John Green, author of Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns and An Abundance of Katherines, recently went to see New Moon and had some opinions about it, some of them good, some bad, and some quite amusing (with a nice mention of Taylor Lautner at the end, we noticed. V.). Here’s the clip:
Here it is in its natural habitat, and you can read more of his opinions on Stephenie Meyer at his blog, here. Both Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska are being made into movies (incidentally).
Exams? What exams?
As with the lovely Taylor Lautner posters, we’ve got another New Moon movie poster that we thought we’d give to the first person who tells us what they thought of New Moon (which we think some of you might have seen already). As usual, the catch is you have to review it in haiku form (explanation here again). Eligible only for WCL YA cardholders. Please add your full name [we won’t publish it]. The poster has folds in it again (sorry).
I suppose the other catch for me is I should provide an example review haiku thing, so here goes:
The movie begins…
Love, tragedy, danger, then-
“Put the shirt back on!”
The Phoenix Files by Chris Morphew is another end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it-is-nigh series that kept me guessing. It’s not your usual armageddon story…
Phoenix is a picture-perfect town in the middle of nowhere built by the Shackleton Co-operative to accommodate its employees. The town is brand new, high-tech and immaculate. It seems all too good to be true…
On the first day of school in Phoenix, Luke, Peter and Jordan are drawn together by a series of strange events. Together they uncover the reason behind Phoenix’s existence.
The countdown has started… There are only 100 days left until the entire human race is destroyed, leaving only Phoenix to survive. Luke and his friends must find out what’s going on and stop them before it’s too late.
The first of The Phoenix Files series ‘Arrival’ is in the library, with the sequel ‘Contact’ arriving in Jan/Feb 2010.
Twilight fans, read this book:
Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater
When she was eleven, Grace was attacked by a pack of wolves but, in an unexpected turn of events, was rescued by one of them. Rather than feeling phobic, Grace feels drawn to and protective of the wolves, especially her rescuer, the one with the yellow eyes. She admits to being obsessed, and she’s a bit lost in summer, when the wolves are notably absent.
Sam, a part-time yellow-eyed eighteen year old boy, feels a similar connection to Grace, and when the wolves are hunted by men baying for blood, he finds himself wounded on Grace’s porch in his human form. Just as well, then, that she takes this discovery in her stride and copes admirably, getting him to hospital and then smuggling him out again when he heals super-quickly. Then there’s the difficulty of keeping Sam warm, as it’s the cold that transforms him into a wolf, and his human stretches are getting shorter and shorter. Sam knows this is his “last year”, which makes his connection with Grace a tenuous thing.
You should read this book: it will make you go “ah”. It’s a thoughtfully put-together story (right down to the helpful temperature indicators at the beginning of each chapter), kind of like a Time-Traveler’s Wife for young adults with a tear jerker ending. A very good supernatural romance.
Maggie Stiefvater’s website states there’s a sequel, Linger, due out towards the end of next year too.
… not the books, but the new television programme (previously mentioned here). Read the review here, (via The New York Times). The reviewer liked what she saw, and compares it to Twilight. In fact, it might even be a little better. There. I said it.
There’s no information that I can find as to when and which channel The Vampire Diaries will screen in NZ. Here’s the official website, anyway! Yaar.
Supernatural romances are super hot right now, for a few reasons (well, four plus a couple of movies), and there are quite a few trilogies making waves. I’ve taken a deep breath and read three of them: The Mortal Instruments trilogy, by Cassandra Clare; Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange and Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr (there’s another one to come next year); and A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels and The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray.
The Hype
There’s internet hype a-plenty for Cassandra Clare (see here, and here for example). Fragile Eternity had a book trailer (you can visit it at YouTube here: I won’t embed it because I’m really not sure I approve of book trailers, since you don’t get to imagine what characters look like and all. He’s no Seth, that’s for sure) that made people oo and ah. Being smart writers, they all blog.
The World
Set in the late 19th Century and mostly in England, Libba Bray’s story is a bit different from the others; Melissa Marr and Cassandra Clare’s books are more urban fantasy. While MM’s books focus solely on faeries, CC’s contain basically every supernatural fantastical creature there is – a melting pot/United Nations sort of deal, which is apt since home base is New York.
The Writing
Libba Bray’s books contain a lot of dense, wordy description which is great if you love dense, wordy description but not so great if you like your books to, you know, move along at pace. The dialogue is witty (actually, witty dialogue happens in all three). As far as style goes, there’s a bit of cringing to be had in the Mortal Instruments trilogy, which needed a really good edit and didn’t get one. I got memorably fed up with being told what everyone was wearing all the time, especially in the heat of battle. Wicked Lovely (and the others by Melissa Marr) rips along at a pace similar to Stephenie Meyer’s books, so don’t start it late at night.
The Most Perfectest Man Ever?
Tell me I’m making generalisations if you like, but there’s hot competition at the moment over who can write the perfect man. In this instance we have in the red corner… Seth (WL etc). Seth could make you love multiple piercings. He’s arty, intelligent, attractive, sensitive, calm, patient, doesn’t think you’re mad if you tell him you see faeries, and (most importantly) has definition in his arms. In the blue corner there’s Kartik (AGATB etc), who also has definition, is the last word in mysterious, doesn’t mind that the girl in question has tendencies towards being a raving feminist ahead of her time, and to top it off, said girl’s friends all think he’s an exotic beauty. Finally, in the annoying corner there’s Jace (MI), although he still manages to impress the odd reader.
The Romance
There’s romance, for sure, in varying quantities, using the tried and true love triangle formula. Gemma (AGATB) must choose between traditional Victorian courtship with the dashing Simon or her less conventional dealings with the aforementioned Kartik. Ash (WL) is a really sensible girl, which is just as well when she’s faced with a choice between a beautiful faery king who’s out to claim her and, well, Seth. Clary (MI) has the option of Simon the friend or Jace, shadowhunter extraordinaire, whose relationship to Clary takes many, many twists and turns. Simmering stuff.
The Big Showdown
There’s gruesomeness to be had. Not to give too much away, The Sweet Far Thing ends with a beautifully described apocalyptic battle to end all battles (this really isn’t giving too much away, honest), complete (possibly) with some tear jerking moments. Cassandra Clare worries a bit too much about what people are wearing, as mentioned earlier, but she’s not scared of injuring her characters which is good, because you’re more likely to worry for their safety. The big showdown is yet to happen in the Wicked Lovely world: will have to wait for next year.
If you love books in this genre there is a whole heap more out there, for example:
Evermore, by Alyson Noel. Psychic girl falls in love with an immortal boy.
Need, by Carrie Jones. Werewolves and pixies.
Wings, by Aprilynne Pike. Faeries again, this is the first of a planned series of four.
Impossible, by Nancy Werlin. Read a review at teenreads.com.
Read all this? Well Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is coming soon. Grace is a girl, haunted by a yellow eyed wolf; Sam is a yellow-eyed werewolf… (here’s an excerpt from teenreads.com).
Also, don’t forget Holly Black’s modern faerie tales.
ps “supernatural romance” isn’t a catchy enough name we decided, so what to call these books? Well, here were some suggestions (not all strictly relevant): supernatromance, phantasromance, zom-rom, boo woo, hell-odrama, vampmance, fantmance, horromance, creepy-crawly-lovey-dovey, unexplained flingnomena
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
This book is just incredible and fantastic!It’s about a girl who finds out her mum is a shadowhunter and her dad is a shadowhunter, an evil shadowhunter to put it correctly, and the shadowhunter she loves might turn someone completely different, but still very close.
In the mundane (human) world, the night children (vampires) hunt, werewolves defend their packs, and sexy shadowhunters prowl the streets of New York city. This book I couldn’t put down, and I’m so glad I shared it with you.
A whopping 5 Stars for this popular book!
Thanks, Elena, for sending us your book review. We appreciate that.
Spoiler alert! If you haven’t read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, or seen the movie then be warned!
…
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, John Boyne
This story tells the tale of the unlikely friendship of two boys. It is set in Germany during the war and gives an insight into the circumstances of the holocaust. Bruno’s father is one of Hitler’s high ranking officials, but Bruno is unaware of exactly what his father’s job entails. He accidentally comes across a prisoner of war compound and befriends a Jewish boy. Eventually he makes a plan to sneak in under the fence to help his new friend look for his father, who seems to have mysteriously disappeared somewhere within the ‘camp’. During the course of his search Bruno and his friend find themselves herded into a giant shed along with hundreds of other people. The big steel doors clang shut. Outside, Bruno’s parents discover he is missing. They see the plumes of smoke rise from the tall chimneys at the compound and the terrible realisation of what has happened hits them…
~ Lynda
If you’ve read a good book recently you can send us a review.
This Monday marks the beginning of the NZ Post Book Awards “festival” which culminates in the awards ceremony on the 20th. So what’s going on in the festival then? If you scroll right to the very bottom of this page you’ll see the events on in Wellington – they’re mostly writing and illustrating workshops with such writers and illustrators as Fleur Beale, Ali Teo and Fifi Colston.
In case you’re interested in finding out more about the finalists in the Young Adult fiction category, the good people at Create Readers have a couple of reviews: Juno of Taris by Fleur Beale (review here) and Chronicle of Stone Book 1, Scorched Bone by Vince Ford (here’s the review). We’ll keep you posted with more news as it comes to hand.
Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
I liked the book Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, for three main reasons. One being the fact it was voyeuristic therefore making it personal and intimate, it makes you see the world through the characters’ eyes and relate your personal experiences and personality to them. Another reason is the way the characters are shown; the fact that they are enigmatic, which makes you want to know more, and realistic, which makes you think you’ve really met them. The last is the theme “love” which is shown in a modern, edgy way, that’s both original and old-school, it really makes you wonder. Overall, I think the books are well-written and different, no wonder they were a big success.
~ Natalia
Life as We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer
A great book. The writing technique was not entirely spectacular, but that was made up for by the content. As you are taken through the day-to-day life of Miranda, through the eyes of her personal diary, a gruelling tale emerges. The moon was hit by an asteroid, knocking it ever-so-slightly closer to earth. The effects are revealed as you read through her year.
I was completely captivated, stunned even, by this novel. Keeping me up late at night, I even had to resort to pinching myself so I wouldn’t let my eyelids close. Really, read this book only when you have a clear schedule – you won’t want to be distracted!
The Dead and the Gone, by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Although it isn’t as good as Life as We Knew It, I would still recommend reading this book. Life as We Knew It is a tale of isolation, struggle against the harsh world the character lives in. The Dead and the Gone is an entirely different approach. Told in the eyes of a teenage boy leaving hich school, the author uses a diary format, even though it is told in 3rd person. This annoyed me a lot, but it’s worth it. Alex has to look after his sisters… through thick and thin.
~ Hannah
Yes, again with the book reviewing. This may interest you (if not, write a review anyway!): we’ve just landed a few posters of Robert Pattinson (fresh out of that biography we told you about a while ago). They’ve got fold crease thingies, but they’re quite big and apart from being delivered to the Teen Blog box they’ve not been touched at all. So, we thought we’d deliver four of them to four of you.
The catch is: you have to write a well-considered review of a young adult book. You can have liked it or disliked it; we don’t mind as long as you let us know why (don’t just give us a plot summary, for example). The first four publishable book reviews we receive will get a poster (this is only open to Wellington City Libraries card holders… if you’d rather not have a poster we totally understand (believe me) – just let us know and we won’t bother you with it). The review form is here, so go to it.
Have you read a book lately that you think other people should read? Or maybe you’ve read a book that you don’t think anyone would want to read? You can review them here, on our newly created and simple-to-use review form.
We will publish all the good reviews (and good bad reviews) that we get.
We have two large, large Twilight film posters to give away. So we thought we’d have a small competition; write a review – a short paragraph of about 50 words – of the Twilight film in the comments below and we will randomly draw two winners by 5pm on Thursday next week (i.e., the 5th of February). Don’t forget to include your email address and full name! (We won’t publish either, of course.)
Also, you need to be a Wellington library Young Adult cardholder.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, E. Lockhart
Favourite line: “That’s a lot of chutzpah you’ve got there. Don’t let it weigh you down.”
Frankie’s a fifteen year old girl with a brain and gumption, but the people around her don’t seem to notice this. She’s “Bunny Rabbit” to her family and “adorable” to her boyfriend. Frankie’s not the kind of girl to let that slide and let people take care of her, though. She embarks on an ambitious project to prove herself – to herself as much as anyone else, possibly – with astonishing success, but unfortunately she lands the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds (an exclusive all-male secret society) in some strife in the process, the undoing of which could be the real making of Frankie.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is a great book; thoughtful, philosophical, clever and hilarious. Frankie is the real female hero of 2008 literature.
If you’re into chick lit then you really have to read E. Lockhart. She’s a totally ept writer; reading her books leaves you feeling turbed and gruntled.
~ Bridget
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Marcus, whose online name is W1n5t0n, is a high school student in San Francisco. He’s street smart and knows the system inside out. His high school’s security systems are no match for him as he constantly bunks out of school.
But one day, after he’s bunked out of school for the afternoon, he and his friends find themselves caught up in the aftermath of a huge terrorist attack on San Francisco. Marcus and his friends are found to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and are captured by the Department of Homeland Security as suspects. After days in a secret prison, where they have been mercilessly interrogated, they are released into an unrecognisable San Francisco.
His city has now been turned into a police state where everyones’ movements are tracked and everyone is monitored. The innocent often disappear for no apparent reason. Everyone is being treated like a potential terrorist.
Reunited with his friends, Marcus decides that something must be done to protect everyones’ freedoms. He can’t turn to the government and police for help, so he decides that he must take down the Department of Homeland Security himself using his computer programming and hacking skills.
You will not want to put this book down! It’s a very exciting and thought-provoking read.
~ Adrienne
Paper Towns by John Green
Quentin Jacobsen is a genius! He hangs out with geniuses and he has a perfect attendance record at high school! NERD you might say, but then one night, Margo Roth Spiegelman, the girl next door he has loved from afar all his life, climbs into his bedroom window dressed for stealth and wanting HIM! Well his driving skills actually, as she sets out on a night of revenge on her ex-boyfriend and others. Think photo of ex running down the street with items of his anatomy hanging out and dead fish under seats of cars! Then the next day she disappears, leaving him clues to follow as to where he might find her. His friends help to try and solve the puzzle but will it end with them finding her alive or dead?
~ Raewyn
Spud, by John van de Ruit
I picked up this book recently, during my lunch hour, and found it near impossible to put down.
It’s 1990 and John ‘Spud’ Milton is a scholarship boy entering his first year at an elite boarding school in Durban, South Africa. Spud’s family consists of a high-maintenance mother, a mentally unstable father who fears the crumbling of apartheid and the impending release of Mandela will ruin the country, and Spud’s senile grandmother, Wombat. Though Spud is off to boarding school, he is unable to escape his dysfunctional family who visit him occassionally and to whom he returns every long weekend and holiday. At boarding school, Spud is thrust into a world of raging testosterone, bullying prefects, and the typical hi-jinks that act as a counterbalance to archaic institutionalism. Spud’s dorm group forms the Crazy Eight, a group of misfits and rebels who’s escapades and midnight swims become legend throughout the school. All the glorious mayhem inherent in coming of age is faithfully chronicled in Spud’s diary, which is the narrative device of the story.
Spud is written by John Van De Ruit, South African writer, actor, producer and playwright. Unshelved have done a little comic strip review as part of their Unshelved BookClub feature.
~ Sam M
The Magician of Hoad, Margaret Mahy
A hero, an ageing magician, a farm boy, a noble daughter and a mad Prince all play a part in Margaret Mahy’s latest young adult novel. Eloquently written and at times quite poetic, The Magician of Hoad will have your imagination working overtime to keep up as this is definitely a hard book to put down.
~ Ben
Dooley Takes the Fall by Norah McClintock
Only a few months out in the world after a three year sentence in a juvenile detention hall, Ryan Dooley comes across the body of a teenager while on his way home from work. Dooley wants nothing more than to keep his head down, stay out of trouble and get through the last year of high school in peace, but he does the right thing and calls the police.
But the dead boy turns out to be a fellow student who was known to have caused trouble for Dooley, and bit-by-bit evidence is mounting up pointing straight to him. The police aren’t likely to look elsewhere once they have an obvious suspect; his school has judged him guilty and just wants to get rid of him; and Dooley’s uncle – the only one who has given Dooley a break – is having a harder and harder time believing him. But Dooley isn’t going to take the fall without a fight…
This is an exciting, well-written ‘high-school noir’ mystery, in a similar vein to the movie Brick and the television series Veronica Mars, but with the added appeal of Dooley: a cool, hard-nosed, world-weary kid who, through all his misadventures, has the reader rooting for him.
~ Tom
