The Good Neighbors, by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh

First, I am not a regular reader of graphic novels. As a kid I read comic books, but Manga and graphic novels have not been something I'm picking up. When I saw this graphic novel by Holly Black I checked it out. I've greatly appreciated Ms. Black's writing in the past. A few years ago I had the great joy of seeing Black and Linda Sue Park speaking together at a NCTE national conference. [It was a very strange pairing of authors--but they did a wonderful job of talking about the creative process of writing.] I really enjoyed getting a personal impression of Holly Black, she's a very interesting and thoughtful person.

This graphic novel made me a bit uneasy. I was able to follow the plot line but felt there was a lot missing. Duh--look at the pictures. I really felt I was trespassing in teen world! I believe that I understand a bit more how the graphic novels capture such a large fan base. The story of how Rue comes to understand her connections to the world of faerie is well done. Readers do have to really use the graphics to follow all of the plot. I think it was also extremely useful to me to have read Black's books Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside. Without such a background in fantasy I would have probably been more than a little perplexed.

Concurrently I found the images very helpful in coming to understand both Black's previous work and Cassandra Clare's novels. The two authors are friends and seem to be creating a fantasy universe of their own. I doubt that they are planning this together, but being aware of each others works certainly creates some layerings of fantasy that make for interesting connections between the writings of the two authors.

Peak, by Roland Smith (2007)

What's a 14 year-old boy doing trying to climb Mt. Everest? It makes more sense if both of your parents are or have been mountain climbers. Then, if they decided to name you "Peak" it makes even more sense.


Smith has written another compelling adventure story. This time the setting is the Tibet side of the mountain, controlled by the Chinese government. In writing this adventure story Smith has added in a bit of politics and quite a bit about the controversy surrounding "tourist" trips to Everest.

I first became aware of some of the Everest controversies when I read "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer. It has become something of a "notch in the belt" that many adventurers desire. The down side, implied by Smith and discussed by Krakauer, is that very few of those who try these guided trips to the mountain are really physically ready to take on the challenge. "Because it is there" may not be a good enough reason to let people attempt the climb. In doing so they are damaging the fragile ecology of the mountain and putting many others' lives at risk.

Contrasted with this is the life that the Sherpas and Tibetan citizens lead. Taking these "tourist" trips to Tibet is enriching the Chinese government and allowing for the continuation of repression of the Tibetan people.

Smith further complicates all by exploring the motivations of those who guide these tours. It is quite clear by the end of the book that Smith is opposed to such ventures. Although not directly stated, I believe he takes a strong stand against the Everest Tourist business.

Added in is a great story about families. For readers who have "blended" families and are looking for models to guide their thinking/experiences--this is a good book to begin some discussion. In addition to a good book about family it also is an excellent "coming of age" story. Peak has to make several hard decisions. Smith has given the reader many opportunities to follow Peak's thinking as he works his way through these issues. Talking with any young adult about Peak's quandaries and the thinking he does to reach a decision will offer rich opportunities for discussions of important issues.

Monstrumologist, by Rick Yancey

I picked this up to read because it was a Prinz honor book for 2010. Part way through I began to wonder why the Prinz committee was recommending it. Now I wonder if I need to do something to change my world view. (It's a very good book and worth an award, but you need to be aware of some of its "issues.")

I began doubting the suitability of this book when it grossed me out. About the same time I realized that the prose itself would present a difficulty for many YA readers. So, I began to search--is this a book that will really be recommended for YA reading? I double checked the members of the Prinz committee and found that they were primarily high school librarians. I trust librarians and if they recommend a book then I listen. I also discussed this with one of my most trusted middle school teacher friends. She was most interested it and said that many of her students would love such a book. At her school kids would be allowed to read such a book with parent permission. Many parents are happy to extend such.

The book is well written, in a Gothic tradition. There are mad scientists, insane asylums, and questionable characters galore! Mixed with the gore and dark, dangerous adventure is an underlying plot that compels the reader through the book.

I'm still having trouble with the gross factor, but then I took a few minutes to sit with my son as he played Special Forces: Dark Opps. I'm convinced--today's kids are accustomed to the violence and mayhem. I just need to get over it.

But, if you are going to recommend this to others be aware that a student would need to be a pretty strong reader (Lexile 990) and willing to read pretty graphic "yuck."

Incantation, By Alice Hoffman

The story here is based on a young-woman coming of age during the Spanish Inquisition. Hoffman tells a short but powerful story of how Estrella de Madrigal discovered that she is a Jew rather than a Catholic and how your best friend is not always as she appears.

The writing is almost poetic. The titles of the sections and chapters within each are apocryphal. Days latter I am still considering Hoffman's intent.

I'm thrilled that Hoffman has turned to a slightly different genre. I am a big fan of some of her books, but felt that sometimes she stays with a theme too long. This is a wonderful change, bringing her ability to bring mystical overtones to strong plots in believable ways.

This is a book I will be recommending for a long time. It will be a nice companion piece to works like The Crucible.

Vampirates:Tide of Terror, by Justin Somper

I enjoyed the first book in this series greatly. This second book was somewhat disappointing. At first I thought I was, perhaps, less engaged with the book because I listened to it on CD. But once I turned to the reviews I saw that I am not the only reader who was disappointed. The first book in the series was exciting and pulled you easily into the world of vampire/pirates who were generally good. This book sort of lost its direction by having too many threads to the plot.

I expect there will be some devoted readers of the series--Somper is now up to book number in the series. It's a series I would recommend only to readers who are obsessed with either pirates or vampires--but even so I would be cautious. I try to recommend books that I think are quality literature, even within a fantasy genre. I don't think this really fits.

Somper has tried to work in a mystery--who the Vampirate Captain actually is. I think I know the answer--but am tempted to read the rest of the series to discover the truth. Somper is from the UK and some readers may be able to detect the language and cultural differences. The series appears to be quite popular with kids.

Going Bovine, by Libba Bray

Cameron, a devoted pot-smoking, slacker is having some hallucinations. They get worse and more frequent and in a doctor's visit, after several visits to counselors and psychiatrists he is finally diagnosed with Mad-cow disease. The reviewer from the NY Times gives a wonderful, short summary of the book:
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The New York Times - Lisa Von Drasek

…manages to turn a hopeless situation into a hilarious and hallucinatory quest, featuring an asthmatic teenage dwarf, Gonzo; a pink-haired angel in combat boots, Dulcie; and Balder, a Norse god who is cursed with the form of a garden gnome…Libba Bray not only breaks the mold of the ubiquitous dying-teenager genre—she smashes it and grinds the tiny pieces into the sidewalk. For the record, I'd go anywhere she wanted to take me.

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I agree with her--this is a wonderful "on the road" adventure and offers some great opportunities to explore topics of friendship, life's purpose, death and dieing, peer pressure, and some of the social phenomenon on our landscape. On a personal level I especially enjoy Bray's treatment of Norse Gods and angels. A couple years ago I went on a streak of reading "god/goddesses" books--books by Michael Scott, Rick Riordan and Neil Gaiman. This is a nice addition to the collection.

I have also read Bray's other books, the Gemma Doyle Trilogy. The first two of these were wonderful explorations of the Victorian era with a supernatural twist. I was less enthusiastic about the final book in the series. I see lots of high school girls reading the series so I feel certain we are going to see more from Libba Bray.

This was the Michal Prinz 2009 award winner. I often find the Prinz books to be challenging and this is no exception.

A note about the tags--I don't know whether to categorize this as realistic fiction or fantasy. It combines both. If I was forced to choose I would go with the realistic fiction (with the caveat that the main character has hallucinations). It's also worth a trip to the Barnes and Nobel website to see the video clip of Bray--sometimes I find out a little too much about the authors behind to books.

Tales of the Madman Underground, by John Barnes

Barnes, John. Tales of the MADMAN underground: An historical romance 1973. (2009)--Prinz Award finalist

Karl Shoemaker lives in Lightburg, Ohio and is a charter member of the Madman underground. The Madman underground is the title that a group of kids have adopted for themselves based on their required participation in a school counseling program. The "group" is for kids with seriously disturbed behaviors that have gotten them referred to counseling. All this takes place in 1973 with a few flashbacks to Karl's childhood and the death of his father from cancer while Karl was in 8th grade. Most of the book takes place in Karl's senior year. He is trying to have one "normal" year and get out of the Madman Underground. To get out he has to reject his best friend. The plan for "normal" falls apart pretty quickly, instead we get a year of learning the value of the Madman underground and friendship in general.

There is quite a bit of sex, alcohol, and violence in the book. In fact, Karl attends AA meetings himself. In this small town in Ohio there is a lot of alcohol use and the resultant problems it can cause. There's also a realistic picture of how the social fabric of a small town both supports and fails to notice kids with difficulties. It may seem that for a small town there are an unusual number of kids with troubled lives but when I think back to what was happening in my own relatively small town (one high school, class of 368 students) it is within the boundaries of believable.

For much of the book I was pretty depressed. Karl has a truly terrible life and is looking to solve his problems by joining the army as soon as he graduates. Since this is set during the Vietnam War, joining the military to escape his life is pretty drastic. Karl, as a natural leader, becomes entangled in all sorts of messes primarily because of his friends from the Madman Underground. Karl's life at home is also pretty desperate. He works at least four different jobs each week to make money. His mother and her various boyfriends systematically steal Karl's money to buy alcohol and hang out in bars or host parties. He has taken to hiding his money in jars in a wide variety of places around the house and yard.

The rest of the Madman Underground have similarly dreadful problems. They are all realistic--neglect, abuse, poverty and violence. Almost all of them are fueled by alcohol or drugs. School is some relief--there are subjects Karl likes and several teachers seem to be supportive, although no one really knows the depth of the problems in his home or that of the other Madmen. Although the stories are gritty and depressing there is enough humor to have kept me reading. In fact, near the end of the book it kept me awake into the early morning hours to finish.

At first I questioned the place of this book on the Prinz award finalist list. The award is for "excellence in YA literature" and named in honor of a Topeka Kansas school librarian. This is definitely a book I would keep to the side in my classroom and recommend only to students who needed it or could handle the content. Of course, I find I am becoming increasingly conservative. I may not be the best judge of what is acceptable in schools. I know that this is a book that would be challenged (that's code for "censored") by a wide variety of groups if they were aware of it. But, having finished it I have decided that deserves the honor of being an honor book on the Prinz award list and it should be easily available to junior and senior high school readers. Alcohol and drug abuse is a plague that affects a devastatingly large percentage of kids in schools. This book explores the topic and does not romanticize drinking or drugging. It also offers a positive message of coping mechanisms that kids can use. Every school counselor and many teachers should be aware of this book to refer it to kids who have to deal with this in their homes or social group. Yes, it's really hard to read--but in the end worth every minute. I expect I will now be reading more of John Barnes work. If this is an example of the quality of his writing--I want more!