Good, But Not Really A Good Read for Teens

Source: Publisher Website

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick (2011; Roaring Brook Press, 2013, 272pp.)

Midwinterblood, which won YALSA’s 2014 Printz Award, is not a novel so much as it is a collection of seven linked short stories that focus on the theme of sacrifice, be it metaphorical, or of the human sacrifice variety. Each story takes place on the fictional Scandanavian island of Blessed, at different points in history, ranging from the year 2073, to an unnamed year in mankind’s prehistory. The one thing that ties the stories together is that each contains a male character named Eric, and a female character named Merle. Even though Eric and Merle’s roles change dramatically with each new chapter, it’s the fate of this man and woman that ultimately forms the heart and purpose of Sedgwick’s work of fiction.

For us adults, Midwinterblood can be seen as a strange but impressive literary feat. Although it starts out slow, it gets better with each chapter. The deeper you descend into the guts of the work, the darker and weirder each chapter becomes—and, consequently, the more gripping! Now, in regards to how teens will like it? Don't be surprised if you don’t see a sudden demand for this novel at your library. Printz Awards focus on literary quality, not on popularity. Midwinterblood will certainly never be a mega-bestseller, nor will it be universally appreciated by teens. By virtue of its content, it would really fare better in the hands of dedicated mature readers, say, ages 17 to adult, mainly due to its subject matter. That’s not to say there’s a lot of graphic sex and violence involved. No, Sedgwick is really more interested in exploring the theme of love, and not the fiery, passionate kind, either. While there is a chapter dedicated to a pair of doomed lovers, Midwinterblood is mostly concerned with mature love, such as the kind found in a decades-old marriage, or the simple, basic human connection achieved between different generations. While it may be impressive to adults, it’s certainly not exciting enough to grab your average teen's interest right off the bat. I’ll just say this: it’s not a book that I would recommend lightly for teens. If, however, you feel the need to share it with this age group, I would recommend the older age bracket, ages 16-up.

“Fairy Tale About Syphilis” May Alienate Some Readers With Graphic Content

Source: Author Website

The Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal (Candlewick, 2013, 576pp.)

In this fantasy/historical fiction novel that the author herself describes as a “fairy tale about syphilis,” the reader is treated to a sickeningly realized portrait of court life in 16th century Scandinavia. Led by a pair of well-meaning but impressionable royals, the court is a place of madness and filth where courtiers and servants alike struggle for power. At the center of this quagmire is Ava Bingen, a disgraced seamstress, and Midi Sorte, a mute African slave who nurses the royal children through their many illnesses. Thrust together by circumstance, the two girls initially dislike each other: Midi is naturally mistrustful, while Ava is open and friendly. However, when conditions at court worsen in the wake of royal discord, the two realize how much they need each other if they want to make it out of the kingdom of Skyggehavn alive.

Little Wounds is a difficult book to review. Some readers have found its content to be grossly inappropriate for teens, even for the very mature ones. However, I think we shouldn’t ask “Is it appropriate?” so much as: “Will they actually be able to finish it?” You see, while Little Wounds is a beautifully written tribute to the old style of fairy tales (such as the story of the murderous Bluebeard and his decapitated former wives), I doubt its grotesque beauty and morbid sense of justice will be universally appreciated. One can only tolerate so many passages of rape, syphilis-induced madness, and bizarre 16th century medical treatments before the more sensitive of us will cry, “Enough!” and go read something else. That aside, I’d still recommend it, but only for the adventurous, and for certain brave readers ages 16-Up.

A Suspenseful But Clichéd Page-Turner

Source: Author Website

The 5th Wave (The 5th Wave #1) by Rick Yancey (Putnam Juvenile, 2013, 480pp.)

Drop a 16-year-old girl on the set of The Walking Dead, minus the zombies. Now, give her a teddy bear, an M-16, and a mission to rescue her lost baby brother, and what do you have? You, my friend, have the beginning set-up of The 5th Wave. The heroine, Cassie Sullivan, was a normal teenage girl until the Others destroyed her world. She's lost both parents, and has been separated from her sweet little brother, Sammy. Like any good big sister, she’s determined to get him back at any cost, despite the impossible obstacles standing in her way.

This book had the potential to be amazing. The first third of the story is nightmarish, brutal, and gritty as Cassie looks back on the life she used to have, and how it (along with everything she cares for) was annihilated. 

And then, the trouble starts. How? Unfortunately for you, reader, this is going to be one of my less objective reviews. The trouble starts when the author tosses in the inevitable love interest. Cassie has just witnessed the brutal death of both parents and countless others, and up walks this cute survivor kid that makes Cassie immediately turn bashful-schoolgirl on us. Oh no, we did not just make a pit stop at the gushy teen fountain of love on the road to the wholesale annihilation of the human race. NOT HAPPENING!

Unfortunately, though, yes, it does happen. Now, there’s nothing wrong with the “OMG is he going to kiss me?” genre, but it seriously just pales in comparison to the scary, gritty, realism of potential end-of-world scenarios. You know, the kind that makes you realize, “OH MY GOD THIS COULD HAPPEN!” The kind that automatically makes you put down your book so you can glance around, furtively but gratefully, at the familiar things and people that you take for granted: your family, your cat, your Wi-Fi, your smartphone! The moment the love interest enters the novel, we lose this. The story shrinks down to size and reveals itself for what it really is: kids pretending to be grown-ups during the apocalypse. 

Now, wait, you may say. That’s what you’re objecting to? Her meeting a guy? Oh, no. Not at all. It gets worse. At a certain point, the author takes this truly innovative work and employs a few of the more well-worn plot contrivances you see in Hollywood movies: there’s the master alien control room with the Big Board. There’s characters dressing in doctor scrubs to disguise themselves as they infiltrate a hospital run by Alien Central. And, of course, what plot-driven novel wouldn’t be complete without someone crawling through an air vent?

Now, some readers will probably love this book all the way through. I have to admit that while I had some major problems with this book, I literally could not put it down for two whole days. It’s that suspenseful. So, yes, while The 5th Wave works, both as a work of science fiction and as a YA novel, it does itself a great disservice by falling back on too many well-worn plot contrivances. Recommended for Ages 16-Up (including adults) for language, scary end-of-days violence, and some iffy romance scenes.

Ruth 66

Source: Author Website

Ruth 66 by Elizabeth Barlo (Self-Published, 2014, 576pp.)

16-year-old Charlie’s normally austere Dutch grandmother surprises his family when she screeches up in their front yard in a vintage 1960s VW bus. She’s let down her hair, forsaken her Botox treatments, and has donated the entire family fortune to charity. An even bigger surprise? She wants Charlie to give up his summer job to accompany her on a cross-country trip. Together, they trek across America in a tale filled with rock ’n roll, family secrets, and humor.

For the most part, Ruth 66 is an enjoyable, offbeat road trip filled with an appropriate amount of quirkiness. Although the novel is a little on the long side for a YA novel, the action unfolds smoothly and consistently. On the downside, the novel sometimes resorts to crude moments of slapstick humor, which the reader (depending on his sense of humor) may or may not appreciate. In addition to this, the novel’s closing act contains elements that I felt I had seen many times before in Hollywood films, and pivots on a major misunderstanding that, I feel, could have been easily cleared up had certain characters not resorted to melodrama. On the whole, though, it’s a pretty solid novel, recommended for Ages 16-Up.

An Amazing YA/Crossover Novel

Source: Author Website

Pure (Pure #1) by Julianna Baggott (Grand Central Publishing, 2012, 448pp)

“We know you are here, our brothers and sisters. We will, one day, emerge from the Dome to join you in peace. For now, we watch from afar, benevolently.”

Nine years after the earth is devastated from an atomic blast, the remains of civilized society huddle under a dome that overlooks a wasteland. Those who live outside the Dome are horribly disfigured mutants who live on a hand-to-mouth existence. When Partridge Willux, the next-in-line for leadership of the Dome, escapes into the poisoned wasteland to look for his mother, he meets a young mutant girl named Pressia. Together, the two begin a journey that leads them to an unexpected destiny. Pure, the first is a trilogy, is an amazing, imaginative novel with excellent world-building details and character development. Recommended for Ages 16-18, but will also appeal to adults with an interest in dystopian fiction and science fiction.

An Interesting Read - I’m Just Not Sure It Belongs in the Young Adult Section

Tender Morsels by Margot Lanagan (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2008, 448pp.)

Depending on who you are and what you like, Tender Morsels may end up being your favorite book or a just a book you wish you’d never picked up. It takes the fairy tale of “Snow White and Rose Red” and fleshes out the characters and the world it takes place in (a synopsis of this tale can be found here.) A victim of repeated brutality, Liga, the teenage mother of two young daughters, is allowed to live in a tranquil, alternate reality created by a mysterious higher power. There, they live in prosperity, but their lives of peace are interrupted when an accident causes Liga’s world to rejoin with the real one.

Tender Morsels is not really a YA novel in the traditional sense. A young adult novel focuses on teenage characters and their problems, which can cover adult topics, but will probably not discuss them in a graphic nature. The main problem is with the story’s extreme content. Liga is repeatedly raped and impregnated by her own father (who later makes her drink teas that induce miscarriages); after her father dies, she is gang raped by a group of boys from the nearby village. While Lanagan doesn’t describe the rapes in graphic detail (she prefers to either refer to the act in hindsight, or use the “fade to black” method), she does put a fair amount of detail in the miscarriage scenes. This happens within the first few chapters.

But Lanagan’s novel is not shocking without reason. She uses Liga’s story as a method for exploring the fear of living in a brutal world, and the bravery one must show in order to survive it and live a fulfilling life. As one character says to Liga’s oldest daughter:

“[Y]ou are a living creature, born to make a real life, however it cracks your heart. However sweet that other place was, it was not real. ... [Y]ou could not have stayed there forever and called yourself alive” (356-7).

If you can make it past the first two chapters unfazed, then you should be able to finish the book (that is, if you can get past the novel’s stagnant middle section). Overall, an interesting read. I’m just not sure that it belongs in the Young Adult section. A 2009 Printz Honor Book. Recommended for Ages 16-Up.

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