A Witness to Bullying

Bullying seems to be seeping into my world more and more lately. From the conference, to the last few YA books I have read, it seems to be everywhere. Sadly. So how do you make each book unique and special? Because you make it real. Catherine Ryan Hyde made Diary of a Witness as real as you could get with the lives of two young men who continue to suffer at the hands of their bullies even after they suffer and inconceivable tragedy.

Ernie and Will are friends, but they are each other's only real friend. Both are targets. Ernie is bullied because he is overweight and his mom is even more overweight and his father split long ago. Will is bullied because he is strange and has acne and his mother left with another man, leaving him, his little brother Sam, and his father to fend for themselves. Both boys like fishing, which is also a source of mockery amongst the popular guys at school. One day Will convinces Ernie to go fishing in the ocean with him and Sam. In a freak accident, the boat is sunk and Sam never surfaces.

After Sam's death, you would think the bullies would lay off Will for a while, but they do something worse. They use his brother's death as fodder for the torment. In fact, they beat Will down so much, he tries to kill himself. Ernie calls the ambulance and saves Will, but even this doesn't stop the bullies. Ernie and Will go to Ernie's uncle's house for Christmas vacation and they almost feel normal. When they come back to school, though, it is as if Will just can't take it anymore. He talks about hurting the bullies so much that it makes Ernie nervous. When the bullies attack Ernie and Will one final time, it seems as though Will has been driven to do the unthinkable. But can Ernie stop Will before he does something he can never take back? Should he care if the people who tormented him for years are going to get hurt?

This book is told from the perspective of both a witness and a victim. Ernie tells the story, but he is still a victim himself. The narration gives the reader an interesting take on how the bullying dynamic can affect children. An interesting aspect is when the bullies accidentally take it too far. One time, they tripped Ernie and he tripped too far, falling down the stairs. He was barely conscious, but he could hear the boys were scared- they meant to trip him, but not throw him down the stairs. Of course, their concern is for how much trouble they are going to be in, not Ernie's welfare. It shows how almost a frenzy is created when these things get going, bringing people to levels they would never reach independently. This is a scary examination into the world of bullied teens.

The story is short, only 200 pgs, and is appropriate for all ages, high powered elementary students through low-skilled high school students. The subject matter is tough, but so is school for kids of all ages. If a kid is able to read this book, then they have surely been involved in bullying somehow, as a bully, a victim, or a witness. To see the extreme of consequences bullying can reach is an important lesson to learn. This book is versatile enough reach so many kids, it becomes a great asset to any classroom or library.

Rage Against Preconceived Notions

Rarely do we read a book so raw with emotions that it leaves you speechless by the time you read the last page. Jackie Morse Kessler accomplishes this effortlessly. She knows how to bring a reader into the most painful lives of teens who are suffering from eating disorders, bullying, cutting, etc. With her second book in the Horsemen of the Apocalypse series, Rage, she has a cutter who has been bullied to the brink of sanity, become War, the Rider of the Red Horse.

Missy slept with Adam and he saw her for who she was- a cutter. He immediately dumped her and told everyone about her scars. Now she is tormented even worse than before. Now they all call her Cutterslut and other horrible names. Missy's only means of control over her own life is to cut. She can't control the pain she feels every day at home and at school, but she can control the blade. When Adam invites her to a party, Missy reluctantly agrees to go, but she goes to show them all they don't bother her. When Adam is uncharacteristically kind and kisses her, she forgets all her anger and pain. She follows him upstairs and takes off her clothes for him. Just as she does, he calls for everyone to come in. It is then, in a flurry of cell phones and cameras, that Missy's life changes forever. With her secret out and her picture and video all over the web, she chooses to accept Death's offer to become War... and her first stop is the party.

As War, Missy creates havoc in the party, making everyone's aggression and anger seethe to the top. When she leaves, she is conflicted about what she has done and what she might have done if Adam had been there. She starts to go out into her world to do the job of War, but she sees her destruction doesn't just hurt adult soldiers- there are innocent women and children there too. She fights the will of War, but Famine and Death explain the balance to her. When there is no balance, like when Pestilence took some time off, the result can be like the Black Death- centuries of consequences. When she returns to school and feels the consequences of her own bullies, she is torn between wanting to punish everyone in the building to knowing there are innocent people who don't deserve to suffer her wrath. But can Missy keep War until control in order to restore the balance?

This is a very dark and important story. When we consider bullicide (suicide as a result of severe bullying) and school violence like Columbine, it is vital that we look at the emotions of the victim. The pain, the humiliation, and the rage they feel is overwhelming. The result is often violence, either towards themselves or others. While critics attacked this book for being "too violent" and "too graphic" about a cutter, I would like to know why they don't acknowledge the bullying. If they are so worried about the cutting, perhaps an honest conversation about the impetus for the cutting is where prevention should start. Yes, this was a dark book, but it is impossible to write a book about such vicious bullying without it being real, raw, emotional, and dark.

I am bowled over by these books, but I will admit they might be too much for a more sensitive young adult. As parents and teachers, we know the type of student who can handle a series like this one. The beauty of this author is she doesn't take prisoners. She doesn't hold back or "write in code" to protect delicate sensibilities. She lays it on the line. And if you don't like it, then perhaps you should do something about stopping the behaviors that cause this kind of situation. perhaps it is time to do something about the bullies in order to save the victims.

A Bridge Between Generations

Louis Sachar is quite simply a genius. I remember reading the Wayside School series when I was a child, and now I use them for my youngest students. Over two decades later, they are still funny! And who can forget Holes? Stanley Yelnats was a hero to so many of us. So it only seemed appropriate for The Cardturner to be just as amazing. If you agree, I promise you won't be sorry!

Alton has a rich uncle. Uncle Lester Trapp. Alton's family have been trying to ingratiate themselves to Trapp for years, but he ignores all their pleas for visits and dinners. Instead he spends all his time with his ex-wife's "crazy" niece Sophie and her daughter Toni (well, Alton's parents swear they are crazy, but he isn't completely convinced). When Trapp starts to get sicker from his diabetes, Alton's parents actually seem anxious for him to die in hopes of inheriting all his wealth. When Trapp needs a "cardturner" for his bridge games because his diabetes left him blind, they are quick to volunteer Alton.

Alton doesn't mind spending time with Trapp. In fact, he grows to really love the cantankerous old bird. He even starts to understand bridge, which seemed impossible at first. The more time he spends with Trapp, the more he learns his mother's information about Sophie, Toni and Annabelle (Sophie's mother) is just plain wrong (and quite frankly, mean spirited). His mother never knew the real story behind the King women, or perhaps she wouldn't have been so quick to dismiss them as gold diggers. In fact, Alton has really gotten to like Toni.

When Trapp passes away suddenly before the national bridge championship, Alton and Toni feel they have to go anyway- as Trapp and Annabelle. Since Trapp and Annabelle were partners and cared very deeply for one another, it only seems right that Alton and Toni would enter the contest as Trapp and Annabelle. They sneak off to Chicago and take on some of the best bridge players in the world. But it seems Trapp and Annabelle are with them more than just in memory- they seem to be playing through Alton and Toni, taking one last shot at the championship like they couldn't so many years ago.

This was such an interesting story. I will admit, my family are gin and rummy players, so bridge is totally lost on me, as I imagine it would be on most young kids and adults as well. But the cool thing Sachar does is explain the rules as though Alton were explaining them- as simple as such a complicated game could be. It made me actually want to start playing bridge! I think the challenge of figuring the game out with these simple and exciting lessons straight from Alton would interest those students who love a puzzle or are good at math. The game is all about strategy and thinking multiple steps ahead of the hand you are on, so it would definitely keep that kind of student a puzzle to crack!

This is a perfect book for any middle school through high school student. As I said, it would be great for that kid who likes to solve puzzles and figure things out. The characters are typical Sachar characters- unpredictable, deep, and lovable. The story about Alton really caring for Trapp and learning about his parents' faults is a difficult lesson for him to learn, but it is handled well. I can't explain how much I loved this book, and I am sure you will too!

Killer, Man-Eating, Poisonous Unicorns

You know when you pick up a book and a few pages in you realize it is going to be AWESOME?! That was my experience with Rampant by Diana Peterfreund. This isn't a super new book, in fact the sequel is already out, but I just picked it up and decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did because this book was so exciting it kept me hooked all day until I finished it!

Astrid has always taken her mother's loony ravings about being a descendant of an ancient line of unicorn hunters with a grain of salt... until her boyfriend is attacked by a small unicorn. Astrid calls her mother and Lilith arrives with the ancient Remedy- the only known cure for unicorn venom. That's right, venom. See, unicorns are not all sparkly and adorable like every children's story would have us believe- nope, they are evil, angry, man-eating (and livestock) beasts with poisonous "alicorns" (their horns). Alicorn poisoning kills almost immediately, but the hunters are immune to it. That is why the unicorn didn't attack Astrid. She was born to be a hunter.

Unicorns were supposed to be extinct, but the new emergence has led to many attacks all over the world. It also leads to Lilith's barely controlled enthusiasm as she packs up Astrid and ships her off to Rome where the Cloisters exists- the home to the Order of the Lioness, a group of virgin unicorn hunters centuries ago. And the Cloisters looks like it hasn't been touch in centuries. When Astrid arrives, she is greeted by Cory, a hunter, and her uncle Neil, the man who took the responsibility of "don" or leader of the group. It becomes clear that Cory lives, breathes, and eats unicorn hunting and would have loved having Lilith for a mother.

More girls start arrive, including Astrid's cousin and best friend Phil (Philippa), and the girls start cleaning the Cloisters and training. When their first hunts go badly and result in many injuries, it becomes clear that something is wrong. The pharmaceutical company funding the hunters is making strange decisions and eventually disappears after a particularly disastrous hunt. More and more, the girls and Neil become suspicious of the situation, but they continue hunting. When Neil leaves to track down their contact, Lilith comes to supervise as donna. Under her supervision, Astrid almost dies and is instead approached by a karkadann, the largest and most fearsome of all unicorn species. The karkadann has a proposition for Astrid, one she can't pass up. Especially if she wants to keep her fellow hunters alive.

This was an A.MAZE.ING story and I simply couldn't get enough of it. I plowed through this book like it was life or death (and sometimes it felt like it was!). It was so well-written and a new take on old myths. The unraveling of the secrets and myths were so intricate and kept the reader enthralled (as did the fight scenes of course). The characters in the story were very interesting as well. They were a motley group of young women, from pampered princesses to a homeless drug addict. Their stories and backgrounds were just as interesting as those of the main characters, making the reader highly invested in all the hunters. There is clearly a sequel out already, but the book ends well. It isn't left with a cliffhanger, but definitely leaves the reader wanting more.

The target audience for this book is tough because it is definitely in the fantasy/mythology realm, which I find appeals to kids from early middle school through high school (and most fantasy is pretty clean so will work in this wide range of ages). But this book is dark. Very dark. The hunting scenes with the unicorns are bloody and gruesome, but imagine hunting something the size of an elephant with a poisonous alicorn! Perhaps the darkest part was when one of the hunter's was raped and it turns out someone may have set her up to lose her virginity and therefore forfeit her status as a hunter. I think this is a book that should be given to either older students or a younger high school student who is mature enough to handle the violence. A good rule of thumb might be if you think a kid could handle Hunger Games, then they could handle this story. None of the violence was overdone, but there might be that student who is too delicate to handle the more bloody scenes in the book. This was an amazing story, and I will be devouring the sequel as soon as it gets here (but not devouring in the same sense as the evil man-eating unicorns, of course!).

NYC in the 1980's!

It's tough to be young in the city... the city. But for Carrie Bradshaw there is a pull from New York City calling to her like nothing else ever has. She wants to be a writer and has one chance, a mere two months, to convince everyone she should stay in the city rather than go to Brown in the fall. In Summer and the City: A Carrie Diaries Novel, by Candace Bushnell, we finally get to see how Carrie's first summer in the big city makes her a New Yorker permanently.

Carrie is torn between the other kids in her writing class and the tantalizing life of one Ms. Samantha Jones. The kids in her class are a mix of New York savvy college kids who know their way around the restaurants and clubs and kids from out of town who still can't use the subway, but they are all her age, experiencing the same things she is. Samantha takes Carrie in when her landlady kicks her out and she has no where to go. She also takes Carrie out to her usual haunts, introducing her to New York's most important up and comers. When Carrie returns to her friends from class telling them how she is dating Bernard Singer, the most coveted new playwright on Broadway, and hung out with a bevy of models, fashion designers, writers, and artists, the others are clearly impressed.

But Carrie can't get herself to really write. When she finds out Bernard is recently divorced, she is inspired to write a play about a husband and wife. As she continues working on her play, she comes to some conclusions about herself and the others around her. First, some people just aren't cut out to survive NYC. Also, some people may seem like talented artists when they are really silly fools who are just as miserable as everyone else (just with better tables in restaurants). And finally, Carrie Bradshaw has changed. Everything she does and thinks now is clearly through New York City tinted glasses. When she returns home or a friend comes to visit her, they clearly know she has changed. Now all she has to do is realize it. But will she, before she has to go to Brown? I bet you already know the answer!

This sequel was much better than the first book for me because I got a chance to see Carrie in NYC, but it still wasn't a phenomenal book. it was entertaining and interesting, but only because I loved the show on HBO. I think if I gave these books to a kids who had never seen the show, they might quickly grow bored with the story. But knowing who Samantha and Miranda become made this much more interesting for me. This series might just be a YA series meant for fans and only fans.

There is quite a lot of sex in the story, but none of it is overly graphic or specific. Instead, it is mostly everyone talking about sex and virginity as opposed to Bushnell "showing" it. Still I probably wouldn't give this to a younger high school student, more for the slowness of the story than the sexual content. I am not sure if this is it for the Carrie Diaries, but if there is more, I will most likely read it. I won't drop everything to read it, but I will get to it eventually.

Darkenss Lit Up My Day!

Greek Gods? Love 'em! Shape shifters? Can't wait to see what they'll "pop" into next! Vampires? Oddly intrigued, but hate to admit it. Witches, wizards, and warlocks? Put a spell on me baby! New Orleans French Cajun culture... oui! Put it all together and what do you get? No, not seven separate books, silly. You get Darkness Becomes Her, by Kelly Keaton, and you are going to love it!

Ari had a strange childhood. Given up at the age of four, she was bounced from horrible foster home to horrible foster home until she was taken in by loving bail bondsmen, Bruce and Casey, who not only love her, they teach her to kick some butt (and full weapons training of course). But Ari needs to know what happened to her mother, so she tracks down the mental institute her mother was committed in when she died. It is there she learns her mother committed suicide shortly after giving Ari up. Ari collects her mother's possessions and in the box, she find a letter from her mother telling her to run, and run fast. Ari ignores the letter at first, but when a big scary man speaking another language attacks her and is impervious to bullets, she knows her mother wasn't crazy after all.

Barely escaping with her life, Ari is determined to find out what really happened to her mother. So she ventures into New 2, what is left of New Orleans. Around the time Ari was given up, a wave of hurricanes all but destroyed New Orleans. The US wanted to abandon it entirely, but a group of 9 New Orleans families came together and bought the city from the country, making it the only privately owned city in North America. New 2 is rumored to be lawless and a paranormal haven, but not many people dare to enter (except a few silly tourists). The culture still exists, but as Ari arrives, she realizes so does a whole population of "freaks"- strange people who turn out to be as paranormal as the rumors said they were. Apparently the 9 families who own New 2, Novem, are made up of vampires, witches and warlocks, and shape shifters. They work together to take care of the city and keep it safe from the real nasties out in the ruins.

When Ari arrives, she is "adopted" by a group of freaks who live in an abandoned house. Sebastian, the leader, agrees to help her find information about her mother. Instead, they find Sebastian's grandmother knew Ari's mom and even paid her hospital bill when Ari was born. When they go to the Novem, of which Sebastian's grandmother is part of, they find there is a terrible curse on Ari's family where the women in her family all die by 21, but not before delivering a baby girl. Sebastian's grandmother agrees to help her fight the curse, but before she can, Ari is kidnapped by a supernatural soldier and taken to a hidden prison. It is there she learns the truth of who she is. She manages to escape and help the other prisoners- a harpy, a shapeshifter woman/spider, and even Sebastian's father, who he thought was gone forever.

The prisoners tell her it is the petulant Greek Goddess Athena who imprisoned them, and it is Athena who cursed Ari's family. It turns out, Ari's curse goes farther back than she or anyone else expected. Now she has the Novem who want to keep her as a weapon, an angry goddess who is simply a jerk, and Ari finds out she can be a real danger to everyone, her friends included, when she comes of age. But Ari won't just give up. She is determined to take control of her life, even if it means showing a Greek God who is really the boss!

This was SUCH an interesting book and it took so many twists and turns I had no idea what was going to happen. I read it in one sitting and was really annoyed when anyone interrupted me because it was so addictive! The interwoven myths and supernatural creatures are so cool, and the truth behind Ari's curse dates right back to Greek mythology. There is another book planned for next year, and I have already pre-ordered it! I can't wait!

There is some forceful language in the story, but most of it is totally deserved (wouldn't you throw out a curse word or two if an awful goddess cursed your family for countless lifetimes and is trying to cook your brain?!). The content can be violent at times, but is nothing gratuitous or violent for the sake of being violent. Instead, it is just the nature of such a story with life and death situations around every bend. This is a great book for almost any student, as it is fast-paced, exciting, and the characters are awesome. You won't be sorry if you pick up this book... but you might be trapped where ever you do because it is too good to put down until you reach that last page!

It's Now or Never

I run hot and cold with Elizabeth Scott. The first book of hers I ever read was Stealing Heaven, which I LOVED! Then I bought just about everything she had ever written, because I loved that book so much. After that, though, I wasn't too impressed with her other books. Some were really dark, like Living Dead Girl, which was a hard book to get through because the content was so upsetting. Then there was The Unwritten Rule, which wasn't dark, but was just "meh". So I have struggled with buying her new books, but I decided to just go for it. While Between Here and Forever wasn't as good is Stealing Heaven (big shoes to fill), it was certainly one of her better books. It made me decide to give Elizabeth Scott another chance!

Abby has always been in her sister Tess's shadow, but since Tess's accident, Abby has been just as lost. Tess was always the together one, the gorgeous one, and the smart one. Abby was just, well, Abby. Now Abby and her parents spend every day in the hospital next to Tess's bed waiting for her to wake up. When a beautiful young man walks into the hospital room, Abby sees Tess's eye move a little. She is convinced this beautiful boy will bring Tess back and enlists his help to wake her up. While this boy, Eli, seems skeptical at first, he agrees to help.

Although it seems Eli isn't helping Tess, he certainly is helping Abby. For once, she isn't always thinking about Tess and is actually interested in someone (although she still swears he likes Tess more than her). While Abby is convinced Eli and Tess are made for each other, she soon learns there is more to Eli than she noticed earlier, and life isn't so easy for him, beautiful person or not. She also begins to learn the truth about who her sister was and what really happened at the end of her life. These revelations are important because they give Abby a chance to find her own life outside of Tess's shadow, as well as a chance at happiness.

This was a very interesting book because it explored how much a girl can know and not know about her own sister. Sometimes we keep our biggest secrets from those people we love the most. Here, we see a younger sister assuming her older sister's life is perfect and never realizing just how in pain she really is. The relationship between the two girls, told entirely in flashbacks since Tess is in a coma, is very realistic and sad. The good thing is you will be very excited for Abby as the book goes on and she matures. Eli and his grandfather are such lovable supporting characters, they will make you love the book even if you struggle to relate to Abby and Tess.

The language is mild in this book, but there are a few references to intimacy here and there. They aren't graphic or even talked about in any detail, just casual references used to flesh out the plot. The story would be appropriate for any girl, middle school through high school, who is interested in relationships and family. The secret Tess is hiding, her attraction and relationships with women, is developed in an interesting way, showing her inability to admit it to herself as well as her family. This might be a good place to have conversations about who we are and why we are proud of that in many different aspects of our lives. In all, this was a pretty good book, and I would pass it on to a student I thought it would appeal to.