Kazumi Reads

Plot Summary:
Just when life can not get any harder, David Yaffe has had it real hard. Not only did he stand trial for his girlfriend's accidental death, he is forced to rejoin the "normal" world by starting all over again in a new town. Although he was acquitted of the crime (his girlfriend tried to break up a fight between her and her drugged out brother and was fatally injured), David is haunted by this incident and is struggling to keep it together. After the trial, David's parents decided that it would be good for him to move in with Uncle Vic and Aunt Julia since they live near his new school. What's worse is the moment he stepped in the house, he could cut the tension between his aunt and uncle with a knife. However, he witnessed something rather odd. Rather than speaking to each other, his aunt and uncle use their daughter, Lily, as a go between. David hasn't seen his baby cousin in years and there is something strange about her.  Not only did she thrive off her parents unhappiness, she actually asked David if he felt powerful by killing his girlfriend, which is a little odd for a twelve-year-old to ask.


Critical Evaluation:
Not only is this story a quick read, it is wonderfully written and incredibly suspenseful. I simply could not put this book down because I needed to know what was happening to David. Moreover, Lily is just awful. The things that she says and does to David made me think that this child is psychotic. Werlin does an amazing job with the character development, especially when it comes to parents who are just clueless when it comes to interacting and speaking with their children. All of the parents in this book are so consumed with themselves that David, Kathy, and Lily are, in my respects, victims to their parents wants and needs. David and Lily are essentially alike where their anger towards themselves turned into such guilt that they convinced themselves that they are the one's responsible for the death of their loved ones. David matures very quickly in this story and it is amazing to see how to awful accidents can reveal just how fragile we human beings are. This is a very thought provoking title that will generate a lot of conversation.


Information about the Author:
According to her website, Nancy Werlin has done a variety of things such as a technical editor for software and internet. She was born and raised in Peabody, Massachusetts, and earned her BA in English from Yale University. She lives near Boston, Massachusetts, and has written eight young adult novels and several of them have won awards and honors. Here is a statement from one of Werlin's fans:

“An Edgar-award-winning author who writes psychological thrillers with the same depth and punch as Ruth Rendell and Minette Walters with the kind of noirish feel that permeates many of my favorite crime novels. A writer who has a keen understanding of how kids react and feel — who goes for the gut and never flinches on true emotions, who creates characters so true they make you cry and feel a little something yourself.

“Chances are, many of you haven't heard of this author. Or if you have, it's because her name has come up in a completely different context. That's because Nancy Werlin writes novels geared for young adults, and so if you were — like me — not as inclined towards YA as to adult crime fiction, then you would have passed her by. And that would be a shame, because she's simply one of the best crime novelists going right now. Period.” —Sarah Weinman (12/06/2006

Genre:
Teen Mysteries


Reading Level/Interest:
Grades 9 & up


Books Similar to The Killer's Cousin:

• The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci
• What Happened to Cass McBride by Gail Giles

Awards & Recognition:

• Edgar Award Winner (The Killer's Cousin)
• Edgar Award Nominee (Locked Inside)
• 2006 National Book Award Finalist(Rules of Survival)
• 2004 ALA Book Editor's Choice (Double Helix)
• Starred Reviews in School Library Journal, Booklist,and Kirkus (Black Mirror)
• New York Public Library Best Books for Teens (Are you Alone on Purpose?)

Plot Summary:
Janie Hannagan has always been different. Unlike most of her peers, she doesn't have a father and her mother is an alcoholic. All her life, Janie had to settle for second hand clothing and endless ridicule from her peers. However, what sets Janie apart from all of them is her ability to enter dreams.As she gets older, the more developed her gift becomes, which makes it almost impossible for her to deal with. In fact, things seem to take a turn for the worse when she becomes close with one of the residents whom she manages to help during her dream. When life cannot get any harder, she becomes closer to a guy named Cabel who makes an amazing transformation from typical stoner to super hottie. He and Janie seem to have a lot in common, but Janie is starting to learn that things are not always as they seem, especially when she enters the dreams of people she knows and his horrified by what she sees.

Critical Evaluation: 
This story, written in diary form that includes dates and times, is easily devoured. The moment readers read the beginning they will finish it in a few hours. As her debut novel, Lisa McMann has not only captured the attention of critics, she has gained a following of Wake fans. I picked up this novel after rave reviews from the teens I work with and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. What I enjoyed the most about this story is that Janie is a character that a lot of people can relate to despite her strange gift. Not only does she have to deal with the pressures to fit in, she is unable to reveal her true self to those she loves simply because she does not want to be seen as a freak. More importantly, despite the fact that she has been independent all her life, Janie has a great heart where she decides to use her gift to help others rather than suppress it. Teens who are struggling with their identities will definitely empathize with her and cheer her on as she finally begins to control her abilities.



Information about the Author: 
In the fourth grade, Lisa McMann decided she wanted to be a writer. According to her website, Lisa was born in  Holland Michigan and currently resides in Arizona. She got her idea for Wake while dreaming about it (literally). She is the mother of two and when they are at school she is usually writing or taking care of business. When she isn't writing, she is confirmed reality television junkie who also loves to cook, swim, read, and hang out with her family.


When asked if she has any advice for aspiring teen writers, she states:

Sure. If you can possibly do another job instead of writing and still enjoy your life, do that instead. Writing is hard. There are a lot of disappointments and no guarantees. Be prepared to write a second or third or fifteenth novel if the first ones don’t sell. Be prepared to put the words you love in a drawer for a long time while you work and work to get better at writing. Once you’ve focused on WRITING instead of GETTING PUBLISHED, you’re doing the right thing. Then, go find a writing message board where you can learn how this business works – it’s pretty complicated. There’s a lot of research you need to do to figure it out. But remember, you won’t get anything published if you don’t put all your effort into simply writing first (para.14).

Genre:
Teen Mysteries
 


Reading Level/Interest: 
Grades 9 & up   



Books Similar to Wake:

• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
• Shadowland: The Mediator by Meg Cabot

Awards & Recognition:

• Abraham Lincoln Book Award Master List (IL),
• ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers,
• Garden State Teen Book Award Nominee (NJ)
• Gateway Readers Award Nominee (MO)
• Georgia Peach Book Award Master List
• IRA Young Adults' Choices
• Nevada Young Reader's Award Nominee
• Texas Tayshas Reading List
• YALSA Teens Top Ten (TTT)
• Young Adult Reading Program Reading List Selection (SD)

Plot Summary:
Gemma Toombs thought she was going on another "family vacation," but her life changed forever when she was abducted by Ty. While waiting at the Bangkok Airport, Ty approached Gemma and won her over with a cup of coffee laced with drugs. Hours later, when she wakes up, she is scared and confused as to how and why someone would kidnap her. However, just when things could not get any worse, she learns that there is no where to escape to--she is smack dab in the middle of the wildest and hottest Australian deserts. As time goes by, at least a few months, Gemma no longer flinches every time Ty comes near her and when she escapes he is always there to take care of her. Not knowing what to expect, Gemma learns a lot not only about herself, but she also learns things about her kidnapper that almost forces her to develop sympathy for him. The most shocking thing about this whole situation is revealed towards the end that leaves the reader feeling uncomfortable.

Critical Evaluation:
I can now honestly say that this book is one of three works that has managed to give me nightmares. Lucy Christopher is a brilliant writer who not only brings this scary reality to life, but her character, even the kidnapper, are very real where the reader develops certain mixed feelings towards both of them. Gemma, in many aspects, is a troubled teenager whose parents are more involved in their own lives than in the life of their daughter. Gemma is actually not a bad kid, just mixed up and waiting for her parents to notice her. As for Ty, well, he is a complex character. As we get through the story, we not only hate him for what he did, but we also feel bad for him at the same time. Readers are given a very real story of a victim suffering from Stockholm Syndrome who is trying very hard to move on with her life.

Information about the Author:
Lucy Christopher is a fairly new author. According to her website, Lucy Christopher has lived quite an exciting life. Not only has she lived in three different countries, she actually grew up in Australia, which is the location of her debut novel Stolen. According to Christopher:

My first published book, Stolen, was also influenced by my life and the things I did.  Thankfully, I’ve never been kidnapped, but when I was nine years old and moving from Wales to Australia, it felt like a bit of a kidnapping.  Suddenly I was in a new country I didn’t understand; a place that was simultaneously beautiful and terrifying.  I’ve always been fascinated by wild Australian land and, when younger, my favourite memories are of camping in the bush and exploring the overgrown creek at the back of our first Melbourne house.  But this landscape scared me too, and I didn’t feel like I fitted in.  I used these feelings of being simultaneously entranced and repulsed by something in order to write Gemma’s feelings for both Ty and the landscape he takes her to (para. 3)

Lucy Christopher lives in Wales where she earned her MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University and is  is also working on her PhD. When she is not writing, Lucy Christopher is traveling to her favorite country, South Africa, or she is riding her horse. She is also working on her second novel (due out  this year) and her first book, Flyaway, is in the process of being published in the US.

Genre: 
Teen Suspense, Teen Contemporary Fiction


Reading/Interest Level:
Grades 10 & up


Books Similar to Stolen:

• Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
• Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin

Awards & Recognition:

• Michael L. Printz Honor 
• ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults