This is a YA novel whose protagonist is a young trans teen starting over at a new school after his transition was met with threats of violence at his This is a YA novel whose protagonist is a young trans teen starting over at a new school after his transition was met with threats of violence at his old school. This book is all about what it takes to come out, with our trans protagonist, his non-binary friend, and the cis gay boy he has a crush on all on different points of their coming out journey, with different levels of support and different motivations for being out or in. This was a debut novel that felt a little rough in places, but first, I am not the target audience, and second, the last few chapters had me crying (in a good way) nonetheless. I think this walked the line pretty successful of addressing the difficulties of encountering/fearing bigotry while still managing to feel overall like a warm hug. Definitely a book I probably would not have picked up had I not seen it recommended a few times for the Trans Rights Readathon, but I enjoyed it!...more
Listen. I am still a little salty about this because I was promised by multiple people the coziest, most trans-affirming love story wrapped in a fantaListen. I am still a little salty about this because I was promised by multiple people the coziest, most trans-affirming love story wrapped in a fantasy/mystery, and while this may have gotten there by the end, it starts out in some pretty intense transphobic angst, and my heart was feeling fragile enough at the time that I almost DNFed this.
I think this novel's depiction of the in-between place of a family's trans-acceptance is important and vital, and I'm glad it's in the world. I just wish I'd had the warning that this starts out as a bit of a tough hang, thought it gets to an affirming place in the end, and all of it gets a heck of a lot more bearable once Julian shows up.
This is a powerful story of identity and perception and acceptance, with ghosts and magic and Latinx culture and superficial high school reputations and fast cars and the beach and colonialism and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being Perceived and again, the richness of Latinx culture.
I'd heard so many good things about this that I had to go check it out when I saw it at the library. All of its praise is deserved. A magical read witI'd heard so many good things about this that I had to go check it out when I saw it at the library. All of its praise is deserved. A magical read with beautiful illustrations -- about immigration and language and faerie tales and identity and clothing and coming out. Especially love the Vietnamese faerie tales -- the similarities and differences with the Western tales I grew up with are fascinating.
While we were eager to spend more time in the world of the Abhorsen, and curious to know more about Clariel, knowing how she will eventually end up maWhile we were eager to spend more time in the world of the Abhorsen, and curious to know more about Clariel, knowing how she will eventually end up makes this book fairly dark from the get-go. Clariel tries so hard to escape various fates that seem to be laid out before her, but of course what she will eventually become is far darker than most of what she is running from.
Which made this book a bit of a tough hang for family story time. We all liked Clariel from the beginning, but the dark clouds are hanging low throughout....more
This book was absolutely sold to me by social media. I first heard about it on twitter when Zhao was pushing back against a rush a pre-publication oneThis book was absolutely sold to me by social media. I first heard about it on twitter when Zhao was pushing back against a rush a pre-publication one-star reviews on goodreads when certain people found out that this YA book contained a polyamorous triad. It sounded intriguing enough to put it on my want-to-read list, but since it was a series and I am very picky about committing to series, I didn't yet add it to my pre-orders.
Then a friend dragged me onto tiktok and the author has AMAZING tiktok game. They first popped up on my radar with a rant about IT ISN'T A LOVE TRIANGLE IF NOT ALL THREE POINTS CONNECT, and then they shared the story of why their author photo was in a cow onesie, and honestly, it was enough. I picked up a copy the next time I was at the store. A few day later, the friend who dragged me onto tiktok messaged me DO YOU WANT TO GO TO THE BOOKSTORE? because Zhao's tiktoks had finally shown up on her feed (the next one was about how the author realized halfway through writing this that their book about mechs had basically become about furries, but it was too late to change it) and she needed to buy the book immediately as well.
Well, this book jumped both of our TBR stacks, and a few days later we were both halfway through the book. Listen, as much as I loved the messy polyamorous love triangle, IT WAS THE RAGE FOR ME. The world of this novel is set up so explicitly to crush and then dispose of so many of its girls and young women, and the main character, Zetian, starts out with a personal grudge to avenge. But when she unexpectedly doesn't die, and instead ends up gaining more and more power even as she discovers how deeply the deck has been stacked against her and all girls... well things get ugly.
This book absolutely pulls the rug out from under you in its final pages, setting up the next book in the series, but if you can live with that sort of thing I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS. ...more
So, I'd started reading How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS and very quickly decided that I needed to reaSo, I'd started reading How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS and very quickly decided that I needed to read something that was the opposite of that at the same time. Impulsively, I grabbed this off of my thirteen-year-old's shelves, as people have been telling me that I need to read it for years. It turned out kind of perfectly. Whenever I would get overwhelmed with depression or rage reading Survive -- whether I was gnashing my teeth or trying to avoid crying in public, I'd turn to Nimona impulsively stabbing things, and it would help immensely.
Of course, there ends up being some sadness in Nimona, too, so after a while it became more of a change of pace and genre than an emotional catharsis -- but of course by then, I was heavily invested in both.
A punchy story that plays with a few fantasy tropes in interesting ways. I can definitely see why people kept telling me to read it. ...more
A YA book that my thirteen-year-old checked out of the library and then insisted I read when he finished. Very of the moment -- the plot centers on seA YA book that my thirteen-year-old checked out of the library and then insisted I read when he finished. Very of the moment -- the plot centers on sexting and social media and apps used for bullying and "nice guys." Told through jumps between two timelines, it is unraveling the mystery of who publicly shared revealing photos of a teacher, told through the point of view of the only three teens who should have had access to the photos -- Jenna, a girl whose life was upended a year ago when her own topless photos were shared, Drew, a jock and best friend of Jenna's ex, and "Mouse," a quiet blerd and long-time close friend of Jenna.
About two-thirds of the way through this book I became filled with the conviction that there was only one way this book could end that would make it "okay." (view spoiler)[That's the way it ended. As it turns out Jenna leaked the photos -- crushing a teacher who was casually cruel to her in her own moment of humiliation. AND FRAMING THE TWO BOYS WHO LEAKED HER OWN PHOTOS AT THE SAME TIME. Very satisfying. I like that the book allowed for moral messiness -- showing us good sides to both Drew and Mouse, but absolutely not letting them off the hook for the fucked up shit they did to Jenna (and many other girls.) (hide spoiler)]...more
I was drawn into this book because of the hype, and it was worth every bit of it. I loved this book from the first pages, the first verses. The only rI was drawn into this book because of the hype, and it was worth every bit of it. I loved this book from the first pages, the first verses. The only reason I gave this four instead of five stars is that I perhaps over identified and there is a violation in this book that I experienced so viscerally that I couldn't get past it. (view spoiler)[(her mother burning Xiomara's notebook) Xiomara and her mother reconciled by the book's end, but I was still so mad that I couldn't get there. I really needed some more emotional work in putting that back together. (hide spoiler)]
Of a specific culture and moment -- yet so raw and relatable. I dare you not to fall in love with Xiomara -- especially if you were ever the sort to fill notebooks with poetry or challenge the theology in your Sunday school class.
A book I acquired through Book Riot Quarterly box ages ago. The recommendation was gushing, but I'm picky about YA, so it's been languishing on my sheA book I acquired through Book Riot Quarterly box ages ago. The recommendation was gushing, but I'm picky about YA, so it's been languishing on my shelves. Finally picked it up the other night when I was "supervising" one of my son's sleepovers.
The book hooked me and pulled me through fairly quickly -- even as I spent much of my time reading wondering when in time this story was supposed to take place. Between the "Great Hunter" spirit in the woods, some vaguely cringey observations about Mexicans moving in to town, all the smoking and leather jackets -- something about it gave me more of an 80s feel than anything supposed to be contemporary. Or maybe it's just because I haven't read this type of book since the early 90s?
I did like the book's final resolution -- Vera's furious/sad realization/accusation that (view spoiler)[being trained to ignore their neighbor's abuse at the hands of her husband trained Vera and her family to ignore all sorts of wrongs and pains. (hide spoiler)] This moment kind of retroactively improved my perspective on much of the apathy that had bothered me earlier in the book. But I was still kind of "meh" on the whole thing. Quite possible that I judged it more harshly because of the hype, though. ...more
Another Book Riot Read Harder selection, this one for the "book turned into a movie" category. Plus, it just seemed like I should read it -- a bit of Another Book Riot Read Harder selection, this one for the "book turned into a movie" category. Plus, it just seemed like I should read it -- a bit of a modern classic, and it came out just a little too late for me to have read it as a child.
So... it was a dystopian tale for children. Having read so many dystopian stories by now, sometimes it felt too familiar, the consequences too easy to see coming. I did think that she would pull the punch at the very end though, which she didn't.
I keep putting off seeing the movie -- I'm supposed to compare. Mostly because I hardly watch movies at home anymore. I only have another month now. Better get to it!...more
After reading a post in agentfroot's journal the other day where she mentioned this book, I ended up with it on the brain for a while. Finally I gave After reading a post in agentfroot's journal the other day where she mentioned this book, I ended up with it on the brain for a while. Finally I gave in and took it off of the shelf and read it to my husband, beginning to end, last night. And made an interesting discovery. This is a book to be read aloud. A lot of books aren't. Salman Rushdie, for instance. I tried to read one of his books to Andrew a month or so ago and I could barely make myself finish the chapter. The book is now disappeared, somewhere, and I will not be attempting to finish it. But Angel Juan is just perfect for reading aloud. It was a nice way to spend an evening. :)
For those of you not familiar with Block, the Weetzie Bat series is kind of a bizarre modern faerie tale. It's magical realism transported to LA with AIDS and plastic flamingos and disease and christmas lights and magic and despair. It's written for adolescents, and all five books are short, devourable in a single sitting. People usually adore her or are driven batty by her. You should check her out and figure out which one you are. ...more
I had a lot of reasons to read this book. I love the Green brothers on youtube. This book is soon to be a movie. I wanted to have an opinion in the deI had a lot of reasons to read this book. I love the Green brothers on youtube. This book is soon to be a movie. I wanted to have an opinion in the debate on whether John Green is really the most brilliant YA author of our time or if he is just benefitting from a lot of unearned privilege being a white male in a genre predominantly written by women.
Plus, it amused me to put a hold on a library book and be the 78th in line.
It will surprise no one to know that I cried and cried and cried. And while I'm generally very suspicious of Emotional Manipulation and I'm really still very angry about Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, I didn't feel like this book was manipulative for its own sake. I didn't feel like it was the profoundest book that explained Life, The Universe, and Everything, either. I feel fairly middle of the road about it, though reading 2 and 3 star reviews to see if anyone else has been able to explain my ambivalence, I mostly felt irritated at the criticisms and got more and more defensive of the book.
It's about cancer, okay? And it's about kids who have cancer. Kids who have been staring down a death sentence for years. So of course it's about what life is and what death is and mostly avoids easy answers, even as it alternatively mocks and empathizes with those who cling to aphorisms and Positive Truths. There is some meta-playfulness as the two main characters obsess over a book with a character who also has cancer, and even meet the author. There are good moments and a lot of shitty moments. There is black gallows humor. And somehow, after Green blows the entire world apart, he sets it together again.
That alone, I'd call a worthy accomplishment. ...more
I actually had kind of a hard time reading this book. Not because it wasn't totally wonderful -- it was -- but my expectations were ridiculously sky hI actually had kind of a hard time reading this book. Not because it wasn't totally wonderful -- it was -- but my expectations were ridiculously sky high. First of all, Valente's The Orphan's Tales in the Night Garden is one of my favorite books. Secondly, I'd heard many lovely things about this novel. Finally, I was excited about the idea of Valente writing fairy tales for children/teens. All of which is wonderful, but then when I finally started reading, I couldn't manage to stay in the stream of the story, I kept surfacing to take measurements -- "Is this as awesome as I was expecting it to be?" "Could Jefferson appreciate and ove this when he read it?"
That was problematic. Because otherwise this book was charming. There were a number of absolutely lovely turns of phrase -- quotes I had to write down immediately, conversations I had to read aloud to my husband, and amazingly delightful inventions -- like the wyverary, which is what is born when a wyvern and a library love each other very much...
Had I read this book without such expectations, I feel sure I would have been blown away. Valente is bold and fierce, but can also be almost unbearably tender. The number of times she managed to upend my expectations was impressive, but what was more so was that all these surprise turns worked -- they were cohesive and felt true.
When Jefferson comes home from Grandma's, we will have to have a conversation about this book. Also, there's a sequel. That's going to have to be mine....more
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