If I said, “Sarah Dessen,” could I make you pause? What about “Jacqueline Woodson, Rich Wallace, and Ellen Wittlinger?” Would you stop to see what all these fabulous YA authors (and many more too numerous to mention in this short space) were doing in one collection? What if I said all of these cool shorts were about DESIRE in all its forms: sexual, identity, wanting to belong, wanting to connect, just WANTING? Would you stop for one hot second and see what all the heavy breathing was about? I’m thinking you might for a collection full of funny, smart, serious and true short stories about all the different people, privileges, feelings and connections that we long for as teenagers. There, made ya look!
Month: May 2007
Tomorrowland compiled by Michael Cart
Who hasn’t wanted to see into the future, even if it was just a little peek? Editor Michael Cart asked 10 well known YA writers to pen their versions of the future and they came up with some pretty funky results. Katherine Paterson created a future where humans have made their homes in sealed domes and no longer know the meanings of words like “hot” or “loneliness” except through virtual reality lessons. Jacqueline Woodson writes about how one girl, born out of a sperm donor deposit, is searching for both her father and her future. And Rodman Philbrick gives us a taste of his longer futuristic novel, The Last Book in the Universe, by describing a future where violence and brutality rule, and hope comes in the form of the written word. And those are just a few of the space age stories from this eclectic volume. Cool tattooed cover, too. Make sure you bring this one along on your latest mission to Mars.
The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold by Francesca Lia Block
Before diving into the dark and delicious mix of Francesca Lia Block’s collection, be warned that these fractured fairy tales are not for the faint of heart. Block imagines the fabled Wolf as a predatory live-in boyfriend who won’t leave you or your mother alone, and Bluebeard as a club-land, hipster serial killer of drugged-out, runaway girls. But there’s always a touch of Block’s signature whimsy–like when Beauty kinda wishes that her Beast had stayed a cute and cuddly lion instead of turning into an argumentative b-friend, and Thumbelina cures adolescent depression by making her crush-boy into a happy flower-prince who is as tiny as she. Another fabulous book by the amazing Block. Oh, stop making me gush and just go read it, already!
Life is Funny by E.R. Frank
Life is Funny is a book of inter-connected stories about this group of teens who are growing up in Brooklyn. Their individual first person voices are at once innocent and jaded, funny and incredibly heartbreaking. First-timer author Frank is also a social worker, and does she ever prove how well she knows her stuff. Gingerbread is in love with Keisha, who doesn’t mind that her hilarious and loving boyfriend has to control his manic personality with Ritalin. Eric is determined to keep a hold of his little brother Mickey, no matter how many foster homes they are moved to. Grace and Ebony, though worlds and skin colors apart, manage to have an awesome friendship in spite of Grace’s racist and alcoholic mom. And those guys are just a sample of the teens you’ll meet in these pages. Frank tackles almost every contemporary teen issue and put a new face and a fresh talking mouth on it. Which is a struggle for established YA authors, let alone a newbie. A guaranteed perfect read.
Doing Time: Notes from the Undergrad by Rob Thomas
Like all of Rob’s books (with perhaps the exception of Green Thumb, in my humble opinion), Doing Time is fabulous. The stories all share the same premise: every student in them has to perform some sort of community service work to graduate. There’s Laura, a total wannabe, who does her community service in the local hospital in the head trauma unit because she has a crush on last year’s Prom King, a permanent resident since his motorcycle accident. In “Loss of Pet,” Fiona hears a very unusual story from the most popular girl at school as she’s serving her time as a library assistant. And Teesha learns that charity can hit a little too close to home when she signs on to help with a local food drive. All of these stories contain powerful hooks that will reel you all the way in and keep you on the line until the very last page. Short, but completely satisfying.
What’s in a Name by Ellen Wittlinger
There are two kinds of people who live in Scrub Harbor–the people who like it just the way it is and those who would change the city’s name to the classier “Folly Bay.” Not surprisingly, the working class folk are sticking with Scrub, while the upper crusty set are wrangling for the name change. The class division has trickled down into the high school, where the students are also arguing over the name issue. Readers discover that labels and stereotypes really have nothing to do with the actual person. (But you go to high school– you know that already!) There’s O’Neill, who seems like a typical anti-social loner, but who’s really a complex person with a pretty complex secret. Popular, run-everything Gretchen decides that maybe it’s NOT all about wearing the right clothes and dating the star football player. Middle class Nelson thinks that just because he’s black, he has something in common with Shaquanda, but he couldn’t be more wrong. What’s in a Name is a frosted mini-wheat of a book–a sweet, easy read with some real substance inside.
Here’s Your Hat, What’s Your Hurry by Elizabeth McCracken
Almost indescribable, this collection of stories about complete oddballs will challenge you to try and figure out what a tattooed librarian, a homeless old lady named Aunt Helen and a little girl who’s dad is entirely too nice to strangers, have in common. This book defines the word “quirky.” A really original read that I haven’t been able to get out of my head, and I hope you will invite into yours.
145th Street by Walter Dean Myers
These ten stories are about what life is like in the Harlem neighborhood of 145th Street. You got quiet Monkeyman, who’s still waters run deep the day he decides he won’t be intimidated by gang warfare no more. There’s Kitty, who won’t let Mack give up on their love and Big Joe, who wants to enjoy his funeral NOW instead of after he’s dead. There’s drive-bys and beatings and unexpected death, but also tons of friendship, humor and laughter. An excellent introduction to Myers writing, if you haven’t read him before. And if you haven’t, shame on you! His novel Monster won the first ever 2000 Printz award, for outstanding YA lit!
Kissing Tennessee and Other Stories from the Stardust Dance by Kathi Appelt
The best way to describe this book that revolves around the events of an eighth grade dance is “sweet” and “low.” There are some truly sweet moments, like when Peggy Lee REALLY kisses her best friend Tennessee for the first time, or when Russ remembers his first love, Annie P., who he will never be able to kiss again. But these are balanced by the hard-hitting lows of watching Becca Scott relive the horror of her recent date rape, and Mary Sarah hoping that the wearing of a forbidden red ribbon won’t earn her a beating. A good blend of hard and soft tales, despite the somewhat mushy and romantic-al book cover.
Places I Never Meant to Be: Original Stories by Censored Writers edited by Judy Blume
And now, the best for last! Judy Blume, a veteran YA author who’s taken many pot-shots for her ground-breaking novels, has assembled and edited some awesome shorts by other YA authors who have had to deal with censorship. The stories themselves aren’t ABOUT censorship, but showcase some really fine writing that perhaps censors wouldn’t let us read if they had their way. I don’t think there was a story here I didn’t love. Julius Lester writes about the son of a civil rights hero who falls for the only white girl in his African American lit. class. Paul Zindel writes about the revenge wrecked on an evil cheerleader by a lonely fat girl. Rachel Vail writes about a female basketball star who, after having sex for the first time, wonders what all the hoopla was about. And Walter Dean Myers delivers a lyrical, beautifully written story about how hard it is for his main character to reconcile his campus life at a small liberal arts college with his home life in Harlem, where his sister is slowly losing her battle with drugs. And each story comes with a personal note from the author about their thoughts on censorship. Really fantastic stuff. I envy you if you haven’t read it yet, ’cause you’re in for a delicious treat. I ate it all up in two days flat!
Ludie’s Life by Cynthia Rylant
Ludie lived during a different time, in a place called West Virginia, in a region known as Appalachia. A time when girls married in their teens, when families were dependant on what could be mined from the ground, one of the only forms of entertainment was gossiping with the neighbor over the back fence, and a woman was proud to be “famous for her biscuits.” Ludie sent most of her six children to college, even though she never went herself, believed that “doting on” any animal that didn’t provide a service was “a certain pass given to those of a certain class,” and buried a beloved husband who died from the coal dust he inhaled his whole life. Cynthia Rylant’s free verse character study of a person and a way of life that is seldom explored in teen literature is a warm, poignant homage to days gone by. Draw up a chair and sit with Ludie awhile. Listen to her stories. I promise you’ll be glad you did.
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
D.J.’s good at two things: milking cows and playing football. She’s been working on her family’s Wisconsin dairy farm since she could walk, and learned all the ins and outs of playing ball from her two older brothers, both school champions. So when a close family friend (the coach of her school’s rival team) asks her to help his quarterback train, D.J. reluctantly agrees, thinking no one will ever find out. How was she supposed to know that a) she’d end up falling for said hunky quarterback and b) she’d also end up loving the game so much she goes out for her own team, makes it, and plays the first game of the season against her crush?! This endearing first novel is sweet, funny and the polar opposite of Gossip Girls. If you prefer a tall glass of milk to a no-foam latte and don’t mind a little football in your chick lit., then Dairy Queen is the perfect read for you!
Alice’s Tulips by Sandra Dallas
Sassy 18 year old Alice doesn’t know if she can take being shut up with her dried up mother in law one second more. Her handsome new husband Charlie has gone off to fight in the Civil War on the side of the Union and left her in the care of his mother, a sour old lady who thinks Alice is too flighty and flirtatious. Alice’s story is told through a series of letters to her sister, where she complains about her mother in law, gossips about neighbors, worries about Charlie and shares quilt patterns. And Charlie isn’t the only one seeing action. In his absence, Alice contends with homeless vagrants, food shortages, and even accusations that she is being untrue to Charlie with a local man of ill repute. But through it all, Alice tries to stay hopeful that one day her solider boy will come walking home again. An earthy read with a little old fashioned scandal that will show you a side of the Civil War your textbook didn’t cover.
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
India Opal Buloni (sounds like the lunch meat) isn’t sure about her new hometown of Naomi, Florida. She hasn’t made any friends yet, because of the people her age in town, Amanda Wilkenson is “pinch-faced” and the Dewberry brothers are mean and due to their summer crew cuts, a pair of “bald headed babies” besides. But then she meets the best friend a girl could have–a big old dog she christens Winn-Dixie, since she found him smack in he middle of the produce section of the Winn-Dixie market. Through his tail-wagging antics, Winn-Dixie introduces India to a whole passel of people–Miss Franny Block, the venerable story-telling librarian of the Herman W. Block Memorial Library, Otis the guitar-playing pet store clerk, and Sweetie Pie Thomas, a knuckle-sucking five year old who loves Winn-Dixie almost as much as India. And maybe, just maybe, Winn-Dixie can help India make friends with that pinch-faced Amanda Wilkenson and those bald-headed Deweberry brothers, too. Homey and comforting, Because of Winn-Dixie goes down like hot chocolate on a cold December afternoon.
Belle Prater’s Boy by Ruth White
Everybody in Coal Station, Virginia thinks Woodrow Prater is a little kooky, including his cousin Gypsy. See, one night Woodrow’s mama Belle just up and disappeared and no one has seen hide nor hair of her since. Now, Woodrow is living next door to Gypsy with their grandparents and Gypsy can’t wait to find out if Woodrow knows how or why Belle Prater evaporated. Unfortunately, Gypsy doesn’t know how to go about asking very tactfully, and Woodrow is being pretty close-mouthed about the whole affair. There’ll be a whole lotta hurt feelings and broken hearts before the mystery of Belle Prater is finally solved. A fine, folky read that was chosen as a Newbery Honor book in 1996.