New Dystopian YA- Part 2

Continuing from the last post, the second series I was referring to is called The Chemical Garden Trilogy by Lauren DeStefano. Its first book Wither has just been released. Wither takes place in a world (not too far into the future) where a botched science experiment to create a perfect race has resulted in genetic engineering problem that has created a society of ticking time bombs.

In this world, men only live to age 25, and females, only to age 20. To assure the human race does not die out, many girls are kidnapped and sold into marriages. These marriages are polygamous to ensure a greater chance of producing an heir.

Wither follows a young 16 year-old named Rhine. In one of the most terrifying opening scenes I have ever read, Rhine is captured and taken to become the wife of Linden, the son of a doctor (who is trying, at any cost, to find a cure for the disease that will soon prematurely take his son from him). Rhine enters a frightening world that is both enticing and dangerous.

She is plagued by a lack of freedom and a lack of choice. Aside from her confidant Gabriel (a servant) and her sister wives, Jenna and Cecily, who vacillate between being allies and threats, Rhine is utterly alone is a world of extravagance. She knows she must escape and time is literally running out.

Wither is the start of a very exciting new series. I have read a lot of YA novels this semester and I have to say, none has impressed, nor stayed with me as long as Wither has. It is a novel that is both terrifying and engaging at the same time. I cannot wait to see where it is going.

If you liked this, try these: Delirium by Lauren Oliver, Divergent by Veronica Roth, Matched by Ally Condie, and The Knife of Never Letting Go (Book 1 of the Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness

New Dystopian YA: Part 1

Dystopian fiction is one of my favorite types of young adult literature, Much has been made of a popular series in this genre The Hunger Games. That series is getting a lot of press as of late since the trilogy is being made into a film and everyone is hoping to find the next Twilight (book series that becomes a profitable film franchise). I like The Hunger Games a lot, but it is not the only dystopian YA series that should grab your attention.

The first is a new series from author Lauren Oliver. The first book of that series is called Delirium. In Delirium, love has replaced cancer as the most deadly disease on the planet. That's right, love is a disease called amor deliria nervosa. But never fear; there is a cure- a surgical operation that teenagers undergo at at 18. This procedure makes sure these teenagers never fall in love and the rest of their lives are planned out in a clinical and orderly manner. The story picks up following Lena Haloway who is about to be 18 and undergo her procedure. Of course, things go array and her surgery is postponed. In the extra time, Lena commits a terrible crime; she falls in love.

Delirium is a bit of an uneven book. It takes awhile to find its tone. It is a bit like The Hunger Games meets Romeo and Juliet. In fact, that second reference is mentioned in the novel. SPOILERS: With that reference, don't expect a happy ending. Remember though, this is just the first part of the story. Lena may escape the grip of her controlling society, but her journey is far from over.

If you liked this, you should try: Matched by Ally Condie, Wither by Lauren DeStefano, Dark Parties by Sarah Grant, and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Fallen (Fallen and Torment)

It is hard to recommend, or review, a series without it being complete. However, it seems like the Fallen series by Lauren Kate should be one to watch. The first book sets up a twilight-esque love triangle but then shatters all of your expectations based on that model. Far from a damsel-in-distress, Luce is independent and is not afraid to stand up to the boy (or Supernatural angel)who is in love with her (Daniel) and what she is told is fate.

Luce attends (for reason's the reader comes to learn later) a reform school in Savannah, GA. It has a creepy old-South Gothic vibe to it, so you know something is going to go wrong, but you never know who the villain is until the very end. Every character is multidimensional including the adults (a rarity). This means that when a character dies, no matter who they are, the reader feels for them. There are four books planned so far for the series. Two are out thus far. The first one takes place in a school in Savannah.

The second one expands the world and gives the reader into the world of angels (aside from witches, angels are the coolest growing trend in pop-culture--far more interesting than vampires; that trend really needs to end soon). The third book is a prequel into the past lives of Luce and Daniel which is a really good thing because Daniel is not an entirely reliable source. Luce is exploring her past on her own; she is going to figure out what is going on in her own terms. The fourth book ends the saga, but there has been a lot of secrecy about what this book will entail. It is a great testament to this book that I have no idea where it is going or what Lauren Kate’s plan is for the series.

If you liked this: The Wicked Lovely Series by Melissa Marr, Wither by Lauren Destefano, and Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Looking for Alaska (and a gateway in YA)

When I first read Looking for Alaska by John Green, I was in class full of students who wanted to become teachers in order to teach and read classical literature. This was the only kind of literature that they deemed as worthy. They were not drawn at all to the YA genre, and thought most of it was ridiculous and dismissible. When we read Looking for Alaska, all of that changed.

There was something about this book that drew in even the literary snobs in the class. This book combines the best parts of YA literature while bringing in the conventions of classical literature. For instance, the metaphor of the labyrinth of suffering was something that was more akin to a great classical novel. It also has characters that are more modern and more relatable to a teen audience. It was interesting that Alaska was a well drawn out character, without it being written from her perspective. A typical story in which a guy pines after a girl leaves the girl on a pedestal. Though it starts out that way, the story pulls in to peel back more and more layers of the complex character. Though it is presented as a boy likes girl typical drama, the book also manages to address fairly complex and serious issues about class and power hierarchies and the place for young people within the system.

Looking for Alaska pulls young audiences in with the romance, but teaches them so much more about life and growing up. Even the side characters are multi-dimensional and add elements to the story about race, socio-economics and gender.

If you liked this: I Will Save You by Matt de la Pena, Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, How to Say Goodbye in Robot and Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Sandiford

Countdown- An Exploration into YA historical fiction

I loved Little House on the Prairie books and the Dear America series as a young reader. In my exploration into young adult literature recently, I had been searching for a historical fiction novel that would peak my interest the way those series had when I was younger. As I was searching, my roommate had told me I would love Countdown by Deborah Wiles. Countdown is a story that is factual enough that it seems like you are learning things, but it is enough of a fantasy that you can get lost in the story. It is 375 pages long- a lengthy book for a young adult novel- but it moves quickly. The text is mixed in with pictures and artifacts from the era it is set in. The reader sees the landscape of the 1960s through the mind of Franny, a twelve year old girl. Wiles takes on a family that is together, but struggling, and makes a unique story of a family trying to function in a dysfunctional world.

Franny is a relatable character. She does not just pine after a boy; she is worried about her family and her friends. Young adult literature tends to look into the relationships between a young girl and a boy instead of delving into the relationship between friends. This is truly an untapped portion of YA. The Gossip Girl series is one of the few others that does this. They engross you in the relationships while immersing you in another world. This is oddly exactly what Countdown does, albeit in a more serious and less scandalous context. At this age, friendships are all important, and it is odd that more books do not delve into it. Franny, was quiet, shy and yet has a certain brand of boldness within her. She was not the most popular girl, nor was she a social outcast she was just a girl. This is so much more relatable than the extreme characters that can often populate YA literature.

Franny’s personal struggle with her best friend and temporary enemy, Margie, is symbolic of the larger backdrop of the Cold War itself. Their fights are over small things, but the fights themselves are what matter. They fight over a boy, Chris, who is one more piece of territory then an actual goal, much in the way the US and Russia fought over third world countries to claim them for themselves. This interweaving of politics and relationships is quite smart and satisfying for a more advanced reader, but by reading and viewing the pictures, a younger reader can still achieve the same level of understanding.

There are lots of areas of history that have not been utilized by YA fiction, particularly “women’s history” (women in historical settings as well as the typical historical figures). For instance, one could explore the complex, three dimensional figures of Nancy Cunard, Queen Victoria, Abigail Adams, Lady Alyce Kyteler, Tura Satana, and many more. I only wish there had been a young adult book about them when I was a young adult, so I would know as many cool things about them then as I have come to learn.

If you like this: Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson, Mare’s War by, Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith , The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party by M. T. Anderson, Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice by Phillip Hoose, Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Blogosphere

Part of my independent study into young adult literature has been to follow the online blog discussion. I have found some great ones to follow. My favorites are: http://yzocaet.blogspot.com/ and http://theundercoverbooklover.blogspot.com/, but there are many good ones. This weekend the blog community was engaged in quite a debate. How timely that I wanted to write about Sisters Red as it has become the subject of much debate this weekend. The simplist way to explain what happened is that Bitch Magazine made a list of the top 100 books for feminist girls. It got negative comments about three books, these books were then removed from the list. It's very well documented here: http://www.chasingray.com/archives/2011/02/how_to_not_stand_up_literature.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ChasingRay+%28Chasing+Ray%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

I was very interested in this debate because I particulary seek out what I like to call "damsel-free" YA literature (http://damsel-free.blogspot.com/) ; so, a feminist YA booklist would normally be very exciting for me.Though I was not able to read through all of the blog discussions on this matter, I do have some opinions about what went down:

1. In defense of Sisters Red: Sisters Red was removed from this "list" because of one particular passage in which Scarlett, one the protagonists, supposedly engages in "victim-blaming" the "dragonflies"- girls who the Fenris prey on because they draw attention to themselves. While I can see how one could read that idea into that passage, I don't think that was the initial intent. Scarlett is a very angry girl. Her angers manifests itself in different ways and who she blames for the life leads and her own physical mutilation shifts throughout the novel. In this particular case, it falls on the girls she is trying to protect, who are not aware, and therefore not appreciative of what she is doing to protect them. The passage is not really about the other girls at all. It is about Scarlett's own personal demons and the regret and resentment she feels from being attacked.

Furthermore, I believe there is a big difference between an opinion a character states in the book and what the author is trying to say. It is very clear, from the rest of the novel, that the author does not agree with the statement Scarlett uses that is causing so much fury. A book should not be judged for one passage that the rest of the book pretty much negates.

2. I have not read Tender Morsels or Living Dead Girl (though I now intend to), so I cannot really speak for them. However, I am very uncomfortable overall about how this whole situation went down. Many posters have said it is analogous to censorship or banning books from libraries. While removing books from a list, is not nearly as extreme as the cases above, I can see these posters view. It is always disheartening when a book is removed from any list or shelf because of a few peoples' opinions. It shows a lack of openness to a diversity of ideas and, quite frankly, dismisses the credibility of those removing the literature.

3. In terms of the other authors wanting their books removed from the list after the 3 other books were removed, I say more power to them! I would not want to be associated with this situation either. Scott Westerfield (author of the wonderful Uglies series) is particularly sassy in his reply: http://scottwesterfeld.com/blog/2011/02/bitchfest/. But I loved it! I was so proud of how other members of the YA community came to the defense of their fellow authors. It made me very proud to be sort of finding my own place in this community.

I will follow this story more, but for now, these are my thoughts. And please, everyone, give Sisters Red a chance. It reallyis such a lovely book!

Sisters Red

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce is a modern day re-telling of Red Riding Hood. It is an interesting take on the old fairy tale in that the two main young female protagonists, the March sisters, having once been the wolves’ prey now become its hunters. The story of Sisters Red revolves around two sisters, Scarlett and Rosie (get it, variations of red, haha!) who when they were younger were attacked in their grandmother’s house by a Fenris (this story's version of a wolf). Creepily, Fenris look like attractive young men in order to lure in their prey. The girl’s grandmother is killed during the attack and they are left to fend for themselves. They become life-long advocates of protecting young women from these beasts.

The sisters’ are aided by Scarlett’s best friend, Silas, who comes from a family of woodsman. Rosie and Silas develop feelings for one another and struggle to find out how to tell Scarlett. Silas also teaches them how to defend themselves against the Fenris and protect other young women in the process. This particular section of the girls’ saga focuses on a mission to prevent a new Fenris from being “born.” Without giving too much away they three characters go on a journey that test there loyalty to each other and their cause.

Since the reimagining of fairy tales seems to be in vogue, it is a good time to examine Sisters Red, and its companion novel Sweetly (Hansel + Gretel). What separates this book from other fantasy and paranormal romance stories, was that the protagonists were so interesting. In genre where girls are often wishy-washy or so non-distinct so as to have no personality, this book was refreshing. Of course, the twist ending does not hurt either!


If you like this book, try:
Sweetly by Jackson Pearce, Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman, the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr (if only for the character of Donia)...and for more southern-gothic YA, check out Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest (the first of a series with another strong herione, Eden Moore).

How to Say Goodbye in Robot

I really like young adult fiction, but I really do not like reading about teen romance. I understand it is a prominent issue for that age, but quite frankly unless it is under the guise of the larger issue (like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins) it is hard to be involved in such drama. This is probably because the feelings are portrayed one dimensionally – pure infatuation. Every once and a while there is a novel that moves beyond this and contains a story with greater dimension. Natalie Standiford’s How to Say Goodbye in Robot is a quirky tale about a transfer student in a Baltimore school (Beatrice Szabo aka Robot Girl---what an awesome name!) and her complex relationship with her school’s resident loner (Jonah aka Ghost Boy). What makes Beatrice’s relationship with Jonah more interesting is the different layers of their friendship. The two are not “lovers”, but they are not simply friends.

SPOILER SECTION

Standiford also manages to keep us very much within the world that Beatrice sees, enabling the reader to connect with Beatrice and see the teen infatuation without making it seem contrived. For instance, the character of Wally, who eventually becomes the love interest, is virtually invisible to the reader, as Beatrice herself does not truly see him. In additon, the reader sees Beatrice's parents relationship only from Beatrice's perspective. Rather than dealing with her parents divorce with angst and self-pity, Beatrice is angry with her mother for not trying in the relationship. Nothing about the confrontation is contrived. Her emotions are real, without being overdramatic and self-indulgence.

If you like this book. try:
Looking for Alaska by John Green, The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove (A quirky modern Macbeth story) by Lauren Kate, My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park by Steve Kluger, Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick