You Killed Wesley Payne

by Sean Beaudoin

This book has been available at Barns & Noble for a while now. It's also been a very long while since I read this book, but I'm a veteran procrastinator so I hope I'm forgiven. Anyway, this book is set in a world much like our own (but not quite) in a small-town high school. Dalton Rev, a teenage private investigator looking to earn some quick cash, came here to investigate the mysterious murder of Wesley Payne. This book ended up being one of my favorite books of the year. It is truly worthy of the YA category; it was sprinkled with humor and pop-culture phrases only widely known in the teenage realm. As it turns out, the entire school in the setting is seperated into distinct cliques and their followers, some being the 'Foxxes', 'Lee Harvies', and 'Populahs'. The superintendent is bribed frequently for late slips, and in the hallways, it's practically a jungle; bring your wits with you. The element of cliques and the casual, urban, teenage world of the school and writing style made it a memorable read and in a few ways close to my real teenage life. Some books I read are like they are written by my principal: adult-like, brimming with obvious metaphors and similes, and sometimes boring. This books was like it was written by a friend: they have a similar life to me, and uses these similar elements in their writing. It's quite chummy. Simply put, adults seem to have a hard time pinning down the exact elements that can relate to a teenager and make teen-oriented writing especially enjoyable. Well, Mr. Beaudoin, you did it pretty well. Being a damn good writer, of course, was nice too. This book was like a good batch of french fries: full of flavor, not over or under salted, pleasingly crispy edges, filling, and with a dollop of good ketchup to balance the flavor; a tasty high-calorie snack food. I give this a 4 out of 5.

Steel by Carrie Vaughn

Jill fences, and the book begins with her at a fencing tournament. She is competing against another girl for third place, but she loses and gets fourth instead. I can see being a little disappointed at that, especially because Jill only lost by less than a split second, but still, fourth place in a national fencing tournament, not bad, right? Well, apparently, it's not good enough for Jill, who spends the next several weeks (weeks plural) moping. If she were just a little disappointed, it would be fine, but no. Jill's parents take her to the Bahamas for a vacation and all she can do is stay in a hammock and think about how she just wasn't good enough. Ok, maybe it's just me, but I think fourth place in a national tournament is pretty good.

Once Jill gets past moping, which does not actually take up a lot of pages, it just bugged me a lot, the story got a bit more interesting. While on a walk along the beach, she finds the tip of a sword. Later, while on a tour, she falls off the boat and spends a couple minutes drowning. When she finds the surface again, her tour boat is nowhere in sight. Instead, she gets picked up by a bunch of pirates. The captain, Marjory Cooper, recognizes the blade tip, but won't give its significance, so the book has a bit of "mystery" in it (mystery as long as you ignore the fact that you can see what's coming next).

The end, which I suppose had to happen, also bugged me a little. How is a high school fencer (who couldn't even get third place) supposed to beat the evil pirate who has been fighting to live for a lifetime? I suppose that's kind of the point, that she got confident, and she improved, but it's still a little unrealistic. It was also a bit difficult to tell how much time had passed, so maybe she had been learning to fight for a really long time and I just don't know it.

This book is a 2.8. The characters were one dimensional, and it didn't engage me very much. I was really looking forward to this book. I did, however, enjoy the chapter titles. They were all fencing terms and it was cool as well as appropriate. I also enjoyed the overall concept. And Jill was épée, which is definitely the best fencing weapon. It's like a cheap sandwich that looks really good and has stuff you like in it. You get it, and you really want it, then you eat it, and it just doesn't taste very good.

The Magician's Guild by Trudi Canavan

Sonea had been living in the city, but she, her aunt, and her uncle were kicked out during the Purge. The Purge was developed by the previous king in order to rid the city of beggars and thieves. Every year, magicians went through and made sure everyone got out. As a result, those living in the slums hate the magicians. When Sonea arrives in the slums where she used to live, she met her old gang, and goes with them to throw rocks at the magicians. This is purely a statement on the part of the "dwells," those dwelling in the slums, because the magicians have a magic shield so the rocks can't get near them. Sonea's stone, however, flies through the shield and knocks out one of the magicians (because if nothing happened, where would the story be?). This is how Sonea discovers that she has the gift of the hated magicians. Knowing that magician's are not allowed outside of the magician's guild, she flees for her life.

Sonea spends the next couple hundred pages running from the magicians by moving to various hiding spots, eventually getting help from the Thieves, and trying to use her magic, which usually ends up with something in flames.

The book also gives the point of view of Rothen and Dannyl, two magicians. Rothen was the only one who saw Sonea, so he is at the head of the search. Dannyl is his friend. They gave some insight to the magician's side of things, and made it so the magicians were not evil. Rather, they needed to get Sonea before she destroyed the entire city with her uncontrolled magic. As a reader knowing that Sonea had to be caught or die, I spent all of Part One waiting for her to be caught, which took away all the intended suspense, and the whole thing got a little repetitive.

Rothen takes Sonea in when she finally gets caught and tries to gain her trust and train her so she doesn't explode everything, and the book goes on in a more interesting way. There's also a little kind of side plot with Sonea's friend Cery.

The story gets a 3.3. It stretches out at some parts, but some parts are amusing. It was predictable, and I really didn't like Sonea, but I liked the Thieves and Rothen and Dannyl. It was like vanilla cake with a picture on it because you can see the whole picture, and it's not chocolate, but still enjoyable.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

In my usual overestimation of how many books I will need to read while on vacation, I've ended up with two bags full of books. Needless to say, they didn't all come with me, but one of the books that did was Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. It was only a two week checkout and so will tragically be returned overdue as I hadn't finished it yet, but I am so happy to be paying that $.40.
The book is narrated by Jacob, a 16 year old boy who lives an average, boring life in Florida. As a child, his grandfather told him stories of monsters and peculiar children (one who can fly, another that's invisible, etc.) that he has since deemed false. Grandpa is getting old at the start of the book, and beginning to slip mentally, so when he calls Jacob in a panic, saying "They're coming for me," Jacob understandably thinks his Grandpa has gone off the deep end. Grandpa dies under somewhat odd circumstances, though, and only Jacob is around to hear his last words. As the story continues, Jacob learns that his Grandpa's stories had a lot more to them than he originally believed.
Throughout the book are black and white photographs that tie in with the story line. They were a unique addition to the book, but would be fascinating on their own. The writing was very good, quite descriptive, and the characters were nice too, although many of them were more secondary and didn't develop much. Jacob developed more, as did Emma (another central character). The fantasy aspect of the book was excellent and unique--no vampires, witches/wizards, or werewolves!!! Instead, there are loops and hollowgasts and wights. The ending left more to come, and the author is already planning a sequel. Unfortunately, the book was just published in June so I have a long time to wait. Waaaaah. Anyway, 4 1/2 stars for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.
Ransom Riggs' website: http://www.ransomriggs.com/

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

by Amy Chua
   This book has divided critics into two camps:

      

1. Amy Chua should be put behind bars for years and years and years without probation for child neglect and socially ostracized for painting a perhaps-offensive picture of "Chinese mothers" that applies to very few of them.
2. She should be praised for putting her own life up for the public to see and examine--her account, while perhaps a bit extreme, is heartfelt and funny. Her daughters eventually turned out all right, didn't they?

   I stumbled upon BHOTTM as I was searching for a biology-themed book for a summer project in the bookstore. Having found the text, I had some time to indulge my own summer reading needs. BHOTTM received, and is still receiving, a lot of buzz in the literary world. Considering the world's schism, I decided to give it a go. I also really liked the cover. Let's be honest- who doesn't judge a book by its cover?

   Here's my interpretation: while Chua's story is extreme and pushes the limits, her struggle is sincere and she really loves her children. BHOTTM chronicles her quest to raise her children as she was raised by her own strict Chinese immigrant parents. Chua theorizes that, while the first and second generation of a Chinese immigrant family will be perfect and strictly-raised, the third generation will experience problems of pampering and come out less than perfect. For this reason, she pushes her two daughters, Sophia and Lulu, to their limits. Everything she does, she says, is to prepare them for the future.
  So what, exactly, raised the ire of a parents worldwide and caused her to be viewed by some as unfit for parenting? For one thing, she forced her children to, at the ripe old age of three, take up the piano. Merely playing was not good enough, and Chua made them practice at times five hours per day. When the piano proved a bad fit for Lulu, she was made to take up the violin in addition. World-class teachers were hunted down to provide the very best musical educations for the two children--quitting was not an option.  Academics-wise, anything less than straight As were not acceptable. Play-dates and sleepovers were out-of-bounds, and sports and school plays forbidden.
  I actually really liked the book. Chua herself warns readers to take everything with a grain of salt, and says that the book is a memoir and not a parenting guide. She is a wicked wit; biting sarcasm coupled with a retrospectively charming naïveté makes for a delightful book. Not all is piano-practicin' fun and math games, though. Both Chua's mother-in-law and her sister deal with cancer at varying points in the book; Chua deals with this topic in an appropriate and tender way--she is a gifted writer. For this and other obvious reasons, this book is not for the faint of heart.
  While they were easy to ignore, this book did have some flaws and dragged a bit in the last third. It also lost a good bit of 'funny' as Chua documented her serious struggle with Lulu. The transition is a little jarring. Overall, though, I'd give it a 4. Nonfiction, by the way, is a fantastic way to take a break from the Spellsong Cycle long fantasy books.

  Here's one of my favorite bits--an incredible hook:

   Jed was at work... and Sophia was at kindergarten. I decided it would be a perfect time to introduce Lulu to the piano. Excited about working together--with her brown curls, round eyes, and china doll face, Lulu was deceptively cute--I put her on the piano bench, on top of some comfortable pillows. I then demonstrated how to play a single note with a single finger, evenly, three times, and asked her to do the same. A small request, but Lulu refused, preferring instead to smash at many notes at the same time with two open palms. When I asked her to stop, she smashed harder and faster. When I tried to pull her away from the piano, she started yelling, crying, and kicking furiously. 

   Fifteen minutes later, she was still yelling, crying, and kicking, and I'd had it. Dodging her blows, I dragged the screeching demon to our back porch door, and threw it open. The wind chill was twenty degrees, and my own face hurt from just a few seconds' exposure to the icy air. But I was determined to raise an obedient child--in the West, obedience is associated with dogs and the caste system, but in Chinese culture, it is considered among the highest of virtues--if it killed me. "You can't stay in the house if you don't listen to Mommy," I said sternly. "Now, are you ready to be a good girl? Or do you want to go outside?

   Lulu stepped outside. She faced me, defiant.

   A dull dread began seeping through my body. Lulu was wearing only a sweater, a ruffled skirt, and tights. She had stopped crying. Indeed, she was eerily still. 

   "Okay good--you've decided to behave," I said quickly. "You can come in now."

   Lulu shook her head.

   "Don't be silly, Lulu." I was panicking. "It's freezing. You're going to get sick. Come in now."

   Lulu's teeth were chattering, but she shook her head again. And right then I saw it all, as clear as day. I had underestimated Lulu, not understood what she was made of. She would sooner freeze to death than give in.

   I had to change tactics immediately; I couldn't win this one. Plus I might be locked up by Child Services. My mind racing, I reversed course, now begging, coddling, and bribing Lulu to come back into the house. When [my husband] and Sophia arrived home, they found Lulu contentedly soaking in a hot bath, dipping a brownie in a steaming cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows.

   But Lulu had underestimated me too. I was just rearming. The battle lines were drawn, and she didn't even know it.  

I'd be interested to hear what others thought of it. Was I the only one to think it was innocent and (mostly) funny?

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Set in the future, Divergent is the story of Beatrice, though she begins to call herself Tris not far into the story. She lives in a city that is divided into five factions, and each faction values a different virtue. Abnegation is the one she is born into, and it values selflessness. Erudite values knowledge, Dauntless values bravery, Amity values friendship, and Candor values honesty. Every year, the 16-year-olds are given a choice: they can stay in their family's faction, or transfer to a different one. Beatrice felt as though she does not quite belong in Abnegation because she is not nearly as selfless as everyone else there, and she has always admired the daring of the Dauntless. However, switching factions would separate her from her family, and all the Abnegation members would see her as a traitor. The day before the choosing ceremony, everyone who will choose takes a test of sorts that tells them what faction fits them best. The test is a simulation that puts the person through a series of scenarios, then gives a result based on the choices they made. The test was interesting, but it was really obvious what the choices would indicate. For instance, in the first part of the test, Beatrice has to choose either a knife or some cheese. It is quite clear that taking the knife would indicate Dauntless and taking the cheese would indicate Amity. There were also some slight discrepancies. I was sure that Beatrice had figured something out, only for her to realize it with a shock later in the book.

It is a 3.7. It was very interesting, and it was a cool story, but nothing much happened; it never seemed to go anywhere. There could also have been more description. It was difficult how many people were around until the book presented a list of the other initiates in Beatrice's faction, and I had a hard time figuring out what the different places looked like. The book was like those honey straws. You suck on them, and they're really good until you finish, and you realize that there wasn't really anything in them. I kept expecting something a little more.

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