Sheer Shadows and Mischievous Mystery

A typical graphic novel is told in pictures and in words, but what if the story was actually two stories: one through words and one through images? Brian Selznick did it with surprising grace, and now Kiersten White and Jim DiBartolo have done it with In The Shadows, and the result is pretty awesome. 

Cora and Minnie's mother runs a boarding house where they all live together. Minnie has an insatiable desire for adventure (bordering on the side of reckless), while Cora prefers to play it safe, except when Minnie calls her out on her stuffiness and she has to live up to her little sister's expectations. But after Minnie convinced Cora to climb a tree and peer into the witch's window and she got caught, she has never been the same. Her father died the very next day, and Cora knows it was a curse the witch put on her. Arthur was brought to live with them over a year ago after his father disappeared, but the girls suspect there is more to the reason Arthur is with their family. When Charles and Thomas arrive for the summer, the group bands together, all for different reasons, but all for the hope of some fun (at Minnie's direction). Especially when Charles' illness and imminent death is a weight holding Thom down. 

When they visit the witch's house all together this time, Cora is more than just a little nervous. In fact, she is terrified, but the others convince her it will be fine. When they see the witch, Mary, they aren't prepare for what they witness- she hangs herself right in front of them. When they report it, however, something scary happens- her body isn't there anymore. When they see her again in town, she is with the scary man from the boarding house... and a woman Thom is convinced he heard speaking to his father right before he was sent to the boarding house. Something very mysterious is happening in this sleepy little tourist town, and Minnie and the others are going to get to the bottom of, regardless of the risks.

Half this story is the one I have just described. It is written in short chapters like any other typical story. The other half of the story is written in illustrations and follows an entirely different set of characters. I haven't described the illustrated story because it isn't easy to describe it without giving away too many important details needed for the end of the story when everything comes together. But they do, and when they do, it is pretty gosh darned awesome. My biggest issue with this book throughout the entire story was that I had absolutely no idea what was happening in the illustrated story- until the very very end. Now, in hindsight, I can see it was designed that way and that is what made it such a cool story, so I should have just had faith in the authors. 

Another thing I struggled with was the ages of the kids. One moment they struck me as definite middle schoolers. Precocious, adventurous, and usually reckless abandonment regarding concern for consequences. But then the next moment they felt a little older, like young adults. It made them difficult to understand completely. While Minnie was the fun, impish, mischievous one, Cora and Arthur were the ones I really liked. Unfortunately, the story is really brief, so you don't get to spend a lot of time getting to know any of the characters very well. The important thing to know, though, is that this is one serious mystery! It was really a nail biter right to the end, and I did not see it coming. I really liked this story, and I hope White and DiBartolo give this format another shot!

Chaos Isn't In the Stars

Life as a teen is hard enough, but when you are the daughter of Egyptian Gods, your life comes with a special set of issue. But for Isadora, life as a normal teen is like a fantasy more fantastical than actual mythology. In The Chaos of the Stars, Kiersten White combines modern day teens with ancient mythology for a fun and mystical story.

Isadora lives an easy enough life, if you don't count her goddess mother, dead, but undead, father, awkward brother and strange half-brother. As the mortal daughter of immortal God parents, she knows her time with them is limited. But time amongst the immortal is tricky. They live years as moments and she is tired of being ignored because her life is fleeting. When her mother chooses to get pregnant again, a necessary part of keeping herself alive is to produce heirs who will worship her, Isadora is almost happy when it means she is being sent to America to live with her brother. When her mother is pregnant, she is most vulnerable, so it would be safest for Isadora to be squirreled away someplace. 

Her brother Sirus is welcoming, but she was shocked to find him with a wife- a pregnant wife. To make matters worse, her mother's arms reach far from Egypt and get Isadora a job in a museum curating an exhibit of none other than Isis herself. Isadora wishes she had more distance from Egypt and everything in it, but at the museum she meets some great people- including a mysterious boy who writes epic poetry. While Isadora makes herself quite clear that she has no interest in romance, she can't help but think about Ry (Orion). Isadora starts to think she might just be able to have a normal life away from Eygpt... until Egypt finds her in San Diego.

Kiersten White has a way of writing stories in a very middle reader/YA hybrid kind of way. I don't think they follow into either category, but somewhere in between. For instance, they sound kind of young and feel kind of young, but I can picture young adult readers still enjoying their stories (in a much different way than they enjoy the books of Rick Riordan, for instance). It makes them both versatile and hard to place in an equally strange way! Some YA readers find them childish and some middle readers aren't ready yet. But they do have fairly good cross-over appeal, and make for fantastic reads for older, low-skilled readers or younger, high-skilled readers. 

I like White's stories, but in the Paranormalcy series, she lost me after the first book, which was really, really good. I am looking forward to the next project White works on, and would have loved to see where Isadora's story went, but at the same time, I am happy White plans to leave it as a stand-alone. I think it will do the story justice to not drag it out unnecessarily. For me the big reveal was not terribly surprising, but it was satisfying, nonetheless. This was a fun, interesting tweak on Egyptian mythology!

Playing Games with Your Mind

Any sister knows that regardless of how much you may fight or argue, you would walk through fire or step in front of a bullet for your sister. Sisters are a force that no one truly understands unless they have their own sister. In Kiersten White's Mind Games, the girls may have special abilities, but their bond as sisters defies all, including an evil corporation that wants to use them as tools against the world.

Fia has done everything to protect her blind and telepathic sister, Annie, after their parents are killed in an accident Annie foresaw. That includes joining a school that is less school and more training facility for young girls with abilities the "school" plans to use for whatever nefarious activities their need. Over the years they have convinced Fia that if she doesn't follow orders, Annie will be the one to suffer. For a sister, there is no bigger threat.

When Fia and her flawless instincts are sent to assassinate someone, she sees her target bend down to pet a dog and can't imagine herself ending his life. On a whim, she whips him away, leaving enough evidence to convince her bosses that he is indeed dead. She squirrels him away and returns to the school, but she isn't prepared for what she learns upon her return. It was her own sister who sent her to murder this boy. Now Fia doesn't know who to trust and where to turn. The boy she saved, Adam, is the first person Annie has truly wanted to open herself up to, but any contact with him would put him in danger. What Fia doesn't realize is the danger is much closer to home than she ever could have imagined.

Mind Games is told in four perspectives: both Fia and Annie now, and Fia and Annie as they transitioned into the school starting a few years earlier. This may seem like a great way to get back story without an information dump, but for me it clouded this otherwise great story. It made it incredibly confusing to figure out who you were reading about, and I found myself jumping back to the beginning of the chapter to see who was speaking and when more times than I should have had to. I think this could be frustrating for a younger or weaker reader, and I know it frustrated me. I almost wished this story was told in two books- start with the action of the "now" for this book, finish your series (because it is to be a series), and then write a prequel with the expanded back story. Otherwise, it was just too difficult to keep up with at times, especially when you were flipping the pages like mad because you couldn't wait to find out what happened.

I hope this idea of four perspectives won't carry over into the next book now that the history has been established. I loved both characters as they were clearly frustrated, disturbed, and yet so caring at the same time. They struggled with their relationship as sisters, but they also cared about one another. The sacrifices they made (Fia especially) were a true testament to their bond as sisters. On a whole, I really liked this story, but I found the four perspectives distracting. I am excited to see where the series goes from here, but I hope the flashbacks are limited. In particular, the ending of this story opens up for the sequel to be phenomenal! Can't wait!

Endlessly Entertaining

I struggled with the second book of this series, Supernaturally, after loving the first book, Paranormalcy, so I didn't know what to really expect with this final book in the series. But, never one to give up on a trilogy after reading two thirds of the story, I went with Endlessly, and I am glad I gave Kiersten White's final book in the trilogy a shot.

Evie always knew she was different, growing up in IPAC (they keep the ugly beastlies in line) and seeing through paranormal glamours left her with anything but a normal childhood. But when IPAC turned on her and she found out what she really was- an Empty One- her ability to suck the souls from paranormals was further from normal than she ever thought she would be. But now that she is out of the Company and living almost a normal life (surrounded by vampires, water elementals, and other supernatural creatures, but more normal than IPAC!), she wants to avoid them at all costs. But when a group of paranormals want her to open a gate to another realm and take them all of earth, she isn't willing to use her powers again.

But the answer isn't that easy. The good paranormals want to go back home, but the bad ones, Unseelie faeries in particualr, are quite content where they are, taking advantage of the human race. When Evie's ex-boyfriend, faerie Reth, takes her on a tour of the Unseelie lands, she sees just how far their terror goes with their "farm" of humans and pregnant girls ready to give birth to more Empty Ones. And then her boyfriend, Lend, is cursed and she will do anything to lift the curse, even if it means working with paranormals again. But no one wants to make this easy for Evie. IPAC, the Unseelie court, Reth, and everyone she knows continue to pull her in different directions, and the one person Evie needs to talk to about it all is cursed to fall asleep every time she enters the room. Evie can never catch a break!

Like I said, I am glad I gave this book a shot. I am not sure why I struggled so much with the second book, but it just didn't appeal to me as much as the first book. This one redeemed the series a bit. I liked Evie in all her snarky madness, and the supporting characters really added to her development. I also liked the arc the story took and how it finally ended. It wasn't too predictable, but not unfamiliar either. I am glad I read this third book, because it made me appreciate the series again.

This is a great series for young girls because Evie is a strong, spunky, snarky young woman who isn't afraid to use her taser on a faerie or tell off a werewolf, but she is still just a young girl who wants normal things, like a dance with her boyfriend at the formal. I think girls will relate to Evie easily, and find themselves laughing out loud at her witty comments and silly antics. The series waivers between being fairly young and edging into the young adult realm. I wouldn't necessarily call it Middle Reader, but it is definitely on the younger side of YA. But either way, Evie will give you a chuckle!

Sincerely, Not a Victim

Were you the bully? The victim? Or somewhere in between? Maybe you were more than one through your childhood. Whatever mold you fit into, I am sure you have been a part of bullying from one angle or another throughout your life. As a teacher or parent, you have probably had to witness it. You have tried to stop it, but felt powerless in the face of the beast that has consumed childhoods and ended some. Sure, you can stop what you see in front of you, but the bullying is everywhere, like an omniscient, suffocating monster that is impervious to your efforts. That is why Dear Bully was published.

Dear Bully is a compilation of short essays from 70 authors. These are authors our children have read, and maybe we have read as well. These are adults who write for our children every day, so who better to talk to them about bullying? The stories these adults shared were ones of anger, of survival, and of shame. Some were the victims, the bystanders, or the bullies themselves. This is an amazing compilation of stories that dissect the bullying phenomenon from the inside out. But most importantly, they speak to kids today.

The stories aren't written for parents or teachers. They are written directly for the children surviving in the terrifying jungle that high school has become. Some are stories of triumph while others show pure survival. Either way, bullying is serious, it can kill you, but you don't have to give in to it. Some are funny, some are terrifying. R.L. Stine's story of how coincidence combined with his wise-guy big mouth got him bullied reminded me of why I loved his books as a young adult. He added humor to his story and showed how quick wit can get you into trouble and out of it with quite a flair!

The most touching stories for me were those of the bystanders, the kids who did nothing to stop the bullying or went along with it for fear of being the next target. In my senior literature class this term we have been talking at length about a three character play called Death and the Maiden where the characters represent the victim, the perpetrator, and the bystander. Victims and perpetrators are fairly straight forward, but the bystander is a fuzzy gray area. Sometimes they are guilty, sometimes they are innocent, but one thing follows them and even haunts them- the failure to do anything to stop the hurt of the victim. This is a group my kids and I struggled to define because they are so different. One thing they have in common, though, is that shame of not trying to stop it.

When we are young, we barely know who we are yet. Who are we kidding, I am 30 and I barely know! So how do we empower kids to stand up, stop the bullying, and free themselves from the shame of being a bystander? How do we let kids know that there are people out there to talk to, people who can save them? This book is a huge start. I loved the fact that the stories ranged across the bullying spectrum, but my one criticism is that the stories are predominantly from the female perspective. There are a few male authors, but mostly women contributed their stories. i wish it was more even across genders, but I still love what this book contains. It holds hope. Page after page, from cover to cover, you see hope. This is a message we can't prevent our children from hearing.

The stories themselves are very short- the longest is about 5 pages long. This is great for a student who has a short attention span or struggles with comprehension in a full-length novel. The short snippets are independent and can therefore be used as excellent comprehension checks by themselves without a need to remember everything that came before it. The wide mix of stories is also great to reach many different kinds of children. And if they aren't into a particular story? Skip it! This is an amazing book that should have a home in every classroom, library or home with children. Spread the message:

"Dear Bully, You think you can beat me. But I disagree. Sincerely, Not a Victim"

Can Supernatural be "Normal"?

When we last saw Evie, she had been released from the International Paranormal Containment Agency (IPCA). Assumed dead thanks to the woman who raised her who works for IPCA, Evie was free to live the normal life she always dreamed about. The problem? Normal is pretty boring. In Supernaturally, by Kiersten White, we see how Evie is drawn to the paranormal world, whether she wants to admit it or not.

While Lend is in college, Evie has moved in with a cantankerous vampire, works in a paranormal-friendly diner run by a tree sprite and a gnome, but high school is her biggest challenge. Try as she might, she just can't bring herself to care about the mundane nonsense everyone in high school seems to obsess about. When she is contacted by IPCA to take occasional jobs and help them out on the understanding that she can pick and choose what jobs she wants, Evie jumps at the idea. Even though Lend doesn't want her to. Her first few jobs go awry, especially as Evie is trying to reconcile herself with IPCA's motives. They swear to have stopped their more controversial practices, like neutering werewolves, and convince Evie they are only trying to protect innocent people from harmful paranormals. But when one of her jobs leads her to a group of trolls assumed to be keeping humans as slaves, instead she finds kind trolls who bought their land themselves and live peacefully- except for the horrid vampire who has been feeding on their children.

Since Evie refused to use any fey on her jobs (thanks to being kidnapped by Reth, her faerie former boyfriend), she is given Jack as a paranormal taxi. Jack is a human who can travel the faerie paths without getting lost for all of eternity- not something humans are supposed to be able to do. Despite Lend's irritation with IPCA and Jack, Evie finally starts to feel useful with her new job. She even starts to spend more time with Jack and ventures into the faerie world with him. Unfortunately, there is something brewing among faeries and she keeps finding herself in strange and dangerous situations. Is someone trying to hurt Evie? Can she figure out who before they succeed?

I was surprisingly underwhelmed by this sequel, which was incredibly disappointing since i loved the first book so much. The book jacket described some faerie war where both the good (Seelie) and bad (Unseelie) courts of fey were fighting over her, but there was almost nothing in this book about that war. I kept thinking it was building up to it and it would be along shortly, but once I was done with 3/4 of the book, I realized it wasn't coming! There was a slight mention of the fey wanting her, but no war like the jacket and book descriptions all mentioned. Instead, the story was kind of slow and much more teenage angst than paranormal story. I have no problem with teenage angst, but with a title like Supernaturally, I was left wondering where the heck the supernatural stuff really was! It was there, but more as an after thought than the focus of the story. It also pained me to see Evie portrayed more as a whiny teen girl when she was so saucy and snarky in the last book, which I loved.

The writing and content for this book is appropriate for any kid in middle school through high school. The plot wouldn't be understandable without first reading Paranormalcy, but I would rather give a student who liked the first book a different title than this sequel. Some might like it, but there is more out there that is much more exciting. I have to say I am sadly disappointed by this book. I expected so much more after such an amazing first book!

Paranormal Roller Coaster

With so many paranormal books out there, it is hard to know where to turn next. Do I want vampires? Are werewolves (and were-bears and were-tigers) what I am looking for? How about Faeries and Fae and Pixies? What if you had a book that had all of those things, but also had a CIA-esque agency called the International Paranormal Containment Agency (IPCA) that kept track of all the creepies and beastlies in the world through an amazing young woman who can see right through the glamours beastlies put up to keep silly humans serving themselves up on a silver platter. Welcome to Paranormalcy by Kiersten White!

According to Evie, Edward might look hot in Twilight, but real vampires are not so pretty. They project a glamour that makes them look hot, but under the glamour they are just nasty shriveled corpses. It's the unfortunate side effect to immortality. The reason Evie knows this is she can see through the glamours of all paranormals. You name it and she can tell you it isn't human. In fact, Evie is the reason the IPCA was created. When she was discovered in a park late one night, alone, an orphan, and screaming because the vampire attacking her didn't look so pretty, the Paranormal Agencies in all the major countries bound together with a treaty and made Evie the primary stipulation of that treaty- she was to work for the agency and help them find, tag, and "neuter" any paranormals that threatened humans.

The work is fine for Evie, but what she really wants is a normal life. School, prom, and a locker are her biggest dreams. When she steps into her boss's (and surrogate mother) office to find a creature she had never seen before "wearing" her boss's face, she stuns him and captures him for the agency. This creature, Lend, is like flowing water on the inside and can morph into anyone he wants to on the outside, which is how he broke into IPCA. Now he is being held in the agency and Evie is determined to figure out what he is, much to her boss's irritation. After all, he is the only other person/thing she knows who is roughly her age! What she learns from her time with Lend is that she really wants to know people her own age and live a normal life. She also begins to realize the Agency might be keeping her less as an asset and more like prisoner.

When something starts killing all the paranormals, the Agency tries to get to the bottom of the mystery. They aren't interested in killing paranormals, just making sure they don't harm any humans. When the threat breaks into IPCA, Evie knows she must save Lend. They go back to his home where she finds out just how normal life can be for a paranormal like Lend- school, dances, friends, movie theaters- you name it! But there is more to the story of Lend's parents, the IPCA, the paranormal killer, and Evie herself. Can she figure it all out before everyone she cares about is taken from her?

This was such a fun story! It reminded me of the agency in Buffy that controlled all the paranormals in Sunnydale, right down to "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" sentiment! I liked Evie's character a lot- you feel so bad for her when she realizes how much the agency used and controlled her. Plus, a girl with a faerie as an ex-boyfriend and a mermaid for a best friend has to be cool, right?! It is a really interesting take on the whole paranormal genre and gives new energy to the well covered genre. The characters are interesting the story is full of twists and turns, and nothing is quite as it seems.

The writing is fairly simple and clean. This is a great story for a wide range of students. Unfortunately, the cover, while cool, might not attract a wide range of students. It looks a lot softer than it really is. The story is very serious and dark at times. If you can get kids past the girl with the pink dress on the cover, I think you will find it appeals to a lot of students (and adults too)! Now I can only hope White continues Evie's story!