Reading Rants! The Book!

Reviews, Reviews, Reviews!

2007-12-02T05:40:00.000-08:00

Dear all two readers of this blog, It's been a while, but I'm back with full texts of all the professional reviews of Reading Rants: a guide to books that rock! The reviews are in, now I want to hear what YOU think. Have you purchased or borrowed a copy of Reading Rants? Was it helpful to you? How did you use it? What books were you thrilled to see included? Which titles do you wish I included instead? Most importantly, should I (gulp) write another volume? Let me know!

From School Library Journal (August 1, 2007)

"Hubert suggests 100 recently published YA titles and arranges them by themes such as "Boy Meets Book," "Righteous Riot Grrl Reads," "The Closet Club: Fiction for GLBTQ Teens and Their Friends," "The Terrible Tweens," "Graphic Fantastic," and "Dystopian Dreams: Teen Sci-Fi." Each chapter has at least one or two award-winning authors, some of whom may be more familiar than others, but all of whom should be in YA collections. Each novel includes the following information: the story (yes, Hubert gives some endings away); the message (prominent themes); the most likely audience (guidelines only); why it rocks; likely titles to "hook it up with," and citations for reviews. Any library wishing to expand its YA collection or booktalking catalog will want this valuable book. It will also be helpful for setting up displays."-Lori E. Donovan, Thomas Dale High School, Chester, VA

From Booklist (September 15, 2007 )

"Hubert has worked hard to morph her online teen site, Reading Rants! Out of the Ordinary Teen Booklists! http://www.readingrants.org, into a guide for YA librarians. Some 100 books are organized into 10 categories that YA librarians will understand and find useful for patrons (for example, “The Terrible Tweens: 10–13 Going On 30”). Each book entry contains an extensive annotation that includes plot, theme, audience, reviews, and a short discussion of why the book was selected. Although Hubert acknowledges that many male teens prefer nonfiction, her list of reads for male teens doesn’t include a single nonfiction title, which is puzzling. Librarians will enjoy the author’s strong personal viewpoint, which is one of the strengths of her online site. But they should be aware that the book has some gaps and should be used in tandem with other guides to YA literature."

From VOYA (October 2007)

"In the book version of the Web site, Hubert builds on her previous work with an in-depth look at one hundred outstanding books for young adults...Each title receives through treatment, with a detailed plot summary, specific suggestions regarding age level, recommended read-alikes, a list of reviews published in professional journals, and a breakdown of a book's themes as well as its appeal based on plot, pacing, and characterization...Hubert provides a first-rate resource for booktalking and readers' advisory, and the thematic groupings deliver ready-made booklists. The plot summaries are designed to grab ones' attention, and readers will likely want to add any titles that may be missing from their libraries' collections."

Fight Censorship!

2007-08-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

Dear all two readers of this blog,

It has come to my attention through a number of notable sources (including Libba Bray's blog) that YA author Maureen Johnson's simply wonderful Bermudez Triangle has come under attack in Oklahoma, due to the fact that she (gasp) "discusses homosexuality in a positive light." Oh for Pete's sake (and Paul and Mary's for that matter) are we in the 21st century or what?! Gay people and their families, friends, and allies exist, we're not going away, we're not shutting up, and there will be books written about us! GET OVER IT ALREADY!

First, read the article.

Then, read Maureen's blog on this and leave a comment to tell her how much you love and support her.

When you've finished doing that, please view my Reading Rants: A Guide to Books that Rock! write-up of The Bermudez Triangle, which I happened to dig very much:

Johnson, Maureen. 2004. The Bermudez Triangle. New York: Penguin Group.
370 p.

The Story: A jealous classmate at Nina’s eighth birthday party christened best friends Nina Bermudez, Avery Dekker, and Melanie Forrest the “Bermudez Triangle.” Now it’s the summer before senior year, and the uber-close Triangle is splitting up. Smart, hyper-organized, natural born leader Nina is attending a pre-college program at Stanford, while sarcastic hipster Avery and quiet, girly redheaded Mel stay behind in upstate New York and take waitressing jobs at local Irish-themed chain restaurant, P.J. Mortimer’s.

Nina quickly acclimates to her new surroundings, and soon falls for a fellow student, Steve Carson, a cute blond “eco-warrior” from Oregon, who she ends up kissing after a grueling all night study session. Meanwhile, to their combined great surprise, Avery and Melanie discover they have a mutual physical attraction when they jokingly kiss one morning after a sleepover, and it turns into the first of many make-out sessions. Mel has always sensed she was gay, but never had the courage to tell anyone. Avery knows she likes Mel, but isn’t sure that she wants to be labeled a lesbian just yet, and insists that their relationship stay secret. Both of them are concerned about Nina’s reaction when she returns, but can’t decide how to tell her. In the end, they simply keep quiet and begin avoiding Nina, who senses something is wrong when she tries to invite Avery and Mel out for a girls’ night out not long after she returns, and instead they ask along good-natured fellow P.J.’s waiter Parker, who has no idea what is going on, but is happy to be included as he is nursing a slight crush on Mel.

The truth comes out when the Triangle goes school shopping and Nina accidentally walks in on Avery and Mel kissing in a fitting room. The resulting conversation is awkward and leaves Nina feeling like a third wheel. Nina, who has enough to keep her busy and distracted as student council president, decides to focus on getting early acceptance to Stanford, where she will see Steve again next fall. Meanwhile, Mel is making Avery feel claustrophobic, because she constantly wants to be with her, even during Avery’s piano-practicing time, which Avery considers sacrosanct. Avery and Mel get a huge fight after a classmate witnesses and comments on seeing them in the gay/lesbian section of the bookstore. Neither of them tell Nina about it, but one of the students’ she is on council with asks, “How long have your friends been gay?” which causes her to worry.

Rumors begin to spread about her and Mel, so Avery decides to take matters into her own hands by joining a garage band with some guys she knows to get out of hanging out with Mel. She also begins a casual romantic relationship with bandmate Gaz, who Nina sees her kissing in a car after the student council fall hayride. Nina confronts Avery, who begs her not to tell Mel. Parker, who’s heard the rumors at school, asks Mel if she’s gay, and when she confirms it, he becomes her new confidante, as Avery is avoiding Mel and Nina is too busy to listen to her problems.

When Avery cancels their Thanksgiving weekend plans, then doesn’t call Mel for two weeks, Mel finally turns to Nina for help. Nina sees a chance for them to all be friends again, so she confronts Avery and tells her that they all need to talk. But Avery gets angry at Nina’s interference and tells her to butt out. The same day she finds out she is accepted to Stanford, Nina has to tell Mel that Avery doesn’t want to go out with her anymore. Mel is inconsolable, and becomes completely withdrawn, which doesn’t help Nina when she needs someone to talk to after Steve dumps her over the phone. Avery sees how sad Nina is after the break-up and tries to talk to her, but Nina doesn’t trust her anymore and blows her off. Avery worries that she’s pushed Nina too far, and their lifelong friendship may be over.

Everyone coincidently meets up at the school Valentine’s Day dance. Nina is manning the ticket booth when Mel shows up with Parker and Avery comes with Gaz. Avery and Mel meet in the bathroom, and Avery, tired of trying to figure out her sexuality, suggests getting back together. Mel wisely turns her down and leaves. Meanwhile, Parker, who has transferred his crush from Mel to Nina, gives Nina a ride home and asks if he can kiss her. Nina agrees on one condition: that Parker is not her “boyfriend,” as she is loath to get into another serious relationship after Steve. Parker consents, sure that he can eventually change Nina’s mind.

On Nina’s birthday in March, Steve emails, saying he’s sorry about the break-up. The same day, Mel tells Nina she’s finally going to come out to her dad. (Mel’s parents are divorced and she lives with her father.) Parker takes Nina out for her birthday, but gets angry when she tells him about Steve’s email and he learns that she’s thinking about getting back together with him. Then, to make matters worse, when Nina gets home, she gets a call from Mel’s dad, who wants to congratulate her about getting into Stanford. Nina misunderstands and thinks “the news” he is referring to is Mel’s coming out, and then accidentally outs Mel, who hasn’t told her father yet. This has clearly been Nina’s worst birthday ever.

Mel weathers the storm of her mom’s disapproval about her sexuality with her father and Avery’s support. She slowly begins to gain confidence in herself as she carries on a flirtation with a girl she met at a dance in a neighboring high school. So she is ready to support Avery when she has to audition for acceptance to an NYC music college. Mel convinces Nina and Parker to drive with her to Avery’s audition to surprise her. But everything goes wrong: a freak snow storm makes driving impossible, Mel accidentally locks the keys in the car at a rest stop, and Parker can barely bring himself to talk to Nina. But, despite all odds, they make it in time to wish a touched Avery well. Avery passes her audition, everyone makes up with everyone else, and the Triangle even manages to rustle up another girl at the audition for Parker to flirt with. They end the day by celebrating with coffee and hot chocolate.

The Message: Life is change; learn to embrace it. Nothing stays the same forever. A strong friendship can weather any storm. Good friends bring out the best in each other.

Who’s it for? 8th-12th grade. The breezy text could go younger, but the exploration of coming of age issues like sexual identity, and romantic relationship navigations, along with the sheer number of underage drinking scenes, make this better suited to older teen readers.

Why it rocks:
• Voice: Johnson tells her story in third person, from multiple perspectives, allowing the reader to understand and experience each of the Triangle’s unique “points” of view.
• Plot: Despite the light-hearted tone, this is a surprisingly in-depth examination of the amorphous nature of adolescent relationships, and how the shifting landscape of those relationships helps shape the character of the future grown-up inside. And by focusing on the three way friendship and love in all its wonderful, terrible forms, Johnson neatly dodges the “Gay Problem Novel” label.
• Pacing: Chronologically arranged by seasonal holidays and school events, dialogue-heavy chapters and changing formats (email, letters, locker notes) make this thick book read fast.
• Characterization: The three girls are sympathetically portrayed and nicely rounded. Nina learns to take change in stride, Avery learn not to be too hard on herself, while Mel discovers both her voice and her inner “butch.” Minor characterizations also add zing to the story, including Nina’s klepto-Stanford roommate Ashley and the endearing Parker, whose off the wall remarks provide welcome comic relief among all the female angst.

Hook it up with: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series (The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, Girls in Pants, Forever in Blue) by Ann Brashares and The Girls series (Girls in Love, Girls Out Late, Girls Under Pressure, Girls in Tears) by Jacqueline Wilson

Read more about it:
Booklist: 11/01/04
Horn Book: 04/01/05
Kirkus Review: 10/01/04
Publishers Weekly: 12/06/04
School Library Journal: 11/01/04
V.O.Y.A. (Voice of Youth Advocates): 10/01/04

Finally, feel free to visit my Reading Rants Closet Club list for some more great GLBTQ reads.

Remember, Banned Books Week is September 29-October 6, 2007. Celebrate your freedom to read and support Maureen's cause by checking out a banned book today!

Suspense!

2007-08-17T05:06:00.000-07:00

Well, friends, I've gotten word that RR: the book will hopefully be reviewed by Booklist and SLJ in one of the fall issues. So as I sweat it out over here in anticipation, I thought I'd post one of my favorite entries from the suspenseful "Nailbiters" chapter. Here's what I wrote about Acceleration by Graham McNamee:

McNamee, Graham. 2003. Acceleration. New York: Random House. 210 p.

The Story: It is the summer before senior year, and Duncan is stuck with the most boring job ever: assisting in the Toronto Transit Commission’s Lost and Found Department. While it does allow him to escape the heat wave everyone else is suffering from aboveground, Duncan is finding the process of assigning lost umbrellas, jackets, and eyeglasses an “expiration” date, and weeding those items that are “past due” for donation to the local YMCA incredibly tedious. But the bleak job suits his mood, which has been dark ever since the Labor Day holiday weekend last year. That was when Duncan tried and failed to save a girl named Maya who drowned in dangerous riptides on Lake Ontario. Ever since then, Duncan has suffered from terrible nightmares where Maya is screaming underwater, begging him for help. His parents tried therapy and medication, but nothing helped, and now Duncan fears that his guilt and regret over the accident will never go away.

While packing up lost books, Duncan comes across a leather journal with no name or address. As he begins to read it, he is disturbed to discover that it is full of descriptions of animal mutilations and arson attempts. As he reads further, he finds that the author is contemplating murder. He’s even staked out three women that he sees regularly on the subway, along with the times that they ride, and the stops where they get off. Duncan realizes that he has found the journal of a would-be serial killer. But now that he has it, what should he do? He’s afraid to turn it into the police, least they think it belongs to him. It also occurs to him that the act of finding this man, and keeping him from hurting anyone else, may finally ease his guilt over Maya’s drowning and end his nightmares.

Duncan begins to do research on the man he has dubbed, “Roach.” He enlists his two best friends, Vinnie and Wayne, to come with him to the air-conditioned public library while he looks up information on serial killers. He finds a book by an FBI profiler that states there are three childhood behaviors that are shared by most serial killers: cruelty to animals, bedwetting, and the setting of fires. This information frightens Duncan so badly that he decides to take Vinnie, the more serious of his two friends, into his confidence. Vinnie convinces him to take it to the police, but when he does, the bored desk cop is so dismissive that Duncan knows the journal won’t be taken seriously. He takes the it back and resolves to find Roach himself, and then involve the police once he knows exactly who the man is and where he lives.

Duncan asks for Vinnie’s help, and his friend reluctantly agrees, even though he doesn’t think it is a good idea. “Me and you going after this guy…is like the hardy Boys meet Hannibal Lecter.” Nevertheless, Vinnie uses the directions and locations written about in the journal to create a map of Roach’s activities, and discovers that all of the incidents Roach wrote about took place in the same 6-7 block radius, a working class neighborhood called Wilson Heights. Meanwhile, Duncan has discovered an old receipt in the journal that indicates Roach received an employee discount at the local mall. Now that they have narrowed down the man’s possible home and work place, they focus their attention on the mall. After deducing that Roach might be a security guard because of his need to have power over others, they follow two likely candidates home, but are disappointed when both men end up having families or girlfriends. Duncan is so disheartened that he considers giving up altogether.

Then, they receive a huge break: Roach himself comes to the Lost and Found, looking for his journal. Duncan is shocked to finally see his imaginary nemesis in the flesh, but after pretending to look for the lost journal (it’s actually hidden at the bottom of his closet at home) he tells the man he can’t find it. Roach leaves, and Duncan tells his boss he’s taking lunch so that he can follow him. After he watches Roach enter a small nondescript house in Wilson Heights, then leave a short while later, he decides to call Wayne for help. Wayne is a semi-retired shoplifter and consummate lock picker, and while he’s annoyed that Duncan hadn’t informed him until now about he and Vinnie’s secret project, he agrees to pick the Roach’s front door so Duncan can take a look around.

With Wayne’s help, Duncan no only gets into the house, but is able to access the locked basement as well. But they must tread quietly, as they discover Roach’s old, deaf grandmother is watching television inside. Duncan explores the basement while Wayne waits outside. He finds animals in jars of formaldehyde, a police scanner, and a small windowless room which seems to be awaiting a captive, before he hears footfalls on the stairway. He hides in the room, but it’s too late, Roach has returned and realized someone is in his sanctuary. Duncan bursts out of the room, brandishing the metal bar used to barricade the door as a weapon. Roach has a knife, and they each get in one blow before Duncan manages to run up the stairs and out of the house. Bleeding badly from a cut ion his arm, Duncan races to the subway station, pursued by Roach. Wayne sees him leave, but loses him on the side streets. Duncan makes it to the subway platform, but the train doesn’t come right away and Roach has time to catch up. After a short tussle, both of them end up on the tracks, but Duncan is able to roll away under the platform edge while Roach, who is disoriented, is hit and killed by an incoming train.

Duncan survives with twenty stitches, a broken arm, and a concussion. He, Wayne and Vinnie decide never to tell anyone what really happened. As far as the police know, Duncan’s attack was a botched mugging, as he claims he can’t really remember what happened. Duncan burns the journal, goes back to work at the Lost and Found, and after a session of night swimming with Vinnie at the public pool, is relieved to realize that he can no longer hear Maya’s underwater screams.

The Message: It’s dangerous to take the law into your own hands. Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself.

Who’s it for? 8th-12th grade. The topic is gritty, but not any more so than most of the crime dramas on television that most teens are well versed in, and may even watch with their parents. McNamee sprinkles the text with several facts about serial killers, which may prompt older readers to do some research of their own into this fascinating, disturbing topic.

Why it rocks:

•Voice: Duncan’s first person narration makes the fast-moving action that more immediate and compelling. His conversations with Vinnie and Wayne are often humorous, and help offset some of the frightening tension.

•Plot: McNamee’s premise of a serial killer’s journal turning up in the subway Lost and Found is nothing short of genius, and sets the stage for a suspenseful thrill ride that only grows more exciting with the turn of each page. The subplot of Duncan’s prolonged grief over the drowning accident sometimes gets in the way of the heart-stopping action, but will help explain Duncan’s motivation to the rule-following teen readers who have a hard time understanding his persistent pursuit of the dangerous Roach.

• Pacing: Relentless. McNamee never lets up the tension; from the moment Duncan finds the diary, he and the reader are inexorably pulled towards his final meeting with Roach.

• Characterization: Duncan is nicely rounded, as are Vinnie and Wayne, who each threaten to steal scenes every time they come onto the page. Duncan’s parents are excellent examples of caring, working class people who don’t have much material resources, but are trying to set a good example for their son.

Hook it up with: Tenderness by Robert Cormier

Read more about it:
Booklist: 09/15/03
Horn Book: 04/01/04
Kirkus Review: 09/15/03
Publishers Weekly, starred: 11/10/03
School Library Journal: 11/01/03
V.O.Y.A. (Voice of Youth Advocates): 12/01/03

"Oooo, she's a little runaway..."

2007-07-17T06:07:00.001-07:00

OMG! Can I just say how much I love the Runaways graphic novels? I just ordered up Vol. 6 (Parental Guidance) and 7 (Live Fast) from Amazon and are devouring them faster than a bag of M&M's! Marvel has done right by me with these great little digest formats that are just the right size for your purse or backpack. I also love the other Marvel digests, Spiderman Loves Mary Jane and Arana. If you get a chance, check them out! But until then, take a look at my RR book entry for Runaways, Vol. 1: Pride & Joy. from the Graphic Fantastic chapter. And remember, if you like what you see, there's 99 more of them where that came from!

Vaughan, Brian K. and Adrian Alphona. (2003) Runaways: Pride & Joy. New York: Marvel Comics. (unpaged)

The Story: It’s just another quiet evening at computer geek Alex Wilder’s house in Malibu, where his millionaire parents are hosting their annual fundraising party. Every year, they invite the same six wealthy couples to sit down and write checks for charity. And each year, Alex is expected to entertain the couples’ children: Karolina Dean, gorgeous blond vegetarian; Chase Stein, surfer dude; Molly Hayes, cutesy ‘tween and the youngest at eleven ; Nico Minoru, black nail polish-wearing alterna-grrl and Gertrude Yorke, purple-haired, brilliant bookworm.

Except this year is a little different. Instead of hanging out in the video game room like usual, Alex convinces everyone that it might be fun to spy on their parents in the library, using his father’s extensive security tunnels. They are horrified when they witness their usually boring parents, dressed in what look like elaborate Halloween costumes, utter strange incantations, then murder a frightened teenage girl as part of what looks like ritual sacrifice. As they piece together what they’ve seen and heard, they realize their parents are part of a secret society of super villains called the Pride.

Shocked and confused, Alex calls a meeting of all the teens the next night (except Molly because she’s too young to sneak out) to discuss what their plan of action will be. They decide to report what they know to the police, but the officer they get on the phone hangs up in disgust when Alex mentions super powers. They then decide to drive to Gertrude’s house to look for evidence of their parents’ crimes. There they discover a hidden room with genetically modified pet dinosaur that only obeys Gert that her parents (who turn out to be future and alternative-past time travelers) were saving to give her on her 18th birthday. They also discover a sort of handbook that contains information about the Pride, but it’s entirely in code. Next, they travel to Karolina’s house where she discovers that she is the daughter of powerful aliens from another world, and that she has the ability to fly and send out concentrated streams of light and heat.

Meanwhile, the police, who work for the Pride, alert Alex’s parents to his phone call. At Chase’s house, the teens look through his parents’ secret lab, where Chase discovers all sorts of interesting gadgets including x-ray glasses and giant mechanical hands that shoot fire. But it is here that Chase and Nico’s parents, who were called by Alex’s dad, finally confront them. There is a brief battle between the young Runaways and their evil parents, where Nico is attacked by her own mother and strangely absorbs the staff her mother accosts her with into her own body, and Gert’s dinosaur shows up and saves the teens at the last minute. As they make their escape, Gertrude’s parents call her on her cell phone and tell her that unless all of the teens come home, they will be forced to execute Molly, who is still home asleep in her bed.

The teens, realizing that there is no going back now, plan an attack and head for Molly’s house to rescue her. Nico, Alex and Gert storm the house with Gert’s dinosaur. Gert and Molly’s parents drive them back, but when Nico is cut, the staff her body absorbed reemerges, and she is able to use it to freeze the bad guys. Meanwhile, Chase and Karolina are behind the house waiting for Alex’s signal. They are attacked by Karolina’s mother, but quickly subdue her. Nico goes to Molly’s room and knocks out Molly’s mother, who is watching over her. Molly wakes up, and not understanding what is going on, almost attacks Nico. Molly’s parents are powerful mutants who have apparently passed on their powers to Molly, who suddenly has enough super strength to throw Karolina’s mom through the wall when she shows up again.

Again, the Runaways make their escape, this time with Molly in tow, and are about to try and contact the police again when Alex father calls his cell. He tells Alex the Pride basically owns the police department, and that there is a giant manhunt for the six of them because Alex’s parents have framed him for the murder of the girl sacrificed by the Pride. Chase suggests a hideaway, an old hotel he knows of that is in ruins from an old earthquake. The teens go there and try and decide what to do next. Back at Molly’s house, the parents have recovered, regrouped, and discovered an unsigned note from one of the teens that was left at the scene. The note indicates that whoever wrote it is still “loyal” to their parents, no matter what. The Pride is somewhat heartened by the fact that there is a mole in their group of rogue children. But who?

The Message: Never trust anyone over thirty. Occasionally, your parents really ARE as evil as you believe them to be.

Who’s it for? 6th-9th grade. No sex, only explosive violence, and the only death is that of the young girl sacrificed in the beginning, and even that is shown without blood or gore. There is an extended gag where young Molly keeps wanting to talk about her changing body with the other girls in the gang, which the reader is led to believe is about getting her first menstrual period, but is really about her coming into her mutant powers.

Why it rocks:
• Art: Relatively standard issue, it’s really Vaughan’s sparky writing that sets these panels on fire.
• Plot: Besides having a smashing good premise that turns The Incredibles on its ear, this GN is also just incredibly well-written. Vaughan, a relatively new but lauded talent, has outdone himself here. The many puns, word plays, and pop culture references included his dead-on, realistic teen dialogue are bound to date this GN quickly, but even so, I was lovin’ every minute of it.
• Pacing: Faster than a speeding bullet. The fledgling crimefighters tumble from one crisis into another, always a hairsbreath from being caught by their diabolical parents.
• Characterization: This group of fledgling crime fighters contains characters of color with realistic body types. No teen can come away from reading this series without being able to identify with one of these classic teen archetypes, reminiscent of John Hughes landmark adolescent angst-fest, The Breakfast Club. Which one are you? The Brain, the Basketcase, the Princess? They’re all here, re-interpreted by Vaughan for the twenty-first century teen.

Stand alone or serial? Serial, collects Runaways, #1-6, with subsequent sequel collections.

Hook it up with:The Shadow Club by Neal Shusterman and Alt Ed by Catherine Atkins

Read more about it:

Library Journal: 09/01/04
Publisher’s Weekly: 06/28/04

Guerilla Marketing

2007-06-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

So, I was at the ALA Annual conference in Washington D.C. at the end of June and I was so excited to see all the friends and colleagues that I only get to visit with at conference that I often had to be reminded by said friends to umm, well, plug my book. I mean, I'm walking around dazed at all the cool authors, pimped-out publishing booths and cool electronic gizmos as much as anybody else. When standing in line with sweaty palms to get a book that I just loved signed by an author that I just worship, I'm supposed to remember to say, oh yeah, by the way, check out my book and website that bear the same name? Please, I'm going to lucky to be able to squeak out "Thank you!"

I keep forgetting that in this world of guerilla marketing, YouTube, and message t-shirts that I'm supposed to be getting everyone to LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT WHAT I WROTE! all the time.

I suppose that's not really a fair statement. After all, that is what conference is for--to make professional connections, to look at new products, to, in a word, schmooze.

I've just never been good at that sort of thing. But let's be clear--this very blog is a promotional tool for my book--to get the word out, to entice you, the librarians, the teacher, the reader, to want to read it. It's just a lot easier to do this out here, in cyberspace, than face to face! So, if all two readers of this blog out there DO decide to read my book, please let me know. And while you're thinking about it, as the last Harry Potter book looms large, why don't you take a look at the intro to my teen fantasy chapter: Graduating Hogwarts.

Chapter Ten: Graduating Hogwarts: Post-Harry Potter fantasy for Teens

Introduction

For the foreseeable future, most fantasy novels aimed at teens will fall into two categories: BHP (Before Harry Potter) or AHP (After Harry Potter). Ever since the boy wizard captured the imaginations of young readers all over the world, a deluge of hopeful pubescent voices have been pleading with YA librarians to fork over anything they have to see them through the dry spell to the next installment. Fortunately, this is not a difficult request to fulfill, as publishers, wild about Harry and the sheer amount of money his name has generated for the Scholastic empire, are responding by printing loads of Potter-esque fantasy, some of it better than others, but all of it in multiple volumes, series, or trilogies. This is wonderful for teens, but not so great for librarians. First of all, we’re the ones who have to wade through all these five to eight hundred page fantasy opuses to decide which ones are worthy of including in our collections and recommending to readers. Plus, by the time we get to the last book in a trilogy, we’ve completely forgotten the complicated plot of the first one. Lucky for you, dear reader, you own Reading Rants! The book! which contains the plot summaries for first volumes of several highly praised and very long fantasy multi-volume works, including Abarat, The Amulet of Samarkand, A Great and Terrible Beauty, and The Wee Free Men, among others. Now you will be able to quickly avail yourself of the pertinent plot points of Bartimaeus’s first adventures when quizzed by a discerning teen fantasy reader who wants to know how the dijini has evolved since his initial escapades. The following books are excellent recommendations for teens who have graduated Hogwarts and are looking for something similar or are wishing to dive further into the fantasy genre. Once they tear through these titles, you’re on your own. But don’t worry, if you wait long enough another sequel is bound to come along!

Rriot Grrls!

2007-06-21T06:13:00.000-07:00

Hey all (2) readers of this blog out there!

How's it going?

To go along with the intro posted below, here's an entry from my Rriot Grrl chapter of Carolyn Mackler's very funny and very poignant Printz honor award winner. After all this time, the title still makes me giggle. And after you read that, mosey on over to my Reading Rants review of her latest.

Mackler, Carolyn. 2003. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick. 246 p.

The Story: Fifteen-year-old overweight Virginia has never felt like a real member of the attractive and accomplished Shreve family. Her mother is a well-known adolescent psychologist and her father is a successful software executive, while older sister Anais is in the Peace Corp, and perfect brother Byron is a sophomore at Columbia. Virginia lives with her parents in a penthouse apartment on Manhattan’s upper West side, and attends a snobby private school where she couldn’t feel more out of place amid an army of skinny, fashion-obsessed girls. Her best friend Shannon just moved, forcing Virginia to spend most lunch periods huddled in the girl’s bathroom so she doesn’t have to eat alone.

The only bright spot in Virginia’s life is the Monday make-out sessions she holds in her room with Froggy Welsh the fourth, a shy sweet boy who has a crush on her, though she can’t imagine why. But those steamy afternoons end when Virginia thinks Froggy (hidden under the bed in haste when her mother unexpectedly comes home) has overheard her mother tell Virginia that she has a doctor’s appointment to address her weight issues. Mortified, Virginia promptly begins avoiding Froggy, thinking he couldn’t care less when in reality, he is crushed.

Virginia tries visiting her brother at his dorm, hoping to rekindle the easy relationship they used to have when they were younger, and is disappointed when he blows her off. She likes the doctor her mother takes her to, especially when he tells her mom that the focus shouldn’t be Virginia’s body, but on fitness and nutrition. But after her father buys her a full-length mirror to watch herself lose weight, she begins skipping meals and spending lunch in a sympathetic teacher’s office. Then, just as Virginia thinks things couldn’t possibly get worse, her parents get a terrible phone call from Columbia’s dean of students. Byron has been accused of date raping another student and the student honor board has voted that he be suspended for the rest of the semester. The news is enough to send Virginia on a disastrous days-long binge of junk food and candy.

At home, her parents seem determined to gloss over the incident and insist that everything is fine. At school, Froggy tries to talk to Virginia, but she continues to avoid him because she can’t stand the thought of doing anything sexual in the wake of Byron’s accusation. Shannon invites Virginia to Seattle for Thanksgiving, but her mother tells her she can’t go because her mother is determined to have a “normal” family holiday for Byron. Virginia is furious. In a silent rage, she purposely burns her finger over a candle as a way to release some of her anger. This isn’t the first time she’s hurt herself instead of speaking up to her parents, and she begins to wonder what would happen if she just stopped being obedient. She decides to secretly buy a ticket to Seattle with her own savings.

Virginia tells her mother that she’s going to Seattle whether her mother agrees or not, and ends up having a great time reconnecting with Shannon and her family. A week before Christmas, a few of Byron’s old friends stop by the apartment but don’t stay long. Virginia tells Byron that it’s probably because they believe that he is a rapist. Byron becomes completely enraged, shouting expletives at her and forcing her to lock herself in her room. Shaken, she sneaks out later and finds the Columbia dorm room of Annie Mills, the girl Byron raped. Virginia apologizes to Annie for what her brother did, and Annie responds by telling Virginia that Byron hasn’t ruined her life because she refuses to let anyone turn her into a victim. Virginia identifies with Annie, as it occurs to her that she doesn’t have to be a victim either and can take control of her own life.

Inspired by Annie, Virginia launches a campaign to stick up for herself. She buys a low cut dress and dyes her hair purple for her parents’ holiday party. After Christmas, she takes up kickboxing and begins making friends with people in her class. She confronts Byron about how terribly he’s been treating her, and tells her dad to please stop commenting on her weight. Finally, she starts a webzine with kids from her school called “Earthquack” and suddenly has a whole new group of friends to sit with at lunch. But the best thing that happens is when Froggy, who she was always sure was only interested in making out with her private, kisses her in front of the entire Earthquack staff. Slowly but surely, Virginia is realizing that her world, and the people she chooses to have in it, doesn’t have to revolve around her “big butt.”

The Message: You don’t have to be a victim. You can take control of your life by standing up for yourself. Follow your dreams. If you set goals, you can accomplish anything.

Who’s it for? Why, for all the “fat girls,” of course! Actually, Mackler’s novel is perfect for 7th-12th graders, chubby or not. Virginia’s issues span the gamut of female adolescent emotion, and there won’t be a 12 to 17 year old girl alive who can’t relate. There are a few rather racy make out scenes between Virginia and Froggy where lots of heavy petting goes on, but no actual intercourse. Virginia also has frequent daydreams about a certain “green-eyed Yankee’s short stop,” (who readers will recognize as Derek Jeter, though he remains unnamed throughout the book) and enjoys oogling his rear during games. There is also some strong language and bullying issues.

Why it rocks:
• Voice: In a funny, self-deprecating first person voice, Carolyn Mackler addresses serious issues of class, body image, emerging sexuality, and self-mutilation in an understated way that never comes off as didactic or excessive.
• Plot: Kind of groundbreaking—in the wake of Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan-esque Gossip Girls, Mackler dared to write about a girl with a real body who has sexual feelings and deals with them in a realistic manner.
• Pacing: Chronological and straightforward, building nicely to the catalytic climax of Virginia meeting Annie.
• Characterization: While some reviewers say Mackler assigned Virginia too many issues, and didn’t deal with them all to the same extent. I completely disagree. By lightly touching on each issue and layering it into Virginia’s personality, Mackler created a full picture of a real girl, who, despite her family’s wealth and prestige, is in quiet crisis. In addition, all of the secondary characterizations of Virginia’s family members are excellent and Mackler is careful to show the impact of each of their individual dysfunctions on Virginia.

Hook it up with: Myrtle of Willendorf by Rebecca O'Connell and Life in the Fat Lane by Cherie Bennett

Read more about it:
Booklist: 09/01/03
Horn Book: 04/01/04
Kirkus Review: 06/15/03
Publishers Weekly: 07/21/03
School Library Journal: 09/01/03
V.O.Y.A. (Voice of Youth Advocates): 10/01/03

Even though you didn't ask for it...

2007-06-04T17:49:00.001-07:00

here's the intro to the Rriot Grrl chapter. Check it out, it's one of my favorites.

Chapter Two
Righteous Rrriot Grrl Reads
Introduction

"I don’t know about you, but if I see one more hot pink cover with silvery embossed letters called something like, “Hot Girl” “It Girl” “Gotta Get It Girl” or “How I Became a 8th Grade Hottie in 10 Easy Steps,” this girl is gonna lose her lunch. Seriously, it was cute when Bridget Jones did it, and when Georgia Nicholson and her thong came along, I was still feeling the chick lit. vibe. But enough already! Publishing marketers have finally figured out what we librarians have known for a long time—girls read. If you’ll allow me a gross generalization, girls tend to read early, they read a lot, and they read fiction. They read what their friends are reading, they read their mom’s Oprah books, and they love to read about relationships—friendships, romances, parent problems—in all their messy, emotional permutations. Publishers are taking advantage of that fact by drowning bookstore shelves in candy-colored, fluffy covers that contain even fluffier stories. Don’t get me wrong, fluff has its place. But when all of these stories begin to run together and I can’t keep Stacy from this clique straight from Cindy in that country club, then I know I’ve hit the chick-lit wall. It’s over, I can’t stomach one more cutesy, clever, sarcastic, knowing, sexy, gossipy, confessional, tell-all, weepy, feel-good, feel-bad girl book. I just can’t. So I’m going to dish up some great girlie reads by smart authors who give the chick-lit genre a little twist and shout, who tell honest stories about girls, their lives and both types of BF’s (boyfriends and best friends) that’s aren’t so cool they’re hot, if you know what I mean. They may have hot pink covers, but it is there the slickness ends. Let’s give girls books that show them standing up for themselves, figuring themselves out, and not taking “no” for an answer. In other words, let’s lose the Gossip Girl, and bring out the RRriot Grrl that secretly lives in the heart of every female teen with these girls-rule reads!"

So, can I just say...

2007-05-29T18:07:00.000-07:00

that it sucks waiting on reviews for your book?

No reader comments on amazon.com.

No comments posted here.

No comments. Period.

sigh.

It's lonely out here in cyber-space.

peace out,

Jen

Amazon is down to...

2007-05-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

...two copies! I actually have one of those "Only 2 left in stock--order soon (more on the way)" statements on my little old Reading Rants book page. I have to wonder if it's all just a big ploy to get people to buy more books--like, hurry up and buy, we're almost out! It's still surreal to see my book on Amazon. I mean, I've reviewed books for them for years. I just never expected to see a book BY me floating around out there in cyberspace. So weird.

Anyway, according to Amazon, there's only 2 left! So order your copy quick! (or take your time, because I'm still not convinced it's not a come-on;)

over and out,

JJ Huberkins

And now...the Table of Contents!

2007-05-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

So, now that you've seen an example of one of my summaries, naturally you'll want to know what titles are covered in Reading Rants, the book.

I totally understand.

I was actually surprised that Neal-Schuman didn't post the TOC on their website, but that is easily remedied here.

If the titles listed below sound like books you could use a refresher on, or books you'd like to booktalk, or books you booktalked a few times, but have since either forgotton or lost your booktalk and now you want to write a new one but you don't want to read the entire book again, or maybe you're just curious about how Reading Rants the book differs from Reading Rants, the former website and now blog, then please feel free to go to Neal Schuman or Amazon.com and order up a copy of your very own!

It's surprisingly easy;)

Chapter One: Boy Meets Book

Auseon, Andrew. Funny Little Monkey. (2005)
Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bucking the Sarge. (2004)
Green, John. Looking for Alaska. (2005)
Hautman, Pete. Godless. (2004)
Jenkins, A.M. Out of Order. (2003)
Nelson, Blake. Rock Star, Superstar. (2004)
Powell, Randy. Three Clams and an Oyster. (2002)
Slade, Arthur. Tribes. (2002)
Weaver, Will. Full Service. (2005)
Yoo, David. Girls for Breakfast. (2005)

Chapter Two: Righteous Rriot Grrl Reads

Dessen, Sarah. This Lullaby. (2002)
Flake, Sharon. Who am I Without Him? (2004)
Frank, Hilary. Better Than Running at Night. (2002)
Lockhart, E. The Boyfriend List. (2005)
Mackler, Carolyn. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things. (2003)
Marchetta, Melina. Saving Francesca. (2004)
Moriarty, Jaclyn. The Year of Secret Assignments. (2004)
Sones, Sonya. One of those Hideous Books where the Mother Dies. (2004)
Stone, Tanya Lee. A Bad Boy Can Be Good For a Girl. (2005)
Vance, Susanna. Deep. (2003)

Chapter Three: The Closet Club: Fiction for GLBTQ teens & their friends

Ferris, Jean. Eight Seconds. (2000)
Freymann-Weyr, Garrett. My Heartbeat. (2002)
Hartinger, Brent. Geography Club. (2003)
Hyde, Catherine Ryan. Becoming Chloe. (2006)
Johnson, Maureen. The Bermudez Triangle. (2004)
Larochelle, David. Absolutely, Positively, Not…(2005)
Levithan, David. Boy Meets Boy. (2003)
Myracle, Lauren. Kissing Kate. (2003)
Ryan, Sara. Empress of the World. (2001)
Wittlinger, Elllen. Hard Love. (1999)

Chapter Four: The Terrible Tweens: 10-13 Going on 30.

Boyce, Frank Cottrell. Millions. (2004)
Broach, Elise. Shakespeare’s Secret. (2005)
Choldenko, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Shirts. (2004)
Clements, Andrew. Things Not Seen. (2002)
Jocelyn, Marthe. Mabel Riley. (2004)
Nelson, Blake. Gender Blender. (2006)
Nickerson, Sara. How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found. (2002)
Shusterman, Neal. The Schwa Was Here. (2004)
Weeks, Sarah. So B. It. (2004)
Winerip, Michael. Adam Canfield of the Slash. (2005)

Chapter Five: True Grit: The Most Challenging (and possibly challenged) titles

Burgess, Melvin. Doing It. (2004)
Crutcher, Chris. Whale Talk (2001)
Frank, E.R. America. (2002)
Hopkins, Ellen. Crank. (2004)
Jacobson, Jennifer Richard. Stained. (2005)
Johnson, Kathleen Jeffrie. Target (2003)
Nolan, Han. Born Blue. (2001)
Paulsen, Gary. The Beet Fields (2000)
Rapp, Adam. 33 Snowfish. (2003)
Williams-Garcia, Rita. No Laughter Here. (2004)

Chapter Six: Graphic Fantastic

Cooke, Darwyn. Selina’s Big Score. (2002)
Clugston-Major, Chynna. Queen Bee. (2005)
Loeb, Jeph and Tim Sale. Spiderman: Blue. (2004)
Niles, Steve and Ben Templesmith. 30 Days of Night. (2003)
Parker, Jeff. The Interman. (2003)
Smith, Jeff and Charles Vess. Rose. (2002)
Vaughn, Brian K. Runaways. (2003)
Vaughn, Brian K. Y: The Last Man. Vol. 1: Unmanned (2003)
Whedon, Josh and Karl Moline. Fray. (2003)
Willingham, Bill. Fables. (2002)

Chapter Seven: Historical Fiction for Hipsters

Carbone, Elisa. Last Dance on Holladay Street (2005)
Donnelly, Jennifer. A Northern Light (2003)
Hearn, Julie. The Minister’s Daughter. (2005)
McCaughrean, Geraldine. The Kite Rider. (2002)
Meyer, L.A. Bloody Jack. (2002)
Morpungo, Michael. Private Peaceful. (2004)
Napoli, Donna Jo. Breath. (2003)
Salisbury, Graham. Eyes of the Emperor (2005)
Spinelli, Jerry. Milkweed. (2003)
Updale, Eleanor. Montmorency. (2004)

Chapter Eight: Nailbiters: Teen tales of mystery and suspense

Cormier, Robert. The Rag and Bone Shop. (2001)
Flinn, Alex. Nothing to Lose. (2004)
Giles, Gail. Shattering Glass. (2002)
Klass, David. You Don’t Know Me. (2001)
Lynch, Chris. Inexcusable. (2005)
McNamee, Graham. Acceleration. (2003)
Morgenroth, Kate. Jude. (2005)
Springer, Nancy. The Case of the Missing Marquess (2006)
Trueman, Terry. Inside Out. (2003)
Werlin, Nancy. The Rules of Survival (2006)

Chapter Nine: Dystopian Dreams: Teen Sci-Fi

Adlington, L.J. The Diary of Pelly D. (2005)
Anderson. M.T. Feed. (2002)
Halam, Ann. Siberia. (2005)
Hautman, Pete. Rash. (2006)
Lanagan, Margo. Black Juice. (2005)
Oppel, Kenneth. Airborn. (2004)
Pfeffer, Susan Beth. Life As We Knew It. (2006)
Reeve, Philip. Mortal Engines. (2003)
Westerfeld, Scott. Uglies. (2005)
Zahn, Timothy. Dragon and Thief. (2003)

Chapter Ten: Graduating Hogwarts: Post Harry Potter fantasy for teens

Barker, Clive. Abarat. (2002)
Bray, Libba. A Great and Terrible Beauty. (2003)
Delaney, Joseph. The Last Apprentice. (2005)
Fisher, Catherine. Oracle Betrayed. (2004)
Horowitz, Anthony. Raven’s Gate. (2005)
Pattou, Edith. East. (2003)
Pratchett, Terry. The Wee Free Men. (2003)
Shinn, Sharon. The Safe-Keeper’s Secret. (2004)
Stroud, Jonathan. The Amulet of Samarkand (2003)
Wooding, Chris. Poison. (2005)

Do You Want a Taste?

2007-04-23T18:07:00.003-07:00

So, you want to see a sample?

I don't blame you, I'd like to see the goods before I bought the book, too.

So, here's an example of what you'll get from the first chapter ("Boy Meets Book") of Reading Rants: a guide to books that rock by Jennifer Hubert:

Green, John. 2005. Looking for Alaska. New York: Penguin Group. 221 p.

THE STORY: High school junior Miles Halter is a studious loner who enjoys reading biographies of famous literati and memorizing their last words. Having decided he’ll never be able to understand the “Great Perhaps” mentioned by dying poet Francois Rabelais unless he leaves the stagnant atmosphere of his small Florida town, Miles enrolls in dad’s Alabama alma mater, Culver Creek boarding school.

Miles is assigned to room with Chip “Colonel” Martin, who can recite the countries of the world in alphabetical order, and is best friends with the alluring Alaska Young. Alaska is a beautiful, brilliant, reckless scholarship student who is addicted to reading and staging elaborate practical jokes. At their first meeting, she flirtatiously promises Miles that if he helps her figure out the meaning behind Simon Bolivar’s last words, “How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?” she will help him get laid. Miles is immediately smitten, despite the fact that she has an older boyfriend.

Alaska, the Colonel, and Takumi, an easy going Japanese rapper, quickly initiate Miles into their close-knit clique. Soon they are studying pre-calc over French fries, having a quick cigarette in the smoking hole, or planning pranks under the nose of the dean of students, the formidable Mr. Starnes, a.k.a. “The Eagle.” The homework is hard and plentiful, but Miles is up to the challenge and is especially pleased with the intelligent content of his religion teacher, Dr. Hyde’s, lectures. He also begins to fall more in love with Alaska, and their relationship deepens when the two spend the Thanksgiving holiday alone on campus together, swilling cheap wine and gleefully breaking into the deserted rooms of other students.

Alaska reveals a secret that draws Miles even closer one weekend when the group is camping surreptitiously in the woods, after lying to the Eagle about their weekend destinations in order to plan a complicated prank. In a drinking game of “Best Day/Worst Day” Alaska tells the story of witnessing her mother’s collapse and death from an aneurysm when she was eight years old. Miles decides then and there that Bolivar’s labyrinth is human suffering. Only a few nights later, Alaska gets drunk and makes out with Miles, who thinks he has died and gone to heaven. But later that night, she receives a phone call, becomes very upset, and insists that Miles and the Colonel distract the Eagle so she can drive off campus. The boys set off firecrackers to mask the sound of Alaska’s car, then go back to sleep. They are awakened the next morning by the Eagle, who informs them Alaska died in a car accident.

In their extreme grief, Miles and the Colonel become obsessed with finding out why Alaska became so upset that night. They feel responsible for allowing her to drive while drunk. They discover that the phone call came from her boyfriend, who was reminding her of their eight-month anniversary, and also has no idea what made her so upset. It is Takumi who puts the pieces of the puzzle together when he reminds the others that the date Alaska died was also the anniversary of her mother’s death. They hypothesize that Alaska grew distraught over forgetting the date and rushed off to her mother’s grave.

Meanwhile, they have planned the prank to end all pranks in her honor when they hire a male stripper in place of an academic speaker for a school assembly. For a final exam, Dr. Hyde assigns the entire class to contemplate Alaska’s last essay, which paraphrased Bolivar’s quote: How will you ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering? The book ends with Miles’ answer, where he emphasizes his belief that Alaska still exists somewhere, outside the labyrinth.

THE MESSAGE: Love hurts. Change is inevitable. Open yourself to new people and experiences. Nobody ever gained anything worth having without taking a risk. Life is a package deal—you have to take the good with the bad, and learn what you can from both.

WHO'S IT FOR? 9th-12th grade. There is some strong language, lots of underage drinking and smoking, and a blow-by-blow (sorry, couldn’t resist) description of Miles’ first oral sex experience. Miles’ and Alaska’s contemplations of the labyrinth and the possibility of an afterlife will also be far better understood and appreciated by high school rather than middle school students.

WHY IT ROCKS:
• Voice: This autobiographical, first person story is spare and introspective. Green captures the giddiness and sincerity of Miles’ teenage milestones (first love, first smoke, first experience with death) with unadorned prose and realistic dialogue that honors and validates the difficulty of the adolescent journey.
• Plot: The unusual structure of Looking for Alaska heightens the tension of the inevitable climax, and emphasizes the role time plays in the healing process. The opening of each chapter starts with a countdown of days until Alaska’s death, then counts up again as Miles begins the long, slow journey back to himself.
• Pacing: The measured stillness of this smart, articulate book shouldn’t be confused with simplicity. It moves at a deliberate pace that allows the reader to experience Miles’ epiphanies as he does, with a slow, thoughtful recognition.
• Characterization: Miles is an every-teen, a sponge who goes out determined to soak up every experience he can out his new boarding school life. Though not every reader may be able to relate to Alaska’s vulnerable and extreme personality, most will be able to walk in Miles’ shoes.

HOOK IT UP WITH: Lovesick by Jake Coburn and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

READ MORE ABOUT IT:
Horn Book: 03/01/05
Kirkus Review, starred: 03/01/05
School Library Journal: 02/01/05
Publisher’s Weekly: 02/07/05
V.O.Y.A. (Voice of Youth Advocates): 04/01/05

Wow! It's finally here!

2007-04-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

Dear readers,

I never thought it would happen, but here it is!

Reading Rants, my website of book reviews for teen readers (www.readingrants.org) has been transformed into a book for librarians, teachers, parents, and other grown-ups interested in the all-too-cool world of YA literature.

I'm still in shock.

But I want to get the word out, and I want to know if this format is working for my adult colleagues who work with teens and are as crazy about them (and reality TV) as I am.

So I've created this space for folks to give me some feedback--

Do ya love it?

Do ya hate it?

If ya love it, what do you love?

If ya hate it, what could I have differently?

What would make this a better reader's advisory/collection development tool?

As you use this tome in your libraries, classrooms, or just for pleasure reading at the beach;) please let me know how it's working for you. If I ever ever attempt to write a book again (which, due to the all the "highs" I experienced--high stress, high blood pressure, high weight gain--I will not be rushing to do anytime terribly soon) I want to make any improvements that you, the readers--my YA librarian, middle and high school teacher, bookseller, and parent tribe--deem necessary.

And if you have no clue who I am or what I'm talking about, go here to find the answers to your burning questions:

www.readingrants.org

Peace out,

Jen Hubert Swan (aka Jennifer Hubert, JHS, J-Hu, & JJ Huberkins--that last moniker courtesy of two of my 8th grade students--thanks R&N!)