-marked by a demon. In the process of helping Jamie, Alan is also marked by a demon. Now two magicians must be killed to remove the demon marks from Alan and Jamie, and the hunted become the hunters. On top of everything, Nick suspects that his brother is keeping secrets and lying, and he’s determined to find out what Alan is hiding. Nick, Alan, Mae, and Jamie are about to embark on the battle of their lives.

A standout in the saturated fantasy genre. The characters are well drawn and three dimensional, especially Nick, who is very different from the others and lacks the ability to experience typical human emotions. The story will appeal to a wide audience. Boys will appreciate the sword fights and fast-paced action and girls will enjoy the depth of the relationships between the two sets of siblings and the new relationships that are forming. The cover may make the book hard to sell. I’ve had it on display at my library and it just sits there. A simpler, more gender-neutral cover may serve to market it a bit better.

How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

For her senior year, Bea is moving to yet another new school, following as her professor father changes colleges once again. Bea is used to moving a lot and not having any close friends but she was also used to having a fun-loving mother who was more friend than parent, and this is no longer the case. Bea’s mother has taken a crazy turn. She has become emotional, withdrawn, and obsessed with chickens. When Bea starts her new school, she’s not sure what to expect and is just looking forward to making in through the year and onto the freedom of college. Bea is in for an unexpected surprise when she finds a soul mate of sorts in a lonely boy named Jonah, called Ghost Boy. Jonah hasn’t had a friend in years, since the death of his mentally handicapped twin brother and mother. Somehow he and Bea connect over a late night radio talk show, shared beliefs, and good conversation but their relationship is far from easy.

A very well written story about true friendship. I believe almost everyone hopes to click with someone in the way that Bea and Jonah connect but their relationship is also volatile. Jonah has lived so long alone with his pain and, while Bea seems to help bring him back to life, when Jonah has periods of withdrawal from Bea, it is heartbreaking. The characterizations are wonderful, not only of Bea and Jonah but also the many secondary characters. I especially enjoyed the regular callers to the Night Lights radio program and was impressed with how well Standiford was able to make Jonah’s father a sympathetic character despite all of the horrible choices he made. A fairly typical paragraph structure is broken up by short snippets from the radio program, which adds interest to the book’s structure. While this is a truly wonderful novel, I don’t think it will have a broad appeal. Special readers will be enthralled but others just may not understand it.

*Bea and Jonah’s relationship reminded me of Jennifer and Cameron from Sweethearts by Sara Zarr but with more going on much more substance to the story outside of the relationship.

Chasing Boys by Karen Tayleur

El’s dad is gone and now her family has downsized. Her big house, mostly stay-at-home mom, and fancy private school are gone. Now they live in an apartment where El shares a room with her sister, her mother works long hours, and El is enrolled in public school. The fact that this life is temporary, only until all the legalities are worked out, helps El get through the day. El has made two good friends at her new school, Margot and Desi, but she mostly tries to stay detached, until her crush, a new boy, and a new friend cause her to once again alter the view of her reality.

The title and cover seem to suggest that this is a light, fluffy book about girl/boy relationships but it is so much more. El is struggling with the loss of her father and, to some extent, the loss of her identity as her life is turned completely upside down. El’s thoughts and reactions seem spot on for a teenage girl. Some of my favorite passages are when El is talking in her mind to her therapist, Leonard, to whom she refuses to talk to during their sessions. Short chapters make this an accessible read for reluctant readers. Readers who are expecting a romance with a neat, wrapped up ending may be disappointed but those who can get past expectations will be in for a treat. Great read for fans of Dessen and Caletti.

Other books, reviewed by others, that piqued my interest:

• Riding the Universe by Gaby Triana
• Shadow of the Dragon: Kira by Kate O’Hearn
• The Guardian by Joyce Sweeney — read by two high school boys and given high praise by both.  I don’t hear of that happening often!
• Swim the Fly by Don Calame — sounds like a book for readers who enjoyed Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford.
• Gentlemen by Michael Northrop

The next meeting is in January and these are the titles I will be talking about then:

• Goats: Infinite Typewriters by Jonathan Rosenberg (graphic)
• Ninja Girls, volume 1 by Hosana Tanaka (manga)
• Move Over, Rover: What to Name Your New Pup When the Ordinary Just Won’t Do by Kyra Kirkwood
• Girl to the Core by Stacy Goldblatt
• Possessed by Kate Cann

I cannot comment on blogs at work, so to the extent I do comment, it’s after work hours or a day off (or, perhaps, during lunch or a break).

You know what that means? Sometimes the conversation is over at that point. My point has been made by someone else, and I’m not a “me, too” fan, not to mention that reading and finding those blogs to comment on cuts into my limited time to do my own blogging and reading (and other real life things.)

I only comment when I feel particularly compelled or if I think I might have something unique to add.  If someone has already made my point, I don’t comment to agree or say I feel the same, and people have often already made my point because I don’t usually have time to check blogs every day so I tend to be several days behind.

I certainly respect people who are better or more regular commenters, it’s just not who I am or how I interact with the blogosphere.  I hope people know, though, that just because I’m not a prolific commenter, that does not mean I do not enjoy or find valuable the content on my favorite blogs.

Small week.  Here’s what I checked out:

• This Girl isn’t Shy, She’s Spectacular by Nina Beck
• The Maze Runner by James Dashner
• Stitches by David Small
• I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to be Your Class President by Josh Lieb
• Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia

Currently Reading: Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan
Current Checkouts: 51
Current Holds: 7

Fast Tube by Casper

• Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
• Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Philip Hoose
• Stitches by David Small
• Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
• Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia

I’m a bit surprised.  At least last year there were a few that I expected, this year not a one.  I’m familiar with most of the titles and I’ve heard good things about Charles and Emma but still not one that I would call a standout of the year, at least as far as buzz is concerned.  Despite my surprise, I’m definitely interested in getting to know some of these books.  I’ve put a couple on hold already.

Anyone else have any thoughts on the list?

As I mentioned, I am a judge on the graphic novel panel this year and I’m in good company.  Here are my fellow panel members:

Panel Organizer: Liz Jones, Liz Jones Books

Panelists (Round I Judges):

Alyssa Feller, The Shady Glade
Maggi Idzikowski, Mama Librarian
Liz Jones (see panel organizer)
Nicola Manning, Back to Books
Kim Rapier, Si, se puede! Yes we can
Gina Ruiz, AmoXcalli
Alysa Stewart, Everead

Judges (Round II):

Walter Biggins, The Quiet Bubble
Justin Colussy-Estes, Guys Lit Wire
Sarah Sammis, Puss Reboots
Sarah Stevenson, Finding Wonderland
Casey Titschinger, Bookworm 4 Life

Also, check out Liz discussing what makes graphic novels unique and what makes a great graphic novel.

I’m looking forward to another great Cybils!