How To Ditch Your Fairy

If you're looking at trends in teen literature of the last few years, you can't deny that fairies/faeries/faerys are BIG. They come in all shapes, sizes, and personalities--flawed and humanesque in the works of Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange), good versus evil faeries in Herbie Brennan's Faerie Wars, dark and wild in Holly Black's realm (Tithe, Valiant, Ironside), and fluffy and dim-witted in the world of Harry Potter.

Well, late 2008 brought us another take on the concept of "fairy" in How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier. The novel takes place in a world that isn't, according to the author's note, "Australia or the United States of America but in an imaginary country, perhaps a little in the future, that might also be an amalgam of the two." Specifically in a city called New Avalon "the greatest city in the world" according to the residents, who never would want to leave...why would you when, as you in learn in school, New Avalon is graced with the highest mountains, the deepest oceans, the most famous artists, the best sports stars...you get the idea. But best of all, here in New Avalon people have their own personal fairies--unseeable charms that help you excel at something. There are loose-change fairies, good hair fairies, never-drop-a-ball fairies...but 14-year old protagonist Charlie (Charlotte Adele Donna Seto Steele) has a fairy she hates--a parking fairy. Charlie can't drive yet, but she is constantly being used by family and classmates to get prime parking spots. Why couldn't she have gotten a shopping fairy like her best friend she wants to know? And though there is no scientific proof that you can get rid of your fairy, Charlie sets out to do just that.

When I saw the cover of this book, I thought it was going to be a fluffy bit of romance, nothing more (I know, I know...never judge a book...). I'm glad I went ahead and read it because there's more going on here than that. Yes there is a romantic interest with a boy from outside New Avalon, but when an all-the-boys-like you fairy starts making trouble, some interesting ethical questions arise. Plus, his outsider status allows him to speak for the reader and ask why are all you people so arrogant? Larbalestier also likes to play with language and the New Avaloners have a whole range of words that outsiders don't use (you may find yourself turning to the glossary yourself on occasion). There's also interesting tension built around the prestigious sports school that Charlie attends, where life is regimented and rule-driven...and all the kids love it?

All told, this fairy tale is a modern story of love, friendship, and choices with elements of science fiction sprinkled throughout--and a tale with several subplots left unfinished so be looking for a sequel to come. Fans of Maureen Johnson and E. Lockhart will especially want to check this out.

Harry, A History

While I am a very loyal and enthusiastic Harry Potter devotee today, I do feel a bit of a fraud because I came to the series so late in the game. My husband, my mom, and my sister were all on board from the first book, but I just never got around to starting. Talk about humiliating for a librarian! Anyway, around the time the first movie came out, I finally got hooked (I have a firm policy against viewing a movie before reading the book), much to my husband's relief and triumph.

I tell you this story because I recently finished the memoir/literary journalism Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon. The author, Melissa Anelli, is the long-time editor of the popular fan site The Leaky Cauldron and, I am relieved to say, a fan who also came late to the Harry Potter party. That is not to say she is an unreliable source--by no means. She quickly became immersed in the fan culture, and as an aspiring journalist, fell into the role of BNF (Big Name Fan) and found her hobby and passion often took precedence over her "real" professional life.

While I found the organization of the book a little confusing at first (chapters are organized by themes, not necessarily linearlly), I soon found myself engrossed in the back story of the little book series that could. Anelli recounts the unlikely beginnings of the first book, the struggle to get it published, and the grass-roots efforts that helped it become an international powerhouse. She examines the birth of wizard rock and the importance of the growth of the Internet and interactive websites to the success of the books. I found the sections about the inner workings of the publishing industry and the drama and controversy surrounding the writers of fanfiction particularly fascinating. Throughout she recounts personal anecdotes about the experiences reading the books the day they came out, her meetings with J.K. Rowling, and her funny and sometimes bizarre interactions with both fans and detractors.

The story feels a little uneven to me, but overall I thorougly enjoyed the journey and the chance to wax nostalgic over my own experiences with the series. A must-read for Harry Potter fans and the people who love them.

Newes From the Dead

Anne Green wakes to pitch blackness. She can't move or speak or even open her eyes. The last thing she can remember is walking up to a scaffold to be hanged for the murder of her baby. Is she in purgatory? Or has she been buried alive?

So begins this chilling and fascinating tale based on the real-life story of a British serving maid convincted and hung for infanticide in 1650. The story begins with Anne regaining consciousness and shifts back and forth between her recollections of how she got to her current state and the perspective of Robert Matthews, a young medical student originally assisting with the dissection of Anne's body and later with its resuscitation. Even though you know what will happen, the creepiness of the circumstances and the horrorific details concerning Anne's seduction, labor, and jailing give the book a nice tension and suspense. The historical details are fascinating, though the book remains accessible to those not used to the historical fiction genre. All in all, Mary Hooper has crafted a creepy, bewitching tale perfect for a long car trip or airplane ride.

There's a great book trailer by the publisher at YouTube as well:

Let It Snow

Setting: Gracetown, North Carolina; Christmas; massive snow storm. Three popular young adult authors write three separate but interconnected romances.

In the first, Maureen Johnson tells the story of Jubilee Dougal stuck on a train to Florida and her grandparents because her parents have been arrested as part of a riot over collectible Christmas decorations. Parted from her perfect boyfriend, things go from bad to worse when the train gets stuck in snow in Gracetown. Jubilee decides to make a break for the Waffle House across the interstate rather than get trapped on the train full of hyperactive cheerleaders. There she meets Stuart, who invites her to stay with he and his mom for Christmas. Stuart is sweet and cute, a good listener, who unfortunately asks a lot of uncomfortable questions about just how perfect her boyfriend really is. The question is, is Jubilee ready to face the answer?

John Green brings the second tale of Tobin, who is happily watching a Bond marathon with his best friends The Duke and JP while his parents are stuck in Boston with the snowstorm, when his other friend Keun calls from his night shift at Waffle House demanding they come immediately with a Twister board--for THERE ARE CHEERLEADERS here! Tobin and JP are instantly convinced it is a brilliant idea to go out in the storm for the sake of cheerleaders...the "Duke" however, their lone female friend, is less than enthusiastic...though she is convinced with the promise of Waffle House hash browns. The three friends face one crazy obstacle after another on their quest for the Waffle House, but as they near their destination, Tobin becomes uncomfortably aware that he is less and less interested in cheerleaders and more and more distracted by an unlikely source.

The third story comes from Lauren Myracle and involves the romance, or rather break up, of Addie and Jeb. Addie and Jeb have been dating for the last year, until a week before Christmas, when Addie makes a choice that may have destroyed their relationship forever. Addie is mired in her own misery and begins to feel worse as her friends help her see that it may not be Jeb who needs to change. Is it too late for Addie to start fresh and win Jeb back?

All in all, a cute collection of holiday romance, nothing too deep, but fun to kick back with on a weekend...especially if it ever gets cold enough for snow!

The Looking Glass Wars

Think you know the story of Alice in Wonderland? Not even close, according to Frank Beddor's new Looking Glass trilogy. First off, Alice is actually Princess Alyss of Wonderland, whose evil Aunt Redd's invasion has forced Alyss, the heir to the throne, to flee. With the aid of her trusted bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, she escapes through the Pool of Tears and finds herself in another world, namely, Victorian London. Of course, no one believes her fantastical stories about her kingdom and Alyss can find no way to get back. She finally thinks she has found a friend in the Reverend Charles Dodgson (pen name, Lewis Carroll) and tells him her whole story, but he completely changes the details till it is an unrecognizable children's fairy tale. Alice feels betrayed and begins to believe it was all a dream.

Meanwhile, Wonderland is falling apart under Redd's rule, with all of Alyss's mothers laws thrown out and evil and chaos invited in. A small faction of loyal "Alyssians" fight where they can and wait for the day when they can avenge the princess and return Wonderland to peace and glory once more.

The plot moves rapidly and keeps you hooked the way a well-paced movie does (not surprising since one of the author's previous day jobs was a movie producer). Like many fantasy movies, the characters are more ">archetypes than fully developed individuals, but their emotions--love, grief, revenge, wonder, lonliness, honor, loyalty--ring true and lend the story a universal feel that all great fantasies need. Seeing Redd is the next book in the series (and you can bet I'll be starting that tonight) and the third book comes out next fall. There is a companion graphic novel called Hatter M that details the bodyguard Hatter Madigan's adventures during the thirteen years he searched the human world for the missing Princess Alyss. There is also an extensive companion website to the trilogy, complete with book soundtrack, videos, artwork, video games, and other fan freebies (making the series trend on with the new "transmedia storytelling"). To check out the marketing madness go to: http://www.lookingglasswars.com/.

Wake

Have you ever had a dream so powerful you found it hard to wake from? Janie has...in fact Janie does, quite frequently, only the dreams are not her own. Since Janie was 8 years old she has been pulled into the dreams of people who sleep in close proximity to her. She simply falls asleep in the midst of what she is doing and watches the dreams--the secret dreams of the girl at the sleepover, the humilitating dreams of the kid in study hall, the distorted dreams of her alcoholic mother. She sees her best friend's reoccurring nightmare and the frightening, horror-filled dreams of a strange boy she hardly knows. She fights to gain control and fears this affliction will destroy her life--how can she possibly go to college or have a relationship if she can't be near people who sleep?

The novel is written in short chapters over time and dated like diary entries, giving the story much drive and suspense. A couple plot elements are a little far-fetched, but the struggles of kids with rough home lives is portrayed sensitively and realistically, as is the touching romance in the story. Overall I enjoyed this quick read, realistic with some sci-fi-ish elements, and I'm super excited for the sequel, Fade which arrives February 10. Lisa McMann is an author with a lot of talent, and I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

Here's a book trailer I stumbled upon for Wake--it takes a different angle on the book than I would have, but it's interesting none the less.

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Paper Towns

The wait is almost over loyal (and it must be said of some of you, rabid) John Green fans. Green's latest literary contribution drops October 16, but here at MHS Library, we were lucky enough to get an advanced copy (woo-hoo!). Here's what I can say without giving away too much:

As in Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines the narrator of Paper Towns is a guy who is witty and funny, self-deprecating and obsessed with a girl, in this case, the mysterious Margo. The narrator, Quentin (aka "Q") lives next door to Margo Roth Spielgelman, and has been in love with her as long as he can remember, though after a shared traumatic experience when they were nine, they have drifted apart. Now Margo is the superstar of coolness at their high school while Quentin dwells in the lower realms of the social ladder.

It comes as a shock then, when Margo shows up at Quentin's window in the middle of the night a few weeks before the end of senior year, insisting that he be her getaway driver for a night of revenge. Despite being petrified of losing his admission to Duke University, Quentin goes along for the ride and becomes more ensnared by his obsession with Margo...especially when she doesn't turn up for school the next day...or the next. The fact is Margo has disappeared and left behind clues to her whereabouts. Quentin sets off on journey of discovery to figure out where Margo went ...and who this enigma of a girl really is.

The novel is full of those trademark moments of perfect truth found in Green's earlier novels, and his gift for putting words to universal feelings never fails to amaze me. Some will argue that this book is too similar to the previous two novels, and to them I would say, yes there are similar themes and philosophical questions happening in all three novels, but these themes and questions are important ones, getting at the heart of what all young people must figure out as they reach adulthood. That, I suspect, is why so many teens love John Green's writing--he gets it.

I'm never good at predicting the Printz Award winners, but for my money, this one ought to get a nod in January.

For some funny video promos by John Green check out the links below.
Amazon Video Promo

Barnes and Noble Video Promo