Book Review: The Turning

Title: The Turning

Author: Francine Prose

Teen Reviewer: Shannon Finney

Rating: 3/5 Stars

The Turning by New York Times bestselling author Francine Prose is a spooky and entertaining read, ideal for preteens. When high school student, Jack, first arrives at the remote island where he is to babysit two young children for the summer, he feels a little nervous but overall enthusiastic. However, it does not take long for Jack to become very unsettled and frightened about things going on in the house and with the kids, who both at first seem to be polite and friendly. Although the mansion is the only house on the island, and he and the children its only inhabitants, he begins to feel that they are not alone - that there are elusive spirits living among them. Read Jack’s letters to his girlfriend that recount the details of the strange happenings on the island, and witness the turn he takes from an easy-going kid to someone unlike his old self completely.

For the young reader, The Turning is suspenseful and thrilling. The way that Prose uses letter correspondence to tell the story allows you to get inside of Jack’s head, which helps develop the story and show the mental transformation that the events on the island puts him through. The added drama between him and his girlfriend adds to the excitement of the novel, and other unique touches of romance throughout will please paranormal teen-fiction fans. Readers who enjoy mysterious novels will also enjoy The Turning, as Jack’s investigation for the source of the activity on the island uncovers new leads that are not resolved until the end of the book. However, there were some issues with the novel that I could not ignore.

               

In this short, easy-to-read book, there are some parts that do not exactly make sense. Toward the middle of the novel, the conversation via mail becomes less realistic, as he continues to write extensive letters to his girlfriend even as their relationship goes through a rocky patch. Toward the end, he writes to his Dad about things that he was there to witness, throwing in phrases like “remember that, Dad?” Since everything he says in the letters must be said to tell the story, I think it would make more sense for the book to be written in the traditional style. Disregarding this minor detail, the book is still enjoyable and entertaining.

Overall, The Turning is an exciting, mysterious tale of creepy paranormal happenings and psychological deterioration. The young reader who enjoys a good scary read will enjoy this novel by Francine Prose.

Book Review: Revolution 19

Title: Revolution 19
Author: Gregg Rosenblum
Teen Reviewer: Kinsey Manchester
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

 Nick, his brother Kevin, and his adopted sister Cass have all lived in a community in the wilderness their whole lives, while keeping hidden and safe from the robots that now control the remainder of the world. One day, the robots find their civilization and attack it, killing some and capturing others. Nick, Cass, and Kevin barely manage to escape, but their parents are nowhere to be found. With no other options, the three teens decide that they must enter one of the dangerous, infamous Cities to search for their parents. The City has always been depicted as a place where robots ruthlessly rule over the human slaves. It is not a place where any human would journey to of their own free will. However, when the three arrive, they find that what they have been told is not exactly the truth. The siblings meet a pair of girls who decide to help them find their parents and hopefully save them from being assimilated into the City. The entire City is aware that they are on the loose so any person they see could turn them in to the authorities. Once their parents are assimilated, they could forget everything about themselves and worse, their children. As the three fight against time, robots, and even some other humans who are out to get them, they realize that it is not just about saving their family. There is a bigger goal- saving the human race from the control of the drones. Can Nick, Cass, and Kevin save their family and safely escape the dangerous City before the robots capture them? Or will all hope be crushed with the ruthlessness of the robots?

Revolution 19 was a science-fiction type novel with action, mystery, and even a little love interest on the side. Nick was my favorite character because he was the older brother and he always put the safety of Kevin and Cass above his own. He did a few stupid things, but to him, they made sense to keep his brother and sister safe, and that was his top priority. Nick was smart and clever, which was necessary in the dangerous situations that the children often found themselves in. Cass, who was the middle child, was also fun to read about. She could beat any guy at any athletic competition, and I admired her for that. Overall, I enjoyed all of the characters for their bravery and perseverance at remaining true to their mission of saving their parents. However, one thing stuck out as strange to me. The three siblings were relentlessly detected and discovered but never injured or killed. They witnessed other humans being murdered or hurt, but the real threat wasn’t until the end of the book. Their continuous good luck was a little too unrealistic for me. Don’t get me wrong, I was satisfied with the ending, and I definitely enjoyed the book. I liked the quick pace of the book. I found most of the characters very relatable and some of them even surprised me with their compassion in such scary predicaments. I would recommend it to anyone who likes sci-fi, dystopian, or action books. It was a good, quick read and I think most teen readers would enjoy it, too.

Book Review: My Book of Life By Angel

Title: My Book of Life by Angel
Author: Martine Leavitt
Teen Reviewer: Shannon Finney
Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Book of Life by Angel by Martine Leavitt is a realistic story told from the point of view of a young girl of the Vancouver streets. After her bad habit of shoplifting gets her kicked out of her home by her father, Angel moves in with Call, an older man who makes her feel grown up, and introduces her to new substances that she becomes addicted to. Without fully realizing it, Angel is turned into a prostitute under Call’s control, and loses all hope of ever returning to her former life.  It is not until Call brings home a new girl, a very young and innocent one, that Angel has something to fight for – someone that she can save. Angel, the protagonist that almost all teenage girls can relate to, whose thoughts remain innocent and pure despite her circumstances, tells her extremely moving and inspiring story about holding on to what’s right even when things could not be more wrong.

Written in free-verse poetry, the terse lines of My Book of Life by Angel capture the voice of the troubled teenager and give the reader a new perspective on the struggles of the women subjected to violent sexual experiences and exploitation under the control of their pimps. Though not sexually explicit, Angel’s story does contain some unsettling language that Leavitt uses to convey a completely realistic message about what young women of the sex trade go through.  Although the message is heart-wrenching, eye-opening and intense, the poetry makes it simple and easy to read. I would recommend this book to young women and men who want to learn more about the terrors of prostitution that are prevalent around the world, and the girls who become victims of the sex trade.

Death Cloud: Book Review

Title: Death Cloud

Author: Andrew Lane

Teen Reviewer: Timothy Wood

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Death Cloud, by Andrew Lane, is a book about a 14 year old Sherlock Holmes who is disappointed when he gets news that he will have to spend his time with his aunt and uncle, whom he has never met, instead of returning to London with his family for the summer because his father is sent overseas with the British Army, his mother is sick, and his brother, Mycroft, lives in London busily working for the British Government. What he thought would be a boring and tense vacation at his aunt and uncle's Holmes Manor turns out to be an exciting adventure when two bodies are discovered at the Manor and the town nearby. Investigating the deaths, Sherlock finds himself unraveling a diabolical plot with his new friend, Matty, and his new tutor from America, Amyus Crowe.

When I first picked up this book, I was skeptical of how enjoyable it would be simply because of the fact that many authors try to remake iconic fictional characters without much success. I am very happy to say that I was proven wrong. Being one of the only novels approved by the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate, Death Cloud doesn't try to copy Doyle's work, but rather enhances it in that we are able to see how the adult Sherlock is made, especially in his dealings with Amyus Crowe. The novel is brilliantly written in the complexity of the plot, yet is still very much understandable, which I have found to be lacking in most detective novels. If the novel is too simple it's boring, but if it is too complex it's confusing. This novel has the perfect balance. It was also very difficult to put down. I found myself reading late into the night because of its excitement. I do wish that this novel had included more examples of how Sherlock came to think in the way he does, but I think Lane will include more of these in later books. People of all ages, but especially young people, who like detective novels should most certainly consider this one, and I myself will be picking up Arthur Conan Doyle's original books featuring Sherlock Holmes because of how much I enjoyed Death Cloud. Personally, I cannot wait to read the next one! I rate this a 5 out of 5.

Book Review: Skinny

Title: Skinny
Author: Donna Cooner
Teen Reviewer: Kinsey Manchester
Rating: 4/5  Stars

Ever Davies is a high school sophomore who weighs over three hundred pounds. Since her mom passed away, the best way to control her feelings is through lots and lots of food. Sometimes, she can find solace in music, and it is her dream to one day be confident enough to sing for everyone in the school. Every day, she suffers the spiteful stares and cruel comments of her fellow classmates. Their relentless bullying and taunting does not surpass her own self-deprecation, though. Ever has an evil conscience, whom she has ironically nicknamed Skinny. Skinny does not let Ever go one day without reminding her just how ugly, fat, and unloved she really is. Finally, Ever decides that she needs to escape herself. She makes a decision to undergo gastric bypass surgery and change her life forever. With the help of her friend, Rat, Ever loses weight, but doesn’t find herself feeling any better. Her new and improved looks don’t change how she feels about herself, and Skinny never stops making her feel horrible. Ever has to readjust her attitude along with her eating habits if she wants her inner voice to shine through. Ever finds love along her long and painful journey of figuring out who she really is and which people are her true friends.

Skinny is a very touching and emotional book. I did not expect to become so attached to the novel and to all of its characters. Ever is a strong girl because of all that she has gone through. Her mother has passed away, and her father has remarried to a woman with two beautiful, skinny daughters. Ever has a hard time keeping her spirits up, and one way to do that it is to be mean. She forces her anger back on other people, which annoyed me to no end, but I understood why she did so. If people were that mean to me, I would probably act the same way. Her blindness to see what other people truly think of her is also sometimes annoying, but very human-like. Oftentimes, people don’t notice what others really think of them, and this is portrayed perfectly in Ever’s view of herself through Skinny. I enjoyed Ever’s taste in music, as a music lover, and thought it added a nice extra touch to understanding her life. Rat, Ever’s best friend, was so sweet and I simply loved his character! This book was very good, and I would recommend it to readers of all ages!

Book Review: Tender Morsels

Title: Tender Morsels

Author: Margo Lanagan

Teen Reviewer: Shannon Finney

Rating: 3/5 Stars 

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan is a fantasy novel about a woman who, after suffering throughout her teenage years as a victim of unspeakable abuse, finds peace and comes to understand the meaning of true happiness. As Liga Longfield begins to blossom into adulthood, her widower father’s mistreatments turn her life into a nightmare. Also becoming a victim of the towns boys’ violence, the tremendous pain Liga feels summons a magical force that transforms her village into a protected realm of her dreams. It is there that she raises her two daughters, Branza and Urdda, in perfect tranquility, without any of the unpleasant emotions that she felt in her old life. It is not until Liga discovers that her heaven is penetrable by strange bears and other fragments of the true world that her paradise is threatened, and her and the two girls’ lives are forced to evolve into something more real, and more fulfilling. 

Tender Morsels is a beautifully embellished, sometimes intense read full of magic, love, and emotion. Fans of fantasy novels will find themselves engulfed in the mystical setting and fairy-tale story   line led by empowered and independent women. The gruesome and fairly disturbing way that the novel begins might be too much for some readers, but the enchantment of Liga and her daughters’ journey through heaven and reality is too delightful to miss.

Lanagan’s technique of story-telling interweaves characters that seem to be unconnected at first, but by the end of the novel come together and are part of the same plot-line. Although this is an  interesting way to complicate a story and to involve the reader, I found the many characters hard to keep track of at times, especially when the point of view shifts in mid chapter, frequently even from third to   first-person. It takes a bit, after each shift, to figure out who the speaker is, and can only be determined     by the circumstances and other characters described. By the middle of the novel, I found this to be   tedious. However, this was not enough to take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. 

Tender Morsels is a beautifully detailed novel that any teen fantasy fan would thoroughly enjoy.     The great contrast of pain and dreamlike comfort that the three extraordinary women live through is fascinating and had me very much involved in the story. This novel makes a statement about life and what is   is truly important to humans that everyone can connect with. I’d recommend Tender Morsels to anyone who enjoys magical, deeply intimate stories about inspiring women.