Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff

A sweet, engaging story of a girl dealing with fears after her brother’s unexpected death. For all of that, it manages to be funny and avoids becoming maudlin, helped along by a cast of likable characters. Its strengths are a depiction of childhood fears that feels real and the avoidance of any preaching or pat answers, combined with story that should appeal particularly to elementary school girl who like the occasional sad moment and realistic stories.

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Thursdays are my half day at work, so as usual I’m catching up on reviews.  Putting together my thoughts on A Broken Vessel got me thinking about my favorite mystery series, and what it is that makes them stick with me.  Of course, I typed it all up in the same post as the review, but it managed to disappear when I hit publish.  Sigh. Apparently it wants to be its own post.

Kate Ross’ Julian Kestrel books remind me, in the way they have both a satisfying mystery and endearing characters and strong writing, of some of my favorite series.  These are the ones that you want to reread you want to spend more time with those characters and in the mind of the writer.  And since I’m already planning to reread Ross’ books (and I’m only halfway through the series) I thought I ought to add them to that rarified list.

• Dorothy Sayers’ Lord Peter books, starting with Whose Body? and peaking with Gaudy Night.
• Josephine Tey’s Inspector Alan Grant series – my favorite is The Daughter of Time – as well as the stand-alone Brat Farrar.
• Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie books, starting with Case Histories – these are of a different style, but memorable and complicated and nuanced in a way that should hold up well in a reread.

There are a few other series that I enjoy while reading, but don’t plan on going back to, like Ariana Franklin’s series starting with Mistress of the Art of Death and Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs books, but which I don’t hesitate to recommend.  Then there are the fluffier, funnier series, like any of Elizabeth Peters’ books or Deanna Raybourn’s Lady Julia series – you only reread these when you need brain candy, not something filling (but sometimes you really want brain candy).

What else should I have on my list?  Or any of the lists, really, because you can’t read Gaudy Night every week.

Title quote from the last sentence of The Daughter of Time.

A Broken Vessel by Kate Ross

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fantastic follow-up to Cut to the Quick, with a very different mystery and setting, but even more of the inimitable Julian Kestrel. Julian’s getting more into the swing of things, as a detective, and now he’s on his own turf in Regency London. He is thrown out of his element a bit by the introduction of Dipper’s sister, Sally, who brings a crime his way and provides him with an often hilarious counterpart. I’m curious to see how Sally figures into the later books, but I’m trying not to gobble them down too quickly because there are only four. Definitely read Cut to the Quick first, if this blend of historical fiction, mystery, and sharp-witted characters sounds appealing.

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Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance 1973 by John Barnes

This is a big book – figuratively and literally – and it’s hard to know where to start. It’s one of those books where you completely buy into the world of the story – it’s character driven, and you never doubt for a moment that this is how they would act or think. But because it feels so real, it’s that much more difficult to read. Each of the high schoolers is so painfully messed up, each family has so many issues. It never reads like a problem novel, partly because it’s so well crafted and partly because there are so many problems that it would be hard to sum up the issues in a simple sentence. It’s a book about teenage alcoholics. It’s a book about abuse, neglect, alcoholic parents, trying to get out of a small town, violence, therapy, the social worlds of high school. It’s not really about romance as much as the desire for, er, romance. And when I say romance…let’s just say that the book is frank about a lot of things. Substance abuse, sex, cussing, violence – it doesn’t try to pretty things up. It does have a surprisingly happy ending, which at first felt a bit pat and easy. But as I thought it over, I realized that the book just happens to take place over a few days when a corner is turned in Karl’s life. They start out as fairly ordinary days, the first of his senior year, but they turn out to be significant days. Mixed into all of this are the stories – the tales of the Madman Underground – that introduce the reader to the characters and their history. It’s a combination that works well, and while the book is not an easy read, it moves along quickly considering the length. This one will definitely be interesting to discuss at the Mock Printz workshop – I just hope that everyone else manages to work their way through the whole thing. View all my reviews >>

Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman

A surprisingly fascinating portrait of Charles and Emma Darwin, from the time Charles made up his mind to marry, until Emma’s death. They come to life vividly – their marriage, Charles’ work and his feelings about publishing a controversial theory, their children and home life, their illnesses and tragedies. Recommended if you want to know more about the Darwins or are looking for satisfying but not overwhelmingly long biography. This might appeal best to high schoolers and up, with the focus on relationships and family.

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In addition to the Mock Printz this January, I’m also going to a Mock Newbery workshop.  For some reason, I’m not as fired up about these titles, but it’s been a few years since I went to one (the infamous year of Criss Cross, which I couldn’t even bring myself to finish for the workshop), so I’m looking forward to it.  This is a longer, full-day workshop, so hopefully that will mean more time to discuss each title.  Here’s the list:

• Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone. Candlewick, 2009.
• Heart of a Shepherd by Roseanne Parry.  Random House Books for Young Readers, 2009.
• How Oliver Olson Changed the World by Claudia Mills.  Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009.
• The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo. Candlewick, 2009.
• Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman.  Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2009.
• A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck.  Dial, 2009.
• When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.  Wendy Lamb Books, 2009.
• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009.

So far I’ve read When You Reach Me and A Season of Gifts, and out of the two my choice would be When You Reach Me.  I like that they’ve thrown some non-fiction and poetry into the mix, and all in all they’re fairly short books, which works in my favor when I’ve got two lists to read through.  I am disappointed that my personal favorite, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, didn’t make the list, but such is life.  I’ll update as I work through the list and add more reviews.

Also, for anyone who enjoys the whole Mock Newbery thing, the SLJ blog Heavy Medal is a must read.  They’ve discussed A Season of Gifts and When You Reach Me at length, and there are some interesting conversations going on about plot, style, nonfiction, age level, and where picture book texts fit into things.  Always thoughtful and occasionally riling – and definitely look at the comments.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What’s the appeal of sad books, anyway? Why do some of us find it cathartic to have a nice weep over a story? Why is a teenager on the brink of choosing life or death after a terrible accident so compelling? Here, part of the appeal is that it’s tightly told. It’s heartbreaking but never maudlin, as Mia weaves reminiscences into the story of the accident. The flashbacks feel natural, connecting in small ways to what’s happening in the hospital without feeling too perfectly matched. There’s enough backstory to feel like you know Mia and her family, as well and her boyfriend and her best friend, but not so much that is distracts from the central question – will she stay? While I personally never doubted how it would end, the story of how she reaches that conclusion is compelling.

One relatively minor quibble with the story, which was probably made worse by the fact that I listened to the audio version. Kirsten Potter did an excellent job reading the story – she sounded like a teenager, and the quality of her voice matched what we know about Mia’s personality. Most of the story works well as a listening experience, especially the dramatic moments in the accident when you might be tempted to flip ahead a few pages in the print version. But the dialogue – oh, the poor dialogue! At first I blamed Kirsten, but then I realized that she was doing the best she could with what was on the page. The lines sometimes feel put into the characters’ mouths – especially Mia’s parents. They felt almost precocious, like Forman was trying too hard to make them hip and savvy and bright. Teddy suffered a bit, too, as well as some family friends. The teenagers, thankfully, felt more natural, but I’d be curious to hear if anyone else found the dialogue distracting.

On the whole, a moving story that avoids too much sentimentality, and recommended to high school girls, in particular, who like that sort of thing – although it’s not too girly, so I imagine it has a male audience, too.

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I’m going to yet another Mock Printz in January (and a Mock Newbery, but more on that later).  This is my…fourth?  I starting going in 2007, which doesn’t seem all that long ago, but 2007, 2008, 2009, and this one will be 2010.  Okay, I can count!

Here’s this year’s reading list:

• Wintergirls, Laurie Halse Anderson
• Crazy Beautiful, Lauren Baratz-Logsted
• Tales of the Madman Underground, John Barnes
• All the Broken Pieces, Ann E. Burg
• If I Stay, Gayle Forman
• North of Beautiful, Justina Chen Headley
• The Miles Between, Mary E. Pearson
• Marcelo in the Real World, Francisco X. Stork
• Heroes of the Valley, Jonathan Stroud
• The Eternal Smile, Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim

Links are to my reviews here.  I just finished listening to If I Stay, so I’ll have a review up soon.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see Wintergirls pick up the award (mock and/or real) in January – the writing is really excellent – but gosh, I just didn’t like it.  I know that’s not an award criteria, but I’d rather see Marcelo or North of Beautiful get a shiny sticker.  Although I almost want to reread those two to see how they hold up, after I’ve read the rest of the list.  Perhaps on audio – Marcelo, at least, is out on audio.

I enjoyed Heroes of the Valley, but I would never have considered it for the Printz.  Maybe because it felt a bit younger to me, or just because it didn’t have that ‘wow’ quality, I’m not sure.  I’m looking forward to the discussion on that one.

Now it’s time to get cracking on the rest of the list – I’ve of Madman Underground on my shelf, and it’s enormous.  I’m looking forward to the Mary Pearson, since I loved The Adoration of Jenna Fox, and Crazy Beautiful sounds really interesting but hasn’t come into the library yet.  I’ll keep updating as I read through the list.

Another review I neglected to post, for another Mock Printz title. Gosh, I still love that cover.
Marcelo In The Real World by Francisco X. Stork

I ought to have reviewed this while it was fresh in my mind, because it’s an excellent older YA and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see it pick up some awards, or at least be considered. It’s almost a five-star book in my mind, although I didn’t quite fall head over heels for it. But it’s a meaty book with a lot going on. First, it’s fascinating to see the world through Marcelo’s eyes, and it almost makes you feel like an anthropologist in your own culture. Then there’s a bit of a legal drama to make the story move along, but without detracting from the characters, which are one of the real strengths of the story. Throw in Marcelo’s thoughts on religion and spirituality, and you’ve got a book that isn’t quite like anything else I’ve seen. It’s not for the youngest end of YA looking for a fun story – apart from lots of strong language and references to sex, adultery, etc., the themes are just so much about going out into “the real world” and grappling with big questions of responsibility and ethics. I would suggest this to adults who don’t think they’d like YA. And isn’t the cover just gorgeous? It’s even better in person.

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I read this one back in June, but I never posted my review here. It’s on the Mock Printz list this year, and I’m pleased as punch.

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
I’m almost tempted to make this a 5 star book because it seems like such a perfect example of what a YA novel should be. It’s thoughtful, but never slow. The characters feel real, growing and changing in believable ways. The setting always serves the story, whether it’s small-town Washington or big-city China. It deals with race and family and adoption and mistakes and physical appearance and growing up and art and emotional abuse and all kinds of other topics in a way that doesn’t feel preachy or after-school-movie-of-the-week or like too many issues were crammed into one story. I strongly recommend it to anyone who likes strong contemporary YA stories. Okay, I talked myself into 5 stars – not because it’s my favorite book ever, but because it does what it’s trying to do so well.

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